Mars.
Central Station.
"It's Friday today. Mashawi's chicken and rice is half price. Want to go eat?"
"Absolutely! Their garlic sauce is really good. Let's go!"
"Whew, finally get to see my family."
"Mommy, mommy, 'Abnormal Crisis 2' is out. Can I buy it?"
"Okay, but you have to clean your room first."
The station was bustling with noise.
Men and women in various outfits were everywhere.
There were young people dressed as university students gathered, discussing eating Middle Eastern-style chicken and rice.
There were also off-duty Umbrella Corporation soldiers in uniform and black berets, looking at the station entrance with a sigh of relief.
And there was a little boy with an Iron Man figurine, shaking his mother's arm, begging for a new game.
In the bright and clean central station hall, people were all smiling; there were very few sad or distressed faces.
Among them were William and the four members of Blue Team.
Central Station connected various locations on Mars, including the fortress's station, making it the transportation hub of Mars City.
Inside the hall.
Aside from a few soldiers who recognized their boss and the Spartans, ordinary citizens didn't pay much attention to William and his group, at most finding them familiar.
William, however, gave those soldiers a'shush' gesture, indicating that they should just act normal and enjoy their holiday.
"Wow!"
Myron, who was behind William, looked around the high-tech central hall and couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss!
It feels like Mars City's development... is so much better than Halfa's, oh my goodness."
"Mhm, mhm!" Carl also couldn't hide his delight, nodding in agreement.
"Maintain discipline, Spartans." Only John remained stern-faced, reminding his companions not to be so excited.
"Hehe."
William, however, looked at the two young people who were full of playfulness and didn't care about discipline or lack thereof, waving to John and saying:
"Alright, John, with Serena, there are only five of us. There's no need to be so restrained. Just treat it as a trip to Mars."
"Is that an order?" John asked.
"You, you..."
William shook his head helplessly, walked closer, raised his hand high, and patted John's shoulder, saying, "It's an order."
"Yes." After receiving the order, John finally relaxed his indifferent expression.
Subsequently, the three Spartans also put on the same earphones as William, so they could hear Serena's introduction to Mars City.
The four walked through the crowded station.
They passed through the grandly decorated main entrance.
At this point, they officially entered the interior of Mars City.
Everywhere there were towering square buildings, 3D holographic advertisements, and various unmanned or manned aircraft.
And each dome was equipped with projection devices, simulating sunrise, sunset, cloudy, overcast, and other weather conditions in the sky above the city, allowing people to adapt better to the environment here.
Standing in front of the station entrance, William looked at the city view before him, which couldn't help but remind him of the movie "Blade Runner 2049."
The city layout was similar.
But it wasn't that hazy, perpetually gloomy weather, and the streets were much cleaner and tidier.
There were no homeless people or violent criminals.
'Why does it feel so cyberpunk?' William wondered to himself.
At this moment, Myron raised his hand to his forehead, squinting at the'scorching sun' at the top, and said:
"Serena... why simulate Earth's environment? I think the surface of Mars looks quite good."
"This is to synchronize time with Earth, to reduce unnecessary trouble.
In fact, apart from small asteroid colonies, the time zones inside the domes of Mars, the Moon, and Titan are Atlantic Time, synchronized with Halfa.
Moreover, simulating sunrise and sunset also helps with sleep."
"I see." Myron nodded in understanding.
Hearing this, Carl asked curiously, "Then... can the dome also simulate rain or snow?"
"Of course, artificial snow and simulated rain are very simple. In fact, we can even create sandstorm weather, but... there's no need for that." Serena chuckled.
"Ah, if only I could live here comfortably." Carl's eyes flickered, seemingly longing to live there.
"." As for John, he was still the same.
He rarely smiled.
After a brief appreciation of the city's spectacular scenery, William touched his lower abdomen and, with a smile, said to the Spartans gathered around him:
"Kids, you don't have to eat the Phantom's cafeteria food today. Tell me what you want to eat. I'm covering all the expenses today."
"Boss!" Hearing William's assurance, Myron was the first to raise his hand and speak, his eyes shining as he said:
"I want a spicy chicken burger! I really want to eat that!"
"Hey... Myron..."
Finally, John, who had been silent all this time, looked at Myron with a gaze that seemed to care for an idiot, and said:
"You are a Spartan. Can't you have some aspirations?"
"Yeah, have aspirations!" Carl jogged to John's side and echoed.
"Huh? Is there something wrong with me liking chicken sandwiches?" Myron retorted.
"Alright, alright, stop bickering for now." William shook his head and smiled, "Serena, give us some suggestions."
"Hehe~" Serena was also amused by the way the three Spartans interacted and said:
"Boss, while they were arguing, I already filtered out the best restaurants next to the city center. We can go for a walk first."
"Thanks, Serena."
The four then, led by Serena, had a good tour of Mars City.
Although Umbrella Corporation aimed to maintain its monopoly, it was very generous in areas without direct profit interests, such as dining, entertainment, and leisure.
Within Mars City, there were numerous chain restaurants offering Chinese cuisine, various fast foods, Japanese and Korean dishes, and American pizza.
There were no Michelin-starred restaurants, however.
Because in William's eyes, those Michelin restaurants were purely for'showing off' and were useless.
So, they were refused entry to any Umbrella colonies.
In terms of entertainment and leisure...
There were various theme parks and cinemas, as well as a comprehensive model toy mall that combined acquired manufacturers like Hot Toys and DAMtoys.
As for clothing, cosmetics, shoes, and other aspects, there was no need to mention them; all major brands had been acquired by Umbrella Corporation.
Furthermore, William deliberately lowered the prices of figurines, clothing, and entertainment to increase the happiness of residents within the colonies.
He wasn't focused on profit; breaking even or not losing too much was fine, as Umbrella Corporation didn't rely on these areas to make money.
However...
When the four finally chose a comprehensive buffet restaurant and sat down at a window seat, William's previously relaxed smile froze.
Because the system, which had been silent for a long time, spoke again in his ear:
"Host, a highly threatening anomalous phenomenon is detected to be about to appear.
If the host can complete the containment or control, this system will reward the host with the Terran Race Pack from the game'StarCraft 2'."
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