Chapter 3

Late at night, in Jiangcheng.

The LCD screen emitted a faint blue light, and the room was unusually quiet, with the sound of the computer fan humming clearly audible.

Chen Xin sat in front of the computer. On his left was a 4x4 Rubik's Cube, and below it was a book titled "0day Security: Software Vulnerability Analysis Techniques," indicating the owner's inclination towards technology.

Chen Xin refreshed the forum again. At some point, the post had been highlighted by the moderator of the Super Large Air Force section, with red and bold text, making it very noticeable.

It had been half an hour since the post was made, and the number of clicks had risen to over two thousand, with over a hundred replies.

Chen Xin opened the post again, slowly scrolled down, and carefully read through each reply.

Second floor: "Holy crap, could it really be 'Dawn Goddess'? The OP is awesome!!!"

Third floor: "OP, please open the door, the CIA is checking the water meter..."

Fourth floor (Peishens): "Worship the great god. After years of hanging around Super Large, this is the first time I've seen such a dominant post. The new recruit is fierce, and I strongly suggest the moderator pin and highlight it!"

Fifth floor quoted Peishens' reply: "Fourth floor, P-god appears. It doesn't seem fake. By the way, can the J-20 handle this guy?"

Sixth floor: "Fifth floor, military noob. The ribbon girl can only eat dust. This guy is forcing the rabbit to launch a starship..."

Seventh floor: "I wonder if the current technology can detect this guy. I'm breaking out in a cold sweat. Go, rabbit! Rise up!"

Eighth floor: "..."

...

The number of clicks and replies continued to rise rapidly. Chen Xin searched on Baidu and found that there were already over a dozen reprints, not just on military forums like Feiyang and Dingsheng, but also on major platforms like Tianya, Beichao, Longkong, and various other forums, where people were discussing "Dawn Goddess."

In the internet age, the speed of information dissemination is astonishing.

Chen Xin grinned, his mischievous side taking over. He logged into another of his frequently used accounts on Super Large, "Deep Blue Pirate Flag," and replied to the post with a well-worn advertisement: "Professional nuclear submarine repair, second-hand aircraft carrier recycling, major nuclear reactor overhauls, aviation engine cleaning, space shuttle maintenance, satellite cleaning at high altitudes, solar panel dust removal, wholesale J-10, F-22, F-35, B-2 bombers, hydrogen bombs, atomic bombs, neutron bombs, electromagnetic pulse bombs, the entire DF series, and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Also provides proton collider and antimatter particle capture technology support. Quantity discounts, 70% off for group purchases, 50% off for flash sales, with official invoices."

After typing out the message, Chen Xin stretched, glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of the screen, and snapped his fingers, saying, "Gangbei, get me a can of beer from the fridge."

As soon as he finished speaking, the 4x4 Rubik's Cube on the table suddenly started moving, quickly breaking down into sixty-four small cubes. These cubes then further decomposed into four thousand and ninety-six tiny blocks. As this process repeated, the Rubik's Cube melted like mercury, breaking down into countless nanoscale micro-machines, which then rapidly reassembled. In the blink of an eye, the Rubik's Cube disappeared, replaced by a thirty-centimeter-tall robot.

The robot did a somersault off the table, ran out of the room, and soon the sound of the fridge door opening and closing could be heard from the kitchen. Then, the small robot returned to Chen Xin's room, holding a can of beer, and climbed up to the desk using the drawers, handing the beer to Chen Xin with a stiff, synthesized electronic voice: "As usual, the beer is yours, the can is mine."

Chen Xin smiled at the robot's blue electronic eyes and opened the can, saying, "Cheers!"

...

Gangbei loved to eat metal objects. In the early days, it ate all the kitchen knives, aluminum pots, pressure cookers, and even the empty beer cans in the house, and wouldn't even spare the coins in Chen Xin's pocket.

Later, Chen Xin discovered that Gangbei's favorite was the one-yuan coin, specifically the 2005 edition, which is made of steel with a nickel coating. According to Gangbei, it tasted crispy and tender, the perfect snack.

So Chen Xin stopped bothering to name it and just called it Gangbei.

Gangbei wasn't stupid and knew it wasn't a flattering name, but after multiple protests went unheeded, it had to give up. After all, Chen Xin was its owner and provider.

Gangbei now ate at least ten kilograms of metal every day, including copper, iron, nickel, cobalt, tin, and lead. Fortunately, it wasn't picky, and Chen Xin's financial situation could barely keep up. Otherwise, if it only ate precious metals like gold and silver, Chen Xin wouldn't be able to afford it.

After keeping Gangbei for over half a month, Chen Xin noticed that despite consuming several times its own weight in metal every day, its size hadn't changed at all. He had no idea where all the metal went, and even when he asked, Gangbei couldn't explain it.

To understand Gangbei's origin, we need to go back to Chen Xin's family background.

