第122章 第122章

**Chapter 122: The Price of Silence**

程星's face was pale, his eyes sunken, as he struggled to find the words to defend himself. The engineer's accusations still lingered in the air, a heavy fog that refused to lift.

"I... I didn't mean to hurt anyone," 程星 said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was trying to protect the project, to ensure its success."

The engineer sneered. "Protect it? You call lying and manipulating us protection?"

程星's eyes dropped, and he nodded slowly. "I was wrong. I should have been honest from the beginning. But I was afraid of what would happen if the truth came out."

The engineer's gaze was cold, unforgiving. "You're not the only one who's been lying, 程星. I've been keeping secrets too. Secrets that could change everything."

程星's head jerked up, his expression incredulous. "What do you mean?"

The engineer's smile was thin, calculated. "I mean that I know the truth about the signal. I know what it is and why it's here."

程星's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Let's just say that I've been doing some... digging. And what I found has changed my perspective on everything."

程星's face twisted in anger and frustration. "What kind of digging? What have you found?"

The engineer leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I found that the signal isn't a natural phenomenon. It's a message, a warning from an alien civilization."

程星's eyes went wide, his mind racing with the implications. "What? That's impossible!"

The engineer nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I've seen the evidence. And I think it's connected to the reason we're here, to the reason we've been monitoring this signal in the first place."

程星's grip on the table tightened, his knuckles white. "What are you saying? That we're not alone in this universe?"

The engineer's smile grew wider. "Oh, no. We're not alone. And we never have been."

As the engineer's words hung in the air, the silence between them grew thick, heavy with secrets and lies. 程星's eyes locked onto the engineer's, a spark of understanding flickering between them.

And in that moment, it was clear that nothing would ever be the same again.