When He Fang saw Ao City, it was the first time he truly understood what an Älliance City” was. This vast, boundless, and enormous coalition was the very embodiment of the prosperity one would expect from a capital city.
It was the first truly stunning mobile city he had seen since logging into “Ruins Without Restart” online network.
Ao City was on a completely different level from other small or medium-sized mobile cities. Even Angel City, considered a large-scale mobile city, couldn’t compare. Despite being set in a post-apocalyptic world where practicality was the norm, Ao City exuded a sense of design and aesthetics.
He Fang was awed by Ao City’s beauty, and just as shocked by how effortlessly they were able to enter it. The city wasn’t guarded by living people, but by detection machines. These expensive machines, rare in the post-apocalypse, encircled the entire city. The scanning process was fast and, most importantly, didn’t cost any human lives.
“No matter what kind of world it is, there will always be some filthy rich folks living it up,” He Fang remarked with emotion.
Inside the city, unlike other places, everyone seemed busy and focused, as if they were following some kind of directive. Upon entering Ao City, each person was issued a small wristband. He Fang was confused but still put his on.
“Login information detected. Would you like to update the identity wristband’s information?”
He Fang’s heart skipped a beat. He had a pretty good idea of what the detected login information referred to. It must be that thing they had been carrying with them all along. Since they were already wearing it, it meant they were prepared to confront things head-on. After all, with the way Chong Xiao and Chong Ying operated, neither of them was the type to rely on brains.
Chong Ying said to the wristband, “Yes.”
They had disguised themselves before coming, even though they didn’t have makeup tools. Still, they were able to make do with a few props to tidy up their appearance.
According to what Chong Ying had said, since Zhang Guangshi was likely a spy from Ao City, he might have registered there as well. And as it turned out, they had guessed right.
Since Zhang Guangshi was a knowledgeable person, he likely held high positions in multiple cities. By using his identity information, they could directly reach the upper levels of Ao City, saving themselves a great deal of trouble.
This time, the three of them entered together mainly because Chong Xiao wasn’t good with words, and Chong Ying, after all, was a long-range combatant—his main body was easily suppressed. After seeing the scale of Ao City, they decided it was best to act together.
He Fang tagging along was somewhat awkward. He might end up dragging them down a little, but he had a very important role: he could summon the Divine Lord.
He Fang always carried the Divine Lord pendant with him, hidden under his clothes and hanging around his neck. As long as he had the pendant, he could input commands to the Divine Lord. Clearly, the commands weren’t affected by distance. When things became truly dangerous, he could use his Faith Points to summon the Divine Lord. The only thing that concerned He Fang was that, although his Faith Points had slightly increased compared to before, they still couldn’t match what he had at his former peak. After all, the more complex the command, the more Faith the Divine Lord would consume.
Still, it was better than nothing. It was a trump card.
When Zhang Guangshi’s record was registered to the wristband, a map suddenly appeared on its surface, and a voice came from it: “Zhang Guangshi, please proceed to the coordinates to report your information.”
He Fang felt like this was going too smoothly. But on second thought, if this device were implanted in someone’s heart and ceased to function the moment the heart stopped beating, it was unlikely anyone would think to build a heartbeat simulator. In that sense, it all kind of made sense.
“Stick close to brother, no matter what,” Chong Ying said as he turned back to He Fang. The young man had been in a noticeably different state ever since they entered Ao City, unlike his usual self.
“Okay,” He Fang replied.
No one came to greet them after entering Ao City; everything was automated. He Fang truly felt what the future was like—this was what a high-tech age should be.
And yet, to think that a city like this used a monarchic system, He Fang found it incredibly contradictory.
As they headed toward the coordinates, He Fang kept his hat on while observing the people of Ao City. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be many of them. But to maintain the operation of such a massive city, there couldn’t possibly be so few. In the corners out of sight, there were likely countless people curled up in narrow spaces, working to keep the enormous city running.
Ao City was enormous, but thanks to Zhang Guangshi’s identity, they were able to use a great number of extremely convenient facilities, so traveling through it wasn’t as exhausting as it might have been.
At this moment, they were seated in an elevator—not a traditional one that went up and down, but one that, after verifying their identity via the wristbands, traveled directly toward a certain direction. The entire elevator was opaque, so He Fang couldn’t tell which way they were heading, though Chong Xiao and Chong Ying probably could.
