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The likelihood of another person with that exact name seemed too far-fetched. It had to be her.

Lin Xian’s eyes lingered on the inscription, his mind racing as he tried to connect the dots.

His earlier hypothesis suggested that Rhine Sky City was a project initiated by the Rhine Company, which he had founded. It made perfect sense then that his future self might have engineered a loophole in the city’s air defense systems.

But where exactly would this loophole be?

Considering there was a plaza honoring the founder of the Rhine Company with a statue—potentially his own statue—it seemed plausible that the air defense vulnerability would be situated directly above it. It all clicked seamlessly in his mind.

As Lin Xian descended and caught sight of the white jade statue, his instincts had screamed that it should be his statue.

But he was wrong.

All his deductions had led him to a coherent narrative until the unexpected truth confronted him: “The builder of Rhine Sky City, the person this statue depicts, and the architect behind the air defense gap… It’s all Zhao Ying Jun.”

Lin Xian was stumped.

Why would Zhao Ying Jun undertake such a massive project?

What was her intention behind creating Rhine Sky City? How did he, Lin Xian, fit into her plans? What were his contributions to this historical tapestry?

Convinced that Zhao Ying Jun had orchestrated everything to draw him to the Sky City, Lin Xian was determined to uncover the truths hidden here.

During his recent dream-filled days, he had extensively discussed this world with Big Cat Face and Li Ning Ning.

Rhine Sky City’s history spanned less than 200 years from its elevation. However, its construction had begun on the ground over a century earlier—a monumental effort extending across a hundred years.

This timeline suggested that the city’s construction started around 2300. By then, it had already begun to host residents, much like the isolated New Donghai City.

The city continued to grow over a century until its controlled nuclear fusion engines were activated, propelling the massive structure 2000 meters into the sky, where it had floated for two centuries as a bona fide airborne city.

The onset of radiation sickness coincided roughly with the city’s rise.

Big Cat Face and Li Ning Ning told him that the technological prowess of those dwelling on the surface had greatly advanced since his second dream. There were numerous skilled individuals and varied disciplines. However, the advent of an incurable, invariably fatal radiation sickness transformed everything.

The urgency of survival overshadowed other pursuits, leading to a gradual decline in education, science, and other fields.

Globally, many sky cities, supported by thousands of nuclear fusion engines, dotted the skies like stars. This inexhaustible energy source illuminated the night but also cast a sinister pall over the ground below.

Lin Xian questioned them further about Rhine Sky City—its origins, its founder, and its purpose. As in the second dream, they struggled to provide clear historical details.

It became clear that history had faded in this world too, with only the last century’s events somewhat remembered while earlier records were lost in obscurity.

Lin Xian had also inquired about the black hand shadow associated with the Genius Club on the moon, only to receive a mishmash of legends devoid of solid facts.

Before encountering this statue, Lin Xian had thought Rhine Sky City was merely another version of New Donghai City—historically obscure and heavily fortified, rendering any infiltration efforts futile.

Now, his perspective had shifted.

Rhine Sky City was fundamentally different from New Donghai City!

The connections—Rhine Company, Zhao Ying Jun’s statue, and the strategically placed gap in the air defense—all led to a stunning realization:

Rhine Sky City was probably constructed by Zhao Ying Jun specifically for him!

She anticipated his return, 600 years later on the last day before the apocalypse;

She knew he alone could discover the vulnerability in the air defense through persistent efforts;

She understood the significance of the name “Rhine” to him, compelling him not to overlook such a critical sky city;

And she trusted that upon seeing the statue that had endured 600 years, he would grasp her intricate scheme.

Rhine Sky City likely harbored a vital legacy Zhao Ying Jun had preserved for him, a testament spanning centuries, intended solely for his discovery.

In that moment, Lin Xian was profoundly moved.

This was a city conceived over 300 years and existing for 600, all to convey a clue and a message to someone from six centuries past.

Although he hadn’t yet uncovered the gift, Lin Xian felt its profound significance then.

It was the burden of time, the gravity of decades.

Suddenly, Lin Xian, moved by an inexplicable urge, raised his hand to touch the white jade statue. It was cool to the touch, yet paradoxically seemed to radiate warmth.

As his hand made contact, it was as though a recording dormant for centuries sprang to life, and a long-awaited voice chuckled:

“Lin Xian, long time no see.”

At that instant, a wave of loneliness overwhelmed Lin Xian, unlike anything he had felt in his myriad dream journeys.

In all his previous dreams, he had experienced fear, confusion, rage, and madness.

But never loneliness…

Even when today’s closest allies turned distant tomorrow; even if he knew no one in the dream, lacked a home, a family, friends, or a place to belong, he had never felt lonely.

Now, touching the statue of Zhao Ying Jun, a profound solitude welled up from within, immense and indescribable.

The vast expanse of 600 years had erased everything familiar, leaving behind only this statue of an old friend.

The word “commemorate” inscribed on the base made it clear: Zhao Ying Jun was no longer alive.

It was uncertain when she had passed away.

Given the advanced technology of cryogenic sleep chambers in the second dream, it was impossible to pinpoint her time of death.

She might have died before the completion of Rhine Sky City, as its visionary;

She might have perished during the 300 years of its construction;

Or perhaps she had lived to see the city ascend into the skies.

With cryogenic technology extending human lifespan by centuries, the timing of her death remained ambiguous.

Traditionally, statues were not erected for the living, as it was considered ominous, so her passing was evident.

Now, 600 years later, the name Rhine still resonated, the Rhine Cat might still exist, and the sky city endured.

But Zhao Ying Jun was gone.

She had constructed a city for him, crafted a guiding gap, concealed a secret, and hidden a gift, only to depart from this world at some point.

After the solitude, Lin Xian felt a warm surge emanating from the statue’s cold surface, seeping into his body through his arm, instilling a sense of peace and warmth.

He looked up at the imposing figure.

Truthfully, although Rhine Sky City was still shrouded in mysteries for him, and all his theories remained unverified, this unfamiliar sky city felt different from New Donghai City.

New Donghai City felt detached; Rhine Sky City felt intimate and comforting.

The presence of this statue gave him a sense of belonging here, like returning home.

Suddenly, curiosity gripped Lin Xian.

What did Zhao Ying Jun look like in the future?

What was her appearance in middle age, or even in her later years?

Did she still sport her signature proud earrings?

Was she still as dynamic and spirited as he remembered?

Would he recognize her face even 600 years later?

Driven by this curiosity, Lin Xian continued to gaze upwards at the statue as he slowly backed away—

“Ouch.”

Thud!

Absorbed in his thoughts, Lin Xian had not noticed his surroundings and collided with something hard and cylindrical, losing his balance and tumbling to the ground.

He propped himself up, eyeing the object that had tripped him.

It was a cylindrical robot, grayish-white and resembling a trash can.

A cleaning robot?

That was Lin Xian’s initial thought.

But it was unlikely.

This robot, shaped like a trash can but far more sophisticated than any 2023 cleaning device, was equipped with treads beneath it, now visible as it struggled to right itself.

Its two clamp-like mechanical arms flailed in the air, seeking something to grasp.

Its eyes, glowing green, fixated on a small piece of paper on the ground:

“Trash! Trash! Trash detected!”

“Trash! Trash! Trash detected!”