The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 636

Chapter 636: After the End ##

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

Hao Ren was driving his official ride, which could form-shift into anything but Optimus Prime, hustling on the desolate planet. Looking out at the ancient, old-fashioned but massive steel structure flew past made one could not help but feel depressed. They were now passing by an idle mega-thruster. The thruster looked like a weird extinct volcano; it had the shape of a peak like a mountain, and huge piping and steel structure on the outside, some old and mottled marks scattered on the ‘peak’, probably rust developed during the period when the atmosphere was still abundant.

Lily lay her head on the window frame looking out. She said, “The machine is alive, but the people are dead… Who made these things?”

“No advanced life is detected yet. Only a few microorganisms barely survive in the extreme underground environment,” said Hao Ren, checking the car’s instrument cluster, which should display various readings like oil level and mileage, was virtual cockpit instead fill with complex radar chart and a communication interface with the Petrachelys. “Humans may have died out on this planet… or they might be hiding in some shelters. Just that we haven’t found it yet.”

“The second scenario is less probable,” said Vivian, shaking her head. “It’s just my intuition.”

“You mean the thrusters run by themselves? Hao Ren turned to look at Vivian.

Still shaking her head, Vivian said, “I don’t know about the thrusters. I just feel that this place is haunted with a smell of death… The Blood Clan can sense it.”

They did not stay long at the idle thruster. After making a round around it and snapping a few images, they left the massive thruster behind them and continued their journey. After passing by more massive pipelines and steel structure, they began to see some other sporadic structure that looked like sentry towers and bunkers—one could not help but think of a military base. It seemed there had been war on the planet before the huge thrusters were even completed.

Only that thick snow had buried the traces, and only structure on the higher ground stood out of the icy layer. Unless they stop and do a detailed scan, it is difficult to know what lies beneath the thick solid carbon dioxide and normal liquid ice.

As the car continued to move on, the surroundings began to warm up. Three massive thrusters shooting out bluish white flares into the space on the horizon. The thermal radiation of the plasma flares was warming up the area, allowing carbon dioxide to return to the atmosphere. It even melted the normal ice and snow, exposing the dirt and gravel on the ground.

From time to time, sand and stone chips hitting the car producing some crackling sound outside as strong wind blew up the gravel and debris. The heat from the mega-thrusters had caused the nearby dry ice returning to the atmosphere, creating a convection process on this part of the planet.

The thrusters were so massive that they even caused weather-like phenomena during their operation. However, the scope of these phenomena was limited to space around the active thrusters. After crossing these ‘weather rings’, the air became quiet and dead again.

After driving for some time, they accidentally stumbled upon the remains of a city.

The city was situated on a high ground, and due to its proximity to an active thruster, the heat of the plasma flare had melted the ice and snow in the city. The Nangong siblings urged Hao Ren to enter the city. As they drove along the street, they saw high-rises everywhere. Though architecturally very different from that of the earth, one could know there had once been an advanced civilisation existed by looking at the exquisite and high-tech architecture here.

Unlike those dark thrusters, the city was once filled with colours—from the detailed decorations on the buildings, colourful arts like commercial billboards to roofs, squares, and streets. Hao Ren drove through a twin tower, which looked like a pair of symmetric sprouts of plant and connected by elegantly designed arch sky-bridge.

Such architectures were everywhere in the city. They were varied in style; some elegant, some rough like those huge thrusters, and some were unknown as to their uses. Lily looked at the old buildings, wide-mouthed, as she was imagining on a sunny day, a normal busy day in this alien city, buildings were full of colours, people walking leisurely in the streets, and flying crafts traversing the air between the high-rises.. All these imaginations suddenly receded like a tidal wave, everything turned into grey, and death.

Those empty buildings stood lifelessly in the darkness, silently facing the distant stars, and greeting the uninvited guests with their ghostly face.

In the background of the city, massive plasma flares piercing through night sky breaking the space in half.

“There is no signs of life,” Hao Ren checked the radar screen in his car. “The city has been abandoned for so long. Ten thousand years at the very least.”

What Hao Ren said was no drivel. He had the knowledge to back up his claim. He felt that the city was just a temporary settlement prior to the completion of the thrusters. As when the thrusters fired up, the planet would leave its orbit into space, and the inhabitants of this planet obviously had no ability to maintain the planet’s atmosphere after leaving the sun. They must abandon the city on the surface after the completion of the thrusters and move underground or into some hibernation facilities.

