68
The battle didn't last long.
The main city probably didn't expect that there would be a ghost town army on the bus. To be more precise, they probably didn't expect that the travelers would have such an army.
Only two groups of ez were sent out. The city guards and the security team retained most of their strength. The ez were only used to deal with the travelers who were traveling with the vehicles.
Although these people on the car have no self-awareness and are like zombies compared to ez, they are loaded with attack capabilities. With the power of one person, the attacks of the entire team can be coordinated and accurate.
Such a team may not be useful in other battles, so what the main city has always wanted is an army of experimental bodies composed of single weapons with powerful combat capabilities like Betelgeuse.
But in this intensive close combat, the puppet army of the ghost town had an absolute advantage.
When the cleanup team was left, only a small number of ez remained, and the ground was covered with ez's torn bodies.
"Don't you know that there is such an army in the ghost town?" Commander Su looked at the screen. This was one of the last remaining surveillance cameras set up on the edge of the city boundary of the main city. The picture was incomplete, but it was enough to see clearly what kind of team entered the main city.
"I don't know," Chen Fei's facial muscles twitched a little, because of anger and shock, "I didn't even know E was still alive. Wasn't he killed by Qi Hang?"
"The day Qi Hang entered the Lost Valley, it was already clear that many of his words were lies," General Su sighed, "We didn't discover it, so you are not necessarily much smarter than me."
"Jiuyi refused to cooperate further, and I had no way to obtain more information," Chen Fei said. "It's meaningless to talk about the past now. It will be the same if it happens again."
"Ning Gu now has the abilities of both E and Qi Hang," said Commander Su. "It's a pity that Liu Dong didn't let you go to the command vehicle to take a look."
Fade Chen touched his neck and said, "Well, let's just do our own thing. Whether there is an exit or not, I should at least die in the destruction of the main city instead of being murdered."
Consul General Su looked at him without saying anything.
"The people in the training department have always been like this. They will use any means to achieve their goals." Chen Fei said.
"Aren't you such a person too?" Consul General Su sneered.
"What I want is a strong and powerful main city, an invincible whole," Chen Fei looked at him, "Liu Dong wants to become a god in the world. Our goals are fundamentally irreconcilable."
"One second of God?" asked Consul General Su.
Chen Fei didn't say anything.
Chun San stared at Lian Chuan's face for at least two minutes without saying a word.
Ning Gu stood aside, feeling a little sad.
If I had gone to the main city and met the team leader just now, I wonder what the scene would have been like. The team leader and Li Xiang and the others would probably be speechless.
But he didn't go.
Because of the person who appeared at the same time as the team leader and Li Xiang.
E., who is said to have been dead for a long time.
Has the same abilities as himself.
Ning Gu frowned.
Maybe it’s simply because too many things have happened and his relationship with the team leader can no longer go back to what it used to be. Even if the team leader is still good to him, he will still miss him.
"Go find Jiuyi," Lian Chuan said briefly to Chun San and then walked over, "I have something to ask him."
"I have it too," Ning Gu said, "The poet is Jiuyi's consciousness. Jiuyi must know something. He has seen the blue sky and white fog, as well as many green things. They are all very bright colors."
"The things in the coffin in Lost Valley?" Lian Chuan asked.
"Yes, that's it, that's the sky," Ning Gu looked at Lian Chuan, "I don't know which generation of the main city's sky it is, or..."
"It's the world outside the revolving lantern." Lian Chuan said.
"Yes." Ning Gu nodded.
The two returned to the Lost Valley. When they walked towards the Chanting Cave, Ning Gu glanced at Lian Chuan and asked, "Are you surprised?"
"I'm not too surprised anymore," Lian Chuan said. "I won't be too surprised no matter what happens now."
"Are you really okay? Where did you go after falling into the water?" Ning Gu asked.
"I met someone who looks like you," Lian Chuan looked at him, "his name is Ye Xi. Do you have any memories related to this name?"
"No." Ning Gu thought for a long time and confirmed again, "No, which generation of the main city is he from?"
