Chapter Forty-One: The Second World

"Alright, enough idle chatter, let’s get back to the point." Grandma Liu’s expression grew a little more serious as she continued, "After resting once in your private compartment, I trust you’ve come to understand most of the rules of the mysterious train. Our next mission world will start in just over ten minutes."

"So soon!"

"Soon? That depends on you. Time is frozen inside the private compartment; you can rest until you’ve fully recovered. Maybe you were eager to return to the real world and didn’t rest enough. As for me, I stayed there for a whole month, sampling several fine liquors I’d collected in the last world over and over before I was satisfied and spent a little while back in reality!"

Liang Bing added, "I took two weeks to recuperate!"

Gao Ning was speechless for a long moment.

Alright, since they knew, why didn’t they just tell me directly?

Grandma Liu smiled, "Are you blaming us for not reminding you?"

"No..."

"It wouldn’t have mattered. After returning from the first mission world, no one wants to stay put. Both Bing and I made the same choice as you. I remember I even reminded her particularly."

Gao Ning thought for a moment—well, she did have a point.

Seeing him nod, Grandma Liu smiled, "It’s just part of the process. Next time, just make sure you’re fully recovered before returning to reality—if you have any time currency left, that is. Alright, time’s almost up, so let’s not get sidetracked. What I really wanted was to tell you how we’ll regroup!"

Liang Bing said, "Last time, it was a modern setting, and we met by coincidence. Not every mission world will be limited to one city. Given how unpredictable these worlds can be, we have two plans. First, if it’s the real world, we’ll contact each other by phone. We’ll memorize the same phone number and meet up through a relay point. Second, if it’s an apocalypse or ancient world and communication is impossible, then we’ll just have to do something earth-shattering!"

"Like what?" Gao Ning asked.

"Like assassinating a king, or blowing up a landmark building. Of course, only if you can guarantee your safety!" As Liang Bing spoke, the flush in her cheeks faded, and she returned to her usual icy demeanor.

Grandma Liu added, "Of course, it’s also fine if you don’t want to regroup. For our team, as long as any of us completes the task, it counts as a success. Sometimes splitting up brings unexpected surprises."

Gao Ning thought to himself, you don’t need to tell me that.

The warning siren blared—wailing and urgent. The white signal lamp shifted to a flashing red, and a tense atmosphere instantly settled over them.

The three of them straightened. They’d arrived.

The thought had barely formed when a white light engulfed Gao Ning’s vision, and he lost consciousness in an instant.

———

Dusk. The final rays of sunlight were swallowed by thick clouds, casting a chill over everything below. The last streak of sunset on the horizon seemed to mock the people of Earth, denying them any right to warmth.

Clang!

The cell door opened. A roughly built robot entered, baton in hand, its mechanical voice cold and flat: "Prisoner sh693536, your sentence is complete. Come with me."

Gao Ning felt a surge of excitement, yet his gaze toward the robot brimmed with hatred. Still, he obediently stood and walked forward.

The robot stepped up, cuffed his wrists, then turned and led the way. The heavy chains clanked, making Gao Ning stumble a bit as he followed.

Out of the cell, they walked along the corridor through a long stretch of the prison block. Gao Ning noticed for the first time that the cells ahead were all empty, in utter disarray—clear signs that people had once been confined there.

He glanced back and saw another robot opening the cell beside his, slowly entering.

After leaving the prison block, Gao Ning’s fingerprints, pupils, and bone structure were scanned. He received a small plastic box containing his personal effects from when he’d been incarcerated.

The robot unlocked his cuffs and said coldly, "Prisoner sh693536, name: Gao Ning, Asian-Australian, graduate of the Police Academy, served as a probationary officer for three months, later convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to three years. Sentence ends: June 5, 2096, 17:00. If there are no other issues, sign here and you may leave."

Gao Ning nodded repeatedly, quickly signed his name on the electronic pad, and carried his box to the changing room. When he emerged, he’d swapped his prison clothes for a neatly pressed light lavender suit.

With a click, the massive iron gate began to open.

Four mechanical police officers approached from both sides, coldly fixing their gaze on Gao Ning. "You have ten seconds to leave the prison grounds. Otherwise, we are authorized to detain you again for resisting law enforcement."

Gao Ning smirked contemptuously, took a deep breath, and, seeing another bald man being brought out behind him, strode away.

As his heel crossed the prison threshold, the world suddenly froze.

Gao Ning snapped awake, and a vivid string of memories flashed before his eyes like a carousel. At the same time, a cold mechanical voice sounded in his ear.

"Passenger zsnr24956 has arrived at the station."

"Mission: Acquire a Universal Medical Pod."

"Reward: Twenty-five hours!"

Time resumed its flow. Gao Ning, without breaking stride, left the prison grounds, crossed the parking lot, and only when he saw a sprawling shantytown in the distance did he look back.

As expected, the entire prison was embedded into the mountainside. The exit was a gigantic stone gate—so large as to be absurd, easily over fifty meters tall. Yet the prisoners being released only exited through a small, inconspicuous side door at the corner.

Why build such a massive gate? Could the entire prison be mobile? Or maybe—giant mechs inside?

Gao Ning looked up at the sky, wrinkling his nose at the faint stench in the air. So this is the future?

He recalled the mission, then glanced at the shantytown not far off.

A Universal Medical Pod?

In a near-future world plagued by overpopulation… could this be "Elysium"?

The thought hadn’t finished forming when his Red Alert interface vibrated in his mind, and the map updated.

The mission list appeared, clear and precise, in the upper right corner:

[Environment confirmed: "Elysium" movie universe]

[Basic template unlocked: Liberation Army Soldier.]

Gao Ning was startled to see that the summon icon for the American GI had dimmed, replaced by a Liberation Army soldier.

He gave a wry smile. With only two hours left, he’d have to start from scratch again. The special templates would require almost the same amount of time.

He shook his head and set aside thoughts of summoning soldiers for now.

What mattered most was finding a place to settle down—preferably one where he could fill his stomach.

The world of Elysium was dangerous indeed. In this near-future teetering under the weight of a population explosion, it wasn’t just technology that had changed.

Human nature had twisted as well.