Chapter 323 Coral appears again
The city of machinery, South District.
This once prosperous industrial area is now in ruins.
The twisted metal structure protrudes from the ground like the skeleton of a giant beast.
The broken glass reflected a dangerous light in the sunlight.
The rusty remains of machinery are scattered everywhere, silently telling of the city's former glory.
A team of more than a dozen people were sneaking through the ruins.
They were dressed in worn but carefully mended clothes, carrying backpacks of varying sizes on their backs and various tools hanging around their waists.
This is a scavenging team that specializes in searching for usable resources and items from ruins.
In the team, a short girl suddenly stopped, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and complained in a low voice:
"Big sister! This shabby place has been abandoned for so many years. Can we really pick up anything good here? We have been looking around for a long time, but we haven't found anything valuable except a pile of scrap metal and a few barely usable chips."
At the front of the team, the woman known as the "Big Sister" stopped and turned around.
She was probably no more than thirty years old, with a resolute face and sharp eyes. Although her clothes were worn out, they were much neater than those of others.
Her name is Lin Shuang, and she is the leader of this scavenging team.
Lin Shuang walked up to the complaining team member and patted her head gently, with unquestionable majesty in her tone:
"Nonsense! How dare you question me? I, Lin Shuang, have led the team for ten years. When have I ever let the sisters return empty-handed?"
She looked around to make sure all the team members could hear her, then continued:
"There are more and more disaster beasts recently. Have you all watched the news?"
"The four main cities in the Dawn Land have all suffered from beast disasters recently. Even the Star and Moon Cities, known as the 'Iron Wall', had their walls breached."
Lin Shuang's voice became low, with a hint of worry:
"Governments are stepping up their preparations for war, resources are scarce, and life is becoming increasingly difficult for ordinary people."
"We, the common people, cannot just sit there and wait for those powerful people to protect us. We have to find a way out for ourselves."
She pointed to a huge building that was vaguely visible ahead:
"Rumor has it that there are a lot of advanced technologies hidden in the core area of the Mechanical City. Any one of those things can change our destiny."
"I heard that the energy fluctuations in this ruins have been abnormal recently. It may be that some equipment has been restarted."
"We must seize this opportunity!"
The complaining team member immediately showed an expression of admiration and nodded repeatedly:
"Yes, yes, the big sister is smart. Otherwise, how could you be the big sister?"
"I was just being mean, don't take it personally."
Lin Shuang nodded with satisfaction and waved to signal the team to move on.
The road in the ruins was rugged and uneven. The team members stepped carefully over the broken floors and twisted metal, for fear of triggering some mechanism or falling into the ground.
Walking at the end of the team was a young woman. Unlike the others, she did not carry any tools or backpack. She just followed the team quietly, keeping a certain distance.
She was wearing a black robe with a hood that covered most of her face, making it difficult to see her expression.
After a while, the team member who had complained before quietly approached Lin Shuang and asked in a low voice:
"It's just the big sister. Do we really want to take her with us?"
She signaled with her eyes to the mysterious woman at the end of the team:
"That guy has been following us since the ruins of the East District. He didn't help us find supplies along the way, he just followed us silently."
"We don't have much food in stock, and we need..."
Lin Shuang's expression suddenly became horrified. She quickly reached out and covered the team member's mouth, her eyes full of warnings:
"Shut up! Don't talk about her behind her back!"
Lin Shuang glanced back nervously, and confirmed that the mysterious woman was some distance away from them before she let go of her hand and lowered her voice even lower:
"Miss Asan is not someone we can afford to offend. Haven't you noticed?"
"The three small disaster beasts we encountered earlier were all driven away by her with just a glance."
The team members' eyes widened, apparently unaware of this.
Lin Shuang continued to explain: "She is obviously not an ordinary person, she is likely one of those people with extraordinary powers."
"If she wants to follow us, let her follow."
"When we encounter danger, she is our protection."
Lin Shuang patted the team member on the shoulder and softened his tone:
"Besides, she never asked us for food. She always took care of it herself."
"Don't think about it anymore, just focus on finding the thing."
The team member nodded thoughtfully, not daring to say anything more, but there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.
She quickened her pace back to her position, occasionally stealing glances at the mysterious woman at the back of the team.
Lin Shuang looked at the ruins that were getting closer and closer to the front, looking at those things that may have been glorious in the past but now only had broken shells left.
She firmly believed that beneath the ruins there must be a treasure that could change their destiny.
The sun gradually set and the shadows of the team stretched out very long on the ground.
Lin Shuang looked up at the sky, then waved to the team members:
"That's all for today. Let's find a safe place to camp and continue tomorrow."
The team members nodded and began to look for a suitable camping site.
