Chapter 323: The Era of Feeling at Home

This thought appeared in Chen Ling's mind and wouldn't go away. He finally realized what the USB drive in his hand represented...

It meant he had the qualification to investigate the origin of the "Great Cataclysm."

"Ah Ling!! Ah Ling!!!"

As Chen Ling was pondering, an excited voice suddenly rang out from a distance. A woman rushed downstairs, crying out loudly with tears streaming down her face.

"Mom saw you... Mom just saw you!!"

"The workers moving the wreaths also said they saw you downstairs! Mom knew you came back!"

"Spirit or ghost... would you please come back and talk to Mom? Do you know what your dad and I have been through today...?"

"Mom is sorry... Mom pushed you too hard. Mom shouldn't have been so eager for you to gain experience in society. Your death is Mom's fault; Mom knows she was wrong..."

"Just come back and let us see you again... Even just a glimpse would be enough..."

The woman cried heartbrokenly, her red eyes dry from weeping. She collapsed weakly to the ground, beating the ground repeatedly with her hand, as if venting her remorse and pain.

The building entrance on the first floor opened, and a group of relatives came out, helping her up from the ground one by one.

"Oh, Caiyun... what nonsense are you talking!"

"Yes... the child died by accident. How could it be your fault? Come on, get up now, stop crying."

"Perhaps the child's spirit just returned to see you, settling a matter of concern. He's gone now... No matter how much you cry, he won't come back..."

"Caiyun... let's let Ah Ling rest in peace, okay?"

Chen Ling watched the scene from afar in a corner, his gaze incredibly complex... He gently placed one hand on his chest, like a silent sculpture.

Even without a heart, even with the twisted divine path suppressing his emotions, he could still feel at this moment the sorrow and reluctance welling up from the depths of his soul, stinging him like needles.

His empty chest was aching.

"...As of 5:45 PM, the military has blockaded the area around Shennongjia, and a research team led by astrophysicists is expected to arrive within five hours..."

"...Our reporter will continue to bring you updates."

The sound of the news echoed behind Chen Ling. He knew he didn't have much time. After a moment of silence, he lightly peeled his chin with his fingertips, and walked straight towards the building entrance.

Perhaps because Caiyun's voice had been too loud, the commotion had attracted several onlookers. They looked at the woman collapsed by the building entrance and the numerous wreaths behind her, with pity in their eyes... But more people just glanced from afar and quickly avoided the scene, seemingly afraid that the bad luck of the deceased would rub off on them.

The relatives helped Caiyun, struggling to lift her from the ground. Before she could steady herself, her foot slipped, and she stumbled forward.

As everyone gasped, a pair of hands firmly supported her.

Caiyun was startled, and looked up. It was a young man wearing a brown overcoat and half-rimmed glasses, with a silver eyeglass chain glinting in the sunlight.

He looked at her and asked with concern:

"Are you alright?"

"...I'm fine," Caiyun said, standing upright with pale lips, forcing a smile. "Thank you... young man."

"You're welcome." The young man smiled faintly. He glanced at the wreaths at the building entrance. "You shouldn't be too sad. Since he came back to see you, it means he cared for you... It's a good thing that he can rest in peace, isn't it?"

Caiyun stared blankly at him, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with the young man before her, for some reason.

"Young man... you're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I've returned from a distant place." The young man paused.

"Perhaps one day, your son will also return from a distant place... And then, everything will begin anew."

A flicker of doubt crossed Caiyun's face. Before she could ask anything more, the young man released her hand, smiled, and turned to leave... The brown overcoat moved away from the community entrance, walking straight ahead...

He blended into the bustling traffic.

Chen Ling ultimately did not reveal his identity to her. This was not just because he was short on time; more importantly, he clearly knew that everything here was merely an archive.

At this moment, he was no longer the naive urban youth who had just transmigrated to the Aurora Realm. His rationality told him that everything was meaningless until the "reboot" was truly completed... He was willing to risk everything, just to return home in the real world.

After Chen Ling left the community, he walked straight to the nearest subway station.

To get to Shennongjia from this city, he would need to take a plane and then a high-speed train. Chen Ling wasn't sure about the exact travel time, but five or six hours seemed quite tight. He had to depart immediately.

Familiar with the way, he walked to the entrance. After passing security, Chen Ling suddenly stopped at the entrance turnstile... He realized a serious problem.

Perhaps he had been in the Aurora Realm for too long; Chen Ling had forgotten that taking the subway cost money. Now he was not only penniless but also without a phone. Let alone taking a plane or high-speed train, he couldn't even get into the subway station!

Buy one now? But he had no money... Steal directly from a passerby? Although he knew this was an archived era, Chen Ling truly didn't want to do such a thing if there were other options.

After a brief thought, Chen Ling's gaze fell upon the ticket turnstiles.

As pedestrians smoothly passed through the turnstiles, scanning their phone QR codes or subway cards on the sensor strip, some theoretical knowledge about electromagnetic induction immediately surfaced in Chen Ling's mind. He squinted slightly.

He walked straight to a turnstile in the corner, and tentatively tapped the sensor strip lightly with his hand.

A sharp crack echoed!

The next moment, the entire subway station plunged into darkness.

Not only the subway station, but several residential buildings in the surrounding community also suddenly lost power. Chen Ling heard gasps of alarm from various parts of the subway station and knew something had gone wrong.

It was his first time using this skill. Without fine control, he seemed to have overexerted himself... In the darkness, Chen Ling tapped the turnstile again.

"Please pass."

A loud voice sounded from the turnstile. A conspicuous green arrow popped up on the screen next to Chen Ling's hand. In the pitch-black subway station, this sole illuminated screen was incredibly noticeable, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

At this moment, both pedestrians and the staff rushing to repair the circuit were stunned... The entire subway station had lost power, so how could this turnstile still be working??

Chen Ling's mouth twitched slightly. He immediately passed through the open turnstile, entering the powered-down subway station. Four or five seconds after he left, the power automatically returned, and the entire subway station was illuminated again... But by then, Chen Ling had vanished from everyone's sight.

Chen Ling, now with a different face, stood with his hands in his pockets before the subway's glass doors, looking at the omnipresent electronic screens and communication devices around him. A faint glimmer appeared in his eyes.

The next moment, all the screens began to flicker on and off, and he stood amidst the rapidly flashing reflections, like a phantom.

Chen Ling's lips curled into a slight smile.

He knew that in this era, he had picked the right skill: the Aurora Lord's.