“It’s hard to connect these dilapidated ruins with the glorious city in the footage,” Big Guy sighed, “Since the footage mentioned that Dr. Serkhi’s technology made the planet so beautiful, how did it end up like this? Could it be that this planet was attacked by aliens?”
Someone quickly dismissed Big Guy’s speculation: “Isn’t this planet a peaceful neutral one in the universe? According to interstellar laws, Dark Steel City shouldn’t suffer attacks from the outside.”
Big Guy shrugged helplessly. “It would be great if we could know what happened in the Dark Steel City.”
“That might forever remain a mystery to us.”
They cautiously moved forward while looking around and at their feet cautiously.
Exhibits and artworks once symbolizing technological prosperity lay scattered on the ground. They represented honor, wealth, history, civilization—priceless and unique. But, when disaster struck, even the most valuable things couldn’t be taken away. In the end, they only turned into ruins.
If no one survived, even the history of this planet would be erased.
In the end, the seemingly powerful and prosperous planet was just a speck in the universe.
Born in the ethereal universe, silently fading away.
Perhaps no one would ever know about this planet again, and there would be no evidence of its past existence.
They had been too arrogant, only to turn out as insignificant all along.
The team felt extremely despondent.
Though they had no memories of this planet, the moment their feet touched it, they all felt a sense of loneliness and desolation from the passage of time.
A sound emerged from the dense fog.
It sounded like the reverberation of machinery and rocks colliding.
The group instinctively stopped, looking towards the fog where the sound came from.
“Clack.”
“Clack.”
The reverberation continued, and in their silence, they also heard faint mechanical gear rotations and electrical currents.
Due to the low visibility around them, although they heard the sounds, they couldn’t see the figure producing them.
The visibility of the thick fog was about three meters, so that the thing was most likely three meters away.
Li Cangshan glanced at Bai Lixin. “I’ll go check it out.”
Bai Lixin: “Alright, we’ll wait for you here.”
Li Cangshan nodded to Bai Lixin, and tiptoed silently towards the direction of the sound.
The others could only watch as Li Cangshan’s figure gradually disappeared into the dim fog, then they heard sounds like fighting and more intense mechanical gear rotations coming from the fog.
Just when they started to worry about Li Cangshan’s safety, the sounds of the scuffle stopped abruptly.
A few seconds later, the reverberation of machinery and stone resumed. This time the sound was louder, indicating it was approaching them.
Everyone suddenly felt nervous.
‘The mysterious entity was approaching. Did something happened to Li Cangshan?
Is Li Cangshan alright?’
On one hand, they were worried about Li Cangshan’s safety, and on the other hand, they were anxious about what the entity was up to.
The team members tensed their muscles, looking towards the direction of the approaching sound vigilantly.
Before them, a silhouette gradually emerged from the fog.
The silhouette appeared tall, about three meters high.
Everyone became even more nervous.
“Look, it seems like the captain is riding something.” There was someone with sharp eyes. After squinting his eyes, he looked like he had discovered some new continent and shouted excitedly.
Everyone looked at each other with wide eyes . Then, as the silhouette became clearer, they indeed saw that the person coming towards them was none other than Li Cangshan.
Li Cangshan was being carried by a robot. The robot was about two meters tall, making the total height about three meters.
The robot’s metallic surface looked like it had been blasted by firecrackers. It looked worn-out and had many small pits and holes. Its two mechanical legs struggled to move on the ground, each step producing a “clack” sound upon impact with the ground.
Li Cangshan looked somewhat embarrassed. When he was still a distance away, he said sheepishly, “I twisted my ankle earlier, and it insisted on carrying me here.”
Everyone: “…”
Li Cangshan twisting his ankle was like a top student in high school making a mistake in a simple question like one plus one equals two.
The robot carried Li Cangshan up to everyone, and its red eyes scanned everyone one by one: “Hello everyone, I am the janitor at the Dark Steel City Exhibition Hall. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you visitors. I wish you all a pleasant and enjoyable experience at this exhibition hall. ”
“This guest sprained his ankle just now. I have performed a simple check and cleaning for him. The good news is that the sprain is not serious, and there’s no damage to the tendons or bones. The bad news is that this guest will be in great pain for the next half an hour and won’t be able to walk normally. Considering his discomfort, I will carry him and accompany you for the next half an hour until his condition improves.”
