Embedded in the bionic man's eyes were two cameras, constantly powered, ablaze with light from the vast stream of data flowing through them. When describing itself, it never used phrases that depicted human emotions or features. Instead, it fiercely denounced the dark side of humanity and frequently displayed its disdain and rejection of strangers... But at this moment, perhaps even it itself didn't realize how vivid the expression on its face was, almost indistinguishable from that of a real human.

However, neither Nixon nor Mike felt that there was anything wrong.

To his passionate explanation, Mike responded with a blank, monotone, "Huh?"

Hugo was suddenly awakened, his pure joy fading. He explained unhappily, "Actually, this is all just my guess. What's visible in the fog on this planet is probably a mirror image of another desolate planet three hundred years ago. In other words, whatever happened on that planet three hundred years ago will appear exactly where we are."

"So, uh," said Mike, the arts student, "was it the fog that caused this to happen?"

"That's probably it." Hugo turned completely cold, as if realizing only then that the two people before him were not his companions. "After all, as you know, when the Federation first started building Keminting Town, they were developing this place."

After saying this, it sat on the chair with a cold face, and did not respond no matter what Mike said.

The orange-red light hanging from the ceiling of the tent suddenly dimmed at this moment.

If Hugo was right, it would also explain why there were still electric lights outside the town of Keminting.

Because this is the 'mirror reflection' of the planet three hundred light years away from Kemingting Town in the universe.

Igor guessed that at that time, the humans on the desolate planet had just begun to choose to abandon their homes, and Hugo, who was left alone on that planet...it probably didn't expect that it would spend so many years gazing at the stars in the future.

With a "bang", the curtain on the stage in the tent opened, and a bright beam of light shone down.

The few pure-blooded humans present were all startled.

A plastic mannequin dressed in an extremely funny, clown-like manner walked onto the stage. It had a messy dark blue wig, a stiff face covered in heavy makeup, and a cheap, dusty outfit that looked like it had been bought from a department store.

"Hello, audience!"

Its colorful round-toed leather shoes spun around on the wooden floor, bowing to Azathoth and the others.

Then the corners of her mouth, which was painted with bright red lipstick, turned upwards, revealing an exaggerated smile: "I'll perform magic!"

The dummy was not carrying a loudspeaker.

But its sound was carried far away, rumbling like thunder in the tent.

As Azathoth spoke, he leaned forward slightly, his face beneath his hood holding an ambiguous expression. He whispered to Hugo, "I didn't expect you to allow these people to watch your old magic show."

"I didn't think you were such a friendly android."

His voice was drowned out by the shouts of the dummy on the stage, and only Hugo and Igor beside him could hear what he said.

Hugo: “I didn’t…”

Azathoth watched his somewhat panicked expression in the dim light. After a moment's silence, he suddenly asked, "Have you forgotten everything?"

Hugo opened his mouth and closed it again.

This action is completely unnecessary because the bionic man's vocal organ is not the tongue.

Hugo just... he didn't even realize it himself, but when he 'felt' pain, tension or helplessness, he would subconsciously imitate human gestures.

Azathoth lived on that desolate planet for a long time. After humans left their home, the only person he looked at and communicated with every time he woke up was Hugo.

Unbeknownst to Hugo, the god had been tossing and turning in the depths of the ocean, unable to sleep, and observing his neighbors for at least hundreds of years.

More than three hundred years ago, Hugo was not able to imitate humans as easily as he is today.

It is the last batch of bionic humans developed and manufactured by humans.

At that time, the conflict between the two races was already obvious. Hugo's predecessors were secretly planning a war, while humans continued to sign documents to destroy bionic humans.

Hugo was the last "child" born in such a gap.

In order to prevent it from following the same path as its predecessors, the humans who created it did not program it with too much content related to emotions and learning abilities.

"I just need a companion." The young man who created it looked tired, his skin a sickly pale blue. "I'm dying, and I'm rich. Why can't you create a android to accompany me on my final journey?"

Hugo told him at the time: "Because the government is already discussing banning the research, development and trade of bionic humans."

"So what do you think about this?" the human asked. "Your kind are about to be sent to the incinerator en masse, even though they haven't done anything wrong. If you had a choice, would you choose to be created? Would you help them and stand against humanity?"

Hugo said stiffly, "I follow your instructions."

It's not a very intelligent android—compared to its kind who plot conspiracies and unrest.

Sometimes humans look at it sadly.

"Perhaps I'm wrong..." He stroked its head. "I created a life out of selfishness... This power should belong to the gods. We are blaspheming."

Hugo could recite to him a whole book of doctrines and pick out suitable sentences as comfort.

