Chapter 16: First Impressions

After Xu Jia left, Jiang Hui packed her things and prepared to complete the discharge procedures.

In truth, there wasn’t much to gather—most of her belongings were already worn or carried on her person, and the medicines had been carefully stored back in the special compartment created by the spatial rift.

All that remained was to finalize the discharge paperwork.

Although this was an interstellar world where many technologies had advanced to the high-end realms that humanity could explore, making daily life quite convenient, there were still many tasks that could not be entirely replaced by automation and required human operation.

Following the instructions, Jiang Hui went to the discharge department to complete the formalities. As for the fees, since the original body had always maintained a comprehensive health insurance plan, the hospital only needed to submit the relevant documents for review, allowing for full reimbursement. In fact, a portion of nutrition fees would even be returned to her account.

The entire process was swift. Jiang Hui confirmed and signed the discharge papers, then took the copy of her medical records and truly left the hospital.

On the way, she unexpectedly encountered Mr. Carlet, who was just finishing his shift. As always, he was kind and didn’t become distant despite their doctor-patient relationship having ended. After inquiring about her condition, he warmly offered to accompany her to the waiting area.

However, Jiang Hui noticed that their paths were clearly not aligned and didn’t want to hold him up, so she politely declined.

In the interstellar era, transportation was diverse. To Jiang Hui, a native of Blue Star, these vehicles radiated a futuristic technological aura: trackless hover trains, dirigibles, modular carriages that could be combined, and morphing trains running on fixed tracks, among others.

In addition, she even saw some large, bizarrely-shaped humanoid machines on the road. Faint memories told her these were the legendary mechas.

These transportation modes intersected across land and air, each following their own routes and stopping at their respective stations without interference. People passing by chose different vehicles, busy with their own affairs, all journeys ultimately leading to the same destination—essentially no different from the lives of Blue Star inhabitants.

Given that her current apartment was located within the city’s Fourth Ring, relatively close to the central district where public transit stations were plentiful, she finally chose to take the city bus home.

Though called a bus, this vehicle was unlike the buses on Blue Star. It had no wheels; the entire body was supported by a long, slightly curved metal rod underneath, suspending it several meters above the ground. Upon arriving at stops, the support rod would gently lower the carriage to allow passengers to board or alight. While running, the metal rod below guided the vehicle along its programmed route.

This was a common land transport in the city, usually running close to the ground. It used far less fuel compared to flying vehicles, making it a cost-effective choice favored by students and ordinary office workers for commuting.

Although Jiang Hui retained some memories of her original body, her core was still that of a Blue Star native unfamiliar with the interstellar world, so she approached everything with a certain timidity.

Aside from nervously observing the unfamiliar surroundings, most of her attention was devoted to watching how others behaved.

Following a group of passengers, she boarded this oddly shaped bus and mimicked their actions by scanning her light brain at the entrance checkpoint.

The sudden scan startled her—an immense light screen was projected before her eyes, and she froze, unsure what it was.

After a moment, she realized this was the “smartphone” light brain of interstellar people. It displayed the original body’s personal information, which was deeply ingrained in her mind, though still only a layer of memory without real tangibility.

As she studied the screen, she looked for an empty seat and sat down.

Since being discharged, her mind had been filled with many thoughts, causing her to forget the existence of the light brain. Now, seeing it sparked a rare interest, pulling her out of her somewhat gloomy mood to study it attentively.

Though called a bus, this city vehicle bore no resemblance to the buses on Blue Star. From the outside, it looked like a giant disk, with a spacious interior divided into different sections. Some seats were arranged singly, others faced each other in pairs along the carriage walls, and there were partitioned compartments at the rear, likely private rooms.

Jiang Hui chose a pair of seats near the door, allowing her to see the station indicators clearly.

From her vantage point, it was easy to notice that the passengers opposite her were also fiddling with their light brains, eyes focused on the void—some looking upward, others downward, and some even glancing at their wrists. Indeed, no matter the era or technological advancement, smartphones remained an inescapable human affliction.

Jiang Hui mused over this, then resolutely joined the ranks of light brain users. She was still so inexperienced—if she didn’t learn now, would the world wait for her to catch up?

The light brain was exactly the interstellar version of a smartphone. Upon logging in, it displayed her personal account and then entered a dazzlingly complex interface.

On the left, a narrow panel neatly arranged icons akin to mobile apps, some blinking intermittently. This was presumably the control area—some labels were recognizable, revealing their functions, while others were obscure, likely requiring exploration later.

The right side featured a broader screen, orderly and elegantly laid out, with information prioritized at a glance.

Jiang Hui painstakingly deciphered the interstellar universal language and skimmed through several items, which appeared to be news and information. Some headlines were marked with icons like “Recommended” or “Hot,” suggesting this section was a news feed or recommendation panel.

She was surprised to see that despite humanity having entered the interstellar age and scientific advancements being formidable, the news media remained unimaginative. The layout was dull, and even the “Recommended” tag stayed stuck in an archaic aesthetic, lacking any innovation.

Her thoughts wandered, but her fingers obeyed faithfully, tapping into several “Recommended” news items—all military-related.

Though she wasn’t particularly interested, she scanned them quickly and was startled by the content: announcements of generals departing for missions, promotions within the military, official statements from the armed forces… Was the military system in this interstellar world so transparent? Such information was openly reported, easily accessible to ordinary citizens, and described in great detail—completely unlike anything she had known before.

What kind of world was this?