34 The Death of Qin Shi Huang
◎I learned this from an older brother who also grew up in your orphanage.◎
After the announcement, the bus started moving and drove along the designated track towards the place filled with Zhu Heng's childhood memories.
Helan Dao found a seat to sit, but his legs were too long to stretch out, so he could only bend his knees and step on the step under the seat in front of him.
Just as I sat down, I heard the sound of metal friction outside.
Helan Dao looked out the window when he heard the sound.
Several familiar motorcycles boldly flew low, brushing against the roof of the bus, and sped past, leaving behind a string of unbridled laughter.
Zhu Heng sat down in the corner farthest from Helan Road.
Perhaps because every move of that person attracted too much attention, Zhu Heng couldn't help but follow his gaze and subconsciously looked out the window.
Outside, there were a lot of crisscrossing, disorderly aerial tracks. Except for the bus they were on, there was no one on it. It was empty.
Nothing special, just like when he sat on this train many years ago, finding a brief half hour of peace and quiet without being disturbed.
Zhu Heng turned his face away and gently stroked the railing inside the car.
Now that he is riding this bus again, without any worries, he feels like a rootless duckweed, not knowing where to drift.
He touched the railing on the other side and held on with a little force, as if he was about to stand up.
It's a 5-minute drive, so it shouldn't take too long.
Just as he was about to stand up, he was suddenly hit by inertia and was thrown forward fiercely.
His abdomen was blocked by the horizontal bar in front, preventing him from falling.
The vehicle braked suddenly, and a voice boomed throughout the room: "Passengers, bus No. 1634 is about to change tracks. Please get off and wait. Our bus will be back on its way in one minute."
Change track?
Everyone in the car looked confused.
Zhu Heng suddenly remembered that when he bought the fruit just now, the shopkeeper weighed it using a different weighing standard. He also remembered that at the newsstand, the shopkeeper only charged a small amount of money, including the newspaper, which used unofficial language that made it difficult to distinguish.
Zhu Heng glanced outside and saw the towering, dry gray humanoid computer standing quietly.
It seems that without Qin Shihuang's computer, there would be no unification of the copy world, and the famous "same writing system and same wheel gauge" in history, as well as unified weights and measures, would also have been impossible to implement.
So, although this world seems normal, it is actually a mess inside.
After the broadcast ended, everyone in the car fell silent and fell into an eerie silence.
Six pairs of eyes intertwined with each other. After hesitating for a moment, everyone got off the bus as instructed.
After the passengers were cleared, the bus began to move slowly along the two railroad tracks in front of it.
The distance gradually narrowed, and finally it touched the bottom tire of the bus.
Changing tracks is not a big deal, but if you have to change tracks at every section of the journey, it will be very torturous.
Everyone responded to the broadcast call and returned to the car.
Zhu Heng followed at the end of the team and got on the bus just as Helan Dao, who was walking in front of him.
The car started moving and Zhu Heng stood at the door, motionless.
The car door behind him slowly closed, and outside, the pink and white petals planted densely on the rooftops of the city were flying all over the sky. A few petals floated in through the gap of the car door and landed at Zhu Heng's feet.
He glanced at the people in the car.
Tao Ran, who was closest to the back door and didn't dare to find a place to sit; Wang Kunshu and Xie Shen, who were sitting side by side by the window; and Xu Wenjun, who was standing right in front of him, whose eyes briefly met his, with the same solemn expression on his face.
Zhu Heng raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows.
so……
Where is Helan Taoist?
As soon as Helan Dao stepped onto the bus, he realized something was wrong.
He slowly moved his gaze and glanced inside the car.
He clearly remembered that before getting on the bus, Xu Wenjun was in front of him, and Zhu Heng was behind him. As for Tao Ran and the others, they had already boarded the bus and found their seats.
But now, there is no one in the car.
The vehicle had already started and it was too late to get out. Helando touched his chin and simply sat down. There was no sign of anxiety on his face. From the look of him, it seemed that he did not intend to delve into the current situation.
Do whatever you want, I’m going to sleep now.
He folded his arms and just as his head touched the window, he suddenly felt a violent tremor. The bus braked suddenly, causing his body to bounce upwards and leaving a red mark on his forehead.
