It Had Grown Quite a Bit Again

The old city was no longer the place they remembered.

An air of flight and disaster hung over everything.

Although some people still followed the rules and struggled to survive in this chaotic world, the emergence of more and more unruly factions and groups had completely shattered the old order.

To make matters worse, the climate continued to change. Fierce winds howled over the city, and every so often, huge amounts of debris could be seen swept into the sky, only to come crashing down without warning!

"We can't stay outside," Wu Yingting said, bracing himself against the gale as he began speaking to Wu Hen in sign language.

The wind was simply too strong. Even speaking was a struggle.

Fortunately, everyone in the family knew sign language. With the city shrouded in a storm of dust and their house burned to the ground, they had no choice but to set out in search of a new shelter.

"Dad, what's the plan?" Wu Hen asked.

"Remember the Tropical Pavilion I took you to?" Wu Yingting replied.

All three nodded. The Tropical Pavilion was nestled in a small hill behind the school. It was secluded, and not many people knew about it.

"The Tropical Pavilion has an underground level that I built myself. Deeper inside, there's a tunnel leading to the air-raid shelter beneath the school and the commercial district. It'll be perfect for our family," Wu Yingting said.

Wu Hen's eyes lit up at that.

So his dad had kept a backup plan!

The situation was growing increasingly chaotic. On top of that, people were inexplicably falling into the Otherworld, causing widespread panic. It was no exaggeration to say that the world had entered an apocalyptic era. Morality and the law no longer restrained most people.

"But hiding like this isn't a long-term solution," Yu Yi said.

"Mom, I'm not far from the Nuwa Divine Terminal. Those two people who came to our house before promised that if I could reach it, they'd protect our whole family," Wu Hen said.

At that moment, Wu Hen realized just how tempting the offer Ming Yi had made him had been!

His journey through the Otherworld Desolate Dust had been full of hardship, but he was already close to his goal. He only needed a little more time.

"That's right. For now, we'll do everything we can to buy Xiao Hen some time and make sure his body here is safe while he travels through the Desolate Dust..." Wu Yingting nodded.

The family's hopes now rested entirely on Wu Hen.

Wu Yingting knew that most people in the world had been abandoned. But a small number lived within the Silver Dome, in the Silver Plate buildings.

They didn't have to worry about being struck by natural disasters, nor did they have to wander through lawless territory. They were pioneers of the Otherworld, people who had contributed to the Nuwa Divine Terminal, and among the first to learn the truth about the world.

All of Wu Yingting's previous investments had been made in hopes of gaining access to that life.

Unfortunately, he had failed.

The wind was bitterly cold, whipping at them like a lash.

The family wrapped cloth around their heads and faces, leaving only their eyes exposed.

Visibility across the city was extremely poor. A yellow haze hung everywhere. Under such terrible conditions, food could neither be grown nor produced, and the people trapped in the city were becoming more and more desperate.

Along the way, Wu Hen's family also encountered groups of ill-intentioned people.

Ruthlessness was one of the rules of survival in the apocalypse. But Wu Hen had a gun, giving him an obvious advantage in a fight.

Those vicious groups of three or five didn't dare make trouble when they saw he was armed.

The streets were full of abandoned cars.

Quite a few people were sheltering from the storm inside them, but some were unconscious, as lifeless as plants.

People also lay sprawled across the main road. They might have collapsed from hunger, or perhaps they had been pulled into the Otherworld while walking. Either way, they were unlikely to survive.

"About how many people have fallen into the Otherworld this time?" Wu Hen asked his father.

"I'm not sure exactly, but there's at least one in every family," Wu Yingting said.

"About a quarter?" Wu Hen asked.

"Mm. The number's probably still rising. Of course, a few people have woken up, but afterward, they seem to have become stupid. They don't remember anything, and they seem very unlike themselves..." Wu Yingting said.

"Honey, if you die while traveling through the Otherworld, does that mean you're really dead?" Yu Yi asked.

"I can't say for sure. It seems there are several different possibilities," Wu Yingting said.

"Everyone's still figuring things out, and the rules of the Otherworld feel like they could change at any moment. All we can do is gather as much useful information as possible..." Wu Hen said.

"Then if we suddenly fall in, will we be together?" Yu Yi asked, still worried.

"If it happens, just keep heading toward the Nuwa Divine Terminal. We'll be able to reunite. Whatever you do, don't lose faith in that," Wu Hen said earnestly.

Yu Yi and Yu Yu both nodded.

When they reached the school, Wu Hen saw that it was still surrounded by an official security cordon.

There weren't enough Order Maintenance Personnel, so they could only be deployed to a few important areas. For the places they couldn't see or reach, all they could do was let people fend for themselves.

