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“Hmm?”

In the distance, he noticed a cluster of people and glowing lights. He had seen this area when he first arrived. It looked like a flat space where at least a hundred people were gathered, possibly for some event.

This spot was the only place within his line of sight that was brightened by lights, making it a noticeable landmark. The little boy Lin Xian had met earlier had run towards this area after they parted ways.

What sparked Lin Xian’s interest?

A gigantic hot air balloon was slowly ascending from the midst of that crowd!

Lin Xian had only ever seen hot air balloons in movies and on TV. These crafts, which ascend using hot air or helium, lack any real steering capability and can only drift with the wind, making them impractical for daily transport and more suited for leisure activities or extreme sports.

Yet, there it was, at the edge of Sky City—a hot air balloon being prepared for launch.

“This has to be the mode of transportation to Sky City,” he muttered. “Didn’t expect the transport method to be so old-school.”

But could a hot air balloon really provide a safe journey to Rhine Sky City? Lin Xian was doubtful. Still, he started running towards the crowd, hoping to secure a ride—or more accurately, a spot on that balloon.

However, due to his earlier wandering, he was quite far away. He watched as the balloon gradually filled up and began its ascent. By the time Lin Xian reached the crowd, the massive balloon had already lifted the small passenger basket several meters into the air and was continuing to rise.

Looking up, Lin Xian realized this wasn’t your average hot air balloon; it was a helium balloon.

Unlike traditional hot air balloons, which use a flame to heat the air inside and create lift, helium balloons rely solely on the lighter-than-air gas, requiring no flames or burners. Filling a large balloon with helium and sealing it provides enough lift without any extra mechanisms.

But this method seemed excessive for a mere two to three kilometers up to Sky City. Could it be that the actual altitude of Sky City was greater than he initially thought?

Lin Xian remembered his middle school geography lessons.

He recalled that the temperature drops by about 6 degrees Celsius for every 1000 meters of altitude, which would make two to three kilometers an ideal height for Sky City’s residents to avoid extreme cold. Moreover, higher altitudes mean lower air pressure, which affects boiling points and can cause altitude sickness.

Surely, these were considerations with our current technology in 2023.

But Rhine Sky City likely had access to controlled nuclear fusion, providing them with limitless energy to easily counter these high-altitude issues.

Yet, something else struck him as odd—the passenger in the balloon’s basket was dressed in a thick, insulated suit, much like a simplified version of a spacesuit.

This comparison wasn’t far-fetched. The passenger looked almost like an astronaut, wrapped up thickly and wearing a large helmet.

This left Lin Xian even more baffled…

A helium balloon and a spacesuit—what was this person planning? Was he not just traveling to Sky City? Why all the complexity?

Determined to find answers, Lin Xian scanned the crowd and quickly spotted three familiar faces—unexpected, yet somehow expected.

Ah Zhuang! Er Zhuzi! San Pang!

They were former henchmen of Big Cat Face! Seeing these old acquaintances in such an unfamiliar place brought a smile to Lin Xian’s face.

These guys had been taken down countless times by him and Big Cat Face in their first dream. In the second dream, they had reformed and started working under Big Cat Face and Boss Li. Lin Xian hadn’t expected to encounter them again in this third dream.

At that moment, Lin Xian felt that perhaps some aspects of history were indeed inevitable.

Certain people, certain events, seemed preordained…

Inevitable existences.

Inevitable occurrences.

Could this be a manifestation of some new time-space law?

Lin Xian couldn’t puzzle it out just then.

But now was not the moment for deep contemplation. He needed to find out why so many were gathered here.

“Ah Zhuang!” Lin Xian called out cheerfully.

Ah Zhuang, shorter but sturdily built, scrutinized Lin Xian from head to toe, his eyes shifting briefly towards the sky. “Who are you?”

“That’s not important,” Lin Xian replied with a smile, clapping him on the shoulder. Familiarity had removed any awkwardness: “Where’s Big Cat? Where is he?”

