More and more vehicles and all kinds of robots appeared on the streets of the city as if they were coming from all corners of the city. However, they did not show any hostility or intention to stop them. They just appeared beside the crowd, followed Hao Ren's team, and kept making noise. The robots even continued their work as they moved — wiping the lampposts and guardrails on the roadside, cleaning the already spotless streets, and tightening the screws under the street billboards over and over again. They had to maintain these activities under any circumstances for only one purpose, that was to keep the city in a "living" state, pretending that their owners were still alive in this world.
Hao Ren had a vague feeling that there were no survivors on this planet at all.
A Frisbee robot responsible for cleaning the outer walls of the buildings flew around Y 'zaks, and as it flew, it called out in a cheerful female voice, "Citizen, do you need to maintain the outer walls of your apartment? Do you need to clean the outside of your glass windows? Vjekally's R-33 is at your service at any time. "
Y 'zaks patiently waved the little robot aside again and again and said, "No, we are going to leave the city."
"Citizen, your choice is very irrational. Leaving the sanctuary means death. The environment outside is not suitable for human survival." The billboard on the roadside made a loud voice, and as the group moved forward, the voice followed them like a shadow. "The cold, the vacuum, and the poisonous air near the engine. You can only survive for two hours with a protective suit. Why not wait quietly in the sanctuary? After a thousand years, we will arrive at a stable new home. The planet will thaw, everything will recover, and the earth will be sown to restore the ecosystem on the surface. And you … your descendants will live in peace in this world. "
"You are finally willing to say something more meaningful," Y 'zaks turned to look at the street propaganda screen that was making a sound. "But this has nothing to do with us. If the controller behind you still has a little logic and intelligence, he should come out and talk to us now. "
The propaganda screen was playing a picture of a happy family — Hao Ren saw this public service advertisement on the bus yesterday. As soon as Y 'zaks' voice trailed off, the face of the little boy in the PSA immediately showed a sad expression. He stood in the middle of the screen, wringing his hands. "Leave this city, you will get hurt."
"I knew there was something wrong with these programs." Y 'zaks grinned at the strange situation on the screen.
Hao Ren connected to space. "MDT, what's the scan result?"
"I've scanned the entire planet and didn't find any shelter that meets your requirements," the MDT's voice rang in his head. "But I've found something else. There's a structure similar to an energy node deep in the planet. The energy flow of the entire planet eventually converges in that place. It's like the planet's heart. If you're looking for something, you should go there. "
"Tell me where it is," Hao Ren said quickly. "Also, check the geological cavities around us. I need navigation, rough navigation."
The MDT quickly transmitted the situation of the energy node to Hao Ren's mind. The latter could not help but whistle. "Great — we're close to the core."
They came to the last crossroads leading to the city border. In the memory of the Nangong couple, the biggest city gate was not far ahead. However, a row of tall mechanical guards stood in the middle of the road. They were wearing the logo of traffic control.
The mechanical guard standing in the middle raised his hand to Hao Ren. "Citizen, please do not pass. There's an accident ahead. The road is congested and dangerous."
A large number of vehicles came from all directions, crowded at the crossroads and all the surrounding roads, honking. A large number of robots weaved in and out of the gaps of the road, wandering aimlessly, and at the same time maintaining their 'work' in a strange and ridiculous way.
Hao Ren knew that these machines would not allow the residents of the city to leave this place, but they would do their best to maintain the 'normal' order here. A powerful, fixed logic was running in all these machines.
This abnormal behavior was not the result of human control, but some kind of faulty program.
Hao Ren smiled, reached out and patted the steel chest of the robot police. "I know there is a controller behind you. It may be a crazy human, or it may be a broken computer. I want to talk to him."
The robot police was silent for a few seconds, and then repeated dully, "Citizen, please do not pass. There's an accident ahead. The road is congested and dangerous."
Hao Ren sighed. "We mean no harm. We just want to know what's wrong with this planet."
As he said that, he looked at the vehicles and robots on the congested road, suddenly raised his voice, and said loudly to the consciousness behind these machines, "Listen, I know you're paying attention here. You should know that we come from space, and there is an advanced spacecraft hovering above this planet. We mean no harm. If you encounter any trouble, you can tell me. I'll be happy to help. But only if we talk openly. "
No one jumped out to respond. Lily muttered, "It doesn't work. Didn't I shout a few times on the balcony before?"
Hao Ren shrugged. "But I think it works."
The machines on the street did not disperse, but there was no more congestion. The scene fell into a strange state of silence. The little robots running around in the gaps also stopped what they were doing and quietly looked at the small group of people who were surrounded. For the first time, Hao Ren felt that being watched by a group of machines was very strange. It was almost no different from being watched by a crowd.
Vivian tried to move forward, and all the robots on the road immediately followed her. Countless steel bearings made a slight grinding sound at the same time, but other than these tracking eyes, no machines came to stop her.
This was a strange compromise that was very different from human behavior.
The group of people moved forward in the gaps of the machines. On both sides, there was a constant sound of steel heads turning. The whole scene was like a strange horror movie. Hao Ren walked past a small cleaning robot. The latter raised its head and said in a happy male voice, "Vjekally …"
"Vjekally Company, cleaning equipment manufacturing expert. I'll remember that." Hao Ren smiled and knocked the little robot's head.
They came to the big gate at the outermost edge of the city.
A huge steel wall surrounded the city. The upper part of the wall was directly connected to the rock dome of the cave, and the city gate was embedded in the wall. It was a round gate with a diameter of more than ten meters. Hao Ren stepped forward and knocked on the gate. He turned to look at a robot watching him. "I guess you won't help me open the gate."
The robot did not say a word, but its electronic eyes flashed with an elusive light.
Hao Ren raised his silver spear, and a white plasma flame burst out from the tip of the spear. He started to use it to cut the gate. Bright sparks burst out and jumped on the surface of countless pairs of electronic eyes. But the machines just watched it all quietly. They did not step forward to help or stop him.
It was as if a certain program was stuck.
When the gate was cut open, Hao Ren felt a strange air flow in. He handed two life-support collars to Nangong Wudi and Ayesha. "Put this on. It will allow you to survive in the harsh environment. The environment outside is probably not good. I suspect the life-support system is limited to this city. "
A hole big enough for two people to pass through side by side was quickly cut out. Hao Ren kicked away the heavy steel block that was burned red, revealing a deep and long passage behind. There was dim yellow light in the passage, and some old machinery that had been abandoned for many years could be seen parked in the light.
Hao Ren compared the navigation map in his mind. "From here, after a transportation hub, there will be a series of downward passages. Our final destination is near the core. There should be something waiting for us there. "
"Have you thought of a speech?" Vivian glanced at him.
Hao Ren took the lead and jumped into the passage. "You have to believe in my eloquence!"
The others followed. Vivian shook her head and sighed. "I can believe in anything else …"
(I recommend a novel written by a reader, Reality and Super. It's imaginative and sci-fi. I hope everyone will support it.)
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