Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

The 1420 MHz signal vanished without a trace.

In the holographic projection, Ross 154 still shines its light across its "sphere of influence" just as it did billions of years ago, protecting every planet in the star system.

Everything that just happened seemed like a mirage.

Aside from human civilization and the painting, perhaps only the cyanobacteria-like organisms on Ross 2 witnessed this scene.

Lu Yongchang got up from the electromagnetic adsorption chair, looked at the quiet and cold universe in front of him, and sighed deeply.

"Let's continue the city construction project."

"receive."

As always, Zero responded quickly to his request and meticulously carried out each order.

The tightly closed port of the [Earth] slowly opened once again.

One by one, the Xuan Nu IIs were adjusted to their respective positions, awaiting the arrival of the researchers.

A short distance away, as the Level 1 combat readiness status was lifted, the light from the Hall thrusters at the stern of the [Golden Crow] comet-class battleship gradually dimmed.

Further away, on the surface of Ross 2, in City 2, which is more than halfway through construction, robotic arms and robots began to move once again.

At this moment, human civilization seems to have returned to the right track.

……

a few days ago.

2272.11.3

Proxima Centauri system, Proxima Centauri b, city number 4.

Because of the departure of the human fleet, the per capita usable space in the city has increased several times.

Ren Feng sat quietly in the courtyard in front of the door, looking at the old man beside him with a slightly bewildered gaze.

The old man's face was covered with wrinkles.

Seemingly noticing Ren Feng's gaze, the old man laboriously lifted his eyelids and coughed softly.

"Xiaofeng?"

The old man called out softly.

The confusion in Ren Feng's eyes gradually faded, and seeing the worry glint in the old man's cloudy gaze, he chuckled softly, "Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing Ren Feng's voice, the old man's worry lessened somewhat.

He withdrew his gaze and looked up at the "sky".

High above the dome, crisscrossing pipes and bright lights came into view.

A hint of disappointment appeared on the old man's face.

"Xiaofeng."

He suddenly spoke up, "Take me to a holographic cinema."

Ren Feng was stunned for a moment, and a bad feeling suddenly flashed through his mind.

He was silent for a moment, then stood up and said, "Okay."

"Grandpa, please wait a moment."

The elderly man is quite old, and long-distance walking is an extremely difficult task for him.

Therefore, Ren Feng kept a wheelchair at home in case of emergency.

……

More than ten minutes later.

Ren Feng pushed a wheelchair slowly down the street.

It was as empty as ever.

City No. 4, currently under design, is capable of accommodating over 100 million people.

However, according to the latest data released by Yi, there are currently fewer than 1000 million people in the fourth city.

No wonder this once busiest street now appears unusually empty.

As Ren Feng pushed the wheelchair, his mind wandered.

"Xiaofeng..."

The aged voice rang out once more: "Do you want to go to City Number One?"

Ren Feng was taken aback by his grandfather's question.

He hesitated for half a second, then quickly shook his head: "No, I don't want to."

"We promised each other that I would always be by your side."

"Hehe..." the old man chuckled softly, "That's enough, that's more than enough."

"You've wasted over 60 years on this old man."

"You should go and find your own life."

Ren Feng didn't speak, but shook his head again.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

"Grandpa, we've arrived."

Directly in front of us is a massive building.

Above the building, several large, gilded characters are prominently displayed.

Proxima Centauri Fourth Holographic Cinema

……

Ren Feng released the handlebars of his wheelchair and walked straight to the glass doors of the holographic cinema.

Please show your identification!

A mechanical female voice rang in his ear.

Ren Feng reached into his pocket, took out a card, and scanned it in front of the scanner on the glass door.

"drop!"

"Face scan comparison in progress, please do not move around..."

A crisp notification sound rang out, and a beam of emerald green light emanated from the scanner in front of them.

"Facial recognition successful."

"Ren Feng, your credit record is excellent. You can enjoy three free holographic cinema experiences this year. This is your first time."

"Welcome."

The tightly closed glass door suddenly opened.

A unique atmosphere from the holographic cinema, mixed with a cool breeze, wafted over me.

"Grandpa, we should go inside now."

Ren Feng took a deep breath, turned around, grasped the handle at the back of the wheelchair, and pushed the old man toward the gate with a little force.

The same scanning beam flashed across the old man's face.

"drop!"

"Ren Yuanming, with an excellent credit record, a retired member of the Human Alliance Fleet, is entitled to unlimited access to the holographic cinema!"

"Welcome!"

Upon hearing the slightly high-pitched female voice, a hint of nostalgia appeared in the old man's eyes.

Although he was just a logistics worker in the fleet, he still enjoyed generous treatment after retiring.

I wonder how the human fleet is doing now...

Judging by the time, they should have arrived at Ross 154 by now.

The old man breathed in the air inside the holographic theater, reminiscing about his time in the fleet.

……

Grandpa.

What content would you like to see?

Ren Feng's voice interrupted the old man's thoughts.

The old man struggled to lift his head and glanced at the holographic projection not far away.

His gaze was drawn to the top line of Chinese characters.

[Recently Popular Show: Views of Earth]

"Let's go with 'Earth View' then."

"I want to see Earth one more time."

Ren Feng's heart skipped a beat.

Thinking about the old man's words and actions today, his eyes immediately reddened.

"...Okay." He forced back his inner pain and replied in a low voice.

……

The holographic theater was empty today.

To be precise, the holographic theater is empty every day.

After all, the resources for these holographic images haven't been updated in 60 years.

No one wants to watch the same content day after day, year after year.

Apart from some elderly people from Earth.

It is precisely because of these elderly people that "The View of Earth" has been able to consistently top the trending charts.

Ren Feng pushed the wheelchair to the room marked with the number 1.

This is a venue specifically used to screen "Views of the Earth".

"Verification successful".

Have a pleasant movie-watching experience.

A mechanical female voice echoed in the corridor.

At the same time, the tightly closed door suddenly opened.

The large, bright room was covered with a thin layer of soil.

A thin layer of grass grows in the soil.

A path paved with bluestone slabs leads from the gate to the center of the room.

Ren Feng looked at the extremely familiar scene before him and silently pushed his wheelchair toward the center of the room.

A hint of emotion appeared in the old man's eyes.

"This must be... the 63rd time, right?"

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiaofeng."