Starting from Douluo Continent, I've become a god through daily check-ins.

Chapter 288 Abandoned City

"Can you come over here for a second?" Mirai shouted at them.

The group arrived at a very secluded path. The others had already gone in, leaving only Zero and Zero-Two outside. Goro went in first, and Zero naturally followed. Looking up, they saw that although the place was naturally formed, some of the buildings were man-made.

The future, walking ahead, looked around and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

Man walked in front, stood at the end of the path, turned around and said, "Yes, just go straight through this path and you'll see it."

He looked excited and said, "It's kind of exciting, like an adventure!"

"But it's a bit dark, which makes me uncomfortable," Xin said, looking around at her surroundings.

Man, who was walking in front, stopped and turned to look at the people behind him, saying, "You don't have to force yourself to follow."

Hearing Man's words, Xin was clearly frightened. At this moment, Tai stepped forward and angrily rebuked, "What! How dare you say such things to Xin!"

However, Man had already stepped off the path and, upon hearing Tai's words, said, "At least from now on, my safety can't be guaranteed."

After emerging from the side path, the group found themselves on a road leading uphill. However, everyone followed along, showing no intention of turning back.

Goro and Zero walked together, and Goro asked Zero, "What else could be more than partners?"

Zero was somewhat surprised and didn't understand why Goro would ask such a question. Goro said, "Seeing you guys is so unbelievable, kissing and telling people you like them. What's going on?"

Zero replied, "I'm not entirely sure myself." Then, in his mind, he added, "Perhaps he would know?"

"My heart is racing. I was happy when I was with Ichigo, but there were also a lot of painful things. I'm different from you guys, Zero, right?" Goro said, looking at Zero.

After listening to Goro's words, Zero lowered his head and fell into deep thought. He didn't really know what was going on. Having lived here for so many years, the adults had never told them anything about this. The only idea they'd ever been taught was that their purpose was to pilot the FRANXX and protect the Great Eco-Fortress where they now lived.

Ichigo kept walking forward, and Ikuno reached out to wipe the sweat from Ichigo's face. "Ichigo?"

"Huh?" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise.

Yu Nai asked, "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

"Is...is that so?" Ichigo asked, touching her face with both hands after hearing what Ikuno said.

"I can see now," said Man, who was walking at the front.

After a long uphill climb, the group finally reached a flat area. As soon as they arrived, a gentle breeze blew in their faces. Everyone stared in astonishment at what they saw; the sight was utterly unbelievable.

Before them stood numerous long-abandoned buildings, their exteriors suggesting they had been abandoned for a very long time. The walls and ground of these buildings were covered in green plants. Without a doubt, these things were all man-made.

Judging by its size alone, this should be a small town, but it has been abandoned for a long time, and moss and weeds have taken over the place.

"What's going on here?" Future asked.

"It feels like a small city," Yu Nai said.

"A city? This is a city? It's completely different from the city where those adults live," said Wanmu.

I wondered to myself, "Could someone be living here?"

"I don't know either," Man said. "I've never heard of anyone living outside of the Great Eco-Fortress."

Zero and Goro team up to explore this abandoned city. Surprisingly, despite its small size, the city is surprisingly well-equipped with facilities like a castle and a hospital.

Jing Chen and the mysterious man had also arrived at the abandoned city. Floating in the air, they surveyed the entire metropolis. Jing Chen asked, "This city must have at least ten thousand inhabitants, right?"

The mysterious figure nodded. "Yes, but for some reason, this place is abandoned. Judging from the ruins, the people of this world originally wanted to live ordinary lives like this, but what happened to make them abandon their homes?"

"What happened? The 'BOSS' arrived. Not only did he disturb the people here, but he also set his sights on the so-called magma energy. The native inhabitants, who rely on magma energy for survival, had no choice but to retaliate. This led to the 'BOSS' using humanity," Jing Chen shrugged.

The mysterious figure, resting his chin on his hand, asked, "Tell me, how long did their energy absorption last?"

Jing Chen smiled and pointed to the desolate landscape outside, saying, "It wasn't something that could be achieved overnight. Judging from the current state, it seems that there aren't many Dragonkin left. However, what we can be sure of now is that the Dragonkin Princess has already begun preparing something."

The mysterious man was startled. "You mean...?"

Jing Chen nodded. "That's right. Although we're almost ready to start her own plan, we're still missing one person, a key figure in the plan..."

……

Tai, Ayame, Mitsuru, Mirai, and Ikuno are currently exploring the castle in this abandoned city. After searching around, they haven't found any signs of habitation.

"Huh? Where's the heart?" Tai said suddenly.

In the future, after regaining her senses and looking around, she really couldn't see where her heart was.

Xin found a room, probably some kind of medical room. She stood at the door for a while, then, out of curiosity, went inside. Once inside, she realized it was a hospital.

Xin glanced back at the nurses' station and saw the scene inside through the glass. The bookshelves were full of books, and if she wasn't mistaken, they were probably all medical books or something.

She withdrew her gaze, wanting to continue exploring. She had only taken one step when she suddenly noticed what appeared to be a book on the ground. She crouched down, picked it up, and wiped away the thick layer of dust, revealing the book's cover.

"A baby?" Xin murmured to herself.

As Xin was talking to himself, some debris fell from above, but Xin didn't notice.

"Heart!" A loud shout suddenly rang out, and a hand pulled Heart back. Just as Heart was pulled back, the cabinet to Heart's left suddenly collapsed.

Looking at the cabinet smashed to pieces in front of me, I took a deep breath.

"Xin, why are you here all alone?"

Xin turned around and saw that it was Zero. Zero had just arrived and saw Xin standing there in a daze, with the cabinet next to her looking like it was about to fall over. She quickly rushed in and pulled Xin back.

"Thank you, Zero," she thought.

Zero looked at the book in Xin's hand and asked, "What is this book...?"

"Yes, I found it here," I thought to myself.

At this moment, Man was also searching for Xin and found her here. Seeing that Xin was alright, Man seemed relieved.

"Please do not act alone. I have told you, I cannot guarantee your safety."

(End of this chapter)