The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 53 The Loneliest Remnant in the World

Yu Qing activated the second sister's search function, which could locate the third sister within a 20-kilometer range and follow her. This way, they wouldn't miss each other if they were to meet Chang'e in the air.

However, he was still too optimistic. Until he reached a point where he had to make a choice—left for Haiqing City, right for Tianqing City—he still hadn't encountered Chang'e's chariot. If he went towards Haiqing City, he would have no way back.

But going directly to Tianqing City is not only risky, but the entry point is also difficult to choose; Chang'e might even exit the city through another exit…

He decided to risk anchoring below this node and wait for Chang'e to arrive.

In the middle of the night, he finally welcomed Chang'e and the others.

When the third sister flew over the second sister, the alarm went off loudly.

Chang'e realized the sudden event and searched in the opposite direction to find Yu Qing and his group's anchorage.

"Why are you waiting for us here? Has something happened at Changlin?" Chang'e asked.

"Something's happened. It's a long story. Let's talk about Tianqing City. Is it safe there? Can we enter the city?"

Chang'e hesitated before saying, "This... is quite complicated..."

Yu Qing asked with dissatisfaction, "What's so complicated about it? It's just a simple answer: can I get in or can't I get in!"

"You can come in, but you can't. To put it simply, we humanoid ladies can come and go as we please, but you, sir, cannot; you need to apply for special permission."

"What kind of ridiculous rules are these? They're even discriminating against us humans! Doesn't Qingtian City belong to human control?"

"It should be said that it is entirely under human control. I have found out that their regulations are entirely for the protection of vulnerable groups like you."

Yu Qing laughed, "When did I become a vulnerable group? I'll make sure they're all wiped out!"

"My lord, Tianqing City is quite prosperous and developed. You'll see once you go in. It's really quite dangerous for people with your fragile bodies."

"Oh? Then I really have to go in and take a look. Damn it, they actually labeled me as a vulnerable group! Let's go now."

Chang'e laughed and said, "No, my lord, you can only apply for entry permits between 9 and 10 a.m. every day. We will not accept applications at other times."

“I need a permit to enter, but you can come and go freely. This is simply outrageous.”

"My lord, this is truly to protect you. The people in the city fly around at speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour. You don't have the ability to automatically avoid them. If you were to crash into one, wouldn't you be turned into a pile of minced meat?"

Besides, if any one of them were to cut off even a single finger from you, you'd have a hole in you.

"So they're all made of iron, they're that amazing."

"They're harder than iron. I've scanned their structure; they're not organic organisms, nor are they metal, but rather made of a material even tougher than steel. I don't know exactly what it is."

Yu Qing exclaimed in surprise, "So, they're not human at all?"

"No, my lord, they are human beings. To be precise, they are people who have abandoned their physical bodies and transferred their memories and thoughts to a more secure medium. This is what they themselves said, not something I made up."

"I think I understand a little now. How is this different from you humanoid goddesses?"

"The difference is huge. We were designed based on human structure and way of thinking. They, on the other hand, were directly transferred from humans and have thoughts and feelings that are completely consistent with humans."

"I don't think so. You should understand the saying that oranges grown north of the Huai River become trifoliate oranges, right? Now that they have a body made of steel, their thoughts and feelings will surely change as well."

After a moment of silence, Yu Qing sighed, "I never imagined that we primitive humans would be so isolated. People on Earth no longer cherish our physical forms. I feel as if someone is tolling the death knell for us."

"Let's not be that pessimistic. We're still us, no matter what form they take."

"The reason I'm still alive is entirely due to the legacy of humanity's past technological achievements. But have you ever thought about what will happen to us in a few years when no one builds cars, humanoid robots, or any other tools for us?"

"There must be a road before the car reaches the mountain."

"There is a path that leads back to the primeval forest, where one can hunt for a living with a sharpened stick."

Yao Dan laughed and said, "Husband, that would be so cool."

"Cool my foot! A few wolves rushed out, and I became worse off than a stray dog."

Chang'e looked around and said, "I don't think this place is very safe. Why don't we go outside Tianqing City and apply to enter the city when the time comes?"

"Okay. I just don't know if the people from Shengdi Company will come after us."

"The area within ten kilometers outside Qingtian City is their territory. Shengdi Company should not dare to go there to cause trouble."

After flying for less than half an hour, they arrived at the outskirts of Tianqing City.

I parked the car in a charging area outside the city and waited until dawn the next day before entering the city.

Looking out from the car into Tianqing City, it was as bright as day, with rows of tall buildings resembling colorful parasol trees adorned with glittering pearls.

The magical patterns woven from neon lights and the streets strung with sparkling gems left Yu Qing speechless.

"Look, there are so many moons in the sky!" Daji exclaimed.

Chang'e said, "Those are not the moon, but the 24 sky lanterns of Qingtian City. They float 30,000 meters in the air, serving as both coordinate markers for Qingtian City and communication links for all residents. It is said that they are also omnipresent eyes in the sky."

“They seem very prosperous, so why don’t they bring Changlin, which is not far away, into their own territory and let Shengdi Company control it?” Yao Dan asked.

Yu Qing said, "Only an old-fashioned person like us would ask such a question. People from Tianqing City wouldn't sit with people from Changlin."

Not only are their structures different, but their values ​​and ideologies are probably completely unrelated. Besides, who would want to drag along a poor, dependent child?

In ancient times, humankind gradually merged from individual city-states into larger nations through violent wars, driven by the necessity of integrating various resources.

In today's society, all resources have become cheap and readily available, so people don't care about integration anymore; what they care about more is the consistency of their beliefs.

Thus, humanity returned to city-states, and the nation-state became a loose organization.

"This must be reincarnation."

"No, it's the Yangtze River flowing eastward."

Furong said, "Honey, you should rest now. Don't think about those stressful things anymore."

"Yes, rest. I've become like you, an iron man who can work 24/7. Goodnight, the loneliest old man in the world, no, the young master of the old regime."

(End of this chapter)