Had the thrusters not started ten thousand years ago, then everything would be simpler: the inhabitants of the city would have died in the catastrophe of supernova.

Vivian asked in a whisper. “Why do you think they wanted to transform their planet into this?”

“Obviously for survival,” said Hao Ren, gazing at the huge plasma flares in the distance. “I guess it was the First Born… if not the brain monster, which was responsible for the catastrophes. Apart from an extinction level of event, what else could make a race to embark on a run with their planet?”

Lily lied her head on the backrest of Hao Ren’s seat, eyes rolling in deep thought. She then shook her head and said, “Obviously something went wrong during their escape.”

Amazed by the husky quick wit, Vivian asked, “How do you know that?”

“Because this planet only started its journey a hundred years ago,” replied Lily, shaking her ears. “It was a hundred years ago that the vengeful spirit kidnapped the Nangong couple and sent them onto this planet, the sight of the stars in the vengeful spirit’s memory clearly suggests that the planet was still in its own solar system a hundred years ago while the catastrophic disaster of the universe had already happened ten thousand years ago. So this planet’s escape plan had obviously failed. Hey, didn’t you think of this, did you?”

“Whoa, honestly, I’ve not thought about that before, really, but you did,” replied Vivian, honestly.

“I’m not stupid, okay!” rolling her eyes, Lily flung herself into the seat, ignoring Battie.

Hao Ren smiled and watched the two quarrelling. “Lilly is right. If this planet was to flee, it should have set off before ten thousand years ago. So something must had happened that it was stranded in its own solar system for ten thousand years ago. It wasn’t until the Nangong couple were brought here that the thrusters suddenly fired up… The problem probably came about a hundred years ago.”

They lingered in the city for quite a while but disappointment eventually set in. There was no sign of advanced life form here, nor was there any trace of recent human activity. Although the city was in a relatively warm environment and liquid water and moss-like basic plants existed, Nangong siblings’ parents were not here.

However, the Nangong siblings were still holding on their hope: the environment in the city could clearly sustain life of sirens and demon hunters, though comfortable, but feasible. Furthermore, there might be more than one such ‘liveable’ region. Area surrounding each active thruster could provide enough life-sustaining condition. They could not find any in this city; they could still look into another.

Until they combed the entire planet.

Chapter 637: The Dead City

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

The crew moved on once again and left the dead city behind.

The world that was veiled in darkness gave everyone a foreboding feeling, but thankfully the darkness was slowly fading away. A huge, operating plasma reactor was in front of them and the radiant glow from the engines lit the skyline and broke the veil of darkness.

Vivian suggested that they checkout the area near the reactor, and Hao Ren let the car’s autopilot system to determine the best route forward as they went along a slope up the metallic mountain range. As they close in on the reactor, the details of the facility appeared before them. Hao Ren saw on the facility’s conical shape had many other spiralling roads etched on surface, a faint light was darting along the road as the pinnacle of the reactor spew light that stretched on miles on end, until they see a steel bridge of the far end, not knowing exactly what it is for.

As they were half way through the rector’s side, the Northstar’s computer suddenly beeped. At the same time, Y’zaks frowned as well. “Seems like there’s something up ahead.”

Hao Ren immediately stopped the car by the road side and Lily immediately leaped on all fours as she sneakily crawled forward to scout ahead. She was lying down on a giant metallic board as she popped her head out before turning back to the rest, motioning earnestly.

The group immediately went towards her as Lily pointed towards the road, her voice hushed. “Look, a supply convoy!”

Hao Ren looked dumbfoundedly at the straight road that stretched towards the top of the reactor. The road was lined with strobes that glow in light blue, probably serving as some sort of guiding mechanism as lines along lines of transport vehicles back and forth on the road in a very regulated manner.

“There’s no signs of life…” Vivian frowned before tossing one of her bats towards a transport truck. Due to the reactor’s operation, the atmopshere around the area was not stable, and Vivian’s little bats finally had some use.

Speaking of which, she had not used her bat sensor for quite some time already…

The little bat struggled against the wind as it went forward before latching on unceremoniously onto the roof of one of the trucks. It looked about on top of the roof as it skittered about looking for a gap. Any zoologist seeing this would probably start questioning themselves if they were to see a bat doing that. But alas, the bat returned disappointedly as the entire vehicle was sealed except for the cargo hold.

