While the military males were in the middle of a heated argument, a blue light screen hanging near the wall suddenly began to play advertisements. This light screen panel, which was originally used to manage the inventory of medicines, had a built-in advertisement function, making it seem particularly absurd.
Ning Yongxue glanced at the screen, and unsurprisingly, the content of the advertisements were none other than pharmaceutical products from Spindle Corporation. Impressively, the location of the advertisement was not Earth, but an exoplanet greenhouse against a deep cosmic backdrop. In the scene, a huge brown planet occupies most of the dark sky, as if ready to pour down and oppress all life, bringing a sense of endless oppression.
Despite the external environment being covered by a thick layer of ice, the interior of the greenhouse was alive with a large number of food crops. The small print in the lower right corner of the screen explains that this is a greenhouse of reflected light on Io. Io, as one of the few moons in the solar system that contained a large amount of liquid water, had its surface almost entirely covered by ice thousands of meters thick.
Ning Yongxue scrutinizes the image: through the transparent dome of the greenhouse, rows of giant mirrors can be seen floating in high-altitude orbits. With the help of the array of mirrors in these orbits, the light from the stars was focused and projected into the greenhouse, and even though the light still appeared dim, it was enough to satisfy the basic needs of some plant growth. Considering the cost of transporting food from Earth to the outer planets, the creation of such localized granaries seems logical.
However, the focus of the commercial is clearly not there. As the camera moved slowly under the transparent dome of the greenhouse, Ning Yongxue noticed a tall adult woman step into the frame. Dressed in plain overalls, she looks like a farmer hard at work in outer space. However, the dust on her hands was spread too evenly, more like an elaborate makeup effect.
Her cheeks are slightly thin, but not truly malnourished, again like an image created through makeup techniques. Her face displays a soft, powerless beauty, clearly designed to elicit sympathy from the viewer. Despite the fact that she was holding a sickly child, the difference in appearance between the two was obvious, and the odds were that she was a professional actor hired by the company. Ning Yongxue thought to himself, "I'm afraid that this pair of so-called 'mothers and daughters' don't even have any blood relationship with each other, not to mention whether they are really working hard in the light-reflecting greenhouse.
The advertisement skillfully utilizes light and shadow, background and melancholic music to create a feeling of loneliness. This deliberate construction of atmosphere makes Ning Yongxue feel somewhat unnatural. Meanwhile, the narrator slowly recounts the negative effects of the low-gravity environment on the children's health, telling of their fragile bones and thin bodies.
Compared to the children growing up healthily on Earth, these humans living in the low-gravity environment appeared to be unusually weak, disease-ridden, and even had a much shorter average lifespan. The sickly little girl on the screen is strong evidence of this fact - her skin is as pale as paper, and her limbs are so thin that they are almost transparent, giving people an unreal feeling, as if she is a little vampire coming out of some fantasy story.
The scene then shifted and the mother entered the medical room with her child. At this point, the light becomes warm and soft, and the atmosphere of the whole scene becomes more cozy, using a variety of psychological suggestion techniques. A doctor slowly steps in from off-camera, holding a bright red needle in his hand, and carefully inserts it into the little girl's wrist, moving gently and slowly.
Before long, the little girl's face gradually flushes with the effects of the drug, she no longer looks so sickly, her demeanor becomes more lively, and even the soundtrack becomes upbeat. Next, the commercials began to heavily promote Spindle Humanitarian Rescue's main product - an injection that promotes the regrowth of muscles, bones and internal organs.
The ads claimed that only through several courses of medication could the children regain their normal fitness, first adapting to a relatively standard gravitational environment, and then withstanding more drastic accelerated loads. The drugs were available at Spindles outlets on various asteroids and were categorized into three price tiers based on effectiveness and side effects.
However, the most controversial part of the advertisement is the word "for sale". Behind the simple word lies a complex meaning - these drugs are not a free public good provided by the government, but a profitable commodity for private companies. Spindle Humanitarian Assistance's claimed scope of service is not limited to the Earth, but also covers the vast realm of space. Now that capital has targeted this market, the demand for such drugs will undoubtedly be enormous.
