65
There was a vibration under my feet.
The feeling at the bottom of the vertical tunnel is different from that on the ground. It is clearer and more shocking to the heart.
Ning Gu stood at the entrance of the poet's cave, looking inside through the nine-winged net that sealed the entrance. The poet was still tossing and turning, with no intention of falling asleep again.
"Why hasn't he slept for so long?" Ning Gu turned around and looked at Jiu Yi, "Didn't they say he always sleeps?"
"I warned you not to touch my mask," Jiu Yi sat on the vertebrae, "right?"
"It just happened, so what?" Ning Gu said.
"Something bad has happened," Jiu Yi said. "He knows I am here. He will not sleep again. He will not sleep again until the end of the world."
"Is it my fault?" Ning Gu frowned.
"It's not your fault," Jiu Yi said, "nor is it my fault, nor is it the poet's fault, nor is it anyone's fault. The world has to go this way. Every step we think is unexpected may have been calculated."
"I want to get Lian Chuan out." Ning Gu looked at Lian Chuan who was still lying on the ground. If Lian Chuan came back, he was not worried whether Lian Chuan could get out under the attack of the poet. Although Lian Chuan did not have the ability of a traveler, all his functions were so powerful that it was unimaginable.
What he was worried about was that the poet's rolling back and forth would affect Lianchuan's life and Lianchuan would not be able to come back.
"Lianchuan can withstand the poet's mental strength," Jiuyi said, "Don't waste your brain on something that doesn't require any thought."
Ning Gu sighed, turned around and climbed up the spike, squatting on top of another spike face to face with Jiu Yi: "If you are the poet, and the poet is your consciousness, then who is in this shell of yours now?"
"It's me too," Jiu Yi's fingertips tapped the spikes at the foot in turn, making a tinkling sound, "I guess it was because I stripped away some of the consciousness and memories that I didn't want... I who stayed behind only knew that the poet was dangerous, and it would be best if I could sleep forever, not wake up, and not be found by an idiot like Qi Hang..."
"Taking off the mask will wake up the poet and make him return to you, turning you into a poet, right?" Ning Gu said, "Then what should we do now? If he doesn't sleep, Lian Chuan will not be able to come back." Ning Gu said.
"Wait." Jiu Yi said.
"We can't wait. The vibration just now must have caused another crack, right?" Ning Gu said, "If we wait any longer, we'll all die."
"I've been waiting to die for so long..." Jiuyi said.
"Can I trust you?" Ning Gu looked at Jiuyi. He ignored Jiuyi's words, he had his own ideas.
"I am now," Jiu Yi said, "I can trust you, but not the poet. If the poet returns to my body, don't believe a word he says."
"I'm going to go up and meet with the cleanup team and tell them about Lianchuan's situation," Ning Gu said. "I don't know when the car will come. I want the travelers who came with me to wait and bring them over."
"Go ahead." Jiu Yi said.
"Lian Chuan has always felt that he is just a weapon, and he lives only because he doesn't want to die," Ning Gu said, "but he has emotions, he can laugh, he can make jokes, he can understand jokes, and he can choke people... He has Lei Yu and Aunt Chun, he has the caracal, and he has teammates who will choose him. He is real, isn't he?"
"Yes." Jiuyi nodded, "No one can erase our existence."
"He has helped me a lot, and he always chooses to believe in me at the most critical moments," Ning Gu said, "I can't let him down."
"Go ahead," Jiu Yi said, "I will help you guard this shell."
"I don't want the main city anymore. I'll give it all to you." Ning Gu jumped off the sharp spike.
“I don’t want it either.” Jiuyi flicked his fingertips, and after a buzzing sound, a black ring silently appeared on the wall of the vertical cave. “Let the black ring take you up.”
Ning Gu's guess was correct. Another crack had appeared on the Black Iron Wasteland. Like the previous ones, it stopped after reaching the main city boundary.
"According to this trend," Lei Yu looked ahead, "these cracks are going to surround the main city one by one."
"And then they advance at the same time?" Long Biao stood on the suspended A01 and looked into the distance. "It must have been quite spectacular then."
"We may not be able to see it." Luo Pan sighed.
"You will definitely see it," Long Biao said, "Don't be such a loser."
Lei Yu turned and walked to Ning Gu: "Are you looking for me?"
"Lian Chuan and I went to look for the poet," Ning Gu said, "Now I am the only one back. He is still over there. I don't know what's going on."
Lei Yu didn't say anything, just sighed.
"If the car comes again, there will be travelers coming. I will tell my companions that we will cooperate with Lost Valley and the cleanup team," Ning Gu said, "You bring the leader and others here."
"Will the captain come to the main city?" Lei Yu asked.
Ning Gu didn't say anything, thinking of the materials under Shetou Bay and the army that was said to have been formed.
