How long does it take to go from hell to heaven?
For Meng Yao and the 100,000 survivors of "Wind-Crying Canyon," the answer is forty-five minutes.
As they were guided in batches onto the rescue ship named "Voyager III," everyone was utterly stunned by the sight before them.
The interior of the ship was spacious, bright, and spotless.
A faint, calming fragrance filled the air. Soft light streamed down from the ceiling, dispelling the last trace of gloom in everyone's hearts.
Instead of crowded seats, there are individual, automatically adjustable semi-enclosed rest pods.
Everyone who enters must first pass through a "purification gate" that shimmers with a soft blue light.
Meng Yao carried her younger sister through the door. She felt a warm energy sweep over her entire body from head to toe.
Then, to her surprise, she discovered that the unpleasant odor she had long been accustomed to—a mixture of sweat and dust—had vanished. The grime that had accumulated on her skin due to a lack of hygiene was also gone, leaving her feeling incredibly refreshed.
This is simply a miracle!
"Please relax, ma'am. This is a standard 'molecular-level sonic sterilization system,' harmless to the human body, capable of removing 99.9% of bacteria and dirt from the skin's surface," a female staff member in a white uniform explained with a smile. "Next, please move into the nutrition supplementation chamber with your sister."
Inside a transparent, eggshell-like cabin, Meng Yao and her sister lay down. A gentle robotic arm put breathing masks on them and connected them to some sensors they couldn't understand at all.
"The nutrient solution infusion has begun and is expected to take 30 minutes. It can effectively replenish the various trace elements lost by your body and repair damaged cells and tissues. The whole process will be very comfortable, so please rest assured."
With a notification sound, a warm, slightly sweet liquid was slowly injected through the breathing mask. Meng Yao felt an unprecedented, comfortable warmth instantly spread throughout her body.
Every hungry cell was cheering with joy.
Every tired nerve is gradually soothed.
She turned her head and saw her younger sister Meng Xin's face, which showed a peaceful and contented sleeping expression that she hadn't seen in a long time.
Meng Yao's eyes welled up with tears again.
She couldn't remember how many nights she had spent in hunger, cold, and fear.
To close one's eyes and enjoy warmth and fullness in this way, without any sense of security or defense, is a luxury that is almost unimaginable.
Through the transparent shell of the cabin, she could see that all the survivors who had been brought up were going through the same process as her.
Those faces that were originally numb, desperate, and lifeless have gradually regained their human radiance under the dual healing of technology and humanistic care.
Is this... the power of the "Kingdom of Stars"?
Is this the world created by "His Majesty Lin Feng"?
This is just the tip of the iceberg, yet it is already so breathtaking.
What would the true "City of Heaven" look like?
With the comfort of a nourishing meal, Meng Yao drifted off to sleep. It was the most restful and sweet sleep she had had in years.
She was awakened by a soft melody after an unknown amount of time.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself and her sister lying on a soft, comfortable bed. They were also dressed in a clean set of extremely comfortable white loungewear.
The room wasn't large, but it had everything you needed. It had a separate bathroom, an air conditioner that could automatically adjust the temperature, and a huge wall that could display various information.
"Sister, you're awake!" Meng Xin's voice was full of unprecedented energy and joy. She was pressed against the huge porthole, her little face almost touching the glass, excitedly looking at the scene outside.
Meng Yao walked over and followed her sister's gaze.
She was completely stunned at first glance.
Their spaceship was soaring above an endless ocean of lights.
It was a city of unparalleled grandeur, beyond description!
Towering skyscrapers, each with a beautiful and futuristic design, soar into the clouds. Between these buildings are countless transparent magnetic levitation tracks that crisscross the landscape.
One after another, the flying machines, like light shuttles, silently shuttled along the track, creating a dazzling and dynamic picture.
In the heart of the city lies a vast ecological park, radiating a soft green light, like a giant emerald embedded in a steel forest.
