novelraw Chapter 69 : Question
Chapter 69 : Question
Chapter 69: Question
"Did you also end up here by accident like me?" Zhang Wenda voiced a guess to the old man.
"Impossible. Do you know how many pasts there are? Every minute is a past world. What are the odds we all end up at my place? What, you think this is a market or something?"
Hearing Wang Daniu say this, Zhang Wenda couldn't help but grow suspicious—these people seemed off.
If they hadn't come here by accident, and it wasn't nostalgia drawing them back either, then why had they returned to this Photographic Past World?
"Wait here. I'll go check." With that, Wang Daniu headed outside, but Zhang Wenda quickly stopped him.
"Old man, old man, no need for that. They’ve got guns."
"Heh! So what if they have guns? Who do you think you're talking to? I used to be the captain of the militia!" As he spoke, he charged out, and Zhang Wenda had to yank him back again.
After a bit of a struggle, Wang Daniu finally gave in to Zhang Wenda’s insistence and agreed to compromise. They’d wait until nightfall and go together—for mutual cover.
Truth be told, a faint sense of hope stirred in Zhang Wenda’s heart. What if—just what if—those people had a way back?
They were certainly dangerous, but for him, they could also represent an opportunity.
As darkness gradually fell, the two cautiously crept along the ridges between fields.
As they approached the Concrete Building Cluster, they lay flat on the ground and advanced slowly.
Watching Wang Daniu’s textbook crawling technique, Zhang Wenda realized the old man hadn’t been boasting—he really had some skills.
Suddenly, Zhang Wenda heard something. He quickly pressed Wang Daniu down and whispered, "Shh, old man—there's a sound!"
After waiting in silence for a while, vague chatter came from behind some distant trees.
"How much longer...? This place is so... boring. Not even a bug..."
"Who knows? Just endure it... better than... tightening screws..."
Just then, Zhang Wenda saw Wang Daniu suddenly move. He was crawling slowly toward the voices.
Zhang Wenda tensed up immediately, smacking Wang Daniu’s green Liberation Shoes to signal him to stop. But Wang Daniu showed no intention of halting.
As the voices grew louder, Zhang Wenda saw two faint red dots beneath the trees. Those weren’t fireflies! They were lit cigarette tips—someone was smoking in the woods!
Under the dim moonlight, Zhang Wenda saw the two of them. One had an eye growing between his eyebrows, the other had a short nail pierced through his nose, and a row of fleshy cockscomb sprouting from his bald head.
They looked strange, but Zhang Wenda wasn’t surprised. The Adult World was full of bizarre creatures. What set these two apart was that they wore no shackles. Not a single pair.
By now, the two had finished smoking and were strolling casually toward the distant Concrete Building Cluster, grumbling all the way.
Zhang Wenda and Wang Daniu quietly followed, inching closer.
When they reached the base of the mountain-built Concrete Building Cluster, they saw dim yellow light streaming from inside.
There were people inside. Not one or two—but many. And when Zhang Wenda saw guards stationed at every checkpoint, he immediately realized: these people must belong to a tightly organized group.
Seeing those perched on high with surveillance-camera heads, Zhang Wenda knew they couldn’t get any closer without being spotted.
He quickly signaled Wang Daniu to retreat. This time, the old man didn’t argue and slowly backed away.
As soon as they returned to safety, Wang Daniu spoke up, "These bastards are up to no good, for sure!"
"Old man, how do you know?"
"They're all smoking opium!" Wang Daniu declared without hesitation. "I saw this type back in the old days—opium smokers have that look on their faces!"
After thinking for a while, he said to Zhang Wenda, "Kid, I know why they’re here. They’re definitely in the business of trafficking human heads!"
"They probably snuck into the past to do bad stuff because they were afraid of getting caught in modern society!"
Hearing this, Zhang Wenda didn’t feel fear—in fact, a flicker of excitement surfaced in his voice. "So, old man, you’re saying they have a way back to the future?"
"Quit thinking about that nonsense! We’re in big trouble now. Who knows what they’ve been up to and for how long—probably hurt a lot of people." Wang Daniu said with deep concern.
Suddenly, as if making a decision, he swung his right hand toward Zhang Wenda. "Come on! Let’s go dig up the big dam up ahead and collapse it—drown these bastards!"
"There’s a dam? How long would that take?"
"Just the two of us? Couple years, maybe."
Zhang Wenda immediately rejected the drawn-out plan. "Old man, don’t rush. Let me try something else first."
"What else could you try? You’re alone—they’re many. What, you think you’re Lü Bu? Gonna charge in?"
The thought that these people might have a way back gave Zhang Wenda newfound determination. "I have my own method. How would I know it won’t work if I don’t try?"
With that, he ignored the darkness and pressed down the Yellow Core, sprinting toward Song Jianguo.
When he returned to the original perspective, he found Song Jianguo already snoring inside the Cat Blanket.
"Wake up! We’ve got a big job!" Zhang Wenda shook her awake.
After a quick explanation, he said, "That place in the Adult World is sealed up tight. Let’s check from this perspective to see if there’s a crack we can slip through."
This was the plan he’d come up with—the only one he had. It might be risky, but he had no other choice.
"This is the Photographic Past World? With an old man? Are you for real? You’re not scamming me, are you?" Song Jianguo eyed Zhang Wenda with deep suspicion.
"Come on, look at the situation. Who’s got time to joke with you?" Without another word, Zhang Wenda led them cautiously toward the mountain-built Concrete Building Cluster.
But as they walked, Zhang Wenda noticed something was wrong. They seemed to be heading to the other side of the town.
In this perspective, the mountain-built Concrete Building Cluster of the Adult World was an entire complex.
The town was still the same deserted town, but just as they turned a corner through a park, a footprint the size of a car appeared before them.
At that moment, both Song Jianguo and Aunt Flo instantly realized Zhang Wenda wasn’t making things up. This empty place really did have other people—or rather, other living things.
"Shh! Let the cats go first!" Zhang Wenda signaled to Song Jianguo while pulling out a flashlight.
Soon, the little cats began to fan out, scouting the path ahead.
The little cats were quiet and light-footed. Before long, they made a discovery.
Following the cats, they entered a section of the park where a concrete frame was covered in vines. As Zhang Wenda pressed his hand against one of the pillars and cautiously looked ahead, he saw nothing.
He shot a confused glance at Black Lump, their guide. The little cat was staring at his hand on the pillar, trembling with ears flattened tight to its head.
Zhang Wenda followed the pillar up with his eyes—and his pupils shrank to pinpoints.
That was no pillar—it was the leg of a Headless Giant using the concrete frame as a bench!