The Record of Unusual Creatures

3The levitating bus stopped near a high-rise residential area and the Nangong couple took everyone to their temporary residence. They brought their guests into the living room, and Ayesha brought the food she purchased from the mall that day to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Nangong Wudi was seated on the big sofa with the guests, ready to answer a series of questions.      3

Hao Ren looked around at the furnishings. Obviously, the natives of the planet were highly similar to the people on Earth, and their civilization was also somewhat similar to that of Earth's. The furnishings in the room were strange, but he could guess most of their functions easily. The house was clean and tidy, as various things were placed in positions where they would be easy to get, they could see that the people living there had made it a safe and comfortable home. As a place for a stranded couple to spend a hundred years together, the place was surprisingly good.     

"Ayesha tidied most of it up. There are a lot of strange things here, so everything's thanks to my wife's wisdom. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do," Nangong Wudi smiled and explained when he noticed that they were looking around. "When we first came here, we were very busy for a while. It still makes me laugh when I think back to that time."     

Hao Ren noticed that Nangong Wudi's manner of speaking was a little odd. He thought for a moment and realized that his tone was that of a traditional Chinese countryman from more than 100 years ago. This man had left Earth for about 100 years after all. Being cut off from the outside world allowed him to keep his way of speaking all those years. This situation was also visible in those who stayed in shelters all year round. When he was in the Athens sanctuary, he saw a lot of old vampires and werewolves who spoke and behaved like they were still in the Medieval Ages.     

"Dad, how did you and Mom get here? How did you find this sanctuary?" Nangong Sanba asked eagerly.     

Nangong Wudi smiled and explained, "I can't explain exactly how we got here. All I remember was that we were covered by the Vengeful Spirit's light. We were dazzled by the strong light and it made us feel dizzy. When we woke up, we were already in a dark and icy underworld... Oh, we were actually on the ground. Your mother and I were struggling to survive in the snow. It was really difficult, and your mother still needed to sustain my life with her mist. We took the risk of walking through the snow, and about 10 days later, we still couldn't see the end of it. But all of a sudden, the earth trembled and the mountains swayed. It felt like the sky was falling and the earth was crumbling. A day or two later, we saw that the steel mountain nearby was shining brightly.     

Hao Ren suddenly interrupted, "Wait a minute, you mean, when you first came to this world, those engines... I mean, the beams of light had not yet appeared? It only appeared some time after you got here?"     

Nangong Wudi nodded and said, "Yes. Then, the two of us walked towards the light, and soon we found a city, which was made of iron, steel, and objects with delicate mechanisms. After that, an automaton took us to this place."     

Hao Ren and Vivian exchanged glances and said, "…It's just like my guess. Before, this planet remained in its own solar system. It was only after the Nangong couple's arrival to this planet that something was activated to make the planet sail."     

"They didn't necessarily activate it, but they happened to be here at the right time," Vivian said as she touched her chin. Then, she looked at Nangong Wudi and asked, "Was there frequent earthquakes after you saw the light? And did you sometimes feel like you were in a weightless environment… like your feet couldn't touch the ground or you couldn't walk properly?"     

Nangong Wudi nodded and told them about what happened. They found that this basically corresponded to the time when the planet set sail. Although the natives of the planet had created an amazing thing—an ark planet—they were not advanced enough when it came to certain levels of science and technology. For example, they did not know how to make an anti-gravity device or deal with the inertia problem of a spacecraft during acceleration. They could only rely on a long acceleration or deceleration and a variety of damping devices to solve the problem.     

Nangong Wudi's memory completely confirmed Hao Ren's speculation about the time the planet set sail.     

"Dad, did you have a hard life here?" Nangong Wuyue was almost in tears.     

"We faced some difficulties in the beginning," Nangong Wudi said and gave her a warm smile. "But, we soon got used to it. It's very convenient here. We have everything we need, and to be honest, things here are a lot easier to use. Our life here is good, just… a little lonely."     

He tried to make it sound light, but everyone could guess that he and Ayesha had a lot of trouble when they first came to that world. They had no guidance, they were anxious, afraid, and they could not even understand the language there. The fully-automated, advanced world was probably a scary place for a man of 100 years ago. Nangong Wuyue's mother was probably the quickest one to adapt. She was a siren after all, and Nasaton, the city of sirens itself was an advanced starship. Therefore, she was not unfamiliar with the automatic facilities there. At least, she was no stranger to such a world.     

But the biggest hardship was the slight loneliness.     

"Have you met anyone else here?" Lily asked as she hugged her knees.     

 "No." Nangong Wudi looked serious. "I know what you want to ask us. My wife and I have been around the whole town. There's no one here but us. Despite this, we always see some figures appearing on the screen, and new products often appear in the shops."     

"What about outside the city? Have you ever been to other cities?" asked Y'zaks.     

Nangong Wudi's answer was way beyond their expectation. "We can't get out. We can't get out once we've entered. To be honest, we don't know the way to the other cities, and we don't even know if there are any other cities."     

"Can't get out?" They looked at each other, and Vivian broke the silence, "How? Has somebody stopped you, or?"     

"The way out of the city is blocked. That tower you left when you came down, didn't you go back and see? It's likely that you won't be able to open it again. Stone and steel cover the outer layer of the whole city tightly. There are some places that look like city gates, but they're closed."     

Hao Ren frowned and asked, "Didn't you try to get out by force?"     

"Yes, we did, but we were stopped by the automaton," Nangong Wudi said and grinned. "Ayesha and I didn't try to break through the gate again. After all, this place is so weird. It's hard to survive outside where it's all ice and snow. In this city, we can at least live well. In order to be safe, we settled down here."     

Hao Ren's expression turned serious.     

The city's exits were obstructed as lifts and police robots around the city carried out a planned blockade—meaning that people were banned from leaving in the city. He thought of the middle-aged man who appeared on the big screen and the supposed current news. These clues pointed to a group of mysterious people hiding behind the scenes, perhaps the real owners of the planet. However, why would they do such a thing?     

A lot of ideas flashed through his mind. Hao Ren suddenly felt that the empty "ghost town" was likely an observation laboratory. The real natives and sanctuary were probably somewhere else. If that was the case, many situations, which did not feel right could be explained clearly.     

But, what was the point of doing this?     

Hao Ren called his spacecraft waiting in orbit. The MDT's voice soon rang in his mind. "Boss, found anything?"     

"We've found the Nangongs' parents," Hao Ren first reported the good news. "But, that's not the main point. Please increase the radar's power to scan for life signals in the deeper layer of the planet and look for facilities like a large shelter. I suspect that the survivors of this planet are hidden deeper underground, and there's something wrong with their behavior."     

"Okay, anything else?"     

"Be careful. Try to avoid any conflict." Hao Ren did not forget his code of practice. "Unless necessary, do not use any force against other civilizations."     

It was wise for inspectors to keep their actions at the most "civil" level possible. Although there was no clear definition of the term "civil" in the Xi Ling Empire, they certainly could not declare war on other civilizations without careful consideration, especially when the planet itself was a specimen under observation, and was full of civilized achievements.