Void Jigsaw Puzzle

A car drove out of the underground parking lot of Linjiang Building and merged into the busy traffic flow in the Sanduping area.

This was once one of the main battlefields of the final moments of the "Return to One" game. It witnessed fierce fighting, and blood was spilled on almost every inch of the land. From the riverside road leading south all the way to Linjiang Tower, every section of the road was repeatedly entangled in tug-of-war. Then, Pu Yue's armored corps ruthlessly rolled through here, rumbling towards the northwest.

Hundreds, even thousands, of people have perished in this tiny area. Once, the streets here were littered with corpses, and a gloomy atmosphere filled the air. But now, after a period of cleanup and with the opening of Wuming City, the area seems to be thriving.

Only the uneven road surface and some broken glass scattered in the corners still remind people coming and going of what happened here.

Zhong Chenmu and Fan Ting were sitting in the car, but the driver was no longer Guo Ling, but a young man specially designated by Old Man Liu.

The car passed by Xiandele, where the line remained. This Wuming City's most famous breakfast shop hadn't suffered much, even during the "Reunion" game. It was here that Guo Ling and his companions had tracked Zhu Tong's parents, who had been possessed by the Turtle Clan, and ultimately witnessed their final journey. Fortunately, under their care, Zhu Tong was gradually recovering from the trauma of losing his parents at a young age.

Not long after, they drove past the Heyao Massage Parlor. Fan Ting just took a glance and turned her head and eyes away as if she had been scalded.

It was here that her good friend Dong Xingwen was shot dead by a member of the Pu Yue team. After that, she also worked here with the remaining members of He Yao to stop the invading Pu Yue team.

"It happened just a short time ago, why does it feel like a lifetime ago..."

Zhong Chenmu felt Fan Ting's emotional change and immediately understood the source of this change. He did not speak, not wanting to interrupt Fan Ting's current mood.

She must just want to be alone...hmm...

He also observed the surrounding scenery. He had not walked south since the "Return to One" game ended.

The riverside road is still the same riverside road as before. Except for a few tall trees on both sides that fell down in the previous war, most of them are still standing proudly.

Although the road surface was not as smooth as before, and some sections even reminded him of the bumpy roads in the Ciqikou area, there were obviously more shops on both sides of the road than before.

Some stores have words like "Interstellar Exploration Travel Agency" and "Reunion Alliance of the Incomplete" written on their doorsteps. Obviously, this would never happen before the opening of Nameless City.

Although in Zhong Chenmu's opinion, these names are also suspected of false advertising. Before he understands the "duality of reality and virtuality", he does not think that the people of Wuming City can achieve interstellar exploration.

"Looks like I have to hurry up and help them achieve this goal as soon as possible... Well, once we solve the problem of the Turtle Clan invading the Hydrogen Clan, I'll start working on this right away!"

However, although there were more stores, many were still closed due to the early hours. Zhong Chenmu frowned slightly, thinking about his experiences in Kunlun City and recalling the topic he had discussed with the main members of the Jigsaw Team a while ago: facing the gap in civilization, how to ensure that Wuming City's civilization would not repeat Kunlun City's mistakes?

It was obvious that every "indigenous person" of Kunlun City, their compatriots who shared the same civilizational origin with Wuming City, lived a very hard and tiring life, but they had no choice but to continue living this way, even if they had to take risks and volunteer to be test subjects for stimulants and sedatives.

If Wuming City also fell into such a situation, we shouldn't have gone to such great lengths to open it up in the first place.

“We must find a solution to the problem!”

Zhong Chenmu felt the burden on his shoulders become heavier.

Neither he nor Fan Ting spoke again, each with their own thoughts, until the car stopped by the roadside at the entrance of Cuiyun Corridor and the driver reminded them that they had arrived at their destination.

The two got out of the car, asked the driver to wait on the roadside, and began to search patiently.

Zhong Chenmu headed east, toward the Great Hall, while Fan Ting headed south toward Ciqikou. The two gradually disappeared from each other's sight.

As Zhong Chenmu walked to the door of the auditorium, he saw that the square in front was full of people doing morning exercises. Their laughter and noise from time to time added a rare bit of vitality to the area.

"I think I can ask around here..."

He walked to the edge of the crowd and found an old man who was doing warm-up exercises with his back slightly hunched.

"Uncle, can I ask about someone?"

The old man turned his head, leaned in very close, and squinted his eyes: "Young man, what did you say?"

"..."

