Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

As the Starship-2 departed Vesta's orbit, its tail flame traced a pale purple arc across deep space. This was its first distant-orbit mission—targeting Comet Huiguang-1, a Halley's Comet with a period of 100 years. Its nucleus is rich in water ice and complex organic molecules, and it has been designated by the Soyuz as a key target for "interplanetary agricultural ecological upgrades." Inside the cabin, plants in the Symbiotic Ecosystem 2.0 have covered the cabin walls, with small white flowers gently suspended in microgravity. The mucus cooling system is steadily cooling the superconducting thrusters, and on the Beacon V6.0 interface, the comet's orbital parameters twinkle like starlight.

"Distance from Huiguang-1: 500 million kilometers. Estimated arrival time: 48 hours." The navigator reported, "The comet's tail has begun to appear, and the plasma density is gradually increasing, which may interfere with communications and navigation."

Lin Xiangyang stared at the plasma monitoring data on the screen: "Activate 'Plasma Shielding' mode, adjust antenna gain, and filter noise using the Chaos Bead-optimized anti-interference algorithm. The lighthouse has fitted the plasma distribution of the comet's tail, and the flight path will avoid high-density areas."

Yan Jiecheng inspected the propulsion system: "The superconducting thruster is stable, and the loss of the viscous coolant is 20% lower than expected. The comet's low gravity environment is favorable for landing, but the comet's nucleus may be covered with loose ice dust, so we need to use ground-penetrating radar to detect the landing site in advance."

He Yushui observed the state of the symbiotic plants: "After entering the comet's orbit, the light intensity will decrease. I have adjusted the lighting system to simulate the scattered light from the star. Although the photosynthetic efficiency of these plants has decreased, they can still maintain ecological balance and have even begun to secrete more mucus, as if they are adapting to the deep space environment."

On the fortieth hour of its journey, Comet Huiguang-1 finally appeared on the observation screen. It resembled a snowball with a long white tail, its nucleus covered in ice and dust, gleaming with a pale blue halo under the starlight. The Xingzhou-2 spacecraft entered its orbit, and the mapping radar, like a fine net, swept across the comet's surface.

"The comet's nucleus is about 8 kilometers in diameter, and the surface ice and dust are 5-10 meters thick, with an ice purity of over 95%!" the operator reported excitedly. "Spectroscopic analysis shows that the ice contains organic molecules such as formaldehyde and methanol, making it an excellent nutrient source for cultivating interstellar crops!"

Even more excitingly, radar detected a liquid water cavity about 1 kilometer in diameter inside the comet's nucleus. Under the pressure inside the comet and the heat from the decay of radioactive elements, the water ice remains liquid, which may harbor simple life forms.

"The landing site will be chosen in the flat area above the liquid water cavity." Lin Dong ordered, "The Red Star-130H agricultural aircraft, carrying a sampling drill and an ecological detector, will collect ice and soil samples after landing, and then detect the environmental parameters of the liquid water cavity. It is strictly forbidden to damage the comet's nucleus structure."

The Starship-2 landing module descended slowly, gently touching the surface of the comet's nucleus. Due to the soft ice, the landing module sank slightly, but the anchoring device quickly deployed, firmly gripping the ice layer. The Red Star-130H agricultural machine drove out, and the sampling drill penetrated the ice layer, sending white ice samples into the analysis chamber.

"Ice sample analysis complete! Organic molecule content far exceeds expectations, no harmful toxins!" "Liquid water cavity detection successful! Water temperature -2℃, contains trace amounts of ammonia and organic acid salts, suitable for microbial survival!"

Looking at the analyzed data, He Yushui's eyes lit up: "These organic molecules can greatly improve the metabolic efficiency of microorganisms. We can extract them and add them to the nutrient solution to take the nutritional value of interstellar crops to the next level! Moreover, the liquid water cavity of the comet's nucleus may become a 'natural supply station' for future exploration of distant stars."

Just as the exploration was progressing smoothly, exciting news came from the Vesta Nexus:

The second phase of the hub project has been officially completed, with the addition of a talent training center and an ecological transformation laboratory, which can accommodate 500 students at the same time and train 1000 interstellar agricultural talents annually.

Egypt and Mexico have officially joined the Global Interstellar Agriculture Alliance, bringing desert agriculture technology and Mayan traditional breeding experience, bringing the alliance's membership to 30.

The successful adaptation of symbiotic plants to the planet Asteroid and the Mars base has led to an increase in oxygen self-sufficiency to 85% in the cave ecosystem of Asteroid Asteroid, and has effectively alleviated soil desertification problems at the Mars base, forming a wide range of "symbiotic green veins".

