During the Second World War, the US Navy occupied a small island in the South Pacific in 1943 for the benefit of the Pacific theater. Before the US Marines landed, the island was inhabited by indigenous tribes who had never encountered outside civilization, confined to their solitary existence, their days spent with the blue sky, the sea gulls, and the endless rhythm of the waves. Life for the islanders had always been quite arduous.

When the US Marines landed, they brought with them a sudden flood of super-advanced science and technology. The natives watched in awe as roaring aircraft landed on a newly constructed, rudimentary airstrip, delivering vast quantities of supplies. What fascinated the natives most, however, was the food brought by the planes. People wearing strange, outlandish clothing seemed able to eat exquisite meals daily with almost no labor required. They believed that all the mystery originated from these aircraft; the planes could seemingly generate all kinds of food automatically, like a mythical "Cornucopia," endlessly producing good things without ever running out.

But not long after, due to strategic considerations, the US military abandoned the island.

The natives watched with complex emotions as those "god-like beings" boarded the planes and vanished into the vast expanse of blue sky and sea. The island was soon forgotten by modern civilization; no one paid attention to its existence anymore. Yet, the island and its primitive indigenous inhabitants would never forget the profound impression modern civilization had left on them.

Decades later, when an expedition team ascended the island, the scene before them astonished them: the residents had somehow managed, purely from memory, to construct an aircraft model out of vegetation, and in front of this model, they had laid out a path resembling an airplane runway. Moreover, the inhabitants held grand religious ceremonies near the aircraft model every year, eagerly hoping that the "gods" piloting the planes would once again grace their island. Undoubtedly, the US Marines and their aircraft had become the "gods" and "divine artifacts" in the hearts of the islanders. The elders, during these rituals, would recount a "myth" to the younger generations: that in a certain year, divine beings arrived on flying dragons...

This true story has circulated widely, but even if you have never heard it before, it only serves to illustrate that in many instances, the mystical concept of a "god" within religion is often artificially constructed, evolving over millennia until the myths conceal the hidden truths of events.

Perhaps the oldest myth in ancient China is Pangu creating the heavens and the earth. Pangu exerted immense effort to cleave the sky and divide the land, yet the task of separation was never truly completed. Perhaps after Pangu's death, the heaven that had ascended slowly descended back toward the earth, hovering just above people's heads, seemingly within reach. Between heaven and earth stood a massive pillar—Mount Buzhou—reaching up to support the sky and down to anchor the earth. From a certain perspective, this Mount Buzhou might be considered Pangu’s embodiment.

One year, a malevolent deity emerged in the heavens: Gonggong, the God of Water. Perhaps vying for dominance with Zhurong, the God of Fire, the two engaged in a fierce battle. The outcome favored Zhurong, the deity of light and brightness, while Gonggong, representing darkness, was defeated. Unexpectedly, the petty-minded Gonggong, nursing his defeat and boiling with shame and anger, slammed his head against the colossal pillar supporting heaven and earth—Mount Buzhou. With a world-shattering crash, Mount Buzhou collapsed. This caused an unimaginable disaster: the sky immediately tore open with a massive hole, and a corner of the earth sank, resulting in what is known as the "ruined heavens and crippled earth." The sky, marred by an ugly gash, was forced to ascend higher and higher. From that moment on, the sky never returned to its former position above the earth—this is the famous myth of "Gonggong Angrily Collides with Mount Buzhou."

I said to He Yuqing, "Stop telling stories. Just state your research findings; we can understand them."

He Yuqing replied, "My grandfather speculates that in a distant prehistoric era, a certain human civilization possessed incredibly advanced technology. Besides creating a glorious prehistoric civilization, they also constructed a super spacecraft—the Moon. Initially, the Moon was suspended above the primitive people’s heads by an anti-gravity device, worshipped by the undeveloped tribes as the heavens. The prehistoric humans of that super-civilization were revered as gods. Originally, there was a passage connecting the first spacecraft—the Moon—to the ground; gods could travel freely between heaven and earth. The primitive people called this passage the Sky Ladder.

