It started when a bloody rain was about to fall.

"Sister Linglong, the data anomalies are continuing to worsen."

The sound came from the tent entrance behind Shi Linglong.

The speaker was named Qin Lan, and she was holding a tablet computer. She was bright and vibrant. When she walked into the tent and into the sunlight, it was as if the entire tent was illuminated for a moment.

Many people inside the tent secretly took a breath.

It's not an exaggeration—it's an instinctive, almost physiological reaction.

Qin Lan's beauty is so aggressive, like the midday sun in midsummer, irresistibly capturing the attention of everyone around her.

A young technician's pen froze in mid-air, his mouth slightly open, until a veteran team member gently nudged him, bringing him back to his senses, his ears turning slightly red.

The young man's name was Sun Mingyuan. He wore black-rimmed glasses with a thin layer of dust on the lenses, looking like a student who had just looked up from his book.

He thought to himself: Why does Engineer Qin look so good today? Is it the lighting?

If Shi Linglong's beauty is like a snow lotus in the clouds, a cold flame on a glacier, something mortals can only look up to—then Qin Lan's beauty is the most exquisite bloom in the human world.

It is a bright and dazzling color that can enter any place and capture everyone's attention; it is a summer flower that grows freely in the mountain stream; it is the most brilliant touch of the midday sun.

Qin Lan's skin is as smooth and white as porcelain from the Tang Dynasty.

It wasn't the cold, snow-like, icy white of Shi Linglong, but a warm, jade-like white, brimming with the essence of life—

The finest mutton fat jade, soaked in moonlight for a thousand years, absorbs the essence of heaven and earth.

Her skin had a healthy rosy glow, especially her cheeks.

It's not a touch of rouge, but a rosy glow emanating from deep within the skin—

The colors, nourished by the morning dew and the midday sun, are rich and vibrant.

Sunlight fell on her face, making her skin reflect light like the finest silk.

Every inch exudes the texture of life—warm and vibrant.

Her long black hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, revealing a delicate face.

A classic oval face with a slightly pointed chin and just the right amount of baby fat on her cheeks.

Her baby fat was the most charming element on her face—adding a touch of naivety and girlish innocence to her radiant beauty.

When she's focused, her baby fat recedes slightly, revealing the sharp lines of her jawline—the capable and sharp edge of a professional woman.

When she relaxes—like now, with her brows furrowed—her baby fat droops, making her look like a worried young girl.

Her eyebrows were like a crescent moon.

It wasn't the serene tranquility of distant mountains shrouded in mist, like Shi Linglong's; it was a real, tangible new moon on earth—full, bright, with a slightly upward curve.

The upward angle of the eyebrows is just right, maintaining a youthful playfulness without diminishing the feminine charm.

When she frowns—like now—the crescent moon curves even deeper, and two small clouds gather between her brows.

Those are human sorrows, concrete, real, and tangible.

The eyes are the most captivating part.

Large and bright, with double eyelids deeply embedded in the eyelids, sculpting a beautiful arc.

She has classic almond-shaped eyes with a slight upturn at the corners, adding a touch of allure, which is balanced by her full double eyelids, creating a wonderfully unique charm that is both innocent and alluring.

Her eyelashes were thick like two small fans, long and curled, creating a gentle breeze with every blink—carrying the fragrance of a young girl, the warmth of the sun, and the vitality of life.

Light brown pupils.

It wasn't a deep pool like the one in Shi Linglong, so deep it could swallow your gaze, but rather a clear, translucent light brown that refracted a honey-like luster when sunlight shone in.

When she looks at you, her eyes are full of sincerity and concern—just like when she looks at Shi Linglong now, her eyes are full of worry.

The sorrow was so intense it seemed to seep into her very being, making her appear somewhat dim.

Her nose bridge was straight and delicate, with a slightly upturned tip, giving her a playful look.

The curve of her upturned eyebrows is just right—not excessive, not exaggerated, only revealing a girlish charm unintentionally when she is serious.

Her lips were a full cherry color, strikingly rosy even without lipstick.

The lips are full and well-defined, with the upper lip peak resembling the edge of a flower petal, and the lower lip plump and luscious, like a ripe cherry just picked and glistening with morning dew.

When her lips are slightly parted, a line of pearly white teeth is revealed—a porcelain-like white that contrasts sharply with her red lips.

Qin Lan wore a light white fitted T-shirt, revealing her delicate collarbone at the neckline.

