Lin Yuan boarded a long-distance bus leaving Kyoto.

This time, the Tomena outpost she was going to was far away, and there was no airship available. She could only go outside the city gate and take a long-distance bus that only departed once every several days.

There were many passengers waiting for the bus outside the city gate. Most of them were carrying large and small bags and were bidding farewell to their relatives who had come to see them off.

Leaving the safety of the capital city these days and going on a long journey means parting ways between life and death. It is very likely that we will never see each other again. Everyone should seize this last bit of time and say a few more words of care.

Lin Yuan came alone. He got on the car early and sat in a window seat, staring blankly at the tall white tower in the city center in the distance.

When she left this place for the first time, she felt numb inside. She felt that it didn't matter where she was, and it didn't matter whether she could come back alive or not.

Now she looked at the white tower in the distance, and felt that if she could come back, she should try her best.

Near the white tower, there is a deserted courtyard. Although it is a bit shabby, it is my home.

There were friends who would come to visit her, and there were little crabs waiting for her to come home. There was also a round killer whale doll on the windowsill.

The White Pagoda under the sunlight appears holier and more solemn than ever.

A layer of faint white light lit up from the top of the tower, and the transparent arc of light in the hemisphere spread out, covering the earth and shrouding the capital of the entire empire.

"Look, it's the holy light." A child who came to see them off pointed at the light and shouted.

His mother and all the passers-by stopped what they were doing and prayed in the direction of the holy light.

"Thank you, White Tower."

"Thank you, White Tower."

People say this sincerely.

The "holy light" of the White Tower is a gift from the gods. The land under the holy light will not be approached by polluted areas. Under the holy light is the last pure land for mankind, the only shelter for mankind to survive.

Outside the White Pagoda, on the top of each sentry post, there is a "holy brick" from the White Pagoda. Those holy bricks, which were removed from the White Pagoda and have the same color as bones, can protect a small piece of land around the sentry post in the wilderness.

In those most dangerous moments, anyone who could retreat to the sentry post in time had a chance of survival.

The car, packed with passengers, was swaying in the wilderness.

When you first leave the White Pagoda, you will see many temporary human gathering points and densely populated sentry posts along the way, guarding the White Pagoda.

As we walked further, we gradually lost sight of human habitation.

Green clouds floated in the sky. Outside the window were the same old barren mountains and ridges.

Occasionally passing by one or two majestic relics of the past will refresh the passengers.

The old city buildings are as tall as mountains, standing out in the wilderness, watching the tiny vehicles that are forcing themselves into them like ants.

The cities at that time were ridiculously large, seemingly endless.

Today, the capital of the entire empire is not even as big as a tiny corner of it.

The car drove through the gloomy ruins.

We passed under a very high arch covered with moss and vines, and could vaguely see a giant human-shaped sculpture above.

Passing through the arch, a wheel-shaped building several dozen meters high is covered with vines that form an aerial forest.

"This is a playground. In the old cities, it was a place specifically for children to play." The driver mentioned as he drove.

The driver was in his early forties, with dark skin and muscular body. He was an experienced driver who drove this route frequently.

He also hired two sentries to serve as bodyguards along the way. Therefore, the fees were particularly expensive.

This driver has a bad temper, but most passengers who take this route are willing to wait for his bus.

The passengers looked out through the mottled windows.

Close to the car window was a huge stretch of undulating steel tracks. The tracks, whose purpose was unknown, were broken into several pieces and fell on the roadside with dense greenery, revealing a part of the gray metal frame.

It looked like a giant dragon that had been dead for many years and whose skin and flesh had been corroded.

The technology of mankind at that time was really amazing. After hundreds of years of wind and frost, the metal has not been completely corroded. It stubbornly shows the glory of mankind to future generations.

But looking at it from today's perspective, I really can't understand why humans at that time would build such a building that consumes huge amounts of materials and energy and has no practical use.

Is it just for the entertainment of the children?

In a world where teenagers are sent to fight, this is incomprehensible.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the distance, deep in the ruins interlaced with steel bars and vegetation, large flocks of bats flew out.

