1880 Three-way Intersection
In between the buildings that resembled a forest of tombstones, Meng Chao found himself before a three-way intersection on the road.
The two branches of the “Y” formed a 90-degree angle and led him in two different directions.
There was the same pile of collapsed sky fortresses and burnt corpses of the Ancients, as well as ancient beasts, in both directions. The black fog that seemed alive was rolling, and the place was full of unknown mysteries. Nobody could tell which path led to life and which path led to death.
Along the way, Meng Chao had passed dozens of similar forks and crossroads.
However, each time he had to make a choice at an intersection, Battle God Lei Zongchao’s spirit flame would always leave a vivid, clear, and unique sign before him. As such, the right direction had always been illuminated for him.
Yet, Meng Chao looked at Lei Zongchao’s scarlet afterimages in a daze as he stood at the current intersection. The Battle God had split in half and headed down the two similar paths that extended into the depths of the darkness.
Meng Chao’s heart was in turmoil, and his mind was constantly buzzing.
“How is this possible? Master Lei traveled here and actually… split in half?”
Meng Chao shook his head vigorously. He felt that this was even more ridiculous than the entire mountain disappearing.
According to Wu Haibo, the searchlights above their heads could scan living beings with strong spirit energy. When they were agitated or having a lack of control over their bodies, their spirit waves would spill into the surrounding space. They would then be reorganized into vitality magnetic fields that were visible to the naked eye.
This type of scanning could be carried out continuously, and it was far more reliable than tracing footprints.
Although Lei Zongchao had been moving around really fast, there was a “tail” made of red light and shadow behind him at every moment. It seemed like a mark that was deliberately left for those who came after him.
No matter how strange and terrifying a situation was, Lei Zongchao’s spirit flame was Meng Chao’s greatest hope and reliance.
However, this hope had now split into two almost identical halves, each of which have invested in a 50% probability.
Meng Chao narrowed his eyes and tried to see the two scarlet afterimages clearly, but they just extended into the darkness.
There was a possibility that when Lei Zongchao entered the depths of the ancient city’s ruins, he became unsure of what to do next. So, he decided to test out the paths first.
Once he realized that his surroundings had gradually deviated from his memories, he would return and choose the correct path.
If that was the case, one of the two paths would definitely have two sets of scarlet afterimagesone coming and one going.
Sadly, the two scarlet afterimages were like burning rockets that were about to burn out. They were not prepared to turn back.
“What should I do?” Meng Chao asked himself.
“Which scarlet afterimage belongs to the real Master Lei?
“Perhaps, the two scarlet afterimages are real. Did Master Lei really split in half when he came to this intersection?
“To be more accurate, it’s not a ‘split,’ but rather a copy. It’s a copy of two identical Battle God Lei Zongchaos because the brightness of the two scarlet afterimages haven’t weakened at all. The strength of both vitality magnetic fields resembles that of the original Master Lei.”
Meng Chao had never found it so difficult to make a decision.
Lei Zongchao did not leave any information behind for him to make a rational judgment.
Now, Meng Chao somewhat understood why Battle God Lei Zongchao had hesitated for decades when faced with the huge treasure trove deep in the ancient ruins. Although, it could help the Dragon City civilization make a leap forward, he had asked the Ancient Ruins Research Center to seal the entrance to the ruins completely.
Meng Chao also understood why Battle God Lei Zongchao had left him that coin.
Perhaps, most of the time, the birth of life and the rise and fall of a civilization were not inevitable.
There was only the probability of chaos.
For some reason, Meng Chao took out the coin that Lei Zongchao had given him.
It was an ordinary coin with the face value and emblem that symbolized today’s Dragon City on the front. An old image of Dragon City when it was still on Earth covered the back. It was first issued in the year when the Survival Committee was established. However, as the spirit and magnetic environment around Dragon City gradually stabilized, the damage caused by monsters to the cable network decreased, and all kinds of electronic currency became popular. A physical coin like this was already being withdrawn from history.
Speaking of which, no matter how convenient electronic currency was, it could never replace the real, delicate, and certain feel of physical coins. It could not be used to capture the omnipresent… probability.
Meng Chao flicked the coin gently.
The coin flew high into the air and let out a crisp buzz, breaking the deathly silence of the ancient city’s cemetery.
However, before the coin reached the highest point, Meng Chao had already moved like lightning and grabbed the coin that had not flipped completely.
“F*ck it, fate is ultimately in your own hands!”
Meng Chao gritted his teeth and walked toward the left fork in the road.
He had no specific reason.
Men on the left and women on the right perhaps.
The moment he stepped onto the left fork, the entire ancient city cemetery, or more accurately, the alternate dimension that sealed the entire ancient ruin, trembled slightly.
It made a sound similar to a coin falling to the ground.
Meng Chao felt a force that was similar to a draft coming from the depths of the darkness. It was mighty, and it rushed toward him before going straight through his body.
Trembling deeply, he quickly circulated his spirit energy and checked his internal organs, limbs, and bones, but he did not find anything unusual.
He heaved a sigh of relief, but when he turned around, he was shocked.
The scarlet shadow on the right fork had disappeared.
To be more precise, even the fork had disappeared.
Behind Meng Chao was a straight and wide road. There were no forks or crossroads for at least five hundred meters.
The scarlet afterimage of Battle God Lei Zongchao was also burning straight all the way like a spear that would never hesitate or bend.
It was as if the hesitation and division earlier had just been in Meng Chao’s imagination.
“What is this?” Meng Chao muttered to himself.
“Did I choose the right path or the wrong one?”
Forget it. Since what’s done is done, there’s no point in arguing about right and wrong.
Meng Chao continued forward.
The ruins of the city became increasingly complex and three-dimensional.
...
At some point in time, the road ended up being suspended in the air like a viaduct.
The tombstone-like geometric structures on both sides were floating quietly in the churning black fog.
Meng Chao tried to lean against the edge of the road and look down at the scenery.
Below the path, there were dozens, hundreds, and thousands of other paths that intersected and overlapped with each other.
It was like a three-dimensional maze that was replicating and extending infinitely while floating in an endless black ocean.
In the depths of this ocean, there were specks of red light.
“Master Lei actually left behind a scarlet afterimage of himself in such a distant place!”
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