Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 3, Part 3: Wraiths
At 12:12, the hovercar landed in front of the building. Moments later, it quietly rose again and disappeared into the night rain.

The holographic subtitles of "Six Desire Heavens" floated in mid-air, illuminating the towering pagodas in the darkness.

Some of the Sumeru pedestals are still suspended on the superconducting base, their surfaces covered with graffiti, urine stains, and cracks caused by unknown impacts.

This massive project has clearly been abandoned for many years, and the sounds of chanting and reciting scriptures still drift through the rain and mist.

Suger surveyed his surroundings. From the hovercar, he had looked down upon this area, which covered roughly ten square kilometers. Such a vast area contained only one colossal building, resembling an artificial mountain, which, judging by sight alone, was at least two thousand meters high.

The religious power of this era was so immense that it alarmed Socrates. He thought that the more advanced science became, the less presence religion would have, but when he awoke two hundred years later, he saw the exact opposite.

The landing site was behind a warehouse. Suger walked under the eaves, passing by the stone slabs. A half-carved Buddha lay on its back, its vertical eyes taller than a person.

"Be careful not to be seen. If your face is recognized, it will be very troublesome."

Should I cover my face?

"Need not."

After passing the lower half of the stone Buddha, the general turned to the left, signaling Sug to follow.

"This way."

Ahead lies the ground floor of the colossal building, with an octagonal gate decorated with lotus flowers and diamond patterns, resembling a horizontally placed coffered ceiling, flanked by two fierce-looking Vajra guardians.

A gust of wind blew the faded medicine box past, and a black cat leaped out of the night, chasing after it.

Suger suddenly remembered that he had also owned a black cat before he went into hibernation.

The statue of the wrathful Vajra was painted with colorful lacquer, its black-rimmed, yellow-eyed pupils following the wildcat's movements before turning to look at Suger.

Suger froze, but the general continued walking calmly ahead.

Immediately afterwards, Socrates saw two images appear in the lower right corner of his field of vision.

The scene showed a rough basalt floor littered with trash, a sight that seemed familiar to him. He then recognized it as the perspective of the wrathful Vajra by the pillar base carried by the lion beast beside it.

Logically, he should already be within the line of sight of the wrathful Vajra, but in the scene, his position is on an empty ground.

"Follow me," the general said without turning his head.

Sog was a little surprised, wondering if the general might have used some hacking techniques.

The gatekeeper, King Kong, did not react at all until he entered the entrance.

The entrance is quite spacious, but it appears to be only a small part of this colossal building. Building materials and solitary stone statues are scattered everywhere, while the shadows of lions, dragons, phoenixes, arhats, and bodhisattvas lie prostrate in the darkness, their life or death indistinguishable.

In mid-air, some malfunctioning images still flickered, and by their dim, uncertain light, one could see the sun, moon, and stars on the dome that were not yet in motion.

The two ventured deeper into the darkness. Some areas seemed to have been occupied by illicit merchants, with abandoned signs and broken doors and windows remaining. Many interior walls were exposed, but Suger found no trace of electrical wires.

He glanced at his hospital gown again. He had previously suspected that it contained some kind of ultra-thin flexible battery or energy source, but now he had a vague feeling that this era might have already abandoned traditional energy transmission methods.

The world has changed so much that it even feels a bit unreal to him. He quickened his pace and kept up with the others. Now, only the general's back can make him feel at ease.

Graffiti advertisements gradually appeared on the walls. Su Ge couldn't understand most of them, but he found many words related to organ drugs.

Lights gradually appeared in the vicinity, and music from a bar drifted in from somewhere. The stuffy, oppressive air was filled with the smell of alcohol and dead rats.

Clearly, there is human activity here.

Suger assumed the organization would be hidden in a secret military base deep in the mountains, or in an inconspicuous courtyard in an alley. But this strange building seemed to be a gathering place for a motley crew of outlaws.

"It's chaotic here, but at least we can avoid them and be safe for the time being."

The general seemed to sense Suger's confusion, turned to look at him, and offered an explanation.

"As long as you avoid them, the other dangers are minor issues."

As the general spoke, he stepped onto the narrow staircase ahead. A stone tablet lay askew against the wall, the words "Fragrance Shop" faintly discernible in the dim light. Su Ge didn't smell any fragrance, but rather a strange odor. He inexplicably recalled a similar smell when the dentist used a drill to cut his teeth at the dental hospital.

