115: Mona Lisa Space Station (3.2K, please support!)

The airlock opened, and the moment they stepped out of the docking area, the sights inside the space station instantly overwhelmed their senses.

The clamor! A truly interstellar clamor!

The air was thick with dozens of indescribable scents.

The fresh scent of some plant sap, a faint fermented rot, pungent alien natural gas, and exotic spices.

And even more indescribable, the body odors belonging to different lifeforms.

Even though the purification system was running at full capacity, it still came as a massive shock to Jiang Feng, whose sense of smell was sensitive.

'Did I come to a space station, or some flea market?'

Lin Xiaoyu leaned in, covering her nose and mouth slightly with her sleeve: "Brother Feng, did you smell that?"

"Unfortunately, I did." Jiang Feng made a grimace back at her.

The two smiled at each other, and the odor suddenly didn't seem so unbearable anymore.

But when Jiang Feng calmed down and looked around, he noticed that it seemed like no one else felt anything.

He called out to Lin Xiaoxue: "Xiaoxue, did you smell that?"

"Smell what?" Lin Xiaoxue looked blank, wrinkling her nose.

Sniff, sniff...

"There's nothing special? Brother-in-law, it's just the smell of air freshener."

Lin Xiaomeng, standing nearby, quickly added: "At most, it's lime-scented."

Jiang Feng frowned; he and Lin Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, both feeling a bit strange.

But now wasn't the time to get to the bottom of it. A massive tide of people surged forward, and Jiang Feng's group felt like country bumpkins entering the city; they were overwhelmed, unable to even blink even when an eyelash got into their eyes.

With skin in varying shades of olive green, a few "Gaia" walked past; their voices were very distinct, possessing an elegance and slowness that ordinary people could hardly match.

Then there were the "Awei People," over three meters tall, with skin made of stone, not even knowing what clothes were.

As the big guys walked past, the floor vibrated slightly, and from time to time, some glittering debris would fall off.

That was rare crystal.

Several cleaning robots followed them closely, sucking up all the crystal debris; the robots had the Terran Union emblem printed on them.

Not only that, there were also the "Tzynn," covered from head to toe in fine dark green scales, with cold, vertical pupils, looking ready to fight any human, and drooling from the corners of their mouths; there were quite a few of them, wearing dark clothing and moving quickly.

The explosive power in their movements was such that Jiang Feng, even from several meters away, could hear the whooshing wind as they walked.

Continuing forward, there were even more alien visitors of various forms whose names Jiang Feng couldn't even begin to guess.

Jellyfish-like creatures hovering on small anti-gravity platforms shimmered with iridescent light.

Short, "Hazbuzan People" with huge triangular heads walked slowly.

Unknown lifeforms wrapped in heavy protective suits, green liquid sloshing inside transparent helmets, their true forms blurred...

This was the intersection of prosperity and chaos, the vortex center of wealth and opportunity.

On massive holographic billboards, text and images from different civilizations scrolled constantly, promoting various goods ranging from luxury items to starship parts.

Space station staff in various uniforms, merchants, mercenaries, tourists...

They formed a bizarre and colorful masterpiece of a picture scroll.

'This is—the stars!'

Jiang Feng stood still; at this moment, he was absolutely certain.

Lin Xiaoxue and Lin Xiaomeng were completely stunned, mouths slightly agape, eyes wide, like two little rabbits that had wandered into the land of giants, clutching their sister's clothes tightly.

The overwhelming sense of strangeness and luxury brought with it a shock that made all their excitement vanish without a trace, leaving only caution and a hint of awkward constraint.

"Gurgle..."

Lin Xiaomeng's stomach growled inopportunely.

After the excitement brought by the high-intensity sensory shock faded, hunger surfaced.

Lin Xiaomeng's face turned red in an instant.

In an instant, she felt countless gazes. As those aliens walked by, every look seemed to be mocking her as a hick, a human hick.

'So embarrassing!'

Lin Xiaomeng pursed her lips tightly, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

After all, they were twins, connected in heart and mind. Lin Xiaoxue, standing beside her, was speechless. Those aliens—it was debatable whether they even had eyes, so how could they be mocking you?

Jiang Feng noticed. He looked around and his gaze landed on a light screen.

[Transcend the dimension of taste, reshape the experience of life.]

[Our restaurant proudly presents a revolutionary masterpiece in the history of cosmic dining—"Stellar Convergence."]

[Using the essence of the eight great Eastern cuisines, fused with Mediterranean flair, sparing no cost to select the universe's ultimate treasures: energy-rich alien natural gas, activated radioactive dust tempered through the ages, and rare crystals containing the mysteries of life.]

[Exclusive for plant-based diners: High-quality alien natural gas to trigger secondary growth.]

[Special for stone-based lifeforms: Rare crystals to promote basalt molecular restructuring; transforming into granite is no longer a dream.]

[New menu for toxic lifeforms: Nano-neutralizing enzymes to crack lethal toxins, perfectly laying the foundation for your "intimate" contact with humans.]

[Evolutionary key for reptilian lifeforms: Specially formulated Sichuan pepper and hemp, activating interstellar genes to help you soar through the sky.]

[Ascension cuisine for avian lifeforms: Anti-gravity sauce spread on Northeastern steamed buns with tuna and wasabi—awaken your inner space whale today!]

[Special empathetic blend for radiation fungi: Activated radioactive dust stirs memories of wandering, mycelium trembles, humans empathize with your longing for home.]

Jiang Feng curled his lip and gave a thumbs up: "This is the one!"

