After walking around and looking at key places, Dongchen braved the wind and sand and returned to the hover car.
"Brother, is this for me?" The little angel looked at the ball in Dongchen's hand and shouted happily.
Throwing the ball to Annie casually, Dongchen, Christina and Bergbird sat down around the table.
"There was a war in the town. I found potholes and dried carpets in many places, which should be bugs."
"Are they them again?" Christina sighed sadly, not knowing what she thought of.
Bergbird took a sip of wine: "Where's the energy?"
"I didn't find it. I only found some broken machinery. There should be some residue inside. Let's go take a look tomorrow. There seems to be some kind of creature in the town."
Looking back at Annie, who was holding the ball and giggling happily, Dongchen couldn't help but recall that soft scream.
The town at night is eerie and dead, with only the sound of wind and sand blowing against the houses.
Early the next morning, when the sun rose, Dongchen and his group of four parked the hover car in the town and got off. Their goal was the town energy center, where they might be able to find energy to start the road again.
The thumping footsteps sounded on the alloy floor. Except for Annie, the other three people were a little panicked. Dongchen glared at Bergbird angrily and quickened his pace.
Energy centers, as the most important source of energy for a town, are usually very hidden. This town is no exception. Its energy center is hidden underground. If the exit wasn't half open, Dongchen might not have discovered it.
The steep slope was covered with dust, and Dongchen and his group slid down.
"Cough, cough, this damn place is really terrible." Bergobold couldn't help coughing as he sneezed and covered himself with dust.
With the tattered barbed wire fence and the rusty door, Dongchen and his group turned on their flashlights and walked in.
The high roof, various huge mechanical pipes crisscrossed one after another, appeared in front of the four people as the light came in, making them have to admire the greatness of civilization. It is a pity that such a great civilization was destroyed in the hands of a group of insects.
.
"Bird, which direction are we going?" Dongchen took a flashlight and scanned it. He didn't know where to search for energy. He just discovered this place yesterday and didn't go deep.
"Let me think about it." Bergobold looked around with a light and sighed loudly from time to time: "Great, really a great civilization."
"Okay, where should we go?" Dongchen urged again impatiently.
"This way."
Crack...crack...clang!
A tooth-aching grinding sound came from behind. The four people who turned around quickly saw only the last ray of light from the outside world after the door was closed.
"What's going on?"
The flashlight that fired rapidly found nothing. Dongchen and others stood back to back.
"Hey, boy, what on earth is in this damn place?" Bergobold's tone was filled with indescribable horror. The old-fashioned door at the door could never close by itself. Since it didn't close by itself, it must have been closed by itself.
What is it that closes it, and what is it that closes it?
"I don't know." Dongchen squinted his eyes slightly and flashed the lights in all directions, but he could still find nothing.
"Sister, I'm afraid."
Anne, who was held tightly in Christina's arms, comforted her softly: "Be good, don't be afraid. With my sister here, nothing can hurt you."
In the silent and empty room, no other movement could be heard except breathing and heartbeat. The surrounding steel monsters appeared from time to time in the light, exuding an endless depressive atmosphere.
"Go in or go back?" Bergbird said: "We don't have much energy. If we encounter another swarm of insects, we will definitely not be able to escape. But this damn place..."
"Go inside." Dongchen made a decision: "No matter what it is, since it doesn't show up, it must be afraid of us. As long as we are careful, there shouldn't be any big problem."
The crowd continued on their way. However, everyone felt a suppressed panic in their hearts. The tight string in their hearts did not know when it would suddenly break.
The dull atmosphere continued until a high disk platform was reached. Looking at the damaged equipment in front of him, Bergbird kicked hard: "The central energy source has leaked. After so many years, I don't know how much is left? You guys come here
Help me, I can't open this thing without professional tools."
Don’t have professional tools? Swords are just tools. Although destruction is easier than construction, it is not easy to use weapons to break through such ancient technological equipment.
At first, Dongchen worked alone. Later, when she realized that nothing happened, Christina also helped.
When people have work to do, they won't think too much. The depression in the body is relieved little by little with the sound of the collision of steel equipment. However, no one realizes that an invisible hand has quietly appeared on them
beside.
"Ball, my ball, come here and play with me, okay?" The sudden whisper in her ear made Anne's eyes widen.
Looking up at Bergbird who was giving the command, and then at his brother and sister who were slashing with swords and axes not far away, the little angel turned back in confusion.
"Come, come, come. Come and play with me..."
Annie unknowingly broke away from Bergbird's hands, and walked forward confusedly holding the leather ball in her arms.
The mist was everywhere, and Bergobold seemed to have noticed nothing, still commanding...
"Be careful. Although there is not much energy left, it may still explode if you are hit hard. Hey, you should be careful..."
"You can do it, you can do it." Christina glared at Bergbird angrily and threw away the steel parts removed from her hands. Just as she was about to bend down and continue to dismantle the equipment, she suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Where's Annie?"
A pair of green cat eyes, staring at Bergbird, Christina stepped forward and said: "Let me ask you, where is Anne?"
"Annie? Anne is not here, is she?" There is still the warm feeling of the little angel in the empty hand. Bergbird was confused: "Annie, Anne was held in my hand just now, how...how..."
It’s gone! This… this…”
His body was running around like the wind. Dongchen discovered Annie's disappearance as soon as Christina made a sound. He just circled around and found nothing.
Annie is really missing!
Returning to the team, the three of us looked at each other and saw panic and fear in each other's eyes.
"What just happened? Calm down." Dongchen held down Bergobold's shoulders and searched around with a pair of cold eyes.
"I don't know, I don't know anything. Anne has always been held by me, but for some reason, she disappeared in the blink of an eye. Anne, my lovely Anne..."
Snap!
Slapping Bergbird on the face, Christina roared angrily: "A grown man, why are you panicking? Think about it carefully, Anne can't disappear for no reason. Think about it carefully, what's going on?"
What’s going on?”
Shivering, he took the cigarette and lighter from the top of his head. He tried several times but failed to light it. In the end, he simply put the cigarette in his mouth and took a drag: "I don't know, I really don't."
Know."
"you……"
Reaching out to grab Christina's raised palm, Dongchen shook his head: "Don't embarrass him. Let's look for her. Annie might just be lost."
After comforting the panicked Bergbird with words that he didn't even believe, Dongchen narrowed his eyes again.