An Old Friend in a Foreign Land

Surrounded by the scene, Tu Ran couldn't help but soften her breathing. She pressed a hand to her racing heart and edged quietly behind Xie Xu.

Instinctively, she felt a vague trust for the first human she'd met in this strange world.

Her movement caught his attention, and Xie Xu glanced sideways at her.

Just one glance—Tu Ran only caught the color of his pupils before he turned away.

Huh, blue eyes. She hadn't seen many like those before.

A foreigner?

But he spoke Mandarin.

Tu Ran wasn't quite sure of his ethnicity.

Xie Xu took off his helmet, revealing a head of pitch-black short hair, messy like a bird's nest.

Tu Ran, from behind: Oh, a fellow countryman.

Her heart stirred slightly.

Fellow townsfolk meeting in a strange land—tears well up in both pairs of eyes.

As he removed his helmet, the soldiers surrounding them in a tight ring split open a gap. A woman in black tactical gear stepped out from the opening.

She wore no helmet, and a cascade of golden waves shimmered in the sunlight.

She smiled as she spoke—in English.

Tu Ran's English listening barely scraped by, and she caught only a few common words: "you succeeded... lucky... No. 221... congratulations on coming home."

But from her tone, Tu Ran guessed it was a congratulation for their survival and return from the monster world.

In stark contrast to the golden-haired beauty's enthusiasm, Xie Xu gave only a slight nod and showed no intention of speaking.

The beauty didn't mind in the least and turned her gaze to Tu Ran.

The moment her eyes met Tu Ran's, a slightly exaggerated expression of distress appeared on her face.

She jabbered on for a bit, likely expressing her grief over the unknown tragic experiences Tu Ran had endured during the trip.

Tu Ran's spoken English was even worse. Too embarrassed to open her mouth, she could only stand there with a foolish smile.

The golden-haired beauty quickly realized this as well and helplessly cut the topic short, making a gesture for them to proceed.

Tu Ran instinctively glanced at Xie Xu. He tucked his helmet under his arm and walked forward calmly.

Tu Ran immediately followed, squeezing into the narrow path that only allowed one person through.

On both sides were seamlessly fitted pure-black shields, their surfaces covered in densely packed interlocking diamond patterns.

The gaps in the shields were also studded with countless firearms, their muzzles aimed directly at the two of them. As they advanced, the direction of the muzzles kept shifting.

Why were these people so wary of them?

Tu Ran was baffled.

After passing through the shield corridor, which stretched over ten meters, the view suddenly opened up.

A massive glass dome, like a transparent soap bubble, refracted the sun's multicolored light.

Tu Ran followed closely behind Xie Xu as he stepped inside, looking around with curiosity.

Unlike the tense, suffocating atmosphere moments ago, the inside of the glass dome was bustling with people and filled with the clamor of conversation.

She stayed glued to Xie Xu's back and joined a long queue.

A quick scan showed that most of the people in line were dressed identically, in very cool-looking exoskeleton armor.

Of course, there were also some like her, ragged and looking like they'd barely escaped with their lives.

Tu Ran guessed that these people must have all come out of worlds full of monsters.

What was odd, though, was that this glass dome had only two doors—one entrance and one exit.

The entrance connected to the heavily armed semicircular gun emplacement, tightly sealing off the front of the mountain.