Zhong Chenmu felt that he could even see the old man's nose hairs, but he still raised his voice and asked, "I want to ask about someone!"

"Oh... tell me, what are the characteristics?"

"A woman in her 30s, pretty... with a good figure... and blonde hair..."

Zhong Chenmu originally wanted to say "beautiful appearance, plump figure", but was afraid of scaring the old man, so he chose a more plain description.

After hearing this, the old man shook his head and said, "A blonde beauty in her 30s... Who is she to you?"

"..."

This old man is quite gossipy!

However, Zhong Chenmu was prepared: "She is my sister."

The old man looked up at his black hair with an expression that said, "I don't believe you!" Then he sighed and said, "Young man, you are not a good person..."

Then he turned around and continued stretching his legs.

Zhong Chenmu's face flushed red, and he could only walk around him and walk a distance. This time he found an old lady and asked the same question.

The old lady was quite enthusiastic. After listening to Zhong Chenmu's description of Pu Yue's characteristics, she asked several more in-depth questions. Finally, she rolled her eyes and said, "I've seen this person before. She lives in the complex across the street, but it's quite deep. Go to the second doorway on the left in the last row and then go up to the top floor. But I don't know exactly which room she lives in."

"Thank you so much!" Zhong Chenmu was extremely excited and immediately ran across the street.

Before entering the community, he sent a message to Fan Ting, informing her of his location.

The old lady looked at his back and shook her head: "Young people nowadays are really bad at learning..."

Zhong Chenmu did not stop for a moment. He quickly recalled the speech he had prepared in the car on the way here, and soon ran to the last row of the community.

This is a row of old low-rise buildings, with only five floors at the highest. The facade is already dilapidated and the corridor is extremely dark. Moreover, the distance between this row and the row in front of it is extremely narrow, and only four or five people can walk side by side. It is much narrower than the distance between any other two adjacent rows of buildings in the community. It looks like an illegal building.

There was no one in this narrow passage at this moment.

Zhong Chenmu looked up and glanced around. Only a few rooms showed signs of being occupied, and he couldn't help but become alert.

Following the old woman's instructions, he entered through the second doorway from the left, where a damp smell hit him. He carefully ascended the stairs to the top floor. There, he found only two doors facing each other, one on each side of the steps. The left door was very simple, and although it was closed, Zhong Chenmu had no doubt that he could kick it open with just a little kick.

So he walked quietly to the door on the right.

At least there's a security door and a doorbell, so it's obvious someone lives here.

He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

"Ding dong..."

The doorbell could be faintly heard echoing in the room.

But apart from this, no other sound appeared.

He pressed it several times unwillingly, but there was still no response.

Zhong Chenmu felt a little depressed, so he stamped his feet. When he first came in, he was afraid of disturbing the people in the corridor, so he walked very carefully, but now he didn't care about that anymore.

At this moment, the simple wooden door opposite opened, and at the same time, a mature woman's voice came: "There's no one over there, don't try, I live here..."

Zhong Chenmu looked back and saw a charming blonde woman standing at the door, with a lazy and provocative look in her eyes.

As soon as she saw Zhong Chenmu, she immediately laughed: "Handsome boy, why are you in such a hurry? You come to see me so early in the morning? You want to keep me all day?"

Zhong Chenmu stayed where he was.

A blonde beauty with a plump figure, in her early 30s...all the characteristics match, except that this woman is obviously not Pu Yue, but a self-reliant worker.

Seeing Zhong Chenmu motionless, the woman thought he was a little shy, so she took the initiative to step forward and said, "This isn't your first time, is it? Don't worry, I'll make sure your trip is worthwhile. After this, I'll give you any red envelope you want..."

As he spoke, he was about to pull Zhong Chenmu.

He was so frightened that he quickly dodged the woman and rushed down several steps. Then he said hurriedly: "Sorry, I've come to the wrong place!"

Then, he ran downstairs without stopping.

The woman shook her head with some regret.

Just as Zhong Chenmu rushed out of the corridor, he saw a woman coming towards him. It was Fan Ting.

Obviously, she came here after reading his text message.

"Xiao Zhong? What's wrong with you? Why is your face so red? Did you see Pu Yue? Did she tease you again?" Fan Ting asked.

"Don't mention it! You've got the wrong person! Go, go, go!" Zhong Chenmu didn't stop, but ran out of the community. He was afraid that the blonde woman would catch up with him.

Fan Ting looked confused, but she could only turn around and follow him quickly.