The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 113 City of Consciousness

After the wingplates were reinstalled, Yu Qing confirmed that there were no problems, and they continued flying.

Before arriving at the Fourth Paradise, they must make a short stop at Hongqiu.

In fact, nobody wanted to go to Hongqiu. According to Chang'e's records, Hongqiu was one of the poorest places in the world at that time. It was also the only place on Earth where, up until 2000, electricity, food, and water were not free.

Yu Qing and his group had no interest in such a backward place, so they planned to simply replenish their electricity and food before leaving.

However, this time they almost died because of outdated information.

When they flew to a place 30 kilometers away from Hongqiu, they found that they could not move forward no matter what they did, as if they had hit an invisible wall.

Just then, a sweet voice came from the sky, but no one could be seen: "Great hero, your flight altitude is incorrect, you may collide with the building ahead."

Yu Qing was taken aback. He was flying at an altitude of 5000 meters. Could there be buildings in Hongqiu that were even taller than that? That was impossible.

Just as Yu Qing was about to have Hong Hong adjust the flight altitude to 1 meters, the sweet voice said again, "Please descend to between 800 and 900 meters."

At 5000 meters, you'll hit a building, but at 800 meters, you won't. What kind of logic is that? Is there really a castle in the air in Hongqiu?
Yu Qing had Hong Hong descend to 850 meters, and his vehicle successfully passed the air barrier, approaching Hongqiu. Less than five minutes into the flight, he was stunned by what he saw.

Hongqiu is actually a three-tiered city! Yes, it has two more layers in the air. Looking up, it's truly spectacular. How do the upper two layers of the city float? And how do they ensure that the city below receives ample sunlight?
For Yu Qing, this was a maddening mystery.

Clearly, Hongqiu was the most developed and affluent city he had ever seen. As their car stopped on a street in this most impoverished area, that sweet voice followed them, saying, "Your air usage fee is 580 RB per person per hour, parking fee is 100 RB, garbage collection fee is 120 RB..."

Yao Dan couldn't help but curse, "Are they so poor they're even charging for air usage?!"

Eying said, "It's not that simple. Look at the high-end construction here, how could it be that they charge fees because people are poor?"

“Eying is right. They might be doing this to improve the efficiency of all resources. Also, the fact that this place was so poor and backward back then, but is now so rich and developed, must be related to their sense of pressure to survive. This sense of pressure forces everyone to strive.”

At this moment, Yao Dan looked at Chang'e and said sarcastically, "This is accurate information you provided. Hongqiu is the poorest place in the world."

Yu Qing noticed that Chang'e looked flustered, as if she had been frightened, and laughed, "Wife, you don't have to be so dramatic. I'm not blaming you. After all, your information is still stuck thirty or forty years in the past."

Yao Dan smiled and said, "She's trembling. Husband, you should comfort her."

Eying frowned and said, "Has someone threatened you?"

"Alright, everyone, let's stop with the small talk. Yaodan will accompany me and the little fox on a tour, while Chang'e and Eying will be in charge of supplies. If we find anything new or useful, we'll bring some back."

Chang'e, however, said, "I want to be with my husband."

"Very well. Then Yaodan and Eying shall go together."

Yao Dan huffed and puffed as she and E Ying walked away. But they had only taken a few steps when the street seemed to have a magnet, grabbing their feet and pulling them in the direction they wanted to go.

The little fox was thrilled and ran two steps forward to test the magical cycling path. Yu Qing was curious and followed behind the little fox to try it out. As the street sensed his forward movement, it automatically propelled him forward. He only had to make a stopping motion, and then it stopped automatically again.

He and the little fox chased each other through the street. The little fox laughed happily ahead, occasionally turning back to call out, "Big brother!" He, in turn, pretended to catch her, chasing after her relentlessly. Chang'e followed closely beside him, step by step.

The street was so spacious and advanced that, apart from the occasional rolling ball about a meter in size, almost only the three of them walked on it, which Yu Qing found very puzzling.

