"The Dawn Code..."

The moment he saw those five words, Linden felt as if he'd been completely detached from the world. The bustling lobby, everything vanished, leaving only an endless ringing in his ears. He couldn't breathe, like a dolphin bound with lead weights, sinking deeper and deeper into the icy sea...

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

"What's wrong? Why are you just standing there?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice pulled Linden back to reality. He turned to see Zhao Yingjun standing behind him. She was wearing a black overcoat today, and the diamonds on her black earrings glittered.

"Lynx? Is it made already?" Zhao Yingjun saw the Lynx doll in Linden's hand, took it directly, and examined it from all angles. "Hmm, it's really good, cuter than I imagined. The craftsmanship is also excellent; we can work with this factory long-term."

Turning the doll over, Zhao Yingjun even flicked the Lynx's small tail. Noticing Linden still standing there motionless, Zhao Yingjun looked at what was in Linden's hand, pointing at the dark red card. "Is this for me too?"

"Yes, Director Zhao." The receptionist, seeing Linden's lack of reaction, answered. "This invitation is also for you."

Zhao Yingjun plucked the invitation from Linden's hand. She looked at the front, then at the back, and holding it along with the Lynx doll, she walked towards the elevator, her high heels clicking...

"Director Zhao is as beautiful as ever today!"

"Right... and her outfits are never repeated! She's so fashionable!"

"Ah, Director Zhao's aura is truly naturally heroic and dashing; we can only envy it."

"Most importantly, she has skill and ability! Simply perfect!"

After Zhao Yingjun got into the elevator, the young women at the front desk chattered, all expressing their admiration and worship for Zhao Yingjun.

Linden looked at his empty hands... He could still feel the touch of that dark red card, as if it were still there.

"What if it's not an invitation?" Linden tried to convince himself. "I need to find a way to confirm it."

...

Back in his office, Linden picked up the latest design drafts, preparing to go to Zhao Yingjun's office to report on his work. 22nd floor. He waited for a while in front of the heavy combination lock door.

"Come in." As the voice came through the video intercom, the combination lock door opened. Linden walked in. It was still that office devoid of any personal touches. Linden even suspected that Zhao Yingjun had never sat on the sofa in the office. In the vast space... the only place with signs of human activity was the desk piled high with documents.

"Alright, continue to move forward with this." Zhao Yingjun trusted Linden's work, quickly flipped through the documents, then closed them and handed them back to Linden.

"By the way." Linden had just taken the folder when Zhao Yingjun looked up at him. "Did you inquire about Professor Xu Yun?"

"I asked around a bit." This morning, on his commute to work, Linden had called his former academic advisor and some graduate student classmates, asking about Professor Xu Yun. "I contacted my advisor and some grad school friends," Linden said, taking the folder. "I learned that... Professor Xu Yun's obsession with researching hibernation pods stems from his paralyzed daughter."

"Professor Xu Yun only has this one child. His wife died from an amniotic embolism during childbirth, and he raised their daughter himself, never remarrying."

"But during an accident at an amusement park, his daughter fell from a height, hitting her head badly... Not only was she rendered quadriplegic, but she also entered a comatose 'vegetative state'."

"His daughter has been lying in the Shanghai University Affiliated Hospital for almost ten years now. Apparently... there's no possibility of her waking up; both domestic and international experts say so." Linden swallowed, then paused. "Many people have advised Professor Xu Yun to give up on this child who has no chance of waking up and start his life anew. But Professor Xu Yun's attitude... as you saw, he's stubbornly insistent on researching hibernation pods, researching something with absolutely no hope."

"Professor Xu Yun's idea is this: he believes that while current human technology and medicine cannot cure a vegetative state, that doesn't mean future technology won't be able to. So... he hopes to use a 'hibernation pod' to send his daughter into the future, to be cured by future medical technology."

...

Zhao Yingjun listened, frowning. After Linden finished speaking, she took a long breath, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It sounds a lot like a science fiction novel I read, The Three-Body Problem? Have you read it?"

Linden nodded. "The protagonist in The Three-Body Problem also caught an incurable virus, so they put him in a hibernation pod to be thawed and treated when future technology developed, saving his life."

Zhao Yingjun shook her head. "Misfortune truly singles out the unfortunate..."

"But science requires gradual progress. How can a field with no theoretical support or prior accumulation just suddenly succeed? Science fiction is ultimately just human fantasy; it can't be realized in reality. I imagine Professor Xu is simply overwhelmed by his love for his daughter, losing his clear judgment."

With that, she leaned forward and continued to review documents. "Linden, when you have time, buy something and go visit Professor Xu's daughter in the hospital."

"Understood, Director Zhao." Linden turned, preparing to leave.

But... this was not the purpose of his visit to report on work; those design drafts were merely a cover. His real purpose was to figure out what that card, emblazoned with "The Dawn Code," actually was. Was it an invitation? An advertisement? Or simply a prank?

"Oh, by the way, Director Zhao, one more thing." Linden pretended to suddenly remember, turning back. "You left in a hurry this morning and I forgot to tell you."

"What is it?" Zhao Yingjun stopped writing and looked up.

"It's that red invitation card, you remember it, right? The one you took from my hand along with the Lynx doll." Linden gestured with his hands to indicate its size. "I forgot to tell you who delivered it; it wasn't sent by mail. The receptionist said... a woman personally delivered it."

"Oh, that." Zhao Yingjun dismissed it, lowering her head to continue reviewing documents.

"Is it... an invitation card?" Linden asked tentatively.

"It's an invitation," Zhao Yingjun said nonchalantly. She stopped writing, looking up at Linden. "Anything else?"

"No, nothing else."

Bang! The heavy combination lock door closed again.

...

Linden stood outside the door. He couldn't help but frown.

An invitation... It really was an invitation! He had just dreamed about it last night, and today it appeared right before his eyes. What on earth was going on?