Chapter 124 Black Holes and Paradoxes
The sun soon set, and the radio in the car was on all the time. Youxi switched between several news stations while driving, trying to get some information from the news.
Premonitions are not unpredictable, especially for natural phenomena like this. There will be more or less information in the weather forecast.
And the customary practice in the apocalyptic world is that some small natural phenomena are often magnified several times, and this magnified part is unpredictable by the weather forecast, thus evolving into certain disaster precursors.
People are often unprepared for these disaster precursors, and they get into trouble if they are not careful.
So, when she heard on the news station that there were thunderstorms in parts of the eastern and southern parts of the peninsula, she began to check the distance to the next rest stop on the navigation.
Whether it was a thunderstorm or heavy rain, it was actually safe to stay in the car, but it was not so safe on the highway.
Heavy rain would reduce the driver's visibility, and even if she stopped on the emergency parking strip, it would not be 100% safe, not to mention that there might be a typhoon.
You Xi turned her head to look at You Zhenzhen, who was sleeping on the slightly lowered chair back. She was just an ordinary person, and she held on for another afternoon after leaving the circulation area. Not long after getting on the highway, she couldn't hold on any longer, and not only did she fall asleep, but she also slept soundly.
You Xi didn't wake her up, and began to speed up silently.
A flash of lightning flashed across the sky in the distance. She looked at the thunderclouds in the rearview mirror. It seemed that a thunderstorm had already started, but it was very far away from where they were.
Youxi did not relax her vigilance. She overtook other cars all the way and finally drove into the gate and arrived at the rest stop fifteen minutes later.
It was just after dinner time and there were still many people at the rest stop. She drove directly to the gas station and filled up the gas tank of her car. Then she found a building farthest from the gas station and parked the car in the open space outside the building. Then she closed all the windows.
From where she parked the car to the inside of the building, it was only a few steps away. This was to prevent the thunderstorm from being accompanied by strong winds. If the situation was not right, it would be safer to hide indoors.
She lowered her chair a little, took out a cup of latte, and began to check all the information related to the Lushan Peninsula while drinking.
For some reason, perhaps it was the power of the world's rules, everyone living in this fragmented world did not notice the strange state of the world. Or, there was some unknown force filling in this weird part.
For example, she could see information about other regions on the Internet, and even book hotels in other regions online or by phone, but in fact, at the other end of the network line, this hotel did not exist at all, because that hotel was in another fragmented world, and perhaps it had already merged with other complete apocalyptic worlds...
People in the fragmented world cannot leave the limited area, but people leave the airport, train station, bus station, and even shipping port every day. Where did they go?
After being trapped in the time loop area, can they still come back? Wouldn't their families who are waiting in the fragment world and can't wait to return home feel strange?
And those who arrived by plane or train... Youxi remembered that she had clearly seen the arriving passengers coming out of the airport before.
She spoke in her heart: System, if people in the fragment world can't get out, why can people from outside get in?
[What you see are people traveling inside the fragment world. Lancheng is in the west of the Lushan Peninsula, which is close to the edge, but the entire peninsula also has the east, south, north, and central parts, and even includes a circle of sea. ]
Even if the system explained, Youxi still had many questions in her mind.
[Host, the fragment world is different from the complete world. Don't get too entangled in the operating mode of this world. Many questions are unanswered. ]
You Xi nodded silently. She could understand this. After all, the existence of the entire fragmented world was a mystery. How could the world that had been destroyed and divided by the end of the world continue to exist in fragments?
If the apocalypse has already destroyed the world, why did she come before the apocalypse?
Many paradoxes.
The only thing she knows now is that there must be other time loop areas in this fragmented world. For example, several transportation stations that leave Lushan Peninsula directly: airports, stations, train stations... may all form time loop areas.
This feeling is like trap-like holes appearing in a complete piece of land. On the surface, the traps look like other places, but in fact, once you step into some areas, it is equivalent to stepping into a black hole.
In these areas, the rules of time and space are defined differently. People are deeply trapped in them without knowing it. When the repetition reaches a certain limit, they may die because their bodies can no longer bear it...
Or, there may be an ending worse and more bizarre than death, but she couldn't guess that part.
