The journey ahead was thrilling yet safe, and in the distance, the energy-gathering cannon burst forth with a blinding white light.
Across the river, right at the bottom of the bridge, stood a Sanctuary Gate; however, with the Sea Beast Tide surging violently, even though most of the sea beasts were attracted to the defense base in the east, the City Defense Soldiers stationed on this side of the wall needed only to operate machine guns, unleashing bursts of fire to take down the occasional stray beast... For safety, the entire gate remained tightly shut, with no possibility of opening at a ti like this.
Tang Yu understood this and steered the vehicle westward, traveling along the city wall.
Dawn Bay Town wasn't large, but the Luoxia Sanctuary had expanded several tis over, based on Dawn Bay Town's Foundation. The towering wall stretched on, its end invisible.
As they moved forward, the sea beasts they encountered grew fewer, and even the thunderous sound of cannon fire gradually faded away.
Finally, a gate appeared ahead, the large gate firmly closed, except for a small gate at the bottom, wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side. Thanks to the news Shay had gathered, Tang Yu knew that this gate was the West Gate, one of the three western gates.
Just from the number of gates alone, it was clear that the scope of the Luoxia Sanctuary indeed was much larger than Lindong's.
A few Awakeners with guns stood sternly at the gate, their gazes sharp as they watched the passersby, while on the city wall, so City Defense Soldiers patrolled vigilantly. Tang Yu noticed that there were not many soldiers, possibly because they had been reassigned to the south for defense.
After a brief registration, everyone received a pass, a symbol of personal identity that could be shown to the City Defense Soldiers when leaving or returning to the city, sparing the need for registration.
—Not every survivor would receive one, but their team, in the eyes of the City Defense Soldiers, was almost entirely composed of individuals with Fourth Layer Awakener strength, which is why they had been granted these passes in advance. Ordinary survivors, however, would need to explain their reasons and apply at the relevant departnts, which was a rather troubleso process.
Ten minutes later, several Floating Chariots slowly drove into the Luoxia Sanctuary.
The main avenue was four lanes wide and fairly spacious, allowing survivors to drive their vehicles, which was an improvent over Lindong.
Tang Yu guessed that perhaps because gasoline was expensive, ordinary people would not drive around the Sanctuary for leisure, making the roads exceptionally clear of traffic and even exempt from traffic restrictions.
They drove straight to a bustling street and got out of the car, sitting down in a simple teahouse.
Beneath a cool awning, shielding them from the scorching sun.
The street was crowded with survivors, so hurrying past, so hawking their wares, creating an uncommon cacophony.
Most people wore clothes washed pale, and due to the hot weather, many had rolled up their sleeves, sweat streaming down their backs, but perhaps due to the abundance of seafood in the area, these ordinary survivors didn't seem as emaciated as one might expect.
Light laughter drifted from nearby.
A child with a youthful face, holding both parents' hands, wore a smile and hopped gleefully.
In an instant, Tang Yu's expression beca distant, as if looking through a faded photograph, he saw the harmonious days of his childhood, spent with his family of three.
His gaze wandered.
Silent.
Expectant.
Anxious.
And apprehensive.
After a long while, he took a deep breath and looked toward the two sisters with light purple hair seated not far away, saying, "Let's do the Divination…"
The Astrologer, Xing Ling and Xing Yue.
The Luoxia Sanctuary was vast, and among more than two million survivors, finding soone was extrely difficult.
Tang Yu had been well aware of this fact. With no text ssages and no other contact information such as addresses, even the officials would have to utilize a significant amount of manpower to locate soone.
Fortunately…
One of the purple-haired girls raised her hand, "Captain, let do this, I'm good at it. I need one of your hairs as the dium."
She stood up and trotted over.
Her steps were light and lively.
Suddenly, as if her toe had bumped into sothing, the purple-haired girl leaned forward, panic clearly written across her face. Her hands flailed unconsciously to both sides, and ultimately... with a smack, she fell face-first onto the ground.
She quickly propped herself up on her arms and stood, deftly brushing the dust off her clothes, and casually casting a "Dust Removal Technique" on her face, as if nothing had happened.
Tang Yu's face twitched.
It even hurt to watch.
These two purple-haired girls looked nearly identical, and their voices were almost indistinguishable; he usually couldn't tell them apart. But now, through this odd misstep, Tang Yu recognized the one before him as his sister Xing Yue—after all, his sister would never fall like that.
Distracted by the incident, the pressure in his heart eased a good deal. He wrapped a finger around his hair and yanked it out forcefully.
It was sowhat painful, probably because his hair had beco denser after advancing in his life stage. Going bald was no longer a possibility.
Xing Yue took the strand of hair, rolling it between her fingers. She brought out a hoop, adorned with several different colored crystal ornants, looking rather like a keychain loaded with keys but much larger, with the ring being about the size of a palm.
These crystal ornants ca in various shapes: long strips, stars, animal figures, and more. She tied the hair to one of the crystal ornants, closed her eyes, and murmured an incantation.
Faintly visible was a weak glow emitting from the crystal, causing several of the crystals to shake and collide with one another, producing a crisp sound.
Under Tang Yu's anxious gaze, Xing Yue opened her eyes, lips curving in a brilliant smile, "Captain, uncle and aunt are all safe. You can rest assured, I've also divined their residence location..."
She wore an expression that practically shouted 'praise '.
...
...
West Five Residential Area.
The buildings here had been constructed post-apocalypse, resembling a collection of long blocks standing on this stretch of land, with gray walls, uniform heights, identical layouts, and even the streets within the complex were just as narrow.
It was depressingly monotonous.
Tang Yu arrived at Building 29, pausing montarily to eye the unfamiliar surroundings before ascending the stairs.
"0327, 0327..." he murmured to himself.
The hallway was long and narrow, devoid of light, with identical wooden doors on both sides, crudely made, each bearing a door number.
Finally, Tang Yu stood in front of the wooden door numbered 0327. He extended his hand, hesitated a mont at the door, and then knocked firmly.
Thump, thump.
"Who is it?" ca a familiar voice from within.
Tang Yu's eyes moistened.
"Who?"
The voice inside urged.
Tang Yu opened his mouth, his throat choking up, writhing for several seconds before he managed to utter one word, "Mom—"
Suddenly, the room went silent. Before long, the wooden door was hurriedly flung open, revealing a face filled with surprise and disbelief.
Ti was rciless, having etched wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, hair at her temples now peppered with gray; even the spine had started to stoop…
Unwittingly.
They had aged.
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