“It’s a hopper on the back, and is filled with something that looked like fuel for the reactor.” Vivian said as she assimilated the bat back into herself, frowning as she went. “There are no entrance, no signs of life as well. Seems like it is automated.”

Hao Ren pondered for a bit before making a rather daring decision. They were to tail the cargo transport.

Lily too had mustered her courage as she scampered about the vehicles, and realised that there were no reaction to her antics. Neither were there any patrol robots or the likes on the tracks. Thus all of them concured that the automated system was ‘blind’. Hao Ren and the rest got into the car and started tailing one of the trucks that left the reactor. As they went through the steel roads for a good while, and a few corners later a steel forest-like facilities appeared before them.

The steel forest was blocked by a mountain range prior, and no one had saw it on their way up.

Hao Ren carefully drove the car into the area as massive clanking rang around him. The area was filled to be brim with black, massive machinery or buildings, as if the city itself was a factory proper. Large number of trucks and other vehicles followed the track from the reactor to here as they zipped through the steel forest. Large mechanical arms raised and lowered as it coordinated with the arriving trucks and filling the hoppers without even ceasing for a moment.

A thunderous noise came from above and the startled Wuyue looked up, what she saw was a ten square meter odd steel block was moving across the air with the help of thrusters as it slowly slot itself into a ‘mountain block’ not too far away. By the looks of things, it was probaby an automated storage system.

The whole factory city was in full throttle as the whirring of machines and passing of vehicles was all over the place. Under the guiding strobes and high-powered lighting system, the area was as bright as day. But… there were no one here.

Hao Ren led everyone out of the car and they investigated this bizzare area before them. They did not worry about an alarm system summoning guards. They did not expect to see anyone here in the first place. Y’zaks even planned to pull a meteor down to blow the place up in hopes to startle the locals into appearing, but that plan was nipped in the bud by the rest.

Lily drew her Frostfire claws as she led the team on high alert, sniffing as she went. “There’s only steel and oil scent here…”

The group passed by an operational manufacturing dias and beside it was a control room-like facility, and the door was ajar. Nangong Sanba raised his crossbow as he cautiously approached the door to check what’s behind it, only to find a room with lit lights and grumbling machineries.

“No one here.” Nangong Sanba came out of the control room as he shook his head. “The entire system is automated.”

Hao Ren sighed. “Forget about it. I think the entire planet is automated.”

But just as he spoke, a sharp wail came from behind them!

Hao Ren immediately turned back in alarm, but what he saw was a small inverted triangle machine coming at top speed towards them. The machine seemed to be a patrol bot as it swiftly circled the group while letting out a series of buzz, before finally speaking normally. “Civilians detected.”

Nangong Sanba responded unconciously. “Pardon me?”

A series of buzzing noise came from the robot again as it spoke. “Civilian detected. Condition excellent. Please follow me towards the examination station. You may access the shelter after decontamination.”

As it finished, the robot turned towards another direction and sped on. After a few moments it turned back to realise that Hao Ren and his group have yet to move. “Civilians, please follow me towards the examination station. If not, coercive measures will be taken.”

Y’zaks had formed a kill curse in his hand as he pondered if he should blast the robot to smithereens or not. Hao Ren motioned for him to stand down. “Lets follow and see what that robot is up to.”

The group then followed the robot as they navigated through the area and headed towards the deep end of the steel forest. Passing through even more automated factories and machineries as they went, they too saw even more unmanned vehicles and and transfer platforms moving about. The scene was so bizzare as if even when their masters had long gone, the machines was programmed to continue working tirelessly. Finally the group was brought into a rectangular building and only then the noise outside was dampened.

The building was clean and well lit. The first half of it was a giant hall, and the scale of it reminds Hao Ren of a departure hall at the airport. There were advanced robots busying themselves in the hall, cleaning and maintaining the place.

Lily quickly retracted her claws, worrying if she would dirty the place. At the very least, she was better than most normal huskies in this respect. “I never thought the planet has a place like this.”

