The exquisite card spun continuously, and the swirling light gate leading to the dungeon world gradually unfolded before Lin Lan.
This time, however, the system panel text showed new changes.
[Current Dungeon Card: Sunken Ideal City]
[Card Base: Red Moon (Unique)]
[Card Keywords: Third Era, Company]
[Due to the perfect completion of the system-provided Celestial Calamity solution by the administrator, a mysterious reward has been activated for you!]
[Dungeon single exploration time limit extended to: 360 minutes]
Lin Lan read through the panel text carefully, he paused slightly, then showed a delighted expression.
The system actually rewarded him with a full three hours of dungeon exploration time!
Excitedly, Lin Lan rubbed his hands together; at the critical juncture of Seagull Town's initial construction, this reward was indeed a welcome aid.
He thought for a moment and decisively abandoned his original plan of skimming off the outskirts.
The ordinary items he collected earlier were enough for the Bai Sail Caravan to sell for a while. What he truly needed now were dungeon props like the 'Molecular Reconstructor', which could serve practical purposes.
It's time to advance towards the central area!
Determined, Lin Lan mounted his beloved tricycle and began to charge aggressively towards the distant giant overpass.
The full moon hung high, and the scarlet shrouded the desolate city.
The world plunged into its twilight was indifferent and lonely, but Lin Lan had long grown accustomed to solitude; he quite enjoyed the feeling of the entire world belonging only to him.
Soon, Lin Lan rode beneath the 'Bridge'.
This behemoth sprawled over the outskirts of the city, dividing the desolate world into two. In fact, Lin Lan wasn't quite sure whether this thing aligned with his understanding of a bridge.
Looking up from below, the giant wall structure, mixed with roads, railings, and handrails, was daunting, yet it did not stand vertically on the ground but had a certain slope.
Lin Lan parked his tricycle on the spot, slung on a backpack containing basic tools, and the young man stretched his muscles, beginning to climb upwards.
Though the body of the original host was young, filled with inexhaustible vitality, Lin Lan climbed with caution.
Countless squeezed vehicles were stuck in the crevices of architectural structures, surrounded by twisted, sharp railings and protruding building fragments, which could easily scratch the body if not careful.
When he reached halfway, Lin Lan stopped to recover his strength.
He glanced down, his tricycle had already become a tiny speck. From this height, a fall might turn him into a pancake instantly...
Composing himself, Lin Lan continued his ascent.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally grabbed the edge at the top, pulling himself up with all his might, collapsing at the edge of the giant wall, gasping heavily.
"Wow, finally made it to the top..."
Catch
Lin Lan breathed heavily, glanced at the system interface.
[Dungeon exploration time remaining: 208 minutes. Please manage the remaining time wisely]
Lin Lan's face instantly darkened.
The climbing route was indeed too complex, considering he still had to return to the spawn point, the actual time left for him to scour the central area would be pitifully scarce.
At that moment, the system panel popped up with new option prompts.
[Detected that the administrator has unlocked a new dungeon exploration area, would you like to activate a new spawn point?]
"At least you have a shred of decency..."
Lin Lan exhaled in relief, clicked to confirm, and the familiar light gate appeared in the air.
Next, he turned his gaze towards the other side's Inner City.
Lin Lan's eyes gradually widened.
The world within the giant wall was not a straightforward path as he'd imagined.
—He saw a 'deep well', an endlessly descending 'deep well'!
The circular high wall he had just climbed was merely the railing protruding above the ground of the deep well.
Looking down, countless skyscrapers hung on the silver well wall, covered entirely in air tracks; glaring holographic advertisements interplayed, and neon lights twinkled like stars.
All this fused seamlessly with genuine starlight.
The end of that deep well was actually a secluded starry sky! Monster-like colorful nebulae were clinging tightly to the bottom of the well, wisps of starlight lazily licking upwards, seemingly wanting to consume the entire city dry.
Lin Lan stared absentmindedly at the scene below his feet.
He couldn't quite discern which side was the real sky—below were stars and above was the Red Moon, both dividing the world distinctly.
Lin Lan instinctively glanced at the system interface.
[Current explorative area: Ideal City Core·Space Ladder Lower Level Zone]
[The Space Ladder is a masterpiece crafted by the company's development department, with the construction planning of this area under the full responsibility of the development department executive, Ms. Martina]
Lin Lan gradually came to understand.
The entire Ideal City was a tool used by the Roser Company to explore the starlit skies, where his previous exploration of the Outer City was merely the dust of this Space Ladder's base.
He noticed that the Inner City was not as quiet and dilapidated as the Outer City; the buildings were intact, with pristine surfaces, presenting an exceedingly prosperous sight.
Lin Lan licked his lips, his expression growing more and more exuberant.
Space Ladder? Company development department?
Oh, whatever it is, this place looks very rich; I must indulge today!
Just a pity for my little car that has been with me for so long...
Lin Lan gazed regretfully down at the Outer City under the bridge, quickly turning his attention to the closest upside-down skyscraper.
Everything in the Inner City was inverted. How does one get down there?
He approached the edge and tried to take a step.
At that moment, gravity quietly shifted direction.
Lin Lan staggered, hurriedly steadied himself, finding himself already standing on the surface of the pedestrian walkway.
The road underfoot spiraled up along the silver wall, intertwining with other roads, eventually vanishing in the distant city gap.
He bowed his head and found the Red Moon had turned into a blurred backdrop, resembling a shadow in the water.
[Attention, you have officially entered the Space Ladder Lower Level Zone!]
[Starlight spreads rampantly, and moonlight no longer shelters the traveler's steps; please proceed with utmost caution]
The system prompted a new message once more.
"Seriously... Could there still be a risk of getting knocked off here..."
Lin Lan's mouth twitched slightly; he stared at the panel prompt with a vague sense of foreboding.
In the dungeon, getting injured or killed wasn't a big deal, but losing hard-earned dungeon items would be a massive loss!
He grumbled a bit, instinctively tightened the backpack, and began to tread along the road toward the edge of the Inner City.
Gradually, Lin Lan perceived the difference between the Inner City and the Outer City; while the Outer City was silent and desolate, the soft moonlight always gave people a sense of reassurance.
The Inner City appeared glamorous, yet Lin Lan constantly felt countless eyes staring at him, hiding behind every pane of glass with indifferent and hollow gazes.
The further he went, the stronger that strange feeling became.