Several other people were standing beside them, clearly part of the city’s administrative class. Each one stood tall and broad-shouldered. He Fang felt his nerves tightening, his fingers curling unconsciously. His breath caught in his chest, and he could hardly breathe. Fortunately, Chong Xiao and Chong Ying subtly positioned themselves between him and the others, forming a physical barrier. Only then did He Fang feel slightly at ease.
Their group’s clothing was rather strange, but those around them seemed completely unfazed by it. No one paid them any special attention—not even a glance in their direction.
And yet, He Fang couldn’t shake a strange sense of unease from his heart.
He tilted his head and looked at Chong Ying. The latter’s lips were faintly pressed together, his eyes dark and deep, as if he was in a bad mood.
Many people got off and on the elevator as it moved, but their destination never seemed to arrive. To He Fang, the wait felt endless.
Unlike the Chong brothers, He Fang couldn’t communicate wordlessly or read their thoughts through silence. Now that they weren’t speaking, he didn’t dare open his mouth either. The confined space only worsened his nerves. The more anxious he became, the harder it was to breathe. He Fang felt as if he had stepped into a horror game.
Finally, when the wristband indicated that they had arrived, the elevator doors slowly opened in front of them. What appeared was a surprisingly spacious open area. He Fang was caught off guard.
Even in Ao City, which sought to conserve space wherever possible, to suddenly encounter such a wide-open place… Could this mean they had reached the upper levels of the city?
He Fang followed behind Chong Ying, while Chong Xiao walked at his side. Without looking around, they stepped calmly out of the elevator. The doors closed behind them. He Fang wanted to say something, but stopped himself again. He wasn’t sure if there were surveillance devices around them. After all, this was a city defined by advanced technology.
He Fang had been secretly observing the surroundings the whole time. Ao City, after all, was a developed city that had evolved within the apocalypse—it must have its merits. In the future, he planned to organize regular public-funded trips to let his city’s NPCs travel to neighboring cities and broaden their horizons. He absolutely had to bring Zhu Yan here at least once, to take a look at the city’s configurations and see if anything was interesting they could collect.
“Sai Gu.”
Suddenly, He Fang thought he heard a voice. It seemed to be calling out “Sai Gu”. He Fang frowned slightly, thinking he must have misheard. How could Uncle Gu possibly be here?
Yet that voice didn’t fade away. It was accompanied by a series of clear, pleasant laughter. The voice was hard to classify as male or female, but it sounded joyful, a sharp contrast to the deathly silence between people in Ao City.
In the upper levels… happy people…
He Fang’s curiosity was stirred. He tilted his head ever so slightly and looked in the direction the voice had come from.
It was from a nearby hall, which looked like a leisure area. Not far from where they were standing, there were two figures.
He Fang’s eyes were immediately drawn to one of them. That person was tall and powerfully built—a robust figure unique to a middle-aged man. He was seated on a bench, leaning back against the wall, legs spread apart, limbs sprawled casually. He stood out—so much so that it was impossible not to look at him.
And then there was that slightly messy, silvery hair—it made He Fang’s pupils contract slightly. But he quickly forced himself to control his expression. He could feel his already-tense heartbeat speeding up even more, thudding wildly in his chest. His heart was about to leap out of his ribcage.
Sai Gu was as eye-catching as ever, but this time, what caught He Fang’s attention wasn’t just Sai Gu, but the young boy standing between Sai Gu’s casually spread legs. He Fang’s gaze met the boy’s, and he was somewhat surprised.
The boy’s appearance was exquisitely delicate, genuinely beautiful. It was rare to see wild NPCs that looked particularly attractive. The more refined-looking ones were usually from the upper ranks. But this beautiful? He Fang’s first instinct was—his status must be extremely high!
Sai Gu was together with such a high-ranking NPC. As expected, Uncle Gu was still the powerful Uncle Gu!
He Fang hadn’t expected that he would really get to see Sai Gu. He was very surprised in his heart. However, what startled him even more was that he met the gaze of that youth. It was as if the youth had been watching him all along, so he caught the moment when He Fang looked at him with complete precision.
At that moment, He Fang became nervous, and his steps faltered. But the clothes at his back were tugged by Chong Xiao, and he immediately steadied his footing, following the strength of the pull.