“A sealed man-made facility could always lead someone to forget about what’s going on outside.” Vivian said as she realised something. “I remember sleeping in the old king’s tomb before and waking up to find my surroundings not changing much, and the world was still the same. But as it stepped out of the tomb, the country itself had already been blown to bits… If someone had lived here for ten thounsand years, he would probably not even know how the world had changed outside.”

Things that mades Vivian sigh was always things that no one knew how to respond. So Hao Ren could only shrug as he followed the robot towards the hall. Just as they approached the door on the far end of the hall. The sidewall lit up and a human silhouette appeared on it!

Chapter 638: Underground Sanctuary Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

As the group was just about to pass through the hall’s door, a wall panel closest to them suddenly lit up and a human figure appeared on the screen. Hao Ren and the rest immediately reacted with alarm as they looked at the figure on the screen. It was a white-haired, dignified middle-aged man. He wore a smart black uniform with golden linings. Two rows of big gold buttons ran across the length from his neck to the belt.

The man on the screen looked at Hao Ren and his group, surprise apparent in his eyes. “How were you people outside?”

Hao Ren had already reconciled the fact that this planet had no inhabitants, a planetary level ghost city, yet on the screen was someone alive and that shocked the jimmies out of him. “Oh f*ck me…. There’s still someone on the planet?”

“There’s still someone?” The middle aged man on the screen was perplexed. “What are you talking about? Did you all left the sanctuary? Or did you came from other areas?”

Vivian immediately caught on and coughed softly. “We… we came from other place. The last place may have some problems and we got lost here.”

She purposedly kept things vague out of caution, and tried to muddle the group’s origins. The man on the screen however did not pay too much attention and simply nodded. “Very well, the most important thing is that you are back in a safe area. I hope that you all were not harmed by the reactor’s radiation. The guiding robot will bring you to the sanctuary, and the civil officers will be checking on your situation.”

As he finished, the screen on the wall faded and returned into a proper wall. Hao Ren and the rest looked at each other, and was curious about the sudden appearance of the man, yet they could not tell what was amiss.

“There’s still someone on the planet?” Lily muttered, her face incredulous.

Vivian rubbed her chin. “Based on what the man said, there seems to be a sanctuary of sorts… I never thought that we would actually run into survivors!”

Under the guidance robot’s lead, the group went past the hall and entered a long corridor that was lit with red light. The robot advised that they would complete the contamination process at the end of the tunne. As he walked Hao Ren mumbled. “Something’s not right…”

“It is not right.” Vivian remembered the previous discussion. “The planet’s sun that went supernova ten thousand years ago, but the planetary reactor was only activated a hundred years ago, so technically speaking that any survivors would’ve already missed the escape window. Even if some survived, why none of them took flight? Don’t tell me they had slumbered on a frozen iceball of a planet for a millenia?”

“You think people sleeps like you?” Lily quipped, her words venomous.

This husky just couldn’t help herself on taking a jab at her mortal enemy even in the most inopportune of times.

Nangong Wuyue had a complicated look on her face, a mixture of anticipation and fear. “Will my parents be in the sanctuary?”

Hao Ren immediately realised the possibility. “Yes! If there is a shelter there, your parents might be brought into there as well, just like us!”

Everyone thought that is was plausible and hastened their step across the corridor. As they reached the end of it, another guidance robot was waiting for them. The little robot opened the semi-circle hatch at the end of the tunnel as a special room appeared before them.

There were nothing in the empty room, only a tubular platform stood in the middle. At the front of the tube was a semi-transparent glass door, and through it an elevator-like mechanism was seen. Seems like the sanctuary was underground.

As to arrive at the shelter without a hitch, Hao Ren and the rest were very cooperative as they waited quietly for the robot to activate the elevator and ushered them into it. As everyone stepped into the elevator, something caught Hao Ren attention.

It was a long, serpentine tail… Wuyue’s

“Wait a minute” Hao Ren raised an eyebrow as something ran through his mind. “Wuyue, you have been in this shape since just now?”

Wuyue did not understand the question and simply wiggled her tail as she coiled into a more comfortable form. (With a narrow place like an elevator, her serpentine form would be takig up quite a lot of space, but she did not had the chance to change into other form) “Yeah, what’s with it?”

“… What man on the screen did not seem to be alarmed by your form.” Lily too realised what Hao Ren was talking about as she touched her ears and tail. “My form too…”

Wuyue’s tail immediately coiled into a tighter form as she got nervous. “Can it be a trap?”