The robot’s voice lacked a high technology feel. It was a very monotonous mechanical voice with no emotional ups and downs. It was like a time-telling robot that only reminds people the time.
“We haven’t had visitors here for a long time, so I’m happy to see you.” The robot’s red eyes brightened. “Esteemed guests, which planet and city are you from?”
The crowd exchanged glances.
Bai Lixin: “We come from the Dark Steel City.”
The robot’s red eyes flashed a few times. “Are you survivors from Dark Steel City? Are you here to take me away from here? Or are you looking for something? Can you take me with you? My body has suffered severe corrosion, and the parts inside have aged and worn out. I need repair.”
The voiceless robot sounded like a chatty old man, expressing its needs urgently.
While it spoke, Li Cangshan kept trying to get down from the robot’s back, but each time, the robot skillfully adjusted its position, maintaining the posture of carrying him on its back.
Li Cangshan felt that this posture was quite damaging to his image, and his face turned red.
Bai Lixin: “We want to know what happened to Dark Steel City and why it became a ruin? Are all the people on the planet dead, or did some escape from here?”
The robot’s neck turned stiffly, aligning its mechanical head towards Bai Lixin, and its red eyes blinked twice: “I don’t know what happened. That day was supposed to be like any other, I was working in my designated area after being fully charged, greeting passing guests and diligently cleaning up the trash left by guests.”
“Suddenly, there was a tremor under my feet, and an earthquake struck without warning.”
“Accompanied by the tremor, my auditory system also received a noise reaching up to two hundred decibels. This sound is loud enough to cause ringing in human ears or even rupture eardrums.”
“Outside the window, a white light rose from the ground to the sky, then the entire planet was engulfed in this white light. People were swallowed by the light before they could even scream. When the light dissipated, the once prosperous Dark Steel City had become ruins. The explosion happened very suddenly, and it only took about ten seconds to cover the entire planet. In theory, it’s hard to imagine anyone could escape, unless they weren’t on the planet to begin with.”
Everyone looked at each other.
Big Guy: “Do you know what that white light was?”
The robot shook its head: “I’m sorry, guest, I can’t answer that question because I don’t know the answer myself.”
Bai Lixin: “How long has it been since the explosion occurred?”
Robot: “It’s been 1343 days, three years and 248 days.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
It had been nearly four years since the destruction of the planet.
Bai Lixin: “Do you know where the white light first appeared?”
Robot: “I know this.”
Its eyes emitted a diagonal red light, and a translucent map appeared in the air.
A very conspicuous red dot was marked in the map.
“This red dot is where the white light first appeared. According to the geographical coordinates, this is Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory.”
“Dr. Serkhi?” Big Guy scratched his head, “Why does that name sound so familiar?”
“Didn’t we just hear about it? He’s the father of technology,” a teammate reminded.
Big Guy slapped his forehead, “Oh, it’s him! No wonder the name sounded so familiar!”
[Congratulations, player, you have triggered the plot task—The Destroyed Dark Steel City.]
[Please find out the reason for the destruction of Dark Steel City. Upon completing the task, you will receive rare task rewards.]
[This is a plot task. Canceling it will affect subsequent mainline tasks, therefore, this task is mandatory and cannot be canceled.]
[The task has been automatically accepted.]
The emotionless electric voice that had long been absent suddenly appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind.
He opened the task list and found that a task had been added.
[Task 1: Survive for 60 days and nights. (Currently survived 17 days out of 60 days)]
[Task 2: Find the “Mysterious Object” and destroy the conspiracy of the rebellion army.]
[Completion of either Task 1 or Task 2 will clear the copy.]
[Main plot task: [The Destroyed Dark Steel City], please find out the reason for the destruction of Dark Steel City.]
Bai Lixin took a look at the number of players and saw that there were only over 7,300 remaining players.
In just over ten days, more than two thousand players had died.
S419M: [Lord Host, the firewall is not far ahead. What are your plans?]
Bai Lixin: [Now doesn’t seem like the time for me to do multiple-choice questions. The system has assigned me this task, and I need to complete it.]
Escape System: [So, Master Bai Lixin, are you going to stay here and find out the reason for the destruction of this planet?]
Bai Lixin: [It seems like I have to do that.]
Escape System: [It was clear that we were so close to leaving this world. The heavens really know how to joke.]