That youth was hugging Sai Gu. His slender, fair arms contrasted starkly with Sai Gu’s bronze skin, creating a very unique visual. The youth seemed to truly like Sai Gu, clinging to him almost completely with his soft, boneless body. It was a possessive gesture, yet the youth’s gaze was fixed entirely on He Fang.
He Fang wanted to look away, but for some reason, he inexplicably kept looking at the two of them. Then he saw the youth smile.
That youth’s smile was extremely strange, but upon closer inspection, it truly was just a smile, without any hint of malice. He Fang wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he kept feeling like the other party was showing him goodwill.
He Fang felt a bit confused. Why would he have such a strange feeling?
However, when he shifted his gaze to Sai Gu, He Fang saw Sai Gu move his lips slightly, as if he was saying something to him. But He Fang didn’t catch it clearly.
The moment the youth noticed He Fang was looking at Sai Gu, the smile that had carried goodwill instantly changed. He immediately embraced Sai Gu’s head, pressing his face into his own chest like he was holding an oversized doll’s head, and looked at He Fang with wariness.
But within this brief moment, He Fang had already followed Chong Ying and left their field of view.
He Fang narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully recalling what exactly Sai Gu had said behind the youth’s obstructing form.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to read lips. He couldn’t discern anything at all. The last thing he saw was Sai Gu seemingly giving the youth’s back a gentle pat, a pampering and lingering gesture so tender that it instantly softened the youth’s previously stern and jealous expression.
He Fang felt a vague sense of unwillingness. As he thought carefully, what exactly had Sai Gu been trying to tell him back then?
He Fang faintly felt something was off. Even if it was the upper levels, it shouldn’t be this quiet. Except for Sai Gu, whom they had seen at the beginning, the further they walked, the quieter it became—so quiet that there was nothing at all.
There should be people here.
But where were the people?
He Fang couldn’t help but look around, yet he couldn’t find anyone.
“We’re here.” At this moment, Chong Ying lifted his head.
In front of them stood a massive door. The door emitted a sound: “Zhang Guangshi’s identity confirmed. Entry permitted.”
Zhang Guangshi’s identity confirmed? He Fang watched as the two brothers, Chong Xiao and Chong Ying, walked in. But unlike the brothers, who weren’t good at thinking, He Fang thought much more. According to sci-fi movies, there should at least be fingerprint input or perhaps an iris scan for identity confirmation. No matter what, there should be some process to verify identity.
But why had they gotten in so easily?
He Fang began to vaguely sense that something might be wrong. His steps suddenly halted.
He suddenly realized that maybe…
This was a trap.
At the moment He Fang stopped, he saw that inside the door they had just stepped through, the area was already filled with fully armed individuals and all sorts of weapons they had never seen before. From top to bottom, they were surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through. He Fang was startled.
A sudden thought flashed through He Fang’s mind. Could it be that this was what Saigu had been trying to warn him about?
He Fang instinctively tightened his grip through his clothes on the pendant of the landmark that he had quietly hidden under his clothing. He had already silently opened the command input interface.
“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, City Lord He Fang of Hope City.” Suddenly, a voice echoed in the empty space. “I truly didn’t expect you to actually escape from Light City. It speaks to your capabilities—or rather, the capabilities of your subordinates. Quite impressive.”
He Fang blinked, then finally sighed and removed his hat. From beneath the brim emerged a young face, still carrying a trace of youthful immaturity. With his vision no longer obscured, he looked around carefully, then said, “Are you the City Lord of Ao City? Are you not standing right before me now?”
“In Ao City, you should address our supreme leader as ‘Your Majesty’!” Suddenly, a tall and sturdy man in armor appeared in front of him, wielding a weapon that looked extremely powerful. His tone was harsh, as though reprimanding He Fang for showing disrespect toward their Majesty.
“I understand.” He Fang didn’t intend to dwell on such a matter. “Then, Your Majesty, do you not plan to truly meet me face-to-face?”
“He Fang.” This time, the voice no longer held any respectful address toward him as a city lord. Instead, it had the aloof and condescending tone of someone speaking to a subordinate. “Do you understand that, for the time being, I have no reason to act against you?”
He Fang paused in thought. “As a fellow city lord, I believe I can more or less understand what you’re trying to do.”
