“Where’s your dad?”

Lin Xian asked Li Ningning.

Lin Xian had looked around but didn't see Li Cheng.

“My dad died when I was little.”

Li Ningning turned her head to look at the thousands of fake blue moons in the sky.

“He was the first to suggest skydiving into Sky City. Of course, he was also the first to go. Unfortunately, back then, no one knew about the laser air defense zone, so… he jumped from a low altitude and was directly hit by the laser and evaporated.”

Lin Xian was silent, then looked around again.

He didn’t see the alluring beauty he wanted to see, Li Ningning’s mother, Li Cheng’s mistress from the first dream.

“What about your mother?”

“My mom was the second.”

Li Ningning's voice was soft, but her eyes were still as stubborn and defiant as in the second dream.

Like a butterfly dancing against the wind.

Thinking that this was already the second world he'd met Li Ningning, she had gone from a cherished princess to an orphan who had lost both parents.

He couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

“Why do you have to go to Rhein Sky City?”

Lin Xian asked his biggest question.

“Why are so many people risking their lives to fly up there? What is your purpose? Is it still stealing books? Learning history? Or is it to gain knowledge?”

Li Ningning shook her head.

“It’s not those things… Those things are certainly important, but when life and the future are in question, who cares about those things?”

“You must be Da Lianmao’s (Big Face Cat) friend, right? Did you come from far away? Otherwise, you should know these things…”

Li Ningning took out a handkerchief from her pocket, picked up the little girl who was pulling at her clothes, and wiped the festering sores on her neck.

The pus kept flowing, and the wound showed no signs of healing.

Lin Xian frowned slightly…

What kind of disease is this?

Moreover, it’s not just this little girl.

He had just seen that many people in the crowd had these black sores on their skin, oozing pus.

“It’s radiation sickness.”

Li Ningning put the little girl on the ground, put away her handkerchief, and explained to Lin Xian.

“I don’t know when it started… More and more people are getting radiation sickness. It’s all caused by that Rhein Sky City.”

She frowned, staring at the behemoth suspended in the sky.

“The radiation may be from the nuclear fusion engine beneath Sky City, or from the wastewater and garbage they dump, but in short, its existence is making more and more people sick and eventually dying.”

“Although this disease isn’t contagious, once you get it, it’s incurable. The unhealed sores on your body will increase, constantly infecting, infecting, and ultimately leading to a painful death.”

“Some babies are stillborn because of radiation sickness before they are even born, and even if they are born, they are deformed. This disease is really terrifying. The most terrifying thing is… we are destined to not escape it.”

Li Ningning turned her head, looking at the helium balloon behind Lin Xian that was constantly inflating and gradually rising into the air.

“At first, everyone wanted to hide far away, but in the end, they found it was useless. Those radioactive substances will spread with the wind, birds, and insects to all parts of the world, and you can’t escape it no matter where you are.”

“So… we have to find a way to fly into that Sky City. My dad said that there must be medicine to immunize against this radiation sickness up there. As long as we can get a sample… even just one pill, one box, we can replicate the medicine to immunize against radiation sickness by studying its ingredients.”

“Only in this way can we survive and have a future.”

…

Hearing this.

Lin Xian basically understood what was happening in this world.

In short.

In the third dream, the living environment of Li Cheng, Da Lianmao (Big Face Cat) and the others is much worse than in the second dream.

Not just them, it’s the same all over the world.

The mastery of controllable nuclear fusion technology not only did not allow ordinary residents to use free electricity and master inexhaustible energy, but further widened the gap between rich and poor… no, or rather, the gap in life expectancy.

Lin Xian estimated that the source of those radiation sicknesses was most likely related to the thousands of blue engines running day and night.

The people in Sky City must have a way to immunize themselves against this disease and live carefree.

And the people on the surface do not have this special medicine, so they can only endure the torment of this radiation sickness for generations.

According to Li Ningning, the incidence of this disease is not very high, but the mortality rate is 100%, and it will also bring patients wounds that can never heal and huge physical and mental pain.

It can be called a terminal illness more terrifying than cancer in this era.

That's why.

A group of heroes like Li Cheng and Da Lianmao (Big Face Cat) were born, risking their lives to fly into Sky City to get the special medicine.

This is also something that can't be helped.

Without medicine, everyone will die sooner or later.

One day, radiation sickness will fall on relatives, friends, and family.

This is a true matter of national responsibility.

But…

The air defense range of Rhein Sky City is too abnormal, directly locking the airspace within 10,000 meters.