Those dark creatures of the night seemed to be disturbed by something. They rushed out of their nests, covering the sky and roaring through the air.

The driver braked quickly and pressed a red button on the front of the car. A layer of old and yellowed sound insulation film poured down from the roof of the car, covering the entire body of the car.

"Keep your mouths shut. If anyone makes any noise, don't blame me for making him keep quiet forever." The driver picked up a pulse gun leaning against the seat and knocked on the engine cover.

As the driver finished speaking, a huge, pale, non-human creature slowly emerged from the ruins.

It has no eyes or nostrils, and only a pair of bat-like ears on its flat head.

The huge and twisted body was a fusion of various biological genes, with bone tumors regenerating, complicated and cumbersome. Only the skin looked like a human, a thin layer, pale and wrinkled, without a single strand of hair, and looked creepy.

The monster climbed out of the iron ruins step by step and slowly approached the car.

Completely human skin trembled, gradually covering the sky above the car.

A man in the carriage couldn't help vomiting.

A sentry stood up, pulled the safety of his gun, and put the muzzle of his gun to the man's head.

The man's face was covered with tears and snot. He clasped his hands together and waved them repeatedly. He bit his lips tightly and dared not make any sound.

The monster outside the car seemed to sense something and lowered its huge head, rubbing its eyeless face up and down against the sound insulation film outside the car window.

The face was facing where Lin Yuan was sitting.

Lin Yuan quietly stared at the deformed life form that should not belong to this planet through a thin glass.

The tentacles heard a repetitive wailing sound.

It hurts so much, it hurts so much, it hurts so much...

The sound kept repeating, as if there would never be a day of peace. It was not until the huge monster left and slowly walked away that it gradually disappeared from Lin Yuan's mind.

The driver whistled, raised the sound insulation membrane, and restarted the car.

It seemed as if the thrilling scene just now was just a trivial thing in the journey?

The sentry who had pointed his gun at the passenger's head smiled and patted the passenger on the back. "Are you okay, buddy?"

It seemed as if the murderous intent just now was just Lin Yuan's illusion.

The car drove in the wilderness for several days. When the sun was about to set, it stopped at a temporary gathering point for rest.

Nearby is the Tomena Outpost and several well-known polluted areas including the Golden Tree Polluted Area.

Teams came and went to collect supplies and dig up remains, and people came and went passing through here.

As a result, a lot of people gathered to conduct temporary transactions.

Where there are people, there are naturally small traders who gather from the surrounding areas to do business.

Among the people who were resting, there were vendors running around selling things.

There were people selling alcohol and drinks, dry food and even weapons, equipment, maps and news. It was quite lively.

A little boy selling caramel came after Lin Yuan.

"Buy some, sister. One imperial dollar is enough for a spoonful. It's delicious."

Lin Yuan looked at the gray candy and didn't really want it.

But the child's appearance reminded her of Xiaomu from Dongbin, the little seal who had not yet become an official sentry.

They are about the same age, and the cunning and shrewd look in their eyes is almost identical.

So Lin Yuan threw down two imperial coins and picked up a small bag of maltose.

Before they could even eat, their driver reached out from the cab and banged on the door.

"Get in the car, get in the car. I'm going to drive!"

The passengers complained.

"What? I've been riding this bumpy ride for a few days and my waist is almost broken. I just sat down and I didn't even have time to drink a sip of water."

"Rest a little longer, Master. We're almost there anyway."

"Master, please wait a moment. I'm going to buy some food here."

The driver had a bad temper. "Whether you can fall in love or not, if you can't, stay here."

The roar of the engine sounded, and it seemed as if it was about to disappear into the dust.

Passengers had to put down what they were doing and rush to get on the bus.

Just as the last person stepped on the pedal, the door was still loosely closed, but the impatient car had already gone at full speed and sped away with a whoosh, with a cloud of smoke rising from the rear of the car.

Something is wrong, Lin Yuan thought.

The driver sitting at the front of the car was extremely nervous at this moment.

