491. Coupons

"That robot, can it really operate for that long?"

As she left the Ecological Park, Frostheart glanced back and asked.

"If there's an energy supply, it should be about right?"

Lu Ban felt that electronic products don't have a very long lifespan. A mobile phone would break down after four or five years. But then he thought that if these consumer electronics products were very durable, then the merchants probably wouldn't make any money. So maybe these things are intentionally made to have such a short lifespan.

Because things like space telescopes and artificial satellites can operate for decades in the harsh environment of space, Lu Ban felt that people weren't incapable of creating such durable things; it was just a matter of whether they wanted to or not.

Not to mention, the technological level of Future City should have already surpassed his era; perhaps the robots here can even repair themselves automatically.

Upon arriving at Building A3, Lu Ban swiped his card to Door Opening.

This place is more like a food street or a commercial street than a restaurant.

The shops inside were dazzling and made Lu Ban feel like he was home.

However, the store was full of robots, which were not as exquisite as Lin's and had a more mechanical feel. They sat quietly in the store, like tombstones.

Lu Ban arrived at the entrance of a shop that sold noodles, and he swiped his card.

"What kind of noodles would you like, sir/madam?"

Lu Ban ordered two bowls of the same beef noodles, wondering what would be served.

A moment later, the robot turned around and stood in front of the two.

"I'm very sorry, but we are unable to make beef ramen due to insufficient ingredients."

"As expected?"

Lu Ban tried ordering some more, only to find that the ingredients were all insufficient.

It's estimated that these robots have a feature to detect whether food has spoiled, so they detected that the ingredients in those warehouses had already rotted, which is why they couldn't make food.

"I'm very sorry, this is a coupon provided by our store, which can be used at any store in Future City Commercial Street."

The robot handed over two coupons.

"Thanks."

Lu Ban took the coupon, thinking that it probably wouldn't be of any use.

He looked around the clothing store. The people in this world had similar tastes to those in his time, but the clothes were all worn out and unwearable.

"Bookstore?"

Frostheart quickly spotted a shop that interested her.

She walked into the store, eager to find books from the Old Era.

However, what she saw before her left her stunned.

Inside the bookstore, there were only screens; tablets were locked on the tables, their screens now completely black.

"It seems they no longer use paper to make books."

Lu Ban thought of the newspaper he had read before. He guessed that this store was some kind of up-and-coming Metaverse bookstore, and everything was in digital format.

"I thought I could find some books from that era."

Frostheart is a bit of a disappointment.

Sizzle sizzle—

Just then, the sound of machinery running could be heard from outside the store.

Lu Ban peeked out and saw a robot vacuum cleaner cleaning the house. The cylindrical robot passed by each shop, and the robots in the shops just watched it quietly, creating a rather strange scene.

"It seems there's not much food here. Let's call the Singer and Shana over first."

Lu Ban suggested.

The two rode Camel Insect back to their hiding place, explained the general situation, and the four of them returned to the Ecological Park.

"Welcome to Future City Ecological Park. I am Lin, the guardian of the Ecological Park. I am happy to guide you through the park. Please join me in stepping into the world of nature."

As soon as you enter the park, you can hear the Robot Girl's clear voice.

"Ah, there are two guests, and new guests as well. Welcome!"

She seemed very happy, though Lu Ban wasn't sure if this "happiness" was a false emotional expression given to her by mechanical code.

"Is this a human?"

Despite hearing Frostheart's explanation on the way, the Singer still found it unbelievable.

"Hello, I am a demonstration robot. You can call me Lin."

The Robot Girl spoke cheerfully, seemingly proud of her robot identity.

"There will be a free special program at the Ecological Park at 7 p. m., and you are welcome to come and watch it."

Then he turned to selling.

It seems she really cares about that special program.

"Let's go take a look at the residential area."

Lu Ban suggested.

Lin bowed to the four of them again, as if this were her mission.

According to Lin, A4 to A10 are all residential buildings.

Lu Ban arrived at the door of A4.

He swiped his card to enter and saw the elevator and a row of densely packed doors.

Because it was a universal card for the sales office, he could open any Door Opening. He opened one room and found that it was only about six or seven square meters, with a bed, a narrow aisle, and nothing else. It was difficult to even put a table there.

Lu Ban thought of the cramped living spaces or shared rental apartments that had been mentioned before.

He had been wondering how these few buildings could house thousands of people, but now it seemed that they could house not just thousands, but tens of thousands.

These houses are only for sleeping. You can play games or watch TV on the screen in your room. There are no windows. You have to go to the public bathroom on each floor to take a shower and use the toilet. You have to pay to use it by swiping a card.

It resembles a beehive more than a house for people to live in.

Lu Ban could almost imagine what kind of life these people living here usually led.

In the morning, people swarm out like bees to wake up to work, plunging the city into silence. In the evening, they return to Future City, have dinner in the commercial street, take a walk in the Ecological Park, and finally lie back in their little houses, and another day has passed.

The Ecological Park and commercial street were probably built to prevent the living conditions here from becoming too oppressive.

The room seemed to have been inhabited, but it was already worn and faded, with only the messy bed refusing to be cleaned.

The four of them investigated dozens of rooms in a row. Some of these rooms were dirty and messy, and some contained rotten clothes and broken electronic devices. It was clear that the people who lived there had left in a hurry, but also very decisively.

"Perhaps the people here received intelligence about the impending disaster, so they left for the shelter in advance."

Lu Ban made a preliminary deduction.

The houses here are all the same, with no difference in apartment layout. According to Lu Ban's speculation, there should be an Industrial Park nearby.

If there really is a swarm of insects, perhaps they are entrenched there.

The four of them surveyed the area again. As it got dark, they returned to the Ecological Park to get something to eat.

"Is it because the food in the shopping street is bad?"

Seeing this, Lin asked with some concern.

"They've run out of ingredients over there."

Lu Ban replied.

"It's a real shame, but the noodle shops on the commercial street are quite good, and they can make noodles from all over the world. Among them, I would most recommend the beef ramen, which is made with delicate and chewy noodles and large slices of beef. The soup is rich, flavorful, spicy and delicious."

Lin introduced him as if he were introducing his own child.

"Have you eaten there?"

Lu Ban subconsciously asked a question in return.

"Although I haven't eaten it, the beef ramen has a 97% positive review rate, which I think is quite high."

Lin said with considerable certainty.

For machines, 1 is 1 and 0 is 0; there is no room for ambiguous evaluation.

"Don't worry, the current situation is only temporary. The supply personnel will arrive in a little while, and then the commercial street will reopen."

She stated it with equal certainty, as if it were an established fact.

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