Hearing Big Cat’s name, Ah Zhuang’s face instantly relaxed. Lin Xian’s confident tone made Ah Zhuang think he was a friend of Big Cat, and he pointed to a balloon already high in the sky: “You’re late, Big Cat already left.”

Lin Xian was taken aback. He craned his neck to see the balloon climbing higher: “That’s Big Cat in the spacesuit?”

“Who else?”

“He’s headed to Sky City?”

“Yeah, of course.” Ah Zhuang studied Lin Xian’s surprised expression: “You should know this stuff if you came all the way here just watch.”

He then turned his gaze back to the sky.

“Let’s just hope Big Cat makes it this time, otherwise…” His voice trailed off as he bit his lip.

Lin Xian observed Ah Zhuang, his confusion growing.

With all that high-tech gear, what could possibly go wrong?

Deciding not to dwell on it, he resolved to silently watch Big Cat’s endeavor.

He had arrived too late and missed the chance to join the balloon ride. If Big Cat managed to reach Sky City, Lin Xian could try again the next morning.

Not overly concerned, he joined the crowd, all staring at the small white dot that was the balloon, now at least 2000 meters high and shrinking to the size of a fist.

Thankfully, the powerful fusion reactors under Sky City provided enough buoyancy to keep it afloat, and their lights shone on the balloon, making it visible as it became just a tiny speck in the distance.

Lin Xian squinted up at the balloon as it ascended higher and higher.

He edged closer to Ah Zhuang, who was intently watching, and whispered: “It looks like he’s overshooting it…”

Big Cat was clearly rising too high, almost reaching the edge of the stratosphere.

“What are you talking about?” Ah Zhuang looked at Lin Xian, concerned: “There’s a laser defense zone around Sky City that goes up to ten thousand meters. Touch it, and you’re vaporized instantly by the lasers. The defense forms a cone around Sky City. The only way in is a small blind spot right at the top, at ten thousand meters.”

Lin Xian couldn’t believe his ears: “Ten thousand meters? A laser defense? Sky City is that heavily fortified?”

“Yes.” Ah Zhuang turned back to the sky, watching the tiny dot: “To get through and enter Sky City, you’d need to climb to nearly twenty thousand meters with the balloon, then skydive right through that tiny blind spot and parachute down safely.”

This was beyond belief.

Lin Xian blinked, trying to process the information.

A twenty-thousand-meter skydive from a helium balloon?

That sounded like something out of an extreme sports reality show, not real life!

He remembered his own experiences with extreme sports in dreams, often ending disastrously.

Even attempting a skydive from eight thousand meters was a challenge.

Now Big Cat was trying from twenty thousand meters, needing to navigate through a tiny defensive gap and deploy his parachute at just the right moment.

The slightest error would be deadly!

Lin Xian wondered why Big Cat would take such an incredible risk.

You’re not Batman, Big Cat. Why risk your life like this?

“How do you know about the gap in Sky City’s defenses?”

“Someone managed to get through before,” Ah Zhuang whispered, “It was only once, and it didn’t end well, but he got in.”

“Isn’t there a safer way to get into Sky City?” Lin Xian asked.

Ah Zhuang shook his head, his face tense: “If there were a safer way, do you think we’d still be trying these crazy stunts after all these years?”

He motioned for Lin Xian to be quiet, his forehead beaded with sweat as he stared into the sky.

Lin Xian realized this was not the moment for more questions. Joining Ah Zhuang and the rest of the crowd, he looked up, contemplating the city floating above, sealed off by its formidable defenses.

Was this like the new Donghai City? But whereas Donghai used walls to keep people out, Sky City flew above it all, protected by a net of lasers, inaccessible to all but the most daring—or desperate.

Why would they leave a gap right in the heart of the city?

What purpose did such a design serve? It couldn’t be a mere oversight.

Sky City, far advanced compared to the more superficial New Donghai City, had harnessed controlled nuclear fusion, positioning itself as a beacon of future civilization. A defense vulnerability seemed incongruent with its technological prowess.

