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eIt looked like he was about to leave, and he looked the same as before, with the hat covering most of his face.
I couldn't see his eyes clearly, I just knew there was no obvious expression on his face. But when Ning Gu was stunned, he also stood there without moving.
"Let's go to the warehouse in the back," Li Xiang looked at Ning Gu and Lian Chuan, "It's safer there. There are still city guards passing by occasionally a few blocks away."
"Oh." Ning Gu nodded, without looking at E again, and walked towards Li Xiang and the team leader.
Li Xiang said this to him and Lian Chuan. He could also guess that Li Xiang was not sure whether E was willing to meet him.
If it were in the past, he might be very angry. I don’t want to meet you, why are you putting on airs
But now I don't feel anything.
Everyone may have another side that is unknown to others, and may have pain that others cannot understand.
Although he still had questions about his life experience, it didn't matter whether he had answers or not. He had made a decision now, and he had to move on even if he knew nothing.
They walked from the lobby of the mall into the warehouse at the back. The warehouse was not big, but it was empty, with only a few broken iron boxes thrown in it, so it was still spacious enough and everyone would not be embarrassed by being crowded together due to the small space.
Ning Gu sat down on a broken iron box, leaning against the wall.
"We brought the nails here," Li Xiang said, "and put them in the basement."
Ning Gu was stunned for a moment, then he uttered "hmm" in a muffled voice, and his eyes turned red instantly.
"Do you want to meet him first?" Li Xiang asked.
"No need," Ning Gu pressed his eyes hard, "I have something important to do."
"What's the situation in Lost Valley?" asked the captain.
"The poet is in Jiuyi's body," Ning Gu said, "Do you know that the poet is Jiuyi?"
The team leader and Li Xiang looked at each other and said, "We don't know."
"It's hard to explain right now," Ning Gu said, "He..."
"Jiuyi was one of the first mutants, just like me." The door of the warehouse was suddenly pushed open, and E walked in. "Before the large-scale appearance of travelers, he was the first bug to be cleared in the main city as far as I can remember."
"Jiu Yi is so... old?" Ning Gu suddenly came back to his senses after receiving this sentence, and found that this sentence was said by E.
"But before Jiuyi entered the Lost Valley and separated the poet," Lian Chuan said, "people with the main city system mark could not enter the Lost Valley. What is in the Lost Valley?"
"There are poets." said E.
Ning Gu was stunned for a long time before he said, "What are you talking about?"
"I see," Lian Chuan thought for a moment, "The poet has been in the Lost Valley, a carrier of some kind of consciousness that can accommodate anyone's mental power. The Nine Wings' mental power is strong, even if it's just a part of it, it can make the poet become 'him'."
"It is absorption," E said, "so Jiuyi can use this power to cut off a part of it, and Qihang can only survive because of the poet."
"The poet wakes up, the poet sleeps," Ning Gu said, "This actually refers to the Nine Wings part, right? Whether the poet absorbs or contains, he is just a container."
"You can say that." E glanced at him.
After Ning Gu said the word "container", everyone fell silent.
"Qi Hang's father participated in the operation to recover Jiu Yi," E said. "I don't know exactly what the operation was, but in short, Jiu Yi entered the Lost Valley and the mission failed."
Lian Chuan looked at him and asked, "Why do you have Qi Hang's fragments?"
"I think Qi Hang knows the secret of Lost Valley," E said, "The last time he ambushed me was at the entrance of the Black Iron Wasteland in Lost Valley..."
"The time you were left alone." said the team leader.
"Yes," E nodded, "but his target is not me, but Ning Gu."
Ning Gu quickly glanced at Lian Chuan, and Lian Chuan was also looking at him.
He was not sure whether Qi Hang knew what they knew, but at least he knew that Ning Gu was the "variable".
"Ning Gu can't stay in the main city. This is the only thing I'm sure of," E said, "but no one knows whether Ning Gu will have any abilities in the future, and what kind of abilities they will have..."
"So you finally decided to put Qi Hang's fragments on Ning Gu," Lian Chuan said, "If he hadn't activated his own abilities, he would still have Qi Hang's abilities."
"Well, my situation at the time... I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to protect him in the future," E nodded, but hesitated and added, "At this point, there's no need to hide anything. Qi Hang is very capable, and I also have selfish motives. I hope to be able to preserve him, which may be helpful to the traveler."
"Then my age doesn't match," Ning Gu said, and he could hear the tremor in his voice that he was trying to control. "You kept me in cryogenic storage like a box of rations, right? Why?"
"You are too small and it will take a long time for you to adapt to the fragments," said E.
Ning Gu didn't say anything.
"Then why were you also saved?" Lian Chuan looked at E.
"I don't have time," E said, "I have to save my life for the last."
Ning Gu raised his head suddenly.
"You came here, is there any news?" e changed the subject.
"Dew is about to take action," Ning Gu found that his throat was a little tight when he spoke, and his voice was a little hoarse, "The scavengers will come out of the fire, and we have to be ready before they come out."
