52
Where are you from
Crazy Uncle did not answer this question.
It had been a long time since anyone had asked him this question, ever since he had started to deliberately stay away from people.
But he couldn't remember when he started to deliberately stay away from people.
He did not lie to Ning Gu. He could not remember how old he was, what he had experienced, or how everything began and ended.
So he couldn't remember where he came from.
Capacity is limited, space is limited, time is limited, and memory is also limited. They constantly overlap, intersect, and squeeze, and finally disappear. What you remembered before has disappeared, and what you remember now will also disappear in the future.
The gray-white ball of the indigenous people wrapped in the old ghost kept rolling forward on the ground. The skin of the indigenous people on the outer layer would soon be cut by the ground. Once they could not bear it anymore, some of them would fall off the ball, and new indigenous people would rush out from the black fog and fill in the gap.
Ning Gu didn't know how Lao Gui managed to establish such a close relationship with these indigenous people.
And the way he addressed the Aboriginal people as “kids” also revealed a strange sense of intimacy.
"There is a crack ahead, be careful." Uncle Feng said to Ning Gu on his back.
Lianchuan could see lightning rising into the sky in the distance. This crack should be the largest one he had encountered along the way from Tongue Bay.
When you get closer, you can find that compared to the previous cracks, this crack can be called a canyon.
Ning Gu glanced at Lian Chuan. With this width, even without lightning, even someone with Lian Chuan's skills might not be able to jump over it.
"Hmm?" Lian Chuan noticed his gaze.
"Can you jump over it?" Ning Gu asked.
"One person is enough," Lian Chuan said, "After he goes there, only a skeleton will be left. If Jiu Yi is happy, he can just take it and modify it."
Ning Gu laughed, and after a while he said, "It will be much more interesting now that you are not a hyena."
"How do we get there?" Lian Chuan didn't respond and glanced at Uncle Feng.
"The natives built a bridge over there where the lightning is lower," said Crazy Uncle, "We can cross over from there. This crack is too long, and neither side knows where the end is."
The indigenous people seem to have a strong ability to adapt. Travelers who come into contact with lightning will immediately turn into black ash, but the indigenous people who rescued Laogui before only burned their skin when they passed through the lightning. They could also build a bridge above the lightning with large pieces of black iron.
The bridge was made of large pieces of black iron that were continuously tilted and raised from both sides of the crack towards the middle, and finally converged at the top. Although the upper and lower slopes were very steep, it was still quite solid. Even with Uncle Feng on his back, Ning Gu could climb over it easily.
However, when he climbed to the top of the bridge, Ning Gu had a vague feeling of worry.
The crack kept extending, and it was impossible to tell where it came from or where it ended. It seemed as if it had split the ghost town into two.
Now the indigenous people have found a place where the lightning is not too high and built a bridge, but if the lightning changes, the bridge will be submerged immediately.
If there is any escape route, it's on the other side of the lightning...
The old ghost and the natives placed the travelers in the basement in a huge shallow pit on the other side of the crack, and lined them up neatly at the bottom of the pit.
When Ning Gu saw those people, he immediately straightened his back, and Crazy Uncle slipped off his back. The next second, he rushed into the shallow pit, pounced on the travelers one by one, and began looking for nails.
"The nail!" he cried. "You said the nail was there, old lunatic!"
"The innermost row." Uncle Feng sat on the ground. "The innermost row."
"Nail!" Ning Gu rolled and crawled from the rows of travelers to the innermost row, then knelt on the ground and did not move.
"Can they wake up?" Lian Chuan glanced at Ning Gu's back, squatted next to Uncle Feng and asked.
"No," said Crazy Uncle, "They are already experimental materials."
"How can the material state be maintained without eating or drinking?" Lian Chuan asked again.
Uncle Feng glanced at him and said, "They are different from those empty shells at the border. Their consciousness is controlled and they are always frozen in that second. They don't need to eat or drink in that second."
Lian Chuan said nothing and turned to look at Ning Gu.
"I'm guessing," said Crazy Uncle, "I'm not sure... but..."
"But this kind of control is Qi Hang's ability," Lian Chuan said, "They have the fragments, so it's not impossible."
"Yes." said Crazy Uncle.
"Then Ning Gu can save them." Lian Chuan stood up and walked over there.
"The fragments are only in his body," said Crazy Uncle behind him, "He may not be able to use these abilities."
"In the basement," Lian Chuan turned around and looked at Uncle Feng, "were you trying to say, 'You finally merged'?"
"How can someone like you," Crazy Uncle was a little surprised, but soon smiled again, "get together with a stupid boy like our Ning Gu?"
"You live a secluded life and don't interact with anyone, so why do you always ask him to find you?" Lian Chuan asked back.
"I won't talk to you anymore," Crazy Uncle lay down on the ground, "It's easier to talk to Ning Gu."
"He will ask you soon why you look like Fan Lu," Lian Chuan said, "so you should think about your answer."
Crazy uncle covered his ears.