"It's okay. If they come, I will take care of it," Lei Yu said. "At this time, there is no distinction between friend and foe, and there is no camp to speak of."
"I have to go back to Lost Valley soon," Ning Gu said, "I want to bring Lianchuan back."
Lei Yu looked at him in surprise.
"I know it's difficult, and I may not be able to go to the same time and place again," Ning Gu said, "but now I'm the only one who can possibly bring him back, so I'm going to try."
"What if you can't come back?" Lei Yu said, "Based on my understanding of Lian Chuan, he may not want you to look for him. He may want you to do something more important."
You have to be reckless, ignore the cost, and live.
Ning Gu glanced at Lei Yu, then turned and walked towards the entrance of Lost Valley: "I am a traveler, I can do whatever I want, and he has to listen to me now."
The travelers who came with them to the main city were arranged by Jiuyi in the Lost Valley. They could not see the cracks on the Black Iron Wasteland, and they looked much more unbridled.
"That dewdrop," a traveler took a sip of wine, "is he here to watch the fun?"
"I don't know," Ning Gu said, "but the killing and defense are very strong. The hyenas said that the main city was attacked, but no traces were left."
"If it erupts," said another traveler, "will we be able to hear it from here?"
"Is it possible? Why?" Ning Gu asked.
"Go out and fight!" Several travelers shouted at the same time, with the familiar screams that Ning Gu was used to hearing, "Let's have a big fight—"
"If the captain brings people here, Hyena will go with you to bring them here," Ning Gu said, "Just tell him about the situation here."
"Where are you going?" Finally, a traveler realized that there was something wrong with Ning Gu's words.
"I'm going to find the poet," Ning Gu said, "There are some things I need to clarify."
"You are different," said the old man in the chair, "not the same as you were before."
"Really?" Ning Gu smiled.
"Grown up," the old man said, "Grown up."
"Don't stop me." Ning Gu said.
"A traveler is free until he dies," said the old man.
Jiuyi jumped down from the spikes: "Absolutely not. No one can be sure what the poet knows, and why should I give up this part? Even our conclusion that the poet is me is just a wild guess."
"It's not a random guess." Ning Gu said.
"You have at most half a brain," Jiu Yi said, "I don't have a brain, so our speculation cannot be used as a basis."
"... Just scold yourself, don't bring me along." Ning Gu looked at him.
"If you can't come back either," Jiu Yi said, "in this chaotic war, what right do I have to drag two shells with me?"
"I can come back." Ning Gu said.
Jiu Yi looked at him: "Reason?"
"I am the savior." Ning Gu said.
Jiuyi suddenly laughed, and his laughter echoed upwards in the vertical hole.
"Don't believe it?" Ning Gu said.
"Do you believe it?" Jiu Yi asked with a smile.
"I believe it." Ning Gu said.
"Then I believe it," Jiu Yi stopped smiling, "You believe that you are what you are, I believe that I am alive, so I am alive, I believe that the world exists, so it exists."
Ning Gu stared into Jiuyi's eyes.
He stretched out his fingers and gently hooked open Jiuyi's mask, and a red light wrapped in black mist poured out from under the mask.
The light in the poet's cave seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, wrapped in black mist and spinning continuously, rushing towards the cave entrance.
"Hurry," Jiu Yi said, "I don't know how long I can hold him back."
"Yeah." Ning Gu stared into Jiuyi's eyes.
The sounds around him gradually faded away.
The light and shadow gradually disappeared.
The isolated island-like main city disappeared from the window, and everything outside became pitch black.
"What about other places?" Lian Chuan stood in front of the window. "There are so many main cities, but this is the only one I can see?"
"You have to wait," Ye Xi said, "Those are things that no longer exist. They only appear randomly occasionally."
Lian Chuan was silent for a while: "How long will it take for the main city to appear next time?"
"Next time?" Ye Xi thought for a moment, "There may not be a next time."
"Doesn't it appear according to the rotation time?" Lian Chuan said.
"Have you calculated it?" Ye Xi smiled, "How long does it take from appearance to disappearance? What is the distance from the main city to the city boundary? Can you calculate how long it takes for the house to go around once?"
Lian Chuan turned and looked at him without saying anything.
"Time doesn't exist either," Ye Xi said. "Without time, there is no space."
The curtains were drawn by Ye Xi, he sat back in the chair and closed his eyes.
Lian Chuan did not stop and walked around the house inside and out, not missing a single detail.
But these were indeed just two ordinary houses. Although they had completely different materials and styles from the main city where he lived, there was nothing unusual about them.
If there was anything unusual, it was that there was not a single book on the bookshelf.
There is no writing in this room.
"Have you been here all the time?" Lian Chuan walked back to the small living room and asked.
"Yeah." Ye Xi nodded.
"How long has it been?" Lian Chuan asked.
"I said time doesn't exist," Ye Xi said, "I have been here since the beginning, and I will be here when it ends. I am here at all times..."
