Davis got back into the car and started it.
They drove forward, stopping to explore some resource shops along the way, but it was meaningless; the buildings were empty.
Allen frowned and pointed to the side, "Let's check out that shop."
It was a furniture repair shop. Davis entered, and soon showed surprise before rushing out.
"This shop isn't empty; there's something inside!"
Allen asked, "What is it? Is it related to resources?"
Davis paused and replied, "No, it's not related to resources. There are some tools inside, and bones of mutated creatures."
Allen frowned, "As I suspected."
Ji Ruyue asked, "Did you think of something?"
Allen said, "This place is exactly like the Ruined City, as if it were replicated. So, is it a bit of a stretch to describe it as another world?"
Gonzalez looked confused, "What do you mean?"
Allen explained, "This world was likely artificially constructed, or perhaps it's just an illusion. Of course, I'm not entirely sure how it was built or how to prove it's an illusion, but the absence of any resources along the way suggests something."
Ji Ruyue nodded, "That makes sense. Because no resources could be replicated. After all, if that were possible, they could have simply unified the wasteland, or even rebuilt civilization."
Allen frowned, "Those crystal beings might be related to the Rhine Corporation. So, could this world also be related to the Rhine Corporation?"
"Bingo!"
Bai Ye shouted in his mind.
He really liked intelligent people like Allen and Ji Ruyue.
They didn't need many hints; a simple suggestion was enough for them to ponder and even discover the anomalies themselves.
Davis and Gonzalez were not as good; they were too slow.
Once Allen became suspicious, the rest would be easy.
Because if Allen was suspicious, he would be willing to investigate the Rhine Corporation. Then, Bai Ye only needed to provide some hints and guidance to help Allen find clues, and eventually, Allen would naturally uncover everything.
Meanwhile, Allen said to Davis, "Don't stop anymore; keep moving forward. We're going to Laboratory Number Three."
Davis nodded.
Their boss had tasked them with finding resources from another world, but it seemed that mission was almost impossible to complete.
In that case, it wouldn't be bad to follow Allen and uncover the truth.
The car soon sped forward, and a steel wall appeared before them.
This was the dividing line between the slums and the affluent district. Beyond that steel wall was entirely Rhine Corporation territory.
Davis slowly parked the car by the side and leaned out to look, "The gate is closed, but I don't see any guards."
The gate, referred to as the "Lukka" by the residents of the slums, completely separated the city in the ruined world.
Thus, people in the slums called this wall Lukka.
The people in the affluent district, however, proudly called the wall the Gates of Paradise.
Inside the gates was paradise; outside was hell.
"It's my turn." Ji Ruyue picked up a small metal box and said, "Give me fifteen minutes!"
Ji Ruyue took the box into the guard post by the Lukka, unscrewed the metal casing of a machine, opened the box, which revealed a holographic computer.
Ji Ruyue pulled out two data cables, connected them to the instruments in the guard post, and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.
Bai Ye looked at Allen and asked curiously, "Is she a computer expert too?"
"Brain potential!" Allen pointed to his head and said, "Besides her special abilities, Ruyue is also very intelligent. After all, her brain development is higher than ours, so she knows a lot."
As Allen spoke, he took out a crumpled box from his pocket and offered some of his hand-rolled cigarettes to the others.
In the wasteland, these were good things, very difficult to obtain, and considered luxury items. Alcohol was also a luxury.
People struggled to even get enough to eat, let alone have the grain to brew alcohol.
Bai Ye and the others opened the windows and exhaled smoke rings. By the time the cigarettes burned out, Ji Ruyue had also emerged from the guard post, carrying the box.
A small iron door at a corner of the massive Lukka slowly opened.
Ji Ruyue got back into the car and said, "Let's go!"
After passing through the Lukka, the car entered the affluent district.
The affluent district was noticeably different from the slums.
The slums were a true reflection of the wasteland world: dilapidated buildings, broken land, tattered clothes, and some people were even in rags.
Simply filling one's stomach each day was a luxury. The entire slum exuded a sense of sorrow and numbness.
For most people, surviving another day was all that mattered.
But the affluent district...
The feeling was subtle!
The buildings in the affluent district also carried a sense of desolation.
After all, beneath the wasteland, everything was decaying, being consumed by time and gradually turning barren.
However, upon closer inspection, it became clear that it wasn't that simple.
The surrounding buildings had clearly been repaired, with no messy debris. Although the streets were old, they had no cracks and appeared clean. There was no clutter or piles of scrapped cars along the roadside.
Everything was merely ancient, but compared to the slums, this place felt like life before the wasteland was still continuing.
Moving further, there were even metal tracks still in operation, transporting people anywhere in the affluent district.
And various robots gradually appeared in their sight.
Barrel-shaped garbage-collecting robots, drone-like city surveillance robots, patrolling robotic guard dogs, and armed robots for combat enforcement.
Of course, these robots were all immobile, as activating them required energy, and the mirror world was merely a false simulated world incapable of replicating any resources.
Davis clicked his tongue twice and said, "The affluent district is also exactly like the Ruined City."
Ji Ruyue scoffed, "As if you've been to the affluent district."
Davis retorted, "Why wouldn't I have? I've taken missions in the affluent district too!"
As Davis spoke, he slowed down the car to allow everyone to observe their surroundings. At this moment, Bai Ye's brows furrowed deeply.
Because...
"As a participant has discovered and entered the forbidden zone, Rhine Corporation Laboratory Number Three (Mirror World), all participants currently located within the Ruined City (Mirror World) will be included in this forbidden zone."
Forbidden zone...
It had suddenly opened!
...