404 is a road of no return.

Beneath the hood, the engine compartment was bisected by a wandering "multicolored light curtain." This "light curtain," or "light ribbon," appeared to be a branch of some narrative timeline—likely a divergent storyline stemming from the "past," "present," or even the "future" of the story world.

Though it seemed like a meandering stream of colorful light, it was in fact a "branching narrative line," fundamentally at odds with the existing world Wu Chen inhabited. It was precisely this tether to the divergent line that hindered the "current storyline" from progressing. The manifested effect was that the car refused to start. Wu Chen could not move forward—he was effectively "frozen" on the observation platform.

Why Wu Chen could see this multicolored light curtain remained unknown at this moment.

Ultimately, resolving the issue was paramount.

In this critical moment, a tacit understanding arose within him. Wu Chen slowly reached toward the engine compartment, attempting to touch the light ribbon.

The multicolored light ribbon coiled atop the engine compartment, as if sensing the sound of a flute, reared its head high like a spirit serpent, then twisted upward, converging in the palm of Wu Chen’s hand. There, head and tail fused, condensing into a glowing orb.

It pulsed with radiant multihued light.

Wu Chen noticed that ever since the orb in his palm began to glow, the surrounding fog seemed to ease somewhat.

Yet, compared to the entire crumbling world, this orb in his palm was but a drop in the ocean—insignificant. Hastily, Wu Chen returned to the car, ready to ignite the engine. Unexpectedly, as his hand neared the key, the orb was drawn into a red telephone booth keychain hanging nearby.

His vision blurred. There was a sudden bang.

The small red telephone booth charm astonishingly expanded on its own to the size of a normal public phone booth, standing tall beside the car. Fortunately, it remained tethered to the car key by a chain.

The door to the phone booth silently swung open. Wu Chen peered inside clearly. Within stood only an antiquated payphone, equipped for both coin and card use.

After all, he was the shelter’s sole Purple-Gold VIP elite player.

A phone booth capable of such size transformation surely possessed some magic. With this thought, Wu Chen took a risk and stepped inside the booth.

Indeed, two worlds existed within and without.

Though seemingly mundane, the unique sense of "shelter" that only a player could deeply feel arose naturally in his heart. Wu Chen lifted the handset, but instead of hearing the usual disconnected beeps, there was prolonged silence. The line was connected. All he had to do was dial a number to begin normal conversation. Yet, Wu Chen’s mind was blank, and his "contact list" was entirely empty. Helpless, he replaced the handset.

Then, a miracle occurred.

The instant the phone was hung up, a coin gently ejected from the return slot.

Since no call was made, the automatic coin return was perfectly reasonable. He casually retrieved the coin. This unfamiliar token, seemingly a flattened light orb, shimmered and flowed with radiance, weightless as if nothing. It was likely the very multicolored orb the telephone booth charm had swallowed, now automatically forged into a "light coin."

"A Shelter Coin," the voice came again. It was the same unknown female player who had earlier rushed to deliver a message.

***

"What?" Wu Chen leaned forward, asking.

"A Shelter Coin," the female player pursed her lips at the light coin. "Surely you’ve seen one before?"

"Not really," Wu Chen scratched his head. "Aren’t those just resource points?"

"My goodness, resource points *are* Shelter Coins," the female player exclaimed in astonishment. "Hurry—if you delay, you’ll be erased along with the world."

"Alright," Wu Chen said, stepping forward briskly. With a puff, the phone booth shrank back into the keychain charm.

Turning the key, he started the engine once.

The AE86 followed the car ahead, charging out from the observation platform.

An approaching road sign read: 404 Ring Expressway.

Indeed, a road with no return.

The broad road was sparsely populated with vehicles, wide enough for two cars abreast.

Wu Chen tried lowering his window, but noticed the female player beside him was nervous, repeatedly waving through the window. He understood immediately—out of caution, he should avoid exposing himself to the dust.

Looking inside the car, Wu Chen saw the dashboard held only an old radio, with no onboard radio system. The now-ubiquitous mobile phones were nowhere in sight. After all, ordinary players possessed only a rescue package. What they carried into the field were the shelter’s most crucial creations. Items like phones or computers were unnecessary.

For players, the most vital shelter creation was naturally the "exclusive shelter."

It could carry a dedicated player and their shelter creations, allowing free passage in and out of the shelter world, and travel between various narrative worlds without incurring penalties. It was the one and only refuge for each player.

It was well known that in the shelter and all affiliated narrative worlds, the exclusive shelter was the foundation for all player activities.

Whether trading, socializing, gathering intelligence, or recruiting and dismissing narrative characters, the exclusive shelter facilitated all without interrupting the adventure or forcing a return to the shelter.

The process of obtaining an exclusive shelter was called "homogenization" by players—essentially transferring creations from the narrative world into the shelter world. This process was colloquially known as "extraction." The "Shelter Architect," Lord Zero, poetically described it as "becoming stars."

The definition of an exclusive shelter was broad: it could be a car, a hotel, a castle, even a continent or a planet.

Another widely known fact was that 0326’s exclusive shelter was a Tu-160 nuclear-powered bomber.

Since this was a rescue package, why hadn’t it come with the Tu-160 "White Swan"? Instead, it carried an unexpected campus card, a 2B pencil, and car keys.

And now, this AE86 was yet another unexpected anomaly.

One more well-known fact: the AE86 was not 0326’s exclusive shelter.

***

Unconsciously, the dust and fog dissipated. The two had left the collapsing world far behind. Before the fuel warning light could come on, they finally passed a service area.

It looked much like a domestic service area, yet subtly different. Glancing around, the few remaining buildings, though ravaged by collapse, stubbornly retained their respective functions. The service area included a gas station, a restaurant, a convenience store, and a repair shop.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—a number of vehicles were scattered in the parking lot. They appeared to belong to shelter players in desperate need of rescue.

The two first went to the gas station.

Expecting to need Shelter Coins to refuel, they were surprised to find the pump was freely usable, entirely complimentary.

With the tank filled, the female player approached Wu Chen’s car, calmly introducing herself: "0816, Baili Yan. ‘Yan’ as in perfunctory."

"0326, Wu Chen. ‘Chen’ as in dust," Wu Chen replied with a smile.

"Hello, 0326," a warm gleam flickered in the female player’s eyes.

"Hello, 0816," Wu Chen responded naturally, subtly recalling the key character design of "Detective Han Yuliang."

Surveying the shattered service area ruins alongside the broken world, the female player spoke softly: "Fortunately, the guardian of this world still remains."

Wu Chen casually asked, "How do you know?"

The female player pointed to the ruins: "Look, this building is still remembered."

After a moment’s thought, Wu Chen asked, "Remembered by whom?"

"By the world’s guardian." She then moved toward the ruins. "Let’s go inside and see."

"Alright." Wu Chen glanced back at the path they came, the footsteps of oblivion hastening close.

He seemed to realize: "So, as long as the world’s guardian retains memory, the world will not easily shatter."

"Exactly," the female player smiled gently.