Chapter 177: An Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 177: An Unexpected Encounter

Xavier Matrix had been wanted by the Judicatory of the Sykes Civilization for a long time.

According to Lu Heng's memories of his past life, Xavier Matrix would live on and become a pioneer of mechanical life.

In other words, the Judicatory of the Sykes Civilization had never captured him.

The fact that he could move freely in a city with an advanced surveillance network was a testament to his technical prowess in bypassing such systems.

In short, relying on official forces to find him was nearly impossible.

While others couldn't find him, Lu Heng had a way.

Xavier Matrix had a unique hobby—he loved plants, not biomimetic ones, but real, living plants.

This was a rather unusual hobby in the Sykes Civilization.

So, for the past few days, Lu Heng had been asking Su Muyu to search for places with plants, especially those with a large area of greenery.

However, it was challenging to distinguish between biomimetic and real plants unless one got close enough to touch them.

The Sykes Civilization had mastered the art of creating biomimetic animals, plants, and even skin, making it nearly impossible to tell the difference.

Sometimes, from a distance, a wall covered in vines would look so real, even with dried yellow leaves on the ground.

But upon closer inspection, it would turn out to be biomimetic plants, and even the leaves on the ground were fake.

Despite the difficulty, after three days of searching, Su Muyu finally found a house filled with plants. He confirmed that they were real plants, but he couldn't be sure if Xavier Matrix lived there.

"What's the plan now? Should we barge in and capture the Sykes person inside for interrogation?" Lin Zeyu suggested.

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Heng was already walking towards the plant-filled courtyard.

At the entrance, they saw a domestic robot watering and tending to the plants.

Lu Heng pressed the doorbell.

The robot turned around, moved to the door, and connected to the holographic display screen outside. "Who are you looking for?" it asked.

"I'd like to visit your master," Lu Heng replied. "I've seen many plants, but the variety in this courtyard is unlike anything I've ever seen before."

The plants in the courtyard were native to the Sykes Civilization and not found on Blue Star, but they shared some similarities.

For instance, they all required sunlight, water, and soil.

Hearing the visitor's interest in plants, the owner of the house came out and opened the door himself.

A tall Sykes man with a scholarly demeanor appeared in the doorway.

The moment their eyes met, a peculiar look flashed in both Lu Heng's and the man's eyes.

Lu Heng instantly recognized him as Xavier Matrix.

This mad scientist could move freely in a city where he was wanted without altering his appearance.

When Xavier Matrix saw Lu Heng, he also showed a peculiar expression, as he could tell at a glance that Lu Heng was an alien life form.

"Where are you from?" he asked curiously.

"A stellar civilization called the Solar System," Lu Heng replied.

"Are the dominant life forms in your world organic?" he inquired further.

"Yes, and there's a vast diversity of life, with over 350,000 plant species," Lu Heng answered, hitting all the right notes to pique the scientist's interest.

"Please, come in and have a cup of tea," Xavier Matrix gestured, inviting Lu Heng and his companions into the courtyard.

Lin Zeyu was taken aback, expecting a fight but finding himself invited as a guest instead.

After they sat down, Xavier Matrix activated a holographic screen and asked, "Do you mind if I record our conversation?"

Lu Heng nodded in agreement, "Sure."

Xavier Matrix was delighted and asked, "Are you organic life forms without mechanical modifications?"

He had already scanned Lu Heng and his companions and found no mechanical limbs.

Lu Heng nodded, "Yes, we are organic life forms."

Xavier Matrix nodded and asked, "Should I offer you some food as hospitality? You might not understand, but for other guests, I have a wireless charging network, so I don't need to offer food."

In truth, Lu Heng's impression of this legendary mad scientist came from records, and they had never met before.

This was their first encounter.

Lu Heng found the infamous scientist to be surprisingly polite and more welcoming than he had expected.

"No need to go through so much trouble, and I'm not sure if we can even consume the food here," Lu Heng replied.

Xavier Matrix raised his hand and said, "There's one thing that shouldn't be a problem. I've detected a high concentration of this substance in your bodies."

As he spoke, he instructed the domestic robot to bring three cups, each filled with a transparent liquid.

"Pure water, it shouldn't be a problem. It's been filtered through a dialysis membrane and is almost 100% pure," he explained.

Offering water to guests was a common practice in the human world.

