The group explored the entire city but still couldn’t find any sign of advanced intelligent life. However, all the city’s functions were operating normally. After Shu Bao and Fu Qing enjoyed some ice cream, the others also began to take note of the many food shops along the streets.
Delicious food, stunning scenery, a dazzling array of malls, and free, convenient transportation—if this planet wasn’t located in the mechanoid star system, it could easily be described as a paradise for countless people.
Without using their lightweight battleship, the group instead relied on the city’s built-in transportation to visit other cities. They even embarked on a high-speed global tour. Every city here had an advanced level of modernization, with all systems functioning normally, yet not a single person was to be seen.
Having gained no further insights, the group eventually boarded their battleship and left the fully automated planet. Yu Lingqi lingered by the glass, gazing wistfully at the city fading into the distance below.
Endless resources, unique cities, a rich and diverse ecological environment, and various entertainment facilities—most importantly, everything here was free. This place was an overwhelming temptation for someone as lazy as Yu Lingqi, making him feel an almost irresistible urge to stay.
Fortunately, the dedication of his two fellow baits brought him back to his senses. He was also acutely aware that this was the mechanoid star system; if the Mechanoids discovered them, they wouldn’t be able to enjoy life—they’d likely lose it. Perhaps the absence of people on this planet was because they had all been slaughtered by the Mechanoids.
This thought sent a shiver down Yu Lingqi’s spine. It was better to complete their mission quickly and return to Xia Wang City as soon as possible.
As they left this planet, which perfectly epitomized the ideals of food, clothing, housing, and entertainment, the group speculated for a while about why there were no advanced intelligent beings. Yet, no explanation satisfied everyone.
Their confusion only deepened when they reached the second target planet.
This planet was strikingly similar to the previous one in environment, size, gravity, rotation speed, and other conditions—once again, a perfect planet for carbon-based life.
It also had numerous modern buildings. Upon entering, they found that not only were the buildings identical in appearance, but their functions were also the same. Every building here had a single designation: library.
This was a library planet, with an incredibly diverse collection of books in various scripts, evidently created by different cultures.
“I’ve figured it out!” Yu Lingqi exclaimed suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention. Looking at the rich collection of books, he said excitedly, “In the historical records of the Mechanoids, they destroyed human civilizations countless times. These books must be from those destroyed civilizations.”
The others found this explanation somewhat plausible but couldn’t understand why the Mechanoids would choose to preserve these civilizations in such a manner. After all, compared to technological methods of storing information, books were far from efficient.
After experiencing such a peculiar planet, the group was no longer easily surprised by the ones they encountered next. They visited planets showcasing human inventions, human artworks, and human collections, each one like a massive exhibition hall with its unique theme—but all centered around humanity.
The most bizarre and unsettling of these was the Human Exhibition Planet.
The exhibition halls here displayed various types of humans—or rather, human species.
These humans had the basic characteristics of humanity, yet their appearances varied significantly. Arranged chronologically, they spanned from billions of years ago to the more recent past, showing gradual changes over time.
Of course, the human corpses on display were specially preserved, appearing lifelike without any sign of decay. However, their open eyes were deeply unsettling. Walking through this planetary-scale exhibit felt like being watched by countless pairs of eyes.
Shu Bao and the others used the transportation provided within the exhibition halls to travel between galleries. As they moved, descriptions of the various human species played in their ears. The strange sensation left the group deeply uncomfortable.
The automatic translator converted the introductions into a language they could understand. The narration was gentle, almost like telling a story, detailing the characteristics of each species, their place of origin, their rise and fall, and what they had accomplished during their existence.
Compared to the Mechanoids’ historical accounts that Yu Lingqi had read, there was a key difference: most of these species were not destroyed by the Mechanoids but by humans themselves. According to the Mechanoids’ explanation, the greatest obstacle to a civilization’s development is itself. Very few species have managed to overcome self-destruction.
This meticulous, almost proud tone in the explanations baffled the group. If the Mechanoids truly hated humans, why would they go to such lengths to create these exhibits?
As they toured the exhibition halls, the group alternated between resting and absorbing this detailed history of humanity. The timeline eventually brought them to an area that seemed much more familiar. Yu Lingqi pointed excitedly at one of the sections. “Look! That’s the Beast Race! The Zerg Race! And us!”
