After selecting their destination, the six of them swiftly returned to their respective carriages, leaving the task of explaining the situation to the other players in Grandpa’s capable hands. Soon, the trio found themselves back in the sa empty carriage where they had first entered.
"Finally!" Gu Luoxin plopped himself down on a random seat and released a heavy sigh. "We’re just repeating the sa event over and over, but why does it feel more exhausting than fighting against the nightmare creatures?"
Jin Jiuchi couldn’t agree more. He did not even bother taking a seat and imdiately collapsed onto the cold floor, sighing in bliss, "How long until we reach the future? Can I take a short nap?"
Gu Luoxin was already half-dozing as he mumbled. "Yeah, a short nap sounds very nice..."
Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but be amused and slightly exasperated by his teammates’ antics. He walked over to the large husky curled up on the floor and gently nudged him with the tip of his shoe. "Get up. There are so many empty seats, why must you lie on the dirty floor?"
Jin Jiuchi rolled over and buried his face into the crook of his arm to make his protest known, "But they all look so narrow and uncomfortable!"
Indeed, with Jin Jiuchi’s broad fra and long legs, sitting in such a cramped space ought to be a torture for him. But it was still no excuse to take the floor! What if he ended up catching a cold? Shen Nianzu was about to lecture him about the importance of hygiene and health when the door to their carriage slid open and Grandpa stepped in. "Oh, there you guys are."
Gu Luoxin imdiately jolted awake and sprang to his feet with whoosh. "Grandpa, hello!" He already had a well-behaved and obedient appearance to begin with. Coupled with his sweet mouth, it would only take an instant for him to befriend the neighborhood’s grandpas and grandmas, and the elder before him was no exception.
Grandpa let out a hearty laugh and affectionately rubbed his head. "What an energetic young lady you are, just like my cute granddaughter!"
"Ahaha," Gu Luoxin scratched his cheek and laughed awkwardly. "But I am a boy..."
Grandpa was genuinely taken aback for a mont before he swiftly apologized and stuffed one more red envelope into Gu Luoxin’s hand, making the young man so happy that sparkling stars could spill forth from his eyes. Shen Nianzu shook his head, a helpless smile playing on his lips. "Have you finished filling them in, Grandpa?"
"Oh yes," Grandpa replied as he rolled his shoulders with a rueful sigh. "I’m not as young as I used to be. Having a conversation with a bunch of ignorant youngsters feels more draining than fighting. I think I need a shut eye before we reach our destination, just like your friend over there."
Being cued, Jin Jiuchi rely opened one eye lazily before closing it again, still with no intention to move from his comfortable spot on the floor.
"JJ, isn’t it?" Grandpa rubbed his chin and studied Jin Jiuchi from head to toe. "You look a little familiar to . Have we t before?"
"Oh?" Shen Nianzu raised a brow, curiosity piqued. "You have?"
That question drew Jin Jiuchi’s attention. He propped himself up by the elbow and narrowed his eyes to scrutinize Grandpa, then he shook his head. "Nope, I don’t rember ever eting you."
"Right? I think my mory is failing ." Grandpa shook his head exasperatedly. "After all, the boy I encountered was— oh my, look at ! I shouldn’t take up too much of your ti. Let’s recharge our spirits so we can fight again when the ti cos, okay?"
With those words, he left just as suddenly as he had arrived, disappearing like a whirlwind.
Shen Nianzu let out a sigh and finally gave up on trying to move Jin Jiuchi from his sweet sweet bed, which was the floor. He settled into a random seat as well and closed his eyes, saying, "Let’s get so rest. We need it after everything we have gone through since entering this Cycle." His words garnered full support from both Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin, and soon, the sound of soft, deep breathing filled the carriage.
Ti seed to stretch indefinitely within the boundless void. Under the dim glow from the fluorescent lights above, the trio drifted into a shallow sleep. It was impossible to gauge how much ti had passed until the familiar ’ding-dong!’ jolted them awake.
They sat up, all bleary-eyed and disoriented, just as the cheerful female voice announced through the speaker, "Ladies and gentlen, we are now arriving at the future. Please ensure you have all your belongings with you, and thank you for choosing Chrono Junction Express!"
"We have arrived?" Gu Luoxin rubbed his eyes and stretched his waist, letting out a big yawn.
"Yes, finally!" Jin Jiuchi imdiately beca energetic. "I can’t wait to see what the future is like!"
Shen Nianzu instinctively glanced at his wristwatch to check the ti, only to be stunned when he discovered that the clock had stopped working at 8.21 pm. He calculated for a mont and realized that this must have been the exact ti they finished choosing their destination. So the clock was now broken because it could no longer asure the ti?
With the absence of a functioning clock inside the train, he had no way of knowing what ti it currently was. However, his attention was quickly diverted when the darkness outside the window began to recede, and the familiar yet foreign platform ca into view.
Familiar, because it closely resembled the platform they had been on before. Foreign, because... everything had changed so much. The ground was now blanketed in a thick layer of dust and green veins snaked up the pillars, giving off an aged and weathered appearance.
"This... is the future?" Gu Luoxin mumbled, taken aback by the bizarre sight before them.
When the train ca to a halt and the door slid open, the three of them stepped out one after another. All around them, the other players also disembarked from their own carriages and gawked at the scene in front of them, a mix of awe and apprehension in their expressions.
"Let’s go out first," Shen Nianzu instructed as he took the lead to climb up the stairs, the other two following close behind him.
"Hmm!" Jin Jiuchi took a deep, deep breath until his chest expanded to the limit before releasing a huge contented exhale. "I’ve never slled air this fresh before. Nian’er, how many years do you think we have traveled into? I bet it’s more than fifty."
"M–More than fifty?!" Gu Luoxin exclaid in shock. "That can’t be, right? It seems too far—" his voice abruptly trailed off and he stopped on his tracks, stunned by the breathtaking scenery he glimpsed through the window. Similarly, both Jin Jiuchi and Shen Nianzu also paused to take in the incredible sight.
The once-urban landscape had transford into a vibrant and surreal land where verdant greenery triumphantly overtook the concrete and steel terrain. As far as their eyes could see, the buildings and skyscrapers were now living monunts, their surfaces adorned with a tapestry of crawling vines and lush foliage.
The air was rich with the scent of wildflowers, and the gentle rustling of leaves provided a soothing music. Trees had sprung forth from the cracks in the pavent, their roots andering through the broken streets like veins of life pulsing through the city’s heart. Birds soared freely through the open expanses, their songs replacing the hum of engines and the cacophony of urban life.
The once polluted skies now shone with a brilliant azure, and the sun cast its warm embrace upon this newfound Eden.
This was a world where nature had reclaid its dominion, where humanity had perished and allowed Earth to flourish once more.
"Woah..." Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but comnt. "I changed my mind. Are you sure we’re only fifty years into the future, Da Shen? I bet it’s more than a hundred."
Jin Jiuchi retorted, "I bet it’s more than a hundred and fifty!"
"Two hundred, then!"
"Two hundred and twenty!"
"Two hundred and..."
As the other players exited the station, they were also dumbfounded by the change in the scenery they found. This was a landscape they had never imagined seeing in a lifeti. Faced with this new and foreign world, the most pressing question lood in their minds.
"Where can we find the core NPC?"
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