To fly in from the only gap in the city center, you must ride a helium balloon to a height of 20,000 meters, and then fully utilize gliding to aim at the gap before you can avoid the air defense lasers and enter the interior of Sky City.

The location of this gap is not like in a game, with various boundary line markers indicating it. It must also be valuable intelligence exchanged for countless failures and countless lives.

That’s why there are no strong men in the surrounding villages…

They all died in the sky above Rhein Sky City, evaporated by lasers, and turned into smoke.

“Too cruel.”

Lin Xian sighed.

He couldn't understand.

Why…

Every time the dream changes, the level of science and technology is clearly getting higher and higher, but everyone’s life is getting worse and worse, more and more divided, and more and more distant.

Before, it was just a wall between New Donghai City and Old Donghai.

Now it has become the difference between heaven and earth between the surface and Sky City.

If technology develops further… will these two groups of people only be able to gaze at each other across galaxies?

“This is not normal.”

Lin Xian still thinks so.

He doesn't think that a normal world would develop into such a distorted state.

Therefore.

It goes without saying…

The future world of the third dream, including the existence of Rhein Sky City, is likely still the conspiracy of the Genius Club to manipulate human history and muddy the river of time!

They just can’t stand to see humans doing well.

It's really incomprehensible…

Are you aliens or traitors?

Are you so uncomfortable seeing humanity live a better life?

Moreover.

What makes Lin Xian even more chilling is…

Rhein.

This is clearly the company he named, the thing he created.

Why has it now become the same kind of people as these people?

Where did things go wrong?

Did the future self choose to let Rhein Company collude with the Genius Club?

Or did he resist, fight, and ultimately fail?

If, if there must be a choice between these two results, Lin Xian thinks it must be the second.

Collude with these people?

He would never do it, even if he was beaten to death.

From the moment he decided to avenge Tang Xin and Xu Yun, and made up his mind to kill Ji Xinshui, Ji Lin, and Zhou Duanyun… he firmly stood on the opposite side of these evils.

Although Lin Xian doesn't think he is absolutely just.

But at least.

He doesn’t like this artificially manipulated world, a future without hope.

“So… as expected, I failed?”

Lin Xian looked up.

Looking at the dark blue light, like the blue pupils of a hawk, the Sky City.

Because he failed, Rhein Company became someone else’s? That's why there is such a scourge in the sky?

“Hehe, that’s really annoying.”

But it doesn't matter.

Even if he really lost in this process, it wasn't the current self in 2023 who lost.

For the current self in 2023, Rhein Company has just been established, and even the opening ceremony hasn’t been held yet.

All the future is uncertain.

This history of 600 years is just a piece of waste paper that can be torn up at any time for him.

I am the history!

However you lost, that's how you win it back!

Lin Xian lowered his head, looked at Li Ningning.

“To my shame, I didn’t do what I promised you before, but it doesn’t seem too late to make up for it now.”

Li Ningning blinked, tilted her head.

“Before? I don’t think we’ve met before?”

Lin Xian nodded.

Yes.

For Li Ningning, naturally, they haven’t met.

But in the previous second dream, he did promise Li Ningning to help her blow up New Donghai City.

But in the end, this plan was not implemented, and even the inner wall of Donghai City had not been entered, when they were suddenly and unexpectedly entered the third dream.

Oh well.

Lin Xian looked up, looking at the monstrous behemoth in the sky, the controllable nuclear fusion engine with its ghostly blue light like thousands of eyes.

“Blowing up this Sky City… must be more beautiful, right?”

Lin Xian smiled slightly, looking at Li Ningning.

“I’ll treat you to fireworks then!”

“What nonsense are you talking about.” Li Ningning was really amused.

“We just want to go to Sky City to get the special medicine, why would you blow it up? But…”

Li Ningning looked up at Lin Xian.

“It would be great if we could blow it up, I’ve wanted to blow it up since I was a child.”

“Don’t worry.”

Lin Xian turned around, waved his hand, and walked towards the hot air balloon that was already full of helium next to him.

“This time, I have to keep my word.”

“……”

Li Ningning looked at Lin Xian’s departing back, feeling like she was being teased.

“Strange person.”

Lin Xian walked to the back of A Zhuang, who was already wearing a spacesuit and preparing to fasten his helmet, and patted him on the shoulder.

“A Zhuang.”

“Huh?” A Zhuang turned his head.

“Get me a set of spacesuit parachutes and equipment too.”

Lin Xian pointed to himself.

“I’ll go with you!”