S419M: [No, it’s not the heavens, it’s this damn game that’s joking.]
Escape System: [wuuu..I’m sorry, Master Bai Lixin, Brother M.]
Bai Lixin: [Actually, from another perspective, this is a mainline task. Maybe it’s the key to completing Task 2. If I hadn’t received this task and left this space, I might never have been able to complete Task 2.]
[This is good news, so there’s no need to be sad.]
S419M: [Yes, Sister System, I was scolding the game, not you, even though you’re also a branch system, you’re not like that big bad main brain. You’re a good child, I wouldn’t bear to scold you.]
Sister System sniffled, the electric voice somewhat choked: [You two are really good, Brother M, Master Bai Lixin, thank you, I will definitely stop the main brain with you.]
Bai Lixin looked at Li Cangshan.
Sensing Bai Lixin’s gaze, Li Cangshan immediately realized that Bai Lixin had something to say to him alone.
After persuading the robot for a while, the robot finally agreed to put down Li Cangshan. Bai Lixin then assisted Li Cangshan to walk to a nearby corner amidst Dijia’s wolf-like gaze.
Li Cangshan: “What’s wrong?”
Bai Lixin: “I just received a system task. I need to complete a mainline task in this world before leaving. What do you plan to do?”
Li Cangshan: “What task?”
Bai Lixin: “To find out the truth about the destruction of Dark Steel City. I have to visit Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory.”
Li Cangshan thought for a moment before asking, “Can you handle it on your own, God Xin?”
Bai Lixin: “I should be fine. Don’t forget, I still have someone with me.”
Li Cangshan: “Then let me try to leave the firewall first. With my foot injury, even if I go with you, I’ll just be a burden and slow you down.”
Bai Lixin nodded, “Okay, the firewall is right ahead. I’ll take you there now.”
After saying that, Bai Lixin assisted Li Cangshan and slowly moved towards the position of the firewall.
The firewall was already very close to their position, and they arrived after walking for a few minutes.
After touching the familiar translucent air wall, Bai Lixin grabbed Li Cangshan’s hand and placed it on the firewall.
A numbness swept over Bai Lixin’s arm, and he could feel the small snake on his arm heating up. It seemed like the Trojan virus was at work again.
His palm was pulled inward by a force, and Bai Lixin managed to pull his hand out in time before being completely pulled in, leaving only Li Cangshan’s arm on the firewall.
Li Cangshan’s eyes flashed with surprise, then his entire arm was sucked into the firewall.
Bai Lixin breathed a sigh of relief, “It seems that you really are the player Li Cangshan. You can rest assured about this.”
“God Xin.” Li Cangshan hastily said before being completely sucked in, “I will find you! We will complete the task together!”
Bai Lixin smiled, “Of course! We will definitely complete the task together, not only this copy, but also leave the escape game world together.”
Li Cangshan only had time to shout “okay” before his whole body disappeared into the firewall.
Just when Li Cangshan had left, a cold snort suddenly came from behind Bai Lixin.
The voice was three parts sarcastic and seven parts chilling, causing Bai Lixin’s spine to shiver. He quickly turned around, showing a sweet smile, “Why did you follow me?”
Dijia: “I was worried you might encounter danger, so I’ve been quietly following not far behind you. But you’ve been so focused on that boy, you didn’t even notice my presence.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Dijia quickly took a few steps forward and held Bai Lixin’s hand hard, the force making Bai Lixin’s fingers turn white, “I thought you…”
Bai Lixin frowned. “You thought what?”
Dijia: “That you were planning to secretly leave with that guy named Li Cangshan, and leave me behind.”
Bai Lixin widened his eyes. “How could you think that? I would never leave you.”
Dijia tightened his grip on Bai Lixin’s hand. “Are you really not going to leave me?”
Bai Lixin: “Really, I swear!”
Dijia then eased his grip, holding Bai Lixin’s wrist instead. “You don’t need to swear. Just remember that you said that. So, answer my question, why did you send Li Cangshan away first? Didn’t we agree to return together?”
Bai Lixin: “Because I have other things to take care of.”
He briefly told Dijia what he wanted to do, and Dijia let go of Bai Lixin, saying, “I understand, you asked Li Cangshan to leave first so that you can leave here with me.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I have said so much, but this is the main point you heard?!