At the very center and highest point of this city stands a colossal tower whose height cannot be measured by sight, seemingly piercing the heavens.
At the top of the giant tower, a platform made of transparent crystals, resembling the moon, floats in the air.
The lights of countless homes and the stars in the sky complement each other in the sky above this city.
Science fiction, classical, fantasy, solemn...
All adjectives seem so pale and powerless the moment one witnesses this painting.
This is the "Capital of Heaven".
This is His Majesty Lin Feng's... kingdom.
"So...so beautiful..." Meng Yao murmured to herself, her eyes filled with unparalleled shock and longing.
This place is a completely different world from the "Wind-Crying Canyon" she just escaped from.
One is hell.
One is heaven.
The spaceship eventually landed in a massive, futuristic complex on the city's outskirts. This was the "New Citizen Reception and Settlement Center."
Stepping off the spaceship, Meng Yao discovered that, like them, there were many, many other survivors rescued from various ruins. But here, there was no chaos or noise.
Thousands of adorable spherical robots glided across the ground, guiding crowds and distributing supplies.
The uniformed staff members, with sincere and friendly smiles on their faces, patiently answered the questions of every new citizen.
"Welcome to our new home, Ms. Meng Yao, and little Meng Xin." A staff member approached them with a smile. She wore a holographic terminal on her wrist; clearly, all their information had been recorded.
"Based on your physical examination report, you will need to undergo a week of recovery observation and adaptation learning here. We will arrange everything for you. Here are your temporary identification wristbands and the key to this apartment."
The staff handed over two bracelets that shimmered with a soft light, and a card.
"The apartment is equipped with a complete smart home system and a nutritional meal machine that can cook thousands of dishes. You can choose freely according to your own taste. If you need any help, you can contact the community service center at any time through the wristband."
"Study?" Meng Yao asked, puzzled.
“Yes, learning.” The staff patiently explained, “To help you integrate into life in the kingdom more quickly, we have prepared a week-long online course for every new citizen.”
"The course content includes the kingdom's basic history, laws and regulations, social welfare system, and some basic life skills, such as how to use smart homes and how to travel on public transportation networks."
"Is all of this... free?" Meng Yuyao asked the question that concerned her the most.
The staff member smiled.
"Of course. In the Kingdom of Stars, education, healthcare, and housing are the inherent rights of every citizen. This is the foundation that His Majesty Lin Feng laid for all of us."
With the help of the staff, Meng Yao and her younger sister found their apartment.
It was a suite with an area of over 150 square meters, decorated in a way that was both cozy and technologically advanced.
Soft carpets, comfortable sofas, smart walls that can switch scenery at will, and a legendary food processor that can cook thousands of dishes.
Meng Xin ran around the room excitedly, touching this and looking at that, her little face full of curiosity.
Meng Yao stood in the center of the living room, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Happiness came too suddenly, too unreal.
She walked up to the food processor and tried ordering a dish she remembered as the most common home-cooked meal from the Blue Star era—scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Just one minute later, accompanied by a slight machine hum, a steaming, fragrant plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes appeared at the serving counter.
The golden scrambled eggs shone like rosy clouds. The bright red tomatoes were juicy and full of flavor.
Meng Yao picked up a small piece with her chopsticks, her hands trembling, and put it into her mouth.
The flavors were perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, and delicately salty. That familiar taste, yet a thousand times more delicious than she remembered, exploded on her tongue.
A warm feeling instantly welled up in her eyes.
This is... the taste of home.
It was the taste of home that she had imagined for countless days and nights amidst the ruins of the apocalypse.
"Sister, it's so delicious!" Meng Xin ran over and ate it in small bites, her eyes squinting with happiness.
Meng Yao could no longer hold back, so she squatted down and hugged her younger sister tightly.
She didn't cry, she just smiled.
As I laughed, tears involuntarily streamed down my face.
At this moment, from the bottom of her heart, she offered her most sincere and purest gratitude and loyalty to the "Emperor Lin Feng" whom she had never met.
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