Dark Moon Era

Su Yao saw Tang Ling deep in thought, so he did not interrupt the boy for a while. He tapped Tang Ling’s shoulder and casually walked to the window before he lit up another cigarette.

“I’m actually quite surprised that you went into the dream so quickly. You even survived your first dream. Furthermore, the injuries you sustained aren’t that serious either. I’m quite…”

Su Yao’s tone softened. He sounded like he was afraid of something, but at the same time, his expression showed a trace of comfort.

With his back facing Tang Ling, the boy could not get a clear look of his rugged face, but it was inevitable that he felt a little strange tug deep in his heart.

Why would the rigid Uncle Su Yao say something like this?   He even showed me sentiments similar to Grandmother. Am I overthinking?

However, Su Yao seemed to have no intention of continuing. He turned around and shot Tang Ling a stern look. “Anyway, kid, remember this. The dream might be dangerous, but as a man of this era, if you so much as step away, all you can do is live in degradation. Are you happy with that?”

“No! I’d never be happy with that,” Tang Ling replied with a stern face.

“Then, even if going into the dream means killing you, please don’t step away.” As he spoke, Su Yao’s mouth widened into his signature grin.

Killing me? Although Tang Ling already had a similar guess, when he heard it from Su Yao in person, his heart raced.

As expected, it was not just the injuries that would be mirrored. Dying in the dream will also be reflected in reality.

“Scared?” Su Yao teased Tang Ling mockingly.

“No, I’m just telling myself that I can’t die no matter what.” Tang Ling sounded blunt, but there was a solid determination in between the lines of his forehead.

“Good, very good. In this era, no matter what it is, as long as you have the courage to survive, that’s the bravest thing you can do.” Thick clouds of smoke flew out from Su Yao’s nostrils as he spoke. He gestured Tang Ling to wait in the room before he walked out by himself.

Less than three minutes later, Su Yao returned, and this time he had a backpack in his hand. “Kid, I’m not a stingy person. These are the clothes that you will be wearing in the next three years. I suppose that a boy shouldn’t be picky about his attire. Get changed and come with me.” Su Yao sounded indubitable.

Tang Ling accepted the backpack with a complicated feeling. His grandmother had been taking care of his clothing for as long as he could remember.

There were around three sets of clothes in the open backpack, plus several more tight suits that ranged from thin to thick material. It was not a lot but it was definitely enough for Tang Ling.

He took the clothes out and wore them quietly. The feeling of clothing touching his skin was a first for Tang Ling, hence it was a luxury to him.

These luxurious yet warm items were prepared by none other than Su Yao, the rugged and rough man.

Wearing grass-knitted clothing of the settlement in the Safety Sector was eye-catching after all.

Tang Ling was not great with his emotions, but unconsciously, Su Yao’s position rose higher deep in his heart.

******

Night arrived in Safety Sector No. 17, and unlike the settlement, the tall walls blocked the chilly wind that wreaked havoc at night. The cold night was not as unbearable anymore, hence people were not deterred from carrying out activities on their own.

Yellow lights lit up like the starry sky. Together with the Purple Moon in the sky, they brought light upon the Safety Sector.

The people walked on the bumpy streets in groups of two or three, seemingly enjoying the night.

The people had many destinations to go to. Some headed to the inn, some to the bar, and some to the places that Su Yao did not want to reveal to Tang Ling.

In short, a night in the Safety Sector was overwhelming to Tang Ling.

Now he knew that the night in the Safety Sector was not just safe, but it was also filled with a lot of interesting and things he had never seen before. The fun only started at night.

“Truth be told, this is just a lousy place.” Su Yao was disdainful about the place. He spat after giving a side-eye to the man who stared at his cigarette with an envious gaze.

The man gulped in fear and ran away quickly.

With Su Yao’s domineering muscles and absurdly huge physique, he was not someone to mess around with.

Tang Ling somehow felt very lively about the scene. At least, even inside the Safety Sector, the distribution of resources remained uneven.

Of course, Su Yao could not read Tang Ling’s mind. He pulled Tang Ling by the shoulder and grabbed him into a relatively clean and silent street.

This street was unlike the others as there were no tall or short buildings made of black stones on either side.

There was no crowd walking on the street, only soldiers in blue uniforms trimming the bushes and trees on the sidewalk quietly.

The street was exceptionally bright because there was a streetlamp installed every 10 meters, hence Tang Ling was able to see a very tall wall further away when he stepped into the street.

It was not as thick and tall as the sector walls of Safety Sector No. 17, but this wall had a metallic luster shining from top to bottom, emanating an indestructible feeling. Through the wall, Tang Ling saw the body of the familiar tower, plus the shapes of other tall buildings.

The view was similar to the one on the little hill. However, it was just a lot closer.

The scene was puzzling to Tang Ling. A wall within walls? What did it mean?

Su Yao was not interested in explaining. He grabbed Tang Ling together and they strode forward. The soldiers on either side of the sidewalk had no intentions to question their arrival either.

“Take this. This little toy cost me a lot of credits. You must pay me back in the future.” Su Yao took out an oval-shaped badge and gave it to Tang Ling.

Tang Ling received it blankly. The badge was grayish-white in color, but it was not clear. It also seemed like there were some impurities in the badge. In the center of the badge was an alphabet “I”.

A small part of Tang Ling’s memories in the Mysterious Shop recovered. He was no longer a stranger towards the alphabet, from how to read it to its meaning.

He even related the alphabet to the word of the language that it consisted—Inner, meaning interior?

What did it mean?

As he pondered, Su Yao dragged Tang Ling in front of the tall metallic wall. At the bottom of the wall was a big metallic gate with a luster almost brighter than the whole wall.

Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct started to operate unconsciously, but he could not get any answer on how much force was required to break the gate.

After all, his Precise Instinct was heavily limited when it came to an unfamiliar element.

“Identification.” A blank voice interrupted Tang Ling’s thoughts.

He looked up and saw purple armor and standard-issued swords. His heart tightened, followed by cold anger in his eyes.

The Purple Moon Warrior.

They were no longer Tang Ling’s idol but an ice-cold executioner.

Still, it did not mean that Tang Ling would show his emotions here and now. Those who couldn’t control their emotions back at the settlement had ended up in the belly of the wild beasts.

“Do I need to show mine?” Su Yao squinted his eyes. The aura that emanated from him somehow forced the Purple Moon Warrior a step back.

Although Su Yao did not want to put the Purple Moon Warrior in a difficult spot, he lifted Tang Ling by the chin and said, “Give him yours.”

Tang Ling did not say anything as he complied and gave him that oval-shaped badge.

Su Yao grinned as if he was praising Tang Ling’s sharpness. The Purple Moon Warrior took the badge, walked to the side of the gate, and slid it through a red glowing machine.

An entrance that allowed only a grown man to pass opened up in the center of the metallic door automatically.

After taking his badge back, Su Yao dragged Tang Ling in.

While Tang Ling was stupefied by the scene behind the gate, Su Yao spat a cloud of smoke out and casually said, “This bloody era sometimes makes me feel that we are very close to space, yet sometimes it feels like we’ve returned to our savage days.”