"He is not from any generation," Lianchuan said. "He has always been outside of all worlds and does not belong to any category of the revolving lantern."
Ning Gu stopped and said, "Could it be the world that Jiuyi had seen before? That world should not belong to any category, because that person asked Jiuyi whether to choose to disappear everything or return to the dark world... and..."
Ning Gu raised his head: "There is no option to go to that world. There is only a world of disappearance and darkness. Is that a place we can't go to?"
"You'll have to ask Jiuyi about this," Lianchuan said.
The two continued to walk inside, while Bat and Black Ring were moving supplies out, preparing to strengthen defenses with the cleanup team to deal with possible attacks on the main city.
Ning Gu looked at Bat and Hei Shi running around him, and actually felt an indescribable sense of familiarity.
"I was really afraid that you wouldn't come back," Ning Gu said, "You've been lying in the poet's cave. Jiuyi sealed the cave to prevent the poet from coming out..."
"I probably can't come back by myself. Ye Xi said that no one can go there, and if you go there, you can't come back," Lian Chuan said, "If you hadn't pulled me, I might have stayed there, a place where time doesn't exist."
"Time doesn't exist?" Ning Gu looked at him, "What do you mean?"
"Everything is just a matter of thought," Lian Chuan said, "I haven't figured out what this means, but I am sure of one thing."
"What?" Ning Gu asked immediately.
"You are the savior," Lian Chuan said, "You are the variable in all established procedures."
"I'm not surprised at all," Ning Gu raised his eyebrows, "I am."
"Yeah." Lian Chuan smiled.
"Are you mocking me?" Ning Gu asked.
"No," Lian Chuan said, "It's just a normal smile."
"You should smile more often," Ning Gu sighed, "You laugh so often now that every time you laugh it's not normal. Seeing you laugh once is more surprising than hearing that I'm really the savior."
"Yeah." Lian Chuan responded, and after walking a few steps, he said, "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Ning Gu was stunned.
"Pull me back." Lian Chuan said.
"No need to thank me for this," Ning Gu thought for a moment, "There's no need to thank me between us, we're too unfamiliar. I pulled you back because... because..."
Lian Chuan didn't say anything, waiting for him to think.
"Because..." Ning Gu thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what to say, "Anyway, we agreed to be together. I can't ignore you, and you won't abandon me."
"Yeah." Lian Chuan nodded.
When they returned to the chanting cave, there was no black ring, so Lian Chuan pulled Ning Gu and jumped directly to the bottom of the cave, landing next to the sharp spike.
Before Ning Gu could stand firmly, he saw Fu Lu Shou Xi sitting on one side of the poet's cave, with a sad look on his face and not saying a word.
When he saw the cave entrance clearly for the second time, he suddenly straightened his body and became tense.
The silver Nine Wings that was sealing the entrance to the cave has disappeared.
"Where is Jiuyi?" Lianchuan asked Fulu.
"Out," said Fulu, "maybe back to his nest."
Ning Gu rushed into the poet's cave.
There was nothing left in the cave except an empty hole and two passages leading to unknown places. The black fog and the rolling red light wrapped in the black fog had all disappeared.
"Where is the poet!" Ning Gu rushed back to the cave entrance and yelled at Shouxi.
"The poet has come out," Suki whispered, "The poet has come out, the poet has come out..."
"What do you mean by coming out?" Ning Gu stared at him, "Did he return to Jiuyi's body?"
"Yes." Suki looked up, "We couldn't catch up with him. The boss' last words were to let us wait here... and then he ran away..."
"When did it happen?" Ning Gu asked.
"Just now." Suki's voice was filled with tears.
Ning Gu turned his head and looked at Lian Chuan: "Maybe it was me... Jiu Yi told me not to go in... He didn't let me into his memory, but I went in too..."
"It's not because of you," Lian Chuan interrupted him, "This is not what you need to think about now."
"The poet has returned to Jiuyi's body," Ning Gu lowered his voice, "Jiuyi is no longer Jiuyi."
