Chapter 125: Chapter 109: Zhang Hai: They’re Putting Me Through the Wringer Like I’m a Demon Cultist
3:48 PM.
Chu Bamboo walked toward the Third District Church, a weary look on his face. But just as he reached the entrance, he stopped short.
’Interesting!’ Chu Bamboo glanced at the parking lot next to the Third District, where quite a few electric cars were parked.
’Come to think of it, has the number of electric cars increased again on this timeline?’
As he was pondering this, Chu Bamboo’s pupils suddenly contracted. His expression turned inscrutable as he watched a strange, wheel-less car speed toward them from the distant sky.
WHOOSH!
The flying car came to an abrupt halt above the Third District Church. A faint, flowing light then began to emanate from its body, giving it a high-tech feel. Finally, it slowly descended, landing squarely in a parking space.
"..." Although Chu Bamboo’s expression remained unchanged, his feelings were anything but calm. He felt like he’d just seen a ghost.
’What the hell is this thing? Don’t tell me this is an anti-gravity car?!’
’Real-world flying cars already exist, but they’re more like helicopters disguised as cars, relying purely on the reactive force from spinning rotors to get airborne.’
’But this one... no rotors, no wheels, and no noise... This!’
’Where the hell have I ended up? Is this still the Dream World civilization?’ Chu Bamboo’s mind was in turmoil.
He was now fairly certain that this thing was also an Ancient Relic. But he was positive he’d never seen anything like it in the Dream World before!
’So, is it because I founded C Company, spurred technological progress, and triggered a butterfly effect that this anti-gravity car came into existence? And then it was transported from some Ancient Ruins into the Dream World civilization’s timeline?’
Chu Bamboo’s thoughts were more active than ever. He even considered whether he should go back right now and ask Nuwa No. 17 if she had any anti-gravity technology.
’But it makes no sense!’ Chu Bamboo couldn’t wrap his head around it. He didn’t remember any mention of anti-gravity in the Star Sea Detailed Explanation—and without it, he didn’t believe human civilization could develop anti-gravity technology on its own in such a short time!
’What does anti-gravity technology even entail? It’s far more absurd and paradigm-shattering than room-temperature superconductors or controllable nuclear fusion...’
The next moment, the church doors burst open with a BOOM.
Zhang Hai emerged from the church with a solemn expression, flanked by several people. Chu Bamboo recognized them at a glance: the person immediately to Zhang Hai’s left was the head of the Fourth District’s church, while the one on his right was a high-ranking member from the Second District’s church.
Zhang Hai spotted Chu Bamboo the moment he came out. "..."
Chu Bamboo raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and met his gaze.
However, Zhang Hai only faltered for a second before pretending he hadn’t seen Chu Bamboo and continuing to walk briskly toward the flying car.
"Your Excellency, the Bishop! Welcome." Zhang Hai respectfully opened the car door, and an old man in a red robe slowly stepped out.
The old man was stooped, his face covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were remarkably clear.
He wore a set of magnificent red vestments embroidered with pale gold patterns, exuding a Holy quality that was hard to describe in words—you could tell at a glance that the outfit was definitely difficult to take off, difficult to put on, and even harder to wash.
He also wore a ridiculously large red hat, making one wonder... had the immense weight of the hat crushed his back?
Most importantly...
’What a contradiction!’ Chu Bamboo’s mouth twitched. The Bishop was stooped, yet his height, including the hat, was clearly greater than the car’s interior. It really made one wonder... even while sitting inside, had the Bishop not moved an inch?
’Otherwise, how was the hat not wrinkled from touching the roof?’
’Surely he didn’t deliberately straighten it out just before getting out? Or... was he using some Extraordinary power to maintain it?’
Chu Bamboo’s thoughts began to stray.
Bishop Hu Kaikang coughed lightly and nodded at Zhang Hai, then turned his head to look at Chu Bamboo.
Zhang Hai tensed up, his gaze darting back and forth between Bishop Hu and Chu Bamboo. From Bishop Hu’s blind spot, he even put his hands together and repeatedly shot glances at Chu Bamboo, clearly pleading with him.
"Lao Hu!" Chu Bamboo coolly walked forward a couple of steps and waved at Hu Kaikang. "Haven’t seen you fishing over at Changyun Lake in a long time."
A "?" seemed to flash above the heads of everyone else present, who looked on in shock as if struck by lightning.
"Hahaha, I’ve just been a bit busy lately! Plus, I’m getting old, and these people under me don’t feel comfortable letting me go alone!" Hu Kaikang walked toward Chu Bamboo with a gentle smile. "But then again, they were never really comfortable with it before either. They just weren’t as strict, so I could sneak out to fish. Now I just don’t have the time!"
"What a shame!" Chu Bamboo shook his head. "Last time, over at the west corner of Changyun Lake—the same spot where we sat the second time we met—I caught a huge, twenty-jin fish."
"?" Hu Kaikang paused. A flicker of envy appeared in his eyes before he sighed. "Damn it! If I hadn’t been ’under house arrest,’ the one who caught that big fish would’ve definitely been me! My fishing skills are way better than yours."
"Not necessarily. The one with the best fishing skills is probably Old Su!" Chu Bamboo shot Lao Hu a sidelong glance, shook his head, and then asked, "By the way, do you know what he’s up to these days? You two both stopped coming around, and at the exact same time... I was starting to suspect you two had found love in your twilight years and eloped!"
