Chapter 7, Exploration and Mutation

Perhaps it is because that place holds significant importance, or perhaps it is due to the layered nature of his current attire

Unknowingly, more than an hour had passed without any particular events occurring. Mo Chen, who had initially been vigilant, gradually relaxed his mind and began to walk further away

However, Mo Chen could not understand those words; he merely instinctively slowed his pace

By the time Mo Chen noticed the commotion around him, the chaos had already begun to spread without any warning

In addition, the soldiers patrolling the streets are frequent, and a serious atmosphere subtly permeates the air. It seems that today is an important day, or perhaps a significant event is taking place today

Learning a foreign language from scratch is a challenging endeavor, but as long as one has the determination, it is not an insurmountable difficulty. However, Mo Chen does not believe that he possesses such conditions

He is now incredibly curious and wants to know more about this city and the matters of this world

Mo Chen is in the same situation now; he does not understand what has happened, but he knows that he should run away

Given the magnitude of the incident, a city lockdown is inevitable. Even if one can temporarily evade the situation, it is impossible to escape the subsequent thorough searches. With a language barrier and no identification, one's fate appears grim from any perspective.

This is undoubtedly a magnificent city with a unique style

This world, no, at least the whaling industry in this city seems quite developed. A fleeting thought crossed Mo Chen's mind, and upon realizing that he had attracted the attention of certain police officers, he subtly changed direction and walked away.

Clang! Clang! ... Clang! ... ...

This utterly chaotic scene has been sufficient for him to realize what he should do now

However, the language they used was very strange and unfamiliar, and Mo Chen could not understand it at all, so he could only make guesses without truly understanding what was happening

I was just troubled about how to communicate with the locals and gather information if there is a language barrier. What exactly is happening now? How did this city suddenly turn into a battlefield in the Middle East?

This city is magnificent and vast, with towering buildings standing tall. The stone-paved roads are flat and spacious in style, featuring a complete drainage system and a network for supplying tap water

His exploration process is not particularly fast, as it requires a natural disguise that does not reveal any flaws to others, while also needing to note various easily recognizable features along the way to facilitate his return along the same route.

Suddenly, the sounds of gunfire, screams, and shouts erupted, all of which were drowned out by the roar of the tram

Time passed second by second, yet he still could not remember, because—

Because he does not possess much linguistic talent, his English is only at a level that barely allows him to pass the College English Test Band 4

Moreover, the sight of litter being carelessly discarded is ubiquitous, and public urination and defecation have become commonplace.

Overall, it has already exceeded Mo Chen's expectations

... ...

This city has always given him a vague sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen it somewhere, at some time, in the past

Clean and tidy, grand and imposing, with a rich historical and cultural heritage, magnificent and majestic

How unfortunate it is, I feel as if I am being targeted

At that moment, a piercing roar came from the overhead maglev train, momentarily drowning out the voices of the people around. Mo Chen stopped in his tracks and looked up at the maglev train in the sky.

He now needs to disguise himself, how should he learn the language of this world, and from whom should he learn?

In his impression, this ancient city, resembling a European old town in its Western style, no matter how magnificent it may be, cannot conceal the unsanitary conditions and disorder.

The ancient and long-standing canal stretches across the grand and magnificent city from east to west, dividing the city into northern and southern banks.

Even if ten minutes later, this city were to be directly reduced to ashes under a nuclear strike or some other natural disaster, it would not affect him in another world

People have a herd mentality; for instance, if one person runs down the street during the day, others may follow suit, yet apart from the first individual, no one knows the reason for the running

Mo Chen now resembles a member of the middle class. If he were to walk towards the other side of the dock, which is filled with blood, filth, and resembles a slaughterhouse, dressed in such attire, it would undoubtedly attract suspicious glances from onlookers

Mo Chen secretly lamented, yet found himself with no alternative. He had considered whether to follow the crowd and seek refuge nearby to avoid the storm, but ultimately chose not to do so

This left Mo Chen quite troubled and distressed, and he could not think of any good way to resolve this issue for the time being

Language barriers are the most troublesome issue. If this problem is not resolved first, then no matter what plans or intentions one has, it will be impossible to proceed smoothly.

Moreover, he did not panic and flee like those around him, nor did he run aimlessly; instead, he turned around and decisively chose to return the way he came.

Mo Chen began to run quickly, but the streets were filled with agitated crowds, making it impossible for him to run out in one breath

This scene seems really familiar, but where exactly have I seen it before

It is precisely because of the vague sense of familiarity, yet an inability to recall it, that it is referred to as "déjà vu"

Running away does not necessarily guarantee escape from danger, but staying in one place certainly makes one quite conspicuous, and there is also the possibility of being swept away by the crowd, leading to a stampede... This is fundamentally a choice so simple that it does not require much consideration

If it feels familiar and you can recall it, then it is "memory"

On the other side of the dock, there appears to be a market area, or it could possibly be a slaughterhouse area

At this moment, regardless of the terrifying turmoil that may occur in this city, as long as he successfully returns to the place where the "door" opens, escapes back to the real world, and then restores the cube and closes the light membrane

... ...

