Ling Cage: I come from Hisakawa

Chapter 1 ASH and dogs not allowed

Chapter 1 ASH and dogs not allowed
If I'm dreaming, this dream is too real; but if I'm not dreaming, who made my balcony look like this?

In the living room, Bai Jingyu was dressed in a suit and tie.

He had just finished tying his tie and was getting ready to go to work when he entered the living room and saw this unbelievable scene.

Outside the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, the familiar bustling street scene was no longer visible.

All the high-rise buildings are gone, leaving only ruins. The wind whips up yellow sand, revealing many human skeletons, and there are some rusty cars around.

"ASH?" Bai Jingyu called softly, his expression solemn.

"I'm here, Mr. Bai Jingyu." A beam of blue light shone down from the ceiling, the light coalescing into a slender figure.

ASH, the first super artificial intelligence in human history, is under the control of the entire Hisakawa City.

Bai Jingyu asked directly, "What's going on outside the balcony?"

“I don’t understand what you mean.” Ash shook his head.

Bai Jingyu frowned: "Can't you see? The outside world has turned into a wasteland. I just took a nap. What happened?"

“Based on the 761 cameras on the street, real-time images from satellites, and various data collected from the citizens of Hisakawa City, I think the streets today are not significantly different from usual.” ASH turned to look at the balcony.

It projected many images onto Bai Jingyu.

Cars were driving by, children were playing, and workers were going to work. It seemed like just an ordinary morning, nothing special.

Bai Jingyu looked at the image projected by ASH, then looked at the balcony.

“But from my perspective, I see a wasteland, very real.” Bai Jingyu frowned.

At that moment, he also realized that something was wrong.

The corpses rotted down to the bones, the cars were covered in rust, and the once pleasant climate turned into a sandstorm – none of this could be accomplished in a single night.

ASH asked, "In your view, is it only the view outside the balcony that has changed?"

Bai Jingyu took a deep breath and looked at the other windows.

Sure enough, the other windows were sunny and calm, and you could still see those familiar tall buildings.

The only thing that's changed is the view from the balcony.

"Yes, only the balcony has changed." Bai Jingyu paused for a moment. "Am I hallucinating?"

“Your physical data is completely normal, your brain activity is normal, and you saw a stable image, which is not a normal hallucination.” ASH scanned Bai Jingyu from top to bottom.

"Are hallucinations divided into normal and abnormal?" Bai Jingyu took a deep breath.

He walked to the balcony and opened the glass door.

call--

A gust of wind, carrying sand and gravel, rushed into the living room. Bai Jingyu immediately closed the glass door and turned to look at ASH: "Is this wind normal?"

“There was no wind on the street.” ASH paused for a moment. “I recorded a strange phenomenon: the instant you opened the door, a gust of air appeared out of nowhere at the doorway and entered the room.”

Bai Jingyu looked down at himself.

His suit, which was originally spotless, was now covered with a thin layer of dust.

He picked up a grain of sand: "Now you can see that this wasn't my hallucination, but something real, right?"

“The security robots have already gone upstairs. Please let them explore the environment outside the balcony.” ASH also realized the seriousness of the problem.

Click——

A line of white security robots entered the living room, then went to the balcony door and opened the glass door.

No strong winds blew in.

Then, they crossed the threshold one by one and disappeared from Bai Jingyu's sight.

“They’re gone.” Bai Jingyu frowned.

ASH replied, "They're standing on your balcony, all the data is normal, you can't see them?"

"Bring them back," Bai Jingyu said in a deep voice.

As soon as the words were spoken, the robots walked back to the living room one by one, not one missing.

Bai Jingyu walked to the balcony door. He closed the balcony door, then opened it again, and a stronger gust of wind rushed in, causing the curtains to flutter wildly and even blowing the photos hanging on the wall askew.

"What do you think the situation is now?" Bai Jingyu didn't close the door this time, but turned to look at Ash.

His suit was fluttering in the wind; surely this couldn't be an illusion?
Ash's eyes lit up with blue light: "Excluding the possibility that you are the ancient Greek god who controls air currents, I believe that you have made contact with a parallel universe. In human terms, this is a miracle."

"Does this possibility still need to be ruled out?" Bai Jingyu took a deep breath.

ASH replied, "A little humor can lighten the mood. Are you feeling better now?"

Bai Jingyu frowned deeply.

Parallel universes—of course he knew about the theory of parallel universes, but this theory opened its arms to him on an ordinary morning.
And only to him?

"Please describe the outside world. Do you think that's Hisakawa City?" ASH asked.

Bai Jingyu looked at the balcony and said thoughtfully, "The sandstorm is very strong, and there are ruins everywhere. I even saw human bones and rusty cars. As for whether it is Jiuchuan City, I have to go out and take a look."

Bai Jingyu's gaze fell on a road sign standing not far away.

“I saw a road sign, but the words on it were covered in dust,” he said slowly. “I’ll go take a look.”

After a two-second silence, ASH said, "Please hold the hand of the security robot; you might be able to lead them there."

Bai Jingyu nodded.

He grasped the wrists of the two security robots and then stepped over the threshold.

A strong wind whipped sand and gravel against his cheeks. Looking around, he saw collapsed high-rise buildings everywhere.

The human bones he had just seen were covered by sand, but human bones elsewhere had been exposed by the wind.

Dead people are everywhere.

Where did this parallel universe end up? What happened to this world?
Bai Jingyu frowned deeply.

Two security robots stepped forward: "Alert mode is activated; no threat has been detected."

Bai Jingyu looked behind him and realized he had come out of a supermarket. The supermarket sign was covered in a thick layer of dust, making it impossible to see its original color.

His balcony is right at the supermarket entrance.

He could see Ash standing in the doorway, nervously looking in his direction, but their eyes couldn't meet because Ash couldn't see him.

He could also see Ash's lips moving, but no sound came through.

“ASH, I’m fine,” Bai Jingyu said.

ASH nodded, looking relaxed.

“For everyone else, this is a one-way door; only I and the things I touch can get through,” Bai Jingyu murmured.

He couldn't help but get excited.

Regardless of the state of the world, it is a completely new world.

Resources, people, technology—anything that can be brought back to his world is a precious treasure!

Bai Jingyu looked up at the road sign.

“Go and wipe that road sign,” he told the security robot.

The security robot stepped forward without hesitation.