2: Underneath A Thousand Skies

260 Reality (16)

After exploring and marveling at the natural beauty of Xiannu, the four people settled on one of the many parks found in the area. The whole meadow was filled with a patchwork of picnic blankets, laughing children running carelessly between them. 

Gu Cheng took out a picnic basket he had stored in his storage space watch, along with a small cylindrical tube. Pressing an invisible button, it shot forward above them and unfolded like a clear umbrella, shielding them from UV rays. After a few seconds, it completely turned translucent, showing them a view of the cloudless sky. If it wasn't for a wave of shimmer every now and then, you wouldn't even know it was there.

"Hey Jia, tell us about your job as a transmigrator," Mu Wan said, nudging her arm as she chewed on a slice of blueberry cheese cake. "Is it really as bad as they say?"

The transmigration department wasn't a very popular place to be employed in their galactic confederation. Despite its seemingly enjoyable concept of visiting lower worlds and doing roleplay, not many wanted to become a transmigrator. 

First, there was the low salary that was barely above the standard minimum wage. Second, visiting lower worlds wasn't as thrilling as one would assume. Considering that they were a largely advanced civilization, they were too entrenched in the comforts and luxuries of their own technology to go back to the clunky and less convenient tools of the past. Thirdly, they already had their own virtual world, Manzusha, where one can endlessly roleplay and meet interesting characters in different settings. 

Why go to the lower worlds to meet ancient and old people from a long time ago?

Thus, only people like Song Jia who was desperate for money and was fascinated by history would choose to be a transmigrator.

"It's not as bad as you think." Despite not getting her salary a few times, Song Jia loved her job. "I have to adapt to different situations and learn about different kinds of cultures. It was fun."

After a long time of not meeting each other, the three of them have a lot to talk about. Song Jia looked at her two best friends laughing and teasing each other, realizing that the time they spent together slowly lessened as they became adults. After all, it couldn't be helped. With their conflicting job schedules and new people in their lives, it had gotten harder for the three of them to find a point of intersection.

It was already late in the afternoon when the four of them started to pack up. Song Jia wanted to explore Xiannu more, while Mu Wan got an upset stomach from eating too many desserts. 

"Jia, are you sure you can find your way back? Gu Chen can stay with you, if you'd like," Yang Yimo worriedly said.

Song Jia laughed. "Yimo, I'll be fine. I'm not a child."

Because of Yang Yimo's pregnancy, she couldn't stay out for too long. Song Jia waved them goodbye as their car disappeared out of sight. After they were gone, she turned around to see that there were still many people left in the park. Not wanting to move alone through the crowd, she walked out of the park and chose a random footpath to be alone with her thoughts.

Song Jia couldn't help but glance back at the numerous stone arches and its accompanying temples. Every time she managed to forget about her past with Xu Jinhai, mementos like this bobbed up to the surface.

It was a little overwhelming.

Song Jia leaned over the balustrade railing, quietly taking in the view. A gust of wind fluttered through her hair, lifting loose strands like dark ribbons and sending them flying in front of her. She caught a lock of her hair and realized how much her hair had gotten longer. Since young, Song Jia had been the one cutting her own hair. She liked the feeling it gave her, as if she was liberating herself.

Song Jia thought for a moment and took out her phone. She snapped a picture of the stone arches and sent it to Xu Jinhai. She pursed her lips as she waited, but it seemed that Xu Jinhai was busy as he didn't see her message. Song Jia snapped her phone shut and shoved it back into her space ring.

She shouldn't let herself overthink.

"I need to change my mindset," Song Jia sighed. "I've become too spoiled."

Shaking her head at herself, Song Jia continued on her walk. The park was filled with all kinds of different flowers, although the most prominent were still red roses since they were the symbol of Yueji. It was considered legal for the visitors to pick flowers, so Song Jia gathered some of the flowers that she liked, planning to plant them back on her house in Planet Anjing. Just as she picked the last flower that she wanted, Song Jia froze.

On the corner of her eye, she saw something glint under the sunlight. Her body made the decision to dodge before her brain could process it. 

Shuā!

A silver arrow whooshed past her, hitting so closely that a deep cut opened up below her left eye. Blood dripped down, staining the front of her blouse. Song Jia felt a deep stinging on her cheek but didn't have the time to examine the wound when she saw the arrow that lodged deep into the boulder beside her. 

Yueji deeply adhered to its ancient traditions and customs that even their weapons imitated those of the past. But this didn't mean that they were any lesser than laser guns and killer cyborgs favored by the other modern planetary systems.

While Song Jia was fortunate that the arrow wasn't laced with biological toxins or infectious agents, she also recognized this type of arrow. It was made in such a manner that even if the archer didn't hit the target, it would freeze everything with liquid nitrogen in a one meter radius. Song Jia sprinted as fast as she could, leaping forward at the last moment when she heard the detonation. She landed and rolled, not even sparing a backward glance as she jumped back to her feet.

While she was running, she was also frantically searching her storage space. She didn't have the time to wear her anti-gravity boots, and her multi-colored balls also wouldn't be of much help in this kind of situation. Song Jia tried to hold down her rising sense of panic. She needed to think clearly so that she could escape.

Song Jia was running back towards the park. She didn't know if they were pursuing her, but it was without doubt that they wanted to kill her. The more people she surrounded herself with, the safer she would be. 

"Jia!"

Suddenly, a hovercycle skidded to a halt as the driver braked hard to miss her. It wobbled as it tried to restore its balance. The driver let out a breath of relief and wrenched the handlebars, revving it to full throttle. 

"Hurry up and get on!"