Chapter 100: Omen
Panic filled the bus at this moment, but Cui Xiangwan still calmly comforted Li Xiang.
"Don't worry, maybe our access rights have been temporarily blocked. We're just temporary residents. Ghost City must have blocked our communications because they don't want us to know something."
He appeared calm on the surface, but he was actually unsure in his heart, and he didn't believe much of the explanation he said.
"What do we do now?"
"Let's wait. There's nothing we can do. Try to calm down now. After all, no matter what's behind the dungeon, they don't seem to have abandoned us."
Murphy walked back from the back seat and said that the scene he saw was no different when he took off his sunglasses and put them on again.
However, thinking of Luo Qing's words, he continued to wear sunglasses for the sake of caution.
"Murphy is right. Everyone, stay calm before the bus arrives to take us there. Judging from the announcement the dungeon just sent us, this one should not just be sent to us, but may be sent to all players currently in this strange world." Xia Tian said.
"That's right." Gu Tongtong glanced at the beauty and took over the conversation.
"We've all received the dungeon announcement just now, and it doesn't appear to be targeting players coming out of Paradise dungeon, but rather all players."
"If there were only a dozen of us in the car, the announcement wouldn't mention different scenic spots. Isn't one scenic spot enough for all of us?"
Xin Guirong's voice was gravelly: "Girl, what you're saying is that everyone is stuck in the dungeon today."
"According to the announcement just released by the dungeon, it should be. After the bus takes us somewhere, if we meet other players, we will be able to confirm it." Xia Tian said.
"We're on the highway now."
At this moment, Yue Ye, Xiao Bian Zi, and Wang Changhong were observing at the windows on both sides.
If it were at any other time, players would be able to suddenly see the scenery outside the car window instead of endless fog, and they would happily start studying and exploring the world outside.
But at this moment, the players are not in such a mood.
What on earth happened? The dungeon doesn’t even allow outsiders like them to use the “fog filter”!
They gathered together and asked one question after another, but without answers they only felt more uneasy.
After a while, the players scattered in their seats, some in front and some in the back, and began to observe the situation outside the window.
"The feeling of this highway being built is almost the same as a newly built one in real life."
"Indeed, the asphalt road looks very new, the various signs are basically the same, and all the cars in Ghost City are left-hand drive."
"This bus has definitely been modified. I think its current speed must be at least 200 miles per hour." Wang Changhong vowed.
"Whether it's modified or not, I think since it's a bus from a strange world, I can accept it if it can have twenty wheels and run 800 miles per hour," Huo Min said.
Li Xiang is still trying to send messages on his mobile phone at this moment. Players never have to worry about the battery life of their mobile phones in the dungeon.
However, now, whether sending messages in the group or in the chat box with Liu Yanran, all messages sent out are preceded by a bright red X character.
"This message still can't be sent out." She sighed.
When I clicked into the Rugui APP, it couldn't load at all and I couldn't flash anything.
"I still tend to think that it was the copy that blocked our gateway." Cui Xiangwan said.
"Look, there are a lot of cars behind us. We're so anxious because our cell phones have no signal and we're so disconnected. If they were the natives of Ghost City, they wouldn't be more anxious than us if they couldn't contact their relatives and friends in the city, right?"
Li Xiang nodded. That being said, they finally became temporary residents of Ghost City and were able to use their mobile phones without any hindrance. Now they couldn't send messages, which made them feel very uncomfortable!
She couldn't help but mutter, "We're temporary residents, but we're treated like second-class citizens. Don't we have to buy a house in Ghost City to be treated like the locals?"
Hearing her words, Liang Shuang said, "You are already temporary residents after all. If you are second-class citizens, then what are we? Third-class people from other places?"
After such a joking self-deprecation, everyone smiled bitterly.
"It looks like we're getting off the highway."
“It feels like the bus is slowing down.”
It had only been a short time since they left the Ghost City. Although the bus was driving very fast, the players were not quite sure how many kilometers they had traveled.
