"CP 1765, October 2. 84 days have passed since landing. Local time: AD 2016, November 9."

  "All right, I was wrong. Turns out rolling back the schedule isn't any easier than pushing it forward. Thankfully, it's over now, and there have been some benefits. For instance, I no longer have to worry about getting ambushed by the midday sun, and I can better appreciate this planet's nightscapes. In fact, I've seen more daytime views recently than I ever did on Lierus!"

  "This nocturnal lifestyle aligns perfectly with biological standards, but not sociological ones. As a biologist, I suppose I have nothing to say about that. The greatest advantage of night is that I can go out and do whatever I want without much concern for being seen. In this sense, I should actually be grateful that the aliens here are all diurnal creatures."

  "Perhaps it was the night, or something else, that stirred my memories. I found myself longing for Lierus once more... Someday in the future, someone will surely read this diary entry of mine. I believe that. But will I live to see that day? All I can do now is raise a telescope and gaze at Lierus Ait from a distant realm, yet with tens of light-years of gap, I cannot truly see Lierus... Philosophically speaking, this diary will carry my past, but my present and future cannot be captured in words..."

  "The weather is utterly bizarre. Is this really summer? Snow keeps falling, pausing only occasionally. All my trousers are clearly too thin for snowy weather outdoors. Can't exactly wear my hazard suit just for that, right? Hopefully things will improve once my fur has grown back fully, although I doubt it will make much difference…"

  ***

  "What are your thoughts on the Fermi Paradox?"

  Min puts down his bread and looks at Xi P in surprise. Xi P actually knows about the Fermi Paradox? Even more intriguing, the alien is asking a human about it.

  Though it feels odd for an alien to pose such a question, it makes sense if you think about it. What exactly is the Fermi Paradox? During an informal discussion in 1950, physicist Enrico Fermi posed the question: "If the Milky Way harbours numerous advanced extraterrestrial civilisations, why haven't we detected any evidence — like spacecraft or probes?" It highlights the contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial life and the lack of corresponding evidence.

  Given the universe's age of tens of billions of years and its vast number of stars, extraterrestrial life should be widespread — unless Earth is a unique anomaly.

  "I think I should be the one asking you that question." Min quietly remarks, "Your kind haven't reached a definitive conclusion on this either?"

  "Ra, I just curious. You're right — you should be the one ask. But it really is strange. There should be many more civilisations more advanced than ours. Where are they?"

  "I think they must exist. And since faster-than-light travel is simple and feasible, I personally suspect they're enjoying observing us. But who knows? Maybe they find communicating with us utterly pointless... Damn it!"

  Min's sudden outburst startles Xi P. Before he can ask what is wrong, Min turns to him and says: "Can we drop this for now? You've reminded me of the technological singularity."

  Seeing Xi P's blank expression, he continues: "I had a nightmare about that technological singularity last night. I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?"

  Xi P has absolutely no idea what he's talking about, but judging by Min's expression, he simply turns away and says: "Alright, I'm going to bed."

  "Good night… No, good morning."

  ***

  Lying on the bed, Xi P finds himself unable to sleep. He's growing increasingly fond of pondering things before bedtime. He never lacks topics to contemplate, and this practice proves remarkably effective for sleep — especially when delving into questions with philosophical meanings...

  Yes, on the bed. Although Min is less than thrilled about sharing it, Xi P has managed to persuade him. After all, it would be rather unreasonable to let someone sleep on the sofa while the bed remains unused. Besides, Xi P isn't dirty — he doesn't even sweat. Letting him sleep there wouldn't affect cleanliness. At most, Min would need to vacuum the bed to remove any fur, but Xi P has long since stopped shedding, so even that's no longer a concern.

  'The universe is vast and full of wonders. Sometimes I truly feel I haven't arrived on an alien planet, but rather returned to Lierus over forty years ago.'

