362: Chapter 362 Not That Bad

After Lin Yuan finished this sentence, the bridge fell silent for a moment.

"Second life."

Elder Zhang repeated these words in a low voice.

His gaze fell on the cold, gleaming metal deck beneath his feet, and his lips moved slightly.

"If these words were said in the past, they would sound like an empty promotional slogan."

"But now..."

Having said that, Elder Zhang did not continue.

Yang Tongan did not reply either.

He simply raised his hand to press his brow bone, his fingertips lingering there for two seconds before releasing.

He withdrew his gaze from the porthole and let it fall on Lin Yuan's face.

He knew too well that the "second life" Lin Yuan spoke of was not just a pretty phrase for public promotion.

Lin Yuan met his gaze, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

Elder Zhang looked at the two of them, not pursuing the meaning behind their tacit understanding, but instead bringing the topic back to the present.

"We've seen the private space."

"What about the public space?"

He pointed forward, his voice regaining its steadiness, his speaking pace slightly faster than before.

"Since the first batch of one hundred million users has officially connected today, we must go see the true 'hustle and bustle of human life'."

"Of course."

Lin Yuan nodded and tapped his fingertip lightly at his side.

"The public space is where the second world truly begins to operate."

After he finished, he looked up at the two of them.

Yang Tongan's brows twitched slightly.

"Now?"

"Now."

The second the words left his lips, the surrounding galaxy and metal deck rippled and melted like water.

The trio's field of vision switched without any lag.

There was no dizziness, nor any unnecessary loading prompts.

By the time Elder Zhang steadied himself, the metal floor of the starship bridge beneath his feet had transformed into a towering viewing platform.

The platform was not large, with a low white railing around the edge; the material beneath his feet was warm and delicate, carrying the distinct, cool touch of jade.

Wind surged from all directions, carrying a strange scent that mixed the cool chill of metal with the fresh scent of vegetation.

And before them—

A city so massive that its boundaries could not be seen spread out everywhere their eyes could reach.

That was not what any city in reality looked like.

Classical flying eaves, suspended corridors, silver-white vertical towers, and ice-blue light rails weaving through the building clusters...

These elements, which should have conflicted with one another, were integrated by some kind of extremely stable internal order.

It was not a patchwork, but a growth.

It was as if this city had been meant to look like this from the very first day of its birth.

In the distance of the city were mountain peaks, with waterfalls cascading down from the mountainsides, the mist falling into the sea of light below, scattering into fine, iridescent particles that refracted into psychedelic halos under the sunlight.

Deep in the further reaches of the sky, several streamlined mechanical aircraft slowly glided past, with pale blue energy patterns flowing across their shells, emitting an extremely low-frequency hum.

As they passed through the city's shadows, many users who had just entered the public space stopped in their tracks, looking up for a long time.

Some stood by the floating tracks, trying to reach out and touch the flowing light bands.

Some stood at the edge of the plaza, lifting their feet repeatedly to adapt to the ground feedback beneath them, which was no different from reality.

Others had just teleported over from the Initial Space; after spinning around twice, they raised their hands to cover their mouths, shoulders trembling slightly, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Elder Zhang stood by the railing, his gaze shifting from the public plaza at the very bottom of the city to the three-dimensional Ministry of Transport network above.

His fingers paused on the railing, and after a few seconds, he slowly withdrew them.

"Is this the public space?"

His tone was low, but it carried a bit more weight than before.

He watched the crowds below who were familiarizing themselves with the new world, his pupils reflecting the blue light rails that cut through the city.

After a long while, he said in a deep voice:

"This isn't just building an online plaza for people."

"This is placing the prototype of a future city before everyone in advance."

Lin Yuan stood beside the two, his clothes gently lifted by the wind from the heights.

He looked at the city in the distance, pieced together from different styles yet not appearing chaotic, his tone still calm.

"The public space of the second world was never meant to be created according to the logic of the old internet era."

"Machines, genes, psionic energy, and Cultivation will all leave their marks in reality in the future."

"This place allows people to first get used to how they coexist."

Elder Zhang's gaze paused slightly.

This sentence was not long, yet it carried more weight than any of the grandiose introductions from before.

When one hundred million people see the future city, future life, and future evolutionary paths placed right before their eyes.

Those concepts that originally only existed in press conferences and announcements would take root in their minds.

Subsequently, Elder Zhang raised his hand and pointed to a ring-shaped building suspended in mid-air in the distance.

That building was not glaring; its outer layer had slowly flowing golden patterns, and users would approach from time to time, only to be gently diverted to different entrances by guiding light beams.

"What is that for?"

"Public Service Hub."

Lin Yuan answered concisely.

"Government affairs, education, medical consultation, and public resource applications; in the early stages, it will begin with the most basic projects, and subsequently, it will be opened up layer by layer."

Elder Zhang nodded lightly, not continuing to ask for details.

He could tell that Lin Yuan had not made the second world into an empty city that merely displayed wonders.

Beneath those magnificent shells, the interfaces for the real society to migrate in had already been prepared.

This was the most crucial part.

At this moment, Elder Zhang suddenly noticed a detail.

There were many users coming and going around them, and some passed beneath the platform they were on.

There were even a few young people riding mechanical aircraft who stopped in mid-air less than ten meters away from them, pointing into the distance and shouting excitedly.

But not a single person glanced in their direction.

Logically speaking, it would be fine for him and Yang Tongan, as they often stayed behind the scenes, and ordinary young people might not recognize them immediately.

But Lin Yuan was different.

This face now had too high a recognition rate on the Xia Kingdom internet; he could be called a national idol.

As long as he appeared in the public space, he would likely attract a massive, crazed crowd within seconds.

But at this moment, the three of them were standing on this viewing platform with the best view, yet the people around them seemed as if they hadn't seen them at all.

Elder Zhang turned his head to look at Lin Yuan.

"They can't see us?"

"They can't."

Lin Yuan nodded and chuckled.

"It's just a simple shielding."

"Given your renown."

"I couldn't let the two of you be blocked here and stared at like monkeys right after you just came in to experience the new world."

Yang Tongan's lips moved slightly, and his tense jawline relaxed a little.

"You really even accounted for this step."

Lin Yuan spread his hands, looking as if it were a matter of course.

Seeing this, Elder Zhang also laughed.

He glanced at the noisy crowd below, then at Lin Yuan's calm and unhurried face.

"Old Yang and I aren't quite that bad."

"If this place were really to be blocked, you'd be the one with the better handle on it."