Chapter 367 Back to Reality (18) - Searching for Home
The driver was still waiting for Ning Shu's instructions. Looking down from the sky, she saw a place on the ground that stretched deep into the ocean, shaped like a bird's beak.
There used to be a dock there, and her home was not far from it. She pointed to the "bird's beak" below and said, "Let's stop there."
The driver finally felt relieved. He thought that Miss Ning didn't seem very bright. She even had to think for a long time about where to stop. He had no idea how long they had been circling in the air.
After landing, Ning Shu looked at the place that had been transformed from a dock into a leisure square and felt a pang of sadness.
Most of the roads were no longer the same, so she had to wander through the streets and alleys where her house was located, with Xiao Lan following behind her silently.
Ning Shu had warned him to be wary of Xiao Lan, but now he couldn't care less and only wanted to find his way home.
This area is prone to natural disasters due to its proximity to the sea, and it used to be almost entirely residential, mainly consisting of low-rise buildings.
Today, however, high-rise buildings stand tall, and the exterior walls of almost all of them are the same kind of glass curtain walls with a metallic sheen that we just saw, reflecting the city's light and shadow, presenting a cold yet gorgeous sense of the future.
The streets are narrow and intricate, creating a strong spatial contrast with the high-rise buildings. Transparent sky tracks or skybridges connect the buildings, forming a three-dimensional transportation network.
Here, she encountered the legendary Loy aliens, whose clothing had luminous patterns and who wore high-tech equipment.
Holographic projection advertisements would appear from time to time on the streets or in the air, displaying unique text that Ning Shu had never seen before, but she recognized the characters.
A feeling that she was still in the game welled up inside her.
In some dark corners, you can also see some graffiti works, with some words on them: "Expel aliens, give me back my blue planet".
Haicheng felt completely unfamiliar to Ning Shu, exhibiting a city atmosphere entirely different from Youcheng.
Ning Shu couldn't help but ask Xiao Lan, "Why is the environment here so different from Youcheng? And those aliens, I don't think I've ever seen them in Youcheng."
Xiao Lan scoffed: "To us, you're the alien."
Ning Shu didn't have time to argue with Xiao Lan: "Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I'll ask Si Chen myself."
Xiao Lan dared not let her bother Si Chen with such a trivial matter, so she could only reluctantly explain:
"Youcheng is one of the cities assigned to Soya Star. Without Soya Star's permission, no one else is allowed to enter at will."
Even if they are from the Loyal aliens, they must use equipment to change their appearance after being granted permission to enter, so as to appear in our likeness and avoid frightening us.
"It's not our city, so as long as it's not large-scale destruction or pollution, we can do whatever we want with it, but we will conduct regular inspections of the city's environment."
So Haicheng is occupied by the Loy aliens, Ning Shu's heart sank.
"But why are the buildings in Youcheng generally low and the streets very wide, so different from here?"
Xiaolan, as if she had heard a joke, retorted sarcastically:
"We, the people of Soya, pursue a high-quality life, and our living environment should be spacious. A vast sky and sea are the best living environment."
"What's so great about living in these high-rises? They're like pigeonholes. That's the kind of aesthetic the Roy aliens have, and so do you humans."
They humans don't like pigeonholes either, it's just that big cities have limited space and large populations, so they have no choice. Ning Shu was speechless.
Xiao Lan is probably right. Although she hasn't been out many times, the buildings in Youcheng are indeed mostly low-rise.
For example, Si Zhong's office buildings are only 2 or 3 stories high, but they occupy a huge area, with a focus on being low and spacious.
Living here is indeed very comfortable; even the air feels much fresher.
There are also some buildings in Youcheng that are built with special materials, which are high-end, stylish and full of technology, but none of them have the obsession with going "up" to the top.
This point certainly aligns with Xiaolan's perspective.
Ning Shu didn't ask any further questions, because she was searching along the main road and felt she was almost home.
Ning Shu quickly stopped in her tracks, because she discovered that a strange building was standing where her home used to be.
The building's irregular shape made it look like an exhibition hall or something similar. Ning Shuxin's heart was pounding, and she took small, uncertain steps forward.
After seeing the whole picture, she still couldn't believe it, thinking that maybe she remembered the wrong location, so she continued to walk forward to see if there was a gate to her residential community ahead.
No, no, still no!
Ning Shu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died. She leaned against a wall beside her, tears falling like beads from a broken string.
Her home was gone, and most importantly—her parents were gone!
At this point, she could no longer deceive herself. Even if her perception was correct, her memory could not lie.
The home she remembered... wasn't like this.
She knew that if her parents were still alive, they would wait for her to come back, even if their home was razed to the ground, just to see her.
But now, there's nothing here but cold, lifeless buildings.
Ning Shu couldn't bear it any longer, so she leaned against the wall, sat down, hugged her knees, and cried bitterly.
Xiao Lan didn't understand why Ning Shu would suddenly act this way, but she remembered Si Chen's instructions.
His eyes were fixed on Ning Shu so that the device on his eyes, which resembled a contact lens, could record everything, transmit it back to Si Chen's computer, and store it.
This way, whenever the official has free time, he can review these recordings.
Ning Shu was unaware of what Xiao Lan had done; she was simply venting her emotions.
Her parents are truly gone, and now she is all alone, facing a dilapidated home invaded by alien species.
She didn't know where she should go or what her future held, or even if she had any future at all.
Xiao Lan silently stayed by Ning Shu's side until Ning Shu stopped crying, then she handed her a tissue.
Ning Shu did not refuse; she was now in tears, which was quite unseemly.
After Xiaolan calmed down, she asked, "Shall we go back?"
Ning Shucai refused: "Don't we have three days? Let's stay here."
As expected, Xiao Lan arranged accommodation for Ning Shu as requested. However, Ning Shu did not go directly to the hotel but instead wandered around the streets.
She wanted to walk around by herself, but Xiao Lan wouldn't let her and insisted on following her, so Ning Shu didn't insist.
After spending a day sightseeing in Haicheng, Ning Shu finally agreed to return to the hotel.
After entering the room, Xiaolan asked Ning Shu to wait outside the door. She took out an instrument, placed it on the ground, and then came out and closed the door.
Ning Shu asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Xiaolan: "Eliminate the hidden dangers of high technology."
Ning Shu: ?
After Xiaolan went to the bathroom and repeated the story, Ning Shu finally understood what she meant: she was worried that others would leak her privacy.
Ning Shu wasn't too obsessed with this, after all, she knew that after experiencing the game, she no longer had any privacy left.
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