Chapter 107: Arrival at the Island

Chapter 107: Arrival at the Island

After more than an hour, Chen Shouyi got off the train and hailed a taxi.

He noticed that the martial law in Dongning City had been lifted. Apart from the increased number of patrolling police officers, there were no soldiers in sight on the streets. However, the city remained as desolate as before. Prolonged power outages had led to the decline of commerce, factory shutdowns, and mass unemployment, severely impacting Dongning City's economic vitality.

The faces of passersby seemed gloomy, and beggars littered the streets. A few plastic bags fluttered in the wind, adding to the bleak atmosphere. Chen Shouyi averted his gaze and closed his eyes to rest, feeling a heaviness in his heart.

Dongning City was just a microcosm of the entire nation. Apart from a handful of first- and second-tier cities that maintained a distorted prosperity due to the siphoning effect of resource allocation, most other regions had likely been in this state for over a year or two.

...

He got out at the hotel where he had previously stayed, paid the fare, and retrieved his luggage from the taxi's trunk. Noticing the words "Electricity Available" prominently displayed near the entrance, he walked inside.

The pretty receptionist at the hotel brightened upon seeing him. "Handsome, you’re finally here! Your package arrived a long time ago."

"Oh, you still remember me?" Chen Shouyi said, surprised. In truth, after more than a month had passed, he had long given up hope on the package. The only reason he chose this hotel was its proximity to the Spatial Gateway.

"Of course! I have a great memory for handsome faces," the receptionist said with a smile. "I’ve been keeping an eye on your package for you."

"Thank you so much. I’d like to book a single room for two nights."

"That’ll be 150 for the room, plus a 100 deposit," the receptionist said.

"That cheap?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"Yeah, but there aren’t many guests these days," she replied, her chubby face tinged with melancholy. Her salary had been cut in half, and without occasional support from her parents, she wouldn’t have been able to survive.

...

Chen Shouyi took the package and entered his room.

He tore open the tape and unwrapped the package. Inside were seven bundles of arrows: 100 high-speed arrows, 20 spin-stabilized arrows, and 10 whistling arrows.

For this trip, he had only brought his War Bow and sword. Since he needed a large number of arrows, he had originally planned to purchase them from a local weapons shop in Dongning. Now, he had saved himself the trouble.

He had already accepted the exploration mission and was only waiting for dawn in the Otherworld. Before coming, he had synchronized his watch. Checking it now, he saw he still had about an hour to spare.

Grabbing his briefcase, he left the hotel to buy some supplies.

Soon, he arrived at a nearby large supermarket. Though the shelves were well-stocked, the store was nearly empty of customers.

He bought two roast ducks, 2.5 kilograms of cooked beef, 1.5 kilograms of braised pork knuckle, five compressed biscuits, and two large bottles of mineral water. After some thought, he decided it should be enough—his appetite had grown considerably, and this amount would only last him three meals.

Next, he purchased a large suitcase from the supermarket.

Returning to the hotel, he packed everything into the suitcase.

Once everything was ready, he didn’t linger and headed straight for the wormhole in Dongning City.

...

"Military Restricted Area, No Unauthorized Entry!"

Chen Shouyi pulled out an Explorer Certificate, and after a quick inspection by a soldier, he was immediately let through.

Passing through the high walls, the spot where the unfinished building once stood had now been replaced by a massive cylindrical structure about 30 meters in diameter and over 20 meters tall. Numerous cannons and machine guns stationed in watchtowers tightly guarded the spatial gateway.

His documents were checked three times in succession before he was finally granted unimpeded passage.

Pushing open a thick iron door, he smoothly arrived at the gateway.

Compared to the open-air spatial gateway that had once been in the parking lot, the surroundings were now reinforced with thick concrete. Judging by its thickness, Chen Shouyi estimated that even heavy artillery would struggle to demolish it quickly.

Staring at the gateway right before him, he took a deep breath and stepped inside without hesitation.

As space shifted around him, a long-lost sensation rose in his heart.

His innate ability had fully awakened.

He could feel his wind-control ability had grown significantly stronger without him even realizing it.

Tendrils of gentle wind, like obedient spirits, swirled docilely around him, making his clothes flutter and his hair sway.

Unfortunately, this ability only worked in the Otherworld.

If it were effective on Earth, he’d be the kind of person who made an entrance with wind effects—now that would be a different level of cool.

After playing around for a bit, Chen Shouyi quickly got back to business.

Carrying his suitcase, he strode toward the beach.

He noticed signs of preliminary exploration—fresh footprints dotted the ground.

This wasn’t surprising. While the military might be critically short on Martial Artists, there were plenty of Martial Artist Apprentices. A company-sized garrison force definitely had the strength to conduct initial reconnaissance of an unknown spatial gateway.

A few canoes were left untouched in the distance, clearly unused.

What gave Chen Shouyi a headache, however, was the rainwater pooled inside them—evidently, it had rained here recently.

What a hassle!

Untying the canoe’s rope, he took off his pants, waded into the seawater, and climbed aboard.

After placing his suitcase at the bow, he set about dealing with the accumulated water.

He hadn’t anticipated this situation and hadn’t brought any proper tools. After some thought, he resorted to cutting a large bottle of mineral water in half and scooping the water out bit by bit.

It took him a full hour to finally empty the canoe.

Then, he released Shell Woman.

She had already woken up, and returning to the Otherworld had her absolutely ecstatic.

"Hurry, hurry!"

The moment she was freed, she immediately took flight, darting around excitedly before soaring higher and farther away.

This was the first time he hadn’t restrained her upon arriving in the Otherworld.

"Don’t fly too far!" Chen Shouyi quickly stood up and shouted.

But his words were useless against her excitement. Soon, she became a barely visible speck in the distance, and moments later, even that speck vanished.

"She’s way too unruly!" Chen Shouyi shook his head helplessly, though he remained fairly calm, confident she’d return obediently once she’d had her fill of flying.

But after five minutes, Shell Woman still hadn't returned, and his confidence began to waver. Uncertainty crept into his heart.

Had she abandoned even Bei Qi?

Did she not want the large gem stashed in his backpack anymore?

Had she truly seized the chance to escape for freedom?

By the ten-minute mark, he grew anxious, constantly scanning the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Sigh… I was too soft-hearted.

I should have tied her up from the start.

After another agonizing ten minutes, he gave up all hope. His heart felt hollow, as if he had lost something irreplaceable.

"Well, compared to freedom, what’s a gem worth? She can always wean herself off cartoons, right?"

"Maybe it’s for the best. At least she won’t have to suffer being locked in a backpack to avoid exposure."

He tried to console himself, but his face betrayed his disappointment. Forcing himself to focus, he picked up the oar and began rowing.

Just then, he faintly heard Shell Woman’s voice. A spark of excitement surged in his chest, and he quickly looked up—but saw nothing.

"Was it just my imagination?"

The voice grew clearer, seemingly coming from behind. He turned around and spotted a tiny figure struggling through the air about thirty meters away, clutching a glass bead nearly as big as herself.

She panted heavily, her flight erratic and sluggish, like a snail’s pace. Several times, she nearly plunged into the sea, only to redouble her efforts and barely stay aloft.

From afar, she kept shouting between gasps: "Huff… Giant! I hid another… another gem on the island! Giant, hurry and get it for me!"

A few seconds later, she landed on Chen Shouyi’s shoulder, clinging desperately to the glass bead as she wheezed, "That… nearly killed me!"