Chapter 516: The Forgotten Land
[Task: Records]
A random task, it doesn't even say what the specific reward is.
Su Xia knew that the "New Testament City" in the mission was a very famous city in the East Continent with a population of several million.
He had an idea and clicked to accept the task, and the task appeared in the task bar.
"Unexpected information..."
Su Xia looked at the task description and thought for a moment.
That's a very strange description.
What information would that be?
He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and took the record from the pianist.
In this era, records are outdated. They are not convenient enough and the record player required is difficult to carry around.
Only some nostalgic people like records. On a sleepy afternoon, they might sit in front of the yellowed glass window, looking at the swaying leaves outside the window, and slowly listening to the passing time.
"I will try my best to bring it to you." Su Xia promised solemnly.
"Thanks."
The pianist smiled slightly, his expression gentle, and thanked him aloud.
Then, he moved his ten fingers lightly, jumping gently on the black and white keys, and continued to play the soft music.
Su Xia also returned to where she had been sitting before, which was a rusty metal staircase. She slowly lay down on the inclined staircase, closed her eyes, and felt the flow of music and time.
The waves outside the boat rose and fell, gently hitting the hull, forming a soothing lullaby that complemented the music the pianist was playing.
The night passed slowly...
The next morning, Su Xia said goodbye to the pianist and went inland to the big city called "New Testament City".
In the Eastern Continent, the patrols of the Mechanical Clan have been much less intensive, and there are almost no mechanical creatures to be seen on the roads.
The Mechanical Clan is divided into three camps. The Deep Diver Camp is on the Central Continent, and the City of the Deep Divers is in the sea. Someone on the player forum previously revealed that it is a giant metal sphere.
On the East Continent is the "Sky" camp of the Mechanical Clan, and it is said that its headquarters is floating in the sky.
But Su Xia looked up for a long time and did not see any sky city.
“Is it really in outer space?”
No one knows how far the mechanical race’s technology has developed.
Su Xia would not be surprised if they could really build a city in outer space.
The customs and culture of the East Continent are different from those of the Central Continent. The wasteland feel here is stronger, with endless deserted plains and only a few roads crossing the plains.
The wind was howling and the weeds were withered and yellow.
As we walked along the road, we found it was deserted and we could only see one or two abandoned bars or motels occasionally.
Sometimes you can see some shabby cars with only shells left abandoned on the side of the road. Most of the cars have bullet holes on their surfaces, and some even have rotten skeletons inside.
All I see is desolation, everything is dilapidated, barren and dead.
After flying for more than two hours, Su Xia finally saw a small town, but unfortunately, there was no one there.
The billboard at the entrance of the town has tilted, the steel structure is rusted, and the torn advertising cloth is flying in the wind and sand, like a lonely person welcoming guests from afar.
There are some shabby shops on both sides of the town. The windows of the shops have long been smashed, and the things inside have been looted. The empty shelves are covered with dust.
In this deserted and dilapidated place, Su Xia actually saw a few players.
They seemed to be wasteland enthusiasts, driving their modified vehicles and speeding around the town.
"Alas--"
They laughed out loud like free birds.
There are too many restrictions in the real world, only in games can you be free and have a different life.
Most of the vehicles they drove were converted from old cars or trucks. There were obvious traces of welding, and they looked exaggerated and grotesque, full of a strong wasteland style. There was flames spewing from the back of almost every car, which reminded Su Xia of a scene in the movie "Mad Max".
It has to be said that the appearance of players has injected a bit of vitality into this desolate world.
Su Xia continued to move forward, and the world ahead gradually showed signs of human habitation, most of which were brought by players.
At regular intervals, there will be gathering places or supply stations built by players.
In the evening of that day, he finally approached his goal.
New Testament City.
A very prosperous human city.
This city was a symbol of prosperity before the war, with tall buildings and bustling traffic. It was a city built of money.
After the war, thanks to its geographical advantages and people's psychological factors, this place recovered quickly.
“We’re finally here.”
