He attacked the wrong mountain (5)

While Lian Nagi was trying her best to defend herself and clear her name, Shu Ningmiao was unaware of how her actions had been misunderstood.

For the next few days, she investigated information about the new location.

The birthplace of the game's protagonist, Eric, the main church of the Church of Praise—the location of Prometheus, and even the patients who sought help in "Felix Paradise"—most of their whereabouts eventually disappeared near the new land. All the evidence points to this chaotic enclave, which cannot be a coincidence.

The history of Xindi is long, and the reasons for the formation of this land are very complex. It can only be speculated that its prototype appeared about three hundred years ago.

That was when the superhumans of Pine organized an army to rebel. Before that, Pine had been divided and occupied by other countries for a long time because of its abundant Pandora resources.

At that time, the new land was not called the new land, but the "land of light." It was close to the port and the border, and was the first choice for many people from abroad who came to settle in Pines.

At that time, Pines was only the size of the capital, neither prosperous nor scenic. Its technology and national strength were weak, and at first glance, it was not even as good as the countryside of a powerful country.

People who come to Pine are not curious about the scenery of the country; in fact, they look down on it.

They flocked to Pine, solely for the Pandora that flowed forth like a spring.

Because of its abundance, Pandora's mining sites were even called "springs" in Phineas—what an alluring and beautiful name.

They carved out a piece of land in Phineas, separating themselves from the Phineans, and built lavish entertainment facilities and casinos on this small piece of land, open only to foreigners.

The "Land of Light" divided the small city of Pinnech into two worlds, and the people who lived there at that time truly felt that the future was full of light.

Tons of Pandora were extracted and sent to all parts of the world. Pines, like a heart that could not stop beating, was exhausted from being exploited by foreign armies, maintaining the planet's operation.

But Pinhea, who had been exploited layer by layer, could not remain numb as others expected.

Of Pinheid's millions of citizens, it is impossible for everyone to willingly live in a state of being plundered and exploited.

The first "Envoys" were thus born. The four Envoys at that time led most of the supernatural beings in Pigne in a rebellion, and ultimately reclaimed all of Pigne's land and honor.

This was the first time the world had witnessed the power of superhumans.

Almost everyone born and raised in Pigne is familiar with this story, and Shu Ningmiao guesses that the animated IP "Superheroes" that Pigne is now promoting is based on this story.

After other countries were defeated and withdrew from the land of Pines, many foreigners who had settled in this "land of light" still lived there, and their fate became the biggest question.

Because this land was acquired by a landowner of Jin Ruichang nationality through a combination of robbery and purchase, it no longer belonged to Pinheisburga in a sense. However, no other country was willing to negotiate with Pinheisburga for this land.

Due to various complex reasons and circumstances, or perhaps because of the high management costs and the fact that most of the people there were foreigners, Pinhes simply abandoned the place and turned it into a dumping ground for waste.

The "Land of Light" became a true lawless zone, devoid of government jurisdiction, law and order, and infested only with crime, poverty, and disease.

The Pinheites had a deep prejudice against this place and had little good impression of it. They would never call it the Land of Light, and when they did mention it, they would only say "that new place." Through word of mouth, it eventually became known as the New Land.

No one would call the “light” that once existed in this chaotic region anymore. Over the past century, it has gradually evolved into a slum in Pinheis due to abandonment. People who could not survive in the capital due to bankruptcy and other reasons, fugitive criminals, and abandoned children all share a similar poverty.

If you want to hide something, New World is definitely the best choice.

But how exactly did Achini manage to move so freely within it?

The defenses between the new land and the capital were based on a strict system of easy entry but difficult exit. It was not difficult for the Pinhians to enter the new land, but for the people of the new land to enter Pinh, they had to pass through at least several defenses, and only a very few were allowed permission.

One type is like Erici, who grew up in an orphanage, has a relatively clean background, no criminal record, and is a student going to study in Pinne; the other type is like the clergy, such as Weisheng Qianheng.

—The doctrine of most religions is to save people from suffering. The more desperate the environment, the stronger people's faith becomes. Therefore, there are many churches stationed in the new land. Many welfare facilities in the new land are built with funds from the church, such as orphanages and morgues.

Currently, the official announcement only states that these two categories of people are allowed to travel without hindrance. If more people are granted permission, it could cause panic among residents of the neighboring Yingjian District.

No matter how much she doubted, Shu Ningmiao had no intention of going to the new place alone. In such a chaotic place, it would be no different from courting death to rush in and explore without thorough preparation.

Moreover, she didn't completely trust the effectiveness of her superpower or Rennagi.

Human nature is fickle, and so many coincidences made her suspicious. What if this place was just a trap, deliberately luring her there?

She returned some materials that were only available at the Cornunos Library and deleted all her borrowing records directly from the library's old-fashioned machine.

The terminal, which was always set to silent, kept vibrating inside the bag.

She glanced at her terminal and saw a message from You An, asking if she wanted to go with him to represent the whole class in visiting Teacher Yeluqi.

He enthusiastically listed the cream cake, large bouquet of carnations, and congratulatory speech that the whole class had prepared together.

She glanced at the heartfelt speech, but if she were to read it aloud in front of Yelü Qi, it would no longer be a gesture of condolence, but rather an execution.

Shu Ningmiao wondered when she had participated in this outreach activity.

She opened the class group chat and saw several group payments. She paid them without looking at the messages carefully.

Based on the condition of Yelüqi that she saw at the hospital last time, and the hospital's dismissive attitude, Yelüqi might have already been discharged the next day.

