1.28 An Unexpected Encounter in the Spiral Zone

Wu Chen had initially thought that traversing the Spiral Zone would be akin to smuggling across a border. He believed that as long as one passed through the pipelines safely, the exit at the other end would lead to the dynamic edge of the Fantasy Spiral. However, it was not that simple. As Navigator 0819 had warned, this pipeline, often used for smuggling, was fraught with danger because the pipeline itself was dynamic. Every day was vastly different from the last, making reliance on memory utterly useless. In that sense, Navigator 0819 must possess extraordinary capabilities.

"Master, energy surges ahead." Before the AI's words had faded, billows of dense fog came rolling in.

"0326, whatever you do, do not leave your vehicle," the Navigator’s warning followed immediately.

Wu Chen remained calm under pressure. "Armored Ride mode."

"Acknowledged." The female riders on his left and right immediately transformed into their Terminator Armored Ride forms.

"Armored Ride" was a state between a motorcycle and a humanoid figure. The female riders were covered by the Terminator transformation armor, merging person and machine into one. It looked like a T-800 Terminator robot riding a motorcycle, but in reality, it was a female warrior wearing T-800 Terminator power armor.

Just as the riders finished transforming, the pipeline was submerged by the tidal wave of fog. Wu Chen had experienced a similar situation personally on the Road of Destruction 404—it was a sign that the world was fragmenting, annihilating, and turning into a void.

However, here in the City of Fragmentation, something different was happening.

As the fog tide surged, the pipeline from the Fantasy Spiral rapidly replaced the original pipeline from the Sci-Fi Spiral.

For a newcomer like Wu Chen, everything looked unrecognizable after the tide passed. Though it still appeared to be the same pipeline, its internal structure had changed drastically, bearing no resemblance to what it was before. Even the positioning markers set by the AI along the way had vanished.

"How can this be?" For the first time, the AI lost its sense of direction.

"No wonder a navigator is required," Wu Chen observed. He saw the DMC-12 continuing forward at an unhurried pace. "0819, does the pipeline structure change with every 'tide'?"

"That’s right, 0326," the Navigator replied. "That is the true essence of dynamic equilibrium. It is ever-changing and never repeats itself."

"Like an underground labyrinth that shifts day and night. You must have a way to find the correct path," Wu Chen said with a smile.

"0326, as you say. If I may be so bold, no one else knows this dynamic path but me." The Navigator sounded somewhat proud; this was clearly his innate ability.

"Let’s stay in touch," Wu Chen said, offering goodwill.

"No problem, 0326." More friends meant more paths, and the Navigator was always happy to make new connections.

"Master, an abnormal energy field has been detected." The AI, Aiyi, projected the mysterious energy field within the pipeline onto the windshield.

"Hmm?" Wu Chen looked closely. An unknown linear energy field was spreading throughout the conduit. Even the tiny droplets falling to the ground contained this alien energy.

"Could it be..." Wu Chen had a sudden realization. Could it be that the Navigator relied on these linear energy fields to traverse the pipelines?

"Day and night are about to shift. How about we take shelter in a safe house?" the Navigator suggested.

"Very well." Wu Chen was happy to follow the host’s lead.

"Follow me." The DMC-12 veered vertically upward, diving into a side path.

Lin Baiyu followed in the AE86, and the female riders maintained their Armored Ride posture, trailing close behind. After winding through the massive, vertically oriented pipe network for an unknown amount of time, the DMC-12 landed first on an external deck.

Opposite the deck was the safe house the Navigator had mentioned.

"Boss Chu?" Wu Chen was surprised to meet an acquaintance upon entering.

"Good day, 0326," the owner of the Mocha Coffee House said with a beaming smile.

"What are you doing here?" Wu Chen asked in astonishment.

The Navigator answered on his behalf: "Boss Chu travels the four-system spiral; he is the most famous 'Fragment Catcher' in the city."

"Fragment Catcher?" Wu Chen was even more surprised. "Does that mean Boss Chu can capture plot characters and craft shelter cards?!"

"That’s right," the Navigator asked with a laugh, "you didn’t know that, 0326?"

"I truly didn't," Wu Chen sighed with self-deprecation.

