"This... is spectacular..."
Inside the taxi, Firefly watched the scene outside the window with a hint of wonder.
A dense cluster of vehicles now rested upon a massive platform, their current taxi among them. Due to the sheer volume of cars, the collective hum of engines merged into a constant drone of background noise.
Once the platform reached capacity, a low mechanical roar and a slight vibration followed. The gargantuan structure, carrying hundreds of vehicles, began its slow descent.
At first, Firefly could still catch glimpses of the faint greenery far to the southeast through the window. However, the platform soon sank into the shadow of the cliffs. Cold stone walls rushed upward, hugging the edges of the platform as the sky rapidly shrank. The sunlight dimmed until it became nothing more than a distant, narrow slit of light high above.
With the window open, Firefly noticed a distinct change in the air. The fresh scent of the forest was replaced by a sharp, slightly pungent metallic odor.
After about a minute, a dull thud and a light tremor signaled their arrival. The massive protective floodgates ahead slowly ground upward with a piercing screech.
The roar of engines erupted once more as vehicles started up in unison. The moment the gates fully retreated, the flow of traffic surged into an entirely new Greenshade Spring.
Firefly's breath caught. Her pupils constricted as she beheld the city's true form.
Clusters of skyscrapers rose from the ground, piercing toward that distant "well-mouth" sky. Below lay a complex, multi-dimensional transportation network with countless vehicles weaving through the thoroughfares. Along the streets, dense crowds moved like colonies of ants. It was a scene of extraordinary bustle—so different from the upper Greenshade Spring that they hardly seemed to belong to the same world.
"Impressive, right? There are nineteen other giant platform elevators like this one. It sounds like a small number, but it's enough to maintain traffic, especially since the population in the southeast upper level is actually quite sparse," Su Xiaoxiao said excitedly, noticing Firefly staring blankly at the view.
"I was deeply shaken by the giant platform and the terrifying verticality when I first came here, too. Though, unlike you, I arrived from the city to the southwest."
"Back then, I didn't understand why this place was called Greenshade Spring. It wasn't until I took the platform up to the Southeast Gate section and saw that massive forest that I finally learned the origin of the name."
"It is indeed... hard to believe," Firefly nodded, her gaze sweeping across the vast underground metropolis.
Su Xiaoxiao assumed Firefly was overwhelmed by the scale of the elevator and the structural drop. She didn't realize that the mere sight of this subterranean city was what felt so incredible.
Firefly had previously spent her time in the impoverished Pit Bottom District and the unremarkable southeast section. In those areas, the architecture wasn't drastically different from her previous world. For Firefly, this was her first time seeing the true face of this world.
Even in her past life, she had never witnessed such a scene or urban construction. At most, she had seen similar spectacles in science fiction films.
Before long, the car came to a halt.
Once Su Xiaoxiao finished paying, the three of them stepped out. Immediately, Firefly found herself facing the entrance of a subway station bustling with people.
Su Xiaoxiao took the opportunity to introduce the location.
"This is one of the high-speed subway stations in Greenshade Spring. If we take this line, we can reach Scream Park in the city center very quickly."
With that, Su Xiaoxiao led the two of them onto the train.
The subway didn't shock Firefly much. While it looked more "sci-fi" than the subways she had taken in her previous life, compared to the experience of dropping into another world moments ago, it was ultimately just a train.
They soon arrived at the Scream Park Su Xiaoxiao had mentioned.
The moment they bought tickets and passed through the main gates, Su Xiaoxiao impatiently pulled them toward one of the attractions. Under her guidance, they arrived before a colossal tower where a long line of tourists waited at the entrance.
"Firefly, Firefly! I know you aren't afraid of heights, but have you ever experienced the sensation of falling from a hundred meters up without any protection?"
"A feeling of falling from a hundred meters without protection?"
Firefly looked puzzled but shook her head nonetheless. "I haven't."
Whenever she fell from great heights, she was wearing her Sam armor. As for falling without protection... she had tried that on Cifera's side, but strictly speaking, that wasn't exactly a "great height."
"Then you absolutely have to try this ride! I guarantee it's thrilling!"
Su Xiaoxiao's tone was bursting with excitement. It was unclear if she truly wanted Firefly to experience the ride or if she just wanted to see her scream.
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Seeing Su Xiaoxiao's anticipation, Firefly agreed with a smile.
But before she could join the queue, a slightly trembling voice rang out.
"Sss... about this... why don't you two just go... I'll pass."
Firefly followed the sound and turned back to see Ye Yunzhi looking quite unwell. Her eyes were filled with a hint of terror as she stared at the structure. She was unconsciously swallowing hard, her legs shaking slightly.
It was obvious that this building had left Ye Yunzhi with some psychological trauma.
Su Xiaoxiao noticed the distress as well, yet she didn't seem surprised at all. Instead, she hugged Ye Yunzhi's arm and spoke in a pitiful tone.
"Yunzhi~ We finally made it here, just play with us~ The last time you played was half a year ago. Who knows, maybe you've overcome your fear by now?"
"No! Even if you kill me, I'm not playing!" Ye Yunzhi shook her head frantically, completely immune to Su Xiaoxiao's act. "You said the exact same thing six months ago! I swear I will never be fooled by you again!!"
Seeing that the two were "busy" for the moment, Firefly turned back to the line. She intended to go in and experience it first. She wanted to see for herself exactly what kind of gameplay could be described as thrilling.
A hundred-meter drop without protection? It sounded quite interesting!