Chapter 2717: Ruins

It is said that Pu Yu came searching for the ancestral remains, and Zhuo Mingfeng and the other expressed their sympathy, suggesting that they could inquire with some local residents.

Indeed, there are residents alive in this underground relic and in this partition, some have even lived underground for decades.

"If your aunt really came here, someone must know."

The group quickly arrived at the real underground relic—perhaps the entire city had sunk underground, or the rampant growth of mutant plants had buried the original city. In any case, the city before their eyes was still more or less intact; though skyscrapers were gone, some small buildings were enveloped by mutant plants, offering them a form of protection.

Strangely, this part of the city seemed detached from the rocks above, layers upon layers of mutant plants covered everything above. Though sunlight didn’t filter through, the abundance of glowing plants and insects provided illumination underground.

Evidently, players were managing the area, ensuring power supply, with lights on in many places and residents doing small businesses.

On their way back, Zhuo Mingfeng and the other received greetings from many, as people living here all knew each other.

"Brother Mingfeng," a young woman in her twenties ran up, surveyed Xu Huo’s group, and smiled, "Are they from outside too?"

The people originally living in this partition were easily distinguishable from the outside players. People from this partition had pale skin and visible veins, with mostly white hair, while outside players were not too different from Xu Huo and his group. Some, having stayed longer, had skin color changes.

The group found players monitoring them overtly and covertly along the way, leading Xu Huo to find it odd that there were so many players lingering here.

Soon, this puzzle was explained.

Zhuo Mingfeng led them to visit the grandfather of the young woman. According to him, this partition indeed had some players, and several players unable to survive on the surface were brought down here. Unfortunately, the players of this partition had gradually died over the years, with their protection now coming from outsiders.

Pu Yu was most concerned about her little aunt’s remains.

"We don’t have many outsiders here. What does the person you mentioned look like? If she came down here, I’d surely remember." The old man asked.

Pu Yu took out a group photo, "Take a look at this photo, have you seen anyone here?"

The old man’s eyes narrowed as he studied the photo. After a while, he pointed out two people, "They have been here."

Pu Yu’s expression grew less eager, "Are they still alive or have they already passed away?"

The old man shook his head, "You should be able to find the living ones here. There are belongings left behind by outsiders in the back warehouse; you could check if there’s anything of theirs."

"If you find something, have Mingfeng take you to the cliffs at the cemetery. Over the years, bones found nearby have all been collected and buried there."

"Thank you." Pu Yu expressed her gratitude and followed the young woman to the warehouse.

The warehouse indeed contained many items, mostly broken, some even stained with blood.

"You can look for it slowly." The young woman led the way then turned and left.

Xu Huo glanced at Yan Jiayu, and she carrying her backpack followed them out.

"Is there a problem?" Xu Huo asked Pu Yu.

Pu Yu sighed with disappointment, "The photo I brought isn’t a picture of my aunt and her colleagues. The people in the photo are living well outside."

"Do they have any reason to lie about this?" Xu Huo paused, "But since the items are here, you should still check."

Pu Yu first browsed through and then dug out a box from a corner. Stopping at the sight of a pattern on the side, "This is my aunt’s laboratory’s badge."

She immediately scattered the contents out, her fingers paused shortly in the process, and she pulled out a broken bracelet. While the bracelet was made of ordinary material, it bore special symbols proving it belonged to her aunt.

"So she really died here," Pu Yu said, "But why would they lie?"

Not insisting on pursuing an answer, she sought out Zhuo Mingfeng to express her intention to visit the cemetery.

Upon learning she found her relative’s belongings, Zhuo Mingfeng didn’t delay, leading them directly there. Meanwhile, Yan Jiayu returned, sharing gathered information with Xu Huo.

Firstly, people of this partition largely suffered from genetic diseases, making it hard for them to distinguish facial features. They often mistakenly identify people by clothing and accessories.

Moreover, they weren’t entirely living underground; through years of effort by players, the mutant plant zone remained relatively stable, allowing for occasional trips to near-ground areas. However, they couldn’t endure sunlight anymore, thus not easily venturing to the surface.

As for why players lingered here, Outer Zone players suggested it might be due to high-energy overlapping in mobile partitions. They could be in a zone temporarily unaffected by games, but once the partition moves away, those lingering might still get transported, hence many Outer Zone players were preparing for this.

Listening to her words, Xu Huo now realized that those excessively pale-skinned locals indeed had poor eyesight, not only misrecognizing people but having trouble distinguishing some colors.

Heading through the streets and out of the city, the group reached a cliff far from the city, where hundreds of small unnamed grave mounds lay against the stone wall.

Estimating the time of Pu Yu’s aunt’s arrival, Zhuo Mingfeng pointed to a spot, "There’s quite a lot, can you handle it? Need me to get someone to help?"

Pu Yu handed him a prop, "We can manage on our own."

"Be careful. Call for me if you need anything; I’ll be over there." Zhuo Mingfeng pointed to a distant spot.

Pu Yu’s group brought equipment, and with little help needed from Xu Huo, he went over to chat with Zhuo Mingfeng, "Any trouble with snakes underground?"

"Snakes?" Zhuo Mingfeng said, "Did you encounter snakes?"

Raising an eyebrow, Xu Huo remarked, "Aren’t these underground passages made by snakes digging?"

It couldn’t be that the remaining locals played around digging tunnels underground.

"There are some special mutant plants here; snakes usually dare not come close." Zhuo Mingfeng chuckled, "I’ve been here for a while, never seen one. What kind of snake did you encounter?"

"About ten meters thick, spanning the width of a street," Xu Huo said, "Covered with rocks, quite hard to spot."

"Gosh! That big? Never seen one of those," Zhuo Mingfeng remarked, "Things are usually quite calm here."

Xu Huo’s expression grew somber, then continued, "Once they’ve found the remains, we’d trouble you to escort us to the Sky Pit. We left things there, getting out would be safer."

Zhuo Mingfeng laughed, "No problem, helping till the end!"