By then the elevator door had closed and the platform descended with increasing speed. Hao Ren saw the metallic frame and machinery levels that flashed across, and gritted his teeth. “Well, forget about that. We’ll see when the time comes. Just stay alert, but don’t make any unnecessary movements unless its an emergency.”

Lily nodded as she drew her Frostfire Claws. “No worries Mr Landlord, I will protect you!”

Vivian immediately pushed the husky aside. “You fool, keep your claws. This is an elevator… AHHH my shirt! One of my two only good shirt!”

“Can you two bloody behave?” Hao Ren have the two bickering fools an exasperated look as he shuffled into a corner to cool down. Y’zaks looked down on the floor of the elevator platform: The floor was made out of transparent glass and one could see what was going on beneath them. Only towards the far end of the elevator tube could someone see faint source of light. “Seems like the sanctuary is somewhere really deep underground.”

“Or to use the geothermal energies to maintain the ecosystem.” Hao Ren thought. “The most common way of a low tech-level civilisation to survive.”

The elevator did not seem to have an end as the party had been in there on alert for agood while. Lily’s serious demeanour didn’t last five minutes before she squatted on the floor and started drawing figures on the floor. By the time she finished a sketch of three puppies only did everyone felt a shudder as the sound of the mechanism locking itself came from outside.

Y’zaks looked up as he spoke. “Seems like about ten kilometers deep… Seems like you are right, they are using the lava to maintain the heat level of the sanctuary.”

With a hiss, the elevator door opened. Nangong Sanba immediately threw out a small runic card and the card turned into a human silhouette that took a few steps. Seeing that no traps or whatsoever was triggered, he then lifted his crossbow as he carefully moved out. “All clear, lets move.”

“Your brother seems to be reliable at times.” Vivian quipped.

Wuyue pouted. “If he did not have even such basic demon hunting skills, he’d probably be dead somewhere in a haunted castle…”

Wuyue’s own sentence was cut short by her own yelp. As the group got out of the elevator, the scenery that greeted them left all of them stunned.

Beyond the elevator was not a foreboding steel sanctuary, and neither was it layers upon layers of small habitat blocks akin to a prison. It was a huge, proper city!”

A wide and clean road stretched miles on end, as buildings of various shapes and sizes made up the rows alogn the street. Between them were lush greeneries and decorative structures. Turning back, Hao Ren realised that the elevator they took earlier was actually a pillar connecting the sanctuary to the surface of the planet. The elevator stood in the centre of a plaza that intersected with a few trunk roads. And from afar, Hao Ren could see a few other similar pillar.

Seems like the entrance and exit is not restricted to the one they came from.

Lily gawked for a good while before she managed to speak. “…. For a sanctuary…. this place is pretty grand!”

Y’zaks looked up again, and noticed that the city was not shrouded in darkness, conversely it was very well lit by seemingly powerful lights. Blinking hard, the demon saw from the gaps between ‘web of light’ massive rock roof and equally massive supporting metal structures. “Above the place is lava… This is a giant cavern. Not sure if it s excavated or formed naturally.”

Vivian looked at the rock dome above here as she muttered. “Cavern eh….”

Hao Ren quipped without even thinking. “Don’t tell me you are gonna take a nap here.”

Vivian immediately recoiled as she shook her head. “No worries, I can control myself!”

Turning away, Lily spat. “Pffftt, Battie.”

Chapter 639: Mom and Pops

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Hao Ren and his group had finally reached the sanctuary deep within the planet’s crust. After their initial awe, they quickly realized that the city was uninhabited like everywhere else.

There were no pedestrians on the street, and while the buildings were lit, there were no signs of any living being behind the windows. There were vehicles running in the air and on the streets, but when Y’zaks hailed one to stop, it was an unmanned vehicle.

“So?” Lily turned around to look at the vibrant yet empty city. “Where are the supposed survivors?”

Nangong Sanba was dumbfounded. Looking up to the sky, he shouted in hopes of getting the attention of any “observer” who may exist. “Hello! We’re in the sanctuary! What’s next? There’s no one here!”

No one appeared, and the only sound was from the engines of the vehicles speeding through the air.

