NABC Page 291
Page 291
It outlines the streets and main buildings clearly, creating a unique lighting system that does not rely on firelight.
Naruto sat on the windowsill of the room Sara had arranged for him, leaning against the window frame, one leg bent, his arm casually resting on his knee.
He wasn't sleepy; his golden hair swayed gently in the cool night breeze.
Azure eyes gaze out the window at this dreamlike city illuminated by mechanical light.
The amazement and novelty of the day gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly clear unease that weighed heavily on his heart.
It's too perfect, so perfect it's almost unreal.
The puppets are perfectly uniform, and the residents live in peace and contentment, completely ignorant of chakra.
A social structure that relies on a single energy source (dragon vein) and a single technology (puppet).
And then there's that "Minister An Lushan," whose name we only know but whose face we've never seen...
In the realm of consciousness, the warnings from the various "big shots" still echoed in my ears.
Kushina sighed, "How could such advanced technology still crash?"
Minato's confusion: "Why did I receive this mission in the first place? I can't remember at all..."
Nine-Tails' irritation: "Those lumps of iron have a really unpleasant smell..."
Ban warned: "Be careful. What's hidden beneath this prosperity is probably not so simple."
These words were like tiny thorns, pricking Naruto's nerves.
The fact that Minato has no memory of the incident is especially abnormal.
Given Minato's strength and caution, it's impossible for him to have a vague memory of an S-class mission that requires his personal involvement.
This can only mean that what happened in Loulan may involve some kind of extraordinary force, or even... interfered with memories.
There's also Sarah and the Queen.
They seem kind and sincere, but do they really know the whole truth about this city?
Who exactly is An Lushan, who controls the power of the dragon vein and all the puppets?
"No...I can't sit still!"
Naruto suddenly jumped down from the windowsill, his eyes sharpening.
Waiting and observing was not his style, and passively relying on the people of Loulan to inquire about information was too slow.
He has to take the initiative to do something.
He formed hand seals and uttered a low shout: "Shadow Clone Technique!"
A puff of white smoke flashed by, and an identical Naruto appeared in the room.
The shadow clone greeted him.
"You stay here and pretend to be asleep to deal with any possible room checks."
Naruto's main body quickly ordered, "I'm going out for a walk to investigate the secrets of An Lushan and these puppets."
The shadow clone gave a thumbs up, then skillfully climbed onto the bed and pulled the covers over itself.
Naruto took a deep breath, walked to the window, and cautiously observed the situation outside.
The patrolling puppets have a fixed line of sight and a rigid movement pattern, making them easy to identify.
He spotted an opening and, like a cat, silently slipped out the window.
His body pressed against the shadow of the wall, he rose and fell a few times before disappearing into the night.
His goal is clear—
Search for the place where those puppets eventually return or replenish their energy.
Search for areas that may exist but are not open to the general public.
He had a strong intuition that the secret of this city must be hidden in some unknown corner.
Meanwhile, directly beneath Naruto's room lies a very deep underground.
Completely different from the exotic and vibrant buildings on the ground, this is a cold, hard, and metallic world.
This is an underground space that is far larger than imagined; it is less a secret room and more a massive, fully mechanized factory!
Beneath the towering dome, thick metal pipes crisscross like giant pythons, emitting a deep hum.
The giant gears turned slowly, and the conveyor belt transported unknown materials and parts.
The air was filled with a strong smell of engine oil and a peculiar aura, similar to dragon vein energy but more restless.
In the heart of this machine factory, the scene is even more chilling.
A girl with long pink hair was suspended in mid-air with her hands bound by a cold mechanical arm.
Her clothes were already tattered and torn, and the blood made them even redder.
The exposed skin was covered with a crisscrossing network of fresh wounds, some so deep that the bone was visible.
Blood dripped down her body, pooling into a small, shocking dark red puddle on the metal floor below.
However, whenever a new wound appears, a pale green chakra light emerges from the girl's body.
The wound healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, demonstrating amazing resilience.
But the process was obviously extremely painful, and each healing process consumed a lot of her physical strength and chakra.