Lian Chuan walked between the travelers and came behind Ning Gu.
Ning Gu was still kneeling on the ground, his entire body shaking.
The person lying in front of him should be Nail, a boy who looked smaller than Ning Gu.
"Tell me," Ning Gu's voice was also trembling, "When the captain and the others made the nail like this, did you know that he was a nail?"
Lian Chuan didn't say anything. He squatted beside him and pulled the clothes on Dingzi.
"Dingzi and I hang out together every day. We fight together, rob together, and get reported together," Ning Gu said hoarsely. "It's impossible that the team leader doesn't know him, right?"
Lian Chuan remained silent. He picked up the nail, pushed up his sleeves and looked at it.
"He turned my best friend, my good friend who grew up with me, into material." Ning Gu's tears slid down, blown by the strong wind, and fell on the back of Lian Chuan's hand.
"When the captain found the nail," Lian Chuan said, holding the nail's head with his hand and turning it to the side, "the nail had already been attacked by the natives."
"What?" Ning Gu was stunned.
"Here," Lian Chuan pointed to a dark blue mark on the side of Dingzi's neck, "and this is not the kind of aboriginal that was with Lao Gui..."
Lian Chuan pulled up Dingzi's hand again and pushed up his sleeve. There were two such marks on Dingzi's wrist as well. "This is what the old ghost said, the natives who were infected."
Ning Gu almost fell to the ground, staring at the dark blue marks on the nail: "You mean..."
"If the commander hadn't allowed him to stay in his current state," Lianchuan said, "he would have died."
"Are you lying to me?" Ning Gu turned his head and looked at him. "Are you afraid that I will cause trouble for the leader? Are you afraid that I might cause you trouble?"
"Reflect on what I said in your mind," Lian Chuan said.
Ning Gu stared at him.
"I'm not afraid of getting into trouble," Lianchuan said. "I can handle any trouble."
Ning Gu still stared at him without saying anything.
"Go through it once," Lian Chuan stood up, turned around and walked towards the pit, "Ten times is fine."
The old ghost's ball rolled to the side of Crazy Uncle. The natives on the ball were disintegrating, jumping off the ball one by one and disappearing into the surrounding black fog.
After all the natives left, the old ghost sat on the ground, with black wounds on his body clearly visible.
"How long will it take to recover from the injuries caused by these Betelgeuses?" The old ghost looked at Lian Chuan.
"A few days," Lian Chuan said, "it won't affect the operation."
"What do you mean?" asked the old ghost.
Lian Chuan didn't say anything, but rolled up his sleeves, revealing a black wound on his arm.
The old ghost was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, his broken laughter blowing far away in the wind, and finally he sighed: "It's worthy of being Betelgeuse."
Ning Gu took a long time to move. He took the nail out of the shallow pit, placed it on the edge of the pit, and put the red-rimmed goggles on his face.
Then he walked in front of Lian Chuan and said, "Come here."
Lian Chuan looked at him, but he didn't look at Lian Chuan and turned away.
Lian Chuan followed.
"I can't say it in front of them," Ning Gu turned around and looked at him, whispering, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Lian Chuan said.
"I was too impatient and shouldn't have said those things," Ning Gu frowned, "You've helped me so much, and I still said those things... It's too much."
"It's okay." Lian Chuan said.
"Can you say something else?" Ning Gu frowned, "You're making me feel embarrassed..."
"Well," Lian Chuan was silent for a few seconds, "Did it take you so long to figure out what I said?"
Ning Gu opened his mouth.
Lian Chuan looked at him.
"No need to say anything else," Ning Gu turned his head away, "I'm afraid that I'll burst into pieces due to my anger."
Lian Chuan smiled.
Ning Gu turned his head suddenly and stared at him.
The smile was quite restrained, only the right corner of the mouth was raised.
However, Lian Chuan's whole feeling changed because of this subtle smile.
Lian Chuan, who always gave people a sense of distance even when he was joking with others, suddenly put away his edge in this smile.
Although his smile disappeared the next second, he returned to his usual indifference.
"Uncle Feng, is there anything to eat?" Ning Gu walked to Uncle Feng.
"Yes," Uncle Feng looked at him, then at Lian Chuan, "Do you two want to eat?"
"No, I don't want to eat it." Lian Chuan said.
"He eats." Ning Gu spoke at the same time as him.
Uncle Crazy sighed, slowly stood up, walked to the shallow pit, moved a few small pieces of black iron, revealing a hole underneath. He took out a backpack from the hole.
"How come you hide things in the same way as the King of Land?" Ning Gu followed.
"You sit over there." Uncle Crazy quickly hugged the bag.
"Have I ever robbed you of anything?" Ning Gu said.
"Go ahead." said Crazy Uncle.
"Okay, okay, okay." Ning Gu turned around and sat down next to Lian Chuan. "Let's not look at your stuff. There are quite a few good things there, things that are not available in the Ghost Town, the Main City, or the Lost Valley."
