The Robot Settlement – a place where the vagrants sought refuge under Svarog's protection. It used to be quite populous, but now many have left, taking their robots with them.
Most of the people here came from Rivet Town, having heard rumors that someone was hauling out their belongings. Naturally, they rushed over to claim what was theirs.
Even if they didn't have anything of their own, they still wanted to report their location in advance to ensure they could receive supplies later on.
However, with the vagrants gone, Pei Guang and his crew arrived.
March 7th, looking around curiously, asked, "Is that the place where the big robot is?"
Pei Guang replied, "From what I gathered, yes. But I didn't expect there to be such a heavy security system."
Pei Guang eyed the massive double gate in the distance, with a lock thicker than an arm securing it tightly, showing just how solid this door was.
The sealed gate set Pei Guang's imagination running wild. Maybe, one day, this gate would open completely, or even vanish, revealing the road ahead.
Peering through the bars, he saw another completely sealed door within. What could two such heavy gates be guarding? This sent Pei Guang into a whirl of thoughts.
Were there untold treasures behind those doors, or was it just a baited quest? No, something this obvious would surely lead into a trap. But still, the sealed gate, as mysterious as an abyss, drew Pei Guang's gaze like a pair of watching eyes.
Can any player resist the allure of a locked gate that they know can be opened? None.
The group approached the large fence. The towering gate was shut tight. Stelle tried pushing and pulling it with all her might, but the gate didn't budge an inch.
"Can we squeeze through?" Pei Guang wondered aloud, contemplating the small gap in the fence. A tiny creature could slip through easily. But as soon as Pei Guang entertained this idea, he heard a voice, almost like a little girl, angry and protesting.
"Get real! No way anyone's fitting through that!"
Yeah, she was right. Even a child couldn't fit through such a narrow gap. Pei Guang gave up on that idea.
He noticed a nearby control panel, and March 7th tried to activate it. After fiddling with it for a bit, there was no response.
March 7th sighed, "Oh no, does this mean we need to find a key?"
Stelle looked at Pei Guang and urged, "Come on, Ah Guang, think of something!"
Pei Guang studied the gate and the control panel thoughtfully. "If I had to guess, the regular way to open this is definitely to find a key. Or maybe not just one key, but several. And if they want to make it even more annoying, those keys will each require something different—like finding fuses, fighting enemies, or solving puzzles."
March 7th gasped, "That's so harsh! Wait… we have run into this kind of stuff before on other planets…"
Recalling their past adventures, March 7th realized that Pei Guang was right. It seemed like every other planet had some locked door or required finding someone to help open one.
In those times, they usually fought or searched for some remote device or switch to open the doors. She had always enjoyed the gameplay and hadn't thought much of it. But now that she was reflecting on it, it was true.
March 7th said, "Come to think of it, we've come across so many doors and keys before. All kinds of ways to open them. Ah Guang, do you have a clever idea to get inside?"
Before Pei Guang could answer, the ever-resourceful Stelle pulled out her bat, "How about we just break the door down?"
Stelle was still in her demolition-happy mode, and Pei Guang completely understood. "No good! This door might still be useful, and if we break it, we might have to fix it later."
Stelle frowned, "Then what do we do?"
At her question, Pei Guang turned back to examine the gate. It stood over two meters tall at its lowest point, and even higher at its peak. He couldn't help but wonder: why wasn't there anything to prevent people from just climbing over it?
Yes, climbing it was the perfect idea.
Pei Guang placed his hand on the gate. The cold metal against his skin sent a shiver down his spine as his thoughts began to wander. If this were a game, wouldn't this be the part where there'd be a quick-time event? He could imagine lifting Stelle or March 7th up to the top, then having them pull him up with one arm.
Lost in thought, Pei Guang's body moved on its own. He started climbing. As he did, he could almost hear a frustrated little girl shouting at him.
"You, the worm up ahead! Come back to explore later!"
Later? No way. Pei Guang was a player! A player who explored every route except the obvious one. He couldn't just leave behind the unknown now.
Discovering the unknown, exploring hidden secrets, finding treasures buried in mystery—Pei Guang wasn't about to pass up this chance. Looking for keys? That was out of the question: in such an open world, searching for keys was an affront to his sense of freedom.
With a determined look in his eyes, Pei Guang climbed higher. Once he reached the top, his expression grew serious.
Oh! The height, the angle—this was a perfect defensive spot straight out of any survival horror game.
Pei Guang instinctively pulled out his wooden sword and aimed it downward. Below were only Stelle and March 7th, but in his mind, it was like he could see hordes of zombies charging at them. This was their last line of defense, their only hope for survival!
At that moment, standing at the top of the gate, Pei Guang's eyes burned with passion and hope for the future. He reached down to his companions and shouted, "Hurry up, climb up!"
Stelle didn't know what was going on, but when she saw Pei Guang's hand, she instinctively grabbed it. With a strong pull, she managed to climb up as well.
Originally, she had planned to jump down, but when she saw Pei Guang standing firmly on the door, weapon in hand, exuding the aura of a lone warrior guarding a passage, she also put on a serious expression.
"Oh!" She didn't see hordes of zombies, but instead, she saw lava! Endless streams of lava, and even in this cold underworld, she could feel its intense heat!
This was their final stronghold. From now on, they would only be able to defend this place. Oh, how painful that realization was!
March 7th, standing below, stared at the two of them, now suddenly acting strange. Her expression froze, and she quickly took out her camera to capture the moment.
It was a sight worth remembering: Pei Guang stood atop the left side of the door, waving a wooden sword as if battling an unseen enemy, while Stelle lay on the right side, writhing as if evading some hidden danger.
March 7th glanced around. Other than a few robots stationed far off on guard duty, there was nothing else. But that didn't stop her from recording this bizarre yet beautiful scene.
As the camera clicked away, both Pei Guang and Stelle could feel March 7th's approval. The two exchanged a glance, clasped hands, and stood atop the gate together.
They aimed their weapons toward the sky, as if ready to tear through the fake sky above them with a surge of overwhelming energy.
But the sky was indeed false, as they were underground, and tearing it apart would only lead to them being buried in snow. As for that truth... the two, now caught up in their fun, couldn't care less.