Su Xia looked at the big city in front of her and felt like she had returned to the real world from the wasteland.
The mission target is at [27 Mott Street], about half an hour away.
Su Xia was not in a hurry, but instead spread out the nanorobots and walked around the city while receiving various information.
People come and go in the city, and there are not many traces of mechanical creatures.
Half an hour later, the sign for Mott Street appeared in front of him.
This is an old street.
The buildings on both sides of the street are very historical. Unlike the classicism that Su Xia had seen before, they are in Baroque style.
He counted the house numbers , walked step by step to No. 27, and rang the doorbell.
“Ding Dong.”
After a while, the door opened.
The person who opened the door was a girl with golden curly hair. She had fair and smooth skin and delicate facial features, especially her eyes, which were as clear and blue as the sea.
She looked at Su Xia and asked softly, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, someone asked me to give this record to you." Su Xia took out the record and handed it to the girl.
"Is it him?" The girl blinked, as if she thought of something. Her eyes curved slightly, and a hint of joy appeared in her eyes.
She opened the door completely and said to Su Xia, "Thank you for your help, sir. Please come in and sit down."
"good."
Su Xia walked calmly into this old Baroque-style house.
He was waiting for the "unexpected information" in the mission description, and as of now, there was nothing unexpected.
He chatted with the girl for a while, trying to dig out some useful information.
The girl's family is simple, just her and her father.
Her father runs a fish shop. He once went out to sea with someone to catch a very rare fish. He has been gone for more than eight months and has not returned yet, but he would use a satellite phone to report his safety to her every month.
It was the time of the month when they would report safety, and as they were chatting, her father called back.
The girl apologized and asked Su Xia to wait for a moment, then answered the phone.
The conversation between father and daughter was simple, mostly about daily topics.
Su Xia took advantage of this opportunity to scan the entire room. The room was filled with ordinary things and nothing interested him.
"Strange, nothing is unexpected, the mission system can't be wrong, right?"
Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Su Xia and the girl looked at each other and shook their heads.
"I'll go and take a look."
Su Xia stood up, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole.
"Huh?"
Su Xia raised her eyebrows and saw an acquaintance.
A young priest was standing outside the door.
Before this, when Su Xia was in Conch City, and was dealing with the "Left Eye Group" with Yi Yi's master Zhuang Ren, he rescued a group of East Continent residents who were trafficked to Conch City, including this young pastor.
At that time, after being rescued, the young pastor kept thanking God, which made Zhuang Ren very angry.
After all, they worked hard to save the people, but the young pastor didn't thank them. Instead, he thanked something that didn't exist at all.
"It turned out to be him. This is beyond my expectation."
Su Xia really didn't expect that she would meet this young pastor by chance just after arriving in the East Continent.
He turned the handle and opened the door.
Outside the door, the young pastor who was about to ring the doorbell again was stunned and wanted to say something, but when he saw Su Xia's appearance, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face.
"Ah, sir, why is it you?" The young pastor looked happy. Of course he remembered Su Xia. If it weren't for Su Xia, he might have died in the base of the Left Eye Group.
"Why can't it be me?" Su Xia asked with a smile.
"Aren't you still being controlled by the mechanical tribe..."
The young pastor shook his head and said nothing more.
The fact that this savior appeared here naturally meant that he had escaped the pursuit of the mechanical race.
"That's great! I have been worried about your safety these days. I pray to the Lord every day and ask the great Lord to bless you." The young pastor said happily.
"You are thoughtful."
Su Xia smiled and asked him, "What are you doing here?"
"Yes, the young lady living here is proficient in translation. There will be an event in a few days, and the bishop asked me to ask her to be a temporary translator." The young priest replied.
"Is there any activity going on in the church?" Su Xia asked with a smile.
"Yes, this is a special era. There are many heretical churches competing with us for believers. We must do more activities to spread the doctrine widely, let more people know us, and let those believers who have gone astray return to the right path." The young pastor replied.
"Well, come in."
Su Xia patted the young pastor on the shoulder.
