Si Hai smiled. Everyone has their own little schemes; he understood. Survival was already difficult for those who maintained the community, and they had finally found a rest stop with decent character. There might even be opportunities for cooperation in the future. Besides, it was a fact that the little girl had repeatedly come to their rescue. Although she had saved herself from the man-eating tree incident, a rescue was a rescue, and he was merely saying a few words to do his part and build a good relationship.
Du Lushu could tell that Sihai was offering guidance out of kindness, and Sun Han naturally could too. Of course, he saw it more clearly: Sihai was repaying Cheng Shuang's favor. Similarly, given the level of Sihai's rest stop, that was about the extent of their understanding. The other party wasn't much higher in level than the convenience store, otherwise they wouldn't have easily met in the same death trap.
Feng Jiakang was more concerned with practical issues, and he couldn't help but ask, "Isn't there any other way? We can't just use a hot dance device to set up an explosion, can we?"
Sihai smiled and looked at Cheng Shuang, "This is a card that Xiao Shuang used to help everyone escape the man-eating tree. Perhaps it can break the deadlock."
The crowd, whose faces had been looking rather grim, turned their hopeful gazes toward the little girl sitting in the chair, swinging her legs so far that her feet couldn't even touch the ground.
Cheng Shuang was taken aback, then her peach blossom eyes widened, and her small body stiffened. "Uncle Sihai, are you talking about the 'Eye of Penetration'? Is the water mirror made of wood?"
Sihai and Du Lushui went to find a breakthrough today, and the little girl provided the transportation of two motorcycles and gave Du Lushui two 'Penetrating Eyes' to guard against the man-eating tree.
Since it's a collaboration between the two parties, Cheng Shuang doesn't mind revealing the existence of the 'Eye of Penetration' card in advance. After all, every time she goes underground, she passes through a secret door, and there will always be people who find out about it out of curiosity. It's better to sell it early on.
Anyway, there are about three hundred houses in the central city, which means there are more than three hundred 'Eyes of Penetration'. If you don't have enough, you can get quite a few before you leave.
Du Lushui glanced at Cheng Shuang, who nodded at her, and then took out the card and passed it around for everyone to see.
Sihai held the card tightly. "It's not the Water Mirror. I suspect the entire structure here is made of wood. In fact, the Water Mirror is the only one that isn't made of wood; instead, it's made of a material similar to the protective shield above."
“Even with the ‘Eye of Penetration,’ what awaits us through the third basement level is a vast ocean. Even if we manage to get diving equipment, the impact of that instant is something an ordinary person’s body would hardly be able to withstand. Expecting the third basement level to be filled with seawater would require an exceptionally large opening.” Sun Han rubbed his temples and changed his perspective. “To be honest, after what happened with the man-eating tree, I always felt that the layout of this Abyss City was a bit strange.”
Cheng Shuang suddenly stood up, as if struck by a thought. "I think so too."
The young girl frowned deeply, and began pacing around the living room with her hands behind her back. Finally, she took out a few sheets of paper and tentatively asked, "Why don't we try drawing out our mental layout of the central city? Maybe we can piece together the information we need."
“I think it’s a good idea. If it succeeds, at least we’ll have another option,” Sihai agreed.
Several people agreed, picked up paper and pens, and began to draw.
Du Lanshan and Feng Jiakang basically gave up, and they never left the open area of the central city. Gong Zhu and Du Lushui went down once, but their impression was very superficial.
Time was short, so Feng Jiakang dismissed the doorman who had knocked on the door. Everyone had just finished painting and put the paintings together.
The other drawings were more abstract and simple, except for those by April and Cheng Shuang.
April's skills are related to her paintings. With just a few strokes, her paintings still reveal character and spirit, making her stand out among a group of poorly made graffiti.
Cheng Shuang's drawing was so messy that many lines covered the paper, making it seem as if you lived in a different area from her.
“Tree roots?” Sun Han looked at the drawing over and over, limited by his skill level, he could only guess. “You mean the tree roots support the central city?” Actually, that’s how he drew it too, but the wanderers of the Abyss City were so ingenious that they hid the tree roots in every corner, blending them into the scenery. With his skill level, he couldn’t draw anything, but this little girl’s drawing was more Picasso-like than Picasso’s, and the meaning of the drawing was all guesswork.
“No.” Cheng Shuang took back the painting shyly, added a couple more strokes, and explained as she did so, “I mean, the long, dark space we entered when we entered the Gate of Reincarnation is very similar to the underground part. I’m guessing that they might be the same kind of passage. I’ve seen the branches of the man-eating tree; they’re hollow.”
Although his words were not very coherent, there were several intelligent people present, and once he explained it, who wouldn't understand?
In April, he immediately buried himself in drawing a new one.
The little girl glanced at it, stopped writing, silently put away her drawing filled with lines, and then pointed to April's drawing with feigned surprise, exclaiming, "That's it! April is awesome!"
“Yes, that’s right, I was saying it always felt like something was missing.” Sun Han slapped his thigh excitedly. He took his painting, placed it in front of April, and asked her to take a look. He then gestured and added to her painting, “Outside, there’s a big tree and an ocean.”
When the entire painting was finished, Du Lanshan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "My goodness, this place is truly magical!"
Feng Jiakang rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "So, the big tree contains the small tree, and we're all living inside the tree?"
Gong Zhu shuddered. "No way? Your idea is insane. It's so creepy. If you're inside a man-eating tree, who could escape?"
Having completed her mission in April, she was not good at analyzing these matters, so she handed it over to the group from all over the world.
This painting is simple in theory.
In the vast ocean, there stands a huge ancient tree, its trunk hollow, its branches forming paths. But the hollow trunk is not empty; it contains another tree, which, compared to its size, can only be considered a sapling.
"Shuangshuang, do you think these winding branches are also hollow and passable?" Sihai helped Cheng Shuang onto a chair, bent down and asked her earnestly.
“I believe we arrived at Qingyou City through the tree branch passage,” Cheng Shuang replied earnestly.
The little girl's eyes shone like flames at that moment, "I have another immature little idea."
Everyone immediately turned their attention to her, their expressions burning with desire.
"A slightly mischievous idea!"
...
There was a loud knocking on the door, and the guide's voice urged them on from outside.
This time, Cheng Shuang opened the door. The smiling guide, upon seeing her, paused for a moment, then coldly withdrew his smile, "Where is the VIP?"
“Sleeping,” the little girl said, pointing into the room.
The guide asked in confusion, "Didn't you see the other VIPs?"
Cheng Shuang immediately asked with concern, "Other VIPs?" She pushed the other person away and looked outside with her little head, "Where? Where?"
"Don't cause trouble!" The guide impatiently shoved two masks into her hands. "Remember, put them on the VIPs yourself!"
Seeing that there was no one else outside except for two guides carrying several masks, Cheng Shuang took the mask, waved her hand listlessly, and said, "I know!"
"The Star and Moon Ceremony will officially begin in a quarter of an hour. Please leave on time, your palanquins and attendants will be waiting outside." The guide glanced at her again and said sarcastically, "You're lucky!" Then he turned and left with his men.
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