"Huh???"
Confusion flickered in Bai Yixuan's eyes. He instinctively looked down at his body. "Professor? What do you mean?"
Lü Yongchang smiled and explained the Nano-Robots.
Bai Yixuan fell silent for a moment.
"As captain, it's what I should do."
The Proxima Centauri system, Proxima b.
The Hatching Center.
A scrawny member of the Proxima Centauri people struggled to move his somewhat frail lower limbs as he returned to a cramped room.
It was the "communal dormitory" for the Marus who worked at the Hatching Center.
"Phew..."
The door closed. Beneath the dim lighting inside, he slightly opened his breathing pores and exhaled a stale breath.
"Number 12."
A listless voice came from beside him. "Why did you get back so late today?"
Hearing his designation, he turned toward the voice.
An equally scrawny member of the Proxima Centauri people lay on a filthy, disheveled bed, looking at him with an indifferent expression.
That was Number 2.
The most senior of their batch of Marus.
"Number 12?" Number 2 Marus prompted.
"I-I had a little more work today, so..." he explained quietly.
At those words, layers of fine wrinkles immediately appeared on top of Number 2 Marus's Thought Organ. "They increased the workload again?"
"Huff!" A heavy exhalation came from the other side. "Yeah, the workload at the Hatching Center keeps getting heavier every day lately. Who knows what's going on."
He turned to look.
That was Number 7.
As the three of them talked, figures hidden in the darkness gradually emerged.
Eleven Marus in total, all crammed into this small, dim room.
As the lowest-ranking of the eleven, Number 12 Marus said nothing and quietly retreated to his bedside.
Clearly, though, his wish to go unnoticed went unfulfilled.
"Hey, Number 12, you were the last one back today.