Chapter 323: An Era Where He Is Like a Fish in Water

This thought appeared in Chen Ling’s mind and wouldn't go away. He finally realized what this USB drive represented in his hands……

It represented that he had the qualifications to investigate the origin of the "Great Catastrophe."

“A-Ling!! A-Ling!!!”

Just as Chen Ling was thinking, an excited voice suddenly rang out from afar. A woman rushed downstairs, shouting with tears on her face.

“Mom saw you…… Mom saw you just now!!”

“Those workers moving the wreaths also said they saw you downstairs! Mom knows you came back!”

“Soul or ghost, it doesn't matter…… come back and talk to Mom again, okay? Do you know how your father and I spent this day……”

“It’s Mom’s fault…… Mom pushed you too hard. Mom shouldn't have been so anxious to let you experience society…… Your death is Mom’s fault. Mom knows she was wrong……”

“Come back and let us see you again…… just one look is enough……”

The woman cried heart-rendingly, her red eyes already cried dry. She sat powerlessly on the ground, patting the ground again and again with her hands, as if venting the regret and pain in her heart.

The security door on the first floor was opened, and a group of relatives followed, helping her up from the ground one after another.

“Oh, Caiyun…… what nonsense are you talking about!”

“Yes…… the child died in an accident, how could it be your fault…… Alright, alright, get up quickly, stop crying.”

“Maybe the child came back to see you and fulfill a wish, and now he’s gone…… No matter how much you cry, he won't come back……”

“Caiyun…… let A-Ling rest in peace, okay?”

Chen Ling watched this scene from a corner, his gaze extremely complex…… He placed one hand gently on his chest, like a silent statue.

Even though he no longer had a heart, and even though the twisted divine path suppressed his emotions, he could still feel the sadness and reluctance welling up from the depths of his soul, stinging him like needles.

His empty chest was in pain.

“……As of 5:45 PM, the military has sealed off the area around Shennongjia. The scientific research team led by the astrophysicist is expected to arrive within five hours……”

“……Our reporter will continue to report for you.”

The sound of the news echoed behind Chen Ling. He knew he didn't have much time left. After a moment of silence, he tore slightly at his chin with his fingertips and walked straight toward the unit door.

Perhaps because Caiyun’s voice was too loud, the commotion had attracted several onlookers. They looked at the woman sitting on the ground at the unit door and the many wreaths behind her, their eyes filled with pity…… But more people just glanced from afar and hurried away, as if afraid that the bad luck of the dead would rub off on them.

The relatives helped Caiyun up, struggling to move her from the ground. Before she could stand steady, she stumbled and fell forward.

As everyone exclaimed, a pair of hands firmly supported her.

Caiyun froze for a moment and looked up. It was a young man in a brown coat wearing half-rimmed glasses, the silver glasses chain shining brightly in the sun.

He looked at her and asked with concern:

“Are you okay?”

“……I’m fine.” Caiyun stood up with pale lips and squeezed a smile. “Thank you…… young man.”

“You’re welcome.” The young man smiled slightly. He looked at the wreaths at the unit door. “Don't be too sad. Since he came back to see you, it means he was thinking of you…… Being able to leave peacefully is a good thing, isn't it?”

Caiyun looked at him blankly. For some reason, she felt that this young man had an inexplicable sense of affinity.

“Young man…… you, you’re not from around here, are you?”

“No, I’ve returned from afar.” The young man paused.

“Perhaps one day, your son will also return from afar…… At that time, everything will start anew.”

A look of confusion flashed across Caiyun’s face. Before she could ask anything else, the young man let go of her hand, smiled, and turned to leave…… The brown coat left the entrance of the residential area alone and walked straight ahead……

He disappeared into the bustling traffic.

Chen Ling ultimately did not reveal his identity to her. It wasn't just because there wasn't enough time; more importantly, he knew clearly that everything here was just a save file.

At this moment, he was no longer the naive urban youth who had just traveled to the Aurora Realm. His reason told him that until he truly completed the "restart," everything was meaningless…… He was willing to bet everything just to go home in the real world.

After leaving the residential area, Chen Ling walked straight to the nearest subway station.

To get from this city to Shennongjia, he needed to take a plane and then a high-speed train. Chen Ling didn't know the exact time, but five or six hours was quite tight, and he had to set off immediately.

He walked to the entrance, passed the security check, and suddenly stopped in front of the ticket gate…… He realized a serious problem.

Perhaps because he had stayed in the Aurora Realm for too long, Chen Ling had forgotten that taking the subway cost money. Now, not only was he penniless, but he didn't even have a mobile phone. Let alone taking a plane or a high-speed train, he couldn't even enter the subway station!

Should he go buy one now? But he had no money…… Steal it directly from a passerby? Although he knew this was an era save file, if there was another choice, Chen Ling really didn't want to do such a thing.

After a brief thought, Chen Ling set his eyes on the ticket gate.

As pedestrians scanned their mobile phone QR codes or subway cards on the sensor, passing through the gate smoothly, some theoretical knowledge about electromagnetic induction appeared in Chen Ling’s mind. His eyes narrowed slightly.

He walked straight to a gate in the corner and tentatively tapped the sensor with his hand.

Snap——!

The next moment, the entire subway station plunged into darkness.

It wasn't just the subway station; several nearby residential buildings also suddenly lost power. Chen Ling heard exclamations from all over the subway station and knew he had messed up.

It was his first time using this skill. Without precise control, he seemed to have used too much force…… In the darkness, Chen Ling tapped the gate again.

“Please pass.”

A loud voice sounded from the gate, and a conspicuous green arrow jumped out from the screen beside Chen Ling’s hand. In the pitch-black subway station, this only lit-up screen was extremely conspicuous, instantly attracting everyone’s attention.

At this moment, both pedestrians and the staff rushing to repair the circuit were stunned…… The entire subway station had lost power, so how could this gate still work??

Chen Ling’s mouth twitched slightly. He immediately passed through the open gate and walked into the powerless subway station. Four or five seconds after he left, the circuit automatically recovered, and the entire subway station returned to light…… But by now, Chen Ling had disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Chen Ling, who had already changed his face, stood in front of the subway glass door with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ubiquitous electronic screens and communication equipment around him, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.

The next moment, the surfaces of all the screens began to flicker between light and dark. He stood in the reflection of the crazily flickering screens, like a ghost.

The corners of Chen Ling’s mouth rose slightly.

He knew that in this era, the Aurora Lord’s skill…… he had drawn the right one.