The Record of Unusual Creatures

A huge fireball rose up on the other side of the city. The sound from the explosion reverberated throughout the cavernous city. Looking at Y'zaks, Hao Ren asked in astonishment, "What are you doing, Y'zaks?"     

"Creating some headlines." Y'zaks turned his head and pointed at the TV on the wall. "Let's wait and see if there'll be any news."     

Nangong Wudi and Ayesha stared at the fire in the far end of the city for like a century before they "wowed" in unison. Ayesha whispered, "We've never dared to cause such noise."     

Nothing happened in the 10 minutes after the explosion. The fireball dissipated and demonic fire began to swallow up buildings near the center of the explosion before they heard sirens coming from afar. Elliptical aircrafts with flashing strobe lights rushed to the scene along the steel girders of the city's dome. Hao Ren stood on the balcony, and using his super vision, he could see the situation in the explosion site much clearer compared to ordinary people: there were machines and devices scrambling to put out the fire, roads leading to the scene were cordoned off, and robots were redirecting traffic at the intersections. Traffic took a detour under the robots' commands. Hao Ren's attention quickly shifted from the fire to the detouring vehicles. A thought suddenly came to his mind; since there was an unmanned system controlling those vehicles, traffic coordination should have ran smoothly. Why did they even need the robots to direct traffic at the intersections?     

Was it just part of the city planners' (or perhaps they should have been called the "watchers outside the glass house") silly interest in simulating the human society there?     

"We can act tomorrow," said Y'zaks, who came up from behind and stood next to Hao Ren. "Let's wait for one day and see what comes out in tomorrow's news. I want to confirm something."     

The place had ample rooms and it was easy to make for a comfortable stay. Hao Ren and his team spent their first night in the spooky city, but they did not sleep very well: after midnight, sirens were blaring constantly from other neighborhoods. It seemed that the fireball Y'zaks created had caused more chaos than expected. The next morning, Lily complained that she did not sleep well the previous night, but to be honest, Hao Ren was very skeptical: the husky was supposedly the least susceptible to insomnia out of all of them... How did the husky's brain support such complex symptoms such as insomnia?     

Everyone stayed in the house, not knowing whether to wind a watch or bark at the moon. They just watched out for the news report, which could pop up at any moment. Soon, what they had been waiting for finally appeared.     

The morning news broadcaster was a woman in a short, beige dress, and she had a professional onscreen smile. She read out her script with a hint of nervousness on her face. "...Breaking news. Last night, a mysterious and massive explosion broke out around Riverdeep Station, instantly destroying four residential buildings. The fire that ensued also destroyed a dozen other buildings; the entire street block was damaged as a result. After a frantic overnight effort by the fire department, the fire has been contained to stop it from spreading. However, it is still burning..."     

Lily patted Y'zaks on the back and said, "Hey, Biggie, looks like you've really caused a scene."     

Y'zaks lifted his chin quietly. "Don't worry; just pay attention if something's wrong."     

The broadcaster on TV had finished reading her script, and the camera suddenly flicks to the side. "...We are connecting to the Director of Riverdeep Station's Fire Department, Mr. Veanromme. Now, Mr. Veanromme, please tell us your progress on the investigation of the explosion."     

A tall, bald-headed man appeared in front of the camera. "So far, we haven't determined the cause of the explosion. The last visual sent back by the CCTV on the scene shows that the explosion suddenly happened out of thin air. A huge fireball first formed up in the air and the signal was gone..."     

After Veanromme spoke for a long time, the camera turned to an old man with dark skin and gray hair as a voice began to narrate, "Riverdeep Station's Commander Loken commented on this explosion..."     

Everyone was wide-eyed in front of the TV before they started to blink.     

Y'zaks turned around. "I guess the city we're staying in is called Riverdeep Station."     

Hao Ren pointed at the figure on the TV screen as he looked at the Nangong couple. "It's the commander and officials of Riverdeep Station... When did this empty city get a mayor?"     

Nangong Wudi opened his mouth and waved his hand. "We've never heard of them."     

At this time, a sound was heard outside the door. Everyone stayed quiet as Lily tiptoed over to open the door. A moment later, she came back to the living room with a newspaper, which still smelled of fresh ink. "It's today's newspaper... The front-page headline is about the explosion. The photo of the city's fire department director is up there. The caption says, 'VIPs on the scene, supervising disaster relief works...'"     

Nangong Sanba took the newspaper and gently squeezed the paper. "Fresh out of the printer."     

They looked at the newspaper and TV as a chill ran up their spines: those faces and that world looked so normal. Hao Ren suddenly realized that it was best he took a second guess.     

"The 'people' are simulating the existence of human society." Y'zaks reached out and switched off the noisy TV. "They're pretending that this world is still alive."     

Blinking, Lily asked, "Who are 'they'?"     

"You have to find the one who's producing the programs and newspapers." Hao Ren took a deep breath. "Let's gear up. We're going out and making some noise."     

Everyone had a tacit understanding. As soon as Hao Ren made his decision, everyone was ready for action. They walked out the door, and Nangong Wuyue followed them from behind before she turned to her parents. "Dad, Mom, come on. This should be your last day in this city."     

The Nangong couple stared at each other and smiled. Nangong Wudi called out to those who were already out in the doorway. "Give me a minute, let me put on my outfit."     

The Nangong couple had been living in the city for a hundred years. They had the chance to discover many secrets, so they should have vaguely realized the truth. It was just that, unlike Hao Ren, they had no way to escape. Compared to the hostile surface of the planet, the strange, false city was their only safe sanctuary—it was so safe that they never thought of bursting their bubble of the fake city.     

Now that bunch of guys who could come and go freely were there, the veil of the fake glass house would soon be removed.     

Hao Ren led the way out in the neighborhood as they walked down the street and headed to the end of the city. The lights on the city dome lit up one after another, simulating the arrival of the morning sun. More and more small robots came out to the streets as if it was morning rush hour. They cleaned up the streetlights, railings, streets, and even garbage, which did not exist, checking every empty trashcan on the sidewalks. It made every corner look like it was bustling with activity.     

They hustled along the main street of the city where electronic billboards neatly lined the street on both sides. The billboards suddenly lit up and began to play a commercial of a bustling era of peace and prosperity. The laughter in the speakers and the pleasant smiles on the screens seemed to surround them.     

The roadside billboards exclaimed, "...The sanctuary provides you and your family the best safety. We have protective layers of rock and steel up to 10 km thick, shielding you from the ice and vacuum of the surface world. This allows you to live in a safe and comfortable new paradise..."     

A taxi was blasting the following words when it came near them, "...Who would want to leave the safety of home and go out into the uncertain world? Give up on your naive thoughts. You can hop on a taxi and go to the new recreational plaza downtown, where you can spend your day there. You'll realize that it's more comfortable than the snow and ice..."     

A little cleaner robot circled Hao Ren's feet happily. "Vjekally Limited: We're a cleaning equipment manufacturer, providing the most meticulous cleaning services for you and your loved ones—can you imagine the world without Vjekally Limited? You need Vjekally, everything here, and a home that's always clean and comfortable!"     

More and more robots, as well as vehicles came out onto the streets. It looked as if the entire world was pouring in. Hao Ren stopped the taxi next to him, poking his head in and looking at the flashing lights on the driver's seat. "Would you like to take us out of this city?"     

The taxi's console lights dimmed immediately as it said, "I'm sorry, the vehicle is down."     

Hao Ren took out his silver spear and gun from his Dimensional Pocket, winking at Vivian beside him. "It seems that no one will let us take a ride."     

Just then, a robotic army began to gather in front of them.