"This..." Lin Xiaoyu hesitated, exchanged a glance with her two younger sisters, and let out a long sigh.

The restaurant was easy to find; following the main corridor of the spaceport, it was just a few steps away.

The interior decoration was highly futuristic, exuding luxury everywhere, with dining areas for different species isolated. Gold-Wrapped Silver walked over, blocking Jiang Feng's leg with its massive body, and sent him a report.

[Abnormal data:]

[Restaurant kitchen storage freezer: Gamma rays detected, dose rate 4.11 microsieverts per hour.]

[Restaurant Dining Area 2: Gamma rays detected, dose rate 1.21 microsieverts per hour.]

[Risk warning: Continuous exposure may lead to slight radiation accumulation, which is detrimental to health; it is recommended to go to Dining Area 6 and do not leave the "aluminum-lead" partition shielded area.]

"Ahem."

Jiang Feng's leg twitched, and he pivoted on his heel, taking Lin Xiaoyu and the two others and bypassing the restaurant, entering a proper human restaurant instead. As soon as he walked in, he breathed a sigh of relief and gave Gold-Wrapped Silver a thumbs up.

Lin Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at him.

Inside the restaurant, the lighting was soft, and the floating seats were very comfortable.

Through the massive virtual viewing window, one could overlook the busy traffic outside the space station.

Space elevators went up and down, shuttles came and went, and massive interstellar freighters, unwilling to enter Earth's gravity well, were docked in the distance, their bright docking lights turning them into even brighter stars.

The waitress was elegant in her manners, and with a soft, smiling voice, she handed over the menu.

Lin Xiaoxue and Lin Xiaomeng took the cicada-wing-thin silk menu, and just holding it, they felt it weighed a thousand pounds.

The handwritten dishes and prices were of an order of magnitude that almost never appeared in their lives.

The cheapest Yangzhou fried rice, 650 earth federation coin.

A glass of drinking water labeled "Artemis Ice Spring," 120 earth federation coin.

The most ordinary brewed beer, 480 earth federation coin.

Not to mention whatever chicken, whatever fish, whatever beef.

Anyway, just slap on some fancy adjectives, and adding zeros to the end is the way to go; one zero not enough? Then add two!

"Sister..."

Lin Xiaomeng and Lin Xiaoxue shrank their heads, quietly passing the menu over.

Lin Xiaomeng took the opportunity to steal a glance at the waitress with the standard smile, and just happened to meet her eyes.

A trace of extremely subtle, disdainful amusement, mixed with a faint sense of superiority, flashed through her professional smile, so fast it was almost impossible to catch, but Lin Xiaomeng saw it—it was the look she had always feared... the look of someone looking at a hick.

Lin Xiaomeng's face turned red instantly; she lowered her head, letting her blue hair obscure her vision.

It was as if only in this way could she be freed from the other person's gaze.

Jiang Feng didn't notice the two sisters' behavior; in fact, he didn't care about the food at all. No matter how high the consumption in this restaurant was, could it drain his account of over seven million? That was impossible.

At most it would cost tens of thousands; if he were treating brothers or friends, he would definitely spread his hands and say, no money.

But that wasn't the case now; whether it was expensive or cheap, he didn't care.

What he was more concerned about was the information on his wristband.

Arriving at the space station, as soon as he opened his wristband, a network connection notification popped up.

[Terran Union Network Service Reminder: You have connected to the "Interstellar Network," data usage will be billed separately.]

[Your account currently has no faster-than-light internet broadband plan; apply now to enjoy 88888 earth federation coin...]

Jiang Feng ignored this and quickly searched; sure enough, he could connect to the Commonwealth of Man's network and see current affairs news.

Lin Xiaoyu's eyes were sharp, scanning every price tag; her brows furrowed imperceptibly for a moment, then relaxed again.

She quickly calculated the cost-performance ratio in her mind and said to Jiang Feng in a low voice: "Let's order this 'Star Domain Flavor BBQ Set' and 'Oasis Salad'; it looks like a decent portion, and the reviews are not bad either."

"Order two plates of cheese pasta separately for them; it's their favorite."

"For drinks... let's just get the Artemis Ice Spring; the others are too expensive."

Her voice was not loud, but clear and organized, making the most economical and decent choice in the shortest time.

Jiang Feng was a bit distracted; his brows were tightly furrowed, and his fists were clenched tightly.

"Mm, I'll listen to you..."

Lin Xiaoyu didn't respond, just turned her head to look over as well.

On the light screen, the words of the news headline made her pupils contract suddenly.

[Commonwealth of Man News Agency: Emergency War Briefing.]

[Federation in crisis on two fronts! The fierce battle in Orion is in full swing, and NGC 2264 is staging a cat-and-mouse game.]

[Universal Enterprises reaps the benefits, Terran Union homeland attacked, Human Federation remote exclave draws covetous eyes.]

[Human Federation Editorial: The Commonwealth of Man is facing unprecedented and severe challenges; strong enemies are pressing on two fronts, human compatriots have suffered heavy losses, and the massive military expenditure is like a sword hanging over their heads.]

[Universal Enterprises' military expansion under the guise of "peace," along with the new risks brought by the exposure of the remote strategic exclave, indicates that this interstellar conflict is escalating rapidly.]

[Can the decisive battle sought by Admiral Cowell turn the tide? Can the Federation hold onto its remote lifeline? How long can peace in the Solar System be maintained? For more reports, please see the specific column reports.]

[——War Correspondent: Celestine; Tactical Analyst: Jim Raynor, joint report.]