Chen Xin came from a family of scholars. His grandfather was a university professor who studied abroad before the liberation and later returned to teach at a university in East China. During the Cultural Revolution, he was labeled as a counter-revolutionary and was often targeted for criticism due to his stubborn personality. He didn't survive the ten years and passed away in 1970, leaving behind Chen Xin's father.

Chen Xin's maternal grandfather was also remarkable, graduating from Northeastern Geological College and studying under the famous geologist Professor Li Siguang. He made significant contributions to the field of geology.

Chen Xin's father, Chen Jianlin, took the college entrance exam in the early 1980s and entered the Earth Chemistry Department of Jiangcheng University. After graduating, he enrolled in his maternal grandfather's graduate program, where he met and fell in love with Chen Xin's mother, Jin Kezhu.

Both of them specialized in geology and stayed on as faculty members after graduation. They later joined the Chinese Antarctic Expedition Team and participated in multiple Antarctic scientific expeditions, earning the nickname "Divine Carving Couple" within the team.

In 2008, while working on the construction of the Chinese Antarctic Kunlun Station, the couple fell into a deep ice crevasse and perished, with their bodies never recovered.

At the time, Chen Xin was in his third year of university. Upon receiving the news, he sat alone for three days and nights without eating or drinking. The funeral arrangements were handled by his colleagues, leaders, and neighbors.

Chen Xin's maternal grandfather couldn't bear the loss of his child and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. He was saved but became a vegetative state.

Chen Xin's father was the only child in three generations, and his grandmother had passed away when he was very young. His maternal grandparents had only one daughter, his mother, who had also passed away during his high school years. Thus, his maternal grandfather became Chen Xin's only remaining relative, but now he was in a vegetative state.

The series of tragedies made Chen Xin grow up quickly, and he no longer exhibited the carefree nature of his youth.

After handling his parents' funeral, Chen Xin used their substantial compensation to buy a house in the Jin Garden neighborhood near the Jiangcheng People's Hospital, to be closer to his grandfather.

His grandfather never woke up and quietly passed away in his bed a little over a month ago, after lying there for over two years.

Compared to the sudden loss of his parents, his grandfather's passing was peaceful, and Chen Xin was mentally prepared. Perhaps this was the best outcome for the elderly man.

After his grandfather's passing, Chen Xin went to the old house to sort through the belongings. It was a two-story house in the university faculty compound, with a floor area of over two hundred square meters, filled with many of Chen Xin's childhood memories. He hadn't visited often since his parents' accident.

His grandfather's belongings were not extensive, consisting mainly of a room full of manuscripts and a collection of rock specimens from around the world. Many of these were brought back by Chen Xin's parents during their expeditions.

One shelf held particularly special rocks, which were meteorites that Chen Xin's parents had brought back from the Grove Mountains in Antarctica.

Antarctica is known as a treasure trove of meteorites. Although the probability of meteorites landing is roughly the same worldwide, those that fall in Antarctica are more likely to be preserved and discovered.

Meteorites that land on the Antarctic ice cap often drill deep into the ice. The cold and clean conditions of Antarctica act like a natural ice vault, where these meteorites are well-preserved and do not easily weather. Therefore, the Earth age (the time since the meteorite landed on Earth) of Antarctic meteorites is the longest, often reaching several hundred thousand years, which is over a hundred times longer than that of meteorites from other continents. Some polar meteorites have been found to have an Earth age of up to five million years.

When meteorite-containing ice meets inland mountains, the ice rises due to the obstruction, and the surface ice gradually melts, bringing the meteorites closer to the surface. Eventually, they are exposed and accumulate in the areas where the ice is blocked by the mountains. The Grove Mountains, with dozens of peaks piercing through the ice cap, are a rich area for meteorites.

These meteorites from the distant Antarctic continent bear witness to the ideals and hopes of a generation of geologists. Now, they are sealed away in a corner, along with the memories of Chen Xin's parents.

Perhaps out of nostalgia for his parents, Chen Xin reached out to touch these stones that carried their essence.

The shelf holding the stones was quite high, and Chen Xin, not paying attention, accidentally knocked another stone off while taking one. It hit him on the forehead, and he immediately fainted.

A layer of skin on Chen Xin's forehead was broken, and blood flowed out. When his blood touched the stone, the surface of the meteorite suddenly glowed with a dark red light, and the bloodstain disappeared without a trace.

That night, Chen Xin had a dream. In the dream, he met a robot that claimed to be from the distant planet Cybertron. The robot was very arrogant, demanding that Chen Xin recognize it as its master, or else it would make things difficult for him.

Who was Chen Xin? In kindergarten, he was known as the top little tyrant in the university faculty compound, a notorious troublemaker. How could he be intimidated by a robot less than thirty centimeters tall?

Moreover, encountering aliens in dreams wasn't a new experience for him. Each time, he had always emerged victorious. So, the little robot met a tragic end.

The next morning, when Chen Xin woke up and saw Gangbei standing obediently by his side, he realized just how incredible his experience had been.