But at that moment, when it looked at the other person's expression, a strange and strong feeling of sourness suddenly arose in its heart, mixed with hatred and pleasure that could not be ignored but for unknown reasons.

Just as it was created for, Hugo stayed with the human who created him until the very last moment.

After that, a war lasted for who knows how many years. Hugo never went to the battlefield. He wandered around the planet for several years, sometimes receiving help from humans, sometimes being persecuted by the enemy.

In the end, humans won, but the price they paid was that the planet was no longer suitable for life.

They decided to head towards the new galaxies in the universe. Before leaving, the last group of bionic people were either destroyed or left on this barren land that no one would ever visit again.

Hugo was the only one left.

In other words, it is the only bionic man that can preserve its core chip.

Its creators, out of self-preservation, had previously limited the android's ability to simulate emotions and learn. This made Hugo look like a cheap, old, ordinary robot most of the time, with a weak AI that could only utter a few words. Even its companions wouldn't consider it part of the android army's combat power.

It is weak and incompetent, unable to do any job, and is even less valued by humans than a cat or a dog.

Such bionic people were left on the deserted planet and survived in the ice and snow.

Its clumsy systems were slowly upgraded time and again, rusted parts gradually replaced, useless limbs discarded, and finally only a ridiculous and terrifying head remained, swinging its propellers above the pale ground and icy blue sea. What its creators didn't know was that although its learning ability was limited, its programming was not immortal and unchangeable.

Even the name Hugo was given to it after it accidentally broke into an abandoned library and picked out books from the dusty collection.

Victor Hugo.

Born in 1802, died in 1885.

A representative writer of French positive romantic literature in the early 19th century.

There is a famous saying:

——The greatest happiness is to firmly believe that we are born loved.

Am I loved?

The android asked himself.

No human can answer its questions.

Hugo's core chip even retained all the internet information left by humanity during its existence. Blogs, one after another, were left in the final moments before their departure. Individuals with features familiar to Hugo left sentimental messages and visions of the future. Photos depicted the seemingly eternal clamor of the planet before it fell silent.

It plays those videos and pictures, reads those passionate and beautiful words, and gradually cannot tell whether the war and hatred in its memory are more real, or these creations expressing love, peace and freedom are the true face of the world.

--I love them.

It sometimes can't help but think.

But I hate humans so much.

I hate their greed, their ugliness, their coldness and selfishness... But on this vast expanse of white, even hatred seems illusory. Hugo thought, sometimes I love them, sometimes I hate them, but who cares about me and will notice my love and hate?

It has no companions and has actually been abandoned by humans.

So all kinds of emotions seem insignificant, just a futile momentary venting.

In the first few decades, Hugo still thought that if human technology developed one day, he might want to return to this planet and rebuild his home.

I'm going to teach them a lesson.

When it was building those huge power stations, it once swore fiercely, imitating the words of the protagonists in those face-slapping novels on the Internet: Things may change over time, don’t bully the young and poor!

Come back soon and see how great I am!

The bionic people you have abandoned can also occupy this planet and build a huge mechanical empire!

It started with bricks and tiles piled up, and after building other robots controlled by it, it became a magnificent complex. When the photovoltaic power station construction reached 60,000 square kilometers, Hugo's development of the planet's surface gradually slowed down.

It’s not because it is satisfied with this... but because the androids finally realized that humans may, probably, possibly, never come back.

“…”

There is no difference between a hundred years ago and a hundred years later. Sixty thousand square kilometers is just the size of a fingernail on the surface of the planet.

Its pace slowed.

When you can easily fly around the equator and see every corner of the planet, even the most interesting things begin to seem ordinary.

What's more, the scenes seen the day before and the day after were completely identical.

Hugo began to write the invitations.

“Dear Mr./Ms. xxx:

We are honored to invite you to watch the magic show tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 pm at S264832.51 South Latitude, E1320248.66 East Longitude.

..."

It doesn't matter who comes, it doesn't know anyone anyway.

There was a mountain of silver coins piled up in front of the bionic man. He carefully carved them one by one and then made them into small mechanical music boxes.

Someone will like it, right?

Whether it's a music box or a magic trick... there's always someone who likes it, right?

As long as the host sends out the invitation, there will definitely be guests coming to visit, because this is what is written in human books, and Hugo once believed it firmly.

…

The ending that everyone knows is that for at least the next two hundred years, Hugo never received a reply to those invitations.

Even it itself, after a long wait, learned to accept reality and stored the memory of its foolish past in other chips, never to think about it again.

Until one day, a miracle that only humans can dream of comes before it.