The Record of Unusual Creatures

Nangong Wuyue and Y'zaks were standing on Hao Ren's left and right respectively like the sentries at the Tower of London. Vivian and Lily checked their luggage for the last time to make sure that everything was in order. Everyone looked dead serious like the crew at a space shuttle launch pad.     

"Two sets of clothes—checked. Biscuits—checked. Mineral water—checked. Dry food—checked. Tools—..." Like a competent daughter-in-law, Vivian checked Hao Ren's suitcase—just a small one, an overly large suitcase would be too cumbersome. And she rechecked everything that Lily had checked before. "Give me a buzz when you get there. Your MDT has that messaging function. Okay, be safe. Don't touch anything that looks weird; it might be poisonous. Come back as soon as you finish the job. While you're out there..."     

"Okay, okay." Hao Ren was overwhelmed by the intense concern from the oldest vampire on Earth. "Why do you sound like my mom?"     

Vivian raised her leg to kick him. "I'm just trying to give some treats to the hands that feed me. Do you think that any Tom, Dick, and Harry would get such special treatment from me? I want to make sure that I can keep staying here and won't have to worry about where I'm going to get my next meal. If you are dead, I will have nowhere to go."     

Nangong Wuyue looked at their interaction with amazement, thinking they were an interesting 'family.'     

"I feel sorry about this, lady. I mean you've just arrived, and before you can even settle in, we have to go on a mission." Hao Ren thought that the siren was getting impatient as her eyes were darting around. "You know how Raven's temperament has always been. When she wants it, she wants it right then. Normally, it isn't as busy as this, but you'll have to put up with it this time."     

"No, it's all good!" Nangong Wuyue waved her hands frantically. "I'm happy to be able to go out there, traveling and seeing places. Not a problem at all. I'd love to live a life like that given a chance. I think I made the right choice coming here. You people are so interesting, and everything is so fascinating here—I never imagined that I would be traveling to places 800 light-years away. It's simply beyond any sirens' dream!"     

It seemed like the siren was deserving the reputation as a travel freak; she did not mind doing all the errand at all. Things would be easier from now on.     

"It's 9.30. It is time to go." Lily inspected her watch as she finished checking the luggage. "Have a pleasant journey, Mr. Landlord. Don't forget to get me some nice food on your way back..."     

Hao Ren waved goodbye to Lily and Vivian as he gave an order to the MDT: Begin teleportation.     

A blinding white light enveloped the three of them as the space around them started to warp and rolled up into a crystal sphere. Seconds later, they were gone, and everything returned to normal.     

"They've finally gone...," Lily said. Her ears appeared lackadaisical. "...and left me alone here."     

"Next time, baby." Vivian tried to comfort her. "What do you say I make you some noodles in the afternoon? Well, speaking of which, why do I feel like I'm your caretaker lately? Are we friends now?"     

"Stop the crap. In case you haven't realized, I'm the one who's going out to find the money to feed you while our landlord's away!" Lily's tail almost stiffened up. "Go and find the money yourself if you can. Now, go and feed the kittie while I go inside to do some write-up..."     

"Are you trying to tell me that you're in charge here? Don't forget; I'm the only one who can cook here! You can't even cook a packet of damn instant noodles properly!"     

"Alright, my bad. I'll feed Rollie but could you do me a favor by accompanying me? I'm afraid of Rollie—he might scratch me."     

Vivian was at a lost for words.     

It would have been interesting to know how the two super chicks got along with each other while their landlord was away. However, as always, time was a good healer; they would turn out just okay. So, let us move away from here and see what has happened to the trio who just left.     

When the white light subsided, Hao Ren woke up in a daze and found himself standing in an enormous space just like Raven 12345 had described—it was even better than those in the Hollywood movies.     

