Chapter 223: Long Time No See

“Zhao... Zhao Ying Jun?” Lin Xian murmured, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the name engraved at the base of the statue. “To commemorate the builder of Rhine Sky City... Zhao Ying Jun. Why is Zhao Ying Jun’s name here?”

Lin Xian’s gaze drifted upwards, taking in the imposing white jade statue before him. From where he stood, the statue’s exact features were indistinct, but the engraved name at its base confirmed it represented Zhao Ying Jun, his former boss and the president of MX Company.

The likelihood of another person with that exact name seemed too far-fetched. It had to be her.

Lin Xian’s eyes lingered on the inscription, his mind racing as he tried to connect the dots.

His earlier hypothesis suggested that Rhine Sky City was a project initiated by the Rhine Company, which he had founded. It made perfect sense then that his future self might have engineered a loophole in the city’s air defense systems.

But where exactly would this loophole be?

Considering there was a plaza honoring the founder of the Rhine Company with a statue—potentially his own statue—it seemed plausible that the air defense vulnerability would be situated directly above it. It all clicked seamlessly in his mind.

As Lin Xian descended and caught sight of the white jade statue, his instincts had screamed that it should be his statue.

But he was wrong.

All his deductions had led him to a coherent narrative until the unexpected truth confronted him: “The builder of Rhine Sky City, the person this statue depicts, and the architect behind the air defense gap... It’s all Zhao Ying Jun.”Fôllôw new stories at no/v(e)lb/in(.)com

Lin Xian was stumped.

Why would Zhao Ying Jun undertake such a massive project?

What was her intention behind creating Rhine Sky City? How did he, Lin Xian, fit into her plans? What were his contributions to this historical tapestry?

Convinced that Zhao Ying Jun had orchestrated everything to draw him to the Sky City, Lin Xian was determined to uncover the truths hidden here.

During his recent dream-filled days, he had extensively discussed this world with Big Cat Face and Li Ning Ning.

Rhine Sky City’s history spanned less than 200 years from its elevation. However, its construction had begun on the ground over a century earlier—a monumental effort extending across a hundred years.

This timeline suggested that the city’s construction started around 2300. By then, it had already begun to host residents, much like the isolated New Donghai City.

The city continued to grow over a century until its controlled nuclear fusion engines were activated, propelling the massive structure 2000 meters into the sky, where it had floated for two centuries as a bona fide airborne city.

The onset of radiation sickness coincided roughly with the city’s rise.

Big Cat Face and Li Ning Ning told him that the technological prowess of those dwelling on the surface had greatly advanced since his second dream. There were numerous skilled individuals and varied disciplines. However, the advent of an incurable, invariably fatal radiation sickness transformed everything.

The urgency of survival overshadowed other pursuits, leading to a gradual decline in education, science, and other fields.

Globally, many sky cities, supported by thousands of nuclear fusion engines, dotted the skies like stars. This inexhaustible energy source illuminated the night but also cast a sinister pall over the ground below.

Lin Xian questioned them further about Rhine Sky City—its origins, its founder, and its purpose. As in the second dream, they struggled to provide clear historical details.

It became clear that history had faded in this world too, with only the last century’s events somewhat remembered while earlier records were lost in obscurity.

Lin Xian had also inquired about the black hand shadow associated with the Genius Club on the moon, only to receive a mishmash of legends devoid of solid facts.

Before encountering this statue, Lin Xian had thought Rhine Sky City was merely another version of New Donghai City—historically obscure and heavily fortified, rendering any infiltration efforts futile.

Now, his perspective had shifted.

Rhine Sky City was fundamentally different from New Donghai City!

The connections—Rhine Company, Zhao Ying Jun’s statue, and the strategically placed gap in the air defense—all led to a stunning realization:

But Zhao Ying Jun was gone.

She had constructed a city for him, crafted a guiding gap, concealed a secret, and hidden a gift, only to depart from this world at some point.

After the solitude, Lin Xian felt a warm surge emanating from the statue’s cold surface, seeping into his body through his arm, instilling a sense of peace and warmth.

He looked up at the imposing figure.

Truthfully, although Rhine Sky City was still shrouded in mysteries for him, and all his theories remained unverified, this unfamiliar sky city felt different from New Donghai City.

New Donghai City felt detached; Rhine Sky City felt intimate and comforting.

The presence of this statue gave him a sense of belonging here, like returning home.

Suddenly, curiosity gripped Lin Xian.

What did Zhao Ying Jun look like in the future?

What was her appearance in middle age, or even in her later years?

Did she still sport her signature proud earrings?

Was she still as dynamic and spirited as he remembered?

Would he recognize her face even 600 years later?

Driven by this curiosity, Lin Xian continued to gaze upwards at the statue as he slowly backed away—

“Ouch.”

Thud!

Absorbed in his thoughts, Lin Xian had not noticed his surroundings and collided with something hard and cylindrical, losing his balance and tumbling to the ground.

He propped himself up, eyeing the object that had tripped him.

It was a cylindrical robot, grayish-white and resembling a trash can.

A cleaning robot?

That was Lin Xian’s initial thought.

But it was unlikely.

This robot, shaped like a trash can but far more sophisticated than any 2023 cleaning device, was equipped with treads beneath it, now visible as it struggled to right itself.

Its two clamp-like mechanical arms flailed in the air, seeking something to grasp.

Its eyes, glowing green, fixated on a small piece of paper on the ground:

“Trash! Trash! Trash detected!”

“Trash! Trash! Trash detected!”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation