The second day of the exhibition was indeed uneventful, with sparse crowds. However, Li Haojun noticed that everyone present was a handsome man or a beautiful woman, as if on a film set, with no ordinary people present.
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It seemed as if only he was out of place. But he didn't care. He had his lover, his skills, and his confidence never stemmed from whether his appearance could please others. He didn't need the spotlight.
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At his company's booth, there were employees from other regions performing their duties; there was no need for him, a technical person, to do anything.
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What attracted his attention most was Maria. She was still wearing that uniform, with a cover-up. Her uniform seemed to have some function, at least outwardly visible. The small devices on her belt weren't just decorative; her watch was technologically advanced and stylish, and her little leather boots were quite playful.
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After observing the exhibition hall for a while, Li Haojun realized it was a B2B exhibition. He actually preferred interacting with end users rather than business people. He always felt that business operations weren't really his concern; he preferred to use his knowledge to help ordinary, real users.
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Out of boredom, he suddenly noticed someone overhearing him discussing a product and using the wrong technical approach. His sales colleague hadn't clearly explained the actual technical details. He turned to see a woman asking a question. She had a thin face, high cheekbones, a pointed chin, thin lips, a deep purple lipstick, and short, red hair that reached her neck—he wondered if it was natural red hair.
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Li Haojun proactively joined the conversation, but without any finesse, directly pointing out the problem and explaining it. Then he realized they were filming behind her.
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Was he interrupting their promotional shoot? Thinking this, he could only smile at the camera and calmly move out of the frame. Turning back, he saw Mariah sitting in a corner watching him, next to some plants, just like she had in New York, a smile on her face, but one that seemed a little cold.
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Li Haojun pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, silently watching her, waiting for her to deliver her profound insights.
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"Are you always like this with women?" Maria asked with a smile, seemingly teasing him.
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"No, I just can't tolerate the spread of misinformation right under my nose,"
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"Oh, obsessive-compulsive disorder,"
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"Hehe, yeah," Li Haojun chuckled self-deprecatingly.
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"Not all the people here are genuinely emotional," Maria said calmly.
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Li Haojun was somewhat surprised but didn't press further. Seeing that it was almost time, he suggested they take an early lunch break.
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Mariya had arranged his meals and lodging. Li Haojun followed her to a small Western restaurant, ordered a simple meal, and looked around. There were no other customers. Looking out the window, there were only a few pedestrians, but they were all middle-aged or young adults with striking good looks.
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“What do you think?” Maria asked from across the small table.
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“Nothing, uh, I don’t know,”
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“This area is actually private property,” Maria explained slowly.
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Li Haojun listened silently, without interrupting her.
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“The people you saw might be clones or gene-edited; their consciousness might be manipulated to complete certain tasks. So don’t waste your emotions.”
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“Oh, so it’s this cold here,” Li Haojun said with a smile.
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Maria chuckled and teased him,
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“Yeah, just focus your attention on me and my sister. Putting your attention elsewhere is pointless.” "What a waste," Li Haojun thought. The contrast between Maria's smile and the clean yet deserted street outside the window was stark.
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"Actually, there are normal humans too, they just don't live here,"
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"They are... the ordinary class?" Li Haojun immediately realized.
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"Yes,"
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"And the top echelons of society don't live here either, which is why these clones work for them here,"
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"Hmm," Maria nodded.
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Yes, as long as there is society, there will be classes or groups. Universal harmony is just an ideal state, because individuals are different. With this thought in mind, Li Haojun took out his terminal device, wanting to check local social media to see how the locals were doing.
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The first news item was the quarterly awards ceremony for the e-sports game "Kuaishou Johnny," a virtual reality online interactive game where players experience scenarios involving American immigration, Prohibition, gambling, smuggling, and loan sharking—a series of black market operations—within the virtual reality world. Players take on roles like mafia members, police officers, and others, with awards given quarterly based on player performance. Clearly, young people have an advantage in this kind of action game, and their participation is active. Li Haojun watched the highlights himself and shared them with Maria, laughing as he watched the best moments.
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"Haha, this definitely reduces the pressure of social crime,"
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"Yeah, it's a pacifier for ordinary people," Maria said, getting straight to the point.
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"It was simpler in Kalispel. The residents there have implanted chips that interfere with their brainwaves, so they just go home and sleep. Even the population can be precisely controlled. Do you know about the situation here?"
