Chapter 938: The Importance of Humility
Even though the place was closed, how could there still be people here?
Bohemia furrowed her brows as she heard the bustling footsteps drawing closer, indicating that it wasn't just one person; she quickly took two steps back and swiftly tapped three times on another triangular wall. As the wall rippled like water, revealing the scenery beyond, she didn't have time to look closely before she swiftly dove into it. Just as she retracted her feet into the wall, two people emerged from the adjacent space.
After Bohemia entered, she immediately turned around and pressed her ear against the wall.
"It's not here," a stranger's voice said. "We've searched several branch venues already."
The person they were talking to responded with a deep "Hmm."
"This is like finding a needle in a haystack," the first person, who seemed young, said. "There are at least fifty concrete worlds here."
"There's no other way, let's continue checking one by one."
"I don't think they'll be here. After all, who are they? How could they just sit and wait for us?"
"Enough talking," the older person, unwilling to discuss further, lowered his voice. "Be careful not to let the target hear us."
Although his voice was lowered, that sentence was even clearer than the previous ones. Bohemia immediately cursed silently—while they were talking, they had already reached the entrance of her branch venue.
She remembered there was another triangular wall across from her.
"Left or right?" The young man didn't pay any attention to his companion's words and continued speaking clearly. "Which way should we go?"
They had walked from Bohemia's right side. If they chose the left, they would collide with her. Bohemia quietly took a few steps back, creating some distance from the entrance, ready to turn around and run at any moment. She no longer had her attachments, and the current situation absolutely didn't allow her to get involved unnecessarily. Just as she held her breath tightly, she heard the older man make a decision. "Let's go this way."
Which way is 'this way'?! Couldn't they clarify left or right properly?
At that moment, an assortment of curses flashed through Bohemia's mind, vivid and rich enough to put any thug to shame. She quickly looked around, searching for a hiding spot near the entrance. In case those two individuals truly entered her concrete venue, she planned to slip out quietly from behind them.
A pair of round, large, and long-lashed bulging eyes met her gaze.
Bohemia was almost startled and hurriedly regained her composure, forcing her heart back into place. The creature, resembling an alpaca, turned its head without acknowledging her presence and leisurely walked into the middle of an empty and cracked highway. On both sides of the highway was a wilderness; the wind swept up a plastic bag, which was obstructed by a half-wrecked car turned into a pile of iron.
Should she hide in that dilapidated car? She hesitated for a moment as she looked at it.
"The Concrete Venue of Worlds" was a place that she could never fully comprehend. The scenes of fifty apocalyptic worlds were reconstructed and restored here, although perhaps not completely. They were all painstakingly created by the posthumans inhabiting this world—except for the gray walls that served as "entry and exit coordinates," the rest of the place was nearly indistinguishable from the real world. Of course, that was not the most remarkable aspect of it.
Just entering an abandoned car shouldn't be a problem, right?
Bohemia made up her mind, but just as she was about to move, she heard three taps on the wall from outside. The sound didn't seem to be coming from the wall beside her; it was a bit unclear because it was distant. She forcefully halted her steps and held her breath, listening for a while, but there was no sound in the corridor.
She couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
It seemed like they had entered the concrete venue of the opposite world. Now, she wouldn't have any "interaction" with this unfamiliar and unknown concrete world.
As a precaution, Bohemia waited for another five or six seconds. When she was certain that there was no one outside, she raised her hand and gently tapped on the wall—three taps, just like when she entered.
Exiting was as smooth as entering, requiring only a flicker of her body, and she emerged from the same gray wall.
Bohemia stepped silently into the quiet corridor, turned right, and happened to lock eyes with someone who had obviously been waiting for a while.
"It really worked," the young voice from earlier belonged to a man with fiery red hair and a nose that resembled a hook. He looked at Bohemia, his face turning slightly pale, and nervously chuckled, "I was about to throw up from saying the same lines again and again—but at least I managed to fool you this time!"
Bohemia's expression turned cold in an instant. She twisted her body around and found herself blocked by a middle-aged man with thick, black sideburns and a tall and sturdy physique.
Everything became clear—it was evident that they hadn't noticed Bohemia earlier, and they had no idea which branch venue had people in it among the many. However, they deliberately set up the scene of "choosing left or right" to make it seem like they had entered a branch venue, when in reality, they blocked off this section of the corridor from both ends.
Regardless of who their target was, Bohemia had fallen into their trap.
"Who are you?" She narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the two individuals. "You look unfamiliar... It's been a few days, and the Astral Plane has suddenly become infested with so many pests."
The man with thick, black sideburns appeared relatively calm, while the redhead nervously hiccuped. But regardless of who they were, there were no traces of anger provoked by her.
"Am... am I right?"
The redhead gulped down a mouthful of saliva and raised his right hand. This was his preparation to call out the attached conditions. Bohemia quickly glanced at the ceiling and the walls beside her—the reflection in the rippling water mirror clearly showed the presence of the man with thick, black sideburns.
Two attached conditions were enough to cut off her path. Which way should she go?
"A blonde woman, about five feet six inches tall," the man with thick, black sideburns said in a steady voice, his gaze assessing Bohemia through the water mirror. "Fair skin, beautiful appearance..."
Although they were about to engage in a fight, it had to be said that their judgment was accurate. Bohemia nodded and approved, "That's me."
The man's discernment of a woman's hair color wasn't particularly precise, but there wasn't much difference between golden brown and golden.
The man with thick, black sideburns seemed surprised by how quickly she recognized herself. His voice paused for a moment before he continued, "You look much younger than your actual age—it's truly remarkable. And you... enjoy wearing exquisite and beautiful attire?"
"Why does that statement sound like a question?" Bohemia became a little annoyed. "Am I not dressed well?"
Neither of the two solemn-looking men responded to her remark.
"After spending so much time and effort, we have finally found you," the redhead wiped his mouth and his voice trembled slightly with nervousness and excitement. "Magus!"