“This planet is getting weirder by the minute,” Hao Ren recalled the middle-aged man on the screen as he muttered to himself. “Didn’t the guy say we would meet some civil officers down here…”

“Not sure what that man’s trying to do.” Vivian summoned a swarm of bats and got them to fly all over the place while she took a few careful steps forward. “He has no beef with us… He won’t be pulling such a massive prank.”

The group walked about the bizarre sanctuary, scouting the place out. They followed the lights and the busiest roads in hopes to find any survivors living there. Hao Ren knew that there were survivors in that place; the man who appeared on the screen was unquestionably one. However, no one knew what happened as there were nary a person in the city.

Were the survivors hiding?

Nangong Sanba looked around as he observed the place. He may be half-baked when it comes to combat, but because of being half-baked, his observation and deduction skills are well honed. He was like a seasoned hunter now analysing tracks. “The streets are clean, everything is well maintained, and does not look like it was desolate for a millenia. The city is within a cavern and logically speaking should be coated in dust. But look at this railings… they are as good as new.”

“Because there’s ‘someone’ wiping them all the time.” Nagong Wuyue patted her brother’s shoulder and pointed towards a floating robot not too far away cleaning earnestly. The robot too was an inverted triangle and its job was probably to keep the street spick and span. It had a versatile mechanical arm holding a brush while another was spraying mist. Noticing that someone was closing in, the robot flew towards them and circled Hao Ren and his group.

Lily’s nerves tightened but she quickly realised that the robot was harmless. She stretched her hand out and gave it a knock on the outer shell. “It doesn’t seem to be able to speak…”

As Lily finished, a short and bright melody played from the robot, and a cheerful male voice came from it. “Vjekally Limited. The specialist in cleaning products. Giving you and your family the best cleaning service. The new household robot Alpha 3 is now available for purchase…”

The music and the voice repeated itself again. “Vjekally Limited. The specialist in cleaning products. Giving you and your family…”

As it finished the last sentence of the broadcast, the robot left the group and started cleaning the streets again.

“Seems like just a pre-recorded advertisement.” Vivian shrugged. “But at least there’s some ‘humanity’ in that.”

Y’zaks demurred. “A robotics company. There should be someone running it.”

Over on the next street, they reached a building that looked like a shopping complex. The building’s exterior was bright and exuberant and a big mascot even stood by the entrance. The giant screen above the entrance played a rather obnoxious cartoon. While culturally distinct from Earth, it was rather obvious it was some kind of advertisement. Hao Ren led the group into the shopping mall and was greeted by an empty concourse that had rows upon rows of equally empty shoplots.

“This is rather unnerving.” Lily mumbled beside Hao Ren.

A melody soon placed from nearby and as Hao Ren turned towards the source, he saw a digital billboard that was attached to the wall. After the music ended, a video with scores of men and women appeared with the background sound going. “….Our strength is needed for a comfortable sanctuary. Lets us join hand in hands to create a peaceful home….”

Wuyue slithered towards the screen as she looked about. Hao Ren was not sure what she even pressed before the screen suddenly changed and a stiff-looking man appeared in the middle of the screen. “… Bringing you the latest news of the sanctuary. The investigation of the fire at Danding station has been completed. The sanctuary manager annouced that the incident was caused by an electrical short circuit in a grocery store’s warehouse…. The reactor maintenance team had completed their work and the planet’s thrust is stable. The President extends his thanks to the tireless workers. According the Presidential spokesperson, the planetary ark is closing in on a ‘resupply zone’, and before us is a very rich asteroid belt. The ark will perform its first deceleration since launch and after reaching level two navigation speed only will the resupply starts. The required time to decelerate until target speed will take about a year. We will be able to extract sufficient resources from the asteroid belt to feed the reactor. During deceleration the sanctuaraies may experience minor shakings. Please stay calm should that happen…”

It seemed like it was a news bulletin. Hao Ren immediately thought of something as soon as he heard the last part of the message and contacted the MDT which was standing by in orbit. “MDT, scan the planet’s flight path. Is there an asteroid belt before it?”

The MDT’s reply came swiftly. “There is an asteroid belt in front of it. Perhaps from other celestial bodies. It is a rather huge one. What about it?”

“…We are watching extraterrestial news broadcast.”

“Huh?” The MDT did not understand.

Hao Ren cut the communication and turned towards the rest. “There is an asteroid belt in the navigation path… This is not mere recordings.”

