Chapter 70: Gap City in the Deep Sea
And so, the ship sailed onward across the vast sea.
After 3 days of sailing…
The Time Shuttle surprisingly entered a lightless area.
It was as if the entire place was covered by thick dark clouds, and even during the day, there wasn’t enough light.
The originally misty world became even more profound, with visibility of less than 100 meters… and in the depths of that unseen sight, the calls of monsters could be heard.
“Bai Ye, did we take the wrong way?”
“Mm… Mm, we should be close to the Sea Tide Dragon’s lair. Lonis, please be careful.”
“I know, but with the night-shining pearls, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
…
Everyone became a little cautious, and what about our “handsome boy” Su Ling Zhou? He couldn’t contain his inner fear and started to get scared.
“Wuwu, I hate being a boy…”
“Su Ling?”
“If I could turn back into a girl, I could snuggle into big sister’s or Lonis’s bed. Right now… wuwu, please don’t hurt me…”
It’s not surprising Su Ling was so scared, because the scenery outside the window was like entering the underworld, appearing desolate and bizarre.
It wasn’t just floating buildings; lightning began to flash intermittently in the sky, and it even started raining!
However, this rain was different from what we usually understand… it wasn’t falling from the sky, but coming from all sorts of directions, any direction imaginable.
Sometimes, there was even heavy rain blowing up from the ground, making Lonis wonder if the outside world had completely turned upside down.
At such times, everyone would choose to stay together… seeing their companions could somewhat alleviate their inner fear.
The girls ate together, worked together, and maintained the ship together.
And so, in this atmosphere.
The girls finally arrived at their destination – the Sea Tide Dragon’s lair.
However, although this was the Sea Tide Dragon’s lair, the city revealed in the distance through the mist stunned Lonis.
Lush tall buildings, wide and straight streets, integrated commercial centers… that familiar sight, wasn’t it the Gap City she had visited before?
However…
Compared to the harbor she had visited, this city seemed larger and more modern.
There were few 2-3 story buildings; most of the buildings were apartment buildings with 6 or more stories. And along the roads, one could even see large subway stations and commercial centers.
It was just that there were no lights anywhere.
The entire city seemed to have merged with the darkness, with almost no signs of any living creatures moving.
“Lian Lan, this is also… Gap City?”
“Mm, it’s just that it’s different from the one we saw last time… with a Gap City of this scale, I seem to be… visiting here for the first time.”
“!”
“Judging from the dark lighting, this city seems to have been abandoned. But if it were truly abandoned, it wouldn’t be so well-preserved; it would have been shattered like the buildings we encountered along the way.”
Lian Lan looked into the distance, her eyes filled with doubt.
Bai Ye also pressed her body against the glass and suddenly said in disbelief, “H-how could this be? It didn’t look like this when I was here last time.”
“Huh?”
“At that time, I hadn’t seen such a huge city at all, only a slimy thing – Elder Sister Elus told me to leave, but…”
“Bai Ye, we were evacuating late at night, and it was very tense…”
Mi Xue Zhou also came over and said analytically, “Could it be that the city was always here, and we just didn’t see it clearly?”
“Th-that seems to be the case.”
…
Neither Bai Ye nor Mi Xue Zhou could get an accurate answer.
Lonis’s heart grew even more worried… she didn’t know what awaited her, but since the city was here, they couldn’t possibly retreat.
As the Time Shuttle slowly approached the city.
A rapid sound spread out from within the city.
Like a bugle for announcements, the sound was urgent and sharp, startling the girls, who thought their movements had been discovered.
But then…
…
“A new day has begun, and the fog dispersal device has been activated.”
…
With a ding.
Not only did the streetlights in the city turn on, but the buildings and towers simultaneously emitted dazzling light.
The light not only illuminated the surface but also dispelled the sky-obscuring fog of the vast sea. The doors of various apartment buildings were pushed open, and people of all sorts came out from inside…
Some were wearing suits, like ordinary office workers.
Some were wearing police uniforms, looking like they were going to maintain public order.
Some were wearing school uniforms, with backpacks on their backs.
Some were wearing dresses, looking like housewives going to the supermarket.
…
…
Although this scene looked lively, both Lonis and the girls gasped in unison.
Because these people…
Their speed and posture of movement were exactly the same!
And although there were many types and professions of pedestrians, one could see a pedestrian with almost the exact same attire and face from a dozen meters away.
For example, the man in the suit carrying a black briefcase… thirty meters behind him, there was an identical man in a suit, but his briefcase had turned brown.
Perhaps her companions had never seen such a scene, but Lonis was all too familiar with this sight!
That’s how NPCs in open-world games are!
Although at a momentary glance, the pedestrians seemed distinct and individual.
But if observed carefully, one would discover that the crowds were all made up of generic faces, and one would see the same pedestrian again not too far away.
But that was in the virtual world.
Now, they were in the real world?
How could such a game-like scene appear?
Lonis felt a deep fear, just like before. She was even afraid that the world she was in was itself a lie.
However, at this moment…
“Everyone, look over there, there’s someone over there who’s even stranger.”
“Huh?!”
Lonis followed Su Ling Zhou’s guidance and looked over, only to find a man walking on the street.
He looked to be around forty years old, his skin tanned as if exposed to the sun, making him look a bit dark – in terms of skin tone, he looked out of place compared to the people around him.
But what was even more bizarre was that he was wearing women’s attire.
A dress with red checks, and surprisingly large high heels that seemed out of place… the man looked around helplessly, his face filled with confusion and fear.
But then, as if frightened by something, he quickly ran forward. After the man ran into a building, his figure disappeared from sight.
“What exactly was that person?”
Just as Lonis was deeply confused, Bai Ye suddenly discovered something.
“Sister Lonis, he’s not a puppet!”
“Huh? Not a puppet…”
Lonis was stunned. Since Bai Ye said so, it meant…
…
“Mm, Bai Ye can sense that those existences, apart from that man, seem to be puppets composed of machines, just like me?”