Do you have a virus in your program?’
—————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[Hahaha, I’m going to die of laughter because of the big boss of this world.]
[God Xin blabbered on and on until he got a dry mouth, the big boss: “Oh, he wants to leave with just me.”]
[I suggest the big boss go see a doctor and check if his brain is itching. I think the big boss is suffering from love-brain.]
[Aren’t there enough big bosses with love-brain?]
[Laughing to death, the big boss’s aloof temperament has completely collapsed.]
[Every time the big boss appears alone, I think he’s really awesome, so cool and noble, and damn handsome. Just one glance from him makes my heart tremble. But every time the big boss is with God Xin, the big boss just gives a sense of security. Not only does he have a love-brain, he’s also a bit silly.]
[Fortunately, the big boss doesn’t watch the live broadcast room, you guys dare to entertain the big boss like this, you don’t want to live.]
[It’s okay, it’s okay, the big boss is in the copy, he definitely can’t see what we’re saying.]
The man on the 999th floor clenched his jaw, gently touching the pink and purple pearl bracelet in his hand: “…”
‘I can see it.’
——————————–
When they left, there were three people, but when they returned, there were only two, and Li Cangshan was gone.
Bai Lixin explained that Li Cangshan had returned to the spaceship first because of his ankle injury, and everyone accepted it without any objections.
Afterwards, Bai Lixin said he was going to Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory, and asked what plans the others had.
The others had barely looked around here. Even though the smell was a bit unpleasant, they didn’t want to return to the spaceship so soon.
After some discussion, surprisingly, no one wanted to go back to the spaceship.
Not only did no one want to go back to the spaceship, but everyone also wanted to go with Bai Lixin to Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory.
The thing they now wanted to figure out the most was how this planet was destroyed.
It seemed that they could only find reason for the destruction of the planet in Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory. Since Bai Lixin asked, they naturally wanted to go too.
Bai Lixin didn’t say much about it and went towards Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory with everyone.
They also brought the robot along.
As they moved, the team members chatted with the robot out of boredom, and after the conversation, they learned that the robot was the only surviving robot in the vicinity. For the past four years, it had been alone in the exhibition hall, diligently dealing with the rubbish on the ground.
But there was too much rubbish. It cleared it day and night, piling the garbage into small mountains, but there was still endless rubbish to clean up.
When they listened to the robot recounting this experience, they unexpectedly felt a sense of loneliness and desolation.
So no matter what, they wanted to bring the robot along too.
Bai Lixin had no objections and turned to Dijia.
The spaceship belonged to Dijia, so anyone who wanted to board it needed the permission of the spaceship’s owner.
Dijia had no objections either.
All the captain wanted to do now was help Bai Lixin find out the reason for the destruction of the planet and leave here with him as soon as possible. What spaceship, interstellar criminals and responsibilities? Al that were worthless compared to Bai Lixin.
He had long wanted to get rid of the burden of the spaceship. Now that the space creatures had been eradicated and the clones wouldn’t pose any threat, he could leave the responsibility of managing the spaceship to them.
“You agreed so readily? Thank you so much, Captain!”
“Yes, I used to think you were difficult to get along with, but I was wrong to blame you.”
“You’re a good person! The great person in the universe!”
As everyone excitedly thanked Dijia, only Bai Lixin could see Dijia’s true thoughts: “…”
‘Silly kids, they’re being sold and they’re still counting the money.
You think someone is a great person who is willing to help others, but that person just sees you as his successors.’
…
Three aircrafts slowly ascended into the air and flew towards the direction of the crack in the planet.
Ten minutes later, they landed on a flat ground and disembarked from the aircrafts.
Not far from them, an exaggerated deep ravine suddenly appeared in front of them.
“Boom!”
Suddenly there was a muffled thunder in the foggy sky.
Then, a blurry flash of lightning streaked through the thick fog, followed by even louder thunder.
Upon hearing this sound, the robot suddenly became restless, emitting a “Zzt Zzt” electric sound as if it had malfunctioned. It kept turning its neck and body, and muttering, “Quick, hide, quick hide, quick hide.”
The others were puzzled, and Big Guy asked, “What’s wrong?”
The robot: “Acid rain, highly corrosive acid rain. It’s dangerous, quick, hide, or you’ll be riddled like a beehive!”
