Chapter 645 The Guardian of the Collection (Part Nine)

The car drove for a while.

Xia Mingang couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere any longer.

He felt that everyone must have discovered something, and if they weren't going to bring it up for discussion, were they afraid the gatekeeper would overhear?

But Yun Zhao is here.

Why not just create a barrier?

Then Xia Mingang broke the silence, "The mutants and the excitement themselves have nothing to do with each other, right? This is just a decoy; the gatekeeper's true 'identity' has always been hidden beneath the excitement?"

"Yes and no."

Jiang Mu rarely spoke up to remind him: "Think carefully about what Uncle He said back then."

—【It likes to be seen by people and often lies in open-air squares, surrounded by layers of people…】

But the current situation doesn't match up at all.

Xia Mingang leaned out of the passenger seat and looked back with a suspicious expression: "So we're going to find an open-air plaza?"

Jiang Mu: "..."

Forget it, why bother arguing with a delusional teenager?

"After we lured away the mutant, we've come to the conclusion that liveliness has nothing to do with popularity."

Fu Heng added, "The situation is completely different from what Uncle He described, and Uncle He couldn't possibly be lying, so there's only one possibility... Therefore, we must go to other places to confirm again."

Xia Mingang choked.

What's possible?

You should say it.

That was the last thing said, and none of the people in the car had any intention of making things clear at the moment, leaving Xia Mingang feeling anxious and restless.

The car drove on for a while longer.

Fu Yu and Jiang Mu frequently raised their hands to check the time.

Nearly twenty minutes later, the unusually tranquil landscape outside the window rushed past, but the next scene was nowhere to be seen.

Something's definitely not right.

Even if the contaminated area is large, at the speed of a car, the environmental changes should have been visible long ago.

Xie Tu gripped the steering wheel, his eyes scanning every seemingly identical inch of the scenery outside, trying to find the subtle flaws.

About ten minutes later.

Less than ten meters directly in front of the car, there was a brown scenic area sign on the roadside, clearly indicating the directions to the parking lot and bus stop.

Xia Mingang, sitting in the passenger seat, saw it very clearly and his eyes widened suddenly. "It's a sign for the ancient town!"

Are they back?

"A ghost wall?" Fu Qian's voice turned cold, her hand already on her weapon. "Is it trying to prevent us from leaving the ancient town?"

"No wonder, no wonder there's no limit to the number of times you can guess in the game."

Yun Zhao said calmly, "It seems like this is what's been waiting for."

Xie Tu glanced at the sign, but didn't slow down at all, and continued driving forward.

Sure enough, the entrance to the town soon came into view.

They left through the exit, but ended up circling around the highway and ending up back at the front door.

Xie Tu stepped on the brakes, and the tires screeched as they rubbed against the ground.

Everyone looked up.

The antique buildings and the streets were devoid of any wriggling mutants, not even a shadow. In the dim light, they appeared particularly eerie, as if shrouded in an inexplicable gloom, sending chills down one's spine.

"It wasted half an hour on the road for nothing. It's really clever of it."

Jiang Mu was amused and patted the back of Yun Zhao's seat. "It seems that when it says 'guess,' it means exactly what it says."

They are not given the opportunity to expand their search; they are left to rely solely on their imagination.

There are so many kinds of items in the world. Just the category of collectibles alone has a catalog that can contain tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of items. If you really had to guess, how could you possibly guess them all in six hours?

"Its condition is 'guess my true identity,' and 'true identity'... that word is crucial." Yun Zhao's voice was unexpectedly calm.

Xia Mingang held his breath and looked at Fu Heng, "Now that we can't get out, what can we say about that?"

It made him think for a long time.

Xie Tu picked up his backpack, opened the car door and got out, replying, "No rush, we'll know the answer after we try."

Xia Mingang retorted angrily, "Of course you're not in a hurry, but I am!"

It seems everyone knows this except him.

How embarrassing for him!

Yun Zhao waved his hand in front of Uncle Qin to test it, but seeing that he still didn't react, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

The door was on either side of her and her uncle.

She didn't get out of the car, so Jiang Mu and Fu Mo, who were sitting in the back, couldn't get out.

Yun Zhao opened the car door, handed the backpack to Xie Tu who was waiting by the door, got out of the car, and then said something surprising: "Everyone suspects that this place has been merged."

After Kerry confirmed the map, the situation described by Uncle He did not match up.

The clues we have are completely contradictory. Excluding the possibility that Uncle He is deliberately deceiving us, there is no other possibility except that the gatekeeper has been replaced.

"Merge?!?" Xia Mingang's reaction was extremely shocked.

He turned around abruptly, and the weapon in his hand struck the car wall with a sharp crack.

Jiang Mu gently raised his eyes: "Don't be so alarmed. Didn't Fu Heng hint that you should go to other places to confirm?"

If the next scene still doesn't match up at all, then they can be 100% sure.

As for why we didn't say anything earlier, we all understand the unspoken answer.

—Twin Towers.

Who knew that the immature teenager couldn't even understand the hints?

Xia Mingang: "..." Am I at the very bottom of the food chain?

“We can’t get out now, so there’s no need to worry about the gatekeepers eavesdropping. Let’s just guess here.” Fu Yu got out of the car and looked at Xie Tu and Yun Zhao.

According to the map, the area bordering the gatekeeper of the collection is occupied by red-crowned cranes...

Shen Ying, founder of the Dawn Base.

Yun Zhao's feelings were complicated.

Has Shen Ying already taken over this place?

As a guide, she certainly had the ability to block the sentinels' senses.

If I say her name, will I win the game?

According to the rules of the bet, if she wins, the gatekeeper will show himself. Next... will she kill Shen Ying?

A predecessor who founded the Dawn Base and sacrificed himself to save the world...

Many thoughts flashed through Yun Zhao's mind, and then she looked up at Xie Tu.

The man happened to turn around and look back.

"What are you thinking?" Yun Zhao patted his shoulder with the Arctic fox plush toy in his hand.

He was too engrossed in thinking.

I almost forgot about the little bluebird standing on the doll. The little bluebird lost its footing and flapped its wings.

Yun Zhao hurriedly put the doll away and picked up the little bluebird to apologize and comfort it.

"Whoever she was in the past, now she is the gatekeeper."

Xie Tu's voice was lower and hoarser than usual. He had grown up in the Dawn Base and served there, and his heart was not at peace at this moment.

Shen Ying and her friends founded the Dawn Base with the intention of preserving the last embers of humanity amidst the ruins and lighting an inextinguishable lamp in the long night.

That ideal was too fervent, and the responsibility too heavy.

The initial act of protection, at some unknown turning point, quietly twisted into another form of obsession.

From despair, it went to extremes, turning into a grand yet tragic...degenerate hymn.

The 5S team had to bring its story to a close.

Yun Zhao held the little bluebird, gently stroking its head with his fingers, his gaze fixed on Xie Tu's profile.

She looked away, took a deep breath, and said, "Then I'll do it."

As he spoke, Yun Zhao looked up at the dark sky and said each word clearly.

"The gatekeeper is... Shen Ying!"