The Captain: third update

This time, the world he saw was no longer hell, but an immensely vast domed metropolis with a super-ecological environment.

Gentle artificial daylight filled the sky, simulating an ideal dawn.

In the distance, skyscrapers rose in dense clusters. Their architecture combined streamlined futurism with a strange organic texture, faint patterns of energy flowing across their surfaces.

Overhead, countless tiny aircraft silently shuttled along invisible tracks like swarms of bees.

Nearby, there were parks, streets, and plazas, as well as artificial rivers and forests.

The entire city brimmed with technology. It was prosperous, exquisite, perfect—yet so deathly silent that it made his heart quail.

There were no pedestrians, no clamor, only automated cleaning units working in silence to maintain the deserted city's absolute cleanliness.

An immense, meticulously maintained sense of emptiness washed over him.

"Holy shit—there's actually a technological civilization hidden in here!"

The instant Chen Xia saw this scene, he was deeply shaken.

Just then...

"Welcome to Ark-7, visitor from afar."

A woman's voice, devoid of all emotion, sounded in front of Chen Xia.

Light and shadow gathered, coalescing into the phantom of a woman in silver-white robes, her face flawless but lifeless.

She appeared middle-aged, her eyes as fathomless as the starry sky, a practiced smile on her lips.

"I am Ayla, Ark-7's interim administrator. I am also the one who spoke with you earlier, and the architect and caretaker of the City of Hope you see before you." She bowed slightly, her movements smooth yet imbued with mechanical precision.

Chen Xia's gaze swept over the deserted city before finally settling on Ayla. "An impressive creation. Are you an alien civilization? Who is the true master of this place?"

Ayla's smile remained unchanged. "Our masters are resting, awaiting an opportunity to awaken. I am their representative. Honored visitor, your