"It’s no matter." Glancing at the female riders as they disengaged from their Armored Ride forms, the coffee house owner smiled. "I haven't seen you in a few days, and now you have your own exclusive cards."

Cards were equivalent to fragments. Wu Chen chuckled, "Time waits for no one. I’m just gathering strength before the Day of Purging arrives, simply to survive."

"I see." The coffee house owner’s smile remained unchanged.

The Navigator player was full of praise for the Terminator motorcycle armor. "0326, are you selling that transformation motorcycle?"

"Make an offer," Wu Chen replied, always open to a deal.

"...Hmm." It was clear the Navigator really wanted it. "I have a 2-star card. Want to trade?"

A 2-star card was valued at a hundred coins. However, Wu Chen’s Terminator motorcycle could help upgrade a 2-star card to 3-star, making it worth more. "Two and a half stars, and it's yours."

"Let me see if that works." The Navigator produced a card from inside the DMC-12: Cyber Beast Woman, Perrier (Spider Woman).

"Cyber Beast Woman?" Wu Chen had no memory of her and didn't know her source.

"She’s from my former exclusive main world," the Navigator player said, looking reluctant. "She can transform into a Spider Woman form. Her specialties include infiltration, seduction, theft, assassination, and the like. She is an exceptional female assassin. Later, I even spent a high price to have her modified into a Cyber Banshee."

"If she’s so useful, why trade her?" Wu Chen asked with a smile.

"As you can see, I am a navigator. I don't participate in combat between players," the Navigator stated firmly, sounding credible.

"Would she clash with my compatibility?" Wu Chen was quite interested.

"It won't be an issue," the coffee house owner interjected.

"Very well." Wu Chen chose to trust him. "How do we trade?"

"Is the transformation motorcycle a card?" the Navigator asked hurriedly.

"It’s a creation of the Flatbase," Wu Chen replied.

"That makes it easy." The Navigator handed the card to the coffee house owner. "You send the transformation motorcycle to the Mocha Coffee House. Boss Chu will handle everything."

"Agreed," Wu Chen happily accepted.

"She only drinks Perrier," the Navigator kindly reminded him.

No wonder the beast woman was named "Perrier." Perrier mineral water was known as the Hermes of the pure water world. Because it was produced in Paris, it was also called "Paris Water," and it was quite expensive. Especially in the City of Fragmentation, it was hard to know where one could even buy it.

"Rest assured, the Mocha Coffee House carries it," the coffee house owner smiled. "We offer a package deal."

Wu Chen gave a wry smile. "0819, you aren't parting with her because of that, are you?"

"Not at all, not at all, haha..." The laughter said it all. Raising a beast woman who only drank Perrier was indeed very wasteful. After all, maintaining the Flatbase for an entire day only cost 1 coin.

Each got what they needed, and both parties were very satisfied. Familiarity grew with the second encounter. Through this transaction, Wu Chen and the Navigator had deepened their relationship.

The coffee house owner was like a guide for newcomers. Every player who entered the City of Fragmentation for the first time would receive his guidance and help. Because of this, over time, the Mocha Coffee House had become a gathering place for players. Various parties and salons were held there incessantly. With a growing reputation, escrow services had become a matter of course.

Wu Chen was curious about how a player's exclusive card could be unbound from its plot.

The coffee house owner smiled, "The Day of Purging."

Wu Chen had a sudden epiphany. "So that's how it is."

Since the Day of Purging could wipe a player's twelve-day save, plot fragments were naturally no exception.

A thought stirred in Wu Chen's mind. "You come to the dynamic edge to capture fragments because of the Day of Purging, don't you?"

"That's right." The coffee house owner saw no need to hide it. "Fragments whose plot branches have been cleared mostly end up hiding in the dynamic edge."

"So, the dynamic edge is essentially 'no-man's land'." Wu Chen finally understood. The chaos here was the norm. The unique dynamic equilibrium made this a lawless place where the rules of the four systems could not consistently take effect. It also allowed many "wild plot characters" who had become ownerless cards during the Day of Purging to lie dormant here. Thus, it had become a paradise for "Fragment Catchers" like the coffee house owner.

"You could say that," the coffee house owner said with a cheerful smile.

Feeling the kindness radiating from the coffee house owner's smile, Wu Chen suddenly felt that there would be no more crises on this journey.