“It’s hard to connect these dilapidated ruins with the glorious city in the footage,” Big Guy sighed, “Since the footage mentioned that Dr. Serkhi’s technology made the planet so beautiful, how did it end up like this? Could it be that this planet was attacked by aliens?”
Someone quickly dismissed Big Guy’s speculation: “Isn’t this planet a peaceful neutral one in the universe? According to interstellar laws, Dark Steel City shouldn’t suffer attacks from the outside.”
Big Guy shrugged helplessly. “It would be great if we could know what happened in the Dark Steel City.”
“That might forever remain a mystery to us.”
They cautiously moved forward while looking around and at their feet cautiously.
Exhibits and artworks once symbolizing technological prosperity lay scattered on the ground. They represented honor, wealth, history, civilization—priceless and unique. But, when disaster struck, even the most valuable things couldn’t be taken away. In the end, they only turned into ruins.
If no one survived, even the history of this planet would be erased.
In the end, the seemingly powerful and prosperous planet was just a speck in the universe.
Born in the ethereal universe, silently fading away.
Perhaps no one would ever know about this planet again, and there would be no evidence of its past existence.
They had been too arrogant, only to turn out as insignificant all along.
The team felt extremely despondent.
Though they had no memories of this planet, the moment their feet touched it, they all felt a sense of loneliness and desolation from the passage of time.
A sound emerged from the dense fog.
It sounded like the reverberation of machinery and rocks colliding.
The group instinctively stopped, looking towards the fog where the sound came from.
“Clack.”
“Clack.”
The reverberation continued, and in their silence, they also heard faint mechanical gear rotations and electrical currents.
Due to the low visibility around them, although they heard the sounds, they couldn’t see the figure producing them.
The visibility of the thick fog was about three meters, so that the thing was most likely three meters away.
Li Cangshan glanced at Bai Lixin. “I’ll go check it out.”
Bai Lixin: “Alright, we’ll wait for you here.”
Li Cangshan nodded to Bai Lixin, and tiptoed silently towards the direction of the sound.
The others could only watch as Li Cangshan’s figure gradually disappeared into the dim fog, then they heard sounds like fighting and more intense mechanical gear rotations coming from the fog.
Just when they started to worry about Li Cangshan’s safety, the sounds of the scuffle stopped abruptly.
A few seconds later, the reverberation of machinery and stone resumed. This time the sound was louder, indicating it was approaching them.
Everyone suddenly felt nervous.
‘The mysterious entity was approaching. Did something happened to Li Cangshan?
Is Li Cangshan alright?’
On one hand, they were worried about Li Cangshan’s safety, and on the other hand, they were anxious about what the entity was up to.
The team members tensed their muscles, looking towards the direction of the approaching sound vigilantly.
Before them, a silhouette gradually emerged from the fog.
The silhouette appeared tall, about three meters high.
Everyone became even more nervous.
“Look, it seems like the captain is riding something.” There was someone with sharp eyes. After squinting his eyes, he looked like he had discovered some new continent and shouted excitedly.
Everyone looked at each other with wide eyes . Then, as the silhouette became clearer, they indeed saw that the person coming towards them was none other than Li Cangshan.
Li Cangshan was being carried by a robot. The robot was about two meters tall, making the total height about three meters.
The robot’s metallic surface looked like it had been blasted by firecrackers. It looked worn-out and had many small pits and holes. Its two mechanical legs struggled to move on the ground, each step producing a “clack” sound upon impact with the ground.
Li Cangshan looked somewhat embarrassed. When he was still a distance away, he said sheepishly, “I twisted my ankle earlier, and it insisted on carrying me here.”
Everyone: “…”
Li Cangshan twisting his ankle was like a top student in high school making a mistake in a simple question like one plus one equals two.
The robot carried Li Cangshan up to everyone, and its red eyes scanned everyone one by one: “Hello everyone, I am the janitor at the Dark Steel City Exhibition Hall. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you visitors. I wish you all a pleasant and enjoyable experience at this exhibition hall. ”
“This guest sprained his ankle just now. I have performed a simple check and cleaning for him. The good news is that the sprain is not serious, and there’s no damage to the tendons or bones. The bad news is that this guest will be in great pain for the next half an hour and won’t be able to walk normally. Considering his discomfort, I will carry him and accompany you for the next half an hour until his condition improves.”