She could only try her best to circle these black hole areas on the map and avoid falling into them.
**
A thunderbolt suddenly streaked across the sky nearby, and the rain curtain came quickly and fiercely, without any easing or transition. It crackled on the roof of the car, and the car was like a percussion instrument being struck. At
rest stops everywhere, idle passengers who had originally gotten off the car to refuel, rest, smoke and chat, or go to the supermarket to buy things were caught off guard by the sudden heavy rain.
Some people cursed and took shelter from the rain, some rushed into the building, and some ran to the car subconsciously, getting soaked in just a few steps.
Two men and one woman who took shelter from the rain under the eaves had to squeeze together because the place was narrow.
"What a horrible weather! There's no news of rain around here! My phone shows it's sunny!"
"Wow, it's raining really hard, is a typhoon about to make landfall? Then can't we have a few more days off?" "
Do you have any brains? This weekend is a national holiday, why not take a long vacation!"
"Fuck, it would have been nice if the rain had stopped a few days earlier!"
"Don't complain about this, you see everyone else has taken shelter in buildings, and some have even gotten in cars, we're just under a parasol roof, we were just trying to get closer, and now it looks like the rain may continue for a while, what should we do?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? This kind of thunderstorm comes and goes quickly, at most in ten minutes. Otherwise, you can just run back to the car now!"
The woman naturally didn't want to run back to the car by herself. The rain was so heavy and the car was in the opposite direction. If she ran back now, her clothes would be soaked.
Thinking that thunderstorms come and go quickly, she decided to wait under the eaves for the time being.
However, twenty minutes later, the rain not only didn't stop, but it seemed to get heavier.
The heavy rain was accompanied by rumbling thunder, and lightning flashed in the sky, as if it was going to split the sky apart.
In such a commotion, You Zhenzhen finally couldn't sleep anymore. She stretched her slightly numb hands and feet in the driver's seat and quickly realized the environment she was in.
The windshield was blurred by the rain. You Xi did not turn off the power of the car. At this moment, she turned on the wipers and could barely see the scene outside.
They were not on the highway, and they had not reached Lushan yet. They seemed to be in a built-up area. It felt like a rest stop on the highway. You Zhenzhen was a little puzzled: "Aren't we leaving?"
"It's raining too hard. It's not safe to drive." The heavy rain did not hinder You Xi's vision. She noticed that since the rain started, no car had left the rest stop. On the contrary, because of the heavy rain, there were a few more cars coming into the rest stop to take shelter from the rain.
There were thunderous noises all around. You Zhenzhen took off her shoes and sat there hugging her knees. She felt her body shrinking, but she tried her best to endure it and didn't make any screams, as if she didn't want to show her weakness in front of her.
You Xi didn't say anything, but just turned on the music in the car. The soothing music flowed in the car, dispersing the roar of thunder.
You Zhenzhen pouted and said nothing. She hugged her arms and turned her head to the outside.
Just as she turned her face to the car window, a flash of lightning flashed and hit somewhere nearby. There was a muffled sound, accompanied by a scream.
"What's wrong?" The girl's face showed a look of fear. She had never heard such a miserable scream in reality. She subconsciously wanted to unlock the car door.
A slender, smooth hand quickly and silently reached out and pressed her finger.
"What are you doing?" You Zhenzhen was both surprised and anxious.
"Danger." You Xi motioned her to look forward. The windshield was the only direction You Zhenzhen could see clearly outside. In the pouring rain, dazzling, thin, and twisted beams of light fell from time to time, hitting the roofs, trees, and cars in the rest stop.
That was - lightning! ?
Wait - a car!
You Zhenzhen remembered that the two of them were also in the car: "What about us?"
"As long as you don't open the door or the window, we'll be safe."
The other party nodded belatedly. She remembered that she had been taught in class at school, but she was too flustered just now and forgot everything.
But obviously, You Zhenzhen was not the only one who forgot what she had learned at the critical moment.
After the thunderstorm, the three people who were hiding under the umbrella eaves lay motionless in the rain. One of the men had his entire arm burnt.
The other two woke up slowly from their dizziness and screamed in fear when they saw their companion in such a state.