"Go find him," Lian Chuan said, "this may not be a bad thing for us."
"Hmm?" Ning Gu glanced at him.
"The poet is the part that Jiuyi is unwilling to face, the part that knows the truth," Lian Chuan said.
"Let's go to his lair first." Ning Gu said.
"He is not in the old nest," Lian Chuan said, "There is nothing in Jiu Yi's old nest. It is just a place for Jiu Yi to rest. The poet will not go there."
"Where would that be?" Ning Gu asked.
"You two should not stay here," Lian Chuan looked at Fu Lu Shou Xi, "If Jiu Yi comes back, it will not be safe here. You should go find Lei Yu."
"Is the boss still here?" Fulu asked.
"Yes," Ning Gu said, "He must be here. He can do this just to stay alive and to exist. Even if the poet comes back, he must still be here."
"Let's go upstairs and wait for him." Lian Chuan said, and pulled Ning Gu to jump onto the wall of the cave.
After leaving the chanting cave, Ning Gu discovered changes.
Much of the dark red light in the cracks of the Lost Valley cave walls had disappeared and turned into the color of molten fire.
"Is this the original color of Lost Valley?" Ning Gu whispered.
"It should be," Lian Chuan said, "The poet has returned to Jiuyi's body, and Lost Valley is no longer the carrier of his spiritual power."
"Are you going to the coffin?" Ning Gu saw the direction Lian Chuan was running.
"You're not completely unfamiliar with the road," Lian Chuan said.
"You pulled my foot here," Ning Gu said, "I remember it clearly."
He couldn't remember the road ahead very clearly, but Ning Gu could still recognize the fat 8-shaped hole.
Just from outside the cave, you can see that the cave is filled with golden light.
"It's Qi Hang," Lian Chuan said, "Jiu Yi is here."
"That's right." Ning Gu raised his hand.
Immediately afterwards, a dark silver light like a blade flashed through the air.
With just this one blow, a "scar" was created on the golden light that could never be healed.
Ning Gu raised his hand again, and the light from his fingertips poured down from top to bottom like water, enveloping him and Lian Chuan behind him.
The two of them walked into the space between the split golden lights.
A huge bat suddenly flew out from above the cave and hovered in front of them. Top Hat squatted on the bat's back, looking at them with empty eyes.
As expected, wherever the poet is, Qi Hang and his spare body will be there.
"Get out of the way." Ning Gu said.
The man in the top hat didn't say anything, but suddenly raised his head.
The golden light in the cave began to flow with his movement, pouring towards the top hat from both sides.
"Qi Hang wants to use this body." Lian Chuan rushed to the top hat before he finished speaking.
Ning Gu didn't see it clearly, but when the top hat fell to the ground, the black wound on the chest was clearly visible.
The strongest hyena that has not been seen for a long time, with one fatal move.
The bat was frightened and made a sharp sound. It flapped its wings wildly and flew out of the cave. It fell to the ground and struggled to move away.
The golden light that surged from both sides to the middle and was about to enter the body of the top hat collided with each other, creating a piece of fine light like sparks.
The topper, who should have been dead, is not dead.
Like a real body, it began to struggle to stand up.
Ning Gu did not give the golden light a chance to rush towards the top hat again. The light surrounding him seemed to explode suddenly, and countless dark silver lights instantly rushed into the golden light.
The golden light in the cave suddenly seemed to be stirred up by invisible hands, torn into pieces, and turned into small balls.
Lian Chuan looked at Ning Gu.
Ning Gu retracted his raised hand and looked at him: "I'll try it. Is it cool?"
"Go up." Lian Chuan grabbed his hand and jumped to the upper level of the cave. "Don't give the poet too much time."
When he rushed into the hole where he could see the coffin, Ning Gu still insisted and asked, "Is he handsome?"
“… Handsome.” Lian Chuan said.
When this word fell, they saw Jiu Yi standing under the opening on the top of the cave.
Jiuyi looked no different, still wearing the dog-head mask, looking up, tapping lightly on the mask with his fingertips.