The robot’s voice lacked a high technology feel. It was a very monotonous mechanical voice with no emotional ups and downs. It was like a time-telling robot that only reminds people the time.
“We haven’t had visitors here for a long time, so I’m happy to see you.” The robot’s red eyes brightened. “Esteemed guests, which planet and city are you from?”
The crowd exchanged glances.
Bai Lixin: “We come from the Dark Steel City.”
The robot’s red eyes flashed a few times. “Are you survivors from Dark Steel City? Are you here to take me away from here? Or are you looking for something? Can you take me with you? My body has suffered severe corrosion, and the parts inside have aged and worn out. I need repair.”
The voiceless robot sounded like a chatty old man, expressing its needs urgently.
While it spoke, Li Cangshan kept trying to get down from the robot’s back, but each time, the robot skillfully adjusted its position, maintaining the posture of carrying him on its back.
Li Cangshan felt that this posture was quite damaging to his image, and his face turned red.
Bai Lixin: “We want to know what happened to Dark Steel City and why it became a ruin? Are all the people on the planet dead, or did some escape from here?”
The robot’s neck turned stiffly, aligning its mechanical head towards Bai Lixin, and its red eyes blinked twice: “I don’t know what happened. That day was supposed to be like any other, I was working in my designated area after being fully charged, greeting passing guests and diligently cleaning up the trash left by guests.”
“Suddenly, there was a tremor under my feet, and an earthquake struck without warning.”
“Accompanied by the tremor, my auditory system also received a noise reaching up to two hundred decibels. This sound is loud enough to cause ringing in human ears or even rupture eardrums.”
“Outside the window, a white light rose from the ground to the sky, then the entire planet was engulfed in this white light. People were swallowed by the light before they could even scream. When the light dissipated, the once prosperous Dark Steel City had become ruins. The explosion happened very suddenly, and it only took about ten seconds to cover the entire planet. In theory, it’s hard to imagine anyone could escape, unless they weren’t on the planet to begin with.”
Everyone looked at each other.
Big Guy: “Do you know what that white light was?”
The robot shook its head: “I’m sorry, guest, I can’t answer that question because I don’t know the answer myself.”
Bai Lixin: “How long has it been since the explosion occurred?”
Robot: “It’s been 1343 days, three years and 248 days.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
It had been nearly four years since the destruction of the planet.
Bai Lixin: “Do you know where the white light first appeared?”
Robot: “I know this.”
Its eyes emitted a diagonal red light, and a translucent map appeared in the air.
A very conspicuous red dot was marked in the map.
“This red dot is where the white light first appeared. According to the geographical coordinates, this is Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory.”
“Dr. Serkhi?” Big Guy scratched his head, “Why does that name sound so familiar?”
“Didn’t we just hear about it? He’s the father of technology,” a teammate reminded.
Big Guy slapped his forehead, “Oh, it’s him! No wonder the name sounded so familiar!”
[Congratulations, player, you have triggered the plot task—The Destroyed Dark Steel City.]
[Please find out the reason for the destruction of Dark Steel City. Upon completing the task, you will receive rare task rewards.]
[This is a plot task. Canceling it will affect subsequent mainline tasks, therefore, this task is mandatory and cannot be canceled.]
[The task has been automatically accepted.]
The emotionless electric voice that had long been absent suddenly appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind.
He opened the task list and found that a task had been added.
[Task 1: Survive for 60 days and nights. (Currently survived 17 days out of 60 days)]
[Task 2: Find the “Mysterious Object” and destroy the conspiracy of the rebellion army.]
[Completion of either Task 1 or Task 2 will clear the copy.]
[Main plot task: [The Destroyed Dark Steel City], please find out the reason for the destruction of Dark Steel City.]
Bai Lixin took a look at the number of players and saw that there were only over 7,300 remaining players.
In just over ten days, more than two thousand players had died.
S419M: [Lord Host, the firewall is not far ahead. What are your plans?]
Bai Lixin: [Now doesn’t seem like the time for me to do multiple-choice questions. The system has assigned me this task, and I need to complete it.]
Escape System: [So, Master Bai Lixin, are you going to stay here and find out the reason for the destruction of this planet?]
Bai Lixin: [It seems like I have to do that.]
Escape System: [It was clear that we were so close to leaving this world. The heavens really know how to joke.]