“It’s just a barely-formed alliance between a few insignificant little cities—how could you be qualified to compare yourself to our Majesty?”
That man once again shouted rudely, repeatedly interrupting. Yet, throughout his outbursts, their so-called Majesty remained silent, clearly giving tacit approval to his behavior.
“At the very least, until we are able to truly form a partnership, the status between me and your emperor is equal. We are both lords of our respective cities.” He Fang now spoke with pride. All this time, he had thought of himself merely as a servant to his city. But after seeing so many people relying on him, a deeper sense of responsibility had awakened within him.
“Just a mere city lord of a tiny city…”
“We only needed three people to escape from Light City, which had already become a world of Nightmare Beasts, and we even killed the spy Zhang Guangshi. I think, at the very least in terms of ability, we are not lacking.” As He Fang spoke, he was closely observing the other party. When he saw that the other side showed no surprise at the phrase ‘Light City turning into a world of Nightmare Beasts’, his heart turned cold. Did these people already know that Light City had been sacrificed?
“You are indeed quite capable. Ao City has always welcomed talented individuals, and your abilities have certainly impressed me. I once thought Hope City was just a barren land that had stumbled upon good fortune. But now, it seems you are truly a dark horse in this apocalypse, yet to be discovered.” The voice was deep and mellow. Since He Fang couldn’t see the person, he could only judge from the sound that the speaker was likely a middle-aged man.
“I’m glad to receive such an evaluation,” He Fang replied honestly.
“Then do you have any intention of submitting to me?” the man asked.
He Fang, however, chuckled. “Then I believe I should be speaking directly to the real Majesty. Perhaps then there would be room for discussion.”
The other party clearly fell silent. He Fang was only guessing—but it was also a judgment. Since people in Ao City used the title ‘Majesty’, then an emperor should have a very distinct form of self-address. It shouldn’t be just ‘I’. The man’s voice had been deep and powerful, indeed very dignified—but he always referred to himself simply as ‘I’.
Finally, after He Fang patiently waited, he heard the voice of Ao City’s emperor for the first time.
What kind of voice was that? If He Fang had to describe it, it would be icy and sinister—like a chill seeping up from the ground itself, a coldness that made one’s hair stand on end. It was the kind of cold that belonged to someone who had truly experienced bloodshed. It was completely different from Zhu Yan’s kind of clear, aloof coolness.
“We are willing to grant a warrior special treatment.”
He Fang didn’t know why the other party would evaluate him as a “warrior”, but he couldn’t help swallowing nervously.
Right now, he was surrounded entirely by weapons. Although he trusted the Chong brothers deeply, he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain they could break through such an encirclement in a single stroke.
“Are you willing to submit under My command?”
He Fang glanced at Chong Xiao and Chong Ying. The expressions of these two people had never really changed—only, Chong Xiao had kept the brim of his hat lowered, shielding those seemingly lifeless eyes of his, while Chong Ying, once he got serious, looked extremely like his older brother.
He Fang felt somewhat uneasy, but forced himself to say, “I’m very sorry, but this time, the one who can make the decision is not me.”
“Hmm?” The other party’s voice carried a trace of laziness, but unlike Sai Gu, He Fang could hear the contempt hidden in the upward lilt of that single syllable.
“That depends on whether my people agree or not.” He Fang narrowed his eyes, feeling like he was about to personally experience a real gunfight.
“Then…” That voice gradually sank into an icy coldness, and He Fang heard the sound of a sneer. “There’s no need to agree or disagree anymore.”
At that very instant, He Fang heard a sudden roaring sound.
Yet this roaring sound was not the sound of himself being attacked.
He Fang only felt that, at some unknown point, Chong Xiao had suddenly disappeared from his side. He vanished without a sound, even under the eyes of so many people. But from all directions came the deafening sounds of explosions. He Fang watched, wide-eyed, as the weapons held by those who had aimed at them suddenly exploded for no discernible reason.
He Fang suddenly sensed that at his side, Chong Ying—at some unknown point—had already taken out the weapons hidden all over his clothing. And he grabbed He Fang’s hand, running at full speed. Right ahead of their path, a fully-formed weapon slid across the ground toward them and was swiftly seized by Chong Ying. It was in this swift movement that, before anyone could react, they had already been taken down by the weapon.
