Before this, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had only seen the "chimneys" in the steel mill ruins, which were the tallest buildings they knew, and they were obviously no match for the high-rise buildings they were seeing now.
This wasn't to say that those "chimneys" were necessarily much shorter, but rather in terms of visual impact:
Whether in length or width, these high-rise buildings were clearly superior to the "chimneys" of the steel mill. Therefore, all aspects combined, they fully deserved the title of " behemoths."
What shocked Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong the most was that there was more than just one or two of these behemoths; there were so many that it was difficult to count them all at once.
They were arranged neatly according to certain patterns, extending endlessly to the left, right, and forward.
At that moment, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were like mice, arriving in the realm of humans for the first time, forced to observe from a position of looking up.
Under the setting sun, the glass of thousands upon thousands of windows on the exterior walls of those skyscrapers glittered, as if forged from gold or being consumed by "raging fire."
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong squinted slightly to counter the somewhat blinding reflected light.
The jeep slowed down rapidly, and Jiang Baimian, whether similarly shocked or instinctively wary of accidents, reduced their speed.
As the vehicle moved forward, the sun was also setting, and the golden or orange-red light on the surfaces of those high-rise buildings gradually faded.
Before long, the previously dazzling buildings, one after another, plunged into darkness and grayness, like old photographs that had lost their color.
The tone of the entire city darkened once again.
Long Yuehong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he was completely unable to express his feelings in words.
In fact, he had encountered buildings more magnificent and miraculous than the current scene—the underground building where "Pangu Biology" was located was over two thousand meters high, and if it were brought to the surface, it would have collapsed long ago due to the lack of structural support.
However, Long Yuehong usually lived inside the underground building and never had the opportunity to see the whole thing from the outside, so he couldn't feel the grandeur of that structure.
Therefore, the densely packed skyscrapers before him left an indelible and profound impression.
"Is this the Old World?" Shang Jianyao's voice was inexplicably soft, as if asking himself.
"Yes. Haven't you seen corresponding pictures in textbooks?" Jiang Baimian, sitting in the driver's seat, replied.
The "Integrated Warning System" of the military exoskeleton allowed her, who had some hearing impairment and needed cochlear implants, to hear clearly what Shang Jianyao was saying.
"Photos and real scenes feel completely different..." Long Yuehong glanced at Qiao Chu's profile and muttered in a low voice.
Only at this point, as their emotional state calmed and the vehicle approached, did he and Shang Jianyao see more details.
Some of the high-rise buildings were black, some dark blue, some dull yellow, and some had a mix of bright colors, each with its own differences.
However, the glass curtain walls and ordinary exterior walls were either very dirty, looking hazy and stained, or already mottled and even damaged.
Some green plants grew out of their cracks, tenaciously expanding their territory; various birds circled in the last rays of the setting sun, returning to their nests located somewhere on the floors.
On both sides of the road, the leaves of the dense trees were mostly withered and yellow. When the wind blew, they fluttered down like rain.
On the ground, fallen leaves piled up, some even showing signs of decay.
Some of the street signs had fallen to the ground, some hung askew at the entrance, and some were missing several characters.
Looking around, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong saw the remaining characters "Foot Massage," "Hair Style," "Supermarket," "Small Fry," "Barbecue," "Hot Pot," "Second Sister," "Pet," and "Convenience," but the corresponding shops were either dilapidated or covered in dust, and no one was inside.
Cars were parked randomly on the road, severely obstructing traffic. Their shells and glass surfaces were covered in stains that had solidified after being washed away by rain...
Everything was so quiet, and only the wind was still blowing gently.
This city had already died.
"Something's not right..." Jiang Baimian, while looking straight ahead, used the "Integrated Warning System" of the exoskeleton to collect various details around them.
Before Bai Chen could ask, Qiao Chu looked at the distance and the setting sun through the skyscrapers, and spoke in a low voice:
"It's almost night.
"Before entering a safe house that is free from problems, try not to speak.
"If you have to speak, be sure to control your volume."
He then lowered his voice and pointed to the left:
"Turn into that gate."
It was a gate large enough for two cars to drive side by side, with a sentry box in the middle, dividing it evenly, seemingly with one side for entry and one for exit.
The metal barriers that could block vehicles had fallen to the ground who knew how many years ago and were covered in rust.
Long Yuehong subconsciously looked at the gate and saw that its shape was closer to a memorial arch in textbooks, a memorial arch composed of brown and yellow stones.
In the middle of the memorial arch, the golden characters had mostly fallen off, and only two characters could barely be distinguished:
"...Yang...Yuan"
The jeep quickly passed through the arch and entered the gate.
