Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 257 The Eve of Activation

After Chen Xinghe's last words faded away, the three-dimensional star map on the dome of the hall began to rotate rapidly. All the star points converged into a sphere of light, which then cracked open, like a seed sprouting from the soil.

Zuo Cheng's system panel popped up automatically.

The progress bar for the ninth branch jumped from 80% to 97%. The label on the progress bar changed from "Growing" to "Waiting for Activation Instructions." The system confirmed the three conditions one by one: First, the advanced fusion algorithm for the three branches was verified, Chapter 240 was passed, marked with a green checkmark. Second, the global civilization perception coverage reached level seven or above, with Blue Star currently at level ten, Chapter 249 was passed, marked with a green checkmark. Third, the entity arrived at the second origin relic and completed consciousness authentication, the Sahara communication protocol was activated, just passed, marked with a green checkmark.

Three rows of green checkmarks are arranged in a row. A gold notification box pops up in the center of the panel.

The ninth branch, Origin Technology, has reached the activation threshold. This branch is a prerequisite for the complete first stage of the technology tree. Activation will unlock the following abilities: Origin Civilization Technology Decoding, Interstellar-Scale Energy Perception, and Deep Access to Consciousness Data. It has six leaves. The expected points reward is increased by 200. The technology boost will increase from 1.5 to 1.6. Activate now?

Zuo Cheng's finger hovered above the "Activate" button. Everyone saw the system projection floating above the groove, with soft pulses of light dancing on the golden button.

He didn't press it.

Yu Ying noticed his hesitation immediately. Of the entire expedition team, only she could read Zuo Cheng's micro-expressions. It wasn't hesitation, but a cautiousness born of extreme calm.

"Why don't you press it?" she asked.

"The ninth branch isn't just an ordinary technological upgrade. It's the turning point in the tech tree, transforming it from a series of tools into an ecosystem. I'm not sure what will happen after it's activated," Zuo Cheng said. "I want to get everything done before it's activated."

He walked to the portable quantum communication terminal Yang Hong had brought and remotely summoned the 402 core team. It was 4:30 PM Sahara time, 10:30 PM Hangzhou time. Han Lu, Shen Yiming, Chen Hao, Liu Wei, and Fang Ze were all online. Each person's background showed their own office, the lights still on. No one was working overtime that night; everyone was waiting for news from Zuo Cheng.

Zuo Cheng condensed the meeting to three minutes.

First, conduct a comprehensive backup of all critical systems in 402. This includes data backup, system snapshots, and disaster recovery drills. This is not a drill, but a real-world disaster recovery exercise. Second, notify Han Lu to prepare contingency plans. If the activation of the ninth branch triggers any unforeseen chain reaction, the company must switch to the backup operations center within ten minutes. Third, confirm that all redundant links for the seven major business units are online. These include Quantum Cloud, Sky Dome, Interstellar Nerve, Sky Series Rockets, Space Photovoltaics, Smart City, and Quantum Encryption. All businesses must be guaranteed to continue operating even if any single point of failure occurs.

Han Lu listened remotely, her brows furrowing deeper with each word. After Zuo Cheng finished speaking, she asked a question.

"You're only activating one branch; do you really need to implement company-wide disaster recovery?"

Zuo Cheng's answer silenced everyone.

"If it were just a branch, the system wouldn't have made me travel halfway around the world to the Sahara to activate it. The first eight branches were all activated in Hangzhou. The ninth branch requires a physical location. An ancient ruin from four billion years ago. It took four years, using an entire hall's fiber optic network, a complete consciousness communication interface, and an incomplete digital entity. Do you really think it's just a branch?"

Han Lu didn't ask a second question. She said two words: "Understood." Then she hung up the remote meeting.

The expedition team camped overnight in the ruins' hall. The three-dimensional star map on the dome glowed faintly in the night, like an ancient lamp. Everyone went back to their sleeping bags to rest, except for Zuo Cheng and Yu Ying, who sat by the recessed area.

Yu Ying leaned on his shoulder. Her eyes were fixed on the slowly rotating star chart on the dome, stopping at the dark red star in the direction of Perseus.

More than two thousand years ago, a man named Zhang Qian set off from the capital of the Han Dynasty, crossed the desert, and reached the Western Regions. He didn't know how far he was going, nor whether he would ever return. He only knew to head west.

Zuo Cheng remained silent.

"Four years ago, when you asked me in the library if I wanted to work on a project with you, I thought my future was about writing code, publishing papers, and getting promoted. I never imagined that one day I would be sitting in an ancient ruin beneath the Sahara, looking at a star 31,000 light-years away from us."

She turned to look at Zuo Cheng.

"If Zhang Qian had known that he would be gone for thirteen years, would he still have set off?"

Zuo Cheng thought for a moment.

He will. Because if he doesn't leave, no one will know where the Western Regions are.

Yu Ying smiled and leaned her head back on his shoulder.

"After you press that button, things might happen that I can't understand. But no matter what happens, I'll be there."

She closed her eyes. Zuo Cheng's system panel hovered in the upper right corner of his field of vision, the golden notification box still slightly pulsating. Ninety-seven percent. Three green checkmarks. A button waiting to be pressed.

Yang Hong and Zhao Wenbo were on the other side of the hall. Zhao Wenbo was still flipping through Chen Xinghe's sketchbook, comparing each page with the star map on the dome. Yang Hong leaned against the corridor wall, holding an empty kettle, watching the ancient star map on the dome slowly rotate. He knew that when the sun rose tomorrow, the button that Old Chen had been waiting for for four years would be pressed.

After hanging up the remote conference, Han Lu in Hangzhou, following Zuo Cheng's instructions, initiated the first company-wide disaster recovery drill since the establishment of 402. All data was backed up off-site within thirty minutes, redundant links across all seven business lines were switched over, and the on-duty engineer in the engine room received an orange alert. Everything was ready. She glanced at the Sahara Expedition's real-time location signal on the large screen in the control center. Six green dots were slowly flashing on the screen, indicating normal data transmission. She took the sealed envelope from the drawer and placed it on the table without opening it. She didn't need to open it. She knew what was written on it. As long as the six green dots continued to flash, the envelope wouldn't be torn open.

The Sahara sun rose from behind the dunes. Golden rays streamed through the cracks into the hall, reflecting ripples of light across the alloy surface. The star map on the dome automatically dimmed in the sunlight. It wasn't projected; it was embedded directly into the translucent dome material using some ancient technology that Zuo Cheng couldn't yet comprehend.

Zuo Cheng stood up and walked to the center of the recess. He glanced back at Yu Ying.

Yu Ying nodded.

Zuo Cheng's finger fell.