Chapter 71 Deep into the City
If these residents were all puppets, Lonis’s mood would have calmed down considerably.
Right…
Didn’t she go to Gap City before and know the principle there?
If buildings could imitate human appearances, then it might not be strange for puppets to be born—to lower costs, many people look alike.
But what about that man?
Why was he wearing female attire, and why were his actions so strange?
Just as Lonis was about to pilot the ship to investigate…
…
“Alarm, alarm, ancient weapon detected, clearance required.”
“What!”
This alarm sound came from within the city.
And then, several searchlights shot out from the city, focusing on the hull of the Time Shuttle all at once.
(Were we discovered?)
Lonis tried to evade detection, but then…
Roar!
From the darkness, came the roar of a monster.
In an instant, Lian Lan moved closer to her and whispered, “Be careful, it’s the Sea Tide Dragon.”
“Huh?!”
…
Accompanied by the sound wave from a distance, a pitch-black dragon emerged from the shadows.
Although its appearance was similar to the sea dragons in Eastern legends, with a snake-like body and four pairs of claws.
However, a part of its body was made of metal.
Its sharp spine looked like blades that could easily cut through rock, and beneath the scales covering its entire body, a deep blue radiance faintly emanated.
“Everyone be careful, enter combat readiness!”
“Roger!”
…
As expected of one of the Nian Beasts, the Sea Tide Dragon’s pressure was incomparable to ordinary creatures—its length exceeded 100 meters. Even a blue whale, a giant of the ocean, is only a little over 30 meters long.
With just a twist of its body, it could stir up monstrous waves. With a slight turn, it could overturn a boulder.
Lonis tried to maneuver the ship to avoid the Sea Tide Dragon’s attack.
But then…
At the Sea Tide Dragon’s mouth, a ball of black light condensed.
“Little Lo, be careful! It uses this method to suck us into its belly!”
“Mm”
That black light was like a black hole, making the surrounding scenery dim and lifeless.
However…
The Time Shuttle had the Night Pearl!
As if sensing the Sea Tide Dragon’s presence, the Night Pearl suddenly emitted a milky white glow.
This light was not dazzling, and compared to the Sea Tide Dragon’s size, it was nothing… but after the Night Pearl took effect, the Sea Tide Dragon seemed to have been affected and its body trembled.
Although it seemed that the Night Pearl could not inflict substantial damage on the Sea Tide Dragon, these giant dragons seemed to have given up on the Time Shuttle and flew straight to the side.
Their speed was very fast, and in just a moment, they disappeared into the dense fog again.
“Hooray, Little Lo is amazing! Were those just now Little Lo’s new magic?!”
Su Ling jumped up excitedly, her eyes full of envy for Lonis.
“Mm, it was just the Night Pearl… Let’s not talk about this, we need to get closer to the city quickly to find out if everyone is here?”
…
…
Thus, the Time Shuttle slowly approached the city.
And after observing the city carefully, Lonis discovered some thought-provoking details.
For example…
Didn’t she see many housewives going to the supermarket to buy things before?
But after getting closer, Lonis realized they were buying food models, whether vegetables or meat, they were all fake.
Although most people’s expressions appeared normal from afar, upon closer inspection, Lonis found that many puppets had flaws in their features.
Some had eyes on their chins.
Some masks were simply printed on their faces, with no separation from the skin.
Others were severely worn, their faces almost turning into faceless men.
It could be seen that the quality of these puppet bodies varied, as if they had been working for a long time.
…
However, Lonis was more concerned about where Elus and her other companions were… If that dark-hearted girl had been to this city, she would definitely have left a mark and a notification to give her clues.
So…
“Lonis-chan, look at that place. Isn’t there a special mark?”
“Really! There’s a fox drawn on that wall… Elus must have written it, she’s been here!”
Lonis was overjoyed, but then she discovered the problem.
Given the size of the Time Shuttle, it was impossible to land on the street… so the girls’ options were either to land outside the city or hover overhead and descend to the ground by rope.
But either way, it would be dangerous.
So…
“Lian Lan, Su Ling, Bai Ye, Senior… you wait for me on the ship. I want to go down and see what’s going on.”
“Junior Lonis, it might be very dangerous below.”
“I know it’s dangerous, but… Elus might have left clues that only I know. Besides, if everyone stays on board, even if something special happens, you can rescue me by pulling me up.”
Lonis thought so, but Lian Lan did not back down as she had before: “No, Lonis. It’s too dangerous for you to go down alone. It would be troublesome if something unexpected happened, so I’ll go with you.”
“!”
“As for the other companions, you have a curse on you, so please rest on the ship.”
Things turned out this way.
Following the rope, Lonis slowly slid from the deck towards the city—such an experience could not be described as not thrilling.
In fact, Lonis was a little afraid of heights, and the speed of the rope descent was not slow, giving the silver-haired little fox the illusion of riding a roller coaster. It seemed that if she let go, she would be smashed into a pulp.
However, her anticipation of Elus somewhat eased this fear.
Thinking that her wife might be below, and thinking that Elus might be trembling and crying with arousal (though unlikely), Lonis was filled with courage and braced herself to air-drop onto the street.
“Lonis, are you okay?”
“Mm, I’m fine…”
Stepping onto the hard ground with Lian Lan, Lonis cautiously observed her surroundings.
The air was filled with a misty humidity, but it was much drier compared to the Vast Sea. It seemed that this city had its own power field that could block the seawater.
And the shops on both sides of the street?
They all had content, and even the doors and windows of each building were real, and could be entered.
The shop marked with the “fox” symbol by Elus was on Lonis’s left, and the content displayed inside made the girl frown.
“Puppet… General Store?? Why are there only puppet limbs inside…”
“Brave Lonis, I can go in and scout first, you can wait outside for me.”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s go in together.”
Lonis took a deep breath and cautiously walked into the interior of the shop.