A hundred meters in radius, the oval hall was more like an indoor piazza. The walls were actually hexagonal with six silver surfaces. The hall had two sections; one section was where they were standing hat. The floor was covered with glowing blue circles which were orderly arranged. Hao Ren was standing right on top one of them. The other section was empty except for a few pillars which rose from the floor to the dome, more than 10 meters above the ground. As Hao Ren looked up the pillars, he saw 1000 streams of blue light on the vault and recalled what he saw in Raven 12345's mansion—a Crystalline Conduit System used in large structures for energy conduction.     

It was the very first thing he saw since his arrival at Kuiper Station.     

"Are we in... outside the earth?" For some reason, Hao Ren could not cough up the words for where they were. He could not believe his eyes, and he jumped for joy. "It feels like Earth—the gravity, air, temperature, and everything. Except for the air, which is fresher than back home."     

"Stop acting like a rustic." The MDT sounded in his mind. "Come on; you are an inspector, servant of a goddess and the ambassador of an empire. You're the face that's representing a high and mighty civilization. If you keep jumping like that, you're going to drop me out of your pocket."     

Hao Ren knew that the MDT was only concerned about that last part. The rest was just crap.     

"The empire's standard environmental parameters apply here. Most species from the empire have no problems adapting to this atmospheric environment. There are a small number of exceptions which must undergo temporary, physical alterations or carry a small atmospheric device. "Not forgetting its duty, the MDT explained everything patiently. "It's okay if you can't grasp the idea. Just think of it this way: most people on Earth have no problem staying in this temperate region but, people from Africa for example, would have to wear wadded jackets all the time if they're here, sort of."     

"... It's idiot-proof. I'm speechless."     

"Artificial gravity, artificial atmosphere, and a self-sustaining ecosystem are what the spaceport needs." The MDT sneaked out from Hao Ren's pocket and led them using a holographic arrow. "Although it's just a transit point, this spaceport is enormous. After all, God placed a teleportation point on earth. This place is undoubtedly heaven's communication room. Now, follow the arrow and leave the teleportation platform. If you guys hog it or sway into the other one, it'll put unnecessary pressure on the diversion host computer. While it may not cause any major problems, you have to lead by example. Be civilized. And do not hog the system. Everyone here is looking up to you."     

Hao Ren felt a little pressure because the PDA sounded dead serious. "Am I that important?"     

"Well, yes and no," the MDT replied. "Inspector is a special person in the eyes of the common race. They would respect, resent, fear, or rely on you. Sometimes you are the savior of an entire race. Sometimes, you would be cursed to hell, with every single intelligent being within the vicinity of a few hundred light-years wishing you dead—you don't know what you will get. But, don't worry about that. All you have to do is mind your own business. As an inspector, I bet you won't be meeting them."     

Hao Ren nodded as he listened. Nearby, Nangong Wuyue had no idea what was going on. She did not care as she was captivated by the strange and silver, white hall. Despite being a little amazed, Y'zaks was cool. He had seen all these things before. Due to this, he had a more thorough observation than Nangong Wuyue could have. The trio left the teleportation platform. As they moved on, Hao Ren noticed that the circles around them would occasionally glow brighter. The cylindrical space within the circles would warp for a very brief moment, and then, some blurry images would flash across the illuminated rings. However, no-one appeared from it. He was curious and asked, "What's that?"     

"It is teleportation transit," the MDT replied. "The single relay node between the Dan-Dwyn Civilization Sphere and Morbec Civilization Sphere, and also to World's Gate Starfield. This thing would lessen the load on the teleportation equipment and ease the workload of the Space Administration. Many travelers transit through this place in a flash, like what you've just seen. Three of you may be the only travelers to transit here today. This spaceport is rather deserted. Despite its enormous scale, most zones run on automated systems. The volume of traffic here isn't low in any sense. Most are just in-transit or on short-stops. Little crew is needed here. Don't be surprised if you can't see anyone here. As massive as this spaceport is, all it needs is just a few hundred personnel and all of them are situated in the central control tower."     

Hao Ren tried to wrap his head around it but, he understood none of it.