"Jiu Yi." Ning Gu called him.
Jiu Yi slowly retracted his gaze and looked at Ning Gu: "You are Ning Gu."
Ning Gu didn't say anything, just stared at him.
"It's still the same face," Jiu Yi said, "It will never change."
"Where is Jiuyi?" Ning Gu asked.
"I am Jiuyi." Jiuyi looked at him.
"You are a poet." Ning Gu said.
Jiuyi laughed, and his laughter had the same sharp metallic sound as usual, but it didn't sound as crazy as Jiuyi, and it sounded a little more cold.
"What's in the coffin?" Lian Chuan spoke, interrupting his laughter.
"Coffin?" Jiu Yi stopped laughing and looked at Lian Chuan's face. "That's not a coffin. What's inside is despair."
"Your despair?" Lian Chuan said.
"It's mine, and it's yours as well." Jiu Yi's voice gradually faded away, and then suddenly burst out, "It belongs to everyone! Everyone's despair!"
"It's not Jiuyi's," Lianchuan said, "If he was as desperate as you, he wouldn't have sealed the poet in the Lost Valley forever. It's you who is desperate, not him."
Jiu Yi tilted his head and looked at him.
"It's not mine either," Lianchuan said, "I have never been desperate."
"You didn't?" Jiu Yi stared at him. "During the days when you became Betelgeuse, weren't you desperate? You were desperate every day, the precursor experiment subject. You were always desperate."
"Shut up!" Ning Gu roared, raised his hand, and three dark silver lights flashed towards Jiu Yi.
Jiu Yi leaped backwards almost at the same time, avoiding Ning Gu's attack at almost the same speed as Lian Chuan, leaving three long deep grooves on the black iron floor of the cave.
Ning Gu felt his eyes burning and was about to rush over.
Lian Chuan grabbed his hand and looked at Jiu Yi: "That is the emotion of facing endless pain, not the questioning of existence. I have never despaired of my existence. No emotion, no person, can make me give up living."
Jiu Yi stared at him for a long time before he suddenly looked up at the empty space above him: "Really? Then go and experience what true despair is."
"Don't go." Jiuyi suddenly changed his tone and said another sentence.
"Nine Wings!" Ning Gu suddenly reacted and shouted.
"Some things don't need to be experienced." Jiu Yi said, and then he laughed again, his tone returning to being cold again, "Lian Chuan, do you have a lot of questions that you want to ask the administrator?"
Lian Chuan didn't say anything.
Jiuyi suddenly raised his hand, and the hole above made a loud shattering sound.
Lian Chuan pulled Ning Gu back to a corner, avoiding the black iron fragments falling from the collapsed cave ceiling.
After a burst of debris flying everywhere, the entire top of the cave disappeared, revealing a huge black space. Except for the blue sky hanging in the air, everything around it seemed to have disappeared.
It feels like being in Ye Xi's room.
They seemed to be standing on a lonely island.
An isolated island in the endless darkness.
"Lianchuan." A mechanical male voice sounded.
It looks particularly monotonous in the empty darkness.
And with the sound of "Lianchuan", the outline of the "coffin" gradually faded and finally disappeared into the darkness.
Lian Chuan suddenly clenched Ning Gu's hand.
Ning Gu also shook his hand back to show that he was still there.
"Lianchuan." A mechanical female voice repeated.
This time Lian Chuan clearly judged that the voice came from behind him.
He turned his head.
Ning Gu looked behind him, and after a few seconds, he spoke with a slight tremor in his voice: "What is this?"
There were three objects with halos in the darkness, with a slightly yellowish white color, like rations that had not yet been cut and separated, or like a ball of white clay that a child had casually kneaded.
"Administrator started." said the female voice, as if answering Ning Gu's question.
"This is..." Lian Chuan looked at the thing in front of him, "The brain."
In the darkness, three exposed brains.
There are three administrators who have been managing the main city for who knows how many years, issuing countless instructions to the system, never showing up, and whose voices are only the mechanical sounds of the system.
There are three brains.