Zhao Chen walked into the courtyard and looked at Chu's mother and Chu Xuan preparing dinner inside the house, using a wood-fired stove.
It is said that there are gas stoves and natural gas available in the city, and you only need to pay an extra fee.
However, Chu Wenjun and his wife still prefer this natural lifestyle.
"Therefore, the machine race has been fighting us for hundreds of years."
"Are they all supporting these people?" Chu Changhe stood next to Zhao Chen, trying to process the question.
Zhao Chen nodded and said, "Yes."
They show no mercy on the battlefield, but once they gain the upper hand, they capture the remaining enemies and settle them on planets like these.
As far as I know, there are thousands of planets like this in the star systems around this region.
Not only us humans, but also other interstellar races—in total, there are over ten trillion intelligent life forms domesticated by the Machine Race.
"So many?" Chu Changhe was taken aback.
"Yes.
Speaking of which, I discovered a peculiar statistic.
Previously, many people in our Starry Empire experienced food shortages, right? Natural crops like these were even scarcer, and ordinary people could only eat synthetic foods.
However, this situation has not occurred on the planets where the machine race keeps its people. "Zhao Chen said.
Chu Changhe frowned: "Could it be that the Machine Race is using resources from other star systems to feed back to these planets?"
“No.” Zhao Chen shook his head: “Apart from some hidden technologies, these planets are basically self-sufficient.”
Some prisoners who break the law are assigned to mine resources on mining planets, and then transported to these planets for trade, forming a self-sufficient ecosystem.
And everyone has enough to eat and wear.
Chu Changhe was stunned.
"I've spoken with the higher-ups in the Machine Race about this."
She asked me, "You carbon-based organisms only need a little bit of resources to live your whole life."
Why consume thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of millions of times more resources? Zhao Chen's expression was somewhat somber.
Chu Changhe also fell silent; he probably already guessed the answer.
"The machine race has observed us, with us humans being the majority."
If a person were to live for 100 years, the resources they would need would be equivalent to 300 star coins.
These 300 star coins are enough to feed and clothe this person, and provide them with a place to live.
Of course, this is based on the current technological foundation.
In our society, 10% of people will spend three million Star Coins in their lifetime, and 1% of them will spend more than fifty million Star Coins.
At the same time, more resources will be used for war.
She told me that if the Starry Empire could distribute its resources equally, with its current resources, everyone could live a peaceful and prosperous life. Zhao Chen looked up at the starry sky.
"I thought about a lot of things at the time."
What exactly... made us like this?
Desire? Extravagance? Passion? Or the pursuit of more?
Even we ourselves are immersed in it.” Zhao Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly: “Perhaps it’s just as the machine race said.”
We carbon-based life forms are... a rather inexplicable kind of life.
Chu Changhe listened to all of this without saying a word.
Although he still dislikes the Machine Race, he has to admit that they are right.
This is the current state of carbon-based life.
"Grandpa, what are your thoughts on the Mechanical Race now?" Zhao Chen asked Chu Changhe with a smile.
Chu Changhe snorted coldly: "Although my children are still alive, many people have still sacrificed themselves in such a long war with the mechanical race."
If you want me to let go of this hatred, I can't do it.
Zhao Chen had already anticipated Chu Changhe's answer.
He smiled and said, "I brought you here this time not because I thought you could suddenly let go of these hatreds."
I just hope that your view of the Mech race can change a bit.
Because our cooperation with the JF-17 and the Mech race may become even closer in the future. For example, the Mech race is now willing to provide us with five starship industrial production sites.
Once this news gets out, there will definitely be a lot of people who will question it.
I can ignore the doubts of others.
However, you have always been a senior I respect.
I don't want any rift to form between us.
Looking at the young man in front of him, Chu Changhe felt as if he had returned to five years ago when he first saw this greenhorn.
"You little rascal, stop nagging so much, aren't you annoyed?"
I'm too old to care about anything related to war.
"Let others do whatever they want." Chu Changhe slapped Zhao Chen on the back.
This statement, though seemingly without an answer, actually revealed Chu Changhe's stance.
Zhao Chen smiled knowingly.
"Oh, right."
"Chu Xuan has two younger sisters." Zhao Chen suddenly spoke up.
"What?" Chu Changhe's eyes suddenly widened.
Zhao Chen joked, "You don't think your son and daughter-in-law have been idle on this planet for the past ten years or so, do you?"
Without saying a word, Chu Changhe rushed back into the house and kicked his son, who was helping his daughter.
"You brat, why didn't you tell me I had two granddaughters!"
"Ah... Father, I was so happy just now that I forgot."
Where are my two granddaughters?
“He studies at a school in the city and only comes back for two days a week.”
"School? Studying?"
"That was a school we organized ourselves. Although the Machine Race restricted us from creating technological artifacts, they did not restrict us from teaching theoretical knowledge. So everyone voluntarily established the school, hoping that our children could one day return to the stars."
Today is Friday, school should be out.
"Quick! Go get my two granddaughters in the shuttle!"
"Huh? So rushed?"
"You haven't seen me for over a decade, so my words don't carry any weight anymore, huh!"
"Yes, yes, I'll go right away."
Zhao Chen watched the shuttle take off and leave, then looked at the mother and daughter inside who were gradually getting to know each other better.
Zhao Chen couldn't help but feel a little envious.
For the first time in almost six years in this world, he felt a sense of loneliness.
I wonder how my parents in the other world are doing.
Having older brothers and sisters would probably lessen the grief of losing someone.
I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to return to my own world.
Zhao Chen was somewhat moved.
At that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed Zhao Chen's hand from behind.
Zhao Chen looked at Chu Xuan, whose cheeks were flushed, with surprise.
"I...you seem a little down..." Chu Xuan said softly.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to see your family reunited."
"I miss my home a little," Zhao Chen said.
Chu Xuan was taken aback, mistakenly thinking that Zhao Chen was thinking of his deceased parents. She leaned slightly on Zhao Chen's shoulder and said, "It's nothing."
Now... we are all your family.
My mom just asked you... asked you... whether it was...
"What do you want to ask?" Zhao Chen looked at Chu Xuan, who was looking down and didn't dare to look at him, with a puzzled expression.
"It's nothing, the food will be ready soon."
"Go wash your hands." Chu Xuan blushed, shook off Zhao Chen's hand, and ran back into the house.
