As soon as they arrived at the entrance, the security guard handed them a brand-new UV protection suit. Ni Qing glanced at the person who had been walking ahead of her, who naturally took the suit and put it on skillfully.

The protective suit covered her from head to toe, down to her ankles, and she broke out in a thin layer of sweat as soon as she put it on.

She hadn't seen sunlight in a long time; in her memory, there were only bright white fluorescent lights and central air conditioning running 24 hours a day.

The sunlight was no different from what she had seen in the other small worlds; it was still golden and seemed to contain boundless vitality.

The sky wasn't that blue, and the clouds weren't that white. The sky was clear for miles, but there wasn't a single bird in sight.

The road has been in disrepair for years, with cracks resembling spider webs, and warning signs that read "Beware of ground collapse" are erected along the roadside.

It's not the end of the world, but it feels like the end of the world.

The crowd was scattered, and everyone was wearing UV protection clothing, carrying their purchases and hurrying home.

The building was covered in crooked, bright red spray paint graffiti that read: "Protect the environment, green mountains and clear waters are invaluable assets."

Work isn't that important right now, everyone has government subsidies, and the most important thing right now is to stay alive.

Ni Qing was lucky; she hadn't walked far from her door when she saw a mobile phone repair shop. She quickened her pace, walked over, and pushed open the glass door to go inside.

The electromechanical voice mechanically murmured, "Welcome."

The shop owner sat in the middle, constantly fanning himself with a cheap plastic fan, hoping to bring some coolness.

She looked to be over fifty years old, with distinct wrinkles on her face, some spots on her skin, and her hair was neatly combed and pinned up at the back of her head.

"Need to fix your phone?" The aunt looked up and wiped the sweat from her temples.

The outside world seemed completely separate from the world of the base.

Ni Qing lowered her eyelashes, took out her phone, pushed it along the counter, and tentatively asked, "Auntie, why don't you turn on the air conditioner when it's so hot?"

As soon as she spoke, she was met with a glare: "Girl, have you been spoiled too much? Is it time to turn on the air conditioning this season? You've been waiting day and night, hoping that the government will come up with a solution soon."

Perhaps because Ni Qing inadvertently opened up, she began to become sentimental: "If all else fails, we could build some protective devices? Or we could immigrate to another planet. Didn't they report a few years ago that several planets in the universe are habitable..."

She didn't let her words interfere with her work. As she spoke, she opened a drawer, took out her slightly dusty glasses, put them on, and examined her phone: "Oh, it was dropped. It's no big deal."

The only solution for this kind of screen leakage problem is to replace the screen, which will probably take another half an hour at this rate. So Ni Qing simply sat down in the chair and tried to get more information out of her.

"Auntie, I was sick before and didn't go out much. How long has this weather lasted?"

Ni Qing has a cute appearance, and since there's no plot mission at the moment, she naturally doesn't pretend anymore and asks with a smile.

The shop owner, busy with his work, said, "It's been several years, hasn't it? I haven't really noticed. It's alright here, but if you look at cities further away, oh dear, they're in a terrible state—"

“The simulated atmosphere in other cities is very thin, and it will break every now and then. It’s okay if the sun shines on the ground, but if the sun shines directly on a person, it will burn their skin.”

“We used to have a large population, but now look at the whole world combined, there are only tens of thousands of people. Everyone else died young…”

Perhaps remembering something, she looked up mysteriously again: "But I heard that a creature that looks like an alien was discovered at the experimental base a few months ago..."

Ni Qing, the first experimental subject, was used to hearing such terms, and was momentarily stunned when she heard the rare term "alien": "Alien?"

"Yes, they're said to come from other planets in outer space, and they look similar to humans, not as scary as they're portrayed on TV." She completely disassembled the screen.

"Although he is still somewhat special, he also needs air and needs to breathe. His physical condition is similar to that of humans. So, once we find out which planet he is on, wouldn't everything be solved?"

"I don't know who's been bragging about having the kind of magical immune system that aliens have. What's the difference between that and Qin Shi Huang searching for the elixir of immortality? Are we old enough to withstand any research?" she started grumbling.

Yes, why bother studying the abilities within Yue Jianchen's body instead of modifying the environment?

Ni Qing fell silent.

But the shop owner's ability to get inside information was even more acute than she had imagined. She asked curiously, "Is this information reliable? How do you know so much?"

They even knew what the test subjects looked like.

The shop owner smiled proudly upon hearing this: "I have an only daughter who works in the lab. She's the one who messaged me to tell me. Please don't forward it, okay? Information can't be leaked there. She's just worried I'll fret..."

Ni Qing nodded in a perfunctory manner, her body sweating more and more. Only then did she realize that she should be able to take off her UV protection suit once she went inside.

After she took off all her clothes, she felt much cooler, at least it wasn't stuffy anymore.

The phone screen was replaced in no time. The shop owner picked up the phone, looked it over to make sure there were no problems, and then handed it to her: "Young lady, your phone is fixed..."

Ni Qing quickly took it: "Okay, Auntie, how much is it? I'll scan your QR code."

The shop owner waved his hand and said generously, "Oh, it's free! I'm just a phone repairman, and I only get one person to chat with me every ten days or so. This time, I'll give you a free meal as a new customer!"

“My dear daughter works very hard in the lab, and we can only keep in touch intermittently. It's inconvenient to even bring her some food, and she doesn't get any holidays. I heard that recently some troublemakers piled up corpses at the entrance of the base. I wonder who they were trying to impress…”

Auntie's information network is incredibly dense; I wonder if anyone nearby has discovered this treasure trove of a shop owner.

After thinking for a moment, Ni Qing said, "My family members are also in the lab. I can help you get whatever you want to send in."

The shop owner immediately stood up: "Really? It's not easy to grow fruit trees now. I used my connections to get some fruit. Can you help me get it in? My daughter's name is He Yan."

It sounds like a very common name.

Ni Qing chuckled and said, "Auntie, aren't you afraid I'll run away with the fruit?"

The aunt waved her hand: "Hey! If you run away, I curse your screen to break every day!"

Ni Qing: "..." That's quite conscientious.

He Yan's name is a bit too common; she had seen it on the list many times before: "Do you have a photo? I'm afraid I'll give it to the wrong person."

"This is my phone's screen saver, let me show you." The aunt picked up her phone, tapped the screen, and there it was, a photo with a beauty filter. The girl had a pretty but somewhat plain face, a slight smile on her lips, and her eyes were full of laughter as she looked at the camera.

Ni Qing's smile faltered.

Even with the beauty filter applied, it's still easy to tell from the outline that this girl is the volunteer who volunteered to do the experiment a few days ago.

They participated in the experiment on the same day, and died on the same day the experiment failed. It turned out that their families were not notified.

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