So...

How exactly does one get to Rhein Sky City?

Are there special flights?

Or is there a lift somewhere that I don't know about?

Lin Xian looked around...

"Huh?"

He saw the crowd and lights gathered in the distance again.

He had seen that place earlier from the spawn point.

It looked like a clearing, and from a distance, it was surrounded by at least a hundred people, as if they were having some kind of gathering.

Moreover, it was the only place with lights within sight, so it was unusually conspicuous; the little boy Lin Xian had met on the way had also run towards that direction and that group of people after they parted.

And the reason Lin Xian made a sound of doubt...

Was because a huge hot air balloon was slowly rising from the gathering place of people and lights!

Lin Xian had only ever seen hot air balloons in movies and TV shows. He had never actually seen one in real life.

It is a flying device that uses hot air or helium to rise into the air.

But because it doesn't have enough steering ability or horizontal movement function, most hot air balloons can only go with the wind... Therefore, its practicality in daily life is not very high, and it is mostly used for extreme sports or sightseeing.

And now.

A hot air balloon specifically raised at the foot of the Sky City.

Needless to say, it must be a means of transportation to the Sky City.

"I didn't expect the transportation to be so primitive."

Can a hot air balloon safely fly to Rhein Sky City?

Lin Xian had doubts.

But he still started running towards the crowd, wanting to hitch a ride... no, a 'hitch-a-balloon'.

However.

Because of his previous aimless running, the distance was too far.

Lin Xian watched helplessly as the hot air balloon gradually became full and inflated, and then slowly rose into the sky...

By the time Lin Xian finally reached the gathering place, the huge hot air balloon had already lifted the small passenger basket below to a height of tens of meters and was still slowly accelerating.

Lin Xian looked up.

He discovered...

That this was not a hot air balloon in the traditional sense, but a helium balloon.

Hot air balloons are usually filled with air, and then use a large flame gun to heat the air inside, reduce its density, and thus obtain air buoyancy.

Helium balloons are different.

It doesn't have any heating device, nor does it need any heating device.

The density of helium itself is lower than that of air, so it only needs to fill the huge balloon with helium and seal it well, and it can provide huge air buoyancy by itself, without any other facilities.

But...

This Rhein Sky City is estimated to be only two or three thousand meters high, is it a bit overkill to use a helium balloon to ascend?

This distance is more than enough to ascend with a traditional air-burning hot air balloon.

Could it be that...

The actual height of this Rhein Sky City is higher than he estimated?

Lin Xian recalled the geography knowledge he had learned in junior high school.

He felt that if the height was any higher, it would be a bit unrealistic.

He remembered that the geography book said that the temperature would drop by about 6 degrees Celsius for every 1000 meters of altitude increase, so a height of two or three thousand meters is most suitable for the residents of the Sky City to live in, so as not to be too cold.

Moreover, as the altitude increases, the air pressure will also decrease synchronously, which will not only reduce the boiling point of water, bringing many unnecessary troubles to life, but also easily cause altitude sickness due to the thin oxygen.

Of course.

This is all looking at the world from the perspective of 2023.

Now that Rhein Sky City has undoubtedly conquered controllable nuclear fusion, they have inexhaustible energy and heat, and the problems of temperature and air pressure are not a big deal at all, and can be easily solved.

Therefore, it is possible that he really underestimated the height of Rhein Sky City.

However.

Soon.

Lin Xian noticed another abnormal thing——

He saw that the "passenger" standing below the huge helium balloon, in the passenger basket... was fully armed at this moment!

He was wrapped tightly and thickly from head to toe, like wearing a simple sealed spacesuit.

This analogy is not an exaggeration.

That "passenger" was bulging all over, just like the Michelin Tire advertisement doll, and most importantly, he was wearing a big space helmet on his head, really like an astronaut.

This made Lin Xian even more confused...

Helium balloon + spacesuit, what is this person going to do?

Isn't he going to Sky City? Why make it so troublesome and flamboyant?

Lin Xian decided to ask someone.

He kept scanning the crowd...

Soon.

He discovered three unexpected but expected familiar figures!

A Zhuang!