What a terrifying thing this was.
Everyone was on the verge of going mad. Some had even realized that the tallest man among them hadn’t disappeared at all, but that his speed was so fast they simply couldn’t see his movements. And when they tried to attack the two remaining people, they found that even at such a short distance, even when shooting at them from range, that youth in the middle could accurately and flawlessly use his weapon to intercept all their attacks in mid-air.
Too terrifying…
What kind of terrifying combat power was this?
Could such people really exist?
He Fang felt dazzled. Although the entire situation was one-sided, for some reason, he inexplicably felt that things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
The place they were in right now was very large, yet there wasn’t a single decoration or item in sight. It was spotlessly clean. In any mobile city, a place like this would be very strange.
He Fang felt this kind of empty place gave him a strong sense of déjà vu. It was just like… the first time he was brought by Qi Jingwei to meet Chong Xiao and Chong Ying. That had been a training room!
He Fang suddenly said to Chong Ying, “Quick, we need to get out. We can’t stay here!”
However, the moment he finished speaking, countless thin laser beams descended throughout the entire space in an instant. These laser beams directly pierced through the surrounding people. They didn’t even have time to let out a single scream.
He Fang’s whole body went stiff. He happened to be positioned precisely within a gap between the laser beams. These beams seemed to deliberately avoid piercing him, not just him, even Chong Xiao and Chong Ying were the same. Chong Xiao’s speed was restricted, and he came to a halt right there.
He Fang noticed that their wristbands were now emitting faint sounds. He guessed that the reason these laser beams didn’t pierce them was because of the wristbands. It seemed that if they had refused the wristbands from the start, they might never have made it this far.
At this moment, both Chong Xiao and Chong Ying stopped moving, as if they had been restrained in place.
The behavior of these two people left He Fang completely baffled. Perhaps if he so much as touched one of those laser beams, he’d die on the spot. But he was one hundred percent certain that right now, Chong Xiao and Chong Ying could freely resist these laser beams if they wanted to!
As for why? Because He Fang watched with his own eyes as Chong Ying didn’t manage to withdraw his fingernail in time, and it got caught by that laser thread. But don’t even mention being injured—not even a bit of skin was broken!
If even Chong Ying could resist that laser thread so easily, then there’s no need to even mention Chong Xiao!
What does that mean?
Pretending to be restrained?
He Fang was completely baffled.
“Right now, all of you had best not move recklessly. Otherwise, your fate will be the same as the corpse beside you.” The voice of the person who had previously impersonated the Emperor of Ao City rang out once again, with an undertone of threat.
Amidst a pile of sliced-up remains, the smell of blood hit the tip of He Fang’s nose. The overly realistic sensation nearly made him feel nauseated.
He Fang and the others obediently allowed themselves to be led into the prison cells of Ao City. These cells were completely empty, with nothing inside. The only thing there was a drainage ditch, and the air within it was filled with a very foul stench. He Fang saw with his own eyes some kind of excrement floating by through the ditch, and his expression became exceptionally strange. He hadn’t expected something so disgusting to happen right before his eyes.
He Fang kept his distance from the mouth of the drainage ditch and looked over at Chong Ying and Chong Xiao, who were locked in different cells, just as puzzled as before.
“Do you two… have something in mind?” He Fang quietly approached the wall and asked with a tone of doubt.
Up until now, he still didn’t believe that Chong Ying and Chong Xiao were the kind of people who would sit and wait for death after becoming prisoners.
He Fang felt a bit lost. He found that he actually couldn’t understand what his own NPCs were thinking.
Just then, from the side of the cell, a hand reached out—it was Chong Xiao’s hand. He was in the cell next to He Fang. Chong Xiao’s hand was very large, and as someone skilled at using his hands, there were fine, thin calluses all over different parts of his hand. But it was clear that they had been treated and taken care of.
He Fang once again marveled at how powerful “Ruins Without Restart” was when it came to the details.
Though He Fang still felt puzzled, he reached out his hand and lightly clasped the other’s.
He could feel that after the other person touched his hand, their fingers suddenly stiffened. On the other side, Chong Ying was staring at their interlaced hands through the cell wall with sparkling eyes. For some reason, He Fang felt that this behavior was a bit too strange.
Why did Chong Xiao suddenly come and hold his hand for no reason? There had to be a reason behind this action.
