Inside the Human Federation's micro-universe.
Central Plaza, capital city of Home Fortress No. 2.
A sea of people.
The Central Plaza, designed to accommodate a maximum of one million people, now held at least ten million.
Large numbers of security robots maintained order.
Wisps of cool air seeped through the well-concealed gaps in the ground-even with over ten million people gathered in the plaza, it did not feel remotely hot or stuffy.
Qi Mengshu had arrived at the Central Plaza a full two days early, securing a good "viewing spot" in its central area.
Blue skies, white clouds, and gentle sunlight-she could even feel the warmth of the sun on her skin.
The senses always deceived the brain.
She tilted her head back and gazed at the scene before her, a faint sense of disorientation stirring within her.
It was as though she still lived on that original habitable planet.
Reality was not what her eyes told her.
As a core technical specialist at the Human Federation's largest holographic film production company, she knew exactly how these comforting scenes worked.
The Artificial Shell enclosing the entire Home Fortress served as a Virtual Sky.
Blue skies, white clouds...
These were merely illusions created by high-powered Holographic Projection.
As for that gentle, warm sunlight...
It was illumination produced by a vast array of Star Spectrum Lamps.
As her thoughts wandered, a low wave of astonished cries rose from the crowded throng around her.
Qi Mengshu instinctively looked up.
At some point, an enormous projected clock had appeared in the Virtual Sky.
Within the projection, a thirty-minute countdown was slowly ticking away.
Watching the numbers change, Qi Mengshu felt a faint flicker of excitement and anticipation deep in her eyes.
The projected clock did not remain in the center of the Virtual Sky.