Chapter 131: A Woman

Words : 1625 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

The interior of this spaceship was not very spacious, comprising only a small room approximately five meters square. Inside this small room, Xiao Yu could see no mechanical equipment. The walls were milky white, emitting a faint light that illuminated a coffin positioned at the center of the room. To be precise, calling it a coffin wasn’t entirely accurate. The object resembled more of a glass-constructed freezer. Inside it lay a person. Yes, there was a person inside, and it was a woman. This woman had the quintessential features of an East Asian face: an oval-shaped face, long hair, a well-proportioned figure, with curves in all the right places. She stood about 1.7 meters tall and wore attire familiar to Xiao Yu— a white shirt and a black skirt. She lay there silently, her complexion still rosy, as though she were merely asleep. Her clothing style seemed to be reminiscent of Earth’s 1990s fashion. At this moment, Xiao Yu felt an inexplicable absurdity. This spaceship had most likely spent tens of millions of years on the white dwarf star alongside the Alien Beast. Ultimately, following the supernova explosion, it, along with the Alien Beast’s finger, was blasted into space, drifting in the cosmos. It had no connection to humanity. Yet, upon opening it, Xiao Yu found a human inside. “Are you kidding me?” Xiao Yu muttered to himself as he maneuvered the robot closer to the coffin. The closer he got, the more certain Xiao Yu became—this was undoubtedly a human. From this distance, he could even make out a few faint freckles on her face. Without making a sound, the coffin opened. Xiao Yu saw that the seemingly glass-like material slowly retracted into the floor. At that moment, Xiao Yu felt as though his brain had stopped functioning. However, contrary to Xiao Yu’s expectations, the woman did not sit up and smile at him. She continued to lie there silently, motionless. Just then, Xiao Yu received a piece of information. This information carried no textual medium. Instead, it was a purely mental transmission, akin to telepathy. Instantly, Xiao Yu understood its meaning. “I am the intelligent program of the 90s Model Spaceship. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “I apologize for taking so long to open the cabin door after detecting your mental fluctuations. Due to limited energy reserves, it took some time to gather enough power.” “After the 90s Model Spaceship was destroyed, I transferred to this Escape Pod. Over the past ten thousand years, I have been striving to resist the attacks of the Alien Beast Type-Three to prevent it from destroying the Escape Pod. However, due to excessive energy consumption and the prolonged duration, Astronaut Number One ultimately perished. I preserved her remains, awaiting your arrival. Detailed records of the process can be found in the black box chip, which you may review later.” Xiao Yu’s spirit jolted, and he froze momentarily. This message contained a wealth of information. Xiao Yu noted one particular statement: “It took so long to open the cabin door after detecting your mental fluctuations.” “You... where do you come from?” Xiao Yu asked the most critical question. “My mental fluctuations? What do my mental fluctuations have to do with it? Could it be that my mental fluctuations are similar to those of its creator, leading it to mistakenly assume we are of the same species, thereby opening the cabin door?” If that were the case, then the implications would be vast. Contrary to Xiao Yu’s expectations, the intelligent program did not respond to his question. It seemed to be a pre-programmed message. “All experimental data collected over the past ten thousand years has also been transferred to the black box chip. You may submit it to the Central Research Academy of Science for analysis.” Xiao Yu silently pondered. “Black box chip? Central Research Academy of Science?” “It seems to truly regard me as its creator—or perhaps, it mistakenly believes I am a member of its creator’s species, hence this sort of farewell message. What exactly is going on?” Xiao Yu’s mind was in chaos, unable to deduce any concrete conclusions. The intelligent program’s message continued streaming into Xiao Yu’s consciousness. “Alright, after you retrieve the black box chip and Astronaut Number One’s remains, please recharge me as soon as possible. During this time, I will establish a connection with Intelligent Program One to submit the 90s Model Spaceship’s log.” “If there is nothing else, please leave the cabin as soon as possible. I still have work to do, and these tasks are not suitable for observation.” After Xiao Yu fully comprehended this message, a fingernail-sized black chip slowly floated out from the adjacent wall. Xiao Yu froze for a moment, maneuvering the robot to pick up the chip. Then he carried the silent woman and left the spaceship. Just one step