Chapter 1228
[Immortal Realm Chapter] Wasteland World, Immigration Enforcement
The woman was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth. She hadn't even seen how those thugs who were chasing her had fallen.
The person in front of them did nothing, but an invisible aura froze the surrounding wind.
Under the scorching sun, it felt unusually cold, as if I had fallen into an ice cellar!
"Why are you asking this? It's just a legend; who knows if it's true or not?"
"Legend? Legends aren't always baseless."
Lin Shan smiled, glanced at the mountain of garbage beside him, and walked straight to the side, gesturing for her to follow behind.
Upon seeing this, the woman immediately got up, rushed to the group of thugs, checked their breathing and found they were only in a deep coma. She quickly took all the guns and jogged to catch up with the others.
After some conversation.
Lin Shan learned that the woman's name was Qu Ying, that she had lived in the camp since she was a child, and that after her grandfather died she inherited the skill of picking up trash and made a living by constantly searching on Taobao.
She had finally saved up enough for a boat ticket and planned to leave this awful place by boat. So before leaving, she borrowed a large sum of money from loan sharks, intending to use it as start-up capital for a new life. However, the loan sharks noticed that she was trying to run away, so they deliberately chased after her!
This shows that Qu Ying is a ruthless person with courage. According to her, she borrowed the money through her own abilities, so why should she pay it back?
As for recognizing the cultivator's magic weapon at a glance, it was because that thing was something he had picked up and thrown away years ago, which was later somehow found by that little boy.
“My grandfather told me that a long, long time ago, there were cultivators in this world. They were all capable of flying and disappearing into the earth. Later, an unexpected event caused a major change in the universe, making it no longer suitable for cultivation and enlightenment. That is why technology has flourished.”
"And who is your grandfather?"
"He was once a wanderer of the void, having traveled to many worlds in his youth. It is said that he met true cultivators, but in his later years, he lost all his wealth and ended up here in poverty, which is why he took me in."
Most of what Qu Ying knew came from her grandfather. She had also picked up this magical artifact when she was a child, but it was nothing more than an old piece of junk.
After learning the whole story, Lin Shan became even more interested!
Because she learned some shocking news: Qu Ying's grandfather had seen cultivators in this void before his death!
Ordinary people have short lifespans, but as long as a cultivator can advance beyond the Foundation Establishment stage, their lifespan will increase exponentially, and decades will pass in the blink of an eye. The cultivators her grandfather had seen might not have passed away by then.
In this degenerate age, the fact that cultivators still exist suggests that we might be able to obtain some secrets from them.
Did your grandfather ever mention where he met the cultivator?
"It seems to be a place called Steel Furnace World."
Qu Ying didn't know where the Steel Furnace World was, and Lin Shan was completely clueless, not even knowing how to get there.
Fortunately, she suggested that the two of them travel together by boat to the only city in the wasteland tomorrow, where they should be able to find relevant information.
Day two.
Just as dawn broke, a small dot appeared on the horizon, accompanied by a deafening rumble, and a box-shaped metal transport ship approached from afar.
It flew over the landfill, then opened the lower hatch and, without warning, began dumping garbage.
In a short time, a small mountain was piled up, the sheer number of which was astonishing, before the spaceship landed smoothly.
Numerous figures, like rats drawn by the scent, rushed from all directions, plunging into the fresh pile of garbage to begin rummaging through it.
The people on the spaceship ignored all of this. Instead, the gangway descended, and a line of more than a dozen armed personnel came out and stood in formation. Then, a man in a sharp suit walked in the middle.
The man looked around, raised the megaphone in his hand, and shouted three times in a row.
"Listen up, everyone! Tickets for the Wasteland Armed Sanitation Company's ship are now on sale. Passengers who are preparing to board and leave, please be at the entrance of the landfill within half an hour. Latecomers will not be waited for!"
After he finished speaking, he threw down the megaphone, and several armed men carrying submachine guns immediately brought over tables and chairs. After he sat down, they even set up thick sun umbrellas.
In less than half an hour, about fifty people were already queuing in front of the table. Most of them were carrying large and small bags, and it seemed that they were going to the city to do business or buy goods.
Qu Ying and Lin Shan joined the queue at the back. The two of them were dressed lightly and looked a bit out of place among the others.