Er Zhu Zi!

San Pang!

They were Da Lian Mao's (Big Face Cat) three former little brothers!

Meeting old acquaintances in another place, Lin Xian couldn't help but smile.

These three little brothers had been shot countless times by himself and Da Lian Mao in the first dream; in the second dream, they had all turned over a new leaf and worked with Da Lian Mao and Boss Li... He never expected to see them in the third dream.

At that moment, Lin Xian felt that perhaps history really had a certain inevitability.

Some people and some things are like inevitable historical nodes...

They inevitably exist.

They inevitably happen.

Is this... another brand new law of space-time?

Lin Xian couldn't figure it out for the time being.

But now is not the time to figure this out, he should first ask them what this crowd is gathered here for.

"A Zhuang!"

Lin Xian greeted enthusiastically.

A Zhuang, who was a head shorter than Lin Xian but had a strong build, looked away from the sky and sized Lin Xian up and down:

"Who are you?"

"That's not important." Lin Xian patted him on the shoulder with a smile. Having seen him so many times, Lin Xian was not shy at all:

"Where's Brother Lian? Where is he?"

Hearing the term "Brother Lian" from Lin Xian's mouth... A Zhuang's expression softened a lot.

And seeing Lin Xian's ease and familiarity, he guessed that he was Brother Lian's friend, so A Zhuang didn't have any vigilance, and pointed to the hot air balloon that had risen hundreds of meters into the sky:

"You're late, Brother Lian has already set off."???

Lin Xian tilted his head in disbelief, looking up at the rapidly rising hot air balloon in the sky:

"The person wearing a spacesuit up there is Brother Lian? Da Lian Mao?"

"Ah, otherwise?"

"Is he going to Rhein Sky City?"

"Of course."

A Zhuang looked at Lin Xian and continued:

"You must have known these things before you came, right? Just watch attentively."

After saying that, he ignored Lin Xian and looked up at the sky:

"Hey... I hope Brother Lian can succeed this time, otherwise..."

He bit his lip and didn't continue.

Lin Xian looked at A Zhuang inexplicably.

He was fully armed like that, what danger could there be?

Forget it, he wouldn't ask for the time being, and would just silently watch Da Lian Mao's performance.

Today, it was purely because he had wasted time that he missed Da Lian Mao's hot air balloon. If Da Lian Mao really successfully landed in Rhein Sky City later, then he would just have to come earlier tomorrow to hitch a ride.

Lin Xian didn't take it to heart, and together with the silent crowd around him, looked up at the small white ball that was rising rapidly in the sky.

From this point of view...

Da Lian Mao's helium balloon had risen to an altitude of at least 2,000 meters, and the huge hot air balloon now looked only the size of a fist.

But fortunately, the thousands of controllable nuclear fusion engines below Sky City were running day and night. While providing enough lift for Rhein Sky City to suspend in the air, they also released light that illuminated half the sky, allowing everyone on the ground to clearly see Da Lian Mao, who was gradually shrinking into a small white dot.

Lin Xian squinted his eyes, watching Da Lian Mao's hot air balloon rise... rise... rise...

It had risen to a height where he couldn't even see it anymore.

He approached A Zhuang, who was clenching his fists as if facing a formidable enemy, and said softly:

"It seems... he's flying too far..."

Da Lian Mao's current altitude was obviously much higher than Sky City, and if he continued to fly, he would fly to the stratosphere. This was obviously off course.

"What are you talking about?"

A Zhuang turned his head and looked at Lin Xian:

"There is a laser air defense zone of up to 10,000 meters around Rhein Sky City. Once touched, it will be immediately locked by lasers and directly evaporated... The entire air defense zone is cone-shaped, sealing off Sky City, and the only dead angle is at the very top of the cone, in the middle of the city at an altitude of 10,000 meters. To break through Rhein Sky City's defenses, you can only enter from there."?

Lin Xian felt like he was listening to a fantasy novel:

"10,000 meters? Laser defense system? Is Sky City so heavily guarded?"

"Of course."

