Chapter 372 – Farewell to Hometown
The next day, Wuma Fenghua, as promised, gathered the people from Tu Ran’s list at a shabby, closed-down shop on East Huai Road.
Tu Ran had already placed Song Bai, Li Rui, and Tang Ying into her space.
She pushed open the dilapidated door and stepped inside the shop. Everyone inside turned to look at her, including Wuma Fenghua.
Wuma Fenghua, dressed in a magnificent gown, stood out among the crowd of people wearing identical black robes.
She sat on a wooden chair with a backrest, facing it, her hands resting on the back of the chair. One hand supported her chin as she chatted idly with the people in front of her. When she heard the door open, her radiant eyes glanced over.
That glance was stunningly beautiful, so mesmerizing that it left many of those present in a daze.
Tu Ran heard several barely audible gasps.
She closed the creaking door behind her with one hand.
“See? Look how efficient I am,” Wuma Fenghua said, raising her hand to point at the dozens of people in the room. These people had survived so long in Border City because they were exceptionally cautious. She not only had to find them silently but also had to convince them in one night. Tsk, too difficult, though it wasn’t her doing.
“Thank you.” Tu Ran’s gaze swept over the faces of those whose features she couldn’t make out. She simply and clearly added, “I will take you out of here today. You will enter another space shortly. Do not be alarmed; there are others like you inside. Once I reach a safe world, I will release you.”
A few soft voices of agreement came from the crowd, but most people remained silent and observed her with restrained attention.
Suddenly, from the back of the crowd, a faint voice asked, “Are you Tu Ran?”
The list only contained people from two worlds: one was Blue Star, and the other was the Haenden Star System.
In both worlds, to some extent, Tu Ran was quite famous.
On Blue Star, various posts about Tu Ran had been hotly discussed online for days.
In the Haenden Star System, a video of Tu Ran piloting a silver mecha and cutting a bloody path through a beast tide had gone viral on major media outlets.
The people in the room were split into two groups. One group had already been suspicious of Tu Ran’s identity, and now they stared at her, waiting for her response. The other group had never connected the woman before them with Tu Ran and were now looking around to find out who had asked such a curious question.
But without exception, both groups silently expressed their emotions.
Wuma Fenghua was the exception, watching the spectacle with great interest. “I didn’t expect you to be so famous.”
Tu Ran glanced at her, her eyelids lifting. Wuma Fenghua’s comment had indirectly confirmed her identity as Tu Ran.
Sure enough, the crowd became a little agitated.
Tu Ran admitted, “I am. So, are you ready?”
“Ready!” The crowd immediately perked up, no longer subdued.
Tu Ran raised her hand, and the long sleeves of her black robe stirred up a slight breeze. With a flash of light, the crowd gradually disappeared.
She gathered everyone into her space, then turned to Wuma Fenghua and said, “Thank you.”
“Will you return?” Wuma Fenghua’s soft, mesmerizing eyes gazed at Tu Ran, looking pitifully innocent.
Tu Ran replied, “…I will.”
“That’s good.” Wuma Fenghua was satisfied with the answer. She pushed herself up from the chair, elegantly straightening her exaggerated skirt. She placed her hands at her sides and assumed the posture of a top-class lady. “See you at the tribute.”
She left with a graceful stride.
Only Tu Ran remained in the shop. She used her ability [Time and Space Manipulation] causing a blue rippling portal to appear, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Taking a deep breath, Tu Ran stepped into it.
Each time she entered this portal, it felt as though she was surrendering her fate to the unknown.
Unconsciously, Tu Ran had developed the habit of silently repeating the world she longed to reach as she passed through the door.
“Blue Star, Blue Star, Blue Star…”
The light dissipated, and she found herself facing the familiar advertisement board in the subway station, featuring a well-known celebrity endorsing a product.
She had returned! Her luck had finally turned around this time!
The subway station wasn’t during rush hour, but there was still a decent crowd.
Tu Ran suddenly appeared, still draped in an eye-catching black robe. The people who were walking normally quickly distanced themselves from her, glancing at her furtively.
Tu Ran quickly tugged at her hood to cover her face.
“Cosplay?”
Tu Ran overheard someone muttering.
“She seems to have just appeared out of nowhere.”
“She kind of looks like the one from that popular science show…”
“Staff will be here soon.”
“Strange…”
“Click!”
The sound of a camera shutter.
Surrounded by a sea of people, Tu Ran tried to navigate through the gaps, but more and more phones were being held close to her, attempting to capture her appearance beneath the hood. One hand gripped her hood tightly, while the other cleared a path, her voice shifting, “Sorry, I’m just doing cosplay. Nothing to see. Excuse me, please let me through.”
“She’s so strong.”
Tu Ran, who was secretly using her abilities to push through the crowd, thought to herself: What else can I do? With human strength, I can’t possibly push through these crazy people.
Fortunately, the staff arrived quickly.
They dispersed the crowd and escorted Tu Ran to the security office.
On the way there, Tu Ran had already come up with several excuses to justify wearing her current outfit.
However, when the security staff led her into the room and closed the door behind her, the first thing they said was, “Please wait here, someone from upstairs wants to meet you.”
Tu Ran: “…Alright.” She had only come to Blue Star to settle a few people; she hadn’t planned on meeting anyone.
The security officer left, locking the door behind him.
Tu Ran, peeking out from under her hood, surveyed the small security room. She finally settled on a wall, used her ability to become invisible, and passed through it.
When the staff returned with a well-dressed, handsome man in a suit and opened the door to the security room, they were stunned to find the room empty. They quickly explained, “I left her here after bringing her in. She was here when I left.”
The handsome man shook his head at the plainclothes officer behind him, his expression serious. “She doesn’t want to see us.”
“She has other plans. She might send someone else to meet us,” said the officer, standing tall despite his casual attire.
…
“You go meet them,” Tu Ran said, standing in front of a mirror. She had changed out of the black robe into a simple gray hoodie and black jeans, looking plain and unremarkable.
“Me?” Li Rui pointed at herself, looking unsure. “I think something this important should be handled by you, Sister Tu Ran.”
Tu Ran was adjusting a baseball cap on her head when she heard her and shook her head. “It’s not important. Just tell them everything you know.”
“I don’t think I can focus on the main points, like the cosmic fusion stuff. I only understand a little,” Li Rui said, watching Tu Ran put on a mask in the mirror.
Once Tu Ran was fully dressed, she turned around and placed both hands on Li Rui’s shoulders. “Even if we, Blue Star, know everything about it, what difference does it make?”
Li Rui was speechless. “But…”
“There’s no ‘but,'” Tu Ran interrupted, her voice firm. “Tell them not to try entering other worlds for the next two weeks. After two weeks…” She took a few steps away, then stopped and turned back to look at Li Rui. “Maybe the door will never appear again.”
