Wu Tianzhen and Fatty stopped at Erdaobaihe River at the foot of Changbai Mountain.
This was where tourists usually stayed. Strangers came and went with joyous expressions, forming a stark contrast with the two people sitting dejectedly at the town entrance, their appearances disheveled.
They had been waiting in this town for three or four days, their stubble slightly showing, their eyes vacant, and their dark circles large and heavy.
Fatty, with a hoarse voice, joked that if they put on white clothes, they’d be mistaken for giant pandas and captured. Wu Tianzhen glanced at him, managing a faint smile in response.
When he first woke up, Wu Tianzhen stared at the ceiling of the Erdaobaihe Hotel like a statue, feeling for a moment as if he had dreamt it all.
The Bronze Gate was a dream, the colored light was a dream, and perhaps even Zhang Qiling himself was just a character he had fantasized from his intense longing for the Forbidden Land.
But the Fatty who pushed the door open shattered this self-deception.
Fatty had pulled him out of the avalanche, sustaining many injuries, even having one arm in a sling around his neck, looking utterly pathetic.
Seeing Wu Tianzhen’s dazed expression upon waking, Fatty’s initial surprise turned into a sigh. But in the end, he said nothing, merely softening his voice and saying,
“You’re awake? Come eat, the food will get cold.”
At this, Wu Tianzhen quietly shed tears.
The two of them had not refrained from venturing deep into Changbai Mountain again to investigate. However, where the Bronze Gate once stood, there was now only a deep, rectangular chasm, dark and starkly cutting across the snow, like a hideous, clinging scar.
Beyond that, there was nothing.
The wind howled past their ears, sweeping across the desolate Changbai.
“…This Little Brother really is something, appearing when he says he will and disappearing just as quickly,” Fatty said with a wry smile. “Seriously, isn’t Changbai Mountain his home?”
His voice faded, and only the wind and snow answered. Fatty remained silent for a long time, then asked,
“Still looking?”
“…Yes.” Wu Tianzhen, who had been motionless for a long time, seemed to be startled awake by the question. He opened his mouth and uttered a difficult word.
Fatty nodded in response.
…They said they would look, but in truth, both of them knew they wouldn’t find him.
How could they search? Something like the Bronze Gate was beyond their comprehension. Its appearance and disappearance were not under anyone’s control. They didn’t even know if the Bronze Gate would appear again, or in which corner of the world it might manifest.
Even Zhang Qiling at the time had only said, “I don’t know.”
They were not people like Zhang Qiling or Hei Yanjing. They were too ordinary, so ordinary that sometimes they couldn’t believe they could become good brothers with someone like Zhang Qiling.
All they could do now was wait.
“Right, Hei Yanjing…” Wu Tianzhen suddenly murmured, “Hei Yanjing must know something. He’s good friends with Little Brother, he must know…”
He fumbled for his light brain to search for contacts, but after a long search, he suddenly stopped.
He suddenly remembered that Hei Yanjing hadn’t left any contact information. The man was like a gust of wind, never leaving a trace in one place.
“Damn it!”
“Wait, Tianzhen, don’t rush!” Fatty was also searching his light brain. He was slightly calmer, and his fingers quickly stopped as he scrolled across the screen.
“We can ask someone else. This old friend might have a way.”
Wu Tianzhen looked over and saw that the name Fatty had found was none other than [Song Shuning].
“You’re right… Song Shuning and his people have great influence. Even if they can’t find the Bronze Gate, they should have some news.”
Hope rekindled in his heart, Wu Tianzhen stared eagerly at Fatty, who was initiating the communication.
But Song Shuning did not reply for a long time.
By the time they returned to Erdaobaihe River in the evening, the light brain finally vibrated weakly.
[…We are shocked and saddened to learn of this. However, we are very sorry, but we also have no way to help.
In fact, we had long since finished researching the remnants of the Cangshan Forbidden Land. But for some reason, for the past month, an external force has been continuously attacking our work systems, and many of our projects have been forced to stop.
Our entire strength is currently focused on combating this mysterious enemy, and we are unable to do more. We can only share some information about the Bronze Gate with you here.
The Bronze Gate, codenamed 00001, is the highest secret related to the Forbidden Land. Its appearance is random, and it has been recorded in historical records worldwide. No one can predict its trajectory.
However, one thing is certain: every time it appears, the rate at which new forbidden lands increase worldwide accelerates dramatically. It is inextricably linked to the emergence of forbidden lands.
This is all we can say. We are deeply apologetic for our powerlessness and hope you succeed.]
“…”
After reading the message, neither Wu Tianzhen nor Fatty spoke. The hotel room fell into silence.
—
When the Bronze Gate appeared, it generated powerful disruptive energy. Not only did the instruments on Wu Tianzhen instantly malfunction, but the satellites orbiting the planet were also shielded at that moment, preventing the appearance of the Bronze Gate from being discovered by relevant world organizations.
However, the Bronze Gate towered into the clouds and was immense in scale. The peaks of Changbai Mountain could not completely conceal it. Therefore, many people who were around Changbai at the time witnessed this scene. After their communication devices returned to normal, they spread the news like wildfire, attracting countless interested parties.
These individuals, like hyenas with gleaming eyes and vultures circling greedily, hovered around this area, their mouths watering as if the gate were some rare treasure.
Fatty and Wu Tianzhen, who had fled from the depths of the snow mountain in a sorry state after the Bronze Gate disappeared, quickly became their targets. Moreover, the two of them, Wu and Pang, emerged in a daze and spent their days like carved stone, watching by Erdaobaihe, further revealing their unusual circumstances.
Fatty and Wu Tianzhen were not in a stable emotional state at the time, so they initially ignored the prying eyes.
Until one evening, they were blocked at the entrance of their room.
“Excuse me!” Two young men in ordinary clothes blocked the doorway, their expressions smiling and appearing very friendly.
However, both their height of 1.9 meters and the slightly bulging muscle lines beneath their clothes lent a hint of menace to their actions.
“Do the two gentlemen have some free time? Our boss would like to meet with you.”
Fatty stopped Wu Tianzhen, who was about to speak, and looked the two men up and down, a wicked smile appearing on his face. “…What if I say I’m busy?”
The two young men blocking the door said nothing, their faces still wearing that friendly, smiling expression.
The sound of leather shoes on the wooden floor came from behind. Fatty turned his head and saw several people, also dressed ordinarily, slowly walking up from the staircase. They looked unremarkable, no different from the ordinary tourists here.
So, Fatty and Wu Tianzhen exchanged a glance, confirming the disparity in their combat strength, and very decisively raised their hands in surrender.