I'm Trapped in the Block

Today seemed to be some kind of special day. Many people were heading toward the center of Oasis City.

The wide roads were blocked solid, and the crowds were incredibly dense.

Instead of looking for lodging, Li Luo and Li Xiangyi curiously followed the crowd until they arrived at a bustling plaza.

The plaza was located near the core district of Oasis City, nestled among tall towers.

In the center of the plaza stood a massive fountain. It didn’t appear to be man-made, yet it was surrounded by multiple layers of artificial barriers, suggesting the fountain was of great importance.

Moreover, numerous officials stood guard around the fountain. There were even fully armed soldiers on high alert, constantly scanning the surrounding crowd.

However, their vigilance wasn’t directed at some scar-faced Hunter.

But at a group of children and their parents.

These children, around five or six years old, were being led by their parents, apparently to attend some important event.

The children’s faces were filled with anticipation, but their parents’ faces were fraught with anxiety. Some were even relentlessly scolding their kids.

A little boy said to the mother pulling him by the hand, "Can I have a pistol that makes unlimited candy? You just keep firing it, and all different kinds of candy will keep coming out—bubble gum, lollipops, gummies..."

The little boy hadn’t even finished speaking before his mother slapped him across the face.

"Have you forgotten what I told you? I made you recite it so many times, don’t you dare tell me you’ve forgotten it now!" The woman’s tone was terrible as she sternly warned her own child.

The little boy instantly burst into tears, but the woman didn’t let up. She snarled, "Cry, cry, cry, that’s all you know how to do! If you recite it wrong in a bit, you’ll really have something to cry about! A candy pistol? Is that what the other children told you? They’re trying to harm you, don’t you get it!"

She punctuated her tirade with another slap. The boy was so frightened that he stopped crying aloud, his body just shaking with silent sobs, his eyes red.

"Stop crying!" the woman warned, pointing a finger at the boy with a vicious expression.

The little boy could only nod tremblingly.

"What is going on here?"

Mo Ling grew angry watching the vicious woman.

Yet, similar scenes were playing out all over the plaza.

All the parents’ faces were etched with anxiety and impatience. They relentlessly drilled their children with questions, and many kept scolding them, until the entire area echoed with the sound of children crying.

"I want a doll that can change its own outfits," a little girl said to her mother. "All my friends say that’s what they’re going to ask for. Am I going to be the only one who doesn’t get one?"

She too was slapped until she cried. The girl’s mother warned her that she had to stick to what she’d memorized. If she dared to say anything else, her mother would throw away all of her dolls.

The little girl could only hold back her tears and nod in frantic agreement...

"I want a paintbrush that can paint in every color, Dad," said a boy in a little suit to the man holding his hand.

The man was impeccably dressed and carried himself with an air of sophistication, but he became extremely impatient upon hearing his son’s words. He shot the boy an angry glare, but didn’t lash out. Instead, he said coldly, "Just say what I taught you."

"If you complete this task as I’ve instructed, I’ll buy you that paintbrush. I’ll buy you as many as you want."

The boy nodded at once.

This father was one of the calmer ones, at least offering his child a promise.

Meanwhile, most of the other parents’ faces were twisted with desperation, and the children’s loud cries and wails filled the air.

The officials by the fountain swept their gaze coolly over the parents and children, their faces completely impassive.

Finally, after an anxious wait, one of the officials checked the time and announced that the event would begin.

"Please approach the fountain one by one according to the numbers issued by your schools. Step forward when your number is called. Do not crowd the area if your number has not been called! Parents, bring your child to the designated spot and then leave immediately. Do not linger! All noise is prohibited!"

A pathway was cleared, and a large screen and the plaza’s loudspeakers began to announce the numbers.

Fully armed soldiers were stationed every few feet. Upon seeing them, the parents who had been yelling at their children lost all of their previous ferocity.

They could only shove their children forward, hurrying them along.

"Number 1." A mechanical voice from the broadcast echoed across the plaza.

The woman who had slapped the boy patted his head again, urging him to hurry forward and stand before the fountain. She, meanwhile, was escorted by a soldier to a waiting area off to the side.

The little boy walked to the designated spot in front of the fountain. Tears still clung to his eyelashes, and he nervously wrung his hands, turning his small palms red. The bright red mark of the slap on his cheek had yet to fade.

The gushing water of the fountain suddenly swirled upward, forming a giant hand that snatched the child and pulled him inside.

Immediately, the entire fountain began to glow with a golden light. Glimmering motes of light, like fireflies, drifted out from within.

The boy was enveloped in layers of water, disappearing from sight.

Mo Ling quickly plunged their vision into the fountain’s water and found the little boy.

He was now standing amidst splashing waves. Within the currents of water surrounding him, various beautiful, golden-lit scenes began to appear.

There were all kinds of candy, a pistol that shot sparks, and bubble gum bullets that wrapped around the little boy and lifted him into the sky...

The water before him swirled and transformed again, this time into a lovely golden Little Elf. It asked him:

"Little one, what is it that you desire most?"

It spoke in a clear, gentle voice, patiently coaxing an answer.

"Don’t lie, now."

The little boy gritted his teeth and blurted out what he truly wanted:

"I want a pistol that makes unlimited candy! It can make every kind of candy, all the candy in the whole world! Bubble gum, lollipops, gummies..."

As he spoke, he happily raised his hand, forming it into the shape of a gun.

The Little Elf listened, smiling and nodding.

"You are an honest child," it said. "I will grant your wish."

With a flick of its hands, the Little Elf conjured a pistol made of assorted candies, which appeared in the little boy’s grasp.

The moment he pulled the trigger, puffs of cloud-like cotton candy appeared.

The golden Little Elf circled around him, watching the boy with a look of relief. "Little one, do you know what Relics are?"

"I do. My teacher taught me..." the boy answered earnestly.

"Good. This pistol is a Relic, you see. If you want to keep using it, you’ll need to fold an animal out of candy wrappers and give it to the pistol on your birthday each year. Only then will it obey you."

"But I don’t know how to fold animals," the little boy said, a little frightened. "I only know how to make paper airplanes and hats." Tears began to well up in his eyes again.

Seeing this, the Little Elf quickly patted his cheek and comforted him, "A paper airplane is fine! A paper airplane is just an eagle, isn’t it? And a hat is fine too, of course. A hat is a turtle!"

The little boy thought for a moment, and then his smile returned.

"Okay!"