Chapter 721: Vehicle

Chapter 721: The Car

“This car is pretty expensive, isn’t it?” Li Huowang ran his hand along the red leather trim beside him and asked Qing Wanglai, who was seated behind the wheel.

The car raced down the road, its engine humming in varying tones—sometimes deep and resonant, sometimes sharp and high-pitched. Though he knew little about automobiles, just by listening to that sound and observing the shape of the hood, Li Huowang could tell this was the kind of vehicle his family could never afford.

At that moment, Yang Na, sitting beside him, stared at the price she had just found on her phone in shock. She leaned over and whispered the figure into Li Huowang’s ear.

After hearing what his girlfriend had said, Li Huowang slowly withdrew his hand from the leather.

Earlier, seeing how poor this guy looked eating at the school cafeteria, he hadn't imagined he was so wealthy.

“So what if it's expensive? So what if it's cheap? It's all just projection anyway. Honestly, I’m more curious about what kind of projection this car actually is.”

Seeing Qing Wanglai about to launch into another one of his philosophical rants, Li Huowang changed the subject. “Where are we going? What’s the exact location?”

“Orange Isle,” replied Qing Wanglai, tapping rapidly on the screen with his finger. A gentle piano melody began to play softly within the cabin.

“Orange Isle? Why are we going there?” Compared to Li Huowang, who had spent long periods in the hospital, Yang Na clearly knew more details. “I heard those riverside properties were abandoned due to unpaid construction debts. There’s no one around at night.”

“That’s exactly why we’re going there—no people, no noise. And by the way, turn off your phones. We don’t want to be tracked. I still haven’t figured out whether our electronic devices are projections or not.”

Li Huowang took out his phone, sent a message to Sun Xiaoqin to let her know he was safe, then pressed the power button to shut it down.

As the shutdown chime rang out, Li Huowang turned toward Qing Wanglai’s profile, illuminated faintly by neon lights, and asked, “Now can you finally tell me who these people we're meeting are?”

“If they’re on our side, then they must accept the universal projection hypothesis you mentioned, just like you do.”

“No. Not quite,” Qing Wanglai shook his head. “Let me start from the beginning. Our world is a reflection of something else. That’s not something only I know—it’s known by others too, including you.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang became serious. More allies meant better odds against their enemies.

“I’ve searched for such people specifically, but they’re rare. Most suffer from mental instability, and because of superstition or low education levels, they don’t understand the true nature of our world. They tend to be stubborn, and when faced with unexplainable phenomena, they create their own belief systems.”

“I once found them, grouped them together, and conducted various tests and experiments.”

“Experiments?”

“Yes. Once I gather enough solid evidence, I’ll decide whether to publish it—to prove the Universal Projection Hypothesis.”

“You’ve already found solid proof? Then definitely publish it! This would be an incredible discovery. You’d go down in history! Can I see it?” Yang Na’s voice showed surprise.

Qing Wanglai glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “It’s not that simple. Have you heard of the observer effect? In my thirty-first experiment and fifty-second control study, I observed this phenomenon.”

“Until we fully understand it, it’s like Pandora’s box. If we spread this knowledge, what consequences might arise from the observer effect generated by seven billion people worldwide? No one knows.”

“If anything goes wrong, we may lose even the ability to project.”

“Cough.” Li Huowang cleared his throat to interrupt them. “Qing Wanglai, you’re straying off topic. I asked who the people we’re meeting tonight are.”

Qing Wanglai thought for a moment before answering, “They’re friends. They’re on our side. Since you can sense them, you must be aligned with us. Since they threaten you and Qian Fu, I’ve arranged for them to help us resolve this issue.”

“How many friends do you mean exactly?”

“I’ve identified thirteen so far, but five refused or couldn’t communicate. So there are eight total, including you.”

“How much do you know about the people who kidnapped me?”

“I don’t know much more than you do. I went back and questioned them directly. Some sensed something odd, but nothing has affected them yet. Anything else unclear?”

“No,” Li Huowang closed his mouth and began calculating silently. He, Qian Fu, Chen Hongyu, and Qing Wanglai—four people. That meant four more were coming tonight.

He didn’t know how much help these strangers could offer. Without understanding the motives of those who wanted to kidnap him, it was hard to predict anything. For now, they could only take things one step at a time.

The car fell silent. None of the three spoke. Each was lost in their own thoughts.

Gradually, the surrounding lights dimmed as Qing Wanglai’s car entered Orange Isle. It looked desolate, with infrastructure only half-finished.

There were no functioning traffic lights at the intersection, and the street held only one vehicle—their own.

In the distance stood rows of unfinished townhouses, resembling a graveyard of sorts.

Compared to the bustling area they'd just left, this place felt like a forgotten cemetery overrun with weeds.

Yang Na, worried, wrapped her arms around herself, feeling goosebumps rise on her skin.

Li Huowang pulled her close and said to Qing Wanglai, “Turn up the AC a bit. It’s getting cold.”

“Okay.” Just as Qing Wanglai agreed, Li Huowang instinctively sensed danger and looked sharply toward the dark crossroads to his left. “Enemy attack!!”

Before he could finish speaking, a truck without lights and with obscured license plates crashed into them from that direction.

In the split second he instinctively pulled Yang Na beneath him, a screech of brakes filled the air, and the entire car began to flip violently.

The impact sent pain shooting through every part of his body, but he didn’t dare hesitate. The intense danger sharpened his focus to its peak.

When the chaos seemed to settle slightly, Li Huowang yanked at the door—but it wouldn’t budge. Pressed down by the seat, he gritted his teeth and slammed his head hard against the window. “Bang!”

“Bang bang bang!” Several hits followed, blood seeping slowly down the cracks in the glass.

Through the crimson-stained glass, Li Huowang saw two figures step out of the parked truck, each holding long objects in their hands!

(End of Chapter)