Vivian looked at the screen which was still playing the news. “…So that is to mean that the news are current. There’s really someone broadcasting this.”

Hao Ren looked at the empty concourse. “Yes, yet there are no one here.”

Nangong Sanba suddenly frowned as an bizzare expression appeared on his face. “Wait a minute! I’m feeling some aura…”

As he spoke, Nangong Wuyue rose up as well. She use her long serpentine tail to push herself about two to three meters in to the air as she gazed in a particular direction. “…Water element… it’s water…!”

Everyone looked at each other in shock, and realised what was going on!

Nangong Sanba kneeled down as he pressed the ground. Using his demon hunting ability to trace the movement of aura in the area. He suddenly looked up towards the deep part of the shopping complex. “Over there!”

The two siblings exchanged glances as shock and elation ran across their faces and the both ofd them dashed towards the source of the aura. Hao Ren and the rest were a step slower but caught up with the Nangong siblings. The group sprinted across the empty concourse as if fearing a step later would lose them their target. They finally came to a stop before a shop filled with groceries and slowed their breathing as they look out for any signs of activity.

The Nangong siblings did not dare to take a step further. They just looked slackly at the shop, and their breathing seemed to have stopped.

Behind a shelve, two figures was moving. A feminine arm flashed across the gap between the shelves as she took a few items.

The two figures seemed to also have sensed something as they stopped at the smae time before coming out from behind the shelf.

Nangong Wuyue held her brother’s hand tightly as she looked she might faint any time soon. Her voice shivering. “Mom.. Dad?”

They found them at last.

Chapter 640: Reunion Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

 

The couple standing before Hao Ren looked very young, the lady was dressed in a dark blue skirt of unknown material and her long hair was tied up high. Her eyes looked very similar to Nangong Wuyue while the man wore a black longcoat, and under his coat was the trademark demon hunter wide belt. A silver dagger hung from the belt and aside from that there were no crossbow or any other weapons. His facial features was about fifty percent of Nangong Sanba’s. Due to Siren’s unique ‘selective genetic transfer’, the Nangong siblings each share their parent’s look.

As otherworldings themselves, the couple had not aged in the past hundred years. They still looked youthful, but more matured than their offsprings. They were surprised to see a large group of people before them, and panicked even, and as they heard Wuyue’s voice they were immediately stunned.

“Mom, Dad! It’s us!” Wuyue pulled her brother as she ran ahead. “I’m Wuyue! Me and brother have been looking for you!”

“Wuyue? Sanba?!” The male demon hunter could not believe his eyes as he looked at the two youngsters, his steps shaky. He never thought that he’d encounter anyone else here, and didn’t dare to think that he would meet his flesh and blood appearing before his eyes. “You… how did you arrive here?”

“We had caught the vengeful spirit from that time and Mr Landlord had managed to find out this place from its memories.” Sanba tried to compose himself as he explained. “All here are our friends. It’s through their help that we managed to find this place. Mom, Dad… have you been living here for the past hundred years?”

The reunion was certainly touching, but Hao Ren felt awkward as an outsider. Seeing that the family of four was so excited to see each other, he feigned a light cough. “So… all of you go catch up on old times, we’ll go somewhere else… lets meet at the entrance of the mall.”

Nangong Sanba nodded appreciatively, but words failed him. Hao Ren smiled back as he motioned for him to carry on and dragged Lily by the arm away from the four.

“They were finally reunited, it’s sure worth coming all the way here.” Vivian said as she walked along the empty mall. Stretching her neck to look far ahead, she continued. “They would probably need plenty of time to catch up. Our main objective can be considered achieved now.”

The brutish Y’zaks too had a rare expression on his face. He recall his own adventure not too long ago and broke into a smile. “I can understand… I too had experienced this a while back.”

Hao Ren ruffled his hair, sightly embarassed. “Why do I feel embarassed now…”

Lily took a stab at Hao Ren. “No one is even praising you yet! Too soon too soon!”

Without much notice, the group had reached the second floor of the mall. It was empty as ever, but the rows of shelves were fully stocked. The cashier counter and shelves were spotless. Lily simply grabbed one of the packets on the shelve and after confirming that it was food, she immediately stuffed it into her mouth. Vivian immediately reminded her. “Eh, be careful! Don’t just anyhow eat anything here! It’s unknown…”

Lily took another big chomp before rolling her eyes at Vivian. “Are you stupid? Mr and Mrs Nangong had lived here for a hundred years. Of course this is edible!” As she said, she pulled something that looked like prawn crackers and stuffed it into Hao Ren’s mouth. “Mr Landlord give it a try! It tastes like fried rings!”