Uncle Crazy ignored him, took out two small bags from his bag, put the bag back into the pit, and pressed it with black iron.
"What kind of tea is that..." Ning Gu said, "Tea, tea."
Uncle Feng glanced at him and handed two small bags to Lian Chuan: "All for you!"
Lian Chuan took the bag: "I'll give it to him."
"I know!" said Crazy Uncle, "I just don't want to give it to him."
Ning Gu laughed: "Just like a little kid."
"Old and young, old and young," Crazy Uncle sat down, "When you get old, you become like a child."
Ning Gu took a bag of food from Lian Chuan and stuffed it all into his mouth in a few bites.
"What do he and the natives eat?" He glanced at the old ghost.
"The natives can refine things from black iron, and they can eat it," said Crazy Uncle, "The old ghost can also eat it after it is fused."
"What can be refined?" Ning Gu thought about it. When the shelter builds something that needs a solid structure, it will use high temperature to process black iron, leaving a pile of paste-like stuff. "Can that thing be eaten?"
"They can eat." said Uncle Crazy.
"What on earth are they?" Ning Gu couldn't imagine.
The old ghost turned his head.
Ning Gu looked at him.
"It's a human." said the old ghost.
When Ning Gu heard the old ghost say these two words in a voice that seemed to carry deep scratches, he felt the hairs on his back stand up.
"People who survived the previous generation's world." said the old ghost.
"I have doubts." Uncle Feng added.
"The previous generation... was like this?" Ning Gu turned around and looked at Lian Chuan in shock.
"I became like this in order to survive," the old ghost said. "Survival of the fittest."
Ning Gu finally understood where the disagreement between the captain and the others lay.
Lao Gui and Lin Fan believe that collapse is not a dead end, and that after the destruction, some people can still adapt and survive, like these indigenous people. The team leader and Li Xiang believe that there is a way out and there can be another new world.
It is also possible that they are unwilling to live like the indigenous people.
"Is that so?" Ning Gu asked Uncle Feng.
"Why do you keep staring at me and asking?" Crazy Uncle said, "Why should I know?"
"You are a prophet," Ning Gu looked at him, "You look exactly like Fan Lu. You have something that only exists in legends. You ran away early. You did not choose to find a way out with the team leader Li Xiang and the others. You chose to stay with the doubtful natives."
"What I chose was to save those materials," said Uncle Crazy.
"Then there are the previous questions," Ning Gu said.
Uncle Crazy didn't say anything, just looked at him.
It must be said that Ning Gu had never seen Crazy Uncle so clearly before. Without his beard, Crazy Uncle didn't even look like an old madman.
"I can't remember clearly," said Crazy Uncle. "Sometimes I have dreams in which I feel like a screw that has come loose from a giant revolving lantern. Sometimes it falls here, sometimes it rolls up there. I seem to see a lot, but I don't know anything."
"What is a zoetrope?" Ning Gu asked.
"You really are..." Uncle Feng laughed, "You always grasp the key points in such a weird way."
"What is a zoetrope?" Lian Chuan also asked.
"You don't have this thing, do you?" Uncle Crazy thought for a moment and sighed, "It would be nice if I had a pen so I could draw it for you."
"Forget it," Ning Gu said, "Your drawings are worse than your words."
It’s true that Uncle Crazy’s painting is not good, but Ning Gu didn’t expect that what he said was just so-so.
Anyway, after listening for a long time, he could only roughly understand that the zoetrope was a painting that rotated in circles.
But every painting is a world.
"Spin and spin, I guess that's how it goes," the crazy uncle raised a finger and drew a circle in the air, "Spin and spin, where it starts, I don't know, where it ends, I don't know..."
Ning Gu looked at him.
Crazy Uncle always speaks like this. You can’t tell whether he is true or false because it is too abstract to judge.
"Who's holding the revolving lantern?" Lian Chuan suddenly asked.
"Who is turning?" Lian Chuan asked again.
"I don't know," said Crazy Uncle, "but broken things always need to be repaired. I'm tired, so I just want to stay here and finish it."
Ning Gu took a look at the place where Uncle Feng hid the bag.
When the bag was taken out, it was empty and there was nothing in it.
Lian Chuan looked at Crazy Uncle.
I don't know why I suddenly remembered the bug.
The cleanup team has done countless routine tasks and cleaned up bugs.
People who shouldn't be there.
He had never thought about who these people were, and what the Internal Defense Department, which issued the mission, based its judgment of the mission objectives on.
Is it... the administrator's judgment
"What are you thinking about?" Ning Gu asked.
"I don't know yet," Lian Chuan looked at him, "What we are thinking now is based on the premise that 'what we heard is true'. If it is all false, then all our thinking will be meaningless."
True and false.
It seems that things have become chaotic and everything has lost its basis.
All cognition began to be eroded bit by bit after the collapse.
Lian Chuan never cared about "who I am", but at this moment he suddenly remembered what Ning Gu said.
But where does the wind come from? Where does it go
So what are we? Why are we here? What do we do