Lost in the Otherworld

"Students, pay attention now—this is crucial, and will be on the test." White Rabbit waved the barbecue tongs like a conductor's baton. "Different talents require different rune circuits for upgrades."

White Rabbit patted Qingling's shoulder. "For instance, this student’s talent is ‘metal,’ and the rune type is ‘element.’ To upgrade, you’d need an ‘element’ rune circuit. Unfortunately, our organization currently lacks such a circuit."

"Where can we find one?" Qingling asked.

"There are twelve unique rune circuits in this city. They’re not single-use, but after one activation, you must wait ten days before using them again."

"Doesn’t that make them highly sought after?" Officer Huang realized the issue.

"Highly sought after?" White Rabbit scoffed. "They’re deadly. Awakened ones are fighting over them—this is one of the biggest conflicts among them. It’s no exaggeration to say that many deaths stem from this."

"Mr. Rabbit," Gaoyang raised his hand. "I have a question."

"Go ahead," White Rabbit scanned the room. "Eat, everyone, eat while it’s hot."

The group began to eat, except for Wang Zikai, who had fallen asleep sometime during the "lesson," snoring quietly. It seemed the battle at Gujia Village had drained him.

"You said this city has only twelve rune circuits. What about other cities?" Gaoyang asked.

"Ah, I almost forgot the most important part. Brace yourselves..." White Rabbit spoke mysteriously, and everyone's ears perked up.

"There are no other cities," Wu Dahai chimed in smugly.

Everyone froze.

"What do you mean?" Gaoyang was confused. "What do you mean there are no other cities?"

"Hah! Idiot," Wu Dahai relished Gaoyang’s shock. "It’s exactly what it sounds like."

"You all grew up in Licheng, right?" White Rabbit chuckled. "Ever left this city? I don’t mean the outskirts, I mean truly left it."

The room fell silent.

Officer Huang set down his chopsticks. "After graduating from the police academy, I worked at the precinct. There were two chances to study out of province, but for various reasons, I couldn’t go."

Gaoyang took a sharp breath, recalling a famous film: "The World of Real Men?"

Everyone inhaled sharply.

Only Pangjun didn’t understand. He quickly pulled out his phone to check, and moments later he gasped, "What the—! No way! This is insane!"

"Sadly," White Rabbit tilted his head with a helpless smile, "there are four million beasts, and fewer than four hundred humans. That’s the essence of our world."

"But this doesn’t make sense," Gaoyang struggled to remember. "My father went abroad with a client, visited the coast, and took tons of pictures. If there’s only one city, how does the world feel so real?"

White Rabbit didn’t rush to answer. "You’ve seen the boundary of Gujia Village in the underground world, right?"

"Yes," Officer Huang’s memory was vivid. "No matter how far we walked, we couldn’t leave. It was like magic."

"Licheng is surrounded by the same kind of boundary. Awakened ones have been trying to find an exit, but none have succeeded," White Rabbit continued. "However, this city has official exits."

"Official exits?"

"Yes. Airplanes, high-speed trains, and highways can take you to other places, but those places are just larger spaces with boundaries. Don’t even think about getting off midway. Many Awakened ones have tried, some even tried jumping out of planes."

White Rabbit crossed his arms. "None succeeded. It’s impossible."

White Rabbit turned to Gaoyang. "Your father flew abroad, right?"

"Yes," Gaoyang struggled to grasp the concept. "You’re saying we can’t walk out of the city, but we can fly to, say, the Maldives. However, mid-flight, even if I were Superman, I couldn’t get out of the plane."

"Precisely." White Rabbit nodded. "There’s no middle ground. Even if it seems like there is, it’s just an illusion. Of course, it’s also possible that the middle ground exists but is inaccessible to both humans and beasts."