Chapter 8: Inspection
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After Dong Du crossed over, the novel had been kept in his bag. He had taken it out on that lifeboat.
But if someone asked him if he put it back in the bag, he couldn’t be sure. His mind was overwhelmed by the information that the ship would explode, and he was eager to save himself. He didn’t pay attention to the whereabouts of the novel.
If he hadn’t put it back in the bag, there was a high chance it had been destroyed in the explosion. But that couldn’t rule out the possibility of Ash Wolf picking it up. If he had put it back in the bag, then Ash Wolf must have checked his bag and taken the novel.
Upon consideration, the novel was most likely in the hands of the interstellar pirates.
Dong Du grabbed a handful of his curly hair, put his cherished item back into the bag with a troubled expression.
If possible, he really didn’t want to see Chu Xuhuan again. After their last separation, they couldn’t sit down for a peaceful conversation when they met again. However, he had to make sure if they had the novel; otherwise, he couldn’t relax.
He got up, feeling lethargic, and laid down on the bed. To save energy, the patrol ship’s living quarters had soft and dim lights, coupled with the tiredness after a meal; he fell asleep unconsciously.
Outside the living quarters came stumbling footsteps, as if dragging one’s feet, unsteady and irregular.
The tightly closed door slowly opened, and the footsteps gradually approached the bed. A cold, slippery sensation climbed up Dong Du’s ankle, like viscous water flowing over. Immediately after, a person with a face covered in rotten flesh roared and grabbed Dong Du’s neck.
The feeling of suffocation was so vivid. Dong Du swung his fist, but it hit nothing but air. His cherished item, the long bag, fell on the ground with a muffled sound.
He was having a nightmare.
Dong Du wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, kicked his precious item in anger, then gritted his teeth, resolving in his heart that he had to confirm the destruction of the novel; otherwise, he would keep having nightmares.
The door to the living quarters was knocked on. Dong Du, still trapped in the nightmare, was startled. He approached the door with a stern face, opened it, and was faced with Hanchester’s smiling face.
His smile seemed like a template, and Dong Du couldn’t be bothered to deal with it. So, he asked with a scowl, “What do you want?”
“We’ve reached our destination. Do you want to go to the cockpit for remote observation of that land?” Hanchester stood with his hands behind his back, legs slightly apart, presenting a standard military posture that oddly seemed gentle.
“Of course.” Dong Du’s emotions shifted, and he was about to follow Hanchester, but the man didn’t move.
He extended a finger, wiped across Dong Du’s cheek, picking up a still-wet drop of cold sweat. He showed it to Dong Du. “Unhappy just now?”
“You misunderstood. This isn’t a tear, just a drop of sweat.” Dong Du explained.
“I understand.” There was a hint of pity in the other’s eyes, thinking he was pretending to be strong.
Dong Du: “…”
He couldn’t be bothered to explain.
Hanchester first took Dong Du to change into a new protective suit before rushing with him to the cockpit.
When they arrived, the technicians had already adjusted the camera’s focus to optimal. The screen on the control panel clearly displayed the appearance of that piece of land.
It perfectly matched the characteristics of a flat Earth. Its overall shape resembled a massive disk with a tail, and an unidentified atmosphere covered it like a hemispherical glass dome. If it weren’t for its peculiar appearance, it could easily be mistaken for a planet. However, now, it looked like a crust detached from somewhere.
In space, without a pivot or gravity, this piece of land was in translational motion, maintaining an extremely stable position.
“Is this what Earth looks like when it’s cut into pieces?” Dong Du stared at the screen with shining eyes, unable to contain his surprise.
“Earth?” Hanchester looked at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know Earth?” Dong Du’s voice sounded even more puzzled than Hanchester’s as he gestured in a circular motion, explaining, “It’s Earth, the planet where humans live.”
“There are many planets where humans live, but I have never heard of a planet called Earth.” Hanchester replied.
He had thought that the so-called journey to the Black Gold Fortress was just from one end of Earth to the other, and the reason for traveling through space was just for more efficient transportation.
But now he realized that his thinking was too narrow. This was a world from a book, and anything was possible.
Dong Du no longer bothered to explain, and Hanchester didn’t have time to pursue this question.
“Defense Chief Officer, the land has drifted into the airspace of Yars. Should we continue forward?” The operator on the control panel nervously looked up and asked, waiting for Hanchester’s instructions.
“Patrol ship, hold your position.” Hanchester gave the command without hesitation. Then, he turned to the alpha guarding the door and said, “Inform Qilin and Kurvis, prepare a small spacecraft.”
“Are you going stealthily?” Dong Du rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Can you take me with you?”