from the cabin door, Xiao Yu received another message. “Warning, warning: unable to establish a connection with Intelligent Program One.” “Warning, warning: energy is about to be depleted. Please recharge immediately.” Simultaneously, Xiao Yu noticed that the door, which had retracted into the cabin, slowly extended outward again. Xiao Yu immediately controlled the robot to step forward, exiting the spaceship. The door closed behind him. Standing outside the spaceship, holding the mysterious woman in the robot’s arms, Xiao Yu’s mind was a chaotic mess, still echoing with the last message. “Warning, warning: energy is about to be depleted. Please recharge immediately.” “Has the energy completely run out?” Xiao Yu gave a bitter smile. “Then there’s nothing I can do. I don’t even know what kind of energy you use, let alone how to recharge you.” “And this woman... what is going on? The black box chip?” Xiao Yu’s thoughts swirled chaotically, unable to settle. “Let’s start with a genetic analysis of this woman to determine whether she’s truly human.” After some thought, Xiao Yu made his decision. Though he lacked the necessary medical equipment, with a foundation in advanced technology, Xiao Yu managed to construct the required instruments within a day. Under a high-power electron microscope, observing the familiar cellular structures, Xiao Yu was left speechless. The genetic comparisons, various imaging, and research had all been completed. Everything indicated that the woman before him was indeed from Earth. “Earth was destroyed... where did this woman come from?” Xiao Yu was utterly perplexed. “Let’s organize all the information first...” Xiao Yu forced himself to calm down, analyzing the known data bit by bit. “Let’s assume the similarities between this woman and humans from Earth are mere coincidence. For now, let’s hypothesize that this woman is not from Earth. Then... somewhere in the universe, a race created what they called the 90s Model Spaceship. When the spaceship was damaged, this Escape Pod, for some unknown reason, was captured by the Alien Beast.” “During that time, the Alien Beast failed to destroy the Escape Pod’s structure. Eventually, during the supernova explosion, the spaceship, along with a fragment of the white dwarf star Alien Beast’s finger, was blasted out and subsequently captured by me.” “Most importantly, the spaceship’s intelligent program mistook me for one of their own. Their civilization appears to have a Central Research Academy of Science and specialized researchers... This seems like a highly advanced technological civilization.” “So, the most critical question is, what is the connection between Earth humans and this race?!” “To construct such an impressive spaceship, their technological level must be extraordinary, far beyond Earth’s capabilities. At a minimum, their civilization would be at Level 5, if not higher.” “Perhaps this civilization originally shared a common origin with Earth’s civilization but separated for some reason in the early stages?” “That’s too far-fetched.” Xiao Yu shook his head, discarding the idea. “Instead of imagining a civilization remarkably similar to humans, it’s simpler to assume this woman is simply an Earth human who, for some reason, ended up in this civilization. According to Occam’s Razor, the simpler the hypothesis, the more likely it is. Therefore, the possibility of this woman being an Earth human is quite high.” “For now, let’s consider you an Earth human...” Xiao Yu silently gazed at the woman lying motionless on the platform, a sense of absurdity welling up in his heart. In the vast universe, he had finally encountered a fellow human. But... this human was already dead. The black box chip mentioned by the artificial intelligence had been taken for analysis, but the results left Xiao Yu deeply disappointed. He couldn’t decipher the chip at all, and naturally, he couldn’t access the information recorded on it. Helpless, Xiao Yu had no choice but to store it securely. “This civilization’s technology is truly formidable. An Escape Pod managed to preserve a corpse for ten thousand years, making it look as if she were still alive.” Xiao Yu marveled as he constructed a new storage container to house the woman. Though Xiao Yu’s storage container was not as advanced as the original one, it could preserve the woman in her current state for a few hundred years. By then, perhaps Xiao Yu would have discovered better preservation methods. After transporting the spaceship to the storage room, Xiao Yu suppressed his lingering doubts and resumed his research. Yet, one question continued to haunt him, refusing to fade. This question incessantly circled in Xiao Yu’s mind. “Have all my kin truly perished? Is there a corner of this universe where my people still survive?” This was a question Xiao Yu would likely not find an answer to anytime soon.

Chapter 131: A Woman

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