"But later, for reasons unknown, perhaps due to internal power struggles, a rebellion erupted among the gods. The rebels attacked the spacecraft from their Earth base. Given their level of civilization, this war must have been comparable to a modern nuclear war, and the destruction of numerous prehistoric sites on Earth serves as proof that a massive nuclear conflict occurred in prehistory. The power of the rebels and the strength of the humans aboard the Moon were nearly balanced. They attacked the Moon spacecraft with nuclear weapons. Under this intense assault, the Moon’s anti-gravity device was destroyed, causing it to break free from the Sky Ladder and ascend into the sky, finally settling into orbit outside Earth’s atmosphere.

"When the Moon spacecraft, its anti-gravity device crippled, rose into the sky, the Moon's own powerful gravity, combined with the immense tensile force generated during separation, caused the oceans in the Southern Hemisphere to surge toward the northern part of the Earth like a world-ending tidal wave. Waves hundreds of meters high followed one after another, roaring toward the northern continents at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour. This is the origin of the great flood myths revered by peoples across the Northern Hemisphere.

"The war eventually ended, and the rebels were annihilated. However, the Moon spacecraft was severely damaged by the attack, so the Lunarians decided to undertake repair work on the 'Heavens.' This task was of a magnitude unimaginable to modern humans, leaving a deep impression on the primitive, unsophisticated ancient people—hence, the legend of Nüwa Mending the Heavens.

"The structure of ancient Chinese mythology is as follows: Undifferentiated Heaven and Earth—Gods Create Humans—Wars Between Gods—Heaven Pillar Collapses, Heaven Tears Open—Great Flood—Separation of Heaven and Earth—Nüwa Mends the Heavens—Ten Suns Appear Simultaneously. Except for the last item, 'Ten Suns Appear Simultaneously,' which lacks an obvious logical connection to the preceding events, the entire mythological system revolves around the relationship between heaven and earth. According to my grandfather’s theory, perhaps extraterrestrial civilization, or perhaps a mysterious, sudden mutation of a species of Earth human, created a glorious civilization on prehistoric Earth and catalyzed the emergence of contemporary humanity. Later, internal conflicts arose between them, leading to the separation of the massive spacecraft from Earth and causing the subsequent chain of events."

Li Qi stared wide-eyed. "Yuqing, you should write web novels; this subject matter would be a huge hit."

He Yuqing chided her playfully, "Qiqi, I've gone to great lengths to explain my and my grandfather's research to you, and you treat it like fiction."

I said solemnly, "I believe everything you've said. Tell us if you need any help with your research; I will support you fully."

Although He Yuqing was deeply grateful for my trust, she probably still saw me as a playboy. "Thank you, Mr. Zhao. We don't need money. Even if we had money, would a field investigation on the Moon really be achievable?"

I laughed, "It can be achieved without money. If you truly wish to go, we can discuss it."

He Yuqing clearly didn't believe my words. She picked up several treasures from the table to examine them. "Qiqi had someone perform C-14 dating on these artifacts; they are all over 5,000 years old. Especially the drilling and polishing techniques on these jade pieces surpass contemporary methods—it's truly miraculous. I want to visit the African rainforest; perhaps we can find other strong evidence there."

"Forget it," I advised He Yuqing. "Don't think I'm looking down on you, but both US and MR expedition teams were almost wiped out there. Besides, there are many dangers there we haven't even discovered yet. With your delicate little constitution, I dare say you couldn't even push past the rainforest's perimeter, let alone after we return, given the universal heavy rains globally—the river channels in the rainforest are even more complex now. You should abandon that idea early."

He Yuqing looked at me with a hint of seductive charm. "What if you were leading the expedition?"

I flatly refused, "No, I don't have the time. Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er are both flying out tomorrow morning, and Tiger is swamped with police work. You’d better stop counting on us."

He Yuqing sighed. "I guess Sister Hua Qingqing must be more beautiful than me. Fine, we'll discuss it later. I'll take photos first, then go to your place to see the other items. After taking pictures, I'll show them to my grandfather; if he needs them, I’ll ask to borrow them for a few days. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

I readily agreed. "Sure, not a problem at all. Let's start; it’s almost 11 o'clock."

