Chapter 27: Leaving the Province (II)

Mo Yu was absolutely certain that her eyes were closed, yet she could see the very scenes she would have seen with them open. As she puzzled over this inexplicable phenomenon, the scene before her—visible despite her closed eyes—seemed to be sliced apart with surgical precision, gradually dividing into dozens of three-dimensional cubes.

Each of these three-dimensional figures was a segment of the original grand scene, and every single cube displayed a different sequence, as wondrous and incredible as a Hollywood blockbuster.

The strangeness of it all quelled Mo Yu’s anger, even slowing her breath, as if she feared this miraculous vision would vanish at the slightest disturbance.

Her thoughts became her hands, helping her to touch, to explore, to immerse herself in the spectacle.

Mo Yu discovered that she could rotate and move each of the three-dimensional cubes at will.

With her eyes still closed, she whispered to Qingxuan, “Hold on tight!” Then she selected the nearest cube.

The image in her mind responded as if she had tapped a touch screen, accompanied by a soft “beep~” sound.

Mo Yu wondered if she was imagining things—how could there be a “beep~” sound? Was she truly losing her grip on reality?

Qingxuan, whose mind was closely linked to Mo Yu’s, heard the “beep~” as well and suddenly felt an urge to wag the little tail he had only just regained.

“Beep~” sounds were the most delightful things; “harmonious” things, the most delightful of all.

The darkness perceptible even with closed eyes, the distortion sensed even in blindness.

When Mo Yu opened her eyes again, the first thing she noticed was that she had entered the chosen cluster of people. The second thing she saw was a thin, frail man staring at her, eyes wide, mouth agape.

Disaster!

Mo Yu shut her eyes quickly, and with another deliberate choice, slipped into the next “little frame.”

The thin man rubbed his eyes vigorously, then shouted over the din to a burly companion who was clamoring to get out.

“Hey! Did you see that woman?”

“Which one?” the strong man replied, clearly impatient.

“A woman holding a child—she just appeared out of nowhere and then vanished again!” He blurted it all out in one breath.

“Damn, you’ve scared yourself stupid! Get lost!” The burly man cursed without even thinking. Only a fool would believe such nonsense; this man was clearly out of his mind.

Embarrassed and angry, the thin man gasped for breath, swung his fist at the strong man, and caught him off guard. As soon as the big man realized what was happening, the altercation escalated, and the two were soon locked in a brawl. There was no peacemaker, no one to urge restraint. The crowd merely sought to squeeze the fighting pair out of the line of people pressing forward.

Without hesitation, Mo Yu, eyes still closed, selected the three-dimensional frame closest to the provincial exit. With a soft “beep~,” she was transported and found herself standing in the midst of a throng jostling to escape the province.

Everyone was desperate to flee this city that devoured its own, so no one noticed a young woman carrying a child suddenly appear among them, as if she had descended from the air. They simply assumed she had just shoved her way in to join those struggling to get out.

“Everyone, calm down! We’ll go one at a time!” A young man in military uniform held a peculiar, compact device in his hand, resembling some kind of detector.