Only I Walk Alone

The concept of grandeur cannot be underestimated; visits between countries demand it, and even more so do interactions between planets.

It’s secondary to have the other side respect oneself; the primary goal is to ensure that the leadership of the other side keeps a cool head, to prevent situations from veering into trouble.

Isn’t there often such a description in ancient texts? A powerful monarch of one country visits another country alone, only to be scorned by the host for lacking any grandeur, acting like they are all that, resulting in the host not showing any respect, and the protagonist, mocked and with no other choice, ends up having to bring an army to annihilate the other side.

However, some experts from Earth interpret this as a strategy to attack the other empire when no other excuse can be found. Many Earth civilization historians have turned internet novels hidden in the web into ancient texts and studied them back and forth, almost making a science out of it.

It’s like three hundred years ago when experts spent decades studying the cauldrons used by ancient people for cooking meat; exploring the past is inherently a pleasure for historians, irrespective of whether their conclusions are accurate or not.

As for learning from history, that’s just a nice saying, after all, everyone knows history is written by the victors.

These are among the issues Wu Ge has been contemplating over the past few days, especially considering there’s still the question of whether Martians could be ancestors of Earthlings.

But just like historians treating internet novels from three hundred years ago as historical texts, considering Martians as ancestors of Earthlings is fundamentally meaningless.

While thinking about how to approach the Martians, Wu Ge and the martian Kachi enter the underground. Approximately 7,500 meters down, Wu Ge suddenly hears the sound of flowing water and the rumbling of digging.

Kachi excitedly says, “It’s the track, our home is nearby!”

Following the sound, Wu Ge and Kachi soon see a murky river. Following this river, they come across an enormous underground tunnel.

This tunnel, resembling those used by subways but hundreds of times larger in diameter, astounds them.

Robots scanned the tunnel immediately, and upon seeing the virtual model, Wu Ge can’t help but exclaim, “Is this tunnel dug out by hand?”

Wu Ge, controlling a synthetic martian body, and Kachi, both wearing respirators due to the unsuitable oxygen concentration for Martians, no longer need the special worms that Kachi used to rely on for oxygen.

Kachi lays on the ground, pressing his ear to it, and says, “This is a tunnel dug out by our home. I can hear our home’s sound; it will pass by here soon. We can find a chance to return to our home.”

Wu Ge is utterly puzzled, “Your home moves?”

Kachi naturally responds, “Of course, once the minerals and water sources in one place are exhausted, we must move to the next location. Therefore, our home must be mobile.”

In Kachi’s view, home is something that moves; otherwise, they couldn’t travel to find resources.

Wu Ge is curious about this home, thinking, what exactly do martians live inside?

Soon, Wu Ge also hears the rumbling noise, and the ground begins to shake as if a huge object is moving towards them.

The robots are on guard all around, holding electric charge guns to ensure the safety of Wu Ge’s synthetic martian body.

Seeing this, Kachi hastily says, “Please don’t use weapons. Our home is a very fragile creature. If we lose our home, my hundred thousand compatriots will be exposed to this oxygen-poor environment.”

Wu Ge is completely shocked, “A creature? Your home is a creature? What do you mean?”

Then, the home Kachi speaks of appears, it’s a colossal, elongated worm, its head featuring numerous mouthparts for digging through rock, and its body supported by countless legs, with many cilia around its body.

Robots quickly scan the form of their home, and upon seeing the virtual model, Wu Ge is astonished, “This, isn’t this just like a train?”

This is a gigantic train worm, its size a hundred times larger than trains on Earth, looking like a skyscraper crawling forward, hence its movement creates a tremendous sound.

Seeing such a behemoth pass by, Wu Ge is filled with astonishment. The way this giant moves is by half-sliding, as there is mud water less than a meter deep in the tracks, making the movement much more effortless and faster, though still much slower than a train.

Xiao Chao’s robots have begun scanning this train worm, and shortly after, Xiao Chao says, “Inside this creature exists a mini-ecosystem, complete with an artificial sun, trees, plants, animals, but it’s extremely crowded.”

Wu Ge asks, “So this is an ecological worm, and the martians live inside this ecological worm? This is unheard of and unseen.”

The universe is vast, with endless possibilities.

Everyone assumes that home is a fixed place, where people go out to hunt, mine, and bring resources back.

However, martians have transformed a giant worm into an ecological worm, living directly inside this giant worm, which goes to different places to collect resources. This is a mode of living Wu Ge has never heard of before.

Undeniably, in the harsh environment of Mars, this way of living is tailor-made for martians!

Kachi looks at the ecological worm and says, “Every time our home moves a certain distance, it stops, then opens its tail, allowing the workers from the seventh level to go out and collect wastewater. I know the leader of the seventh level workers, and when the time comes, we can enter the home with them.”

Wu Ge asks, “You mentioned a level one administrator and now seventh level workers. Does that mean there’s a clear class division within your home?”

Kachi gives a bitter smile, saying, “Unlike the Earth civilization, where everyone is equal, our home divides people into seven levels. The first level people live on the first floor and are the administrators of our home. The second level people are nobles, living on the second floor, and so on, with workers and peasants like us being the seventh level people, living on the seventh floor.”

Soon, Wu Ge sees the huge creature stop, and he also observes its tail opening several vents, releasing a vast amount of wastewater.

It feels like watching the floodgates of a dam open, with the wastewater being released in a massive flow. Indeed, this creature is enormous. Observing this wastewater, Wu Ge asks, “Is there a wastewater treatment plant at the tail of our home?”

Kachi shakes his head, “No, the wastewater treatment plant is at the head of our home. After workers collect the wastewater, machines specifically transport it to the head. All valuable facilities are located at the head of our home.”

Wu Ge is utterly puzzled, “Isn’t that redundant? Wouldn’t it save time and effort to collect water sources directly at the head?”

But as soon as he speaks, Wu Ge realizes the reason: the noble lords do not want to collect wastewater themselves, nor do they want workers to come to their living area. All their policies are merely to maintain their own rule.

Such class-induced foolish policies have also appeared in human history.