Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 238: Meeting

When Guo Ling and Tan Ping had fully adapted to the light outside, they found themselves beside a spacious river.

Tan Ping explained, "This is Houkun City's mother river, called Houkun River. The extension line of Central Road runs from Fengyao City through Houkun City to this river."

Guo Ling finally spotted the "Big Ingot" complex from afar, estimating it to be several hundred meters away. There was no sign of protest on Central Avenue at this time; pedestrians continued to walk at their own pace, some fast, some slow, and the traffic on the road was unimpeded.

He didn't know how much time had passed since he sneaked into the "Big Ingot", but everything seemed to have returned to calm.

"Let's switch back to our physical form." Guo Ling said.

"Why?" Tan Ping obviously hadn't had enough.

"Switch back first, and I'll tell you."

"..."

Tan Ping had no choice but to do as she was told, but when she regained her physical form, she did not see Guo Ling.

"Hey! Where are you?" she shouted subconsciously, but she didn't dare to be too loud and attract unnecessary attention.

As the former mayor of Houkun City, she stood out among the local leaders and was highly recognizable. If she were discovered by the Carbon Crown people now, all her efforts would be wasted.

Looking at her nervous look, Guo Ling couldn't help but laugh.

He did not intend to stand up Tan Ping, but before he switched into his physical form, he wanted to leave a message for Zhong Chenmu.

As for telling Tan Ping about the Turtle Clan, that would have to wait until he had regained his physical form. After all, the longer he stayed in virtual form, the higher the risk of being infected by the Turtle Clan.

Guo Ling did not wait for Zhong Chenmu's feedback, but he didn't want to wait any longer, so he switched into a physical form and appeared next to Tan Ping.

Tan Ping wanted to punch him a few times: "You scared me just now and left me here alone!"

Guo Ling didn't take the opportunity to tease her, but instead asked, "How do I get to the central water supply system?"

Tan Ping looked at him as if he were a fool: "Are you kidding me? You don't want to go there? It's underground! We just escaped from underground with so much difficulty, and now we have to go back?"

"The most dangerous place is the safest place. Didn't you say that your clan leader and a group of high-ranking officials are waiting for you to provide the last two codes? Let's go and meet them. This is certainly not the same as being taken away from prison."

"Don't let your imagination run wild! The security level of the central water supply system is extremely high, and it's buried deep beneath the 'Big Ingot', even deeper than the underground prison we just stayed in. There's no way we can get even a little closer without being discovered."

Tan Ping still expressed a different opinion. She thought Guo Ling must be crazy.

Guo Ling looked around and found that the two of them were at the intersection of the central road and the river bank. It was a T-junction and there was no obstruction around it, so it was easy to be discovered.

So, he suggested: "Let's find a more secluded place first, and let me talk to you in detail."

He tried his best to make his tone sound sincere so that Tan Ping wouldn't mistakenly think he had other ideas.

When Tan Ping was about to answer, he heard a voice from afar: "You kid! I thought you were my big brother, but you disappeared out of thin air and never came back. It turns out you were here to pick up girls! I really misjudged you!"

The words were filled with anger.

She turned her head and saw a man walking down the central road. He was dressed in rags and looked rather shabby, but his figure was relatively straight. He was staring at Guo Ling beside her, his eyes almost blazing with fire.

Guo Ling also heard this and looked in the direction of the voice. He was immediately stunned, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Brother, you have suffered! Come, let's have a good chat!"

As he spoke, he looked left and right at the road and found that there were no vehicles coming. Then he took a few steps forward, opened his arms, and pretended to hug the man.

The man didn't appreciate it at all and kicked him directly.

Guo Ling was prepared and dodged immediately, still smiling: "Okay, okay, you can kick me a few times to vent your anger, but I can dodge. When you calm down, we can talk business. I was just looking for you."

Tan Ping rolled her eyes and said, "As expected, men's words are deceiving. He just said he was going to the central water supply system..."

This man was none other than Zhang Chuyu.

When Guo Ling vanished from his sight, he'd assumed this newly recognized, long-overdue brother would return soon. But he waited and waited, but there was no sign of him. He didn't dare peek over to observe the movements on the other side of the flowerbed, so he remained there for a long time. Then, for some unknown reason, the protesters on Central Avenue, already sedated and reduced to zombies, filed into the towering walls of the "Big Ingot" like puppets.

This left him dumbfounded. After all, not long ago, this group of people had tried to rush in and smash everything inside, but now, it seemed as if they had been recruited.

"Could it be that the effects of sedatives are so terrifying? They could actually make them willingly make a decision completely contrary to their original intentions? If it's a stimulant, wouldn't the desire-enhancing effect it brings also be..."

Zhang Chuyu didn't dare to think further. He waited until the protesters had left and Central Avenue slowly returned to normal order. Then he quickly lowered his head, bent his waist, and walked quickly to the river.

Unexpectedly, before he even reached the river, he saw Guo Ling standing with a beautiful woman of about his age. The woman looked familiar to him, but he couldn't place her for a moment.

After listening to Zhang Chuyu vent his emotions and tell the whole story, Guo Ling patted him on the shoulder and said, "Okay, I owe you this, big brother. After we resolve this, I'll treat you to a big meal and some drinks."

Zhang Chuyu sneered: "I don't believe you."

Guo Ling pretended not to hear and continued to greet him: "Let me introduce you to a friend I just met, Tan Ping, the former mayor of Houkun City."

As he spoke, Guo Ling looked at Tan Ping.

But when Zhang Chuyu heard this name, he froze.