Qinghe brought the remaining catalyst shell to the materials bench. Under the magnifier, its crystal layers looked brittle and uneven. The technician separated one fragment and placed it in a sealed solution.
The piece broke apart without changing the liquid. No new pathway formed. The sample could not be used to make a second bearer.
Deyan recorded the failed test beside the successful sensor readings. The result supported the conclusion that Yan’s gift was unique in the available evidence, but it did not prove that no catalyst could ever be made.
Gu asked the technician to preserve the residue in a labeled vial instead of discarding it with ordinary waste.
“The label needs the test conditions,” Qinghe said. “Temperature, volume, and time in the solution.”
The technician entered each value. He had run the test at room temperature and left the sealed vial untouched for the full period. The fragment dissolved into a pale grit, then settled. The solution stayed clear.
Yan asked whether the shell could still identify the fragment’s source. Gu said the laboratory geometry and the batch ledger already matched. More testing would not reveal who was chosen, because no one had chosen him.
“The accidental handling record is the stronger evidence,” Gu said.
