A Probe

"So far, the official side of this website still seemed to have no intention of responding..."

Inside the conference room, groups of people were engaged in heated discussion and explanations. Chen Guodong blended into the crowd, mostly just listening and refraining from speaking carelessly.

Today was the third day since the "Main God Platform official website" had quietly appeared.

It was also the third day that the hastily established Anomalous Website Phenomenon Assessment Group had been taking shifts "on duty," maintaining uninterrupted operations.

"...In particular, through twelve rotating teams and with the assistance of twelve cooperating users, the observation team has ensured round-the-clock monitoring of this official website. However, we still have not found any means of directly communicating with its operators, nor any other clues."

"What can currently be confirmed is that this 'official platform website' requires login through a user's mark. Anyone other than the user themselves, or an individual to whom they actively reveal the information, simply cannot actually observe this 'website,' much less open it through other means."

The man speaking casually removed his glasses, revealing eyes thick with bloodshot veins.

"We have already conducted a number of observation tests on this 'official website' through different methods, including indirect optical imaging, particle transmission, and simulations of human visual mechanisms. The results, however, have been the same without exception."

"To living beings and tested methods other than mark users themselves and the 'permitted individuals' authorized by them, this 'webpage' behaves as though it simply does not exist."

"Beyond instruments, considering that living creatures might be affected differently, the optics team even attempted verification after users opened the webpage, using multiple groups of laboratory animals with vision different from humans—from monochromatic vision to subjects with multiple cone cells. Yet they still found nothing."

"They suspect that this webpage is essentially the same kind of thing as the [information conveyed during the Newcomer Trial] mentioned by the users—that is, an 'imaging' and 'cognitive' effect produced by Number One directly projecting something into an individual's consciousness through unknown means..."

The man's explanation sounded somewhat obscure and unclear, especially the baffling term "Number One" that kept appearing between the lines.

But Chen Guodong knew that, out of extreme caution, the researchers had unanimously passed a resolution in the current research process to refer to the so-called Main God as "Number One."

"The network application team has likewise made no progress. Unable to trace any information exchange or possible feedback channels, or even pinpoint the actual website address, they currently half-agree with the theories proposed by the optics team and the ordinary-observer control group."

"Technically speaking, our current methods cannot support any further non-destructive testing."

A deep sense of helplessness filled the conference room.

"...This thing is just like the user mark our liaison team investigated earlier. It refuses both soft and hard approaches and shows no reaction to any kind of probing."

"As for the social interaction testing team, everyone knows they are still trying to improve their tests..."

"Based on the short-term tests conducted so far, we have not found any clear channel for feedback."

"With the users' cooperation, messages sent through the [User Services] section within the mark have yet to receive any response from Number One or whatever may exist behind it."

"And in the comprehensive forum section, our testers and relevant experts are still continuing their efforts..."

"Little Tang, try again."

Deng Linxu's voice was dry, and blisters had formed at the corners of his mouth. Pointing at the silver-blue webpage projected on the screen, simple enough to be called exquisite, he spoke listlessly.

"Try message number forty-six this time."

"Mm."

Without saying more, Tang Yuyang's fingers tapped across the keyboard. His Main God official website ID was remarkably upright and proper—"Rising Sun."

[Hello, unknown being. We have noticed your platform space and website. Our civilization is still at a relatively early stage, and we are full of curiosity toward you, with no hostile intent. Would it be possible for us to conduct some basic, peaceful exchange of information? We look forward to your reply.]

The cursor blinked in the text box as he slowly typed out the prewritten message.

State their identity, express their intentions, seek communication.

Though it was only a few short lines, reportedly every word had been repeatedly considered by relevant experts and advisers. Under strict restraint, it tried its utmost to appear peaceful and harmless while still carrying a hint of probing.

...Though at first glance, it rather made one suspect they were acting as representatives testing an alien civilization...

After finishing the entry, the two of them reviewed it together with the third person present—a special staff member who had been granted "visibility" by Tang Yuyang as a Main God user, but who had never communicated with either of them. After confirming that every word in the heavily approved draft was correct,

even though, from the perspective of the room's surveillance cameras and the other observers, they merely seemed to be busy over an ordinary phone interface,

Tang Yuyang finally pressed Send.

The next instant, the message dropped into the forum like a feather falling into the sea.

Less than two or three seconds after it refreshed onto the page, it was already being washed downward by newer posts appearing after it. Clicking into it directly yielded no response either.

The three who could see the result firsthand could not even be said to feel disappointed.

They had experienced this enough times already.

When the outcome had long been expected, disappointment divorced from surprise did not seem particularly pronounced.

Tang Yuyang could not even remember how many times he had sent posts like this over the past two or three days.

The result had always been the same.

This silver-blue webpage was like a bottomless black hole, effortlessly swallowing every gaze and voice cast into it, with no intention of returning anything.

From being persuaded at the beginning, to nervously following the "sample texts" provided by the base staff to make posts, to gradually becoming practiced and numb, the two hours of "work" he had to spend on this every day had become little more than tedious.

A young man in his twenties, he had become a "Main God user"—one of the so-called "first-round users"—just over a week ago.

He had suddenly fainted during a night shift and been rushed to the hospital by his coworkers, only to wake naturally again a few hours later.

That particular experience during that particular period quickly made him a prime suspect in something extremely unusual.

And the fact that the young man had swiftly quit his job and returned to his hometown after the incident further emphasized the weight of that "suspicion."

A little over four days ago, after he was finally found by staff members and persuaded alongside his parents, who had apparently already been approached in advance, he had been hurriedly brought to this base.

Now, Tang Yuyang's daily routine included an unshakable hour logging into the Main God Platform, reasonable physical training under the guidance of two assigned instructors, and attending certain classes for knowledge acquisition.

Then there was the task that had begun two or three days ago after the mission world: spending two hours each day cooperating with the base's research tests on this newly appeared "Main God official website."

From his initial unease to his present calm, he truly felt that his mindset had been stretched and forced to grow rapidly over these few short days.

Or perhaps it was because he had gone through another mission world. Even though he had failed midway through, he had indeed gained quite a lot from it, hadn't he?

Just as Tang Yuyang let his thoughts wander in front of the screen...

Unbeknownst to him, under similar circumstances, someone else was heading down a path completely different from his.