His uncle.
Helan Dao raised his eyes fiercely and his gaze fell on the front of the car. The anger that had just been brewing disappeared in an instant after he saw the car accident in front of him.
It was the motorcycle he had seen in front of the fruit shop before, the one that almost hit Zhu Heng.
The motorcycle owner's lower body was crushed by the wheels that were still spinning at high speed. His companions who were racing with him worked together to lift him out. With him screaming and groaning in pain, a group of people carried the injured man and rushed to the hospital without stopping.
Suddenly, a sigh came into Helan Dao's ears. He turned around and saw that many unfamiliar passengers had appeared on the bus without him noticing.
Helan Dao heard someone say, "This is the 16th car accident today, right? It's all because of the track change. It's so troublesome to travel, and there's always information delays. No one notifies us when to change tracks or when to change back, and countless people are suffering. Ever since the First Emperor computer went on strike, in just a few days, there have been more car accidents than in the past few years!"
Helan Dao took it to heart.
The bus he was riding was accelerating. After changing tracks, the road ahead suddenly became bright. The bus slowly drove out of the cramped city and flew towards the horizon.
A fork road takes bus No. 1634 as its origin, turns right from the track and leads to another direction.
While listening to the passengers' endless complaints, Helan Dao glanced at the fork in the road.
Nothing.
The announcement on the bus sounded: "Next stop - Welfare House. Passengers getting off please prepare in advance."
-
The station announcement ends.
There was still no sign of Helan Dao in the car.
At this moment, there was suddenly movement on the road directly in front of the vehicle.
Zhu Heng frowned and watched as a fork in the road split in front of them and extended to the left.
He looked at the fork in the road, and for no reason, a strange feeling arose in his heart.
Like someone is watching in the dark.
This vague sense of voyeurism comes from the empty fork in the road on the left.
Zhu Heng pulled up his clothes to cover half of his face, trying to get rid of this strange feeling.
The noise in the car increased, and everyone looked around and was surprised to find that the surroundings were suddenly filled with many unfamiliar passengers.
A man passed by Zhu Heng.
He subconsciously moved aside, and the man paused. Zhu Heng suddenly realized something and looked up at the man.
A strange passenger, but we had met once before - the lame man in front of the fruit shop.
Zhu Heng glanced at his left foot, stood up and made way. The lame man smiled and nodded slightly to him, then sat back in his original seat.
At this time, the bus had begun to slow down. Zhu Heng came to the back door. He didn't care about what was happening on the bus. He just looked at the scene outside the bus which became more and more familiar. The welfare home where he grew up was now within reach. For a moment, all kinds of feelings gradually surged into his heart.
-
Helan Dao stood at the door of an old building hidden among green trees.
A minute ago, he got out of the car alone and came here according to the signs on the roadside.
This is the welfare home where Zhu Heng grew up, as mentioned in his diary.
The welfare home does not receive outsiders. The main door is locked and the iron gate is a little rusty. Vines grow wildly outside, and the greenery is lush yet a bit eerie.
Helan Dao stood with his hands in his pockets for a while, then turned around and walked along the outer fence to the side of the welfare home.
He remembered that in Zhu Heng's diary, there was a mention of a broken iron fence on the east side of the welfare home. It could be opened into a narrow gap, so people who were thin enough could enter and exit freely.
When Zhu Heng was a child, he often sneaked out from here to play.
The diary said that he went there almost every day for a period of time, and then rushed back in time before being discovered by the dean.
As for where Zhu Heng went and what he did as a child, the diary did not say.
In front of us is the broken fence, with a barely noticeable gap in it.
Helan Dao walked through a wall of rose bushes half a man's height, and a large, drooping pink and white rose gently touched his shoulder.
He held the flower and gently pushed it open, and instantly a fragrance hit his nose.
It seemed like someone was watching him.
Helan Dao turned his head and met the eyes of a little girl in a red dress behind the narrow gap in the fence.
The little girl was about six or seven years old, with snow-white skin and big black eyes that stared at Helan Dao without blinking.
He was stunned for a moment.
Then he squatted down and smiled at her: "Are you a child here?" Helandao raised his chin towards the welfare home building behind her.
The little girl nodded.
