It was an incomplete coin. As it flipped up and down, a ferocious-looking elk with a sword-horned horn was vaguely reflected in the copper green color.
"Clack —"
A crisp sound.
The coin was pressed against the back of another hand by a withered and wrinkled hand. Then, a hoarse and strange voice sounded in the dilapidated house.
"Deer head, or copper?"
This voice seemed to have infinite charm, attracting the attention of the surrounding group of people. There were men, women, old, and young among them. Most of them were wearing ragged clothes, and their faces were thin and yellow. However, their faces were filled with excitement as they stared at the back of the old man's hand. It was as if they could see through the coin inside.
It was as silent as the night.
Pairs of greedy eyes were not only staring at the back of his hand, but also at the ten brand new Blue Star Coins neatly arranged on the old metal console.
This kind of betting game was very popular in the slums. Seawatch City was several times larger than Hou City. At the same time, it had also absorbed many refugees from the border area. They gathered in the slums and were full of all kinds of bad habits. After failing to be educated, they were gathered in this special area and relied on the relief funds from the military to survive.
Before they made their bets, the refugees gathered together did not even dare to breathe loudly. They were afraid that they would lose their luck.
The old man glanced around and smiled faintly. He was like a blood-sucking bat as he let out a terrifying laughter.
Copper!
Deer head!
Two different voices intertwined in their hearts.
The few steam lamps in the room flickered a few times. Under the dim yellow light, the entire room suddenly exploded!
"How is this possible! How can it be a deer head?! "
"Five deer heads in a row???"
Amidst the cries and screams, the old man proudly scooped up all the Blue Star Coins on the metal console.
There was jealousy, greed, and hatred in the eyes of the refugees, but no one dared to cause trouble in front of the old gambler.
"Black fog shrouded the stars, and blood flowers bloomed in the wind …"
"… The white throne is burning with light. Wait, wait, my beloved White King …"
The old record player was playing an unknown song. The refugees had lost all their money and left in disappointment. A young man with a backpack was squatting in the corner. He was dressed simply and neatly and did not fit in with the crowd. Although there were a few burly refugees who wanted to attack him, they ran away after knowing that he was the old gambler's guest.
After the crowd dispersed, the old gambler who was sitting cross-legged on the ground was dozing off. When he heard the sound of Li Xiang rubbing metal parts, he slowly opened his murky eyes. When he saw who it was, he nodded at the broken mechanical communicator in front of him.
Li Xiang picked up the mechanical communicator on the ground. It was unknown how many generations this thing had been outdated. Even turning it on required a lot of effort. It was a miracle that it could still be used.
This was the old gambler's rule. He had to use this to communicate with him.
Li Xiang had been here for quite some time, and he had fiddled with quite a few abandoned mechanical devices in the room. Using them, repairing them, and touching them could all increase the grayish-white liquid in the gray scale bar. With this special ability, he could easily control all kinds of mechanical devices, and he did not need to practice to master them.
He entered the invitation code given to him by L. After a while, the communicator beeped a few times.
— Wait.
The old gambler got up with great effort and knocked on the door behind him. The door opened slightly and a charred hand reached out. The old gambler took the piece of paper and gave it to Li Xiang. Then he waved his hand and asked him to leave.
Li Xiang was fiddling with a steam lamp that kept making buzzing sounds. He tapped it lightly and twisted it with a small screwdriver. The steam lamp emitted a faint yellow light.
"Uh, sorry." Li Xiang took the piece of paper and put down the lit steam lamp. There was an address written on the piece of paper. There were also two symbols printed on it. One was an X formed by a black and white moon, and the other was a black diamond.
"You fixed this?" The old gambler said something for the first time. His voice was extremely hoarse. He pointed at the steam lamp on the ground and asked.
Li Xiang nodded.
"Oh, go ahead." The old gambler did not say anything else. He just picked up the steam lamp on the ground and put it in the cupboard behind him.
.....
The address on the paper led to an old heavy factory. It was full of rough men with dark faces. The factory was filled with the creaking sound of gears and the roar of huge mechanical devices starting and stopping.
Soon, someone came to pick up Li Xiang. After looking at the piece of paper in his hand, he was allowed to board a heavy truck parked in the factory.
The engine was replaced by a complicated steam device. Under the front cover were densely packed test tubes filled with white steam. Only a transparent gas tank was filled with grayish-white gas. The amount was small, but it was the most important component of the entire device.
Li Xiang boarded the container at the back. There were two rows of benches inside. A dozen young people sat in each row. There were both men and women. They were all wearing the same black uniform. It looked like a prisoner's uniform. There was a white eye-catching number on it.