However, the water came from the legendary mad scientist, and it was uncertain if it contained any trace substances.

To avoid being used as experimental material by this mad scientist, Lu Heng didn't take the offered cup of water and instead replied, "Thank you, but we're not thirsty."

Xavier Matrix wasn't sure if this was the appropriate way to treat guests, so he didn't insist and instead steered the conversation towards his interests, "Can you tell me about the plants in your world? It would be even better if you could draw them."

Lu Heng began to talk about the plants on Blue Planet.

During the conversation, Lu Heng discovered a crucial piece of information.

Xavier Matrix wasn't encountering humans for the first time, as he demonstrated knowledge of plants from the human world during their chat, asking precise questions.

He even knew specific botanical terms.

This implied that he had previously interacted with humans, which also explained his calm reaction upon meeting them.

After discussing plants, Lu Heng probed, "Are you a botanist?"

Xavier Matrix waved his hand and replied, "No, I'm just interested in plants. They are a form of life completely different from animals. Don't you feel that plants have a coldness similar to machines? But plants are alive, while machines are just machines."

Upon hearing this, Lu Heng seemed to understand why he liked plants.

He actually believed that plants and machines shared similarities, and his research focused on mechanical life.

In other words, his underlying thought was: If plants can be alive, why not machines?

Lu Heng pondered and asked, "What about demons? Do you consider them alive?"

Xavier Matrix nodded and said, "Of course, demons are also alive. Like you, they are extraterrestrial beings. However, compared to you, demons are more difficult to communicate with."

Lu Heng actually agreed with this view, but he considered both humans and demons as extraterrestrial beings. In context, the two seemed equivalent, which was somewhat irritating.

They talked a lot about plants.

After a moment of silence, Xavier Matrix asked, "What is your purpose for seeking me out? Can you tell me now?"

Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and asked, "You knew we were coming for you?"

Xavier Matrix remained seated calmly and said, "I don't think my place would attract so many extraterrestrial visitors. Moreover, every word you've said since you entered has been carefully designed, all on topics that interest me."

Lu Heng smiled and said, "You're not quite what I expected."

Xavier Matrix curiously asked, "What did you think I'd be like? A mad scientist, so crazed that his face is distorted, wanting to capture and research any creature he sees?"

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "What do you think about the Descension Faction, the Salvation Faction, and the Exodus Faction?"

Xavier Matrix was a bit surprised that the conversation had turned to this topic. "These three factions are not entirely independent; they can coexist. I don't think I need to have an opinion on this.

"Those who can fight against the Abyss should do so. Those who can't can choose to flee. If you can't escape, you can only accept the Abyss.

"This is essentially the same thing, just different responses to different situations. Some people simply lack the understanding or calculation ability."

This was the first time Lu Heng had heard such an explanation.

After listening, he indeed felt that it made a lot of sense.

Fighting against the Abyss was indeed a matter of fighting when one could, and when one couldn't, there was no other way but to flee or accept the Abyss.

However, not every Siks had such a clear understanding.

Hence, even when there was still a chance to resist, the Descension Faction emerged.

Before the situation turned unfavorable or even before a disadvantage appeared, some had already considered fleeing.

This also indirectly proved the diversity of species. Even a semi-mechanical civilization couldn't escape the differences in individual thinking.

For a mechanical civilization, resolving these differences in thinking was simple—just format the minds of each individual to be exactly the same, and thoughts would be synchronized.

However, by then, whether the Siks Civilization would still exist was a topic that required further research.

As Lu Heng was deep in thought,

Xavier Matrix suddenly asked, "How many of you are here? Are you all here as guests?"

Lu Heng's gaze turned to Su Muyu.

Su Muyu said, "The American team is here. They're at the door."

At this moment,

Two special-model armored robots appeared, aiming their laser weapons at Lu Heng's group of three, while the other two aimed at the door.

Lu Heng sighed, "Our first meeting has taken an unexpected turn, and the outcome is also something I didn't anticipate. Although it may not be of much use, I still want to make it clear that we three are not affiliated with the humans outside."

A set of mechanical wings suddenly unfolded behind Xavier Matrix, lifting him into the air and transforming him into a combat form. He replied, "I believe you, but it doesn't lessen my vigilance towards you."

Lu Heng gestured for him to proceed and said, "You can greet the guests outside first. We'll wait here quietly."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end