Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 1178 - 907: From Jialong Slope to Shangjing

Chapter 1178: Chapter 907: From Jialong Slope to Shangjing

Xu Cheng returned to Jialong Slope alone.

This journey was nothing short of disastrous; she had practically wrecked the Sky Patroller, with no crew to help check the radar or observe the condition of the body. Xu Cheng was scrambling, feeling deeply frustrated.

The Shuttle Machine landed with a tremendous humming sound, emitting a piercing explosion from the engine. The Sky Patroller Shuttle Machine that helped Xu Cheng complete her journey had reached the end of its lifespan. Yevdokia the mechanic’s efforts were in vain, leaving Xu Cheng feeling disappointed in herself.

But she had to find Farosa, even if it killed her.

Xu Cheng closed the shuttle hatch as the port administrator came for inspection. Xu Cheng wanted to go for registration, but her hand trembled slightly, too afraid to look at the shuttle’s identification code. She had filled in "Bubble."

Was she worthy of Bubble? Xu Cheng couldn’t say, so she hurriedly fled the airport. Anyway, the Sky Patroller couldn’t be repaired, so she’d leave it there.

Xu Cheng advanced on the port district’s dilapidated roads, her old boots trampled over dust and metal debris. She tightly held her small satchel to her chest, ready to hide at the slightest weird noise to avoid trouble.

The afternoon sunlight mercilessly fell, casting glaring flashes on the metal shell of abandoned vehicles. Heat waves rose on the sidewalk; Xu Cheng wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, ignoring the tingling nerves and pain in her limbs, which she had grown accustomed to. Muscles rebuild stronger after being damaged.

She had to deliver the things she captured along the way back to people. In the bustling core of the black market, Xu Cheng saw Jimson the guard still overseeing the Blackstone Market’s automated trading robots and walked boldly over.

"Hey!" Jimson was the first to spot Xu Cheng, "Little Envoy! Back again!"

"Qua!" Xu Cheng felt proud of what she was about to deliver and reached into her pocket, returning the camera to Jimson.

"Did you capture the outside world’s scenery?" Jimson’s eyes lit up; he opened the camera to inspect the photos and video content inside, of Budan Snow Mountain’s storm, Sevaburg’s canals, Netanya’s countryside, Italia’s desert... As he watched, his expression became increasingly astonished.

Xu Cheng put her hands on her hips and nodded to him.

"Quite remarkable, isn’t it?" Xu Cheng said.

Jimson, touched, closed the camera, his words carrying a heavier weight.

"Thank you." He nodded repeatedly to Xu Cheng, "It’s perfect—unbelievable! Now I can finally tell my son there are other places beyond Jialong Slope. There’s more than just these damn safe zones in the world! What you’ve captured is solid proof! Far more real than AI-generated landscapes, this is the real world, this is the planet we stand on!"

"Perhaps staying in Jialong Slope would be safer." Xu Cheng sat on an old metal high stool, her hands resting on her knees.

"Goodness, let me give you an extra gift. Just say the word, I’ll get you whatever you want." Jimson said repeatedly.

"Milk." Xu Cheng lifted her head, feeling that all her hard work and long journey were worthwhile.

Ten minutes later, Xu Cheng strolled along the roads of Jialong Slope’s port district, holding her big milk box.

Though she didn’t doubt Jimson’s sincerity, Xu Cheng couldn’t help scanning it with her tactical glasses.

——Scan——

Title: Milk

Description: 1.5 liters of milk, just opened, advised to finish within 3 hours.

Danger Level: None

——End——

Xu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

The passage to the core city area was still blocked by a high-voltage electric curtain, guards armed and face concealed with fully enclosed masks. It’s said that masked people are ten times as cruel as those without masks.

She knew her credit wasn’t good enough; she couldn’t get in. Jialong Slope only wanted those new modern citizens who were good at tolerating and submitting, which Xu Cheng could never adapt to.

Xu Cheng took a sip of milk, walked through a wasteland of buildings, new sprouts emerging from twisted rebar and scorched prefab boards. She climbed a small hill made of building debris, squatted down like a Scavenger, then took out her phone to call Chishiki.

She held the milk box in her left hand and the phone in her right. As the beeping sound of the communication link rang, Xu Cheng immediately thought of Chishiki’s family’s super luxurious residence in Jialong Slope, the Azure Water Manor, vast and boundless, symbolizing the pinnacle of private power and wealth.

"Hello?" Chishiki’s voice came from the other end of the phone.

Rustle rustle, adorable Little Qianshu. Xu Cheng’s heart lit up.

"I’m going back to Shangjing," Xu Cheng said, "Schedule a flight for me."

She needed Jialong Slope’s official heavy-duty flight; it’s escorted by the military, responsibly shuttling between safe zones, specially transporting personnel and goods, connecting with Jialong Slope’s mothership in the sky. If Xu Cheng could take the special train back to Shangjing, it would be a very fortunate thing.

She was truly exhausted, no longer wanting to pilot the Shuttle Machine.

"Jialong Slope’s special train? Hmm... I’m afraid not," Chishiki said.

"Why?" Xu Cheng was puzzled.