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"I've checked the background information. There aren't implanted electronic chips controlling the masses here, but, as you know, there's no such thing as a free lunch. The fact that they don't work means they're being fed. Targeted, purposeful feeding has been possible for a long time." Looking at Maria, Li Haojun suddenly realized how lonely people were in this vast city. Only she, standing before him, was still one of his own. Her fluttering eyelashes, clear eyes, and the gentle curve of her lips as she spoke stirred ripples in his heart, drawing him closer to her. Looking at the unfinished lunch on the table, Li Haojun didn't know what to say.
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"Maria, after this training, you won't need to carry weapons for your work, right?"
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"Yes, I don't need to carry weapons,"
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"Good," Li Haojun answered softly, his voice barely audible. He thought of taking her hand, but she had grown up; she was no longer the little girl Maria. He didn't know if he should do that.
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Stepping out of the restaurant, the sun blazed down. Whether it was the excessively low air conditioning or the chill of his and Maria's loneliness and distance, standing in the scorching heat now made his veins bulge, a warmth flowing through his extremities, as if he had come back to life.
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Retracing their steps, Li Haojun hadn't gone far when he faintly heard the screeching sound of tires rubbing against the road behind them. Instinctively, he grabbed Maria's arm and pulled her towards the roadside, simultaneously turning his head.
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A white truck tractor unit was rounding a bend and hurtling towards them.
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"This way," he said, keeping an eye on the truck's movements. Li Haojun pulled Maria into the roadside greenbelt, avoiding the danger zone in the truck's path.
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Fortunately, the truck wasn't out of control; it was still correcting its course and posture. However, it didn't just have a tractor unit; it was also pulling a long, dangerous goods semi-trailer. The semi-trailer's wheels left black rubber tracks on the curb and sidewalk.
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Thankfully, the hazardous materials trailer hadn't crashed. Li Haojun breathed a sigh of relief and asked Maria,
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"What hazardous materials? Liquid nitrogen or liquefied hydrocarbons? Did you see clearly?"
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"Liquid nitrogen? Why is it here?"
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"Yeah, it should be going to the industrial area." Watching the truck speeding away, it was out of control. The commotion between the trailer and the tractor caused it to veer off the road and crash into a roadside building, the container ruptured.
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Li Haojun glanced at Maria, then quickly grabbed a handful of sand from the green belt and threw it into the air; they were downwind.
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"Run!" he said, grabbing Maria's hand and running along the road towards the next intersection. Looking back, he saw the liquid nitrogen bubbling and churning on the scorching summer road, a layer of white mist spreading with the wind.
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Holding Maria's hand, Li Haojun didn't start running at full speed, but instead tried to gradually get into the zone. Firstly, the situation wasn't considered urgent, and secondly, he judged that the truckload of liquid nitrogen would spread widely, making this an evacuation where time and space were carefully weighed.
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Upon reaching the crossroads, they began running laterally in the direction of the spread. The layer of mist on the ground had expanded, but Li Haojun knew very well that vaporized nitrogen was colorless and transparent—an invisible threat of urgency.
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"Shall we speed up?" She released Maria's hand, allowing her to run.
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Maria didn't answer, simply following beside him. Li Haojun checked on her occasionally. Although her limbs were slender, her strength seemed quite good; her leg kicks were powerful.
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Gradually, Li Haojun's breathing became rapid. Judging the airflow, at the next intersection, he managed to squeeze out two words between gasps:
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"Right turn."
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Maria's breathing, however, was less noticeable. She remained beside him. Li Haojun realized then that her running ability surpassed his own, and he relaxed, focusing on adjusting his running and breathing rhythm.
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After several turns, the two finally created enough lateral distance between them and the accident site. In the distance, sirens wailed as fire trucks rushed towards the scene.
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Li Haojun was drenched in sweat, grinning foolishly at Maria. Beads of sweat also appeared on her forehead. He wondered, "Has this little girl's wish come true?" And so their adventure began.
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"How was it?" Li Haojun asked, curious for her answer.
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"Fine,"
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"We're safe,"
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"Mm," With a beaming smile, Maria took a step closer and gave Li Haojun a hug. Her sweat carried the unique scent of a young girl.
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and then Add to home screen.