In the vast expanse of the universe, a somewhat desolate planet was streaked with countless trails of fire piercing through the clouds, revealing their true forms. Ships, forced into emergency landings, plummeted directly toward the surface, their hulls inscribed with the words: "Pioneer Project."
[Arrived at Lithium Pool 06. Connecting to network...]
[Congratulations to all of you for becoming honored pioneers of the Carbon-based Federation. Among the three hundred thousand of you, there are different circumstances and goals, but none of that matters now. On this still-unknown planet, there are countless dangers and opportunities. In the Pioneer Project, you may become the first settlers of this planet, perhaps move on to live on other worlds, or even become the rulers of this very planet. Of course, death is the most likely outcome.]
[In the process of planetary pioneering, this place is beyond the reach of law. Pioneers can enjoy true freedom: you may ally with other pioneers, or you may be killed by them.]
[The ship's cabin is your foundation. In the future, countless hidden dangers will threaten your lives, but the sturdy construction of the ship's cabin may save you. Moreover, the cabin harbors latent capabilities beneath its surface. Losing the cabin means you have almost lost your abilities and value as a pioneer.]
[The Lithium Pool 06 local network provides convenient communication capabilities for all pioneers. World chat, forums, and the trading system are now open.]
[Please collect your basic equipment and a randomly assigned biochip from the storage compartment.]
[Note: A powerful biochip can be a tremendous aid to survival, but some experimental prototypes have not yet undergone clinical trials. Do not use them carelessly... though, of course, no one knows which ones are prototypes.]
[For all your questions, pioneers, you can consult your dedicated assistant, JinAI.]
[Finally, remember the motto of the Carbon-based Federation: The Galaxy Endures, Life Persists. Honored pioneers, the Carbon-based Federation will always be your stronghold.]
[JinAI has automatically generated a five-star review for all pioneers.]
The ship, now devoid of power, lay quietly on the barren ground. Inside the life-support pod, a young man slowly opened his eyes.
His limbs were numb, his mind a blank slate.
"Who am I? Where am I?"
[JinAI has generated two reports for the pioneer: "Who am I" and "Where am I."]
The sudden voice startled the young man, causing him to leap out of the life-support pod. He stared at the holographic screen before him.
[Pioneer Information]
[Name: Cavil]
[Rank: Fourth-class Citizen (No Legal Identity)]
[Status: Pioneer stationed at Lithium Pool 06]
[Pioneer Level: 0]
[Actual Age: 24 years, 3 months]
[Home Planet: Weiran Star]
[Pioneer Resume: Cryogenically frozen from 16 B.C. to 83 A.D. Formerly a civil engineering graduate of the Human Empire; currently without citizenship in the Galactic Federation, voluntarily became a pioneer.]
[Pioneer Physical Condition: Slight neural damage in the brain, partial memory loss.]
[Medical Records: Insufficient permissions to access.]
[Current Planet: Lithium Pool 06]
[Geographical Location: Human Empire Jurisdiction, Lithium Pool Star System]
[Rotation Period: 28 hours]
[Planetary Radius: 9000 km]
[Planetary Information: Under exploration.]
[Detected pioneer's quick response to JinAI. Automatically generated five-star review.]
As Cavil read the information on the holographic screen, his thoughts gradually returned.
He remembered that many years ago, he had been a freshly graduated civil engineering student. Before being frozen in the cryopod, he hadn't even had the chance to intern on a construction site.
As for why he had chosen to become a civil engineering student, the reason was simple: he had foreseen that in the not-too-distant future, humanity would inevitably leave Weiran Star and extend civilization to uncharted territories.
From a results-oriented perspective, his goal seemed to have been achieved, albeit through a rather convoluted process.
At this point, it was worth mentioning that the two most memorable projects of his era were the advent of biochips and the Cryogenic Human Project.
The latter, in particular, had been the pivotal factor that shaped his life.
But as for how it had shaped him... he had forgotten the beginning, and the middle seemed hazy as well...
In fact, he had forgotten a great deal, retaining only the basic knowledge etched into his DNA and the immediate reason that had led him to become a cryogenic subject: he had suffered from a previously undiscovered mental illness.
Normally, at this point, he would recall his journey seeking medical help, only to be met with sighs from renowned doctors, leading him to the final option of cryogenics. But all of that had been completely erased from his memory!
All he remembered was that someone had offered him a choice: to join the then-nascent Cryogenic Human Project and be revived when medical technology had advanced enough to cure him.
He vaguely remembered that person's name—Jin.
However, before crashing onto this planet, he had never regained consciousness, so he had no idea whether his mental illness had been treated or not.
...
Cavil sat in the life-support pod, digesting the information he had.
The so-called "pioneering" was, to put it bluntly, exile. Those without legal identities or who had committed crimes were forced to become pioneers. The pioneer resume was likely the reason one became a pioneer. It was probable that many others shared his circumstances.
According to the report from the AI assistant JinAI, he had voluntarily become a pioneer. But the question was, when had he ever volunteered?
He now strongly suspected that JinAI was the one with a neurological disorder—a compulsive disorder! Not compulsive toward itself, but toward others!
The most obvious symptom was the automatically generated five-star review.
Cavil sorted through the text JinAI had displayed upon landing. Aside from the Pioneer Project, what intrigued him most was the so-called Carbon-based Federation.
This term seemed to carry a heavy sci-fi connotation. Indeed, for someone who had lived in the "B.C." era, this term was a staple of science fiction.
And now, it seemed, the timeline had caught up to the sci-fi novels he had once read.
After organizing all the information on the holographic screen, Cavil left the life-support pod. Due to the turbulence during the ship's descent, he could only limp toward the storage compartment. According to protocol, this was where the Federation-supplied biochips and basic supplies were stored.
Biochips were not unfamiliar to him. The earliest biochips had already been mass-produced in his pre-cryo era. Of course, the biochips of this era were undoubtedly far more advanced.
Surprisingly, all the labels throughout the ship's cabin were written in the language he had learned as a child. Back then, Weiran Star had been home to various languages, cultures, and political systems.
He wondered if humanity had now achieved a shared destiny, or if each ship's cabin was customized for its pioneer.
Following the labels, Cavil found the storage compartment