Xiao Yu had initially been brimming with enthusiasm, wanting to study what aliens looked like. She had recently made up for lost time by watching countless science-fiction movies, where aliens were all bizarre and came in every variety imaginable. Yet on this planet, she had seen nothing but all kinds of "humans."
The Lobster Spirit explained:
"It's because of the influence of civilized aesthetics. Around our star sector, whether it's the Galen Republic or the Milta Federation, their species are all humanoid life-forms. This affects the species' aesthetics in the Holt Inner Spiral, causing different races' aesthetic preferences to lean toward humanoid species. But if you look closely, their biological forms are actually different."
Xiao Yu widened her eyes and looked over. Sure enough, these "humanoid life-forms" were all knockoffs. Some had prosthetic limbs installed, while others had their entire bodies wrapped in humanoid civilian exoskeletons. Even among the few whose facial features were visible, there were clear signs of cosmetic surgery.
Xiao Yu's eyes widened. She saw a humanoid figure brush past them, and the eyeball area suddenly twitched. The "eyeball" abruptly grew long, needle-black limbs and crawled straight into the eye socket.
Another "humanoid" rolled its neck, and two long feelers suddenly sprang from its forehead. Its skin instantly turned pink, releasing some strange scent.
"That's a life-form from the Dragonfly Star. They call themselves the Dragon People. They have two forms, insect and butterfly. The biological fluid released during transformation is very effective for repairing cosmetic surgery."
"That's a Blackstar. It's a civilized species whose coordinates and life-form are unknown. They only operate externally through mechanical bodies. They're called Blackstars because this civilization's hacking technology is extremely powerful, capable of cross-star-region information intrusion."
"That's a Trisolaran, a vanished civilized species. The surviving members are under the protection