Logically speaking, even the air you breathe here should be charged, so why waste resources building such a luxurious street with extremely low usage?
Even more extravagant were the magnificent houses. It was practically a world exposition, with every room filled with a dazzling array of goods. However, Yu Qing didn't even know what they were for, let alone their names.

The goods didn't appear to be for sale, as there were no doors leading into or out of the houses. In fact, Yao Dan had also informed him that there didn't seem to be a single shop selling goods in Man Hongqiu; everything was visible but untouchable.

Yu Qing looked up at the two-tiered city in the sky. He thought, "Perhaps we should try looking on the second or third level. But how can we get there?"

Their most pressing need was to find a place to eat. The little fox tugged at his hand and called out "Big Brother" several times, clearly indicating that they wanted to eat. But they circled around for a while and still couldn't find a place. It was truly a huge joke.

The problem was, they couldn't find anyone to ask around. Finally, the five of them reunited, having gained nothing but a good look at the fox. The little fox kept asking for food, so Yu Qing had no choice but to lead everyone back to the parking area to get some dry rations.

As he approached the car, he saw another ball rolling slowly towards him. Suddenly realizing that this thing might be a different kind of humanoid creature, he slid over and blocked its path.

Only then did Yu Qing realize that this ball also had eyes, a nose, and a mouth; it really was a spherical humanoid. Seeing someone blocking her way, she softly asked, "Hello! Do you need my help?"

Yu Qing said, "Yes, I want to find a place to eat."

Chang'e then whispered in his ear, "My lord, she does not contain any biological cells."

Unexpectedly, she overheard Chang'e's words and said, "Yes, I am not an organic organism, nor am I a humanoid. I am a pure consciousness-based new human. Because the people here do not need to eat, only one place on the second floor is reserved exclusively for the old humans, where they can have a meal."

Yu Qing said embarrassedly, "But...we can't get up there..."

"Heh, you probably forgot to get the notification when you came in. Please raise your hands above your heads, making a V-shape, and the city system will automatically upgrade you to the second level..."

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. If you need help, simply raise your fist. The city's sensing system will see your call and come to answer your questions."

Yao Dan eagerly made a hand gesture, and sure enough, she was gently lifted up to the second floor of the street. Seeing this, the little fox quickly imitated her and also floated up. E Ying followed.

Yu Qingcai was about to raise his hands when he noticed Chang'e standing still. He asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Chang'e said, "My lord, can I not go? I want to stay by the carriage."

Yu Qing said, "Okay. You seem a bit out of sorts today."

After saying this, he raised his hand and floated towards the second level. As he ascended, Chang'e inexplicably called out from below, "My lord, please don't...pay the bill..."

At that moment, the little fox pulled Eying straight to the restaurant, while Yaodan stood there waiting for Yuqing.

After Yu Qing came up, they chased after him together.

Yao Dan asked, "What's wrong with Chang'e? Isn't she coming?" Yu Qing laughed and said, "She doesn't need to eat. Besides, even if you came, you'd only be a spectator."

When Yu Qing and the others arrived, the little fox was already eating. The food served here was synthetic food, which could be shaped into various forms of food and placed on the plate in front of you. While eating, the little fox called out to Yu Qing, "Big brother, here…"

The little fox wanted a food shaped like a squirrel. Yu Qing laughed and ordered a squirrel as well, jokingly saying, "Look, we've eaten Xie Shanren's wife."

Eying said, "Master, don't be too happy yet. Our little fox just chose to get food for free. I really shouldn't have told her there was that option."

Yu Qing said, "The little fox is not bad, it knows how to save money for its big brother."

Eying said softly, "That's good, but you have to do volunteer work here for a day..."

"What?" Yu Qing exclaimed in surprise, pinching the little fox's cheek. "You really know how to cause me trouble!"

After the meal, Yu Qing asked E Ying, "Did they say what kind of work volunteering involves? Someone like me is not even one in a thousand humanoids, what can I do?"

"Master, they said he'd be a comforter."

"What kind of job is this? I've never heard of it before."

Yao Dan said, "They must want you to comfort people."

"But where is he? There seems to be no one in Hongqiu."