Her collarbone was slender and distinct, like a jade ornament carved by a craftsman. Above her collarbone was a tiny mole—like a speck of ink accidentally dropped on white porcelain—which gave that perfection a touch of human warmth.

Below the collarbone, the T-shirt outlines a slender waist and just the right curves—not exaggerated undulations, but the subtle curves unique to young girls.

Like hills, like waves, like all the beautiful things that are formed by nature.

Blue jeans hugged her long, straight legs.

From hip to ankle, it flows seamlessly without any unnecessary steps.

When standing, it is as upright as a pine tree; when walking, it is as graceful as the wind; even when still, it exudes a sense of power ready to be unleashed.

The tan hiking boots on her feet should have been bulky, but on her they looked like a fashion item, making her legs appear even longer.

Standing there, he was like a summer flower growing freely in a mountain stream, the brightest color of the midday sun, radiating the dynamism and warmth of life.

However, at this moment, the summer flower had a furrowed brow and a look of worry on its face.

Then, when Qin Lan's gaze fell on Shi Linglong's focused profile, she couldn't help but hold her breath for a moment, her eyebrows and eyelashes fluttering.

In that instant, she clearly felt an indescribable shock—

That is the brightness of the human world, and the self-reflection and awe that inevitably arise when one suddenly glimpses the eternal solitude of ice crystals condensed in the clouds.

Qin Lan never underestimates herself. She knows she's beautiful and accepts all the attention that comes with it.

She was never swayed by those gazes, because she knew she was beautiful, and there was nothing to be modest about.

But at this moment, facing Shi Linglong—

She felt a sense of distance once again.

It's not just a difference in appearance, but something deeper.

It's as if Shi Linglong's very existence is a kind of standard.

A scale she had never seen before, from a more ancient world.

But her beauty, in the face of this scale, suddenly became—lighter.

No.

It's not too light.

It has become... too new.

Like freshly fired porcelain, the glaze is bright, but it lacks the warmth and patina that comes with age.

Like the flowers that bloomed this morning, they are delicate and beautiful, but lack the depth that comes from weathering storms.

She suddenly understood—

Shi Linglong's beauty lies not in her facial features, her outline, or any detail that can be described.

The beauty of Shi Linglong lies in time.

In those billions of years compressed deep within her eyes.

In those silent moments when she conversed with the earth.

In those ancient stories of creation and destruction, rise and erosion, which only rocks can understand.

It's a kind of beauty that spans geological eras.

Qin Lan's beauty is simply otherworldly.

The most beautiful level of human beauty.

But in the end, it's just the human world.

The tent had become completely quiet at some point.

The team members exchanged glances—they were already used to the breathtaking pressure brought by Shi Linglong's beauty, but rarely had they seen someone as radiant as Qin Lan show such an expression in front of her.

One of the team members was a middle-aged man named Zhao Changhe, with dark, rough skin and rock powder that could never be washed off between his fingers.

Seeing this scene, he sighed inwardly: the two of them standing together were like the clouds on the mountain and the flowers at the foot of the mountain, both beautiful, but the clouds are untouchable.

At this moment, an older team member said something to a young man who had only recently joined the team. His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, but a few words could be made out from his lip movements: "They are all beautiful... but the stonemasonry style is more beautiful, it's different."

The veteran team member was Zhou Guoliang, in his early fifties, with a face deeply lined with wrinkles, each one telling a story of his time in the wilderness.

He didn't mind that the young man didn't respond. He lit a cigarette and thought to himself: It's pointless to talk about it. You have to see for yourself to understand these things. You'll understand after you've seen them for a while.

The young player didn't answer, he just nodded.

His gaze lingered on Qin Lan for a moment—it was a pure, unadulterated appreciation, like looking at a flower in full bloom.

Then his gaze shifted to Shi Linglong's profile and he couldn't look away.

That was a completely different feeling.

It's not admiration, it's awe.

Like standing on the edge of a canyon overlooking a bottomless abyss, like touching a fossil that carries 300 million years of memories—you know that there is something about the person in front of you that you can never reach in your entire life.

This young team member is named He Shusheng. He has only been with the team for half a year. He has sparse stubble on his chin and his eyes still have a student-like quality.

He thought to himself: So this is what people can look like. Not just good-looking, but also... like a mountain.

No one spoke. It was as if any sound would disrupt some delicate balance.

Qin Lan took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions surging in her heart. She looked at the content on the tablet in her hand, took a step forward, and leaned forward slightly.

"Sister Linglong."

Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing some ancient tranquility.

"The data anomalies have continued to worsen, exceeding the normal fluctuation range by three standard deviations."