With the passage of time, after several generations of reproduction, the body structure of the inhabitants of the low-gravity environment has undergone significant changes, gradually adapting to this special condition of existence. Whether it is the inner physiological structure or the outer physical characteristics, they have produced obvious differences from their ancestors on Earth. Some people even regard these inhabitants as an alienated branch of the Earth's human race, and some even deny that they are real human beings and simply call them "sick pigs".
Predictably, most of the inhabitants of these low-gravity environments are unable to adapt to Earth's standard gravity. For native Earthlings, everything here is a matter of course; for those living on asteroids, once they set foot on Earth's soil, they suffer unbearable pain, and prolonged exposure can lead to fatal sudden death by compression.
From the perspective of a terrorist attack, what some asteroid inhabitants see as "Earth" may be a symbolic sign of oppression - an apparent ruler, but in reality a colonizing presence on a primitive homeworld. Under this perception, no matter how glorious the cultural heritage and deep history of the Earth, it is difficult to hide its nature as a symbol of oppression.
However, the deeper problem lies in the fact that in order to gain the ability to live a normal life, these inhabitants must rely on health care products provided by private corporations, which is not just a simple commodity transaction, but a major issue concerning the right to live. In a world full of contradictions, how to balance the relationship between commercial interests and personal health has become a social dilemma that needs to be resolved.
Thinking more deeply, no matter how brilliant the culture, how long the historical background, or how far-reaching the historical significance, it may not be possible to transcend the oppressive symbol in front of them in the eyes of these inhabitants of the low-gravity environment. After all, in order to gain normal physical strength, they have to buy health products from private companies.
There is no more basic human desire than to live a healthy life. However, on various asteroids, countless inhabitants face the dilemma of not being able to afford high-quality medications. More people are left with the lowest grade of poor quality medication, and many may not be able to get out of their sickly physical state for the rest of their lives.
Combined with the information in the ads, the off-planet terrorists who are active on Earth are easy to understand. Most of them were taking large quantities of highly effective drugs under the auspices of their organizations, thus enabling them to move freely on Earth. Ning Yongxue guessed that these people were no different from the inhabitants of Earth in terms of appearance, but deep within them was rooted a hatred that had begun to form since their early childhood. Their purpose for coming to Earth might have been out of revenge or some other unknown reason, but it was certain that their intentions would never be friendly.
As for other treatments ... when even maintaining basic health needs to rely on drugs from private companies, what more can one ask for?
Of course, since drugs existed to transform a weakened body into a normal state, what about further possibilities? For example, what was hidden in the massive power armor in front of us? Was it a normal human body, or a super-soldier enhanced with military-grade drugs? Considering the vast difference between the inhabitants of low-gravity environments and the people of Earth, could this person be a monster capable of breaking steel with his bare hands even without armor?
Or, could only soldiers strengthened with specific drugs be able to perfectly handle this military power armor?
As for the civilian population, there were usually strict laws against unregistered illegal reinforcers, the severity of which was comparable to the regulations against illegal body modification.
"That's it, little black-haired scavenger." The man snapped, "I have other business to attend to. Now that she's here, wondering where she came from, or who she really is, that's your problem."
With those words, he turned to leave, and the hatch quickly closed with him. Ning Yongxue had originally wanted to continue pursuing the question, and even if he couldn't ask about the secrets within the power armor, he should at least learn about the process of how to register for citizenship. However, that person simply left.
From the moment he appeared to the moment he disappeared, the visitor had left no clues behind and hadn't even shown his true appearance. It seemed that he did not come here as an individual, but was merely a humanoid metal tool on a mission, affiliated with some huge organization.
This person - or perhaps it should be called 'it' - belonged to a force of the United Nations stationed near the orbit of space, and nothing more. In the face of such a being, Ning Yongxue felt neither able to talk nor complain. There was no anger, no friendliness, no sympathy, and no disgust; there was only empty entertainment and absurd threats, and everything seemed meaningless.
At this moment, Ning Yongxue realized that he was as far away from this person as he was from that huge spaceship. In the layers of society, the gulf between ordinary people and those in high positions was almost insurmountable.
