Chapter 289: Chapter 279: Entering the Illusion Realm

Tang Mo had heard that before the apocalypse, there were people who didn’t kill or eat meat, likely due to their beliefs.

But she had never met anyone who didn’t kill after the apocalypse began. Because if you didn’t kill, Life would kill you, and one couldn’t just sit and wait for death.

If what Xiao Fei said was true, then Mr. Hu really wouldn’t be able to survive in the world outside.

"What does he usually eat then?"

"Most of the time, he eats the edible root vegetables we trade for. If things get really bad, he’ll eat some of the smaller mutant beasts that people have already prepared—mostly rats and other pests."

Hearing Xiao Fei’s explanation, Tang Mo nodded in understanding.

The world is a vast place, full of strange people. It was truly no easy feat for someone like Mr. Hu to have survived so long in an environment like the apocalypse.

However, Tang Mo didn’t pass judgment on his personal beliefs and habits. After all, as long as a person didn’t harm others, what they did was their own business.

The next day, Tang Mo took the twenty-odd people from the Apocalypse Garbage Dump to that mysterious tunnel.

Since they didn’t have many belongings to begin with, everyone traveled light. Most of them didn’t even have a bag.

"This is the place."

Tang Mo pointed to the tunnel entrance and was the first to jump down.

Tang Mo had already dug out all the Crystal Stones in the tunnel, so it was much more spacious than before.

Seeing Tang Mo jump, the people behind her didn’t hesitate, following her down one by one.

Once inside the cave, Tang Mo had everyone stand along the edges. She didn’t rush them all into the Illusion Realm.

"That giant mirror in the middle is the entrance to that peaceful world. But before you go in, there are a few things I need to tell you."

Tang Mo explained that the civilization in that world was roughly a century ahead of their own. She then briefly described what she had seen during her last visit, including the fact that all plants and animals had vanished.

Among the twenty-odd people, the children were the quickest to accept new things, so there was no need to worry about them.

And since all the elderly were former university professors and teachers, their level of education was a given. With just a brief explanation from Tang Mo, they roughly understood what kind of world it was.

"I’ve only been there once, briefly. I can’t say for sure what you’ll encounter after you arrive. I don’t even know how to get back out of that world yet. Knowing all this, do you still want to go in?"

No one spoke, but their determined gazes had already given Tang Mo their answer.

Having followed Tang Mo here without hesitation, they weren’t about to back down now. No matter if a mountain of knives or a sea of fire awaited, they had to see it for themselves.

As for Tang Mo, she was explaining all this again perhaps because she had been moved by their sincerity and hope.

She had never been a kind person. She knew this was just an Illusion Realm, not a real Peach Blossom Spring, and that it could be incredibly risky, yet she still brought so many people with her.

’My initial goal wasn’t to find these people a suitable place to live at all. It was much simpler: I felt there was more to this Illusion Realm than met the eye. It probably held too many secrets, so I wanted to pull a large group inside, let them mix with people like Qin Fen and Zhang Chao, and take advantage of the chaos for my own gain.’

’As for the consequences for the people I brought into the Illusion Realm, I’d never thought about it. It wasn’t part of my consideration.’

’But what I hadn’t planned for was that the people from the Apocalypse Garbage Dump weren’t villains at all; they were just a group of simple, pitiful souls.’

Tang Mo suddenly couldn’t bear to deceive them and lead them in like this. So she began to tell them something that was infinitely close to the full truth about the Illusion Realm.

’If they regret it now, there’s still time to back out.’ Tang Mo wanted to give them a chance to choose for themselves.

But it was like people who had always lived in Hell suddenly coming across a door. Who could resist opening it, regardless of whether a beautiful landscape or an even crueler Hell lay beyond?

"Alright. In that case, let’s go. Once we’re in, everyone is on their own. You’ll have to fend for yourselves."

Seeing everyone’s unwavering resolve, Tang Mo’s guilt lessened slightly. She then once again took the lead and walked into the Illusion Realm.

Watching Tang Mo vanish before their eyes, the others stepped into the mirror’s surface one after another, disappearing from the cave.

When they opened their eyes again, they were standing on a street bustling with traffic.

People came and went on the street, but not a single person gave the twenty-odd newcomers, with their out-of-place clothes, a second glance.

Having just entered this world, no one moved. Instead, they all began to observe their new surroundings.

"I never thought new energy technology would be so successfully implemented in the future. Our country’s technology has taken another quantum leap, reaching a whole new level," an old man remarked with emotion as he watched the vehicles pass by.

This was the first time Tang Mo had heard this old man speak. Before this, he had always worn a blank expression, his every move suggesting a man whose soul had left his body.

"These 5D holographic projections on the street are incredibly realistic. If images are being broadcast like this nationwide, they must be using satellite technology, not just simple electronics."

Before coming here, they had heard Tang Mo say that the street scenes were all projections and not real.

Some of the elderly had originally been researchers in photography, electronics, and artificial intelligence. Naturally, they were no strangers to these concepts and were even trying to deduce the principles behind them.

A tremendous Life Force erupted from each of the old folks’ previously dull eyes, as if they had returned to their home turf.

Old and frail, they could never adapt to the apocalyptic world where the strong devoured the weak and might made right. This high-tech world, however, was the kind of place they, as lifelong researchers, truly loved.

There were no mutant beasts here, no crazed, deadly plants, and certainly no irrational humans who had lost all sense of morality.

Everyone’s expression relaxed. At least, this was an orderly, civilized world.

Just as everyone was wondering how different this world was from the one they knew, a small car suddenly pulled up in front of them.

Soon, a few people in uniform stepped out of the car.

"Who are you people? Why are you congregating outside instead of staying at home?"

The person who spoke had a friendly attitude; it didn’t seem like an interrogation.

Although people in this world could do everything from home, they weren’t forbidden from going out.

It was just that group outings like this had become very rare. The personnel on duty, having spotted the situation on Skynet, immediately dispatched people to investigate.

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