Why did it feel like they were prisoners? Li Xiang muttered in his heart. His back was pushed hard by a worker.
"Newcomer, pick one from the ground and change into it."
After the worker finished speaking, he slammed the door of the container. Only a few swaying kerosene lamps provided a faint light in the dark container.
After he came in, a few of the young people raised their heads and glanced at him. Most of them closed their eyes to rest or lowered their heads to think.
The atmosphere was strange.
Li Xiang quickly picked up a set of relatively clean clothes and changed into it. The number on it was the Arabic number 8.
He randomly found the end of a bench and sat down. As soon as he sat down, his waist was gently poked.
"Hey, what's your name?" The one who spoke was the tall and thin young man next to him. His cheeks were still covered in dust and mud. He stretched out his dirty hand with a smile.
Li Xiang was stunned for a moment. Then, he smiled and reached out his hand to shake his hand.
"Li Xiang." He let go of the young man's hand. The other party was a little surprised that he didn't care about his dirty hand. "Hello, Chen Fan."
"Ah, hello, huh? How do you know my name? " This old enemy who had hunted Li Xiang for seven or eight years in his previous life still looked a little young. Although his face was dirty with dust and mud, his delicate appearance hadn't changed at all.
"It's a secret. I'll tell you later." Li Xiang put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes to rest. To be able to meet Chen Fan at this time, his agitated heart suddenly calmed down a little.
"So mysterious, tsk." Chen Fan didn't care too much. He had just finished the unified entrance exam. As an examinee from Seawatch City, there were many people who knew him. After all, his results were so good, but he didn't even have the qualifications to be a player. He and Li Xiang from the neighboring city were known as the two fallen geniuses.
Wait, Li Xiang?
He suddenly jumped up. The thin girl on the right pushed him in dissatisfaction and cursed, "What are you doing, crazy."
"You just said that you're called Li Xiang?" Chen Fan shook Li Xiang's shoulder. When this name was called, the young men and women in the container all looked up.
Unfortunately, before Li Xiang could reply, a sharp and ear-piercing sound suddenly exploded in the container!
Everyone covered their ears and screamed in pain.
It was too ear-piercing!
It was as if they had been bombed. Their entire head was filled with that uncomfortable sound.
After a few seconds, a deep and heavy voice sounded around the container.
"Remember the number on your body! This is your identity in the Polar night training camp. Forget your past. From now on, no one is allowed to speak, no one is allowed to make any sound! No matter who talks to you, you are not allowed to speak! "
The man's voice was laced with incomparable pressure and an inviolable tone. He repeated it three more times, and the ear-piercing sound gradually disappeared as his voice fell.
The container was completely silent.
Li Xiang leaned back in his chair and felt the trajectory of the truck. A strong smell of smoke rushed into the container. It seemed that the truck not only used steam power, but also the once popular fuel power.
At the beginning, the speed was very fast and the container was very stable. It should be driving on a landscape similar to a plain. After the man finished speaking, the truck kept swaying. In severe cases, it even tilted nearly 90 degrees.
After a steep mountain road, the truck slowed down again. At full speed, it actually made Li Xiang's heart palpitate. It seemed that the speed was ridiculously fast.
On the city road, vehicles had a strict speed limit. The consequence of speeding was that the military soldiers would invite you for tea. Even if you didn't die, you would be skinned alive.
The truck left Wanghai City and was probably driving in an unmanaged wilderness.
Time passed bit by bit. The man warned them not to talk, so everyone stopped talking. The dim space was filled with turbid air. After three hours, many people fell asleep.
Li Xiang also closed his eyes for a while. At this moment, the truck suddenly braked!
The behemoth-like body of the vehicle trembled violently and swung at an exaggerated angle, leaving two arc-shaped gullies on the ground. The exhaust pipe at the rear of the vehicle constantly spewed out white air columns and black smoke. Then, several valves opened with a click, and steam was released from the pipes at the back.
Those who didn't sit still fell upside down. They woke up from their sleep and didn't know the time or the color of the sky.
Even if they had excellent physical fitness, their faces were pale. They resisted the urge to vomit and were soaked in sweat.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a few violent knocks on the container's door, the sound of a few men talking could be heard.
Chen Fan gently pulled the corner of Li Xiang's clothes. The two looked at each other and saw the same worried look in each other's eyes.
Something was wrong.
The bangs became more violent and the conversation turned into curses.
There was a quarrel outside.
Realizing that something was wrong, a few of the young people began to talk and discuss countermeasures. However, most of them still held their breath and waited quietly.
Clang!
The handle of the outer door was smashed!
Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat. The tightly shut door was kicked open by someone.
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