A Feast of Stardust

Deep beneath the soil of Mars, the roots of that bamboo had already spread all the way to the planet's core. Its tendrils coiled around a metal plate covered in runes, which read:

**"The ninth human civilization experiment has failed. Initiating the tenth: Codename: Bamboo Cicada"**

At that very moment, on Earth, the owner of a small noodle shop in Chongqing suddenly looked up. A speck of Martian dust was glowing inside her chili jar.