"Mom won’t let me do this, sigh," Chishiki said.

"But with your status, isn’t it just a matter of saying a word?" Xu Cheng was anxious.

"If Mom finds out, she’ll criticize me severely. I don’t want to be scolded by Mom, and she doesn’t like you. I can’t help you," Chishiki’s tone was especially dejected when saying the last sentence.

"Oh..." Xu Cheng murmured. Chishiki, Chishiki, have you become an adult?

"What about the others?" Chishiki asked, "How’s Ming Gongqiao performing?"

"I left everyone else in the safe zone. They have more money than they can spend in a lifetime; they’ll be fine." Xu Cheng had left almost all the remaining money to Bubble.

"Ming Gongqiao should have been with you," Chishiki said.

"It’s no longer involved. I shut it down, and it should just be rebooting now. But Chishiki, nothing we say matters now," Xu Cheng said.

"You stay at Jialong Slope for a while. I’ll find a way to see you," Chishiki said.

"No need." Xu Cheng, feeling agitated, ended the communication.

She kicked a can into the ruins; it flew toward the distant wall and bounced off the cold brick wall. Can’t the weak contend with the wall?

As the sky gradually darkened, Xu Cheng walked through the abandoned streets of the Port District, wandering alone. She was exhausted, and every step was a torment to her muscles. The familiar pain spread throughout her body, continuously expanding, but Xu Cheng couldn’t calm down. If she stopped now to rest quietly somewhere, she wouldn’t be able to accept it at all.

She lingered at what was once the bustling port of Jialong Slope, now inhabited only by a few unemployed people and gangsters, who were keeping warm by fires on the ruins of the docks, roasting rats and fish found from god knows where.

She tucked the handgun in her arms. If a bad guy came over, she would shoot him and then stroll along the waterfront. When she first left Jialong Slope, it was the same—keeping company with the black sea. After over twenty thousand miles of travel, how much had Xu Cheng truly grown? She wanted to make a list, but her mind was too foggy to do it.

Xu Cheng habitually turned to let Bubble get closer, but behind her was only the empty dike. She rubbed her nose, unable to walk further.

The sea stretched infinitely, blending into the night, waves gently lapping at the pier.

Xu Cheng missed Bubble, missed the peaceful life of the past.

She had once complained about why Nestor Corporation always had so many battles to fight, but compared to now, that period was practically the most peaceful era ever.

Compared to the prosperous world Xu Cheng was familiar with, this world corroded by the starry sky was silent and shattered, extremely unfamiliar. Without Bubble, Xu Cheng could only piece together past memories alone, reminiscing on the sounds that used to fill Jialong Slope: the voices of advertisements, the horns of approaching ships, the clamors of tourists from all over the world... Now everything was gone, leaving behind only the solitary winds whimpering, quietly narrating the humanity and connections that once swelled at Jialong Slope.

Xu Cheng spread her arms to the sea; the sea breeze blew through her hair, bringing a faint salty taste. She closed her eyes, imagining she wasn’t by the dark ocean but standing under a bright summer sky on an ivory-white beach, with vibrant shallow seas filled with shells and jellyfish instead of The Willow Prophet and Humming Monsters.

She could almost hear the laughter and calls of people playing on the sand, feel the fine-grained prickling sensation of her toes on the soft beach, the taste of milk flooding her mouth, the boundless energy and possibilities.

On the dock, drifting bandits and villains followed Xu Cheng in secret for a long time.

There were twelve of them, watching this unfamiliar little girl strolling alone on the coast at night. They decided to rob her, play with her, then throw her broken body into the sea.

A man held a cigarette in his mouth, the implant in his right eye locking onto Xu Cheng’s back. The others also raised their guns.

She spread her arms toward the sea like a Little Fool awaiting death.

They hesitated no more and pulled the triggers.

Bam!

...

Five minutes later, Xu Cheng squatted on the embankment.

The ghostly memories and sounds vanished, leaving only darkness, decay, and the twelve dead bodies to accompany her. She lacked the energy to search the bodies and only felt an emptiness.

The bright light from the core city of Jialong Slope shone brightly behind her, casting her shadow on the sea. She thought vaguely about drifting along with the sea or being swept back to the coast of Shangjing. She’d surely be preyed upon, she thought. Creatures in the forbidden zone weren’t easy to deal with.

Xu Cheng felt many things had been stripped away from her. She could return, could go back to Shangjing. If she found a way, she could definitely go back, but what would she do upon returning? Could Xu Cheng fight against Farosa? Farosa, the Witch Goddess, what was little Xu Cheng compared to her?

The familiar sound of whistling caught Xu Cheng’s attention, pulling her from her thoughts.

From the darkness, a small Shuttle Machine flew over the dim sea, its four corners blinking with red navigation lights.

Xu Cheng was stunned.

The Shuttle Machine landed beside Xu Cheng, its cabin door opened, and the ramp extended from the door bottom with a hissing sound from the hydraulic system, connecting to the dock, as if inviting Xu Cheng to enter.

The Star Weaving Lady stood in the cabin of the Divine Radiance, happily extending her hand to Xu Cheng:

"Let’s go home!"