Right at the moment the hatch closed, Ning Yongxue noticed that the girl lowered the hand covering her forehead, took a deep breath, and gently patted her cheeks. Her seemingly calm movements made it feel as if she had instantly come to her senses, or had never truly lost her mind.
Even the blush on her face looked as if she had deliberately held it in. Could it be that this little girl was also an actress? Ning Yongxue thought to himself, but this wasn't surprising. He hadn't observed her closely before, so it was easy to misunderstand.
The two of them silently stared at each other for a while, and countless guesses flashed through Ning Yongxue's mind, but none of them could be proven conclusively. In the end, he gave up on his random thoughts, unscrewed a bottle of nutrients, and reluctantly swallowed a few mouthfuls. The taste was awful, like drinking liquid plastic, making him almost vomit.
Just how much did the person in charge of procuring the nutrients have to save to provide such an unpleasant product? Ning Yongxue asked himself that he had never tasted a worse flavor than this. Even dogs wouldn't touch this kind of stuff. However, considering that Spindle Humanitarian Rescue had saved his life, he had no right to complain too much.
Ning Yongxue tossed the nutrient in his hand to the girl, turned his back to her, and drifted off to sleep with uncertain worries about the future. What to do next on the road could only wait for an answer from the Spindle Company.
The rescue company's medical treatments were so efficient that they left almost no bruises. In addition, they provided a set of clean clothes for free. However, the next morning, Ning Yongxue was kicked out of the ship. This incident had happened so suddenly that it left him a bit bewildered for a moment.
Aside from the rescue, Spindle Corporation seemed to care nothing about anything else, whether it was where he came from or where he was going in the future. They simply sent a staff member to politely ask him to leave and placed armed guards at the door, making it clear that they had no further business with each other.
Standing outside, the cold wind blew against Ning Yongxue's face, and he had mixed feelings in his heart. He did not have high expectations for the capitalist system of the future world. Perhaps because of his inner loneliness and sense of alienation, or perhaps because he felt that he did not belong to this world, he began to walk forward aimlessly.
Along the way, he scanned the future buildings on both sides from the corner of his eye. No matter from the aesthetic style, construction materials or scale, these buildings were very different from the past. No matter which angle he looked at the world from, no matter where he stood, Ning Yongxue always felt a strong sense of unreality and strangeness, as if he was in it, yet outside of it.
It wasn't until he was knocked aside by the crowd of people hurrying along that Ning Yongxue came back to his senses. At some point, the surrounding area was already crowded and noisy. Simple plastic tents and curtains made of clothing and iron bars were closely connected, leaving only a few narrow paths for people to pass through. People weaved in and out in cheap and thin clothing, some were catching water from the hose, some were cooking on induction stoves, and some were drying freshly washed clothes - rags that had become almost colorful.
These rags fluttered in the wind in the morning light like flags on the ruins of a battlefield. If it weren't for the sci-fi virtual screens projected by electronic devices in every square centimeter of space, Ning Yongxue would almost mistake himself for having arrived in some post-war refugee zone.
Looking up, he realized that he was in the middle of a city depression, surrounded by people who had fled their homes. Above his head, a magnificent bridge spanned the entire depression, with a steady stream of vehicles on it, as if it was purposely designed so that 'decent people' would not pass through this gathering place for the poor.
As an 'immodest person', Ning Yongxue wandered aimlessly in this area for a long time. He traveled from alley to alley, trying to get a feel for his temporary residence. But no matter how he looked at it, it looked like a bustling food market.
The air was filled with the aroma of olive oil mixed with the odor of rotten eggs, bad wine was spilled on the ground, and moldy bread was stepped on with footprints all over it. In the face of all this, Ning Yongxue stopped in his tracks. He still hadn't fully clarified the nightmare that had happened a few days ago, and despite having a vague memory of the exact plot of the dream, there was one name that was deeply seared into his mind - Toller Space Station.
If he could find a place to check the relevant records and follow that name, he might be able to find a clear target. No matter what was hidden behind this goal, at least he needed to have a direction ...
"You should go get a citizen ID and pick up some necessary supplies before we pass out from hunger." Just as Ning Yongxue was immersed in his thoughts, a familiar voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his musings.