Light Fortress Chapter 1 - 1 1 001
1: Chapter 1 001 1: Chapter 1 001 11:44 pm.
Gu Shen sprinted through the deserted monorail station, his eyes darting to his watch as his feet pounded the pavement.
Could he possibly make it to the final train…
Anxiety gnawed at him, but a distant, low rumble quickly reached his ears.
“Rumble rumble—”
From the inky blackness of the tunnel, a sudden burst of brilliant light arcs erupted, and the last monorail train began to slow, finally coming to a halt right before Gu Shen.
Upon seeing the train, Gu Shen let out a breath of relief, only to furrow his brow again and hold his breath tightly.
As the doors slid open, a distinct smell of rust permeated the air.
He took a couple of steps back, his gaze sweeping over the aged train.
The carriage looked ancient, its surface streaked with rust and showing clear signs of wear. Beside a window, three prominent numbers were painted in stark white:
001.
“If my memory serves me right…
Da Teng City was supposed to have retired these models quite some time ago, correct?”
“Beep beep beep—”
With no time for further contemplation, Gu Shen dropped down and lunged into the carriage, narrowly slipping through the closing doors.
Clutching the handrail, he let out a relieved sigh.
His peripheral vision caught a fleeting sight.
“Oh…”
Gu Shen’s heart skipped a beat.
Typically, this monorail line, heading towards the outskirts, was deserted for the last trip, with him as the sole passenger. But today…
Another young woman was present in the carriage.
A sudden flutter rose in Gu Shen’s chest.
The girl was seated directly across from him, merely a few dozen centimeters away. Her eyes were like apricots, her cheeks like peaches, and her long hair flowed down her back. She was dressed in a almost transparent, pure white lace gown, so delicate that her pale shoulders were exposed, revealing vast expanses of skin as white as fresh snow.
The thin fabric of her dress was exceedingly white.
Yet, the girl herself was even whiter, to a dazzling degree.
She was barefoot, her toes lightly touching the carriage floor…
A thick book rested open on her lap, and she was engrossed in reading.
There was an air of perfection about the girl, an ineffable aura that made her seem out of place in this reality.
Gazing at her, Gu Shen felt as if he were witnessing a beam of pure light.
Serene, gentle, sacred, and otherworldly.
As she paused to turn a page, the girl lifted her head.
Their eyes met, and Gu Shen quickly looked away, rubbing his hands together and exhaling to mask his embarrassment.
He couldn't help but wonder if he was caught in a dream.
How could such a breathtakingly beautiful girl exist in this world?
And…
wasn't she cold, dressed in so little?
He felt an urge to offer her his coat.
…
…
[The second individual…
has now boarded.]
The girl raised her head, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. Then, she closed her book and began to intently observe the young man who had just entered.
Though the young man was currently huddled in a corner of the train, warming his hands and sporting a foolish grin, he remained oblivious to the significance of “boarding.”
However, she understood perfectly that this was far from a mere coincidence.
“Woo—”
The monorail began to move slowly, sparks of electricity showering the tunnel walls with each rotation.
Despite its age, the train traveled with exceptional smoothness.
The sound of the electric arcs striking the glass was subdued, a soft rustling akin to the patter of rain.
Silence enveloped them both, neither speaking a word.
If no one initiated conversation, the train would traverse the lengthy tunnel, journeying for approximately twenty minutes in silence before reaching its final destination.
However, this tranquility was short-lived and was soon shattered by the girl’s clear voice.
“A critically important question: does a genuine π truly exist between the numbers 3 and 4?”
Gu Shen suspected he might be imagining things.
Was she actually addressing him?
Taken aback, he turned his head, scanned the empty carriage, met the girl’s sincere gaze, and pointed a finger at himself. The girl responded with an earnest nod.
He let out an awkward chuckle.
She was indeed speaking to him.
“Between 3 and 4…
does a genuine π exist?”
What kind of inquiry was that?
The answer was patently, yes.
But at that precise moment, Gu Shen found himself hesitating, unable to provide an immediate response.
The reason was simple.
Beneath those clear eyes fixed upon him, mirroring a deadly serious glint, Gu Shen sensed…
that this seemingly straightforward question held a profound complexity.
The girl extended a hand, gesturing towards the space behind Gu Shen.
Gu Shen turned around.
The interior of this antiquated carriage bore a mural, artfully concealed until now…
Faintly discernible was an ancient measuring scale, its markings stretching into the unknown. Boldly etched, however, were the numbers 3 and 4.
“If one were to touch this Scale…”
The girl reached out, her hand moving through the air as if touching the depicted scale.
