I'm Trapped in the Block

The day of departure arrived quickly.

The port was situated on a sand dune outside Oasis City.

Oasis City didn’t make a big spectacle of it. A few officials simply explained the precautions for the voyage.

The man with glasses was one of them. Though normally a crisp and clean speaker, his speech slowed to a drawl on the podium, full of official jargon.

The advance team wasn’t large, but it was mostly composed of old, off-duty veterans. Li Luo seemed out of place among them.

The captain made a point of coming over to say hello to Li Luo, telling her to relax.

"Just call me Captain He. I was on the first sand ship to the 2nd Floor of the Abyss, so you could say I’m an old hand."

Captain He looked confident, as if this voyage was nothing to him.

Li Xiangyi and Old Xu stood side by side, watching Li Luo.

The expressions on both their faces were incredibly complex.

"When will I see you again?" Li Xiangyi asked, her face full of despair.

Li Luo thought for a moment. "Some morning."

Li Xiangyi couldn’t hold back anymore and rushed forward to hug Li Luo.

"Then I’ll go knock on your door every morning when I wake up..."

Old Xu watched them, wanting to speak but holding back. Only after Li Xiangyi let go of Li Luo did Old Xu say his goodbyes.

"Come back soon. Any later and you might not see me again." As he spoke, he clutched his chest. "These old bones... Ouch, my heart can’t take it."

Watching his clumsy act, Li Luo actually laughed out loud. "Old Xu, can your heart even feel pain?"

"Of course it can! Not having a heart doesn’t mean it can’t hurt. Anyway, just come back soon. Even if you can’t make it back to Oasis City, have someone send word to me, you hear?" Old Xu’s expression turned serious.

Li Luo nodded and said solemnly, "I will."

Li Xiangyi, who had been fiddling with something at her side, took a Purple cord bracelet from her pocket and put it on Li Luo’s wrist.

Looking at the beautifully woven bracelet, Li Luo asked curiously, "What’s this?"

"It’s woven from the silk of a Rainbow Shuttle. It will protect you."

"Protect me?" Li Luo was a little confused.

"Yes. Protect you, no matter the cost."

Li Xiangyi pointed to the end of the cord. "If you’re in danger, pull here."

With that, she grabbed the end of the cord and pulled.

The woven bracelet instantly came apart. The Purple threads seemed to suddenly transform into some kind of living creature, writhing and interweaving.

Immediately, they flew into the air, crisscrossing and weaving together into layers of overlapping gauze.

The Purple gauze circled Li Luo ceaselessly like a sentinel, warily guarding its surroundings.

Upon discovering the Block behind Li Luo, it charged forward recklessly.

The Purple net expanded in an instant, looking as if it was about to envelop the Block layer by layer.

"Xiaozhi, come back!" Seeing this, Li Xiangyi quickly shouted. Only then did the gauze obediently scurry back to Li Luo’s wrist and coil itself into a bracelet again.

"It’s still a little dumb. It’ll get better once you teach it a bit," Li Xiangyi said, a little embarrassed.

"What is it?" Li Luo asked curiously.

"It’s called Xiaozhi. It’s a simple lifeform I created from the Purple threads. I programmed it to protect humans at all costs," Li Xiangyi explained.

"Anyway, if you’re in danger, just pull here and it’ll protect you." Li Xiangyi pointed to the end of the cord again. "If you train it, it can also help you with simple tasks."

"Okay, thank you." Li Luo didn’t fully understand the Purple bracelet’s function, but her eyes still lit up as she looked at it. "It’s so beautiful."

At that moment, inside the Block, Mo Ling’s heart was still pounding.

When the Purple net had lunged forward just now, Mo Ling was reminded of the swarms of Purple gauze creatures from the historical phantom.

For a second, Mo Ling had thought Li Xiangyi remembered her former identity and was attacking him.

’It’s exactly the same...’

Mo Ling let out a long sigh of relief.

’Protect humans at all costs?’

Mo Ling seemed to have thought of something, but the spark of insight was fleeting.

’So similar...’

The three of them didn’t chat for long before the time for departure arrived.

An official representative unveiled Oasis City’s first sand ship.

The hull was made of some kind of lightweight alloy. With its spheroidal shape, it looked less like a ship and more like an airship.

Its size was also comparable to an airship—it was enormous.

A number of round portholes were distributed evenly on both sides of the sand ship, varying in size from bow to stern.

The representative pressed a switch, and the sand ship split horizontally along its midline. Layers of alloy separated like a shrimp’s shell, leaving only the bottom half.

With only its lower half remaining, the sand ship actually began to resemble a "ship."

Once open, the interior space of the sand ship was on full display.

The cabin was fully equipped with all the necessary facilities, like an oddly shaped apartment building.

Although the rooms and corridors were a bit narrow, it didn’t look like it would impede their use.

The use of space was highly efficient. The layout of the various rooms must have been specially designed, staggered and stacked to completely fill the sand ship’s interior. It was crowded yet not conflicted, and the flow of foot traffic was very scientific.

The internal piping and electrical systems were also very intricate, and there were some advanced devices that Mo Ling didn’t recognize.

In the center of the sand ship was an hourglass encased in a glass sphere, engraved with patterns. This must be the relic the sand ship utilized, and it was heavily protected.

Overall, the sand ship gave off a feeling of extreme simplicity, yet its complexities were flawlessly perfect.

’The technology really is quite mature.’

Mo Ling knew that humans only started considering comfort and aesthetics for their tools after their practical functions were fully satisfactory.

And this sand ship had clearly reached the stage where comfort was a consideration, which meant the technology was indeed very mature.

This put Mo Ling more at ease.

After a reluctant farewell to her two friends, Li Luo tightened her backpack and followed the team onto the sand ship.

Once aboard, she couldn’t help but look back at them again.

At that moment, both of them were waving nonstop.

Old Xu was smiling, while Li Xiangyi was already wiping her eyes with her hand.

Li Luo gave a wave, then walked into the ship without looking back.

Only Mo Ling knew that Li Luo kept her head down, silently looking at the bracelet Li Xiangyi had given her.

"Your room is over there. Go put your things down first." Captain He pointed to a room in the corner. "Once you’re settled, you can familiarize yourself with the ship. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can find me in the captain’s room at the front, or just ask someone else."

Captain He was clearly looking out for Li Luo. He even thoughtfully sent her a 3D diagram of the cabin.

"Don’t just wander into any of the important facilities. If you’re bored, just wait. It won’t be boring once we set sail." Captain He smiled mysteriously.

After speaking, he walked toward the bow of the ship.

As the last of the personnel finished boarding, the sand ship began to slowly close again, the metal hull once again covering the upper half.

After it was sealed, the entire cabin plunged into darkness.

A moment later, the lights came on.

Captain He’s powerful and resonant voice came over the broadcast:

"Prepare for departure!"