Shu Ning guessed that the absence from class was probably a decision made by higher-ups.

Yelüqi's sudden vomiting of black blood was Prometheus's doing, but the others didn't know that. They just thought it was because his health was unstable. If this happened again in front of the students, even a fool would know something was wrong.

Shu Ningmiao casually replied, "Are you sure the teacher is still in the clinic?"

You An replied immediately, as if he were guarding a terminal: "Of course, I got Professor Yelü's terminal number from the academic affairs office. I heard his illness isn't serious, he just needs to rest for a while."

Having received Yelü Qi's own clarification, You An had clearly put aside his doubts and worries and was happy again.

Shu Ning wondered why Yelü Qi was still in the medical clinic. Had his condition worsened?

"Do you want to go?"

Although there was no facial expression, Shu Ningmiao could already sense the other person's extremely expectant look just from the words.

Someone reached out and placed a book on the machine behind her. Shu Ningmiao stepped aside to make room for him, but heard the person say softly, "Why are you standing here without moving?"

Shu Ningmiao glanced at him, and Shi Yu's eyes curved slightly, his smile warm.

He borrowed a children's book. Shu Ningmiao rarely saw him looking at things unrelated to music, so she paid a closer look.

"Reply to my message." Shu Ningmiao walked out with him: "It's rare to see you at the library."

Shi Yu flipped her wrist over so she could see the words on the cover: "The Adventures of Rabbit Baby": "My mother wants me to volunteer at the orphanage in Xindi in her place."

There couldn't possibly be such sophisticated things as musical instruments in an orphanage, so Mrs. Grana asked him to prepare some fairy tale books with simple vocabulary.

"And you?" Shi Yu asked her in return, "Whose message are you replying to?"

Shu Ningmiao paused for a moment, not answering immediately. This question was somewhat private and didn't seem like something he would ask. This was the first time Shi Yu had crossed such a line.

Shi Yu, however, acted quite naturally: "You An?"

Since it wasn't an important communication, Shu Ningmiao didn't dwell on it: "How did you know?"

"That's it," Shi Yu smiled and said, "I guessed. He invited you to visit your teacher together?"

Shu Ningmiao glanced at him, somewhat suspecting that he had planted a surveillance device on You An: "Did he invite you too?"

Shi Yu paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "That's just a guess."

You An is too insightful. He is single-minded and wants to seize any opportunity to get closer to her. He is completely unaware of the vast difference between him and Shu Ningmiao.

Even if he wins over Shu Ningmiao, so what? A boy from the countryside knows nothing about the world of fame and fortune in Penelope City. He might not be able to afford even a single pearl on the necklace Shu Ningmiao wears in his entire life.

Shu Ningmiao wanted money, power, and a life of luxury; she would never accompany him to a remote fishing village to live a life of poverty. What could he offer Shu Ningmiao besides his affection?

Trying something you know has no future, thinking it's courage, is actually foolish. Shi Yu has never understood such irrational courage.

Shi Yu felt a slight displeasure towards him, but it wasn't just because of that; the boy was very likely the restless element that would disrupt "stability."

When You An likes someone, her emotions are written all over her face, but unfortunately, Shu Ningmiao is always indifferent to things that don't interest her.

Perhaps if he persisted, his pure innocence, enthusiasm, and kindness might actually move Shu Ningmiao, but he didn't like the stable relationship between him and Shu Ningmiao being inexplicably interrupted by a third person.

"Are you planning to say yes to him?" Shi Yu's voice remained unchanged, calm and unhurried: "You didn't come last week... This week is your day off, could you come with me to Xindi?"

Last week he seemed to be in Pinne, and this week he's on his day off... Shu Ningmiao actually wanted to agree to visit Yeluqi on You An's behalf. She wanted to observe Yeluqi's symptoms further and learn more detailed information about the so-called Pandora-induced illness.

Moreover, she didn't plan to go to the new place for the time being. The situation there was too complicated. She would have to go through the military's identity verification to enter the new place, which could easily be reported to Shu Changyan.

After she left that day, they fell into a strange cold war—because Shu Changyan demanded that she tell him before leaving school, and that even if he couldn't make it in time, he would ask someone to accompany her.

Yu Lu had mentioned that the Security Bureau would have deployments outside the school, but Shu Changyan completely ignored this. Most people in the military believed that the inefficient Security Bureau was just a useless entity supported by the United Parliament using national tax revenue, and he was no exception.

The long-standing unresolved problem of Prometheus made Shu Changyan have a poor impression of the Public Security Bureau.

Shu Changyan always had a vague anxiety about her.

Even knowing that Shu Changyan was only acting out of concern, she still felt that he was being a bit too protective.

Shi Yu's opportunity to go to Xindi was perfect; the timing, location, and identity were all flawless.

As Shi Yu's nominal fiancée, and with Shi's mother, Lady Grana, being a renowned philanthropist, it wouldn't seem strange to anyone that she was with Shi Yu. Furthermore, there was the protection of the Yangsong Church—one of the church's businesses was to provide a volunteer channel for kind-hearted wealthy women to travel between the new city and the capital.

Opportunities are hard to come by. Although Yelü Qi has grown legs, he will not run away from Pineh.

You seem to be very busy lately.

Shi Yu lowered her eyelashes, tracing a soft arc, with a hint of a smile: "Won't I take up your precious time?"

"I can spare some of my precious time," Shu Ningmiao interrupted his teasing remark, "to spend time with you."