One by one, they paid the boarding fee. Lin Shan's portion was naturally covered by the gang of thugs from yesterday, who managed to scrape together just enough for a ride.
After everyone had paid, the man in the suit stood up and gave instructions to the person next to him.
"Open the hatch, help them load the cargo, and get them ready to board the ship for their return journey!"
Then everyone boarded the spaceship in an orderly manner. No matter how arrogant they were in the camp, they had to bow their heads and behave themselves in front of the Armed Sanitation Company, after all, they were their bread and butter.
After Lin Shan and Qu Ying got on, they chose a seat towards the back and inside. They opened the sunshade and looked at the sandstorm raging outside. The conditions here were really harsh.
After the group finished loading the cargo, the entire spaceship shook, followed by a huge noise. Then it felt like it was suspended in mid-air, and a surge of thrust suddenly appeared. In an instant, it pierced the sky and disappeared without a trace!
After about an hour, from the wasteland that looked like a no-man's-land when viewed from above, to the sudden appearance of an industrialized city, Lin Shan couldn't help but be reminded of long-forgotten memories.
This world is somewhat similar to the previous one, but only in the aftermath of the disaster. It lacks the vibrant energy of life, and the colors are monotonous and gloomy. Many factories emit excessive amounts of polluting gases from their tall chimneys, openly and blatantly, and no one seems to care. They are simply left to run rampant.
The spaceship gradually landed at a garbage disposal plant on the outskirts of the city. Then the gangway was lowered, and the people on board were forced off one by one, throwing all their bags and belongings on the ground.
Those people didn't dare to complain and quickly and efficiently carried their belongings. An acquaintance stepped forward to greet Qu Ying:
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and move! We need to catch the first train into the city!"
Lin Shan looked over and saw that it was the same "Uncle Tie" he had met yesterday, carrying a large bag of hand-made tools, and hurriedly running to the railway tracks opposite the garbage dump.
The two followed and waited for a short while before they saw an old, dilapidated train approaching from a distance, with people dressed as vagrants sitting on the roof of the carriages.
The train wasn't moving fast. As it passed by, Uncle Tie suddenly used his shoulder and hip strength to throw the heavy bag onto the carriage. Then he took a running start and climbed onto the train, waving to the two men to hurry up and catch up.
Lin Shan and Qu Ying, being young and agile, quickly followed suit and climbed up as well. Everyone on the boat followed suit, their movements skillful, clearly not their first time doing this. Once they reached the top of the carriage, they discovered it was filled with cartloads of coal, and the people were lying and leaning on the coal piles.
"We're in the suburbs now. To enter the city, you need an identity. Those of us without identities can't get in through the main gate. We can only sneak in by hitching a ride on a train. Once inside, we need to dodge the law enforcement officers and avoid being discovered, or they might lock us up."
Uncle Tie was mainly giving Qu Ying some instructions. After all, he had watched the girl grow up, so he wanted to help her whenever he could. Seeing her looking around excitedly, he couldn't help but feel worried.
“Remember, once you get to the city, you’d better settle down quickly, find a place to live, and then find a job, preferably one that includes room and board. Otherwise, you’ll suffer on the streets. Not only will you be forcibly deported by the Immigration Enforcement Administration, but you’ll also be harassed by homeless people at night. The city isn’t safe either.”
Qu Ying carefully memorized all of these, imprinting them in her heart.
The train traveled along the tracks past high walls, through villages, outskirts, moats, and trenches, all the way to the interior. The buildings on both sides grew taller and taller, and the streets became more and more prosperous. Brand-new vehicles sped around on the roads, leaving Qu Ying, who was visiting the city for the first time, completely mesmerized.
Finally, after passing a certain place, the people in the carriage all started throwing their bags to both sides, then jumped off the train, and disappeared into the alley with their bags and packages.
"You two hurry up and run too! Someone will come to check when the train arrives at the station. It'll be troublesome if you get caught!"
Left with no other choice, Lin Shan and his companion jumped off the train with the rest of the group.
After passing through a narrow alley and turning a corner, a bustling street comes into view, with a constant stream of vehicles and pedestrians hurrying by.
They were all dressed smartly and jogging along, carrying breakfast in their hands, afraid of being late. They were probably busy making a living.