S419M: [No, it’s not the heavens, it’s this damn game that’s joking.]
Escape System: [wuuu..I’m sorry, Master Bai Lixin, Brother M.]
Bai Lixin: [Actually, from another perspective, this is a mainline task. Maybe it’s the key to completing Task 2. If I hadn’t received this task and left this space, I might never have been able to complete Task 2.]
[This is good news, so there’s no need to be sad.]
S419M: [Yes, Sister System, I was scolding the game, not you, even though you’re also a branch system, you’re not like that big bad main brain. You’re a good child, I wouldn’t bear to scold you.]
Sister System sniffled, the electric voice somewhat choked: [You two are really good, Brother M, Master Bai Lixin, thank you, I will definitely stop the main brain with you.]
Bai Lixin looked at Li Cangshan.
Sensing Bai Lixin’s gaze, Li Cangshan immediately realized that Bai Lixin had something to say to him alone.
After persuading the robot for a while, the robot finally agreed to put down Li Cangshan. Bai Lixin then assisted Li Cangshan to walk to a nearby corner amidst Dijia’s wolf-like gaze.
Li Cangshan: “What’s wrong?”
Bai Lixin: “I just received a system task. I need to complete a mainline task in this world before leaving. What do you plan to do?”
Li Cangshan: “What task?”
Bai Lixin: “To find out the truth about the destruction of Dark Steel City. I have to visit Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory.”
Li Cangshan thought for a moment before asking, “Can you handle it on your own, God Xin?”
Bai Lixin: “I should be fine. Don’t forget, I still have someone with me.”
Li Cangshan: “Then let me try to leave the firewall first. With my foot injury, even if I go with you, I’ll just be a burden and slow you down.”
Bai Lixin nodded, “Okay, the firewall is right ahead. I’ll take you there now.”
After saying that, Bai Lixin assisted Li Cangshan and slowly moved towards the position of the firewall.
The firewall was already very close to their position, and they arrived after walking for a few minutes.
After touching the familiar translucent air wall, Bai Lixin grabbed Li Cangshan’s hand and placed it on the firewall.
A numbness swept over Bai Lixin’s arm, and he could feel the small snake on his arm heating up. It seemed like the Trojan virus was at work again.
His palm was pulled inward by a force, and Bai Lixin managed to pull his hand out in time before being completely pulled in, leaving only Li Cangshan’s arm on the firewall.
Li Cangshan’s eyes flashed with surprise, then his entire arm was sucked into the firewall.
Bai Lixin breathed a sigh of relief, “It seems that you really are the player Li Cangshan. You can rest assured about this.”
“God Xin.” Li Cangshan hastily said before being completely sucked in, “I will find you! We will complete the task together!”
Bai Lixin smiled, “Of course! We will definitely complete the task together, not only this copy, but also leave the escape game world together.”
Li Cangshan only had time to shout “okay” before his whole body disappeared into the firewall.
Just when Li Cangshan had left, a cold snort suddenly came from behind Bai Lixin.
The voice was three parts sarcastic and seven parts chilling, causing Bai Lixin’s spine to shiver. He quickly turned around, showing a sweet smile, “Why did you follow me?”
Dijia: “I was worried you might encounter danger, so I’ve been quietly following not far behind you. But you’ve been so focused on that boy, you didn’t even notice my presence.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Dijia quickly took a few steps forward and held Bai Lixin’s hand hard, the force making Bai Lixin’s fingers turn white, “I thought you…”
Bai Lixin frowned. “You thought what?”
Dijia: “That you were planning to secretly leave with that guy named Li Cangshan, and leave me behind.”
Bai Lixin widened his eyes. “How could you think that? I would never leave you.”
Dijia tightened his grip on Bai Lixin’s hand. “Are you really not going to leave me?”
Bai Lixin: “Really, I swear!”
Dijia then eased his grip, holding Bai Lixin’s wrist instead. “You don’t need to swear. Just remember that you said that. So, answer my question, why did you send Li Cangshan away first? Didn’t we agree to return together?”
Bai Lixin: “Because I have other things to take care of.”
He briefly told Dijia what he wanted to do, and Dijia let go of Bai Lixin, saying, “I understand, you asked Li Cangshan to leave first so that you can leave here with me.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I have said so much, but this is the main point you heard?!