This was an area surrounded by seven or eight high-rise buildings, with lawns overgrown with weeds, dirty pools covered with garbage, pavilions like shelters from the rain, and trees that seemed to be bearing fruit.
"Turn right, first building." Qiao Chu seemed to be very familiar with this place.
Jiang Baimian followed his instructions, passed through the narrow road between two abandoned cars, and stopped outside the first building with brown and yellow walls.
"Take some food and go into Unit One." Qiao Chu got out of the car first.
Shang Jianyao and Bai Chen followed without hesitation, each carrying a pile of food from the trunk.
Long Yuehong was a step slower and failed to get this task, so he had to follow behind Qiao Chu and Jiang Baimian, entering the entrance on the far right.
It was paved with brown floor tiles, and weeds occupied the cracks, as if it had been unattended for a long time.
After passing through the lobby, Long Yuehong hurried ahead, heading straight for the three silver-black elevators.
He instinctively pressed the up button and then stepped aside to let Qiao Chu go in first.
However, the button did not respond at all, and no light came on.
Long Yuehong was stunned for a moment before realizing:
"No electricity..."
Jiang Baimian looked at the rather old elevators and the relatively rust-free buttons and said again:
"This isn't right..."
This time, without her needing to explain too much, Shang Jianyao and the others also saw the problem:
The condition of the elevators, buttons, and floor tiles, as well as the extent of the weed growth, didn't seem like they hadn't been maintained for decades. It seemed more like they had only been abandoned for less than a year.
"Could it be that wilderness wanderers used to live here?" Bai Chen suggested a possibility.
The next second, she rejected this judgment herself:
"No, wilderness wanderers wouldn't maintain useless things.
"Besides, isn't it said that this is a newly discovered city ruin?"
"It's not just that." Jiang Baimian saw that Qiao Chu didn't stop her and added, "The degree of fallen leaves on the street and the damage to each house all seem to indicate one thing: someone recently 'maintained' this city."
She paused and said her guess:
"Maybe some people are periodically 'maintaining' this city?"
"Intelligent robots? After humanity is gone, intelligent robots are still sticking to their duties?" Long Yuehong immediately asked.
Jiang Baimian shook her head:
"Unlikely.
"As far as I know, before the Old World was destroyed, true intelligent robot technology was only just starting to develop on a large scale. Similar products were still relatively luxurious, so it's unlikely they would be used for this kind of thing, unless it's a place like 'Mechanical Paradise'.
"Well, this place is special, so it's not certain."
Qiao Chu listened to their discussion for a while without saying anything, then turned and walked into the stairwell.
He climbed all the way to the sixth floor before stopping, turning into the corridor on the right, and entering the room at the very end.
The dark red door of this room was half-open and not locked. The surface of the doorknob was peeling off, and there was obvious rust.
After passing through the door, Qiao Chu, carrying a silver rifle and wearing a "United 202" badge, turned back to look at Shang Jianyao and the others as they entered one by one.
He had his habitual smile on his face, but his eyes were very cold:
"Rest here.
"When sleeping, one person guards the French windows, monitoring the tunnel exit, and the other person patrols the room, paying attention to everyone's situation. If any abnormality occurs, wake everyone up immediately."
Jiang Baimian listened with curiosity:
"You also know about the problem of true nightmares?
"What exactly is causing this?"
"A special mutated creature called a Nightmare Mare. As long as your dream is affected by it, dying in it is the same as dying in reality," Qiao Chu replied casually. "I was chased by it for over a hundred kilometers."
"Why?" Bai Chen had never seen a monster with such patience and perseverance.
Qiao Chu didn't answer and prepared to leave the door and walk into the room.
At this moment, Shang Jianyao revealed an undisguised smile:
"I know the reason!
"It wants to bang him!"
The area where Long Yuehong and the others were was silent, and no sound came out.
Qiao Chu frowned slightly and looked at Shang Jianyao:
"In the 'Hall of Stars,' do you use your brain or the ability to exchange thoughts?
"Don't think it's not a big problem now. When you enter the 'Sea of Origins,' your symptoms will become more and more serious. Never mind, you won't have the chance to enter anyway."
"You know so much...so amazing." After hearing Qiao Chu's words, Jiang Baimian sincerely praised, "Where exactly do you come from?"
Qiao Chu thought for a few seconds, straightened his black trench coat, and bowed slightly:
"Then let me reintroduce myself:
"Special Envoy of the Eighth Research Institute, Qiao Chu."
ps: Asking for recommendation tickets~