A Girl Dies Every Day in Her Dream Life 257

Chapter 257: Clash at the Ruins

As the person most familiar with the ruins of Ground-Based Tower City 1, Ling Ling naturally knew what these two staff members were planning.

She didn’t care much. This ruin had been abandoned for a long time and was practically useless. Even if it was completely dismantled, it wouldn’t matter.

It was just a bit of a pity.

However…

Ling Ling looked up, memories flashing through her eyes.

Back then, the Suspended High Towers were true towers, carefully navigating the skies five thousand meters above the ground, avoiding the most dangerous areas, precariously clinging to existence.

And now, the Suspended High Towers were more like… cities, mobile cities sailing through the sky.

The old Suspended High Towers relied on a single disaster engine, each adjustment a gamble, every engine a precious asset.

Now, even the smallest Suspended High Tower had at least three disaster engines.

And humanity no longer had to live in dark, cramped towers. Transparent domes shielded them from most natural disasters, and except for a few specialized towers, most were no different from living on the ground.

And now, they were even developing day-night domes, which could simulate a normal 24-hour cycle, no longer affected by Eternal Day or Eternal Night.

If they succeeded, human civilization would enter a new era—in short, this was an era of progress, everything vibrant and full of life, which seemed out of place for Ling Ling, this three-thousand-year-old… person.

For these ruins, which had witnessed thirty day-night cycles, Ling Ling only felt a hint of nostalgia. After all, this wasn’t her true hometown. She had some attachment… but not much.

However…

Ling Ling turned slightly and looked at the excited Ceres, sighing softly.

She wanted to say something, but didn’t.

Ceres, the deceased Ceres, the first governor of Ground-Based Tower City 1, the first master of this tragic tower after Qualcomm.

Her name was buried in the dust of history, few remembered her. A girl who loved the sky, silently passing away, only Ling Ling still watching over her descendants, even now.

This lively little Ceres was about her 150th generation descendant. There weren’t many of her descendants left, or rather, if not for Ling Ling, they might not even exist.

Thirty day-night cycles, so much could happen…

Lost in thought, Ling Ling was startled by Ceres tugging on her clothes.

“Sister Ling, let’s go in.”

“Ah… okay.”

Ling Ling nodded apologetically at the others and followed Ceres, walking behind Xixi.

Chen Sirui glanced at this mysterious woman again, but still couldn’t find anything unusual. She seemed like an ordinary person.

Although he felt something was amiss, he couldn’t pinpoint it, so he just nodded at them and, led by his assistant and a few staff members, approached Ground-Based Tower City 1.

Previously, with fewer people, they had used the smaller, newly installed hatch, but now, with a larger group, and the special nature of this visit, the staff used the main hatch, the one used for docking with the ground.

As the main hatch rumbled open, the long-dormant machinery screeched, this ancient sound awakening the sleeping corpse, revealing a tragic scene of a bygone era.

The dilapidated cabin was filled with cracks and dried bloodstains, the walls seemingly torn apart by some powerful force, the dimly lit interior looking oppressive.

“The people from three thousand years ago… lived in a place like this?” Ceres couldn’t help but whisper to Ling Ling. “It’s not even as good as the ‘farms’ in the city…”

The “farms” referred to the places where poultry and livestock were raised in the Suspended High Towers. Their sealed environments were similar to the old Suspended High Towers, but cleaner and brighter.

“…It’s about the same.” Ling Ling didn’t say much. This was the kind of environment Wastelanders dreamed of.

No natural disasters, no inexplicable deaths, just working hard to survive…

Of course, people now couldn’t understand the concept of “Wastelanders.” After the second great disaster, the Wastelanders were either rescued or perished.

After all, with the mass production of disaster engines, the Suspended High Towers were no longer limited by capacity.

On the contrary, they were facing a labor shortage, and taking in Wastelanders wasn’t just out of kindness, but also necessity.

Of course, from the current perspective, this Ground-Based Tower, even intact, was just scrap metal…

“Don’t worry, everyone, although Ground-Based Tower City 1 is ancient, its structure is still sound. If we install a new disaster engine, it could probably fly again.”

Chen Sirui, seeing the reporters’ apprehension, said with a smile.

This was also why there weren’t many tourists here. This ruined tower, having experienced a disaster and the passage of time, looked quite terrifying.

However, Ling Ling didn’t agree with Chen Sirui’s assessment.

If its structure was sound, they would have already installed a new disaster engine and relaunched it.

The battle against the deep space behemoth, although the tower itself hadn’t been directly damaged, the forced landing had caused considerable structural damage.

The subsequent repairs hadn’t considered the possibility of relaunching it, so theoretically, this truly was a typical Ground-Based Tower.

Hearing Chen Sirui’s words, the reporters were relieved and followed the staff into the ruins.

They didn’t use the main passage, which was severely damaged, but were led through the honeycomb rooms, their walls dismantled, carefully avoiding the rusty, crumbling floor, towards the gravity elevator to the eighth level.

The reporters were nervous, Ceres, unfamiliar with such environments, clinging tightly to Ling Ling’s arm, even Chen Sirui’s expression showed a hint of unease.