Sealing it should have been straightforward.

So why the deliberate flaw?

A sudden thought struck Lin Xian as he pieced together the unusual and abnormal elements.

The gap!

Could it have been intentionally left as a covert entrance?

But who would place such immense value on him?

Lin Xian remembered a fact from 2023: the world record for high-altitude skydiving was held by a Google vice president who ascended over 40,000 meters using a helium balloon, then freefell for four thrilling minutes before deploying his parachute to land safely.

This exemplified the thrill of extreme sports.

This also partly explained the sparse population density in some foreign areas.

Though Big Cat’s 20,000-meter dive might seem less daunting compared to the 40,000-meter record, the complexities involved were on another level entirely.

The Google executive merely had to jump and manage his parachute.

Big Cat, on the other hand, faced a more daunting task. He had to glide with precision, managing his speed and trajectory meticulously to navigate through the defense gap before he could even think about deploying his parachute.

Any error, any slight miscalculation or excess speed, and the city’s laser defenses would activate, disintegrating him in an instant.

Lin Xian was convinced that Big Cat wasn’t merely chasing an adrenaline rush.

What made Sky City so essential to him?

Suddenly, the crowd around Lin Xian erupted into gasps.

“He jumped! He’s gliding!”

“Please, make it!”

Their exclamations were tinged with anxiety, but Lin Xian couldn’t see anything.

He glanced around, noting that most onlookers had binoculars trained on the sky.

Turning to his side, he saw Er Zhuzi and San Pang among them, intently watching the skies.

Approaching Er Zhuzi, Lin Xian tapped his shoulder and said, “Hey, Er Zhuzi, your wife is looking for you.”

“Where?” Er Zhuzi quickly lowered his binoculars, scanning the crowd.

“There, in the crowd,” Lin Xian pointed vaguely, swiftly taking the binoculars from Er Zhuzi’s hands and peering through them.

Enhanced with night vision, the binoculars revealed more under the bright moon and clear sky. A faint white silhouette became visible—the unmistakable form of Big Cat. He was adjusting his posture, seemingly controlling his glide with great effort.

Just as Lin Xian’s anticipation peaked, a stark burst of light flashed across the sky at ten thousand meters.

A small fireball ignited, then vanished…

Silence ensued.

“That was…” Lin Xian muttered, lowering the binoculars. He remembered Ah Zhuang’s earlier words and the abrupt flash. Was Big Cat annihilated by the laser defense?

He looked around. The expressions of solemnity on everyone’s faces confirmed his fears.

Ah Zhuang sighed deeply, while San Pang shook his head.

Over a hundred people stood in silence, no one spoke a word.

The atmosphere felt eerie, tinged with sadness yet lacking profound sorrow—as if the crowd was numb to such losses, accustomed to witnessing sacrifices. Every gaze was hollow.

An elderly man with blackened sores and a foul odor approached Ah Zhuang, patting his shoulder, “Ah Zhuang, it’s your turn…”

Ah Zhuang nodded somberly, moving towards another area where a helium balloon was being inflated and a suit identical to Big Cat’s lay ready.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Lin Xian’s confusion deepened.

Were they systematically sacrificing themselves?

Or was Big Cat’s gang enduring a punishment for some grave transgression?

Why continue sending Big Cat’s men after such a vivid demonstration of fatal consequences?

The sight of the collective resignation disturbed Lin Xian, igniting a flame of indignation for Big Cat.

Scanning the crowd again, Lin Xian realized a shocking detail—there were no young or middle-aged men present.

Only women, the elderly, and children.

He turned to a familiar face nearby, Li Ning Ning, and asked, “Where are the other men?”

“They… are the last men of Donghai,” she replied with a hollow tone.

Lin Xian furrowed his brow, taking in the silent crowd, Ah Zhuang donning the spacesuit, the thousands of twinkling blue lights on Sky City, and the moon casting shadows overhead.

What nightmare had befallen this world?