A Zhuang turned his head and continued to stare at the small white dot in the sky that was almost invisible:

"So, to break through the defenses and enter Rhein Sky City, you must take a hot air balloon to an altitude of nearly 20,000 meters, then jump down, find the exact location through gliding and swoop down, and open your parachute... to safely land in Sky City."

This...

Lin Xian blinked his eyes, unable to believe it.

What kind of crazy talk is this?

Take a helium balloon to an altitude of 20,000 meters, and then skydive?

This operation... he wouldn't dare to play like this even in *Riders Republic*!

Come to think of it, no wonder Da Lian Mao was fully armed and wearing a fully sealed spacesuit.

Because at an altitude of 20,000 meters, the temperature is definitely below minus thirty degrees Celsius. If you don't wear thick clothes, you will definitely freeze to death in the biting cold wind.

After all, he not only has to stay there, but also has to jump down against the wind and free fall.

Moreover, the air pressure at an altitude of 20,000 meters is only one-fifth of the current surface level, and the oxygen content is far from enough for breathing. So it is conceivable that Da Lian Mao must also be carrying an oxygen tank and other oxygen supply constant pressure devices on his back.

"Too crazy."

Lin Xian sincerely sighed.

Even though he had courted death countless times in the dream and had experienced many extreme sports that were infinitely close to death, there is still a difference between courting death and seeking death.

He had challenged skydiving at a maximum altitude of 8,000 meters in the dream, and many times he had been smashed into a meat pie due to various situations.

He had even lost consciousness for unknown reasons many times during free fall.

It's already so difficult at an altitude of 8,000 meters.

What's more, Da Lian Mao has to jump down from an altitude of 20,000 meters, and then aim at the only gap in the air defense system through free-fall gliding, swoop down, and open his parachute in time to descend slowly.

In this extremely dangerous challenge, any slight mistake will cost him his life!

What are you doing, Da Lian Mao...

Lin Xian sighed.

You're just a Da Lian Mao, not Batman, why are you showing off this skill? Don't you want your life?

"How do you know for sure that there is an air defense gap in the middle of Rhein Sky City?"

"Because someone has been in."

A Zhuang said softly:

"Although... only once, and it ultimately failed. But we did see him go in."

"Is this the only way to enter Rhein Sky City?" Lin Xian asked:

"Is there no safer way?"

A Zhuang shook his head:

"If there was... what would we, these people, have been busy with all these years, with so much sacrifice?"

After saying that, A Zhuang reached out to signal Lin Xian to shut up. Fine sweat began to appear on his forehead, and he squinted his eyes, staring closely at the hot air balloon in the sky that was already invisible.

Lin Xian really couldn't figure out what all this was for, and why.

But looking at the appearance of everyone around him, they were all silent and clenching their fists.

He knew that this was not the time to ask questions, so he had to follow A Zhuang's gaze and look at the sky aimlessly.

So...

This is actually another form of New East Sea City?

New East Sea City used high walls to prevent them from entering; Rhein Sky City was even more extreme, flying directly into the sky and raising a 10,000-meter-high defense network, fundamentally cutting off the possibility of intrusion.

But.

Why leave a gap only in the sky in the middle of the city?

What is the purpose of doing this?

Lin Xian didn't believe it was for technical reasons...

Rhein Sky City is different from the superficial New East Sea City. It has already conquered controllable nuclear fusion and is a highly developed future city. In theory, how could it leave an air defense dead zone?

Is it difficult to seal it off?

Why deliberately leave a flaw?

……

Um?

Wait.

Lin Xian thought of all this unusual and abnormal stuff...

Could it be that...

That gap!

Is it a back door deliberately left for him?

But this is too much of a compliment to himself!

Who exactly thinks so highly of him?

If Lin Xian remembered correctly, as of 2023, the world record holder for skydiving altitude should be a vice president of Google.

In 2014, he took a helium balloon to an altitude of more than 40,000 meters, and then free-falled for as long as four minutes before opening his parachute and landing safely.

This is the charm of extreme sports challenges.

It is also the reason why the population is generally sparse in foreign countries.

Although Da Lian Mao's 20,000-meter-high skydiving looks not very difficult compared to the Google vice president's 40,000-meter-high skydiving record.