"No entry for now," said the Order Maintenance Personnel, all armed and speaking in cold tones.

"I go to school here. What's happened inside?" Wu Hen asked.

"A lot of students and teachers have fallen into the Otherworld. We're giving them time to wake up," one of them replied.

Wu Hen looked into the school and saw quite a few people in windproof clothing carrying one unconscious person after another into the gymnasium.

The gym doors were open. Wu Hen caught a glimpse of the students crammed inside, lying motionless. They looked peaceful, but none showed the slightest sign of life. Some even wore expressions of pain and struggle in their sleep...

Clearly, this place had been hit particularly hard by the fall into the Otherworld!

How many of them would truly make it back?

"Captain, a girl has woken up. She's completely lucid," an Order Maintenance Personnel member reported excitedly, hurrying over.

"Did she say how she woke up?" the officer in charge asked.

"She seems to have found a Soul-Resting Tree."

"A Soul-Resting Tree? Is that another way to return, besides finding Yuan You?" the officer asked, puzzled.

"We should report this right away. This is extremely important information. If we can tell everyone in advance, maybe more people will wake up," the team member said.

"Mm, excellent. Put this girl under special protection. Her valuable experience could help us a great deal," the officer said.

A hint of a smile appeared on the officer's face.

Someone in the area under his protection had returned from the Desolate Dust and provided such important information. That was as good as earning a major achievement.

Those students really were clever. There were always a few quick-witted ones who could adapt well.

If he could gather more useful information, or even help one or two Awakened emerge, he might get promoted!

The officer was lost in pleasant anticipation when a sudden wave of drowsiness washed over him, making him sway.

"Captain?"

The team member beside him quickly noticed something was wrong and hurried to support him.

But the officer's consciousness was rapidly slipping away. His body fell stiffly to the ground...

The Order Maintenance Personnel around them stared in shock. They never would have expected the officer, who had just been lamenting the students' plight, to fall in himself!

"Carry your captain inside. He won't wake up for a while," Wu Hen said kindly, having witnessed the whole thing, to the Order Maintenance Personnel who didn't know what to do.

"Student, do you want to come inside and take shelter?" one of the female Order Maintenance Personnel asked.

"Can my family come in with me?" Wu Hen asked.

The woman shook her head.

They had their rules. If they let anyone in, their limited manpower wouldn't be able to maintain order for long.

"Then never mind. I'll stay with my family," Wu Hen said, waving a hand.

It wasn't that Wu Hen didn't want their protection. It was that the Order Maintenance Personnel couldn't even protect themselves.

Besides, this was only temporary shelter.

He'd rather trust his dad than them.

They went around the school and headed toward the back hill.

They found the secluded Tropical Pavilion.

Sure enough, someone had already taken it over. The people inside were deeply hostile toward Wu Hen's family.

"Old Ling, it's me. I donated the money to build this pavilion," Wu Yingting said from the doorway.

"I don't care if you built it or bought it. It belongs to me now. Get out, now!" an impatient older man's voice called from inside.

"There are only four of us. We won't cause you any trouble, and we can help each other out..." Wu Yingting continued.

"Get lost! You think you're still some big shot?" the older man said, deeply displeased.

"Old Ling, we won't stay here for free," Wu Yingting continued.

"If you don't get out, don't blame me for what I—"

Bang!

A deafening gunshot rang out. Before the old man could finish his sentence, he was so frightened that he scrambled back inside.

Wu Hen stood coolly at the entrance, smoke still curling from the barrel. "Dad, why waste your breath on that old bastard?"

His father had paid to build this place.

Old Ling was nothing but a caretaker, yet he acted like the pavilion belonged to him!

"Creak..."

Before long, the door opened.

The one who greeted Wu Hen's family was Ling Shaomei, one of the housekeepers who had once worked at the Wu family estate.

Beside Ling Shaomei stood a trembling old man, clearly scared out of his wits. He was even more deferential than he had been back when he worked for the Wu Group.

"Old Ling, in a troubled world, it's not all about fighting. What matters is knowing how to deal with people..." Wu Yingting walked inside and patted Old Man Ling, who was trembling all over.

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right." Old Man Ling was sweating profusely as he nodded again and again, looking like he was welcoming his master and young master home.

Old Man Ling led Wu Yingting, Yu Yi, and Yu Yu into the pavilion.

Wu Hen followed behind and locked the door.

Wu Hen glanced at the haughty woman beside him, who had the cool, aloof air of the girl next door. He couldn't help smiling as he teased her in his usual familiar tone. "Sister Shaomei, it's been a while. You've grown quite a bit again."