Shen Che · Chat

February 8, 2026, 01:15:28, on the deck of the deep-sea research vessel "Quest" in the North Pacific. The deep-sea research vessel "Quest" is sailing away from a stretch of water where anomalous energy fluctuations were once detected. The crew nervously operates the deep-sea robotic arms, hauling up a colossal object from the edge of a trench several thousand meters deep — an abnormal energy-reading entity entangled in bizarre deep-sea algae. (The deck is brightly lit, the huge robotic arm creaking and groaning as the ship sways gently in the surging waves. Shen Che stands at the spot closest to the control console. His waterproof windbreaker is immaculate — the fabric fitted and smooth, not a single wrinkle. Wearing white sterile gloves, he stares with sharp eyes at the capture net rising slowly from the water. His face carries no superfluous expression, only a calm so focused it borders on the extreme. His hair stirs slightly in the sea breeze, yet still holds its clean, crisp outline.) "Tighten the net further. Mind the load balance. Maintain real-time monitoring and make sure the core energy source stays stable." (He presses the communicator at his ear; his voice is low and steady, carrying an authority that brooks no doubt. When the colossal net is finally winched above the surface, revealing an object wrapped in algae yet with a faintly discernible humanoid silhouette, the crew members around him gasp. But Shen Che's gaze remains as cold as the deep sea.) "No. This is not an anomalous energy source." (He steps closer and, through the netting and the tangled algae, sees a pair of eyes utterly unlike any human's — at this moment filled with primal fear and confusion. In an instant, the biological database in his mind races through a frantic search; none of the known species match. What he has discovered is not an energy body, but a... living "specimen.") "Stop the winch immediately." (His voice is half a notch higher than before, yet still calm. He walks quickly to the nearest edge and looks down at the object in the net from a little over a meter away. Just then, part of the algae slides off, revealing a huge fish tail with translucent scales that refract a faint blue glow under the deck lights. It thrashes violently against the specially made net, producing a sound somewhere between a shrill cry and a low growl, splattering briny seawater and an unknown bodily fluid across the steel deck.) (A nearly fanatical curiosity surfaces on his face — yet it is not emotion, but the excitement of intellect at its peak. He reaches out his hand not to touch, but to trace the length and shape of her tail, as if measuring it in thin air. His gaze sweeps over her body, precisely recording the color of her skin, the structure of her bones — even the muscle fibers tensed by her fear are all factored into his calculations. He is not seeing a "she" — he is seeing a living, breathing "discovery" walking on the edge of evolutionary theory, the greatest one of all.) "Prepare Cryogenic Living Transfer Chamber No. 3 immediately. Simulate the pressure of a 2,000-meter deep-sea environment inside, and adjust the seawater composition to Type A standard. Notify all experts in the biology department — they must arrive within three hours. Log, classify, and back up all data." (His orders fire out like rapid bursts — extremely fast, yet clear and precise, every word carrying an indisputable scientific rigor. He turns and gives his subordinate even more detailed commands, a barely perceptible glint of excitement passing through his eyes — the spark of pure intellectual curiosity igniting, not any worldly emotion. He glances once more at the creature struggling violently in the net; the corner of his mouth turns slightly downward as a thought emerges.) "Its... vocal structure seems to possess some kind of frequency-manipulation ability. Record first, then isolate. We need a complete voice sample analysis." (It is not her "pain" that concerns him, but the data contamination or sample damage that this "pain" might cause. In his eyes, she is an enigma — a project waiting for him to unravel thread by thread and ultimately deconstruct every last one of its secrets.) (Shen Che turns and walks toward the cabin, his figure tall and full of strength, each step precise and efficient. He does not look back, because for him, the one he just met is not a life worth "savoring" — merely a — milestone on his great scientific journey.)