He had been calm and numb all the way, but at this moment his heart was burning like a fire.

The intense fear was transmitted directly into Lin Yuan's brain without the need for tentacles to actively explore.

Lin Yuan stuck his head out of the window and saw that the car was speeding at its fastest speed, raising a cloud of dust on the small dirt road.

Inside the gathering spot, someone else seemed to have thought of the same thing. He rode a motor vehicle along the small dirt road, chased after the fleeing car, and ran for his life on the dusty road.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes wide and looked at the sky.

The sky was calm and beautiful. The setting sun was slowly setting. The green and purple sunset glowed in an interlaced manner, making it more beautiful than ever.

It seems too quiet.

Except for a few speeding cars, the entire wilderness fell into a suffocating silence.

What is there? It is covering up silently.

Lin Yuan could see the cold sweat dripping down the back of the driver's neck, and saw the rider on a motorcycle running closely behind the car had an almost ferocious look of fear on his face.

Finally, Lin Yuan realized what had happened.

She leaned out of the window and opened her mouth toward the noisy crowd.

She wanted to shout, run, run outside.

She even saw the candy-selling boy, who was about the same age as Xiaomu, happily counting the two imperial coins she had given him.

But it was too late, her voice disappeared in the smoke.

Those travelers who were drinking water from cups, the children running back and forth selling candy, and the merchants shaking hands to trade goods, suddenly disappeared from Lin Yuan's sight as if they were swallowed up by something.

There are so many people and such a bustling life.

In the blink of an eye, it was gone.

The gathering point where people, goods and vehicles gathered was silently swallowed up by something unknown, without even leaving a footprint on the ground.

The car kicked up a cloud of dust, and there was only endless wilderness on the road.

There is an invisible monster chasing after me.

A motorcyclist with insufficient power looked pale and was left behind. He stretched out his hand almost pleadingly. Lin Yuan leaned out of the car window and looked at his parking space with almost indignant eyes. Half of his body, head... gradually disappeared.

Lin Yuan blinked.

The last thing to disappear was the hand that was stretched forward.

The bus driver stepped on the accelerator to the maximum and the vehicle almost flew away.

The sky gradually darkened and some stars appeared in the sky.

The shadow of a sentry post appeared in the distance, and the roof of the small Tomena sentry post was glowing dimly in the dim night.

It was like a lighthouse suddenly appearing in a stormy sea.

The suffocating feeling of oppression behind me gradually disappeared as if giving up.

The long-distance bus, whose engine was overheating and about to fall apart, staggered into the wall of the sentry post.

The frightened passengers got off the bus one after another.

"What happened just now? I was scared to death..."

"The contaminated area has spread, and those who were left behind have been swallowed up."

"Swallow it? Swallow it? There are so many people, will there be nothing left?"

"No, it's all over."

"Luckily our car was fast, otherwise it would have been the same. When I turned into a monster, I didn't even know how I died."

The driver jumped out of the car, slammed the door, squatted in a corner of the road alone, and lit a cigarette.

"He is so cruel," someone began to whisper, "He didn't even shout, so many people didn't have time to run out."

"That's right, it would be great if we could just tell everyone to run together. How can this person be so selfish?"

"He charged so much money, but his attitude was so bad and his heart was so dark. I don't know if he will be able to use the money to buy a coffin for himself in the future."

After hearing these words, the man said nothing and just concentrated on smoking his cigarette.

The red flame of the cigarette butt flickered, illuminating his weathered, cold face.

He has been running this route for more than 20 years. He knows every danger and every possible desperate situation along the way.

Better understand people’s hearts.

Just now, if he had shouted in advance, these people living at the border outpost would have immediately fallen into chaos.

They will rush to block the road, and those who don't have cars will scramble to get on them.

Then no one can escape.

You can call him selfish or cold-blooded. But he finally pulled all those people out of the car safely. He deserved the money he collected.

Lin Yuan opened the paper bag that he had been holding in his palm, took out a gray puff of maltose and put it into his mouth.

Sure enough, it doesn’t taste good.

Such bitterness.