"After All, Bugs Are Still Bugs"

Morning light pierced the thin mist and fell over New City, which had risen beside the Space Gate's Frontline Base.

Atlas, the Imperium of Man's state-owned enterprise, had built the settlement in haste. In just a few days, it had taken in more than a hundred thousand refugees evacuated from across Mar Sara.

Tall modular buildings gleamed in the sunrise. Along the orderly streets, automated cleaning robots swept away the sand blown in overnight.

Most of the buildings were still prefabricated housing units, but complete public facilities and reliable supplies had already given the city a reassuring sense of order.

New City's layout had been carefully calculated and divided into twelve main residential districts.

Each district had its own water station, power center, and medical clinic.

The housing units followed a standard design. Every family received around seventy square meters of private space, complete with furniture, temperature control, and basic sanitation.

Soundproof walls protected the residents' privacy.

Space was limited, but compared with the war-ravaged ruins of Mar Sara, this place was Heaven.

Drought-resistant plants brought from the Imperium's home territory grew in public spaces, lending a touch of life to the steel city.

Along the main roads, holographic projectors continuously displayed settlement guides and safety instructions. Signs in multiple languages marked the locations of essential facilities so refugees of different races could find the services they needed.

At dawn, the large cafeterias across New City opened on schedule.

Each streamlined dining hall could seat a thousand people and had an automated disinfection passage at its entrance.

The refugees queued in orderly lines, passed identity checks, and collected their trays.

Today's menu included high-protein meat patties, freshly baked whole-wheat bread, vitamin-fortified porridge, shrimp fried rice, braised noodles, and seasonal fruit from various Agri-worlds.

The cafeterias' smart meal systems could tailor