After walking up the stairs, the general finally led him into a tower.

The tower was narrow inside. After Suger stepped inside, he felt a slight lift under his feet and realized that it was an elevator.

The ground beneath their feet, the four walls around them, and the ceiling were all as bright as mirrors, reflecting countless layers of pagodas, with celestial beings of different forms sitting around them.

As the elevator ascends, the sounds of chanting fill the air, giving one the illusion that they are about to fly with those celestial beings to the Pure Land.

The general's expression finally relaxed a little. Looking at Xiang Suge, he said with emotion, "The organization has always wanted to wake you up, but... the situation is very difficult. For your safety and for the greater good, this is a choice we have to make."

Suger remained silent for a while.

"I understand."

"It's good that you understand." The general nodded with satisfaction. "Don't be too pessimistic. The organization's plans and efforts haven't been in vain. Moreover, the organization has a surprise for you." Su Ge asked in surprise, "What surprise?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

The general did not answer, but just chuckled.

Suger was still covered in dirty water, and his tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

He couldn't help but wonder what the general meant by "surprise," or what kind of welcoming ceremony it was.

The elevator doors opened, the image of the celestial being faded, and soft light flooded the elevator lobby.

Suger and the general left the elevator and entered a corridor.

The corridor was long, with windows on the side walls. Through the glass, you could see a war room inside, where many figures were busy in front of equipment. Their clothing style was not much different from that of the early 21st century.

This familiar scene made Suger feel that he had finally escaped that strange and bizarre world and come to the human world.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he still had a place in this era.

He followed the general through the corridor, occasionally encountering staff members who looked at Suger with curiosity and admiration, but did not ask any questions.

Suger became subtly excited.

The general stopped in front of a door and smiled at Sog:

"Look, who's inside."

Suger was stunned for a moment; the general's words gave him an unrealistic fantasy.

His heart raced, and he took two steps forward before seeing a middle-aged couple, both nearing sixty, in the room.

He thought everything from the past was buried in time, but two hundred years later, he saw his parents again.

Father was still wearing the same polo shirt, casual pants, and leather shoes he wore before he went into hibernation. Mother was still wearing a long floral dress with a yellow and green color scheme, and she was holding Father's arm, already sobbing uncontrollably.

"Dad, Mom?"

Socrates stood frozen in disbelief.

He felt like he was dreaming and was so excited he wanted to rush over.

His heart began to pound nervously, making him hesitate as if afraid of waking up from a dream.

Two hundred years have passed, and my parents have hardly changed. Have they also gone into hibernation?
Suddenly, he felt a pang of panic.

Almost nothing has changed, not even the clothes. How can they still be wearing clothes from two hundred years ago?
"What are you waiting for?" The general glanced at Sug with emotion and urged, "Go!"

Suger's back remained motionless.

The general frowned, looked at the hospital gown on Su Ge, and chuckled: "Oh, it's my fault for not thinking things through. It's not very dignified to meet like this."

Seeing that Suge still wasn't moving forward, the general urged again, "Why aren't you going over there yet?"

"Come here, Suger, let me see you." The mother in the room had tears in her eyes.

"No. 32 Xiangshan Street, Beiyuan Restaurant. We ate there before, what was the menu?" Su Ge asked abruptly.

The general paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You're quite cautious. We'll hand over the reins after you've met your parents!"

The general's acting was impeccable, but his evasion chilled Suger's heart.

Sog turned his head, stared at the general, and asked with difficulty:
"who are you?"

The general's smile vanished, and his expression turned indifferent.

Its dark eyes glanced at Suger with disappointment before disappearing from the spot.

At the same time, everything it created—the figures in the corridors, the war room, the parents in the room—disappeared.

Sog's vision turned completely gray, and a blinding red light flashed all around.
His hands trembled slightly as he removed the blindfold.

……

It was pitch black all around, and he found himself standing on the edge of an open floor without realizing it.

He was just one step away from falling into the bottomless night along with the rain.

As the view returned to the ground, a startling red warning filled the entire screen:
【warn! 】

[Invasion by demons and monsters detected!]

(End of this chapter)