More and more vehicles and all kinds of robots appeared on the city streets, as though they had rushed over from every corner of the city. However, they showed no clear hostility or intent to obstruct them. They merely appeared around the group, moved along with Hao Ren's party, and kept making a racket. Even as they moved, the robots continued their own work—wiping down roadside lamp posts and guardrails, sweeping streets that were already spotless, and repeatedly tightening the screws beneath street advertisements. Under any circumstances, they had to maintain these activities. Their sole purpose was to keep the city in a "living" state and pretend that their masters were still alive in this world.
Hao Ren had begun to vaguely suspect that there were no survivors left on this planet at all.
A flying-disc-shaped robot responsible for cleaning building exteriors flew around Izax. As it did so, it called out in a cheerful female voice, "Citizen, does your apartment require exterior maintenance? Would you like to have the glass outside your windows cleaned? Weijie Kali Company's R-33 model is always ready to serve you."
Izax patiently waved the little robot aside again and again. "No. We're preparing to leave the city."
"Citizen, your choice is highly irrational. Leaving the shelter means death. The environment outside is unsuitable for human survival." A roadside billboard spoke in a high-pitched tone. As the group advanced, the voice followed them like a shadow, switching from one billboard to the next. "The cold, the vacuum, and the toxic air near the engines— even with protective clothing, you'll survive for only two hours. Why not wait quietly in the shelter? In a thousand years, we will arrive at a stable new home. The planet will thaw, all life will revive, and the sowers will