Just as He Fang was still hesitating in confusion, Chong Xiao suddenly tore off He Fang’s wristband—easily, as if he were just ripping off a small bracelet made of paper.
Chong Xiao didn’t let go. Instead, his fingers began to gently move across He Fang’s palm.
The motion was very slight, but He Fang was sure the other person was writing something.
He focused carefully on the sensation. The strokes were very simple: one horizontal, one vertical, another vertical, horizontal-turn-horizontal. Judging from the structure and position, the character was—Gu (古).
Suddenly, a flash of realization hit him. He had been wondering why he couldn’t understand what his two simple-minded NPCs were thinking. It turned out they weren’t acting on their own thoughts at all, but had been given a hint by someone else!
It was Sai Gu.
Although they had only brushed past each other at the time, perhaps the mouth movements Sai Gu made weren’t just directed at him, but at all three of them. He Fang hadn’t caught it clearly, but Chong Xiao and Chong Ying had. Now that they were all locked up, it wasn’t that they couldn’t escape—but that this was Sai Gu’s command: they were meant to be locked up!
Why?
What was Sai Gu planning?
Unlike Chong Xiao, who had maxed out his talent points in combat ability, Sai Gu had practically maxed out his points in manipulating the human heart.
Now looking back, how could it be possible that Sai Gu and he just happened to run into each other by chance? It seemed that Sai Gu had gotten information through that beautiful young boy beside him and used the boy to get in contact with them. Sai Gu was always someone with plans. Since he had stayed in Ao City for a long time, he must have already understood the situation and made careful arrangements.
Although everything he was imagining now was just speculation, he felt maybe that was exactly how it was. As the city lord’s trust in his own NPCs made him feel he should trust Sai Gu, too!
Trusting Sai Gu was one thing, but the prison was unbearably hard to endure.
Fortunately, since he was a player, he didn’t have to use the bathroom here. But as soon as he got close to that drainage ditch, he felt like he was about to faint.
However…
He Fang suddenly glanced at Chong Ying with a strange look in his eyes. Could it be that from this angle, he could see the boy using the bathroom?
Thinking about the details of Chong Xiao’s hand, He Fang’s expression suddenly turned odd. It seemed that “Ruins Without Restart” had really made the details so precise that the NPCs could actually do something like this!
Help!
While He Fang was troubled, he suddenly heard the prison door open. He heard footsteps—two people, one lighter, one heavier. When they appeared before He Fang, he was somewhat surprised—it was Sai Gu and the young boy who had been clinging to him the whole time.
“Although this man is handsome, Sai Gu, he’s not as handsome as you.” The little prince lifted his head, pointed at Chong Xiao, but smiled warmly as he spoke to his beloved Sai Gu.
“I am truly very pleased that you cherish me so much.” Sai Gu’s low, hoarse voice seemed to be coated in honey, strangely drawing everyone’s attention.
“Dear Sai Gu, are you sure no one around us is eavesdropping right now?” The little prince raised his head and asked carefully.
“Of course.” Sai Gu smiled and said to the little prince, “I must do my best to protect my beloved and only little prince.”
He Fang looked at Sai Gu with a face full of confusion. This NPC spoke awkwardly but didn’t even blush!
However, from Sai Gu’s words, He Fang gained a very important piece of information: this was a prince, presumably the child of the emperor of Ao City. At that moment, the attribute panel that had opened before him, although it hadn’t yet revealed the little prince’s name, already displayed the little prince’s tag.
It was real.
He Fang’s pupils darkened slightly. He glanced over at Sai Gu’s loyalty level and saw it had risen even higher than before. He relaxed a bit.
The little prince was intimately close with Sai Gu, but to He Fang, rather than showing off their affection here, it seemed more like the little prince was gaining some confidence from the person beside him. He Fang felt the little prince had something to say to him.
Sure enough, the little prince finally seemed to have drawn enough courage. He straightened his body. This time, what He Fang saw was no longer the clingy, sticky young boy. The beautiful youth’s expression was cold, even somewhat dark. He Fang vaguely sensed that the voice of the emperor he had heard before matched with this boy.
“Can you escape from this prison with your own strength?” the little prince asked.
He Fang was silent. He wasn’t sure if the little prince’s words were a trick.
But since Sai Gu was beside him, it should be fine.