"Fire?" The captain was a little confused.
"The scavenger is in the fire," Ning Gu said, "I have seen it."
"Jiu Yi has also seen destruction, and he thinks..." Lian Chuan glanced at him and continued, "The Savior is back, and the Scavengers will start to work."
"Savior?" The team leader looked at Ning Gu, and Li Xiang and E's eyes also fell on Ning Gu at the same time.
"There is no exit," Ning Gu looked at them, "only destruction."
Several people were silent.
"Kill the scavengers," Ning Gu said, "We'll kill them wherever they come from."
When Ning Gu said this, he didn't think much about it. He didn't know how the scavenger would "clean up" the remnants of this world, nor did he know what method he could use to kill the scavenger.
He only knew that this was the only way now. Even someone as smart as Lian Chuan could only think of this method.
The world they had seen was engulfed by fire and scavengers, and those who escaped seemed to be just like ordinary residents of the main city.
There are no travelers in that world, and the appearance of travelers as mutations could have been an opportunity.
When Ye Xi was alive, they wanted to use "genius" to find a way out.
The scavenger, the fire, and the dewdrop are the only places that can connect them to Ye Xi's consciousness.
Since you don’t know how to change the ending, just tear off the page with the ending written on it.
"Disperse the troops to where there are fires," the captain said. "There are troops from the main city in Luzhu. Now the main city has no intention of cooperating with us, so let's do our own thing."
"Okay." Li Xiang nodded.
e didn't say anything else, turned around, opened the warehouse door and walked out.
Ning Gu sat on the broken iron box in a daze for a long time. No one in the room spoke, they just looked at him.
For Ning Gu, these answers may not be the most important thing anymore, but after all, they are what he has been wanting to know for so many years.
e didn't speak as tactfully as Li Xiang. Perhaps because time was running out, he didn't choose a way that would make Ning Gu feel more comfortable.
"I'll go make the arrangements first, you..." The captain walked up to Ning Gu and wanted to say something else, but in the end he just grabbed Ning Gu's shoulder.
After the team leader went out, Li Xiang came over.
"You don't have to..." Ning Gu was a little helpless, "Is this a queue?"
Li Xiang smiled and said, "Wait for me, I have something for you."
"Oh." Ning Gu responded.
Li Xiang walked out.
Ning Gu then leaned against the wall and sighed softly.
He still felt a little frustrated. Normally, when these scavengers might appear soon and kill everyone, and they were not sure whether they could kill them all or continue to live, he should not be feeling frustrated about his experience twenty years ago.
But it’s congested.
He didn't even have the courage to ask, what is the relationship between me and E.
Lian Chuan had been sitting next to him, neither speaking nor moving.
He turned his head and looked at Lian Chuan, who patted his hands.
"What?" Ning Gu asked.
"Comfort." Lian Chuan also glanced at him, and this glance made him feel very clearly that he was questioning his IQ.
"Is this a consolation?" Ning Gu said.
Lianchuan stood up and opened his arms.
"What?" Ning Gu was stunned.
"Comfort." Lian Chuan said.
“… No need,” Ning Gu said, “It’s a bit too grand.”
"So just clap your hands," Lian Chuan said.
When Li Xiang walked in from the door, Lian Chuan had not yet put down his arm.
"What is this?" Li Xiang looked at the scene a little confused.
"Comfort me." Lian Chuan said.
"No!" Ning Gu shouted somewhat shamelessly. How could a bully in Ghost Town need someone to hold him and comfort him? When he was a child, he didn't need anyone to comfort him after being hung on the bell tower.
Li Xiang smiled, stretched out his hand and rubbed Ning Gu's head twice, and put an old, discolored, and bumpy iron box in his hand: "This is... a gift I found for you in Lost Valley before, but I didn't have the chance to give it to you later. The captain kept it and wanted him to give it to you personally, but you are grown up now, and he thinks it is not appropriate..."
Ning Gu touched the iron box: "What is it?"
"I don't know," Li Xiang said, "It should be a child's toy."
After Li Xiang left, Ning Gu looked down at the iron box. He didn't dare to open it for a long time. He just held the box with both hands.
He felt that as soon as he let go, he would find his hands shaking.
"Can't you open it?" Lian Chuan asked.
Ning Gu frowned and hissed, "Am I a fool in your eyes?"
"Open it." Lian Chuan smiled.
Ning Gu glanced at him and smiled: "I'm a little nervous."
"Do you want me to help you open it?" Lian Chuan sat back on the broken iron box next to him.
Ning Gu quickly put the iron box in his hand: "Okay."
Lian Chuan picked up the iron box, took a look at it, and opened the lid with a click.
Ning Gu turned his head quickly: "What is it?"
"It's a..." Lian Chuan took out something from inside, "A maze toy."
"Maze?" Ning Gu was stunned, looking at what Lian Chuan took out. It was a black iron plate with many grooves on it.