During a video conference of the Union Council, Egyptian representative Amina presented a solution combining desert agriculture technology with symbiotic plants: "We integrate drip irrigation technology from desert regions with the sand-fixing capabilities of symbiotic plants, which can quickly build an ecological layer in the sandy soil of Mars, laying the foundation for crop cultivation."

Mexican representative Carlos presented the results of traditional breeding: "The Mayan corn breeding technology can enhance the crop's resistance to stress. After being combined with microbial polysaccharides from Pallas, the corn's radiation resistance has been increased by 35%, and it has been successfully tested at the Mars base."

At the meeting, Lin Dong proposed the "Symbiotic Green Vein Project": "Taking Vesta, Cosmos, Mars, and Pallas as the core, we will build a cross-planetary ecological network, deeply integrating symbiotic plants, subglacial lake microorganisms, traditional breeding techniques, and modern aerospace technology, so that every planet explored by mankind can grow a 'symbiotic green vein' and achieve ecological self-sufficiency."

The plan was approved unanimously. After completing the Huiguang-1 mission, the Starship-2, carrying ice samples and organic molecular samples, embarked on its return journey. En route, He Yushui's team successfully extracted organic molecules from the comet's nucleus ice samples and combined them with the mucus of symbiotic plants and microbial polysaccharides from Pallas to develop an "interstellar nutrient enhancer," which can increase the vitamin content of interstellar crops by 40% and the protein content by 25%.

When Starship-2 returned to Vesta, the hub's symbiotic plant zone was already connected to the ecological restoration laboratory, where trainees from various countries were learning about symbiotic plant cultivation and ecological restoration techniques. Egyptian trainees were planting symbiotic plants in simulated Martian sandy soil, while Mexican trainees were cultivating resilient corn—a scene of bustling activity.

Lin Dong received a video call from the courtyard. Inside the Interstellar Agriculture Museum, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui led a group of children around a simulated model of Comet Huiguang-1 and an exhibit of the symbiotic green veins. A banner on the wall read, "Symbiotic Green Veins, Connecting the Galaxy."

"Lin Dong, your 'Symbiotic Green Vein Project' is truly remarkable!" Yi Zhonghai's voice was filled with pride. "Now the whole world is following your lead in interstellar agriculture, turning deserts into oases and planets into homes. This is exactly what you envisioned back in your courtyard house!"

Liu Haizhong held up a calligraphy scroll he had just written, bearing four powerful characters: "Star Veins Connected." "This is for you," he said, "May the Alliance grow ever stronger, and may symbiotic green veins spread to more planets!"

Yan Bugui said with a smile, "The museum has added an exhibition area for Comet Huiguang-1. The children are all very curious about that 'space snowball' with a tail, asking when they can go to the comet to grow crops!"

Lin Xiangyang leaned close to the camera and said excitedly, "Grandpa Yi, Grandpa Liu, Uncle Yan, once we've popularized the organic molecular technology from comet nuclei, we won't just be able to collect water from comets, but also grow more nutritious crops! Then, I'll definitely invite you to Vesta so you can personally experience this interplanetary symbiotic green vein!"

On Vesta at night, the lights of the hub and the green glow of the symbiotic plants mingled. The Starship-2 quietly rested at the launch site, the interplanetary nutrient enhancer samples inside gleaming faintly; in the distance, the symbiotic plant belt stretched to the edge of the rift valley, echoing the green veins of Vesta and Mars, like green ribbons connecting the planets explored by mankind into a network.

Lin Dong stood on the observation platform, gazing at the vast starry sky. The tail of Huiguang-1 still shimmered in the distant depths of space, symbiotic green veins took root and grew on planets, and the alliance's friendship and technology were transmitted between stars. He knew that this was not the end, but a new beginning.

Lin Xiangyang walked to his father's side and wrote a new note in the lighthouse system's log:

"Wisdom shines on comets, seeking nourishment for life; green veins connect stars, weaving a web of symbiosis. Humanity's interstellar exploration has never been about conquering the universe, but about embracing nature with reverence and warming the galaxy with the power of cooperation. May every planet be surrounded by green veins, and may every journey be accompanied by friendship."

Lin Dong looked at the sentence with anticipation in his eyes. In the future, they will pilot the Starship-2 to explore more distant celestial bodies and extend the symbiotic green veins to a wider universe; the alliance will continue to grow, more technologies will be integrated and innovated, and more planets will become homes for humanity.

This red star, rising from a traditional courtyard house, will eventually carry the concept of symbiosis, the power of cooperation, and the courage to explore, writing an immortal legend of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature in the vast universe.