10

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The police had notified citizens through the media about a holiday scheduled for tomorrow. The news spread like wildfire. Although the business owners were unhappy about it, they understood it had to be done.

It was the night after the full moon. The sky was clear, and moonlight bathed the city. The stars glittered above.

The young man and his girlfriend walked along the pedestrian pathway beside the highway. The streetlights were on, but there were few people on the streets. Only a handful of vehicles were parked or occasionally passing by.

They were near the main police station. The guards glanced at them, but the young man had his mouth covered with a face mask. He held her hand tightly, and she looked at him, confused. As they reached the street perpendicular to the station, they noticed a huge white cement pipe typically used for building gutters lying on the ground.

The young man led his girlfriend into the pipe. It was about 10 feet long. She looked at him and asked, "What are we doing here?"

He remained silent, brushing away dust from the inside of the pipe until a small square door became visible.

"He lives here," he finally said.

"Here?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," he replied.

He opened the door, revealing a long staircase descending underground.

He held her hand and said, "Get in and just step down. Don't look down."

"Okay," she replied, stepping down the ladder. He followed her and closed the door behind them. Darkness enveloped the space around them. They took out their smartphones and switched on their flashlights. Their breathing grew heavy, but they continued to descend.

The light from their phones fell on another wooden door at the bottom. "Here's the door," she said.

"Open it," he instructed.

"Okay," she agreed, reaching for the door handle.

She opened the door and squinted as bright white light from below flooded her eyes. They stepped into a large room and quickly closed the door behind them.

Their breathing steadied. It no longer felt like they were underground; the atmosphere here was just like it was above the surface. The room was filled with various machines, plants, and lights, like a botanical laboratory.

She was amazed by everything around her and couldn't believe her eyes. "What is this?" she asked.

"He built it," he replied.

"I'm totally in love with this man. Is he some kind of scientist?" she asked.

"No, but he does scientific work," he answered.

It was a vast room, filled with diverse plantations flourishing behind large, transparent glass panels. There were rows of fruit trees bearing oranges, apples, and even exotic berries; clusters of vegetable plants with ripe tomatoes, leafy greens, and peppers; and colorful beds of flowers—roses, lilies, and sunflowers—creating a vibrant display of life. She reached out and touched the cool surface of the glass, feeling a faint hum of energy coursing through it.

Nearby, two large, cylindrical tanks stood with their ends connected by thick metal pipes. Inside, a chemical reaction seemed to be occurring. The two of them moved closer to the cylinders. Above them, a sign read: "CO₂ to Oxygen Converter." The cylinders were sleek, metallic, and almost as tall as the ceiling, with glass panels on their sides revealing a swirling mixture of green and blue liquid inside. Thin wisps of vapor escaped from small vents, and the faint sound of a low hum mixed with a rhythmic bubbling could be heard. A digital display near the top flashed numbers that seemed to change constantly—showing levels of carbon dioxide intake and oxygen output.

Small lights blinked along the pipes connecting the two tanks, and a soft vibration could be felt underfoot, as if the entire system was alive, quietly working to filter the air. They could hear a faint hissing sound as gas was drawn in, and a soft whirring noise as the mechanism converted it into fresh, breathable oxygen.

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