The two men no longer cared about getting wet in the rain. One of them lifted his shoulders and the other lifted his feet to carry his companion into the building. However, the distance between the two sides was too far. They were also struck by lightning and were numb and powerless. Even with all their strength, they could only drag the person one or two meters.
"How could this happen..." The woman cried in panic. The three of them were good friends. Although they always quarreled from time to time, they were all very good people. Now the other person was injured because of the heavy rain just now. He protected her and let her stand in the middle, and went outside...
Another man put down his companion and shouted towards the building, hoping that someone would come to help them: "It's no longer thundering, and the rain is light, who can help..."
But the rain had not stopped completely, and the people in the building had just witnessed such a terrible scene outside, so no one dared to come out now.
When the two were anxious, a car stopped near them, and someone pulled up their unconscious companion on the ground, supported him, and walked quickly towards the building.
Two people got out of another car nearby, each holding a man and a woman, and quickly followed the person in front and walked towards the building.
Youxi carried him into the building and left him alone. She was not a doctor, she just helped.
"Thank you." The man and woman who were helped in by the other two people hurriedly thanked her and the people around them.
"It's okay, call an ambulance." Youxi glanced at the two people who got out of the car to help. They were a father and son. They were also the ones who would rather get wet in the rain than run back to the car. They were quite safety-conscious. They noticed that the thunderstorm had passed and were decisive and brave enough to get out of the car to help.
Youxi took a quick glance and left soon.
The rain was much lighter, but it hadn't stopped completely. Many people were hesitant, wondering if they should stay at the rest stop for a while and wait until the rain stopped before leaving.
You Xi returned to the car. You Zhenzhen seemed to be relieved to see her get on the car safely, but when she looked over, she raised her chin again, snorted and turned her head away proudly: "Mind your own business..."
You Xi: ...
She didn't say anything. Just as she was about to start the car and leave, the father and son who had just gotten out of the car to help someone hurried over.
You Xi lowered the window.
"Sorry to bother you, are you ready to leave now?" They were quite hesitant about whether to leave. The rain was indeed lighter, but most people in the rest stop seemed to plan to stay a little longer.
At this moment, they saw Youxi's car was about to leave, so they thought of asking, "Why don't you stop for a while, what if there is another thunderstorm..."
"It seems that the thunderstorm should have passed, so we want to leave early. Anyway, the car is safe whether there is thunder or not, as long as the rain is light and does not affect the driving vision."
This is indeed one reason, but another reason why she wanted to leave immediately was because she knew she couldn't delay.
The closer it is to 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, the worse the situation will be. Who knows how long the next rainstorm will last? Try to leave as much as possible. It is safer to get to a higher altitude area as soon as possible.
"That's right." The other party nodded, thinking that what she said was reasonable.
After that, both parties nodded politely, Youxi raised the car window and drove away.
**
The rest of the journey was smooth. After more than an hour, she got off the highway and started walking towards the mountain.
Luyuan Peak is a well-developed scenic spot. The road leading up the mountain is wide and well-built. It has been raining all the time, but it has turned into a drizzle.
The water vapor diluted the stuffiness in the air. Youxi opened a crack in the window, and the clear and watery air from outside came in, dispelling a little anxiety in her heart.
After more than half an hour, she arrived at the destination of this trip - Luyuan Scenic Resort.
This is a highland located halfway up the mountain. Going up further, the car can't go up, and you have to walk, but that place belongs to the scenic area, including the highest Luyuan Peak, which is also in the scenic area.
This flat plateau halfway up the mountain is about 1,500 meters above sea level. The temperature on the mountain is lower than below, but Youxi and You Zhenzhen are wearing sportswear that Youxi bought in Acid Rain World. It is a lightweight three-piece suit that is comfortable, cool and sweat-wicking when the temperature is high, and warm when the temperature is low.
She parked the car at the gate of the reserved resort hotel. As soon as she got out of the car, she heard a familiar and happy voice coming from the side: "Zhenzhen! Why are you here? Didn't you take a temporary leave because of family matters? What a coincidence! We came here in the evening. In addition to me, several classmates in the class are here! My parents are here too!"
The other party's happy voice stopped abruptly when he saw the person on the other side of the car, "Uh... Teacher You, Teacher You..."
You Xi: ...
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