"When he was looking for this gift..." Lian Chuan was also quite emotional, "Maybe he didn't expect that you couldn't remember the way at all."
"What do you mean, Lian Gou?" Ning Gu snatched the board, "I'll go now and show you!"
"This is harder than the one I played when I was a kid," Lian Chuan took a look, "It's only considered a success if it comes out from this opening, other openings don't count."
"I can go out from any exit." Ning Gu held the board unconvinced.
After the two of them stared at the board for a while, Ning Gu raised his head and asked, "Do I need to put something in to go along with it?"
"Yes." Lian Chuan said, "Just find something..."
Ning Gu said nothing. He took out the "key" from the side pocket of his boot, put the small black iron bead into the slot, tugged it a bit, and watched the small iron bead roll out of the slot: "It fits quite well."
"That way is blocked." Lian Chuan said.
"Shut up." Ning Gu returned the bead.
Although Ning Gu knew how to play this thing, the one on his hand was indeed difficult. There were too many paths and they were too complicated. It was impossible to tell which path was blocked unless he walked up to the bead.
Lian Chuan tried to remind him several times, but was stopped by him.
"This is a good gift," Lian Chuan said. "It doesn't matter if you give it ten years later."
"Are you scolding me?" Ning Gu stared at Xiao Tiezhu.
"No." Lian Chuan said.
"This is not the time to play with this," Ning Gu said. "Toys should be played with in a relaxed manner. If I were sitting on the grass in Shahu Park, I would definitely be able to play with them in no time."
"Yeah." Lian Chuan responded.
"Are you desperate?" Ning Gu glanced at him. "We found out that such a beautiful place no longer exists. No matter what we choose or which path we take, it will never lead us to such a place."
"Is the ghost town okay?" Lian Chuan asked.
"Ghost town?" Ning Gu was stunned.
"After you leave the ghost town, do you want to go back?" Lian Chuan asked again.
"… I want to." Ning Gu nodded.
"Because you grew up there, your friends, your family, your memories, the proof of your existence," Lian Chuan said, "Ye Xi's world is of course beautiful, but now we can protect it, it is the best. All the feelings you have given are here."
"Well," Ning Gu gently pushed the small iron bead forward, "If you put it that way, the main city is also very good, the Lost Valley is also very good, and now this place is also very good."
"Jiuyi is desperate because he has nothing to worry about," Lianchuan said. "Except for the obsession of living, this is a place he can abandon at any time, so he is afraid of remembering those things."
"I have concerns." Ning Gu said.
"Not this way." Lian Chuan glanced at the board.
"Shut up!" Ning Gu said.
Although it was quite complicated, the little iron bead reached the correct exit faster than Ning Gu had imagined.
"Look!" Ning Gu pointed at the board proudly, "The last turn."
"Yeah." Lian Chuan nodded.
Ning Gu lightly flicked the small iron bead with his fingertips, and the small iron bead slid along the groove, completed the last section, and hit the black iron baffle outside the exit with a "ding" sound.
"Done." Ning Gu picked up the small iron bead and put it back into the side pocket of his shoe. "I've been holding this 'key' for such a long time, and this is the only time I've used it."
"Are we going to go see how the captain and the others are doing?" Lian Chuan asked.
"Go and take a look." Ning Gu stood up and put the black iron plate back into the iron box.
"Would you like to take a look at the nails?" Lian Chuan asked again.
Ning Gu paused for a moment and said, "No, if I go to see him now, it will be like the last time we meet. He will laugh at me."
"Yeah." Lian Chuan responded.
Walking out of the warehouse and looking out of the window of the abandoned shopping mall lobby, you can see the army of puppets walking towards the crack under the cover of the ruins and the black fog that occasionally drifts by.
Ning Gu looked at the faint silver light on their necks and thought of what E said, "I don't have time anymore."
"Lianchuan," he whispered, "what do you think E meant by that sentence..."
"That's what you think," Lian Chuan said, "This battle, regardless of victory or defeat, is the last battle for many people."
Ning Gu didn't say anything else.
When the raging fire burning in the distant Black Iron Wasteland suddenly rose hundreds of meters high, the two of them were still standing at the window watching the last batch of puppet troops move.
The sudden rise of a huge wall of fire seemed to have brought the Black Iron Wasteland closer in an instant. Even standing here, one could feel the scorching air waves.
"So fast!" Ning Gu shouted, supporting himself on the windowsill, and jumped out.
"Ning Gu," Lian Chuan jumped out, "The sunlight is not shining anymore."
Ning Gu was stunned for a moment, raised his head and looked at the sky, and indeed the previous flicker was gone.
"Where are the beads?" Lian Chuan said, "Let me see them."
Ning Gu immediately understood what he meant: "Is it such a coincidence?"
"There are no coincidences," Lian Chuan said, "everything is inevitable."
Ning Gu squatted down and searched in the small pocket of his boot for a long time: "It's gone."