Yu Qing raised his hand and clenched his fist in the air. A voice quickly reached his ears: "Guest, how can I help you?"

Yu Qing said, "I'd like to ask what a 'comfort therapist' does. Also, can I change my choice and switch this meal from free to paid?"

"Let me answer your first question. The comforter provides companionship services to newly registered consciousness entities in Hongqiu, allowing them to have a smooth adaptation period when transitioning from a life form to a consciousness entity."

Regarding your second question, my answer is no. Your choice has already been accepted, and you have been scheduled to start work in ten hours.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Do you have any advanced vehicles or defensive equipment for sale here?"

"Theoretically, we don't sell vehicles and defensive equipment adapted to life forms here, because conscious beings don't need complex organic life support systems. The tools here aren't suitable for you. However, you can buy thermostatic hoods suitable for humans."

Yao Dan interjected, "So, you consciousnesses don't even need to breathe, yet you still charge my husband for air usage? How stingy."

"This is a tradition that has been passed down in Hongqiu for two hundred years. Back then, this measure played a subtle role in inspiring everyone to keep striving. You can choose not to pay when you leave, but you will still have to pay before you can enter next time you come."

Yao Dan said, "What if we never come back?"

"Then you'll never have to pay. But you shouldn't have this problem; everything will be free for anyone who volunteers here for a day."

Yu Qing suddenly remembered Chang'e telling him not to pay and laughed, "Someone seems to have foresight; they even knew that..."

However, Yu Qing suddenly sensed something was amiss. Chang'e had been with him the whole time; she couldn't possibly know any of this. He immediately became alert. Chang'e was warning him not to reveal his identity here! Because his personal information would be exposed when making the payment!

"Yaodan, go and see what Chang'e is doing."

Yao Dan made a downward V-shape with her hands and quickly floated down to the next level. Meanwhile, Yu Qing took the little fox and E Ying to have thermostatic smocks made for the little fox and Yu Lan.

When Eying returned, she was carrying a large bag of smocks. The little fox happily changed into clothes that fit her better. She skipped and hopped, wanting to go play on the third floor. But when he made a V-sign with his hands raised, there was no reaction this time.

The little fox learned quickly and raised his hand, making a fist. A voice quickly asked, "Little guest, is there anything I can do to help you?"

The little fox pointed to its head and said, "Up...up..."

The voice chuckled, "My lovely little guest, the third level is where consciousness resides; organic life forms are not allowed to go up there."

Eying said, "She can't understand what you're saying."

The voice paused for a moment, then said, "I traced her back to the Third Paradise... There, you can't get anything without crows, so it won't be cold anymore... This time she should understand."

Yu Qing asked E Ying in surprise, "She actually knows the origin of the little fox. Did she just speak the language of the little foxes?"

“Yes, Master. Tracing the source isn’t difficult; we achieved it a long time ago. It’s just that the post-war space infrastructure was damaged, making it impossible to provide real-time images. She only needs to track down the place where the little fox first appeared.”

Yu Qing quickly raised his hand and clenched his fist. Another voice came from the air, asking, "Hello, may I ask what I need...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Yu Qing hurriedly asked, "Can you tell me if the fog in Qiongshan has dissipated?"

The voice replied, "Sorry, that area is outside our real-time remote sensing range."

Yu Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, I understand. There's no problem."

Eying asked, puzzled, "Master, why do you want to know if the fog on Qiongshan Mountain has dissipated?"

Yu Qing laughed and said, "I don't care if there's fog in Qiongshan. I'm just testing whether they know which parts of Qiongshan I've been to... Understand?"

"I understand. You're afraid someone from the Shengtian Group is trying to stop you..."

"Stop! Too much talk leads to mistakes. Let's talk about something else. How many words did we teach the little fox today? She's made great progress."

"She learned 48 words today. That's quite good for the human brain."

Yu Qing was overjoyed to hear this. But his joy lasted less than two minutes before he received heartbreaking news: Chang'e had disappeared. He tried to contact her, but received no reply.

(End of this chapter)