“Yes,” He Fang answered the little prince.
“How strong do you think the city is?” the little prince continued.
“It should be much stronger than what you’ve heard,” He Fang said, keeping an eye on Sai Gu from the corner of his vision, catching a subtle, secret smile at the corner of Sai Gu’s mouth.
“Are you willing to make a deal with me?” The little prince squatted down and looked He Fang in the eyes. He Fang saw Sai Gu give a barely noticeable nod.
“Tell me, then,” He Fang said.
The three prisoners in the jail hadn’t eaten any food for three whole days. No matter how strong a person was, their physical strength should have been mostly drained. The emperor of Ao City finally intended to meet these few bold and reckless people who truly dared to come to Ao City alone. However, just as the people were about to go to the prison and pull them out, they saw nothing.
A thorough search throughout Ao City found no trace at all.
Even the cages were completely intact, with no surveillance able to capture any signs of their existence.
The emperor of Ao City once suspected the little prince who had contact with these people, but the little prince was always very curious, so his visits were reasonable.
Moreover, after the little prince met with them, they were checked for two days. All those people were safe and sound in the prison, even showing signs of poor mental state due to lack of food. During the time they disappeared, the little prince was busy playing with his servants and never left the upper levels.
These people disappeared without a sound, leaving no clue behind.
——
Bei Ji had already tried many methods to take the train to the main city, but it was very difficult.
The train goes directly to the Nightmare Beast Forest. Without the train blocking the outside resurgence of revival nightmare plants, once entering the Nightmare Beast Forest, they would be completely infected by the surrounding nightmare beast seeds.
They had lived here for a while, and their only feeling was that the guards, who had always been on edge, had completely relaxed.
The atmosphere in Hope City was simply too good—a peaceful city without any war and lacking no resources. The money in their hands allowed them to spend freely in Hope City. Whether it was supermarkets, shops, or even hardware stores, these were all places their guards enthusiastically frequented.
He could feel the change in the mindset of his usually cold-faced guards. He even saw some guards blushing when facing certain young women.
At that moment, Bei Ji suddenly understood what it meant to “die from comfort”.
Though Bei Ji was weak, he also knew that if he couldn’t fulfill Ao City’s orders, they would very likely be silenced by Ao City.
Although Ao City seemed like a good choice on the surface, in reality, it was the place that valued human life the least.
How to…
How could they get to the main city?
Uncle Zhou had been worried about the anxious Bei Ji all along. He felt sorry for him, but this time, after gathering information, he finally brought back good news.
“City Lord, I can enter the main city to take a look now.” Uncle Zhou had been gathering intel during this time. “There’s a hardware store owner who needs to go to the main city to restock, but he’s short of people. He wants to bring workers into the main city. I asked around, and temporary residents with valid reasons can enter the main city. The owner said there’s still one spot left, and I’ve already arranged with him.”
Bei Ji was stunned. “But, Uncle Zhou, why can’t someone younger go? You, your body…”
Having grown up by Uncle Zhou’s side, Bei Ji couldn’t bear the thought of this fifty-plus-year-old man doing such hard labor. Now that Shi Qiu had been captured, he couldn’t lose Uncle Zhou.
“Don’t be afraid, City Lord Bei Ji. Since Hope City is known for its peace, even if I go, there won’t be any problems.” Uncle Zhou gently stroked Bei Ji’s hair. He truly cared deeply for this fragile little city lord. “Rest assured, I will bring back enough information about the main city and make sure Ao City successfully occupies Hope City. By then, City Lord Bei Ji, you will still be the lord of Hope City. In my heart, you alone are the perfect lord, truly commanding Hope City.”
Bei Ji quietly listened to Uncle Zhou’s encouragement. He truly could not leave Uncle Zhou, nor his care and support.
“Can’t someone else go?” Bei Ji held onto Uncle Zhou tightly, his heart aching. He was very scared. He feared that this terrifying city that took Shi Qiu away would also take Uncle Zhou away from him.
“At that time, many people were competing for this job. If we didn’t seize it immediately, we’d probably miss this rare opportunity,” Uncle Zhou comforted Bei Ji, rhythmically and gently patting his back. “Don’t worry. For the sake of the city lord reclaiming his honor, this old pair of bones of mine is willing to do anything.”
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