  'That era when warp engines were just being grasped, and controlled nuclear fusion plants remained elusive. An age of peace and development, where technology surged forth. Back then, technological progress seemed to have reached its zenith. Now, while we’ve made leaps and bounds in warp engines , other fields haven't progressed as rapidly. Just a few years ago, I used to fantasise: 'If I could return to that era, what could I accomplish?' And now, both my wishes have come true simultaneously: 1. Traveling to an alien planet, and 2. Returning to Lierus over forty years ago. What a bizarre coincidence...'

  At this thought, Xi P lets out a few chuckles — partly amused, partly mocking. He does feel a twinge of regret. If he'd known both wishes would be fulfilled this way, then he...

  Well, he probably wouldn't have given up on them either.

  After all, this isn't a permanent farewell. Even if the pace of development here mirrors that of Lierus, considering he's alive and well now, he likely still has over forty years of life left. Besides, now that he is here, how could they possibly need forty years to catch up?

  'Still, it's strange. While the details differ greatly, from a macro perspective, the human civilisation is strikingly similar to ours. And within less than a hundred light-years, there exists a civilisation with such a narrow technological gap? What kind of coincidence is that?'

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  'Though it seems improbable to describe in terms of probability, figuratively speaking, it's less than one in a hundred thousand. In other words, the odd of it not being the case is absurdly high. Among all possible scenarios, this one is likely among the best few. A civilisation with extremely underdeveloped technology but exceptionally powerful individuals would actually be better for Palirian Republic — but that's truly the stuff of fantasy…'

  'If every civilisation in the universe were like ours, would that be a blessing or a curse? For ambitious scientists brimming with avant-garde and novel ideas — especially sociologists and biologists — it would likely spell disaster. I certainly wouldn't relish such an outcome either. But I'm genuinely glad humanity is the way it is. Otherwise, I'd have been poisoned/slashed/sacrificed/eaten/starved to death long ago. For pacifists, this would undoubtedly be a boon — effortless communication would foster inter-civilisational peace far more effectively than strained exchanges. Militarists with their heads full of glory wouldn't be too upset either, as battling fellow bipeds would be preferable by far to waging war against swarms of giant, hive-minded insects. Though if the resemblance were truly that profound, a bunch of *alien profanity* proponents would surely emerge to promote spiritualist creationism. Hmm, and then they'd get thoroughly debunked by biologists/sociologists who pinpoint the actual causes...'

  'Whether civilisations truly resemble each other so closely, I doubt anyone knows the answer. Our current sole example might just be an anomaly. But the scarcity of interstellar civilisations is certain. Even if someone claimed that we and they were the only ones within hundreds of light years, I wouldn't doubt it. Regardless of whether these similarities are coincidental, we should cherish our neighbours, especially since their life forms won't be wiped out by a single radio wave from us like in the novels.'

  'It's a pity this place never produced a diplomatic and technological genius like the first director. The advent of nuclear weapons merely reduced conflicts between great powers through nuclear deterrence, but it didn't unite the world. Perhaps that's not entirely a bad thing — competition breeds motivation, though internal competition might not be so bad either…'

  ***

  It feels like something is nudging him. Xi P wakes and shifts his head slightly, trying to evade the pressure, but the pushing grows stronger. With effort, he opens his eyes to see what's bothering him — can it be Min's prank?

  His eyelids part, and instead of the usual blinding sunlight, a face appears before him. It isn't Min's. A long, protruding jaw and pointed ears, resembling Xi P's features instead.

  For a split second, Xi P believes he's back on Lierus, and everything on Earth is just a hallucination caused by brain damage. But when he shakily shifts his gaze backwards and sees the four legs used for standing and the fluffy tail, everything clicks into place.

  Recalling how the fox had nudged him repeatedly with its snout moments ago, even brushing against his face, Xi P's expression twists in disgust.

  "*Alien profanity*!*"

  He springs into action, sweeping the fox off the bed with a forceful swing and ignoring its discontented whines completely. After lying there, stunned and horrified, for a while longer, Xi P finally has to admit: sleep is out of the question.

