Lab Snapshots — reverse1999

CN: April 5th, 05:00 - April 10th, 2025, 04:59
Global: June 28th, 05:00 - July 3rd, 2025, 04:59 (UTC-5)

Other Events in Version 2.6

Event Intro

[Event Time] June 28th, 05:00 - July 3rd, 2025, 04:59 (UTC-5)
[Eligibility] Complete stage 1ST-01 of main story In Our Time
[Rewards] Clear Drops, Picrasma Candy, Growth materials

First Day on the Job
80 1 2	A month ago, I graduated from Leningrad University and was assigned to work at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. This launch base is a major joint project between the government and Laplace, and today is my first day on the job. I made sure to put on a brand-new pair of leather shoes and even ironed my suit. The building is magnificent, and the lab is fully equipped with all the latest technology—far more than I ever expected in my scientific career. My team leader, Andreas, seems to be a kind man. He told me there aren't too many rules here—just remember to wear your gear during safety inspections. The base has pretty good meal subsidies, generous leave policies, and even holiday bonuses. Our whole team gets together to drink vodka every Friday night! If we're lucky, they'll even invite a nearby circus to come and perform... Honestly, it's nothing like what I had imagined, but all the more reason to do my best to get the job done.

Houseplant Tending
80 1 2	Once winter sets in, the nights here become unbearably long. Back in Leningrad, I used to keep a few potted plants indoors to help lift my spirits. But here, my only option is to try my luck with the neighboring botany team. They're running a preliminary experiment to observe how plants grow in zero gravity by culturing sunflower explants. I "bribed" Alyosha with a few bottles to look after a potted sunflower I picked out. He also promised to, if their experiment succeeds, hand it over for me to bring back to my dorm. [Crossed out] My sunflower has turned completely moldy! Alyosha said he doesn't know why and that he'll start over with a new batch. He must've secretly used the clean bench for some other experiment and contaminated these materials! What an idiot! [Crossed out] Another Foundation branch staff member is coming to the base. I heard he enjoys tinkering with little gadgets. Hopefully, he knows a thing or two about growing plants—then he can have my vodka instead.

An Unfunded Pursuit
80 1 2	I ran into a problem at work—a matrix calculation I've been stuck on for two full days. Andreas suggested I ask the materials team leader next door for help. He said she's brilliant at math and once helped the propulsion team optimize their advanced model—something they'd been struggling with for three months. According to Andreas, she's the only one on her team. A rather unusual organizational structure. I've also heard her research is... extraordinary, so extraordinary that it has no staff, no recognition, and, most importantly, no funding. Yet it sounds like she's willingly wasting her time there. Well, I suppose there will always be people who waste their time on unfunded, seemingly pointless research. I remember hearing about this even back in university—like the one studying the flight dynamics of oak processionary moths, or the one trying to ignite a lamp kilometers away using optical arcane skills. Researchers like that usually end up obscure and unknown for their entire lives. In any case, I plan to ask for her help tomorrow. Still, I admit, I really hope I don't end up in such a miserable situation.

Aurora Observation
80 1 2	Today I overheard the geography team talking about anomalies they've discovered in magnetospheric activity. I've always had terrible luck with auroras—I seem to miss them every time. Turns out there really is something unusual going on. Hopefully, they'll get to the bottom of it soon and give us a proper aurora forecast. But they've barely started—the first step is placing observation instruments, and even that is still in its early stages. At least they've brought in a ley line researcher to help set things up. Poor girl's not even stationed at the base... If I really want to see the aurora, I'd better just spend more time outside and hope for the best. After all, increasing the sample size is a key part of any research—I refuse to believe my luck can stay this bad forever! Who knows, maybe I'll even run into that ley line researcher, Windsong. If she's willing to share a bit of her data with me...

Unending Song
80 1 2	Someone forgot to turn off their record player. There's been faint music echoing through the lab hallways all morning—indistinct and constant like bees hovering near your ears. After a while I finally managed to catch the lyrics: "The stars shine bright across the night, I ask the void, what's past the light? A voice calls out, my heart beats fast: Will you stay still or rise at last? I'll pack my things without delay, And chase the stars that guide my way." ... My team leader lost his patience before I did. He stormed out of the lab, searched around, and finally shut off that damn thing off. Thank goodness. Silence at last.