Chapter 39 - Inner City (1/2)

Su Yao's words rang clearly in Tang Ling's ears, but it became nothing but meaningless buzzing.

Tang Ling's mind was overwhelmed by what he saw. He could no longer receive or understand the words Su Yao was speaking to him.

Behind the gate, the lights shone like the brightest star in the night. The starry lights were accompanied by a merry and lively atmosphere, enveloping Tang Ling entirely.

The door behind them closed quietly.

Su Yao lit up another cigarette with a shadow of a smile on his face. He leaned beside the gate and quietly watched the overwhelmed Tang Ling.

Squinting his eyes, Su Yao seemed to have thought of something in the distant past. He said, "Back then, I and…" Nothing but four words came out of his mouth. Unfortunately, he did not continue after that and allowed the smoke to blur his face.

Tang Ling could not even care about such detail anymore.

It has been more than ten seconds, yet Tang Ling found it hard to accept the "fact" before his eyes.

Back when his grandmother was collecting scraps in the dump, he had seen the so-called tall and beautiful buildings of the old civilization in pictures before, and now they really existed before his eyes, they were all well-preserved inside these walls of Safety Sector No. 17.

On top of that, there were also some never-before-seen weird buildings amidst the skyscrapers.

The night seemed to be the best reason for the buildings to "celebrate". A myriad of bright lights decorated the exterior, and fronting the glamorous scene was a big crowd on the street.

All the people outside the metallic wall were dressed dully as if black, gray, and blue represented their lives.

Nevertheless, behind the wall, for the first time in his life, Tang Ling understood that clothes were actually used to decorate oneself. The people that casually strolled the streets here all appeared proud and elegant.

There were also many indescribable and strange noises mixed in the air. Some were noisy while some were enchanting, yet all of them converged into an alluring melody in the night.

"No one was able to calm down after seeing this place for the first time." With a cigarette in his mouth, Su Yao rubbed Tang Ling's head kindly.

Tang Ling came back to his senses. He wanted to say something to Su Yao but all the words were stuck at his throat.

Only his Precise Instinct was working, and it helped Tang Ling discern the most precise distance between the spot in the settlement closest to the sector walls and the center of Safety Sector No. 17.

If a straight line was drawn between the two areas, it would be no longer than 5,127 meters.

However, there were two sets of walls forming three vastly different circles of life.

People in the outer circle could never imagine life inside, but the people inside could simply stomp everywhere outside the circle.

The distance in a straight line did not mean anything. Tang Ling understood for the first time that behind the icy cold numbers were nothing but inanities.

"Let's go." Su Yao flung the cigarette butt away and tapped on Tang Ling's back.

Tang Ling nodded silently.

******

Less than 20 minutes later, Su Yao brought Tang Ling to a peculiar-looking building.

The building was not big, but it was more than a hundred meters tall. Several white and crooked pillars supported the rhombus-shaped main structure. The whole building was catching the light as reflective materials covered the entire exterior, lending it a sense of mystery.

"Training Base," Tang Ling read the words in front of the door of the building, and he instantly understood what the building was.