Feng Yuanliang had been about to cut off communications, but the sight suddenly stopped him in his tracks.
His eyes widened slightly, and he shouted urgently, "Don't move!"
On Dawn Star, Hong Fan had been about to lift his left hand from the rock wall he was bracing against. The sudden voice from the Communication Device made him flinch.
But his solid training allowed him to calm down quickly.
He held his position, muscles taut and attention sharply focused, and lowered his voice. "Academician Feng, what happened?"
As he spoke, he scanned his surroundings out of the corner of his eye.
Nothing looked out of the ordinary, did it?
Except for the fine sand slipping down the rock wall and blowing away in the wind.
Confusion flickered in Hong Fan's eyes.
Even Fang Xu, aboard the Earth, looked puzzled as he turned toward Feng Yuanliang, who was gripping the microphone beside him. "Academician Feng?"
Feng Yuanliang said quietly, "Hong Fan, move your hand away first."
"Slowly."
"Point the camera at the rock wall."
Hong Fan followed Feng Yuanliang's instructions to the letter.
As he withdrew his left hand, another sprinkling of fine yellow sand came loose.
A small, hole-riddled depression visibly appeared in the already uneven rock wall.
"Such severe weathering..."
Feng Yuanliang murmured through the Communication Device.
Hong Fan let out a deep breath of relief.
I thought something had happened. It was just weathering.
He waved dismissively and said casually, "Academician Feng, with winds this strong on Dawn Star, severe weathering is only natural."
Unlike Hong Fan, Feng Yuanliang sounded utterly grave.
"No."
He quietly rejected Hong Fan's explanation. "Weathering this severe isn't something the current wind could cause."
Dead silence fell over the Communication Device.
"...Wh-what do you mean?"
Hong Fan admitted to himself that he was