Her face was as pale as paper, her breathing was weak, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat, indicating that it had been going on for quite some time.
A blurry black figure stood in front of her.
The shadowy figure was shrouded in a large cloak, and its face appeared to be wearing a mask.
Only a pair of vertical pupils, gleaming gold in the dim light, were visible.
He was toying with a sharp scalpel in his hand, the tip still stained with a trace of blood.
The sinister laughter echoed through the empty machine factory, sounding particularly jarring: "Truly astonishing physique and medical ninjutsu skills."
"It's been several days already? Are you still stubbornly resisting with chakra? What's the point? It only adds to your suffering."
He leaned closer, his voice laced with mockery and cruelty: "Give up, your teammates aren't coming."
"Don't talk about whether they were as lucky as you to have fallen into this era."
"Even if they came, with this vast desert and the barrier of time and space, they wouldn't be able to find this place, let alone..."
The dark figure raised its head, seemingly able to see through layers of rock walls to the ground: "...Every inch of this city is bathed in the energy of the dragon vein, forming a natural barrier against interference."
"Even with that kid's perception abilities, there's absolutely no way he could penetrate these thick layers of earth and the energy field of the dragon vein to discover the existence of this underground factory."
"You... have been completely forgotten."
However, faced with the shadowy figure's verbal torture and psychological attacks, the pink-haired girl who was hanging slowly raised her head.
Despite her extreme weakness, an indomitable flame burned in her emerald eyes, devoid of any despair.
She even managed a weak, mocking smile:
"I...believe in them...whether it's Naruto...or Sasuke..."
Her voice was soft, yet unusually firm: "As long as they are alive... they will definitely find this place... this... false prosperity you created... will definitely be... completely destroyed by them..."
The black image seemed to have heard some funny joke, its laughter growing even sharper: "Look up! Look at what Loulan looks like now!"
"It was me! I transformed this once backward, isolated city, struggling to survive in the cracks of the desert, into the prosperous and powerful place it is today!"
"I gave it new life! I made it transcend its time!"
Pink Hair coughed violently, spitting out another mouthful of blood that stained her pale lips red.
She was panting, but the mockery in her eyes deepened.
"So... just for this... you can feel at ease... sacrificing nearly half the population of Loulan?"
"Turning them... into power sources for these cold machines... or... experimental subjects? Not even sparing the elderly and children... cough cough cough!!"
Before she could finish speaking, a more intense cough and pain interrupted her, causing her to tremble like a candle in the wind, her breath growing even weaker.
But she kept her eyes fixed on the shadowy figure, and with her last strength said, "No matter... what happens... your plot... will definitely not succeed..."
The shadowy figure remained silent for a moment.
His gaze beneath the cloak grew even colder and more profound.
It was as if he had touched upon some taboo core. He neither admitted nor denied Sakura's accusation.
Finally, he simply patted Sakura's cheek lightly with the scalpel, leaving a cold touch and a trace of blood.
His tone returned to that chilling calm:
"That's hard to say... dear 'medical material'."
After saying that, he turned around, ignoring the tenacious girl behind him, and his figure disappeared into the shadow of the machine.
All that remained was the cold, mechanical whirring of machinery, and the girl suspended in mid-air, enduring endless pain yet still clinging to hope.
tick tock...tick tock...
Chapter 313 The Father of This Time and Space
As night falls on Loulan, the bustling activity and noise on the ground gradually subside.
All that remained were the puppets that spontaneously illuminated themselves using the energy of the dragon vein.
Like a loyal sentinel, it silently patrols along a fixed route, casting patches of soft yet cold light.
Naruto concealed himself in the enormous shadow cast by the palace, extending his sensory perception to its maximum.
He wasn't just wandering around aimlessly.
What I saw and heard during the day, and the warnings from everyone in my consciousness.
In particular, the Nine-Tails' restless and uneasy mood echoed in his mind like an alarm bell.
He needed evidence, he needed to find out the source of that "disgusting smell," and he needed to uncover the truth hidden beneath this miraculous city.
Suddenly, his keen senses detected a faint fluctuation, completely different from the peaceful and stable dragon vein energy on the ground.