At this moment, the players all gathered in front of the car and saw a sign with an arrow ahead.
[Anning New District from now on——]
"Anning New District? Has anyone heard of this name?" Wu You looked at everyone.
Everyone thought about it and shook their heads.
"No, I have absolutely no impression at all." Murphy shook his head.
"Yes, it's not the name of the copy, otherwise we would definitely see it in the forum." Zhou Keqin continued.
Gu Tongtong bit her nails and said, "This name sounds quite similar to Safe Home and Harmonious Community."
Cui Xiangwan thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be a characteristic of Ghost City? Well, we all name things similarly in real life, right? But Ghost City has quite a lot of neighborhoods with names like this. Near Ping'an Home, besides Harmonious Community, there's also Happy City and Fudi Renjia. At first glance, these neighborhoods are quite hard to tell apart."
"But this 'Anning New District' sounds a bit like some economic development zone or science and technology park in our real life, and doesn't look like a scenic spot," Tang Suxia continued.
As they were talking, the bus they were riding slowed down slightly and got off the highway.
The toll gates that the players could see had opened automatically without any obstruction.
After the bus passed through the toll station, its speed was no longer as fast as it was on the highway. I didn't know whether it was about to reach its destination or it could not run as fast as it could after entering the next city.
"This Anning New District is really a city. It looks like a city with not many people. It's newly built." Cui Xiangwan greeted them.
"Come and look, there are not many cars on the road ahead, and they are all brand new." Princess Head also shouted.
The bus windows were relatively clean, and the players all leaned against the windows to look out.
"Eight lanes in both directions, this is definitely for big cities."
"High-rise buildings, parks, green spaces, it looks like everything is there. That building over there looks like a subway station."
"The bus stops are all installed, but there are not many people on the streets. It's like a deserted city."
Not to mention that Murphy and his group had never even seen what Ghost City looked like, even Cui Xiangwan and his group, who were already temporary residents of Ghost City, were stunned by the land before them.
"Could this be the new city being built by Guicheng's relocation and diversion?"
"Fuck, Anxi Technology! That building! The tallest one, with the big words Anxi Technology on it. But it looks like the surrounding area isn't finished yet."
Rest Technology?!
Hearing Xiaobianzi's cry, Murphy immediately took off his sunglasses and looked over.
Luo Qing had previously told him that she could introduce him to Anxi Technology. Mo Fei had never been to this dungeon before.
"The whole city feels a bit empty, like a ghost town," Huo Min commented.
"Of course it looks like one because no one lives there, but if you're talking about a ghost town like some unfinished real estate project, it's not quite the same. At least this place looks new and has been built, but no one has moved in yet," Wu You retorted.
Ahead, the bus turned another corner, turning from the road into a park with green space.
“It seems we’ve arrived.”
"Um?"
Ding!
Dear players, hello. Due to the large number of players currently stranded in the dungeon, the system has automatically assigned you to the "Anning New District Jingzhe Talent Apartment." While you're stranded in the dungeon, you can freely explore, play, and rest within the Anning New District.
The bus stopped at the entrance of the park, and the upper and lower doors opened at the same time.
For the first time, everyone heard the driver speak. His voice was hoarse: "Please get off the bus. We have arrived at the Talent Apartment. You are temporarily assigned here. Any subsequent matters will be arranged by the Talent Apartment staff."
The players looked at each other and got off the bus with their belongings.
"Master, how long will we stay here?" Murphy asked.
The driver in a black uniform was silent for a few seconds, then opened his mouth and said, "I'll let you know when we can leave."
"What exactly happened in the ghost city? Is our communication cut off?" Cui Xiangwan immediately asked at the entrance.
The middle-aged driver just made a gesture to ask you to get out of the car, and said nothing more, with an attitude of having nothing to say.
As soon as seventeen people got off the bus, the bus turned around and left, as if it couldn't wait any longer.