Only Lin Shuang was still standing there, his eyes fixed thoughtfully on the mysterious woman.
The woman was standing on a huge ruin not far away, seemingly observing something, her black robe swaying gently in the breeze.
As night fell, Lin Shuang hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to walk towards the mysterious entourage.
She approached the towering ruins cautiously, with a certain awe in every step.
"Um... Miss Asan, we should take a break."
Lin Shuang's voice sounded a little weak in the empty ruins, and she was not sure whether the other party was willing to pay attention to her.
The woman called "Ashan" slowly turned around, her face under the hood still hidden in the shadows, and only a pair of eyes as deep as the sea could be vaguely seen.
She paused for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Well, you guys take a rest first, I can help you keep watch."
Her voice was unexpectedly gentle, in stark contrast to her mysterious and cold appearance.
The sound was like a clear stream, which made people relax their vigilance involuntarily.
Lin Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. She was actually not sure how this mysterious person would respond.
Since the other party is willing to communicate, perhaps the relationship can go a step further.
She tentatively suggested:
"I'm so sorry, you've been following us all the time, you must be tired."
"We're just about to start a fire and cook, would you like to join us?"
“Although the conditions are simple, it’s better than going hungry.”
She invited sincerely, with a certain expectation in her tone.
In this ruin full of dangers, having a powerful companion is undoubtedly a huge guarantee.
But Shanhu shook her head slightly, her tone still calm but revealing a hint of firm rejection:
"No thanks. I just want to be alone here for a while... This place is special."
Her gaze passed Lin Shuang and headed towards a distant direction that only she could perceive, as if there was something there that attracted her.
Lin Shuang opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something, perhaps wanting to ask Shanhu why she was so fascinated by the ruins, or perhaps wanting her to reveal more information about herself.
But in the end, she chose to keep silent and respect the other party's decision.
"Well... I'll go back first. If you change your mind, you're always welcome to join us."
Lin Shuang bowed slightly, then turned and walked towards the camp. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the ruins and gradually faded away.
Shanhu watched Lin Shuang's departing back, and after confirming that she had gone far away, she turned her attention back to the surrounding environment.
This ruin is not what it seems.
She could feel the abnormal energy flowing in the air. It was the trace of the demon's power. Although it was weak, it did exist.
The moonlight shines on the dilapidated mechanical wreckage, covering the dead ruins with a layer of silver gauze.
Coral stretched out his right hand, with his slender fingers slightly bent. A drop of water seeped out from his fingertips, then quickly expanded and gathered into a pool of clear water.
The water surface rippled and gradually took shape, eventually forming a water elf about the size of a palm.
It has a vague human-like outline, but its head is like an oversized drop of water. Its entire body is translucent, and it glows with a soft blue light under the moonlight.
Coral asked in a low voice: "Fairy, is the enemy you are looking for really in this place?"
The water spirits swirled around the coral's fingers, and the sound was as clear as the sound of rushing water:
"That's right. The last place those two damn twin fairies appeared was in this ruin."
"They thought they could evade my pursuit forever, but they still left traces in the end."
“You can definitely find them here!”
The water elf's tone was filled with hatred and urgency, its shape slightly deformed as its emotions fluctuated, revealing its inner restlessness.
Coral looked into the distance thoughtfully, and after a moment asked:
"Not long ago, there seemed to be several energy pulses erupting in the east direction of this mechanical ruin."
"It is said that even the extraordinary instruments in the surrounding cities have detected abnormalities."
"Do you have any idea about this matter?"
When the water elf heard this question, its body suddenly expanded and contracted, as if it was sneering:
"Oh! That is undoubtedly related to mechanical life."
"So many years have passed since the last civilization, and now many dormant fairies are slowly reviving."
"The energy pulse in the east area, I guess those stubborn mechanical life forms are trying to restart the core system and awaken their protector... the mechanical fairy."
The water elf swam around Coral's wrist, with a hint of disdain in her voice:
"Those tin guys are always obsessed with restoring their past 'glory', as if they really had it."
Coral frowned slightly and asked:
"So they might hinder your revenge? If the mechanical goblins really revive..."
The water elf interrupted her, his tone full of contempt: "It's just scrap metal, not worth worrying about! Even the mechanical fairy is just a pile of refined garbage in front of the power of the sea. I only care about the whereabouts of those two damn twin fairies."
Coral didn't say anything else, but silently took back the water, and the water elf disappeared.
She continued to stand on the ruins, quietly observing this once prosperous but now depressed area, with a leisurely look, as if she was just an ordinary traveler admiring the scenery.
However, beneath this seemingly calm ruin, undercurrents are surging.
At this moment, a cry of surprise suddenly came from the direction of the camp, breaking the tranquility of the night:
"Oh no! How did these damn scraps come to life? Run!"