Chapter 689

NO．58：Suzi also wants this kind of happiness

The Light Country's liaison office in the Federation is located on the 11th natural satellite behind Heaven Gate City, with no direct starship route.

For the office's members, they naturally don't need starships as transport—those who fly fast can go directly, those who fly slow can curl into a ball and fly; it's not only free and comfortable, but also makes it easier for brothers back home to identify and open the door directly.

But they still kept a safe, convenient route for visitors of other species.

That is one of the transmission gates distributed throughout Heaven Gate City itself.

And this also means that Aomo will once again come to this spaceport city that turned his life around.

At the same time, this is also a city where Shinjō Qian has stayed for nearly two years, which she should be familiar with.

But she says she's not familiar with this city at all.

That's probably true, Aomo thought.

When he stepped out of Heaven Gate City Spaceport's ground again, looking up at this city that was completely different from the Boundary Gate Area, emphasizing modernization—or rather, cyberization—he couldn't help but recall the cityscape he had once overlooked from that hovercar.

At that time he tried to discern the big picture from small clues, understanding the city from spider silk and horse tracks, snow claw goose mud, but only felt dizzy.

This city holds too much, and even with Miss Shinjō Qian's lifestyle—she's not a shut-in but almost like one—and her way of handling things, she can hardly explore much of it.

Moreover, back then she was only about fifteen years old.

By now she has gradually approached the end of seventeen, though she never mentioned it herself, but the information initially released by the police was always clear as day.

The fifteen‑year‑old girl who had just woken from a dream was cheerful for only a few days, still welcoming her new self—and then she indeed welcomed her new self, along with a new world.

Towering skyscrapers, huge screens, massive projections, and markets packed like fish scales, plus those that openly display racial traits, and on the streets even more exotic scenes formed by various space peoples, strange races, and all kinds of demi‑humans mixed together—

——Having grown up in a scientifically enlightened, fully aware environment, Aomo finds it hard to imagine the shock to their worldview that the other person suffered back then.

He could only try to simulate, try to guess, and arrive at some not‑very‑certain conclusions.

Then, upon actually meeting the person in person, and even during everyday chats while living together, when this topic came up he got a definite answer from the person concerned.

And he happened to guess right.

Surprise, excitement, and a little fear all turned into joy as understanding became complete—transmigrators' mindsets are generally alike, differing only in how much fear they have.

Of course, many in this group also long to return home, and they often get their wish; those who are willing to come back will return to the state mentioned above.

Shinjo Akane is one of the few who have no lingering attachment to the past world.

Although she had been redeemed and given the right to face life anew, she hadn't yet had time to cultivate anything worth lingering for before arriving here.

Then she simply declared that she was enjoying herself here.

——Although this explanation was quite reasonable, Aomo at the time felt that perhaps something was hidden within it.

It's not about the result, but about the motive.

The 'Kailifu' known before meeting and the 'Shinjo Akane' known after meeting differ only slightly.

Therefore, he is quite certain that Akane's motive for choosing this side is certainly not 'that side is not worth lingering for,' especially after that dream of hers.

That the resentment lingering from monster carcasses affects dream quality isn't bizarre, but it's also not common; Aomo's earlier claim that 'psychic talent invited this' was merely a placating excuse.

In fact, besides excessively high innate inspiration, a mutual negative attraction is also needed.

"Boss, boss, how much for this combined edition of *Taiping Fengtu Ji*?"

"Yes, yes, and there's this *Heaven Gate City Monster Records*, oh——! And this *Monstrous Dissection Studies*!"

"Little Snake, little Snake! Over there they're fighting! So much blood splatter—this is the Heaven Gate City I know!"

"Wow, sure enough there are people celebrating Tanabata here too, but why are there still couples being burned in the street…… Want to see if they'll attack us? Hehehe, Little Snake, don't go—they're just E‑rank cyber‑modifiers, not really dangerous……"

"Wow, there's even street robbery—hey, that guy isn't from a good opera, right? Little Snake, why don't you go get an autograph from that righteous tyrant?"

"Ahaha, Little Snake, you actually know this city's officer? You've only met him once? But that mustachioed officer is very enthusiastic with you~! He even lets you mess with his terminal… uh, really? He doesn't know how to use it?"

Indeed, humans are highly adaptable creatures, because the world is never very gentle.

Often, if you cannot adapt you must leave, or even collapse there, so you must adapt to that life.

Life in Heaven Gate City is obviously stimulating and extreme; most Earth residents who come here are tourists rather than long‑term settlers, because they cannot accept the brutal carnage resulting from the countless cultural clashes here.

But some people don't even need to adapt.

Miss Shinjo Akane is practically a native of this place; her perpetually cheerful demeanor seems no pretense, and every time she opens up there is no flaw.

If her acting skill were to improve this dramatically in such a short time, Aomo would have to accept it, but given how slim that possibility is, he would rather trust his unchanged judgment.

Just after passing through that portal, as the light shone on him right away—seeming to verify his identity and bringing a slight discomfort—he indeed heard someone say:

"Two readings of this extraordinary Hei'an energy— is Kai bringing two Hei'an giants?"

——Such a sigh.

Having such a sentence represents a verifiable conclusion, and also means the result of a patient confirmation.

Of course, once he truly set foot in this region obviously set up as an imitation Light Country, filled with countless fluorescent‑green architectural styles, Aomo stopped thinking about these things.

He had no leeway for that.

At this moment, he and Akane face a crowd of giants tens of meters tall, and these giants—are obviously Ultramen.

Salted‑egg eyes, timer, red‑white or blue‑flower pattern—the most standard classic design.

"Of course not; rather, you lot—can't humans visiting shrink down to talk? Mimicking your own kind's form works too."

The Ultraman Orb who had been waiting at the gate now, by example, shifts back into a form that looks human‑shaped but is actually far stronger.

Of course, comparing with human ascendants or modifiers makes it hard to say.

He naturally meant well, looking out for the neck health of Aomo and Akane, but he didn't expect the two of them to almost in unison say:

"No need."

"No, no, no!"

"?" Under Hongkai's bewildered gaze, Aomo hadn't spoken yet, but Akane already clasped her hands, staring at the Ultramen with excitement spilling over.

"Just keep it like this— the feeling of enormity and non‑humanity is great! Great! Great!"

Whether this counts as a date is hard to say, but she is truly happy.