Her voice softened, like a gentle breeze drifting through the carriage, tinged with a subtle melancholy.
“Could one then touch π?”
Gu Shen felt a jolt of surprise.
He suddenly grasped the true essence of her question – a number of infinite non-repeating digits, a theoretical construct.
The precision of this number was boundless.
But the precision of a ruler has its boundaries.
Even if this ruler were amplified a hundred million times, it would still never possess a point that belonged to the infinitely precise value of “π”.
“Gu Shen…
What is your answer?”
Gu Shen was quite puzzled; how did she know his name?
The hand the young girl had extended slowly unfurled, revealing a silver, intricate cross pattern within her palm, radiating a soft, luminous glow.
The instant Gu Shen laid eyes on the illuminated cross, an inexplicable sense of familiarity and warmth washed over him, as if he were recalling a long-forgotten dream. Without conscious thought, he mirrored the gesture, the young boy reaching out his own hand, intending to link fingers with the girl.
“Pfft.”
A soft chuckle escaped the girl’s lips at his action.
The intimate connection he had anticipated did not materialize.
The girl, clad in a pristine white dress, withdrew her hand. She began to step back, retreating little by little until she was at the far edge of Gu Shen’s sight. Her smile gradually faded, replaced by an expression of pure solemnity and gravity.
“Gu Shen…”
“…survive.”
The gentle breeze that had been present within the carriage abruptly vanished.
“Rumble, rumble, rumble!”
The monorail emerged from the tunnel—
The source of light positioned directly above Gu Shen’s head instantly disintegrated.
If daydreams held any real existence in this world, then the experience Gu Shen had just undergone was undoubtedly the most exquisite daydream of his eighteen years, even though it had transpired under the cloak of night.
However, as the monorail broke free from the tunnel and his beautiful dream shattered,
he was abruptly struck by the realization…
everything had fundamentally changed.
The worn and patched carriage, in the very moment it exited the tunnel, appeared to have been cleansed by some unseen, powerful force.
The monorail started to violently shudder, the entire carriage engulfed in a tumultuous shaking. It moved erratically, much like a segment of a contorted steel serpent, bumping and rising unevenly. The fleeting sparks that had erupted outside the window were instantly extinguished.
The grinding sound of the hub colliding with the tracks, a harsh grating noise assaulting his ears, shattered the remnants of his beautiful dream.
Gu Shen watched, his skin crawling with apprehension, as the scene unfolded before him.
The illumination within the entire carriage had significantly dimmed, leaving it still empty and desolate.
Yet, the seat that had been previously occupied by the girl was now occupied by a towering woman dressed in black.
She wore an enormous hat, so large it could completely obscure her face. In her hands, she held a stack of aged, yellowed newspapers, which she was perusing in the dim, fragmented light.
Even while seated, her height nearly matched Gu Shen’s.
If she were to stand…
She would likely be over two meters tall?
11:59 PM.
Glancing at the time, Gu Shen’s complexion turned somewhat ashen.
It seemed he had potentially encountered an anomaly that defied conventional understanding…
Though the carriage lights were dim, he could distinctly discern that the armrests on the seats were now completely new.
The pervasive patchiness and rust he had observed everywhere moments before had completely vanished.
Had he truly spent fifteen minutes in such a dilapidated carriage?
Every single word spoken by that girl was seared into his memory, especially the final three.
Survive.
A prickling sensation ran down Gu Shen’s scalp as he cautiously observed the tall lady engrossed in her newspaper reading, an intense sense of danger permeating his very being.
Just as his gaze shifted towards her,
As if connected by telepathy—
The tall woman in the black dress, exuding a palpable aura of intimidation, slowly raised her head. Gu Shen saw two dark, deep red glows emanating from the shadows beneath the brim of her hat.
“Sir.”
The woman in the black dress neatly folded her newspaper, tilting her head upwards. She inquired in a low, remarkably polite tone, “I have a rather important question…
I would like to ask.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Gu Shen’s fingers clenched tightly. He took a deep, steadying breath, striving to maintain his composure with all his might.
His polite reply seemed somewhat inconsequential.
For, after the lady finished speaking, she produced a boning knife on her own accord. She laid it upon the newspaper resting on her lap and began to meticulously wipe it, causing the paper to become increasingly stained with blood.
Then…
she opened her dress slightly. Within her lapel, a silver ruler dangled. Her fingers, adorned with striking red nail polish, traced back and forth between the markings of ‘3’ and ‘4’ on the ruler.
“Just now.”
The tall woman straightened her posture, firmly gripping the boning knife. She tilted her head, a look of puzzlement on her face, and asked, “Did I…
touch π?”
…
…
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