A professional woman in her 30s, dressed in a black suit, appeared before them. "Hello, everyone! Welcome to Jingzhe Talent Apartment in Anning New District. Please follow me."
"Brother Xiang Wan, this is the talent apartment." Li Xiang said in a low voice.
"This place is called Jingzhe. If we follow the 24 solar terms, there must be other talent apartments. And maybe other people will be arranged for us in this park now." Xia Tian said.
"Let's go in and take a look." Cui Xiangwan
The question I asked to the driver just now was not answered, but he was not discouraged, which further proves that the two questions hit the mark.
Is it that they can’t say it, or that they dare not say it? Or is it both?
The driver only answered Murphy's question. Obviously, he didn't know how long the players would need to stay here, but from his answer, it can be seen that he was confident that the players could be sent away.
"Welcome to Jingzhe Talent Apartment in Anning New District. This is a free apartment provided for high-end talents. During your stay here, we will provide you with food, accommodation, water, electricity and any other needs free of charge." The apartment manager in professional attire introduced.
"Ma'am, what is your name?" Tang Suxia asked.
"My last name is Qiu. You can just call me Manager Qiu. I'll first show you around the apartment facilities and common areas, and then I'll arrange your room."
Public gym, yoga area, office area, small cinema, library...
These public places are not located in the high-rise apartment building, but in several independent small buildings nearby, each of which serves a different function.
“We encourage residents to connect with each other. While communal areas can be located within the building, if you step outside the building, there are multiple elevators within the building. Even if you walk down from the highest floor, it will take no more than five minutes to reach all communal areas.”
"The public cafeteria is over here. If you don't want to go downstairs, you can also order food by scanning the QR code on your phone and have it delivered to your door."
"This is the outdoor activity area. In addition to these public spaces, Jingzhe also includes a small community basketball court, outdoor tennis courts, indoor badminton courts, and table tennis courts."
Ge Huiru was standing next to Mo Fei at this moment, her eyes shining, and she couldn't help but murmur, "Brother, if you graduate from university and find a job normally, can you live in such a nice apartment?"
Murphy had actually lived in a similar apartment before. After thinking for a moment, he answered her, "I've lived in an apartment before, but it wasn't as good as this. There was a shared kitchen, but it was quite troublesome. There was no cafeteria and so many other functions. The facilities provided were very limited. Moreover, the rooms were small and the soundproofing was poor."
To be honest, if this talent apartment existed in reality, everyone would be attracted to it!
"High-end apartments should have this, but ordinary apartments are still quite annoying." Xia Tian said, looking very troubled.
Compared with other veteran players, Ge Huiru and Li Gaoyuan jump back and forth between two mentalities, first anxious and then relaxed.
At first, I was surprised by the changes in this copy and thought that they were going to die. They had just finished the college entrance examination. How sad their parents would be if they died in the copy. So many players were trapped in the copy this time. If they died, would they be discovered in reality?
But after thinking about all this, the two teenagers comforted each other. Even the old players didn't know what the current situation was. There was no point in thinking too much. Instead, they should take this opportunity to learn more about the strange world.
"Does anyone want to eat? Because the apartment has been temporarily requisitioned, we will provide meals in about half an hour today." Manager Qiu said.
The players all shook their heads. They had all eaten in the amusement park before, and it was Cui Xiangwan and his friends' first time to taste the employee meal.
But in the current situation, even if I am hungry, I have no appetite.
"The Jingzhe Talent Apartments are designed for singles. All rooms are 36 square meters, one bedroom, one living room, and one person. Your information has been entered. Please follow me."
There were seventeen players, all of them were assigned to the same floor, each with a room from 301 to 317. There were no room cards, and they could enter their rooms directly by scanning their faces.
Murphy took his bag and went into his room. All the way out of the ghost city, his sunglasses were always hanging on his head, sometimes on the bridge of his nose, sometimes on top of his head.
He clearly remembered Luo Qing saying, wear sunglasses and don't see things you shouldn't see.