Only the staff from the Ancient Ruins Association and Ling Ling remained calm, the former because this was their workplace, and the latter… well.

However, after passing through the dismantled honeycomb rooms and entering the gravity elevator area, everything seemed… brighter.

As the only functioning facility in the ruins, the gravity elevator had been renovated, although its last maintenance was probably from the previous day-night cycle.

Even so, it was still more reliable than the other facilities, even having a few ever-burning lamps, adding a touch of warmth.

“Going to the eighth level.”

Chen Sirui’s voice was steady, but the beads of sweat on his forehead showed that even as the president of the Tower Society, he was still an ordinary person, not an ability user.

He couldn’t hide his instinctive fear in this unknown, terrifying environment.

After the failure of the artificial ability user project, ability users were rare, treated as honored guests by the Suspended High Towers. Their individual combat capabilities were unmatched by any weapon.

Chen Sirui also had an ability user as his bodyguard, but this ability user usually hid in the shadows, even Chen Sirui didn’t know his location.

But he knew that in times of danger, this ability user would appear and protect him.

The gravity elevator slowly descended. Fortunately, it was designed to carry over thirty people, so they didn’t have to make multiple trips.

Ling Ling and the staff were fine, but the other reporters, along with Chen Sirui and his assistant, were pale, clearly uncomfortable.

After everyone boarded, the elevator doors closed, and they began to ascend.

With nervous anticipation, they approached the starting point of this era.

…

“They’re here.”

Su Yiyao opened her eyes, while Luo Xue’s remained closed.

From the moment Chen Sirui’s aircraft landed, Luo Xue and Su Yiyao knew that the group intending to witness the “false evidence” had arrived.

But strangely, these people seemed to be enveloped by some kind of power. Neither Luo Xue nor Su Yiyao could sense them clearly with their Divine Sense.

It was like a thick mist, deliberately concealing something, which made them uneasy.

In this world… there was actually an existence they couldn’t see through. Even Su Yiyao put aside her usual carefree demeanor and focused on observing this group.

Luo Xue’s Divine Sense was slightly weaker than Su Yiyao’s. She could only sense their presence, but… couldn’t even determine how many there were.

This was a formidable opponent. It seemed that even after a thousand years, the current human civilization had also produced a powerful being, someone even Su Yiyao found threatening.

Therefore, Luo Xue’s initial plan to capture them was put on hold. She would wait and see, act according to the situation.

If they were truly too strong… Luo Xue and Su Yiyao could only hide and wait for an opportunity.

After all, over a thousand years had passed. Luo Xue didn’t know what changes had occurred in the post-apocalyptic world, but the strongest combat power should no longer be limited to Nascent Soul.

As the gravity elevator ascended, Luo Xue finally sensed them clearly, but at the same time, the owner of this mysterious power also seemed to have noticed her probing.

“Stop!”

Su Yiyao’s voice echoed in Luo Xue’s mind, and they both stopped using their Divine Sense.

“We’ve been discovered…”

Su Yiyao’s expression turned serious. She also couldn’t determine the other party’s strength.

Judging by their aura, it seemed to be between Core Formation and Nascent Soul, but their perception was incredibly sharp. A slight touch, and they were noticed, Luo Xue and Su Yiyao almost falling into a trap.

Such an opponent was truly dangerous; the unknown was always terrifying.

Ling Ling, hidden among the reporters, her expression suddenly turning serious, even Ceres beside her felt a suffocating pressure.

The reporters’ hearts tightened, but in the next moment, everything seemed normal again.

However, the lingering feeling… wouldn’t easily dissipate.

“The ruins from thirty cycles ago, truly…”

Chen Sirui’s eyes flickered, but it was worth it. In this environment, it was easier to make people believe his lies.

“Ding~”

The gravity elevator finally reached the eighth level, and as the doors opened, they arrived at this legendary starting point of the new era.

The first proposal for the mass production of disaster engines was made here.

Everyone stepped out of the elevator, except for Ling Ling, who seemed lost in thought until Ceres tugged on her clothes.

“Sister Ling, are you feeling unwell…?”

Ceres looked at Ling Ling with concern, wondering if she shouldn’t have brought Sister Ling to this place.

“No.”

Ling Ling shook her head, but her expression behind the mask was serious.

She sensed a dangerous aura, especially after entering the elevator.

Was someone targeting her?

Ling Ling had experienced countless assassination attempts in the past thirty cycles, even recently, but none had been successful.

But none of the previous assassination attempts had made her feel this threatened.

However, after thinking about it carefully, Ling Ling dismissed this idea.

No, that shouldn’t be…

No one knew her whereabouts as the Sage, she was certain of that. She was just here as the guardian of an insignificant employee in the Propaganda Department, that’s all.

So… what was going on?

Besides this possibility, Ling Ling thought of the deep space behemoth’s lingering influence, or rather, its resonance, still present on Earth, which had caused the previous ability user incident.

As the center of that incident, it wasn’t impossible for the ruins of Ground-Based Tower City 1 to still carry the behemoth’s resonance, undiscovered until now.