Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Every hour and every minute is precious.

As soon as Zhong Chenmu left, Guo Ling looked at the other three and said, "Did you hear what he said? Base and tools. We need to discuss where to choose our base and what tools to use to better protect ourselves."

Old man Liu proudly took the credit for himself: "That's what I just said."

Fan Ting glared at him and said, "Then tell me, where should we choose as our base?"

"..."

However, Old Man Liu was experienced after all, and he had done some thinking before putting forward this idea. He walked to the whiteboard and started drawing on it.

"Look...if this is a map of Wuming City, we're now in the eastern Sanduping area, where you'll find Linjiang Tower and Leyou Pavilion...a large river flows east from the northwest corner, then turns sharply to the south and southwest...the terrain in the northwest corner is generally higher, with Ma'anshan, Guandi Temple, and Chenghuang Temple, but it's quite far from the city...the more prosperous areas in the city are the area around People's Square in the center, Sanduping where we are now, and Fule Palace and Xianghua Bridge in the south—of course, I haven't been there either, at least not since the 'Singularity Moment'...generally speaking, the entire south is relatively flat. The southeast corner is home to Future University and Shiqiaopu. I've been there twice, and there are so many young people there...the southwest corner is a mountainous area, but each mountain is relatively independent, known as the 'Nipple Mountain'. Leading to the Nipple Mountain is a very mysterious Cuiyun Corridor area, shrouded in thick fog year-round..."

Old man Liu explained very seriously.

The other three listened carefully.

It was at this time that they discovered that Old Man Liu still had something in his stomach.

After all, even if we only look at the period before the "singularity moment", Old Man Liu has lived several decades longer than them.

"We know now that the Turtle Clan members, after possessing the young couple, have fled south from the Riverside Road. I doubt they'll return to us for the time being. So, where are they hiding? Either Fule Palace, Xianghua Bridge, Nitou Mountain, Cuiyun Corridor, or perhaps the campus of the future university. These are the only three options."

Guo Ling couldn't help but nod: "So, if we want to find a base, we definitely can't go south, we should go north!"

"That's right! I personally prefer to go to the northwest corner. The terrain there is high, easy to defend and difficult to attack. And I heard that you have been there several times and are relatively familiar with it." said Old Man Liu.

Guo Ling and Fan Ting looked at each other and gave each other a knowing look.

"It's more than just familiarity...it's like we've established a life-long friendship from there..."

However, Fan Ting was more thoughtful and asked, "If we really go there, will the child be able to adapt? The conditions there are much more difficult than in the city. For example, if we choose places like People's Square, Linjiang Building, and Leyou Pavilion as our base, life will be much more convenient and supplies will be much easier."

Zhu Tong had already been confused by the scribbled peach charms that Old Man Liu had drawn on the whiteboard. He just blinked his big eyes obediently and said, "I'm fine with anything. I'm not spoiled."

Seeing this, Guo Ling immediately said, "That's it, let's go check it out now! After all, we only have two days until the launch of the 'Reunification' plan, the game the Hydrogen Clan has forced upon us. Other teams might be considering similar issues, so we have to strike first!"

"Now?" Old Man Liu was stunned: "It's almost evening."

"I'm driving, what are you afraid of? I'm not letting you walk over!"

"But, there are only four of us. How can we scout the place? Even if we find a place we like, we won't be able to keep it..." It must be said that Old Man Liu has given a lot of thought.

"We're really hesitant... If we were really sure, we would have told Captain Zhong right away. If he had Thermidor's support, think about it, how many people are in Thermidor's team? Wouldn't they have sent them over to support us right away?"

"That makes sense..." Old man Liu finally stopped objecting.

"I want to go too!" Zhu Tong raised his hand: "From now on, don't leave me behind in any of your actions! I won't hold you back!"

Fan Ting used her eyes to seek the opinions of Old Man Liu and Guo Ling. After getting their approval, she hugged Zhu Tong and said, "Welcome aboard! There are just four of us in one car!"

"Great! A family should be together!"

Guo Ling drove the car out of the underground garage of Linjiang Building and merged into the traffic jam during the evening rush hour.

Although many people say that the civilization of Wuming City is collapsing, the Sanduping area, as the core commercial area, is still very busy during the evening rush hour.

The roads were filled with slow-moving traffic, weaving in and out of it were nimble cyclists and hurried pedestrians. Lights still streamed from the densely packed office buildings lining the roadside, while the residential areas and neighborhoods further away were also gradually lighting up.

Guo Ling carefully switched between the accelerator and brake with his right foot, staring ahead, as if muttering to himself, yet also as if sighing with emotion: "Tell me, there are a million or so people in Wuming City. How many people knew that we would be entering such a humiliating game in two days? How many people would eventually join the Twelve Squadrons? Those who were completely unaware of this, are they lucky or unlucky?"

Old man Liu in the passenger seat glanced at him sideways and said, "Guo Ling, I've known you for so long, and this is the most insightful thing I've ever heard you say."

Guo Ling glared at him in response: "That's because you are blind."

"I said 'I heard you say it', not 'I saw you say it'."

Fan Ting burst out laughing in the back seat: "You two are over a hundred years old combined, can you please stop being so childish?"

Zhu Tong reminded him, "Just before we set off, Uncle Guo said we were going to discuss the base and tools, but up until now, you've only been discussing the base. When will we discuss the tools? I'm so anxious."

Fan Ting added, "Did you hear that? Uncle Guo...you two should just talk about something serious instead of just lamenting and bickering."

She also deliberately emphasized the three words "Uncle Guo".

"If I wasn't driving, I would slap both of you on the forehead!" Guo Ling protested.

He turned to Old Man Liu and asked, "What do you think about tools? I remember you mentioned this at the time."

"This has become easier. I just collect whatever tools I can get my hands on to protect myself or harm others. I remember seeing something called 'weapons' in some books. They were divided into 'cold weapons' - such as special swords, spears, swords, halberds, axes, halberds, hooks, forks, etc., and 'hot weapons' - such as machine guns, cannons, planes, tanks, atomic bombs, etc., which are extremely lethal. But I have never seen them in real life, not even once. I doubt whether these things actually exist in Wuming City."

Guo Ling was lost in thought. He strained his memory and came to the same conclusion as Old Man Liu: "Indeed... I don't think I've ever seen one either. Perhaps we should ask Captain Zhong later. He works in the library and has read a lot, so maybe he can give us some clues."