But in fact, along the way, whether he was wearing it or taking it off, he didn't see any "weird" things again, such as the red uniform he saw when he jumped off the building, and the weird menu X set meal.
But if there are no such “things that shouldn’t be seen” outside the ghost city, does that mean that these things exist “inside the ghost city”?
In order to prevent players from seeing these things, they were sent out?
The facilities in this apartment are very complete. The 36-square-meter apartment has one bedroom, one living room and one bathroom. There is also a partition to separate the living room and bedroom. There is a sofa, a TV, and a small stove and tea bar. Everything looks brand new.
He stood by the window and saw another new bus stopped downstairs. Murphy immediately walked out and started knocking on the door.
"There's a new person downstairs, everyone gather."
Most of the other players just came into the room to check in and see what was going on. When the door was knocked, they all came out immediately.
"I saw it too. There's a new bus downstairs. It might be from other dungeon players."
Except for two newbies who were still a little concerned about the new house, everyone else rushed to the elevator and prepared to go downstairs.
The elevator was very fast, and when a dozen people came down, they met another manager who was leading the group of players to the public area.
"Everyone, let's go to the gym and try out the equipment." Cui Xiangwan said loudly at this moment.
They took out their own copy phones one by one and winked wildly at the new players.
Twenty minutes later, when more than a dozen players had tried all the equipment in the gym one by one, the second group of players finally came to them.
"Sorry, we were delayed a bit while going up to get a room."
"Which copy are you from?"
There were twelve players in this group, and the gym suddenly became bustling with nearly thirty people.
"We are from the Polar Oceanarium. Originally there were fifteen people in this group," said the young girl in the lead.
"We are all from Happy Amusement Park, but the six of them are part-time employees of the park." Murphy also took the initiative to speak.
"you."
"you."
They both spoke at the same time, then motioned for the other to speak first.
The two sides quickly communicated about the dungeon. After understanding the basic information, everyone either pulled their equipment or sat on the ground, thinking collectively.
Murphy and his team learned from the players in the Polar Oceanarium dungeon that when they were about to enter the seaweed area, an alarm suddenly sounded in the aquarium. Their dungeon guide immediately told them to stop the tour, and a dungeon prompt appeared in front of them.
"So, we sounded the alarm in different copies at almost the same time. But we were unlucky because we were on the Ferris wheel at the time. In fact, we felt the vibration, which might be the emergency device of the Ferris wheel?" Wu You said.
"No." Ge Huiru retorted.
"Brother, I remember we were in the Ferris wheel's box when it suddenly started shaking and was about to fall. That's when the dungeon announcement came out."
Ge Huiru spoke in a firm tone and looked at Li Gaoyuan.
"Moreover, our tour guide's expression suddenly changed, and she only heard the dungeon announcement afterwards. We only heard the broadcast in our dungeon after we came out of the box," Li Gaoyuan added.
"So, Miss Yuan, you were not in any danger in the aquarium?" Gu Tongtong looked at the girl opposite.
Yuan E shook her head, and the other players in their team waved their hands.
"No, we're sure, because we just entered the seaweed exhibition hall. The announcement came on immediately, and the guide led us straight away. The indigenous tourists were also very quick."
"That is to say, there may not be any danger in your Polar Oceanarium itself. But it's different for us in the amusement park." Liang Shuang touched his chin.
"There are still too few samples. I see that our apartment has more than ten floors. If the copies continue to be arranged, we will wait for the fellows from other copies to come out and then we can summarize the information." Murphy said.
"That's right. Only when we have enough information can we make deductions." Cui Xiangwan continued.
"But from what I've seen so far, the evacuation of your aquarium is basically the same as that of Happy Amusement Park."
"Not bad." This time it was the middle-aged male player from the aquarium team who spoke.
"Neat, swift, orderly, well-organized, and quick to act. We must understand that achieving this level of city-wide mobilization cannot be accomplished by just one team; it must have been practiced many times."
