The next morning, Fara was awakened by a ringing sound from a green light ball…it belonged to Sir Bran.
That cold-hearted person.
"Fara, this is Bran..."
"Yes, sir," Farang answered the phone groggily.
"I came to the lab a little early today. I have a meeting this morning, so I might need to discuss something with the Solmaster Council..."
"Please submit the report no later than noon."
The ball of light went out. Fara checked the time; it wasn't light yet. Fara wondered if her master, Sir Bran, had gotten any sleep.
During their walk from the dorm to the treatment building, Myra, her assistant, read a report while they walked together.
"Chief, the report. The elderly man and the woman who died – the autopsy results show they died of pulmonary edema. They've been dead for at least seven days in Cryoth," Myra said.
"What?" Fara asked, unable to believe her ears.
"The autopsy results showed she died from pulmonary edema. She had been dead for at least seven days in the cryotherapy chamber," Myra repeated.
Fara grabbed the sheet of paper and started reading.
"Two weeks... What?! If it really was a spacecraft from Mars, the actual travel time should only be three days, at most five days, right? How do these people travel?... The time it takes to die and the time it takes to travel don't match at all."
It was a mystery that Fara had to solve, and the answer was right in front of her.
Inside a dimly lit lab, the figure of a pale young man with long, flowing golden hair floated in a vertical treatment tank. His naked body was enveloped in a glowing yellow liquid called "Bio-Argentina," which functions to maintain cell condition and repair wounds.
In fact, this potion is made from the same ingredients as the fluorescent yellow liquid that the travelers used in hibernation, but its viscosity is different.
Fara stood with her arms crossed, scrutinizing the figure through the thick glass. She watched as the vital signs on the monitor began to beat faster.
"He looks perfectly fine," Fara murmured, before lightly tapping her knuckles on the tank glass.
Knock! Knock!
The knocking sound reverberated through the liquid, awakening the dormant consciousness. The young man's eyelids twitched before snapping open amidst the fluid. He saw Fara's distorted face reflected in the curve of the glass and the liquid, staring intently at him. Panic gripped his heart. He began to struggle, thrashing about, trying to escape this watery prison. Bubbles spewed from his mouth and nose.
"He's awake... Get him out of the tank."
Fara calmly gave the instructions. She reached out and pressed the red button on the control panel next to the tank. The machine roared to life, and the "Chivariangenti" chemical was rapidly pumped out through the valve at the bottom. The water level dropped until the young man slumped to the bottom of the tank, gasping for air.
As soon as the fluid ran out, the officer quickly unlocked and opened the glass pane. Warm vapor radiated from inside; the fluid was kept at body temperature. Upon contact with the air outside the tank, which was dozens of degrees colder, the young man felt a chill run down his spine. The officer quickly wrapped a thick towel around his soaking wet and trembling body.
The young man weakly lifted his head, his blue eyes meeting the sharp gaze of Fara, who stood towering over him.
"Take him to rest first. I'll begin the interrogation after noon," Fara ordered in a calm voice, without taking her eyes off the stranger who met her gaze. She didn't smile, and she didn't avert her eyes.
He looked nauseated, his body struggling to expel the foreign substance... and the next moment, the man bent over and vomited all the remaining solution in his lungs.
For hours, the young man leaned back, looking around, trying to adjust his blurry vision to the surrounding light. He still saw his own hands as just a hazy image. For hours he remained drowsy, half-asleep, half-awake, all within Fara's sight.
Fara was confronting a secret far greater than she had anticipated. She peered through the window of the clean, white recovery room, seeing a young man sitting propped up against a large pillow at the head of the bed. She guessed he was in his early twenties, tall and slender, with a handsome face. His blue eyes were still somewhat blurry from light sensitivity. Although his face was pale from the recent vomiting to expel the medication from his lungs, it couldn't diminish his natural elegance. His long, wavy golden hair clung to his face, accentuating his striking blue eyes and giving them a strangely captivating charm.
Fara swallowed hard, trying to take a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She put on a serious expression, walked into the room with Doris and her assistant Myra, and then pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed.
"Log entry 764... Survivor of the meteor project incident. Person 764 begins the interview."
Fara spoke in a calm voice, placing the pink recording glass dovetail on the bedside table. The handsome young man followed the dovetail with his gaze before returning to meet hers directly. The moment his blue eyes met Fara's crimson eyes, the woman's heart skipped a beat. She quickly averted her gaze for no reason, as if she couldn't withstand the bright light emanating from those eyes.
Fara then began to perform her duty. "You... speak the same language as us, right?"
"Yes," the young man replied in a deep, charming voice. He tried to move his face to meet the questioner's gaze, but Fara pretended to be focused on the glass rod to avoid his eyes.
"Of course I had to study…" he replied evasively, jokingly to cover up his true feelings. But the smile was short-lived; his blue eyes began to show signs of unease as he considered the important matter. "Tell me… what about the others? Those who traveled with me, are they safe?"
The question left Fara speechless for a long moment. Her thin lips were pressed together in hesitation before she decided to shatter his hopes with the harsh truth.
"I'm sorry..." Fara said softly, "Of all those life-saving capsules... you're the only survivor."
The answer was like a lightning strike to the heart. The young man's smile froze before fading away. His once rosy face turned pale in an instant. The playfulness and glimmer of hope from moments before vanished completely... leaving only overwhelming sorrow and fear etched in his mournful blue eyes.
"They're all dead... Oh my god... They're all dead," François mumbled, his voice trembling. His body shook so much that Fara reached out to touch his arm to bring him back to his senses, but he pulled his arm away immediately, causing Fara to clench her fist and recoil.
"Calm down... Now you have to tell me the truth. Your spaceship crashed in a restricted area. This is too big to be a typical accident. Who are you?" Fara pressed.
The young man took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He looked at Fara's face thoughtfully before making a decision. "Could you dismiss the others first?"
Fara nodded for Doris and Myra to wait outside. Once the door closed and they were alone, the young man slowly turned his back to her and took off his hospital gown.
The sight that greeted Fara made her put her hand to her chest in surprise…
On his smooth, pale back, a large "diamond" tattoo was intricately carved with gold ink, sparkling brightly when it caught the light.
"This is..." Fara's voice trembled. She knew the meaning of the symbol.
The young man turned back to meet her gaze, his eyes filled with hidden power and dignity.
"My name is François Cassiopeia Diamond of Mars…" he said in a firm voice, "heir to King Nemer, Crown Prince of the Diamond dynasty of Mars."