The Tech World Is Not an Option

"How did you get here? That gear of yours... does that mean some department has already noticed this world's existence and sent you to investigate?" the short-haired girl asked.

Tu Ran shook her head.

She wished that were the case.

"Do you want to leave this place?" she asked.

"Yes!" The three of them nodded in unison. This place was too terrifying. "Do you have a way out?"

"I do, but it's risky," Tu Ran said seriously. "You've now traveled between two worlds. We call the connection between two worlds a Door. The entire universe doesn't just have two worlds; as far as we know, there are three, but in reality, there may be more. Countless worlds mean countless Doors. The world each Door leads to is uncertain—when you open a Door, you don't know which world you'll face."

"If you go to... a world I've been to before, you'll face a hail of bullets."

Tu Ran believed the Federal Government would welcome them exactly like that.

"A hail of bullets? Are we in a war era?" the short-haired girl asked.

Tu Ran paused. "...No, it's simply targeting—" She hesitated. The word "me" was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't say it. She changed course. "Targeting any species that doesn't belong to that world."

"I call it the Second World. If you enter the Second World, you might not be shot on sight. You might even survive, be taken to a lab, interrogated about where you came from, and have your memories read using some very advanced devices."

"Reading memories?" the white-dressed girl couldn't believe it. "There's such a device? Is the Second World's technology very advanced?"

"Yes. The First World doesn't stand much of a chance against the Second World. The rulers of the Second World like colonization, domination, hierarchy, and mass extinction. If you're unlucky enough to end up in the Second World, you won't just be in danger yourselves—you'll expose the First World's situation, and the First World will be in danger too."

The three fell silent.

After a long while, the short-haired girl asked weakly, "Can we just stay in this Shan Hai Jing world?"

Tu Ran pressed her lips together. "Can you protect yourselves from being eaten by the mutants? The one you encountered today isn't even the most ferocious here, nor the largest."

The three looked like they were about to cry.

After hearing Tu Ran's introduction, they felt their future was bleak, as if none of the worlds were meant for them.

"What about you? Where are you going? Can we follow you?" the white-dressed girl wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and asked between sobs.

Tu Ran shook her head firmly. "No, you can't. I can only protect you in this world for a short time. I won't stay here forever."

Tu Ran looked at the three bewildered people and let out a long sigh. "I'm telling you all this so you can be mentally prepared."

"When the next 'Door' appears, you'll leave. You might return to the First World, or you might end up in the technologically advanced Second World. I'll leave with you. If we're lucky, I'll go back to the First World with you. If we're unlucky... and things look bad, I'll try to bring you back here."

"Can we come back?" the white-dressed girl asked in confusion.

Tu Ran thought for a moment, then said cautiously, "I'm not sure if the Doors connecting each world are the same. The Door between the Shan Hai Jing World and the Second World stays open for a while before closing. During that time, you can enter or exit. If we really do end up in the Second World, I can delay the hail of bullets for a few seconds, giving you enough time to leave."

Tu Ran paused for a few seconds, a troubled look on her face. "But..."

"But what?" the three asked anxiously. This path was already the best option they had. Was there another catch?

"We'll be scattered to different corners of the Shan Hai Jing World. That's the rule of the Door connecting this world and the Second World. It's not like when you came from the First World, where you were all placed together."

The three's hearts sank to the bottom. They had no way to protect themselves, and if they were separated... then it was over.

Tu Ran looked at them. There was actually another method she hadn't mentioned.

Her "Shadow Storage" couldn't hold living beings for long without oxygen, but if they held their breath for just over twenty seconds, that would be enough for her to bring them back.

She didn't want to expose her ability to them just yet. She'd tell them when the time was right.

"Do you remember the place you came from? Let's go check it out. Maybe the Door is still there," Tu Ran said as she stood up.

The three exchanged glances, then all shook their heads, looking up at Tu Ran with embarrassment. "We were too panicked when we fled. We didn't remember the way."

Tu Ran: "...Fine." That was understandable.

"I'm going to find my partner. You can come with me."

The three stood up, and the white-dressed girl asked excitedly, "There are others like us here?"

"Strictly speaking, this world is full of our kind."

But before the three could be happy, Tu Ran changed her tone. "But these so-called 'our kind' are humans from the Tech World, not from the First World."

The three's faces fell instantly.

"Do you need to freshen up? There's a river over there," Tu Ran said.

The three looked at how dirty they were and nodded.

The three went to the river to wash their faces, while Tu Ran sat under a tree trunk by the riverbank to wait.

After a while, the white-dressed girl came over and asked sheepishly, "Do you have any shampoo or body wash? Or even soap?" She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "Water alone won't get it clean."

Tu Ran reached into her pocket and pulled out three packets of shampoo, handing them over.

"Thanks," the girl said, then ran off.

Watching her leave, Tu Ran took two sets of sportswear from her storage and walked over to hand them out. "Change into these. Dresses are inconvenient."

The three were curious about where she'd gotten the clothes, but none of them asked. They took them and thanked her repeatedly.

The four of them set off together.

Tu Ran walked in front, with the other three behind, clutching the daggers Tu Ran had given them, looking around with a mix of caution and curiosity.

Along the way, Tu Ran gave each of them a bottle of nutrient solution to replenish their strength.

The short-haired girl, whose name was Li Rui, was full of praise. "It's tasty, replenishes energy, and is convenient. It's amazing."

Tu Ran glanced back at her and smiled faintly. "If you could only afford this nutrient solution every day and couldn't afford any other food, you wouldn't think it tasted so good."

"Huh?" Li Rui was utterly shocked. She squeezed the bottle in her hand and blurted out, "This thing is cheaper than food? Has the Second World's ecology already collapsed?"

Tu Ran shot her an appreciative look and praised her without hesitation. "Smart."