Crow's Paradise

Yao Yan flapped his hazy wings that looked like shadows with a hint of ink stains, flying in the gray area.

All kinds of chaotic and different buildings are mixed together. There are at least three or four types of buildings in one building, as many as seven or eight. Even if Yao Yan can identify them, there is no point in identifying them.

Flying, he didn't know how long it took, and he came to several huge "streets" made of winding steel supports.

But instead of streets, would it be more aerial tubes?

Because this "street" extends all the way up, sometimes steeply and sometimes gently.

Black smoke, gun barrels, exposed internal combustion engines, the atmosphere of diesel punk is revealed, and they are intertwined with pipes, gears, pressure valves, and various common elements of steam punk, and are roughly assembled into a dark and huge thing like a black snake. Metal pipes.

From his current perspective, the huge metal pipes that were broken everywhere were crawling from top to bottom.

Flapping his wings, Yao Yan entered the "Shekou", entered the shabby place, and walked through the rusty metal that looked like snake carcasses.

There are gaps everywhere on the steep metal streets, and there are also incomplete guardrails between the almost floating buildings on both sides of the road.

Although he couldn't see the light source, Yao Yan didn't care.

After all, the outside is just like here, no light source is needed, and the scenery everywhere can be "seen".

However, there is no direct light source, so it looks very eerie and dim.

However, there are so few people here.

When I was alive, before that catastrophe, I would feel uncomfortable whenever I went to a place and saw no one.

After the catastrophe, although he lived for many years with basically no mobility, he actually spent most of his time immersed in virtual reality games.

After all, I can't move my body at all, and there's nothing else to do unless I'm immersed in the game.

In the game, in an environment that is different from reality, in a "prosperous" situation without catastrophic disasters, it is rare for there to be few "people".

And here.

In this present where he doesn't know exactly what happened, this world has some unclear connection with the two games he is familiar with, this Buzhou Mountain, this place of chaos, with no human beings.

It didn't move him in any way.

There is no emotion or nostalgia.

Flapping his wings, Yao Yan observed carefully on the quiet snake-shaped metal street without any sound.

However, at this moment, he suddenly heard a continuous, clanging sound from high up.

A black shadow hit him diagonally above him nearly two hundred meters away after several consecutive collisions between the huge metal brackets that looked like snake bones on the inside of the snake-shaped metal street.

Humanoid

Although he couldn't see the figure clearly, Yao Yan could roughly determine the outline.

Flapping his wings, Yao Yan flew directly over.

Torn white gloves, somewhat tattered leather boots, and a top hat with several round holes in the middle.

The figure lying on the ground, pierced by metal spikes, came into Yao Yan's eyes.

Is this a person?

However, although the other party's body was somewhat damaged, there was no leakage of fluids such as blood.

However, soon, Yao Yan saw the other party move.

The hands on the tattered metal pocket watch taken out of the other party's tattered tuxedo suddenly turned upside down, and then——

The figure pierced by metal spikes suddenly floated up——

When Yao Yan stepped back, the figure who was completely separated from the spikes kicked out and broke the spikes. After spinning in the air, he fell to the ground.

It was at this time that Yao Yan saw the other party's appearance clearly——

A messy, yellowed body like dry straw.

On the face, a piece of paper with facial features composed of simple lines is nailed to it with a rusty nail.

one.

scarecrow?

The other party also noticed him at this moment, and then——

The facial features composed of simple lines suddenly turned into an exclamation point, and then the scarecrow took out a wooden sign:

[welcome! ]

"Um?"

Yao Yan didn't have any meandering thoughts and directly asked what he wanted to know:

"Who are you?"

[Ah? ]

On the paper hanging on the scarecrow's face, the facial features composed of simple lines suddenly turned into a question mark, and another wooden sign was taken out from somewhere:

[Not a customer? ]

Before Yao Yan could answer, the scarecrow in a tuxedo changed another wooden sign:

[One life for one! ]

[Killing business! ]

[Children are innocent! ]

After changing several wooden cards in succession, an expectant expression composed of simple lines appeared on the paper on the scarecrow's face.

However, knowing the condition of "one life for one life", Yao Yan would not be able to entrust it even if he had business.

Still, it’s better to ask.

"One life for another? Do you have to give me my life in exchange?"

After Yao Yan asked this question, the scarecrow in the tuxedo nodded repeatedly.

It also once again revealed the wooden card of "Children are innocent".

But it was impossible for Yao Yan to trade this kind of exchange.

Is there anyone worth killing in exchange for his life?

Yao Yan, who currently puts his own life first, would naturally not be able to agree.

Moreover, he has no goal that needs to be done.

Yao shook his head and opened his beak:

"I don't have this need."

Hearing this, the scarecrow seemed to be discouraged and sat on the ground holding the wooden sign.

Yao Yan did not continue to pay attention to its meaning, bypassed the other party, and flew higher up the snake path.

However, at this moment, he suddenly remembered something and turned around and asked:

"you know"

[have no idea]

Before he could ask a question, the scarecrow held up the sign.

"here it is"

[Don’t understand]

Before Yao Yan could finish asking, the scarecrow changed another wooden sign.

"goodbye."

[Not answering]

The scarecrow holding up the sign was stunned for a moment, and a question mark appeared on the paper on his face again.

However, before the scarecrow could say anything, Yao Yan had already bypassed the scarecrow and flew away along the snake path without looking back.

The scarecrow was left standing with a question mark on his face.

However, it has no intention of following up.

It looked at the end of the snake path, and the question mark on its face turned into a period in the next moment.

Yao Yan didn't fly very far before he stopped.

Because, in front of him, a black mist suddenly appeared.

and

Almost instantly, it enveloped his body and enveloped him in black mist.

The moment he entered the black mist, he saw a series of chaotic and complicated stairs.

Thousands? Tens of thousands?

Like a maze of roads that were too dense, complicated, and blocked each other, it was impossible for Yao Yan to complete calculations and judgments.

In this scene, he didn't know which staircase he had stepped on. In the feeling of ascent, he saw the starry sky again.