“No, it’s just something similar,” Fu Qing quickly corrected. “The species here are all from civilizations that have already been destroyed.” As expected, the narration soon revealed that this particular exhibit was from a recently destroyed civilization.
This civilization closely resembled the humans currently developing in this universe but ultimately succumbed to self-destruction through internal conflict.
Beyond this exhibit was a blank area, though exhibition stands had already been set up as if awaiting the arrival of the next human species.
The group left the planet in silence aboard their battleship. The shock brought on by this planet lingered for a long time. In this vast universe, so many human civilizations had risen, only to fade like fleeting flowers, disappearing into the endless cosmos.
Some had never glimpsed the worlds beyond their home planets, while others had explored the stars. Some had lived alongside beasts, while others strolled through the void of space. Despite the varied levels of their civilizations, they were like weeds, sprouting and rooting in the farthest corners of the universe.
This evoked a strange feeling, observing humanity from a third-person perspective. Humans seemed both insignificant and grand, despicable and lovable, extraordinary and mundane. This duality, it seemed, mirrored the Mechanoids’ view of humanity.
“Could the Mechanoids be hoarders? And their obsession is human civilization?” Yu Lingqi quipped.
Shu Bao pondered for a moment and said, “If I could, I think I’d love to create a similar grasshopper exhibition system.”
Yu Lingqi: “…” That’s an even scarier thought.
Fu Qing, however, grasped Shu Bao’s meaning and added, “Exactly. If it were pure hatred, the Mechanoids wouldn’t bother collecting these things. In fact, it seems like the Mechanoids admire humans, and by extension, love what humans love.”
“But according to the Mechanoids’ historical records, they learned to resist humans by incorporating human genes. If that’s true, then their fondness for human-related things wouldn’t be so surprising,” Yu Lingqi countered, though he still found it hard to believe that the Mechanoids might actually like humans.
“If that were the case, they wouldn’t have created a human-species exhibition hall. Human genes certainly don’t include an interest in admiring the corpses of their own kind,” Fu Qing replied, leaving Yu Lingqi speechless.
Everyone found the Mechanoids’ behavior increasingly puzzling—an apparent mix of love and hate for humanity. This paradox only fueled their curiosity, driving the group further toward the center of the star system.
After another two months of interstellar travel and visiting more uniquely themed planets, the group finally confirmed their ultimate destination: the Mechanoids’ home planet.
As they approached the main star, the number of surrounding spacecraft increased dramatically and the density of defensive equipment was much higher. Tesla had to navigate with extreme caution. Thankfully, their psychic shielding ability, which could bypass the Mechanoids’ technological detection, allowed them to land undetected on the planet—a capability akin to a cheat code.
However, the scene that greeted them on the main planet took everyone by surprise. After visiting so many planets with advanced technology and automated systems, the main planet itself appeared somewhat rundown.
The buildings, though clearly advanced, looked old and worn. Still, there was finally evidence of life—or rather, living Mechanoids. They came in various forms, each busy with different tasks. From above, the planet’s bustling activity made it resemble a genuine city.
Once they landed, Shu Bao quickly noticed similarities between this city and the Mechanoids’ ruins they had visited before. The streets were paved with the same extraordinary material and the buildings were made of various metals. Some even included a few familiar golden structures.
Yet for some reason, this city appeared far more antiquated than the ruins. Moving carefully within Tesla’s psychic shield, the group found the crowded streets filled with active Mechanoids, making movement difficult. They decided to find an open space to settle first, observe the Mechanoids’ routines, and then determine their next steps.
Eventually, they arrived at a secluded corner of a park and began to rest. As Shu Bao took out some pre-grilled grasshoppers, he suddenly noticed a massive golden grasshopper statue nearby. He froze in place, staring at it in shock, forgetting to eat the grasshopper in his hand. “The Mechanoids actually has such great taste!”
The others turned to look, their expressions twisting into strange contortions. T33674, however, offered a serious explanation: “Insects have body structures well-suited for combat. Locusts, in particular, are devastatingly destructive when appearing in swarms. That statue is likely a depiction of a powerful insect-shaped Mechanoid.”
Sure enough, the group soon found other insect-shaped statues scattered around the park, confirming that its theme was insects. This discovery somewhat eased their nerves—it seemed the Mechanoids weren’t solely obsessed with humans. Still, the thought of potentially facing these ferocious Mechanical insects in the near future gave them all a collective headache.