  Still ignoring the fox beside him, he gets up and instinctively draws back the curtains. But this time, instead of distant starlight, sunlight floods in from a mere one astronomical unit away!

  He let out a scream, yanks the curtains shut and covers his eyes. The intensity feels like needles are piercing his eyes, which are still in 'dark mode', making him wonder if he's gone blind. He doesn't know whether to praise or curse the curtains for their quality — they block light exceptionally well...

  ***

  His gaze darkens as he looks away from the clock. It's only 2 PM. He has barely slept half his allotted time, and almost went blind due to a surprise attack — all because of that fox!

  Despite telling himself 'Don't bother with a creature whose brain capacity is less than 300ml', he can't stop thinking about it. Usually, Xi P would describe this anger as "wanting to devour it whole", but for a creature so strikingly similar to himself, he can only express it as "a thousand cuts".

  Once he has finally calmed down, Xi P begins pondering other matters. Since going back to sleep is impossible now, he might as well find something to occupy himself.

  'It's been a while since my last paper. Perhaps I should start writing something again. Even if Min can't help me right now, I can manage on my own if I put in the time. Besides, what if his friend completely forgets about the 'surprise' and doesn't show up for a whole month, leaving me to waste a month anyway?'

  'But what should the topic be? ...Since I wrote an astronomy paper last time, I should switch back to biology this time. Something like a blog post. Theoretically, that should be much easier and better suited to my current situation without assistance. As for the specific content...'

  'Maybe I should first look into the latest developments in biotechnology here. No, wait, that's not right. This isn't Lierus after all. Practical examples definitely can't be published here, so I'll have to focus on theoretical work. Come to think of it, Min might be dubbed the 'Theory Master' for a while. That's pretty funny, considering I'm not exactly a theoretical expert...'

  ''A Brief Discussion on the Evolutionary Process of the Nervous System'? No, what if the evolutionary path of the nervous system here is different...And so similar subjects... 'Key Considerations During Anatomical Procedures'? Also no. 'Future Development Directions for Anatomical Tools'? That might work... Wait, got it!'

  ''New Analysis: The Influence of Planetary Environments on Life Forms and Morphology.' I think I read that just two months ago. Using his piece would be a good idea. He probably won't mind, right? Plus, with just a few minor tweaks, it could seamlessly bridge the gap with the previous article. The content shouldn't have any issues due to environmental differences either. And I might still have this blog post saved on my computer. Perfect!'

  Grabbing his old laptop and checking it over, Xi P chuckles. Just as hoped, the full text of "New Insights: Planetary Environments and Their Impact on Life Forms and Morphology" is stored intact. All that remains is to rewrite it to sound like an Earthling wrote it, then translate it into English. He might also tweak the writing style — at least it shouldn't be too off from...

  ***

  He lets out a yawn, trying to inhale more air to clear his head. Maybe it is the lack of sleep, or perhaps editing someone else's work is just too tedious, but Xi P feels drowsy again.

  A quick glance at the clock tells him that it is 5 PM. Xi P shuts down his computer, skips his bedtime routine and collapses back onto the bed. This time, he remembers to shut the door — he doesn't want to be gently nudged awake by the fox again.

  But he soon finds things to not be so simple. Unable to enter the room, the fox starts scratching at the door. The sound is loud and piercing, making Xi P's fingers ache. Even when he covers his ears, the shrill scraping noise still pierces through.

  Furious, he shoots up out of bed, flings open the door, grabs the fox under his arm and dashes into the tool shed. Perhaps mistaking his actions for affection, the silver fox offers no resistance.

  Moments later, Xi P has rummaged through the shed and retrieved a roll of duct tape, which he uses to secure the fox's limbs and muzzle. He had often had to do similar things during fieldwork. In mere seconds, the silver fox is completely immobilised.

  Satisfied, he sets the fox down and heads back to bed. He isn't worried about Min blaming him—after all, the fox can't talk. He'll just remove the tape when Min returns...

  “has almost gone blind” might imply he still can’t see well.