Helan Dao raised his hand and picked up a petal that fell on her head, rubbing it on his fingertips.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The little girl didn't say anything.
Helan Dao raised his eyebrows. Although the girl was young, she was very cautious.
Yes, if he could hide here, he must want to sneak out to play. He was so ignorant as to show up here and block other people's way.
Helan Dao stood up on his knees and turned to leave.
But the little girl called him: "Do you want to come in?"
He Landao was stunned and shook his head: "I heard there is a small door here that can be used for entry and exit. I came to take a look, but I won't go in."
The little girl slammed the iron fence shut and looked at him warily: "The director's mother doesn't even know about this place, how do you know?"
He Landao laughed and explained to her: "I learned it from an older brother. He also grew up in your orphanage."
The little girl tilted her head and looked at him thoughtfully: "Have I seen him before?"
What smart eyes, Helan Dao thought.
He snapped his fingers, and a piece of white paper appeared out of thin air at his fingertips. He handed it to the little girl.
The little girl didn't take it, and even closed the iron fence tighter and took a small step back.
He Landao smiled and said, "It's just a photo, don't be afraid."
A portrait of Zhu Heng transformed from his memory consciousness into a physical form.
The little girl took it doubtfully, held it in her hand, and looked carefully at the man in the photo for a while.
She felt that he looked familiar, but she couldn't figure out whether there was such a person in the courtyard.
After thinking for a moment, the little girl opened the iron fence a narrow gap and stretched out her small, snow-white palm to him: "There is a photo wall in the welfare home with photos of children who have walked out of here. He should be there. Do you want to go and see him?"
He Landao glanced into the courtyard, cleared his throat, and smiled nonchalantly, "Not so good, right?"
This little girl is a bit bold and invites strangers in casually.
"The director's mother went to the hospital to visit the old director. She is not in the hospital. You can come in."
Helan Dao didn't refuse anymore and followed the little girl's instructions to walk towards the photo wall.
The little girl didn't follow. She waved to Helan Dao and said maturely, "You go by yourself. I want to go out and play."
Helan Dao looked at her with amusement and waved at her.
How childish.
-
The vehicle arrived at the station soon, and Zhu Heng immediately jumped off the bus and skillfully found the way to the welfare home.
By the time everyone in the car reacted, the door had already closed.
Tao Ran hurriedly shouted, asking the bus to stop, but the Galaxy Bus System ignored his request and continued to drive to the next destination without slowing down.
The car, which was originally full, was now empty again except for Tao Ran and his group.
Everyone could only watch Zhu Heng's back as he walked away, unable to do anything while staying in the car.
The announcement on the train sounded: "Next stop, South Korea, one of the six states in the Warring States Period. Passengers getting off, please get ready..."
When they heard the station announcement, everyone looked at each other in confusion.
What is going on?
-
Zhu Heng soon arrived at the door of the welfare home.
The gate was never opened, so Zhu Heng walked straight past it without thinking and headed straight to the right side of the welfare home, which was hidden behind the rose wall and was the "secret passage" that only he knew about.
He wanted to know why the No. 1634 bus, which was supposed to go to the Galaxy Hospital, brought him to the welfare home.
He had a strange feeling, as if some secret was waiting for him here.
As Zhu Heng approached the rose wall, he heard a rustling sound.
The flowers trembled slightly, and he paused.
A red shadow emerged from under the petals, like a snowball, and rolled to his feet. Zhu Heng caught the sneaking snowball. She paused, looked up, and stared at him.
The world stood still for perhaps a second.
Xuetuanzi was the first to react. He quickly got up, turned around and ran away.
Zhu Heng quickly caught her, picked her up, and asked in front of her, "Why did you run away when you saw me?"
The little girl struggled in his hands, but couldn't break free, so she had to give up.
She was like a deflated balloon, unable to muster any energy. She could only mumble and explain, "You grew up in an orphanage, so you'll definitely complain to the orphanage mother."
Zhu Heng was stunned: "Do you know me?"
The little girl pouted and nodded: "I've seen your photo."
"Where did you see it?"
The little girl hung her head and pointed inside the welfare home.
Zhu Heng let go of the little girl and smoothed out her clothes: "Take me there."
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