Visiting Neighboring Planets

I learned from conversations with Norton that Guoker Planet is surrounded by dozens of planets, much like our Solar System's eight major planets orbiting the Sun. These planets, including many with moons, revolve around a massive star similar to our Sun.

Their civilization began on one of these planets. After inventing light-speed flying saucers, they started large-scale development of neighboring planets. Most of the planets near Guoker have been developed into habitable zones, with many already populated.

One time, Norton, Suldair, Willie, and I took a flying saucer to visit several nearby planets.

Our first stop was the Garbage Planet. This planet was piled with waste, and the air was thin and unbreathable. The flying saucer hovered above it while Norton and Suldair disembarked. Willie stayed with me on the saucer.

Willie explained, "Guoker Planet has extremely high environmental standards. Much of our waste, especially decommissioned flying saucers, is transported to this Garbage Planet for decomposition and processing. Useful materials are then shipped back for reuse. Most of the work on Garbage Planet is done by robots, remotely operated by people on Guoker Planet."

Our second stop was a giant planet where the saucer hovered in a holding pattern. The planet was covered with tall, densely packed metallic buildings, giving it a silver appearance but a desolate feel. Despite my efforts, I couldn't spot any vegetation.

"This is our home planet, the Silver Planet," Norton said, surprising me. "We Guoker people originated here. It used to be green and full of life, like your Earth. Sadly, a prolonged nuclear war, lasting over a century by Earth's time, almost destroyed it. The surface became uninhabitable, forcing people to move underground.

"Fortunately, we deciphered the nature of fields and invented the flying saucer. We first developed Guoker Planet, transforming its environment to make it livable. Now, it's our main planet and the center of our power and technology, governing the other planets. The Silver Planet is now mainly inhabited by virtual people and those who live permanently underground."

The flying saucer entered the Silver Planet through a tunnel. Inside, Norton gave me a ring to wear around my neck, explaining that the underground air might not be suitable for Earth people. This ring blocked air from entering my nose and mouth and used the saucer's artificial field scanning device to teleport oxygen into my body.

We disembarked the saucer and boarded another type of vehicle, similar to a convertible car but without wheels, hovering about two meters (6.6 feet) above the ground. It moved slowly, providing an excellent view for sightseeing. The interior of the Silver Planet resembled a centipede's body, with a vast main hall connected to numerous smaller tunnels. I heard from them that there are still main cave halls under this hall, and there are many layers. We also saw huge underground spaces from time to time. In this underground space, we could see many green and yellow plants and strange scenery. Their colors were extremely bright, as if they were shining under the sun. However, it gave me a feeling of depression. I still felt that the space was not big enough and it did not give me the comfortable feeling of living under the blue sky and white clouds.

We saw many virtual people walking along the walls of the main hall, and light-based virtual beings passed through our bodies, which was both eerie and fascinating. In the dim light of the smaller tunnel entrances, we noticed many strange reptiles. They quickly retreated into smaller holes upon noticing us.

Leaving the Silver Planet behind, we flew to the "Primitive Tribe Planet" in our flying saucer.

Norton introduced it, saying, "Most residents of the Primitive Tribe Planet are immigrants from Guoker Planet. On Guoker's GIW, there's a forum called 'I am Tribal,' which serves as the authority and base camp for the Primitive Tribe Planet. They worship a primitive lifestyle and oppose modern technology, yet ironically, they can't live without some basic technological products. The 'I am Tribal' forum played a major role in developing the Primitive Tribe Planet."

The planet's surface was covered with numerous plants, and the scenery was breathtaking. Suldair flew the saucer at an extremely low altitude. Norton cautioned, "Be careful. The inhabitants of the Primitive Tribe Planet are known for attacking outsiders. They are unfriendly, not only opposing technology but also hating all forms of laws and restrictions. They uphold the law of the jungle, and it's common for them to kill each other."

Indeed, we saw exposed corpses on the ground, starkly contrasting with the beautiful environment. The bones of these bodies were clearly visible.

Norton explained, "'I am Tribal' members have their bodies custom-made on Guoker Planet. Their bodies have bones and require food to survive. Unlike them, we don't need bones or food; our nutrition is provided automatically by the GMW artificial field programs. Since the Primitive Tribe Planet lacks artificial field equipment and the GMW, they must consume food to maintain their energy, just like people on Earth."

We observed that the people on the Primitive Tribe Planet varied greatly in size, shape, and appearance. Their clothes were tattered, and nearly everyone carried weapons—ranging from swords and arrows to firearms and other advanced weapons I couldn't identify.

Curious, I asked, "What happens if they die in battle?"

"Their consciousness is backed up on Guoker Planet," Norton explained. "If they die, they can be resurrected immediately on Guoker Planet. The 'I am Tribal' forum has satellites in orbit around the Primitive Tribe Planet that use artificial field scanning to monitor the inhabitants. They are instantly notified whenever someone dies."

Suldair added disdainfully, "If they want to die, they can always come back here to keep fighting."

Willie remarked, "The Primitive Tribe Planet has no artificial field, GMW, or GIW services. Their biggest challenge is finding enough food to survive. The living conditions are harsh, so it's hard to understand why anyone would choose to live here. Maybe they have a deep-seated desire to kill real people rather than just in virtual games. They don't get the opportunity to kill elsewhere, but here they can."

Suldair laughed, "And they get killed themselves, ha-ha!"

