"This is the old city. I heard it's possibly the ruins of some ancient world, and it's very spectacular."
"Wow, this is my first time here, what a big city!"
"As far as the eye can see, there are only ruins. The old city's population is mostly immigrants, less than two million people. It feels a bit deserted here."
Behind Qin Che, Ma Jun, Shi Cheng, and others exchanged glances and discussed. A huge city rose from the ground, appearing at the edge of the desert and stretching into the distance. Highways wound their way through the desert, and a straight avenue extended out, connecting with Highway No. 1. There were also many entrances and exits, but they had all been destroyed.
Qin Che looked up and frowned slightly.
If this is truly an old world relic, then he should recognize it.
Located next to the Yangtze River basin, this place is very likely a prefecture-level city in the southeastern region of the former Nanjing...
Unfortunately, even before his transmigration, Qin Che hadn't been to many places, so it's normal that he didn't recognize where he was.
But just looking at the city's structure, with its dilapidated architectural style and concrete jungle, it has a strong sense of that era.
"The so-called old world... just how many years ago was it?" Qin Che murmured to himself.
In autumn, she wore a cape with her chest open, and the sandstorm blew her hair back. Underneath her hot pants were two straight and strong legs, and her skin had a healthy wheat color. The tank top couldn't cover her stomach, revealing the lines of her abs.
"Advisor, it seems you weren't born in this desert."
Qin Che glanced at her and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"In this desert, history has long guided us that the so-called Old World refers to the world two hundred years ago."
Qin Che asked, "So, during the Lingbi Kingdom period?"
"Actually, that's not necessarily true. In the old world, those walls didn't exist yet. It was only after the old world completely disappeared that the Lingbi Kingdom rose up. Now, many scholars believe that we are the descendants of those old world humans."
Qin Che suddenly remembered a previous simulation.
That is, when he himself traveled through time, he was in a cryogenic chamber of an underground shelter.
That shelter, is it considered an Old World Heritage site?
It's certain that the technology of the old world was far more advanced than ours now, including technologies like starch synthesis and neural modification...
Those things are all gone now.
I must go back to that shelter later to conduct a detailed investigation and learn about the history of this desert, no, this wasteland world.
After all, the Wasteland Era doesn't have a specific year; it's recalculated starting from the Lingbi Kingdom period.
The world Qin Che lived in before he traveled here was the 21st century.
He was certain he was in a 'future' world, but how far removed from the 21st century was, Qin Che had no idea—maybe a few hundred years? Maybe a few thousand years…
Ma Jun laughed and said, "The earliest era we can trace back in the history we study is the Dark Ages."
What, then, is the Dark Ages?
"It was during the hundred years before we entered the Old World. Legend has it that during that era, due to continuous wars, the Earth became uninhabitable, and billions of people perished. Later, the chirping of insects gradually ceased, the continents collapsed, and we officially entered the Old World era. The survivors established countless nations and alliances. We humans today are their descendants."
Qin Che narrowed his eyes and asked, "Have you ever heard of the First Empire of the North?"
Everyone was taken aback, then looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Have you never left this desert?"
Ma Jun laughed and said, "This desert has existed for a long time. During the Lingbi Kingdom period, the desert people were relatively closed off. Apart from communicating with merchants and adventurers, we had no other channels to contact the outside world. Moreover, there were adventurers in the desert who tried to leave, but none of them came back."
"Have the institutions in Lingbi City... the Land of Sages, not conducted any research or exploration on this?" Qin Che asked again.
Shi Cheng frowned and said, "The foreign lands are very dangerous. Ten out of ten who trespass survive. Even for psionic masters, the survival rate is not high. The Land of Sages has conducted exploration missions to the foreign lands. I heard that there is a huge radiation zone on the edge of our desert and beyond, including more than a dozen nuclear explosion craters. Almost no creature can survive in there. In addition, there are a large number of alien species wandering in the radiation zone."
"An alien species?" Qin Che became interested.
Shi Cheng nodded: "Because of the mixed radiation from nuclear radiation and various negative substances, as well as the abnormal weather and environment, the organisms inside have undergone a certain degree of mutation. There are even mutated humans living there. Although they are ugly and short-lived, they are powerful and strong."
"Our most recent war with the alien races was 139 years ago, when the parliament formed an army and even used weapons of mass destruction to drive them back. However, even now, those alien races still frequently invade our borders."
Qin Che laughed and said, "Does the concept of national defense even exist in the desert?"
"Of course there are. Merchants and adventurers from abroad need the protection of our border troops. There is a defense line composed of three border garrisons. One is on the northern border, guarded by Fort 21. Another is on the western edge of Wall 10, within the territory of the Royal Court Colonial Military Region. The third is in the southern desert region, but the environment there is harsh, food and water are scarce, there is often quicksand and acid rain, and there are man-eating desert monsters. There are only a few safe and hidden routes that can be taken back to human communities, which are guarded by the Free Attack Army."
This was the first time Qin Che had heard of this information, and he was filled with curiosity.
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