In the room, the girl's call with her father had ended.
The young pastor explained his purpose to her, and the girl readily agreed, saying that she would go there in a few days.
After that, the young priest said goodbye.
Before leaving, he said to Su Xia, "Sir, you are a stranger in this continent and you are unfamiliar with the place. If you need anything, please contact me. I know many people in the church and I think they can help you."
"Um……"
Su Xia thought about it, and then said, "It is indeed necessary."
"What is it?" asked the young priest.
"I'm looking for someone. This is his photo. You may have seen it before." Su Xia took out a photo from his arms. The photo was of his father.
The young pastor took a closer look, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately said, "Ah, it's this old gentleman, he has been to our church."
"He was here?"
Su Xia was shocked and asked hurriedly: "When did he come? Is he still here now?"
"The old gentleman came a month ago. He seemed to know the bishop. He chatted with the bishop for a while, and then left. He has not come back since then." The young pastor answered seriously.
"Is your bishop still here?" Su Xia asked again.
"Yes, His Excellency the Bishop is always here."
"Take me to him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Xia suddenly received a task reminder.
[Mission "Record" Completed]
[Task reward "Unexpected Information" has been obtained]
That's right.
The arrival of the young priest was exactly that unexpected.
Afterwards, Suxia and the young priest said goodbye to the girl and went to the cathedral in the city.
The bishop of this church is a man in his sixties with gray hair. He wears a clergyman's robe and looks very kind.
When he learned the purpose of Su Xia's visit, he immediately invited Su Xia into the secret room behind the church.
After communication, Su Xia learned that the bishop and his father were indeed friends.
Daddy had saved his life.
Some time ago, Daddy brought his team to find the bishop and hoped that the bishop would provide cover for him.
The bishop immediately agreed, and used his connections and resources in the East Continent to escort Dad's team all the way to a very special area - the Forgotten Land!
"The forgotten land?" Su Xia wondered.
"Yes."
The old bishop nodded, looking serious, and said to Su Xia: "That is a deserted urban area. Due to the pollution of radioactive elements, it was abandoned after the war. Only a few creatures forgotten by the world roam in that area."
The old bishop handed Su Xia an electronic map.
The map detailedly marked the mountains and rivers, cities and towns, distribution of forces, etc. of the entire East Continent to facilitate Su Xia's actions in the East Continent.
The Forgotten Land is located in the north of New Testament City, in a wasteland of rolling yellow sand.
That area is mysterious.
It is said that some people have seen humanoid monsters appearing in it, and some have heard strange singing coming from it.
There are also legends that there is a race of "deformed people" inside, all of whom are humans contaminated by radioactive elements.
There are many legends and different opinions.
Even the mechanical race has never controlled that area, because there are no resources to be developed and no normal humans can survive there. Controlling it would only waste the mechanical race's limited storage resources.
"The Forgotten Land... I don't know if Dad and the others are there. Let's go check it out first..."
Carrying the map, Su Xia said goodbye to the old bishop and the young priest.
Without stopping, he set off immediately, heading for the abandoned land in the north.
After leaving the New Testament City, the prosperous world gradually faded away, and desolation and silence once again returned to Su Xia's eyes.
Su Xia's speed was neither fast nor slow. After six hours of flying, the [Forgotten Land] marked on the map finally appeared before his eyes.
There are several large lakes here, which were the industrial pearls of the East Continent before the war. Industrial cities were built along the lakes, and the cities were connected together. Hundreds of chimneys rose from the ground, supporting the industrial economy of the entire continent.
But later, with the leakage of radioactive waste, this area was no longer suitable for human survival, and people gradually moved away.
This area was slowly forgotten.
[Please note: You have entered the special map "Forgotten Land". This area is radioactively contaminated. If you feel unwell, please exit immediately.]
Su Xia narrowed her eyes and slowly descended.
The area is very windy and dusty, with howling gales blowing through the abandoned urban clusters, blowing away the former prosperity and bringing visible decay and desolation.
