Doomsday Wonderland

"Isn't this thing downright insulting?"

This phrase repeated several times before Cyrus snapped out of his thoughts.

He was floating in a sea of blue, surrounded by wisps of soft white clouds drifting lazily by. The bench beneath him was cushioned with thick, soft padding, while bright green vines and clusters of white and purple flowers coiled around its legs and armrests. It felt as though he were sitting in a vibrant springtime park, surrounded by blooming flowers.

While traditional parks were rare in Cloudwalk Heights, there were plenty of these solo scenic points. On clear days, these transparent bubbles, containing benches, flowerbeds, or other leisure facilities, were released into the air, tethered to the artificial ground below, and left to drift lazily with the breeze.

Despite their high price, they were extremely popular in Cloudwalk Heights. Not only did they offer a comfortable, private space to relax, but they also served as an effective means to avoid being tracked, monitored, or ambushed. Floating high in the sky with an unobstructed view of the ground below, while remaining hidden from outside observers, these bubbles provided an excellent escape route for those being followed. With a bit of clever planning, one could vanish through the bubble's escape tubes while the bubble itself continued to float in the air.

This was why Cyrus had taken Pete into one of these bubbles after Lin Sanjiu had left. Pete was currently fiddling with the collar and leash around his neck.

"I've been nothing but cooperative. I've told you everything I know," he said, sitting cross-legged on the other end of the bench. His gaze followed the leather cord to where it was tightly wrapped around Cyrus's wrist, held firmly in his grip. "You said you'd let me go when the time was right, and I get that. But putting me on a leash like this? Completely unnecessary. What are people going to think if they see this? They'll get all sorts of ideas about your hobbies."

To Cyrus, Pete's words were as weightless as the breeze, leaving no mark.

When Lin Sanjiu discovered the critical connection between the Shark Nexus and the bus, Cyrus had interrupted her, taking Pete away to tie him up and lock him in a separate room before returning to hear Lin Sanjiu's account of the guide she had coincidentally met. In other words, Pete only knew that he had once seen a high-altitude bungee jumping site in the CBD but had no idea what Lin Sanjiu had left to do.

The tour group link had to be kept secret from the Shark Nexus to ensure their actions remained undetected. As for Pete... Cyrus had no doubt that the moment he was released, he would immediately contact the Shark Nexus to complain, boast, and report what had happened. Until Lin Sanjiu traced the Shark Nexus through the tour group, Pete couldn't be allowed to leave.

Since Lin Sanjiu's aircraft was trapped in Chimeric City, they had to rely on Cyrus's craft, leaving Exodus together to head into Cloudwalk Heights. It was, in fact, Cyrus who piloted the aircraft and dropped Lin Sanjiu off at the public airship terminal.

Pete couldn't be left alone on the ship, nor could he be allowed to cause trouble outside, so Cyrus brought out a tool called [Leash for a Responsible Owner]. Anyone bound by it was like a tightly tethered dog, restricted to a limited range of activities permitted by the leash.

Actions such as retrieving items from spatial tools, using evolved abilities, fighting, or sending messages were, of course, outside the leash's allowed range. It worked on a whitelist system. The best part? The allowed range could be adjusted according to the leash owner's preferences, though there were some limitations on how far it could be adjusted. But Pete didn't need to know that.

"I can even remove talking from the list of allowed activities," Cyrus said, giving Pete a glance, his tone indifferent.

Pete immediately stopped complaining.

However, his silence didn't last long. After a while, he asked, "When is that lady coming back?"

Cyrus maintained a detached expression, but a subtle unease crept into his mind.

In anticipation of situations where communication might be inconvenient, Cyrus and Lin Sanjiu had implanted two miniature signal devices beneath the skin of their fingers before she left. Inspired by early Shadow Hall trackers, these devices allowed them to send each other signals even in the direst circumstances where speaking was impossible. The signals could also help them roughly locate each other.

Lin Sanjiu had been intrigued by the tiny devices and eager to try them out. Shortly after boarding the public airship, she used the device, sending Cyrus a signal to indicate that everything was going smoothly. The signal was subtle—a needle-like prick, yet unmistakable, pulsing once per second for five seconds. It meant she had successfully met with the tour guide, Bee Sting.

When Cyrus received the signal in his finger, he was walking with Pete through Grandcrest Collective, both wearing disguises. Pete was tethered to him by the leash.

Lin Sanjiu trusted her friends implicitly, but Cyrus didn't share the same faith in her ability to vet them. In his opinion, she had no vetting mechanism at all. Who knew if the posthuman she'd met by chance was trustworthy?

1

Cyrus didn't mention his plans to Lin Sanjiu. Instead, he carefully inquired about her and Bee Sting's shared experiences and then quietly conducted his own investigation in Grandcrest Collective. He even managed to slip into Bee Sting's small home. There, he found a book Lin Sanjiu had mentioned leaving for the tour guide, placed neatly by the pillow on the bed, with a bookmark tucked inside.

It was only after leaving Grandcrest Collective that Cyrus finally felt at ease.

The problem was, that had been four hours ago.

2

It was normal for Lin Sanjiu not to contact him during periods without progress, so the first hour of silence didn't raise alarms.

However, after waiting for two hours, Cyrus could no longer suppress the creeping unease building inside him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something crucial had been overlooked, some detail they had both missed. But no matter how much he wracked his brain, he couldn't figure out what could have gone wrong to suddenly cut off communication with Lin Sanjiu.

After tethering Pete and bringing him into the bubble, Cyrus scanned the area from his elevated vantage point. Seeing nothing suspicious nearby, he felt a slight sense of relief and began carefully reviewing each step they had taken.

First, he ruled out the dismantler. The craftsman had only been in Cloudwalk Heights for two days and had no idea where Exodus was located. Even if the Shark Nexus contacted him and learned he had interacted with Pete, there was no way they could know Lin Sanjiu's current whereabouts.

As for Eight-Heads De, who was trapped in Chimeric City, he knew nothing about Lin Sanjiu's plans and wouldn't divulge anything to Chimeric City's adversaries. After thinking it through, Cyrus concluded that the greatest uncertainty still lay with Pete.

Although there was no concrete evidence, Cyrus was nearly certain that Pete was far from as compliant as he appeared. From being released from the glass cup to being locked up on the ship, leaving Exodus for Cloudwalk Heights, and finally being brought into the secluded bubble, Pete must have done something even while restrained by the leash early on.

But what had he done?

1

How had he found an opportunity under such tight surveillance and restrictions?

And how much did the Shark Nexus know now?

Cyrus sat motionless on the bench, his piercing gaze fixed on Pete. The latter lounged back against the bench, limbs sprawled out, basking in the sunlight as though he had not a care in the world.

Cyrus couldn't afford to sit and wait any longer. Every second he wasted now might mean that the Shadow Hall would never recover. Moreover, with Lin Sanjiu's whereabouts unknown, he had to take action.

Life was a series of risks, and he could only hope his luck hadn't run out.

"I think it's about time," Cyrus said slowly. "It's time to let you go." 

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