"We used to do fire drills and earthquake drills at school, but it was good if we could have a few in a semester. Everyone still ran down in a mess," said Ge Huiru.
"I used to do fire drills at work. It was at a bank and it was once a month, but there were not many people there so only the employees did the drills. I was pretty familiar with it," another male player continued.
"As soon as the announcement started in each copy, the indigenous people took action immediately. All the staff in the park knew what they were going to take. The shuttle buses were mobilized, and all the buses in the parking lot were requisitioned and drivers were arranged. There were also staff members guiding us on the way to the parking lot, and then we were assigned to different locations on the way... These decisions, manpower, material resources, and the speed of response were honestly beyond my imagination of the indigenous people." Tang Suxia said slowly.
"One move can affect the entire body. They have already made complete procedures and plans. We can tell from the indigenous tourists who travel with us that they are all well-trained and may have rehearsed many times." Another player said.
"Our copy mobile phones can scan the code here to order food and register to use different venues. This means there should be a network, but it's a local area network." Zhou Keqin said.
Not long after, three more groups of players were sent to this talent apartment, from Renhe Art Museum, Qimiao Museum and Guicheng Library respectively.
This time it was even more lively, with more than 60 people at once. No one had ever seen such a grand scene in the dungeon.
As more and more people came, some players felt more at ease, while others became more frightened.
"So many people are trapped in the dungeon. Are they going to keep us here and never let us out?"
“Is there any way the country can come to save us?”
"If the authorities had a solution, we wouldn't have to enter the dungeon long ago!"
"The delicious food and drinks served to us in this dungeon are more like a final meal."
With the future uncertain, some people inevitably say discouraging things. While not intentionally to incite panic, they do lower morale. Several team leaders offered words of comfort, but if the other party continued to complain, they would simply ignore it.
After collectively integrating information from players in the five copies, they confirmed that the Happy Amusement Park copy was most likely the one with the problem.
The other copies all broadcast first and then evacuated, and at that time there was no earthquake or shaking felt by the players in the amusement park copy.
"Do you think these talent apartments were originally intended to recruit us players?" someone suddenly spoke up.
"Didn't people on the forum speculate before that Ghost City is short of people? There are only so many native residents, so they don't need these single-person talent apartments, right?"
As soon as this was said, someone laughed bitterly and said, "So, we can be considered to have experienced the treatment of high-level talents in advance?"
"It's hard to say. In reality, talent introduction and household registration aren't usually done in new areas like this."
Because there are so many players, they have been scattered in the gym, yoga room, and cinema areas, mixing and exchanging information.
Murphy walked slowly on the treadmill. He walked in silence, and his mind couldn't help but think of the figure in the red uniform.
Happy Amusement Park.
The water of Xiansheng Lake reflected the only remaining frame of the Ferris wheel. Luo Qing only needed to look up to see the Ferris wheel on the lake.
Under the huge artificial lake is a special "director's office".
"Uncle Wu."
She stood opposite the older man in the red uniform, looking at the old man with half-white hair and closed eyes.
The distance between the two people is close and far.
In fact, Luo Qing only stood at the door of the office and did not step into the door frame.
Beside Luo Qing, there were more than a dozen staff members in red uniforms.
"Qing'er, it's time for you to go." The old man who never opened his eyes coughed twice.
Only the old man's upper body could be seen behind the desk. Next to him, there was a middle-aged man standing, wearing the same red uniform.
"What did you see that caused such a big disturbance?" Luo Qing asked.
"A bad omen?" she said firmly.
"Prediction is just prediction, it doesn't mean it will come true. Didn't you always claim that you couldn't predict accurately?"
"The flowers of evil on the grassland are about to bloom." The old man still closed his eyes.
"where?"
“There’s a 404 sign.”
Luo Qing's pupils shrank as she looked at the call on her phone that couldn't be dialed.
She said firmly, "I understand. I'm leaving now. Take care."
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