He Yuqing said to Li Qi, "Lend me your phone; your camera is much clearer than mine. Send them to me after you finish taking the pictures."

I offered my phone instead. "Use mine. Otherwise, if we go to my place later, we’ll have to bring both Qiqi’s and yours."

He Yuqing considered that sensible and used my phone to snap photos of the collection of items from various angles before preparing to go to my house. Li Qi checked the time. "It’s too late. How about tomorrow?"

He Yuqing looked distressed. "I have classes tomorrow, and I have to work at the supermarket during lunch and evening shifts. That won't work. Let's finish everything today. Besides, I'm eager to look at those things; perhaps I’ll make another discovery."

Li Qi glanced at me. "I can drive you both over there."

He Yuqing worried, "How can you go out? Your dad will find out. If anything goes wrong, we can’t take responsibility."

Li Qi exclaimed excitedly, "We’ll sneak out! It’ll be a good chance for a little outing, and it won't delay our sleep."

I interjected, "If you sneak out, how will you get the car keys? Forget it, let's just take a taxi."

Li Qi was visibly displeased but could only watch us leave. Once we were in the cab, He Yuqing said to me, "It seems you really aren't a good person."

I asked, puzzled, "What makes you say that? I’m helping you right now, yet I can’t even earn a single word of praise?"

He Yuqing asked, "Are you Director Xu’s boyfriend at our company?"

I nodded. "Li Qi already knew about that. I didn't lie to her."

He Yuqing retorted, "Since you already have a girlfriend, why are you still provoking Qiqi?"

I corrected her, "She provoked me first. Please stop leveling baseless accusations against me."

He Yuqing insisted, "Qiqi was so anxious to come along; she must be afraid you have impure intentions toward me. These two incidents show that you are a fickle man."

Is being sentimental a sin for a man? I was so irritated I couldn't speak. He Yuqing was certainly beautiful, but I had a girlfriend who was even more stunning. Moreover, I never forced myself on any girl; they liked me willingly, certainly not the way He Yuqing imagined.

When I fell silent, He Yuqing fell silent too. We arrived at my place awkwardly. My parents were already asleep, so I tiptoed with He Yuqing into my room, pulled everything out from under the bed, and said, "Look slowly by yourself. I’ll go watch TV in the living room."

He Yuqing was stunned speechless by the sight of the pile of prehistoric treasures and paid no attention to my words, examining each piece meticulously. I closed the door and went to the living room to watch television. Staying there would inevitably cause misunderstandings with He Yuqing. This time, I was just helping Li Qi; otherwise, given He Yuqing's attitude toward me, I wouldn't concern myself with future matters—let the Moon people and the spacecraft do whatever they liked.

He Yuqing inspected and photographed every item carefully. Based on market values she knew, every single piece here was priceless; some were beyond valuation. Yet, such precious items were tossed under the bed like junk. Did this man truly not care about wealth?

Judging by his shopping spree at noon, he shouldn't lack money, but judging by where he lived, he couldn't have much—this house was too dilapidated and small. Any single item from this collection could buy several mansions. Did he genuinely feel no temptation even after learning their value?

He Yuqing did discover several ritual vessels of great research value, and she decided to take these few pieces back to show her grandfather. She carefully packed the rest and returned them under the bed. With an inadvertent glance, she spotted a pile of pretty, petite women's slippers under the bed—the sheer quantity left her dumbfounded. After a long moment, she swallowed and looked again.

Eight pairs, sixteen individual shoes, seemingly deliberately kept separate. Every pair of slippers had a different style and pattern, and each one was spotless, as if frequently worn. He Yuqing couldn't fathom the reason. Even if Director Xu stayed over frequently, eight pairs would be excessive. Did this man have a shoe fetish?

He Yuqing, full of questions, lowered the bedsheet and went to the desk to retrieve the artifacts. There, she discovered a row of picture frames she hadn't noticed before. A closer look nearly made her cry out: the eight neatly arranged frames displayed seven exquisitely beautiful girls, each with a unique look. The girl in two of the frames was the same, but she