Do you have a virus in your program?’
—————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[Hahaha, I’m going to die of laughter because of the big boss of this world.]
[God Xin blabbered on and on until he got a dry mouth, the big boss: “Oh, he wants to leave with just me.”]
[I suggest the big boss go see a doctor and check if his brain is itching. I think the big boss is suffering from love-brain.]
[Aren’t there enough big bosses with love-brain?]
[Laughing to death, the big boss’s aloof temperament has completely collapsed.]
[Every time the big boss appears alone, I think he’s really awesome, so cool and noble, and damn handsome. Just one glance from him makes my heart tremble. But every time the big boss is with God Xin, the big boss just gives a sense of security. Not only does he have a love-brain, he’s also a bit silly.]
[Fortunately, the big boss doesn’t watch the live broadcast room, you guys dare to entertain the big boss like this, you don’t want to live.]
[It’s okay, it’s okay, the big boss is in the copy, he definitely can’t see what we’re saying.]
The man on the 999th floor clenched his jaw, gently touching the pink and purple pearl bracelet in his hand: “…”
‘I can see it.’
——————————–
When they left, there were three people, but when they returned, there were only two, and Li Cangshan was gone.
Bai Lixin explained that Li Cangshan had returned to the spaceship first because of his ankle injury, and everyone accepted it without any objections.
Afterwards, Bai Lixin said he was going to Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory, and asked what plans the others had.
The others had barely looked around here. Even though the smell was a bit unpleasant, they didn’t want to return to the spaceship so soon.
After some discussion, surprisingly, no one wanted to go back to the spaceship.
Not only did no one want to go back to the spaceship, but everyone also wanted to go with Bai Lixin to Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory.
The thing they now wanted to figure out the most was how this planet was destroyed.
It seemed that they could only find reason for the destruction of the planet in Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory. Since Bai Lixin asked, they naturally wanted to go too.
Bai Lixin didn’t say much about it and went towards Dr. Serkhi’s laboratory with everyone.
They also brought the robot along.
As they moved, the team members chatted with the robot out of boredom, and after the conversation, they learned that the robot was the only surviving robot in the vicinity. For the past four years, it had been alone in the exhibition hall, diligently dealing with the rubbish on the ground.
But there was too much rubbish. It cleared it day and night, piling the garbage into small mountains, but there was still endless rubbish to clean up.
When they listened to the robot recounting this experience, they unexpectedly felt a sense of loneliness and desolation.
So no matter what, they wanted to bring the robot along too.
Bai Lixin had no objections and turned to Dijia.
The spaceship belonged to Dijia, so anyone who wanted to board it needed the permission of the spaceship’s owner.
Dijia had no objections either.
All the captain wanted to do now was help Bai Lixin find out the reason for the destruction of the planet and leave here with him as soon as possible. What spaceship, interstellar criminals and responsibilities? Al that were worthless compared to Bai Lixin.
He had long wanted to get rid of the burden of the spaceship. Now that the space creatures had been eradicated and the clones wouldn’t pose any threat, he could leave the responsibility of managing the spaceship to them.
“You agreed so readily? Thank you so much, Captain!”
“Yes, I used to think you were difficult to get along with, but I was wrong to blame you.”
“You’re a good person! The great person in the universe!”
As everyone excitedly thanked Dijia, only Bai Lixin could see Dijia’s true thoughts: “…”
‘Silly kids, they’re being sold and they’re still counting the money.
You think someone is a great person who is willing to help others, but that person just sees you as his successors.’
…
Three aircrafts slowly ascended into the air and flew towards the direction of the crack in the planet.
Ten minutes later, they landed on a flat ground and disembarked from the aircrafts.
Not far from them, an exaggerated deep ravine suddenly appeared in front of them.
“Boom!”
Suddenly there was a muffled thunder in the foggy sky.
Then, a blurry flash of lightning streaked through the thick fog, followed by even louder thunder.
Upon hearing this sound, the robot suddenly became restless, emitting a “Zzt Zzt” electric sound as if it had malfunctioned. It kept turning its neck and body, and muttering, “Quick, hide, quick hide, quick hide.”
The others were puzzled, and Big Guy asked, “What’s wrong?”
The robot: “Acid rain, highly corrosive acid rain. It’s dangerous, quick, hide, or you’ll be riddled like a beehive!”