“No, Your Highness.” Hanchester decisively refused. But seeing Dong Du’s drooping expression, he couldn’t help but explain, “It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m very capable.” Dong Du patted his chest with a confident look. “You’ll regret it if you don’t take me!”
Hanchester chuckled, suddenly reached out and ruffled Dong Du’s curly hair. “Your Highness will be very popular when you go to the Black Gold Fortress.”
“Who’s discussing that with you!” Dong Du angrily slapped away Hanchester’s hand. This was a drifting land in space; anyone would want to see it. Why did this person always talk nonsense?
Without waiting for Dong Du to say more, the door to the cockpit opened and closed, and two solemn-looking alphas appeared inside.
“Reporting to Chief Officer, the spacecraft is ready.” One of them saluted Hanchester and made a report.
“Qilin, the success of the landing depends on you.” Hanchester patted the shoulder of the reporting person. “Let’s go, depart.”
The three of them disappeared from the cockpit immediately.
Dong Du sniffed, feeling aggrieved, and sat down against the wall.
With Hanchester gone from the cockpit, the alphas in the compartment relaxed. They busily worked their hands on the control panel but still had some attention left on Dong Du.
“Cough, um, Your Highness, come over here. Chief Officer and others will transmit real-time images after landing on that land. You can also see what kind of land it is from here.”
“Really!” Dong Du immediately got up and stood beside a few alphas, staring at the screen without blinking. “When will they land?”
“It won’t take long,” replied the alpha at the main control panel. “As soon as the patrol ship departs, the images will be projected.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the screen above the control panel flashed, changing from one image to two. One displayed the overall appearance of the land as captured by the patrol ship’s camera, and the other showed the view from the flying ship. Since the flying ship had not yet landed on the land, the scenery in both images was quite similar.
As the flying ship continued its descent, the images gradually changed. Something that looked like the atmosphere from a distance now appeared more like milky-white particles up close. The image shook for a moment, then suddenly brightened, revealing the true features inside the land.
The flying ship’s route was purposeful, first capturing an aerial view of the entire landscape and then approaching the ground to capture specific features.
Although the camera could record sound simultaneously, the scene was eerily silent. Ancient buildings stood like silent giants, and the flying ship, amidst them, looked tiny as an ant.
The distribution of buildings on the land had a hierarchical sense. It was evident that there were inner, middle, and outer layers, with each layer having distinct architectural styles. The outer layer resembled contemporary skyscrapers, while the middle layer, though resembling European architecture, lacked doors and windows. It had neatly arranged large caves, resembling spider nests. The innermost layer appeared spacious, with only a partially collapsed structure resembling a church; its exact appearance was uncertain.
After scanning without detecting any danger, the flying ship docked on the ground. The three individuals, prepared in protective suits, disembarked for exploration and sampling.
The three did not appear in the camera, and they immediately began sampling as soon as they left the flying ship—soil, air, building materials, and…
“It’s a corpse,” Hanchester’s voice came from the footage. Then, a gloved hand entered the frame, gently peeling off a small piece of skin, placing it in a sampling container. He continued explaining, “The body hasn’t decomposed; it looks lifelike upon visual inspection.”
As they continued forward, difficult to film accurately from the flying ship, now revealed shadows full of corpses. They had various postures, their faces showing no fear or surprise. Some were even extending their hands, seemingly exchanging goods with vendors. However, apart from humans, other life forms, such as fruits, vegetables, and livestock, had disappeared.
Dong Du took a deep breath. Although he hadn’t personally landed, the scene before him was enough to shock him. He had originally guessed that this piece of land had come with him through the passage, but in reality, it seemed to be something from another dimension. They had crossed together, but not from the same place.
Had he really just transmigrated into a world from a book?
After calming his overly excited heartbeat, he looked back at the screen. In the footage from the patrol ship, several small black dots gradually approached the land.
Almost simultaneously, he and the observing alpha next to him spoke.
“Yars’ flying ship is getting closer!”
“Somebody else went there!”
The communication, continuously connected, brought in the distorted sound of electric currents from the other side. They seemed to be responding, but it was unclear what they were saying.
“It’s magnetic field interference,” the alpha in charge of communication said urgently. “Chief Officer and the others can’t hear our voice clearly.”
“But the image is still normal. Moreover, when Chief Officer explained just now, the voice was still normal.”
The black dots had already rushed into the atmosphere of the land, disappearing from the camera on the patrol ship. The person in charge of communication was trying to eliminate interference and restore communication.
The atmosphere in the cockpit suddenly became tense, and at the same time, those in the patrol ship heard a strange sound.
It was a breath, long and heavy, like someone breathing.
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