Some say a hotel without running water or electricity is like a grave, but what would a hotel with only electricity look like? Perhaps some would call it a funeral parlor coffin.
Jiang Ling used a key to open a door, then turned on the light in the room. The bright yellow light instantly illuminated the entire room. The furnishings inside the room were quite tidy, with a khaki quilt, a small alloy table and two chairs.
The interior was decorated with blue skies, white clouds, and forests, giving a sense of closeness to nature, but seeing these underground, she was curious about how people in the future would imagine those things.
There were windows in the front and back of the room, with dark curtains installed on the windows, which reminded her of the feeling of sleeping in a construction site room that night before the war. The warm and comfortable underground hotel was far less free than the cold and poor abandoned wooden house, but it was the most earth-returning place that people could create.
She closed the door, put the bits and pieces she had on the table, sat on a chair, and used the terminal to write a simple safety email to send home.
"Everything went well. I joined a caravan going the same way. I rested for one night at the hotel at the main station. I plan to set off tomorrow. Love you, Jiang Ling." She clicked send, and the terminal soon sent a point deduction reminder.
Since the hotel didn't have running water, Jiang Ling could only use the water she brought to wash her face. She should have brought some toiletries earlier, but she still suffered a setback on this rare trip. She didn't brush her teeth before bed, so she had a strange taste in her mouth. Fortunately, she had two bottles of liquor hidden in her bag, and she rinsed her mouth with a little of it mixed with clean water.
“Crack!”
She turned off the lights in the room and then lay down on the bed. Feeling the soft quilt and the darkness enveloping her, she tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't. In a trance, she saw several images and some silent words.
First, there's the enchanting beauty of blue skies, white clouds, and green fields. A mythical, pure-white city hangs suspended in mid-air, while countless creatures frolic and play amidst the greenery and sky. Here, there's no conflict, no hunger, no pain; everything here feels like the Garden of Eden.
"We ancient people lived in such a beautiful world. We each took what we needed and we were free and romantic."
The next scene was a fiery red earth and a pitch-black night sky. The scorched ground was littered with the skeletons of living creatures, while the sky was filled with a rain of arrows with yellow flame tails.
"Then disaster struck. Countless arrows of destruction flew towards us. We were so panicked that we had no power to resist. We could only flee and hide."
The next scene was a shimmering, beautiful figure, crowned with a halo and covered in wings, ascending slowly from the horizon. Under its radiant light, the arrows burned to ash in mid-air, illuminating the dark sky and healing the scorched earth with a white emulsion. Some of the surviving creatures sensed its presence and were blessed with the power to protect themselves.
"God loved the world, so He bestowed blessings upon it. God loved the earth, so He gave birth to His Son."
The beautiful figure disappeared in mid-air, accompanied by a flash of light. Then, a radiant baby with what appeared to be horns slowly descended from the sky. Several chosen believers held it high in their hands and held it on their foreheads. The surrounding believers prostrated themselves on the ground, paying homage.
"The Son of God taught us to learn the power bestowed by God, and those chosen adults quickly mastered the power to inspire the world. Those who are inspired no longer fear darkness or pain. They will become the most heroic defenders and the most steadfast protectors."
The picture gradually moves closer to the face of the "Son of God", and finally only her bright eyes filled with starlight remain.
"The Son of God will watch over every believer until we finally rebuild the Kingdom of God as it once was."
The scene seemed to continue, but then it was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Jiang Ling woke with a start. Glancing at the terminal beside her pillow, she realized it was only five in the morning. She had become accustomed to this, using her psychic senses to scan her surroundings as usual. Then she realized that some uninvited guests had installed something in her mind during the night. This startled her, but she didn't bother to see what it was, and hurried to get it out of her head.
"Knock, knock, knock! Pharmacist, are you awake? It's time to set off!"
"I'm coming!" Jiang Ling opened the door and saw Dong Xie, who was carrying a backpack. Beyond him, she saw a few strangers. These strangers were chatting with the guide she met yesterday. They were like close friends.
"Get yourself ready! We'll only have to wait ten more minutes!" Dong Xie glanced at the pharmacist before him and immediately looked away. The man was only wearing underwear, his light wheat-colored skin reflecting a golden glow under the room's light.
Jiang Ling didn't realize she was suddenly exposed. She just thought she was too slow, so she hurried back to the bed and put on her clothes. By the time she was dressed, twenty minutes had passed.
"Sorry, I'm so slow." Jiang Ling slung her backpack over her shoulder and checked to see if she'd forgotten anything. After confirming she hadn't forgotten anything, she opened the door Dong Xie had closed. Standing in the light, Dong Xie saw the pharmacist emerge and led her back to the check-in desk to exchange her deposit. However, Jiang Ling didn't ask for points this time. Instead, she exchanged them for bullets at the local exchange rate. After all, they were heading to the surface, and points wouldn't be useful there.
"We are ready!" Dong Xie brought the pharmacist to Xidu, and then spoke to the guide.
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