Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was precisely ten o’clock when the plane arrived. If it were before the Cataclysm, flying from Chang’an to Yuzhou by plane would take an hour at most. However, after the Cataclysm, the distance between the two places increased, and a plane would need exactly three hours to get from Chang’an to Yuzhou.
“Sir, familiars are not allowed inside the airport.” The security guard blocked a boy who had a familiar with him and politely denied him entry.
“Eh? Then why are so many people bringing their familiars inside?” The boy was a little annoyed, and he pointed towards another access point. In that area, an old man and a younger man both brought several familiars into the spacious hall.
“That’s the departure area for private jets. The Alliance Laws do not have any regulations that restrict carrying familiars on private planes right now,” the security guard answered in a roundabout way.
Basically, what he meant was that private planes were the personal property of their owners, and so the owners could do whatever they liked. What they did with their property didn’t affect anyone else.
As such, the lanes for private planes were different from those of commercial planes, and their flight paths were differentiated as well.
The change of expression on the boy’s face was very interesting. After a while, he lowered his head bitterly.
…
“I’ve already told your grandpa, and he will send someone to transport the female spider to Yuzhou,” Liu Shaotang said to Gao Peng. “That female spider is too big. It needs a specialized plane to transport it… I will leave the Blood Eye Whisker Vulture behind to accompany that plane. In case of accidents.”
Gao Peng nodded to indicate that he understood.
After half an hour, they got on the plane. The plane gradually flew into the air, easing them further and further from the ground.
In the trunk, all the familiars were wrapped in chains to prevent any mishaps.
Of course, they weren’t afraid the familiars would be in danger; they were more afraid that the familiars would tear a hole in the plane cabin…
Through the glass, the scene outside gradually turned monotone as waves of white clouds blocked the view. After that, the plane broke through the clouds and rocketed on upwards.
Gao Peng adjusted his seat to a comfortable angle and put on his eye mask so that he could rest.
After three hours, the plane prepared to land.
The flight attendants walked to Gao Peng’s side and gently reminded him that they were about to land in Yuzhou.
Are we there?
Gao Peng removed the eye mask and pulled up the visor. Through the window, one could vaguely see the peaks of towering mountains touching the clouds.
Gazing downwards, one could see layers of mountains connected to each other, and the wide Yangtze River that seemed to go on forever. It was like looking at a huge dragon flying between the mountains.
In the midst of mountains, a huge city stood out. It spanned all the way from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, only to be split apart by the Yangtze River. The surface of the river actually had ten bridges that connected the city to both sides.
Beside the river was a row of high embankments. Apart from that, there were also steel railings that protected the coast of both sides. Occasionally, armored cars could be seen driving along the coastal road.
The plane flew past the river and continued gliding forward, and the city beneath them was getting closer.
The cement and steel buildings of the modern city had a technological aura, with their external glass walls refracting lights. The plane flew over the city and headed south. Later, the plane circled around and slowly landed on the track.
A spacious airport appeared through the window. The signal lights on the ground shone, and the plane flew downwards. Their sense of gravity distorted slightly.
Finally, they landed peacefully.
Upon getting off the plane, Uncle Liu picked up the phone and talked for a while. He then quickly hung up the phone. He turned around and said to Gao Peng, “Old Ji is caught up with something and can’t come and pick us up. However, he has already made arrangements with the company. We can head straight over there.”
“Okay. I’ll just follow your arrangements, Uncle.” Gao Peng did not have any opinion.
……
Upstream of the Yangtze River.
After the Cataclysm, rivers all over the world became wider and longer, as if the planet was constantly “growing.” The Shanchuan River upstream also gradually grew. It was a fantastical phenomenon.
Rivers thundered, and waves raged.
A sharp fin broke through the water surface like a sword, setting off huge waves.
Through the clear river water, a dark shadow was visible, circling in the depths of the river. From the surface, it looked like it moved here and there without any purpose, but based on the calculations of the military, its final destination was downstream of the Yangtze River, the city of Yuzhou!
“This little fella sure is naughty.” In the military region of Yuzhou, a bearded high-ranking military officer was wearing a single black eyepatch. He looked at the video recorded by an unmanned drone and smirked.
Based on the dynamic images taken by satellites, the monster in the depths of the river made circles underwater, and sometimes it would even swim upstream. However, when one combined all the images of its swim path into a dynamic moving image, one could precisely calculate its final destination as Yuzhou City, located downstream of the Yangtze River. The seemingly meaningless movement all over the place was only an attempt to lower human vigilance.
Unfortunately, under the constant surveillance of both the unmanned drone and the satellites, its hidden agenda was not hidden at all, so it all seemed fairly hilarious in the end.
It was like a thief behaving suspiciously as he tried to sneak into a castle. He would pretend that he was only a passerby, but in truth, every move that he made was constantly and clearly monitored by the security camera hanging on the wall…
A group of security guards would sit quietly in front of the security footage, observing the acts of the dumb thief, chatting casually with each other while snacking on melon seeds.
In the depths of the river, the raging splashes produced a strong undercurrent. Bubbles appeared from the movements of the dark figure but were immediately popped. The blackish gray scales had a dark luster underwater.
A five-meter long water snake was sucked into the ridiculously strong undercurrent. The water snake did not even have time to react before getting pulled into it. The current battered the snake as it dragged it in.
It took some effort for the snake to finally regain its senses. The water snake opened its eyes, and a warm yet dim yellow light suddenly appeared underwater, and then a red carpet quietly appeared beneath its body…
The water snake looked down at the red carpet, puzzled. It looks familiar…
And in the next moment, water raged, and the red carpet flipped suddenly, and the water snake lost consciousness.
…
“So, this trivial monster is the one that interrupted my reunion with my grandson, huh?” Ji Hanwu stood on the deck of the boat. He looked calmly at the “island” in front of him that was gradually growing nearer.
At the highest point of the “island,” a sharp white horn that looked like a spear pointed towards the sky. Sharp black spikes spread everywhere over dark gray scales. Its body was covered.
The part of the monster exposed above the water surface alone was over ten square meters, but the larger part was hidden beneath the river. As if it had noticed the boat, the speed at which the “island” approached the boat increased.
Ji Hanwu’s expression did not change as he gazed at the approaching monster.
The monster slowly rose from the depths of the river. Its large body created huge waves, and the boat shook. Ji Hanwu placed both his hands behind his back. He looked calm. Both his feet were planted firmly on the deck of the boat as if he had grown roots. If one observed more carefully, one could see that two hoops had been used to fix Ji Hanwu’s feet to the boat deck.