Hao Ren was conflicted as he was fed by a dog. Why does Lily only show a spark of brilliance on things like this…

“Not sure what’s the date of this place… but all of this are pretty recent products.” Y’zaks attention was on something else. He tried to take Lily’s snacks to check the date but just as he lifted his hands, the werehusky started letting out a threatening growl, her eyes locked onto Y’zaks big arms and her fangs bared. The great demon could only shrug as he saw that. “What an obvious reaction. Fine, I’ll get one myself.”

Vivian gave both Lily and Hao Ren an odd look. “Well, you really taught her well.”

At the same moment a soft beep came from not too far away as the wall opened a hidden hatch. A little automated van came out from it. The van was filled with plenty of different products. It ignored the curious crowd inside the shop as it came to the shelf. A floating-plate like device started raising out from the van and started restocking the shelf: The two packets of snacks Lily and Y’zaks had taken.

Seeing so, Vivian also grabbed one from the shelf and with a buzz from the van, the floating plate started restocking again at haste.

“It’s all automated.” Vivian said as she looked at the packet in her hand. “But are there actually anyone coming here to ‘buy’ things?”

Y’zaks smiled. “At least two person.”

Ten minutes later, the group met at the entrance of the mall. The Nangongs seemed to have recovered from the initial euphoria of reunion. Granted, that will probably take a few days to fully fade away. Wuyue then introduced her new friends to her parents, but before she could put two full sentence in, Lily’s rapid fire interjection had it done it mere moments. That was how she operate.

“We have heard how you came over here.” Nangong Wuyue’s mother, Ayesha smiled as she took a deep bow at Hao Ren. “We are forever in your debt, while we are not sure what both of us can help, but if you ever need anything, please let us know.”

Ayesha’s husband too nodded. “I heard that you are investigating the place. We have also lived here for a hundred years, we can probably be of some help.”

Y’zaks was glad to hear that. “That is great. Sanba’s Dad right? We…”

The great demon had never paid any attention on how to address someone. Nangong Sanba’s father smiled as he waved his head. “That’s sounds weird…. This lowly one is Nangong Wudi*, I shall be in your care.”

An awkward silence descended upon the place as Hao Ren’s stiffened face took a good while to recover. This uncle’s damn is just too damn awe-inspiring!

He then patted Nangong Sanba by the shoulder as he spoke with a hushed voice. “Is that his stage name or something?”

Nangong Sanba’s face stiffened. “His real name”

“Your family’s name sense is only for the boys?”

Venom seeped from Nangong Sanba’s clenched teeth. “Hush you.”

Nangong Wudi did not see anything wrong with his name. The awe-inspiring-pretty-much-in-name only demon hunter who was just as half-baked as his son smiled as he motioned to the rest. “This is not a place to chat. I’ll bring you to our temporary abode.”

Lily was surprised. “You have a house here?”

Ayesha smiled warmly as she pointed towards the vast city. “There are houses everywhere.”

Everyone then knew what was going on.

Mr and Mrs Nangong’s place was a distance from the shopping complex, about a few streets away. They casually led the group to the roadside as they hailed a floating bus. Like how everything in the city was, it was unmanned.

The bus drove effortlessly under its automated system as it followed an arrow up a slope towards the residential zone. All along the floating bus’ path was a glowing guidance tape, probably to prevent collision agains other airborne vehicles. Hao Ren sat at the front most seat as he looked at the driver’s seat: It was nothing but a bunch of flickering meters and a sterling and drive shaft that was being operated automatically. There was a seat behind the driver’s panel. It seemed like this automobile was designed with a driver in mind, and the autopilot was just another mode.

The screens inside the bus played some rather dull advertisements, a large group of children was surrounding an oddly shaped amusement faciltity as they jumped about. The subtitles beneath indicated that it was an advertisement for a newly opened amusment park.

The world within the screen was lively and vibrant, the world outside the screen was quiet and dull.

The childrens laughter and melody played from the advertisement filled cabin, but that only served to unnerve them all.