But the difficulty between the two is simply worlds apart!

Simply put, the Google vice president only needs to jump down from 40,000 meters and then find the right time to open his parachute.

As for Da Lian Mao...

He also needs to control his speed and direction to the air defense gap through precise gliding, and then find a chance to open his parachute and land.

If he deviates a little, the position is a little different, or the speed is a little faster, he may directly touch the air defense scanning network and be directly evaporated by the laser!

Lin Xian believed that Da Lian Mao was not such a person who would challenge the limits for no reason.

This Rhein Sky City...

Why must he go?

Suddenly!

There was a burst of exclamation from the crowd:

"He jumped! He jumped!" "Da Lian jumped!" "He's gliding!" "Be sure to remember the location!"……

Everyone's worries and surprises rose and fell, but Lin Xian couldn't see anything.

He looked around and found that most people had taken out telescopes.

Turning his head, Er Zhu Zi and San Pang were holding telescopes in their hands, looking up.

Lin Xian walked over and patted Er Zhu Zi on the shoulder:

"Er Zhu Zi, your sister-in-law is looking for you."

"Where!!"

Er Zhu Zi took off the telescope and looked around!

"There, there, behind you."

Lin Xian randomly pointed to a crowded direction, and then snatched the telescope from Er Zhu Zi's hand, staring upwards with his eyes.

This telescope even has night vision.

Fortunately, the moonlight was very bright today and the sky was cloudless. As Da Lian Mao's falling height decreased... a blurred white shadow could gradually be found in the telescope.

That should be Da Lian Mao.

At this moment, that blurry shadow was adjusting his posture, spreading his body, seemingly to control the direction of gliding.

Just when Lin Xian's blood was starting to boil...

Suddenly!

A flash of fire suddenly appeared in the night sky tens of thousands of meters away!

A small fireball popped out.

Then...

Everything became quiet.

"That is..."

Lin Xian put down the telescope and thought of what A Zhuang had said before, as well as the scene of the sudden fire evaporating.

That's it?

So simply, Da Lian Mao was killed by the air defense laser?

He looked around.

Sure enough, from everyone's faces, he also got a positive answer.

A Zhuang sighed.

San Pang also shook his head.

The entire venue where hundreds of people gathered was silent, and no one spoke.

Lin Xian felt very strange.

This atmosphere was really strange.

It was said to be sadness, but it felt like everyone wasn't that sad.

It was as if they were numb.

It was as if they were used to this kind of sacrifice.

Everyone's eyes were so empty.

A staggering old man stepped forward and patted A Zhuang on the shoulder. The black sores on his face were constantly dripping pus, and there was a stench:

"A Zhuang, it's your turn..."

A Zhuang nodded.

He turned and walked to the other side of the venue.

There...

Was a helium balloon that was starting to inflate, and a set of equipment exactly the same as the dead Da Lian Mao's.

"No, what are you doing?"

Lin Xian was getting more and more confused.

Standing in line to die?

Or did the Lian Gang (Face Gang) members do something heinous and unforgivable, and this was their punishment?

Even if there was a reason to enter Rhein Sky City, you can't keep fleecing the Lian Gang!

Their boss just died, and his bones were directly evaporated. Can't you change to someone from another gang?

Lin Xian felt uncomfortable with this collective numbness.

He felt unfair for Da Lian Mao in his heart.

However.

When he looked around in circles.

He discovered that...

There wasn't a single young or middle-aged man in the crowd gathered around!

Women, old people, children...

There were no men.

He looked again, and there really wasn't a single man!

"Where are the other men?"

Lin Xian couldn't help but ask.

At this time.

A familiar girl, Li Ningning, stood to Lin Xian's right and shook her head:

"The three of them..."

"Are the last men of East Sea."

……

Lin Xian frowned.

Looking at the silent crowd around him, looking at A Zhuang who was starting to put on a spacesuit on the other side, looking at Rhein Sky City with thousands of blue stars twinkling in the sky, looking at the moon covered by black shadowy hands in the higher sky...

This world.

What exactly happened?