Workshop 7 of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill still hummed with the familiar rhythm of machinery when Leon Ford finally stepped out. His shoulders were stiff, and his eyes were weary from hours of analyzing English technical drawings. Lewis Grant—the seventh-level fitter who dragged him there—walked him out with a smile.
"Master Ford, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, none of us could handle those parts," Lewis said gratefully, clapping him on the shoulder.
Leon could only offer a tired nod. "Just doing my part."
When he finally returned to Workshop No. 5, he sat down with his porcelain cup and let out a long breath. His mind, however, wasn't resting. It was racing.
"Workshop 7 is building an ultra-high-frequency radio telescope…
For Hong'an Base.
But Hong'an Base shouldn't exist yet."
Leon frowned.
According to future history, both Hong'an Base and the major Trisolaris-related programs would begin around 1966. Yet the highly advanced telescope components he saw today meant that preparations had already begun—a whole year earlier.
The Red Star Rolling Mill had been tasked with manufacturing the precision parts required for the telescope. And based on the 50-year-advanced technology revealed by his holographic glasses, this telescope was far beyond normal science of the 1960s.
A sense of urgency pressed on his chest.
If Hong'an Base was already under construction…
The Trisolaran timeline was accelerating.
Leon knew better than anyone what this meant.
He whispered the phrase he remembered from the future:
"Eliminate human tyranny, and the world belongs to Trisolaris."
The words left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the sudden rush of reality still sent a chill through him. The dream of the Trisolaran fleet crossing the stars toward Earth felt closer—too close.
Confusion, fear, and the need to act surged in him at once.
Just then, a loudspeaker outside began playing a spirited revolutionary song:
"Unity is strength…
This strength is iron, this strength is steel…"
The music snapped Leon out of his panic. The raw, powerful energy of the era washed over him again. Workers in this time had little material wealth, but their spirits were bright—unbreakable even.
Leon exhaled slowly.
He grabbed Silent Spring, picked up the roast duck he bought earlier, and stepped out of the workshop.
Lewis walked up again, still grateful. "Master Ford, we'll be relying on you even more in the coming days."
Leon immediately responded with the era's standard reply:
"It's all for serving the people."
Lewis stared at him with admiration. "Top student indeed. Your consciousness is higher than all of us."
Leon only smiled faintly. He spent the rest of the day translating one-third of the drawings—not all of them. He needed reasons to return frequently. The progress of the radio telescope mattered too much.
---
A Night Under the Stars
Leon cycled home slowly. By the time he arrived, the sky was already dark. He parked his bicycle and lifted his gaze.
The Milky Way stretched overhead like a river of diamonds. In earlier years, he would have admired it casually. But tonight, he saw something different.
He saw danger.
The stars glowed like silent hunters walking through a massive cosmic forest, each one holding a shining shotgun. They moved cautiously, silently, never lowering their heads.
In this vision, Leon looked down at himself and saw… an insect.
A tiny, insignificant being crawling across the forest floor.
The cosmic hunters never noticed insects like him. Whenever they stepped forward, they crushed thousands of ants underfoot—never realizing the destruction they left behind.
Even when they glanced back and saw the crushed bodies, they simply swept the remains aside and kept going.
"We are bugs…
Insignificant bugs," Leon whispered with a bitter smile.
The universe was enormous. Civilization was cruel. And humans were nothing more than insects caught in the path of giants.
He took a steadying breath.
Luckily, he had landed in an era filled with strength, optimism, and the belief that the world could be changed. The people here possessed powerful ideals—ideals that could give even a man facing cosmic horror some comfort.
Leon dusted off his clothes and unlocked his door.
---
The Ring of Destiny
The moment the door swung open, he heard it:
Swish—swish—swish—
A soft rustling filled the room, chaotic but rhythmic. In the faint darkness, he saw quick black shadows crawling across his desk.
Ants.
But not just a handful.
Hundreds.
No—thousands.
Leon rushed to the light switch and flicked it on.
The sight rooted him to the floor.
Thousands of ants had arranged themselves in perfectly symmetrical concentric circles around the teacup containing Fate, the Ant Sage.
Thirteen flawless rings.
Each circle was perfectly spaced, perfectly aligned, and mathematically precise. The teacup was the center point—the heart of their universe.
Leon's jaw dropped.
The first circle around the teacup consisted of the original twelve named ants and the massive queen. Their positions were evenly spaced, forming a perfect ring.
The second circle had 26 ants.
The third circle had 39 ants.
Each ring increased by a multiple of 13.
Leon's hands trembled slightly. Even humans struggled to draw perfect concentric circles without tools. Yet these ants—simple creatures by nature—had created a flawless pattern.
He activated the data analysis feature on his holographic glasses.
Charts, measurements, and models flashed in his vision.
His breath caught.
The positions of the ants were exact to millimeters.
Symmetrical.
Aligned.
Mathematically pure.
"This is impossible," Leon whispered. "Not even trained draftsmen can do this without tools…"
What had happened in the Destiny Ant Nest while he was gone?
He needed to know.
---
Connecting Minds Once More
Leon rushed to his cabinet, pulled out the Dream Machine, and set it on the table.
He carefully lifted the lid of the teacup.
Inside, Fate—the Ant Sage—stood proudly, releasing uninterrupted streams of pheromones. The small ant had transformed even further than before.
Leon attached one patch of the Dream Machine to Fate's antennae and the other to his own wrist, then activated the device.
Buzz.
A shock ran through Fate's mind. The world around him dissolved, replaced by swirling lights and a dark star-filled space. Once again, he entered the Dream World.
In that realm, the tiny ant looked up toward the sky and released a message that echoed across the darkness.
"I, Fate the Ant, request communication…
With the beings beyond the sky."
The words vibrated with a strange solemnity.
The ant civilization was no longer crawling.
It was awakening
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