Five Frozen Centuries

“Hello!”

A red bird’s head popped around a corner in front of them. It glanced at Wei Huo and Xiao Bin, then turned around and stole a few glances at them before walking out.

It was a two-meter-tall bird. Because it was too tall, the space in the plant-filled building was not big. