67 Supply Station Day 2
Back to reality
Yan Lan once thought that the real world would change, but she didn't expect the changes to be so earth-shaking that she was stunned for a long time when facing the ruins in front of her.
"Cousin...are you sure this is our shopping mall?" Shi Yuanyuan asked almost incoherently.
Ji Zhou pursed his lips, his gaze penetrating as he nodded gently. "That's right. Look at that display screen. It was custom-made by Grandpa. It's the only one of its kind in the world."
Shi Yuanyuan looked in the direction of Ji Zhou's gesture. The once tall buildings had been razed to the ground. The display screen that represented the family's glory was now dimmed and lay alone on the ruins, casually covered by a few pieces of rubble. Its former glory was gone.
"This is indeed grandpa's hard work. If he were still alive and saw this, he would definitely be heartbroken." There was a hint of sadness in Shi Yuanyuan's voice.
Ji Zhou did not respond, but just paced quietly around the ruins, as if looking for past memories in the ruins.
In addition to their shopping mall, the surrounding environment has also completely changed.
Where once towering skyscrapers stood, only shattered walls remained, exposed steel bars and scattered concrete. Roads were mercilessly twisted and broken, vehicles crushed amidst the rubble. Even streetside trees were uprooted, as if struck by a devastating earthquake.
The air was not filled with a heavy smell of dust, but instead had a hint of coolness and emptiness, which meant that the disaster had occurred a long time ago. Perhaps the moment they entered the game world, the real world had changed synchronously.
Yan Lan looked around and was about to call her two friends when Ji Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan came over at the same time.
"We just checked, there's no one here. We need to look somewhere else." Ji Zhou's voice was cold and decisive, without any sign of panic due to the sudden change.
Yan Lan looked up at the sky and said, "Okay."
Shi Yuanyuan couldn't help laughing when he saw her action: "It seems you don't know yet that we have brought the game into the real world?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Lan's eyes widened instantly, her face filled with disbelief: "How...how is this possible?"
In order to verify Shi Yuanyuan's words, she tried to call out in her heart, and the game panel appeared, and the familiar interface came into view - backpack, friend list, regional channel, world channel and trading center, five major sections, no more and no less, and all functions were intact.
After confirming everything, Yan Lan's thoughts seemed to freeze for a moment. She looked up at Ji Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan across from her, her eyes filled with confusion. "If the game panel really came to the real world with us, then...is this world still the real world we're used to?"
Ji Zhou glanced around the surroundings and slowly said, "From what we see, perhaps the world has changed since we left. But to find the truth, we still need to find the survivors and get more clues from them."
Yan Lan nodded gravely, a mixture of shock and loss in her heart. She had been looking forward to returning to the real world, embracing those familiar streets and meeting those familiar faces again, but she had never expected that this world would become so unfamiliar that not even a single person could be found.
Since the activation time of the Key of Time and Space is only 24 hours, in order not to waste time, the three of them quickly chose a direction and embarked on their journey.
This so-called "real world" was no longer what it once was. To ensure their safety, they each held their weapons tightly. Ji Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan held loaded pistols, while Yan Lan carried a Frost Moon bow. The three of them walked side by side, their eyes warily scanning their surroundings, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.
Keeping walking in the same direction, they reached the edge of the city after four hours. It was completely dark and they needed a flashlight to see the road ahead.
At the blurred dividing line, they all stopped at the same time and stared at the unknown suburbs ahead.
"There's no one in the city, so how could there be anyone in the suburbs?" Yan Lan's voice was a little uncertain. She turned to look at her companions, hoping to find a hint of answer in their eyes.
Shi Yuanyuan shook his head vigorously. "I think it's risky. The suburbs are dangerous. If it were me, I would definitely choose the city as my first choice for shelter. Even a small corner can barely shelter me from the wind and rain. It's much safer than those unknown places outside."
After listening to Shi Yuanyuan's analysis, Yan Lan became even more confused.
She recalled a survey someone had conducted on the World Channel. Players were divided into regions, with each region holding approximately 10,000 players. A conservative estimate put the total number of such regions at 50,000. Excluding those who had already died, the total number was less than one billion.
Compared to the Earth's original population of over six billion, this number is a drop in the bucket. What about those people? Where have they gone? Are they hiding in corners they haven't yet discovered, or have they already...
She didn't dare to make a hasty judgment, so she turned to look at Ji Zhou. She saw that his cold face was slightly furrowed with brows, and his deep eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the darkness, staring intently at the front.
Yan Lan followed his gaze and saw the flashlight flickering in the darkness, but it could only illuminate a small area in front of her. The rest of the place was still pitch black and she couldn't see anything clearly.
"What's wrong?" Yan Lan asked softly with a hint of nervousness in her voice.
Ji Zhou's tone was calm but revealed a seriousness that could not be ignored: "Someone is coming."
Since Ji Zhou's personal attributes have been enhanced, his perception ability is far beyond that of ordinary people, so it is normal for him to be able to detect movements farther away.
Yan Lan and Shi Yuanyuan were startled at this, and immediately became alert. The three of them quickly turned off their flashlights and hid in a nearby ruined building, listening intently to the sounds around them.
In the darkness, silence reigned, as if even the air had frozen. Ten minutes later, the sound of footsteps, accompanied by childish conversation, quietly broke the stillness.
"Grandpa, grandpa, look! I got 10 work points today~" A clear child's voice sounded, obviously from a little kid.
Then, a slightly old but loving voice responded: "Oh, Xiao Ming did a great job today."
Child: "I will save it to buy soft bread for grandpa."
As the sound got closer, Yan Lan and the other two could vaguely sense the presence of someone coming from the front. They quickly exchanged glances, made a tacit gesture, then slowly stood up and walked out.
The flashlight came on again, illuminating a small area ahead.
The group was obviously startled by the sudden light, and they exclaimed almost at the same time: "Who?!"
As the only girl on the team, Yan Lan placed two tall teammates behind her to prevent them from scaring the other teammate. With a smile on her face, she spoke gently, "Don't be afraid, everyone. We are here, just like you."
Leading the group were several elderly men, their bodies hunched over, yet they fiercely protected the group of young children behind them. They tightly grasped their wooden sticks, their weathered eyes fixed on Yan Lan and her group, as if trying to discern something from them.
"People like us?" an old man asked slowly, a hint of doubt in his voice, "But since that incident, we haven't seen any young people here anymore."
Yan Lan was shocked when she heard this, and quickly exchanged surprised glances with Ji Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan.
Among the row of old men, there was a thin old man wearing dark blue cloth. He stood at the edge of the team. Due to the dim light, his face was blurry.
However, his cloudy eyes were extremely sharp. He stared at the direction where Yan Lan and the others were. A glimmer of disbelief flashed in his eyes, and then he involuntarily took a few steps forward.
"Old Zhao, what's wrong with you?" An elderly man nearby saw him and quickly reached out to stop him, his face full of caution. "Don't trust them easily. There are so many scammers these days."
At this moment, Ji Zhou, who had been standing silently behind Yan Lan, suddenly took a step forward, his voice filled with a hint of doubt and excitement: "Uncle Zhao?"
This call seemed to transcend the barriers of time and space, causing Old Man Zhao's body to tremble violently. His voice trembled, and he could hardly believe his ears: "Xiao Ji? Is that you? Is it really you?"
Ji Zhou walked into the flashlight's circle without hesitation. His face became clearer under the light. "Uncle Zhao, it's me."
Then, Shi Yuanyuan also walked out from behind Yan Lan. He smiled and said to Old Man Zhao, "Uncle Zhao, there's me too."
Old man Zhao looked at the two familiar figures in front of him and his eyes became moist.
He excitedly stretched out his hands and grabbed the hands of Ji Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan at the same time, tears flickering faintly in his wrinkled eyes: "Oh, Xiao Ji, Xiao Yuan, is it really you? I am not dazzled, old man!"
"Uncle Zhao, it really is us."
…
With the presence of acquaintances, things became much smoother.
Led by this group of old people and children, they passed through one ruin after another and finally came to a secret underground shelter.
The entrance to the shelter is cleverly hidden behind a huge rock and is difficult to find without careful observation.
As the group filed in, the scene inside came into view. Although the space was not spacious, it was arranged in an orderly manner. There was dry firewood piled next to the stove and some simple daily necessities placed in the corner.
There were many beds on the ground nearby, where some elderly people and children were resting. The elderly people only greeted tiredly when they saw people coming back, but when they saw Yan Lan and the other two in the team, they all got up and gathered around, while the children stared at these "outsiders" curiously.
"Lao Li, Lao Zhao, who is this?"
"Yeah, how come there are young people?"
"Have you figured out their origins?"
Old Man Zhao looked at Ji Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan standing beside him, his face wrinkled with laughter: "Haha, don't worry, everyone. These are the two young masters of my old employer. I have watched them grow up since they were young."
It turns out that both Ji Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan's parents died young, and Shi Yuanyuan's grandfather, Ji Zhou's grandfather, raised the two cousins to adulthood, and Old Man Zhao was the old housekeeper of their family, who watched the two cousins grow up.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Yan Lan and the other two began to ask the elders about the changes in the world.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