"You are a bug too, right?" Lian Chuan asked.
"Me?" Ye Xi opened his eyes. "Only those who can come here are bugs. Bugs this big are rare. There was only one before you, but he has never been here."
"What about the previous bug?" Lian Chuan asked.
Ye Xi tilted her head and looked at him: "This is the first time someone has so calmly accepted the fact that he is a bug."
"I don't care what I am," Lianchuan said. "I never cared."
"Interesting." Ye Xi thought for a moment, "The previous bug made its own choice."
"What choice?" Lian Chuan asked.
"Correct the mistake or disappear." Ye Xi said.
"What happens after you make the choice?" Lian Chuan asked again.
"Who cares?" Ye Xi smiled.
"I care," Lianchuan said, "someone cares."
"Who?" Ye Xi asked.
"Cut off the hand of the person holding the revolving lantern." Lian Chuan said.
Ye Xi looked at him and said nothing.
"His name is Ning Gu," Lian Chuan said, "He has the same face as yours. If nothing unexpected happens, there will be a 'you' in every generation of the main city, right?"
"You can say that," Ye Xi said, "the world is the same. Many things will be the same, will be copied, will have residues, will continue to accumulate, will continue to make mistakes, and people will continue to want to know why."
“If you had been here all along,” Lianchuan said, “you wouldn’t be them.”
Ye Xi still looked at him.
"Who are you?" Lian Chuan supported himself on the back of the chair and suddenly approached Ye Xi. "Who are you?"
"I am everything." Ye Xi said.
There is a hole.
In other words, it's an empty window.
There were no window frames, no windows, and no curtains.
Ning Gu walked over slowly and stood in front of the window.
Outside, it was the same chaotic darkness as where he was, with no light, no wind, and solidified darkness.
"There's nothing left." A female voice was speaking in my ear.
"Who are you?" someone else asked.
Ning Gu's breathing suddenly paused, he turned around and looked behind him, but saw no one.
But the second voice was Jiu Yi.
"The life you want does not exist," said the woman.
"I am here, I exist." Jiu Yi said.
"Do you want to see?" the woman asked, "Those things that once existed."
"Does it make sense?" Jiu Yi said.
"It allows you to consider whether it's worth it or not." said the woman.
"Is this the place where you once existed?" Jiuyi asked.
"Yes," the woman said, "It is also the place where I have never been and will never be again."
"Okay," Jiu Yi said, "Let me take a look."
When the dazzling light suddenly appeared all around, Ning Gu felt dizzy and almost couldn't stand.
He staggered back a few steps, tripped over something, fell backwards, and sat down on something.
There was still a white light in front of him. He reached out and touched it, and found that the thing he was sitting on was a chair.
It was cool, but not metallic.
The dizziness forced him to lean back in his chair, close his eyes, and slowly adapt to the strong light.
After a long time, the dizziness disappeared and Ning Gu slowly opened his eyes again.
It's windy.
Very light wind.
A hint of warmth passed across his face.
He saw green.
A small green disc swayed gently in the wind above him.
There are many tiny light beams passing through the middle of the small disc.
Ning Gu saw what he had seen before between the small discs.
A blue so light that it seems like it could be blown away by a gust of wind.
The distant, empty blue, the light blue that makes your breathing clear.
There were also clusters of light white mist floating softly.
Ning Gu suddenly understood.
This is the sky.
This is the sky that the main city has always wanted to imitate.
This is real daylight.
If you keep waiting, you will see the real night sky.
He withdrew his gaze and slowly moved it downwards.
I saw green everywhere, all kinds of green, with some red dotted in between.
Some deeper, some shallower.
There are other colors.
Ning Gu had never seen so many colors at the same time, and he felt that his brain was unable to function due to such a huge amount of information.
Someone is laughing.
Ning Gu turned his head.
A child was running across the green behind him, pulling a string in his hand and smiling.
At the other end of the line was a yellow bubble, jumping in the air as he ran.
What's this
A world that will never exist again, and everything you will never experience.
Where are we
The light dimmed little by little, the colors faded little by little, and the sounds faded away little by little.
The surroundings returned to darkness in dead silence.
Ning Gu found himself hanging in darkness.
I can't see anything and I can't touch anything.
I can't feel anything anymore.
"Do you want to choose?" the woman asked, "Everything disappears, or you return to the dark world where you don't exist?"
Jiu Yi's voice no longer sounded.
"I exist," Ning Gu said, "I know who I am, I know where I am, I know I am alive, I have friends, I have joys and sorrows."
"Who dares to say I don't exist?"
Chun San turned off the communication device.
Turned and walked out of the room.
Who dares to say that I don’t exist
Although it was blurry and accompanied by a huge noise, she still heard the words clearly.
I don't know where or when this sentence came from.
When she walked out of the underground, she saw the main city outside from the window.
The daylight began to flicker.