Despite forcing himself to remain calm and making such a judgment, Mo Chen could not help but feel self-pity in his heart, wondering why problems arose as soon as he arrived, and what the reason for this could be

Mo Chen still cannot determine whether the current world, or rather this city, is in the steam age or the electric age, but he can be certain that the hierarchical system here is undoubtedly dominated by feudalism.

The city police officers on the streets patrol along specific routes, while the electrified tracks above the city occasionally emit a piercing roar, followed by the rapid passage of dark tram cars with a clattering sound

... ...

Thus, he cautiously concealed his unusualness, filled with a sense of considerable shock and novelty, feigning calmness and composure as he moved through this city

This is absolutely necessary

Only by taking this opportunity to quickly return to the "door" can one find the only way out.

Everyone is very concerned about their social status. Although ordinary people may not be as privileged as the nobility, those in the middle class certainly will not easily associate with those in the lower class

However, there are no trees or flowers planted within the city, and the greening project seems to be completely overlooked. Moreover, the electrified aerial tracks above the city, with trams roaring past at intervals, contribute to a less than favorable living environment in the city

Moreover, the distant dock reveals a spacious coastline, where heavy steel ships float on the sea surface, their horns sounding continuously. Strangely, the seawater has been dyed a shocking shade of red.

During this period, he also noticed a phenomenon

It is precisely because I cannot recall it, after all, the phenomenon of "déjà vu" is indeed remarkable in its own way, yet it is also not particularly rare; no one is unfamiliar with it.

A flock of sheep is a rather disorganized group, often moving about aimlessly and blindly bumping into one another. However, once a lead sheep begins to move, the others will thoughtlessly rush forward, completely disregarding the potential presence of wolves nearby and the better grass not far away.

It is absolutely unusual, akin to a noble entering a slum, and it is something that is bound to attract the attention of certain observant individuals

This phenomenon of blind conformity is known as the "herd effect"; animals exhibit it, and humans are not necessarily any more enlightened.

The streets all around are constantly bustling with people, creating an atmosphere of immense liveliness and noise, and each individual seems to be quite excited, as if engaged in discussions about some topic.

At this moment, the sound of a heated and urgent argument came from around the corner of the street ahead, as if someone was angrily disputing something

Are those ... ... whales

However, even so, he still felt that there was something subtly amiss

His pupils slightly contracted, and although he still could not comprehend what was happening, the sounds of fighting and gunfire coming from various directions in the distance, along with the explosions and the screams of people fleeing for their lives.

Although the greening project is not very good and the issue of noise disturbance is quite serious, the overall cleanliness and meticulousness of the entire city is enough to make him pleasantly surprised

A trace of confusion flickered in his eyes, as if a certain sense of déjà vu had become even more intense.

It is akin to traveling to renowned historical cities and sites, where everything is so novel and filled with a desire to explore more.

He certainly does not wish to have spent the entire day foolishly enjoying himself, only to realize that he has lost his way and cannot find the route back, as that would be quite unfortunate

It is precisely because one is unfamiliar with the surroundings that everything must rely on oneself

It was just incredibly crowded, but now it is desolate with only a few people remaining, and the sounds of screams and shouts no longer echo in all directions

It seems that everyone has either rushed back home or sought refuge in nearby buildings, which is truly remarkable speed

Certainly, everything that exists has its rationale, and the herd effect is not necessarily devoid of value. This is a principle of natural selection; under conditions of information asymmetry and uncertain expectations, observing the actions of others is indeed a relatively low-risk approach

Oh, wait a moment

By the time he successfully identified the various "features" along the way and found the route, the crowd on the street had already dispersed significantly, even before he had completed half of his journey

... ...

What is going on? I just looked up for a moment and got a little distracted, so how could it be ...? ... Is this a joke?

but rather need to crowd together, resisting the tide of people, struggling to navigate through the gaps in the crowd

Mo Chen pondered for quite a long time but did not arrive at any conclusions, so he naturally gave up. Moreover, the most important thing is that this city is not only vast, but its various streets and alleys are also exceedingly intricate.

Indeed, possessing memories upon crossing over, or the existence of a universal language applicable throughout the entire universe, are occurrences that are fundamentally impossible in reality

Grateful for the vision of this body, he, without myopia, could barely discern from a distance what those colossal beasts truly were

A living habit that has existed since the Roman era and has been passed down for thousands of years across Europe—people would directly pour their waste out of the window after using the toilet at home. Walking on the streets of medieval European cities, one could easily become a victim of such "misfortune falling from the sky".

As Mo Chen had not yet approached, he could already smell the strong scent of blood from a distance, and he could see the massive carcasses of some gigantic sea creatures piled up like a mountain

Moreover, the language spoken by the people of this city does not seem to be any language on Earth, which is the crux of the matter. This has left Mo Chen somewhat at a loss, as the situation is exceedingly dire

This is truly quite difficult, akin to struggling against the strong and swift currents in a raging river; Mo Chen spent quite some time on this.

At that moment, the crowd on the street suddenly became agitated