We left the Primitive Tribe Planet and arrived at the Flower Planet. It was a spectacular sight, with all kinds of plants and flowers creating a sea of blooms. We strolled through it, enjoying the sweet fragrance in the air. They asked me to stand alone in a patch of red flowers for a photo. I didn't see them use a camera, so they must have had some advanced way of taking pictures.

Norton asked, "These red flowers were introduced from your Earth. Do you know what they are?"

"I have no idea. I've seen these flowers in my hometown, but I don't know their name."

"They're called crape myrtles on Earth," Norton explained. "Many Guoker people come here to relax and unwind. It's a great place."

"But people tend to get tired of it if they stay too long," Suldair remarked.

"I agree," Willie added.

We flew near a relatively small planet. Suldair piloted the saucer to hover above it, and Norton instructed us not to land. He explained that this planet was the farthest from the star at the center of the Guoker system and served as the system's early warning center, monitoring for visitors from other parts of the universe.

The buildings on this planet were peculiar, stretching horizontally for long distances. I assumed this was because the planet had low gravity, making it easier for such structures to remain stable without collapsing under their own weight.

(Figure: Three buildings with "houses extending horizontally for a long distance," two in the foreground and one in the background.)

We flew to a small planet and saw the wreckage of a huge flying saucer, covered in thick dust. Suldair piloted our saucer close to the crashed saucer and activated the scanning device to scan its interior. On the virtual screen, we saw the inside of the crashed saucer, revealing human skeletons.

Norton said, "These people were pioneers of our early exploration efforts. At that time, we Guokers didn't have the ability to back up our consciousness. These people died and cannot be revived; they are our true heroes."

On a desolate planet, we saw traces of artificial structures. Norton said, "This planet is one of our early failed attempts at terraforming. The Guokers initially chose small planets, thinking it would be cheaper, but that was a mistake. Small planets can't easily retain an atmosphere. Although using artificial fields to trap air is convenient, if they malfunction, all the air escapes, leading to disastrous consequences."

Indeed, we saw on the hologram many skeletons in pairs inside buildings on this planet.

Norton said, "This is a typical result of an artificial field failure. The air vanished instantly, and the inhabitants, realizing they were doomed, chose to die embracing their loved ones. Early Guoker space exploration was fraught with life-threatening risks. Nowadays, we mainly assign virtual light beings to live on small planets."

Our saucer then reached the surface of a massive planet. Norton said this was called the Mineral Planet, a primary mining site for early Guokers.

"With technological advancements, Guokers could easily transform elements into others at low costs. Precious metals and gems, like those on Earth, became as worthless as dirt in the Guoker system. Eventually, people abandoned mining here, leaving the planet desolate."

The Mineral Planet had many moons. Norton said there were dozens of moons the size of Earth. Some had been developed and populated, while others were still under construction. We flew past the Mineral Planet to the Lovers Planets, two nearly identical planets orbiting each other and the star.

Willie said, "These are called the Lovers Planets, but some used to call them the Sisters Planets. As Guokers learned to clone themselves, the concept of sisters faded, and they became known as the Lovers Planets. One planet is black, and the other is white, often referred to as the Black and White Twins, with the black one being male and the white one female. The Lovers Planets are far from Guoker but close to our home planet, Silver Planet. In the Silver Planet era, poets, singers, and lovers frequently used the Lovers Planets as metaphors for love, which eventually became clichéd."

I commented, "Just like how we Earth people use the Moon as a metaphor for love."

Suldair said, "People from the Silver Planet era were captivated by the Lovers Planets. Countless writers depicted them as paradises for lovers. They imagined that there were many beautiful boys and girls there, and that these people did not have to work hard and can just play all day long, enjoying the pleasure of sexual intercourse between men and women. They believed that if a man lost his beloved, he could find her on the White Planet, and if a woman lost her beloved, she could find him on the Black Planet. However, when our technology was advanced enough to visit the Lovers Planets, we found them both to be desolate, with nothing but different surface materials reflecting light differently."

Our flying saucer glided above the surface of the black planet. We saw the enormous white planet hanging in the sky, looking as if it might fall at any moment, moving slowly across the sky. Norton said that the black and white twin planets complete an orbit around each other in less time than it takes for the Moon to orbit Earth.

Suldair said, "The Guoker people are now massively developing the Lovers Planets. There are countless advertisements on the Guoker GIW, promoting the Lovers Planets as the perfect choice for couples. However, not many people choose to live there permanently, so the Lovers Planets aren't very populated. The conditions there are not ideal. Sometimes the days are too long and the nights are too short, and other times the days are too short and the nights are too long. The other planet reflects sunlight at night and blocks sunlight during the day, making it hard to distinguish day from night. Additionally, the infrastructure is not well-developed, so few people are willing to stay there long-term."

Our saucer passed over the surface of the white planet, where we saw the enormous black planet looming above. The white planet's surface was silvery-white, while the black planet was a dark, gloomy color. I thought that the numerous shadows cast by the black planet's mountains might contribute to its dark appearance. We did not land on the Lovers Planets and instead headed to our next destination.

We flew to one of the industrial planets in the Guoker System. There were no chimneys on the industrial planets; instead, they were filled with tall metallic buildings and densely packed factories. Norton said that the industrial planets had no atmosphere and were operated by remotely controlled robots. After visiting the industrial planet, we flew back to Guoker Planet, leaving many other planets unvisited.