576: Imitation_1

The garage door opened, and the airship rushed out of the garage.

It was only then that Jiang Yanqi discovered he had been living halfway up the mountain; the garage door closed quickly, no traces of an ecological habitation were visible from the outside.

Jiang Yanqi looked around at the surroundings, the trees on the hills and in the valleys were all tinged yellow or pale green.

The outside world was not as Jiang Yanqi had imagined—it was not the cold and lifeless place devoid of any vitality or the desolate landscape filled with sandstorms.

After all, the virus only attacked humanity, yet coexisted peacefully with other animals and plants.

The vegetation had been planted when people first came to this planet, now with no one to tend it, everything grew wildly.

The sun in the sky was as big as a washbasin, but the sunlight was not very good.

This was because the star of this planetary system was not very large; however, because the planet was closer to the star, it could reach over twenty degrees during the summer.

Due to the planet's orbit, there wasn't much variation in the seasons, creating an environment that was quite suitable for humans and Earth's animals and plants to thrive.

The road was deserted, with no other airships seen ahead or behind.

As Jiang Yanqi gazed at the monotonous scenery on both sides of the road, he couldn't help but sigh, "It's only been two or three decades since humanity took refuge in ecological habitats, and already there's not a single trace of them as far as the eye can see."

In a few decades, when we finally find a way to kill the surrounding virus, humanity's reappearance on this planet will seem somewhat abrupt.

From afar, Jiang Yanqi saw a line connecting the ground to the sky.

At the base of the line was a circular arc-shaped transparent building; the closer he got in the direction of the line, the more lush the vegetation became, and the circular building grew larger as the distance closed.

Only when Jiang Yanqi could vaguely make out the buildings within the arc did Avenger No.2 introduce, "This is one of the most vibrant cities in Fire Seed World, Deep Blue City.

"The transparent protective dome outside the buildings effectively isolates the virus, allowing you to go without protective suits inside the city."

This was the first time Jiang Yanqi entered a city, and suddenly there were many more vehicles on the road.

Then, Jiang Yanqi noticed the atmosphere around him was somewhat oppressive; everyone was hurrying on their way, head down, no extra movements, no extra sounds, not even any needless glances.

Seeing Jiang Yanqi's puzzled look, Avenger No.2 explained, "Most of the residents here are autonomous robots maintaining the spaceport; the few humans, influenced by their environment, have also become taciturn."

Jiang Yanqi suddenly remembered something his father once said, "Are we changing artificial intelligence, or is artificial intelligence changing us?"

Soon, these thoughts were cast to the back of Jiang Yanqi's mind, as the sight of many flowers, birds, fish, and insects in the park caught his attention. He had only read about these species in documents before; today was the first time he saw them in reality.

The airship continued until it reached the center of Deep Blue City; the line that Jiang Yanqi had seen in the distance from afar had now become a column several tens of meters in diameter.

This was the space elevator's traction frame; the circular space elevator relied on the traction frame for power and support, efficiently and cost-effectively sending people or goods in and out of the spaceport to or from space.

As gravity completely dissipated, Jiang Yanqi felt the space elevator slowing down. Suddenly it jerked and then came to a stop.

Following the spaceport's road for about ten minutes, they finally arrived at the space dock; Avenger No.2 parked the airship at the station's apron and then led Jiang Yanqi to board the passenger ship to the Moon-like Planet.

Looking around, Jiang Yanqi saw that the dock was eerily quiet, with only three or four people sitting in the rest area waiting to board the ship.

The smart female robot working in the hall came over and asked Jiang Yanqi, "I am the chief steward, BOL. May I ask where you are heading?"

Jiang Yanqi smiled radiantly, "Hello BOL, I am going to the Moon-like Planet."

BOL also responded with an enthusiastic smile, "Please show your pass."

Avenger No.2 transmitted the pass.

BOL, "Your pass has been verified, you may proceed. May I ask your purpose for going to the Moon-like Planet?"

Jiang Yanqi answered, "Traveling."

BOL was stunned for a moment, "Traveling? Oh, the pass shows you're from Wona District; no wonder you imitate so well."

Jiang Yanqi was startled, what had he imitated?

BOL continued, "Your itinerary has been arranged, and the direct flight will depart in ten minutes." Then she extended her hand and added, "Please present your identity documents."

Jiang Yanqi was taken aback again, as Avenger No.2 reminded him, "Place your hand on hers for the fingerprint scan."

Jiang Yanqi nodded just as he was about to remove his glove when Avenger No.2 added, "No need to take off your glove; she will scan your fingerprint through it."

Doing as instructed, he pressed his hand against BOL's outstretched palm. BOL's fingers suddenly elongated to match the length of Jiang Yanqi's fingers. As their hands touched, Jiang Yanqi felt a warmth at his fingertips, signaling the completion of the fingerprint scan.

BOL stated, "Identity confirmed, please wait in the departure area."

Jiang Yanqi uttered an "Oh" and found a place to sit in the departure area.

Sitting opposite him was a man in his thirties who, while looking at his virtual computer screen, casually asked Jiang Yanqi, "Are you also going to the space station for the seminar?"

Jiang Yanqi responded with a smile, "No, I am going to the Moon-like Planet for a trip."

The man was taken aback, looked at Jiang Yanqi, and asked, "Are you from the Wona District?"

Jiang Yanqi wasn't sure if he was from the Wona District, but he remembered BOL saying he was, so he nodded.

The man laughed, "No wonder you imitate so well."

Jiang Yanqi was puzzled again; who or what exactly was he imitating?

At that moment, BOL called Jiang Yanqi over; the direct flight to the Moon-like Planet was ready.

The direct flight to the Moon-like Planet was a small, short-haul spacecraft with three seats; it usually departed once two passengers were on board.

The spacecraft's design wasn't much different from the airship Jiang Yanqi had ridden, only larger in size by a couple of sizes.

A man in his twenties boarded the spacecraft behind Jiang Yanqi, and as the cabin door closed, the piloting artificial intelligence announced, "Departure in thirty seconds, please fasten your seat belt."

Jiang Yanqi fastened his seat belt as instructed, the AI stewardess began the countdown, and the spacecraft began to hover, slowly moving away from the dock.

The young man sitting next to Jiang Yanqi greeted him and then asked, "Are you going to the Moon-like Planet for orbital adjustments?"

The middle-aged man before and the young man now gave Jiang Yanqi the impression that one must have a specific purpose for going to the Moon-like Planet.

Just then, the spacecraft suddenly accelerated, and Jiang Yanqi was pressed against the back of his seat by the overwhelming force, "No, I'm going for a trip."

It is said that the Solar System State's gravitational devices are very advanced, and one should not feel any inertia upon spacecraft takeoff; whether this is true or not remains uncertain.

The young man seemed unaffected by the accelerating force, maintaining his pose, "I've always heard that people from Wona District like to imitate, I just didn't realize they'd engage in such inefficient activities."

Jiang Yanqi felt he had to ask why people from the Wona District were said to be fond of imitating.

But it was at this moment that Avenger No.2 reminded him, "Look out the porthole."

Jiang Yanqi's attention was immediately captured by the scene outside; the entire planet came into view, its pale green primary color giving it a vibrant appearance, while its atmosphere, like a sheer veil, lent it a stunningly beautiful allure.

Jiang Yanqi recalled the information he had seen about Earth, which was also said to have been taken over by the Solar System State.

He suddenly felt, the planet that birthed and nurtured him was even more beautiful than Earth.