Both sides are lined with skyscrapers, dozens or even hundreds of stories high, a truly magnificent sight. It's hard to imagine that such a clean city could exist in the wasteland!
Qu Ying, a country bumpkin, was visiting the city for the first time. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment, and she looked around, glancing left and right.
Suddenly, an armored car sped out from the side of the road, came to an abrupt stop, and the door opened. A group of masked law enforcement officers carrying assault rifles jumped out and started arresting people without warning!
"Oh no, run!"
Seeing that things were going badly, Tie Shu and the other seasoned veterans of the camp immediately disappeared back into the alley.
Lin Shan and Qu Ying were the only ones who didn't know what was going on when they were stopped by two law enforcement officers who warned them sternly.
"ICE enforcement, please cooperate and show us your identification!"
"What?"
Qu Ying didn't quite hear clearly and asked with a blank look on her face.
What is ICE?
"Urban Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau, an agency under the Department of Homeland Security, specializes in screening and vetting illegal immigrants from the wasteland and interstellar space. Madam, please show me your identification!"
The other party answered very patiently.
Seeing that they had caught nothing over there, they set out early this morning to deliberately stake out the spot, but they didn't catch any big fish, only two small shrimp. The others returned dejectedly and surrounded the two of them.
Qu Ying knew perfectly well that what Uncle Tie had said on the train had come true—she was incredibly unlucky!
If these people catch them, they might deport them again, and all the tickets I've saved up for over the years will be for nothing. How can I bear that?
She gave Lin Shan a wink, and he immediately understood.
Taking advantage of the officers' momentary lapse in vigilance, the two men suddenly struck the officers' groin and lower abdomen, among other vulnerable areas. The officers, caught off guard, clutched their stomachs and cried out in pain. They then broke through the encirclement, grabbed the bulletproof car, and sped away!
"Wait, stop right now! You're resisting law enforcement!"
These people never expected that there would be anyone in the city so audacious as to defy law enforcement. Immediately, one of them, quick-witted and agile, pulled out a gun and fired two shots into the car.
But the car door closed at that moment, stopping all the bullets, and the two carjackers swaggered away!
Just as they were feeling frustrated and contacting the intercom to report to headquarters that something had gone wrong,
Reporters across the street had already captured the scene and quickly went back to draft an article titled "ICE excessively enforces law in downtown area and shoots innocent civilians."
I'm sure it will make headlines and cause a huge uproar the next day!
After Lin Shan and Qu Ying snatched the car, they drove a few blocks and then abandoned it. They quietly ran across several green belts and arrived in front of another strangely shaped building.
"This is the city library. It should contain all sorts of history about this world and interstellar space, and most of the information you're looking for will be there."
The library was built quite impressively, but the square in front of the main gate was deserted, with no one around except for a flock of gray sparrows flying around.
Aren't you coming in with me?
Lin Shan had already sensed something and turned to look at his companion.
Qu Ying smiled, waved to him, and slowly disappeared into the alley behind her.
"It's time to say goodbye. I'm here to start a new life. We're not that close yet. Everything you want to know is there. See you again someday!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left without looking back.
Watching the other person's departing figure, Lin Shan couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. The other person had obviously gotten used to being alone during his time growing up in the junkyard and didn't trust him enough, so they parted ways as soon as they entered the city. Being able to take him to the designated place was enough to settle things evenly.
That's fine too. I'm just a passerby here after all, and there's no need for me to get too entangled with the locals.
As I entered the library, the electronic security checkpoint suddenly sounded!
"Please swipe your card and send your belongings through the conveyor belt."
Snapped!
Lin Shan slapped him to shut him up. There wasn't even anyone watching over the place. Luckily, there was no security check, so he just swaggered in. It would probably be half a day before people found out.
The library has five floors, and each floor has different sections, including biology, physics, history, chemistry, and geography, making him feel as if he had returned to a previous life before he traveled through time.
First, find the historical part. To understand a place, you must first sort out its past context. Often, the truth is hidden in an inconspicuous corner.
Only then did he roughly understand what kind of place he had accidentally stumbled into during his ascension!
This universe is called the 'Glimmer Universe', which consists of more than seventy worlds, each separated by a vast void. At one point, it was attacked indiscriminately by an extraterrestrial civilization.
Those invaders were none other than the immortal army that arrived here 120,000 years ago! (End of Chapter)