Era 2137, USA, New York, First Space Passenger Station
Joseph boarded his anti-gravity car and headed to New York's First Space Passenger Station with his five partners. As a metropolis, New York had many space passenger stations; massive spaceships could be seen taking off and landing everywhere, even in the slums. Joseph parked the anti-gravity car in the station's underground garage, backed into a spot, turned off the anti-gravity engine, and locked the car using a new type of electric strap.
The five-member core investigation team walked to the space station's ticket counter. Each held a gold and blue police ID card with a magnetic strip, allowing the ticket clerk to immediately recognize them as Secret Police. Joseph carefully bent down and placed a finger to his lips, signaling the clerk not to make a scene. Finally, he looked around; from the moment they left headquarters, he had felt someone following him in the shadows, but he had never found the person.
Joseph boarded the spaceship.
He began to recall the battles he had experienced during the Third World War. He thought of his close comrades-in-arms, but without exception, they had all fallen under ruthless laser fire. Thinking of this, Joseph shed tears once again. The glistening tear was like sweet morning dew, dripping onto a bonsai plant inside the spaceship. Just like this plant, which knew clearly that it wasn't dew but a tear, and knew clearly that it was forever sealed in this sunless white ship, it still told itself weakly and in despair that it was dew.
Joseph turned to look at space. The Third World War had broken out right there. To compete for resources in space, emerging forces not controlled by the United Nations rose up and started wars against old nations, while other emerging forces fought amongst themselves for the meager resources in the solar system. These insatiable capitalists took life after life, becoming kings of new kingdoms, yet their subjects were only finding grave after grave—the graves of their children. Constrained by international conventions, the old nations only waged a Cold War and did not start any actual wars. However, upon seeing wave after wave of emerging forces, the UN Secretary-General, who originally controlled all nations, fell into complete despair. Treaties were useful, but for those nations not party to them, they were as pale and powerless as waste paper. It was under these circumstances that the United Nations collapsed and was dismembered. Yet, other high-ranking officials did not realize until the very last moment that the collapse of the UN was inevitable. They believed the UN's unity and centralized management of nations could continue after the Third World War, that their League of Nations could last forever. What use was it that only the Secretary-General was anxious?
Joseph withdrew his gaze because the thoughts of those government officials were simply too absurd. There is no "forever" in this world. Didn't that ancient man, Einstein, prove it? The laws of all matter are conserved; once matter is used up, everything will turn around and start over. Of course, whether the species known as humans will exist in the new world after the restart is unclear. Naturally, Joseph couldn't worry that far ahead; a new cycle might take billions, or even quadrillions of years. He had no energy to think about those things, nor would he live to see that day. He turned to look at his partners, then thought of his former partners. Indeed, those rulers were all the same. They were nothing but ordinary pawns in the hands of the rulers, yet few seemed to realize this. Didn't an ancient person once say it? It is said he was a mentally ill person. He said: "If everyone in this world is a demon, then there will be no demons in this world." Yes, it was well said, but unfortunately, he was mentally ill, so no one paid attention to him. Why? The reason is simple: because he was mentally ill. Only his attending psychiatrist was deeply shocked. But that, of course, was a minority. There were truly too few people who saw through the real meaning of this sentence or were even willing to try to understand it.
Joseph didn't want to think any further.
He and his partners walked off the spaceship. He placed his hand on his waist, touching the smooth particle laser pistol that brought him a sense of security, and then placed his hand behind his back. This was his habitual action, but this action once again drew the gaze of those hawk-like sharp eyes upon him.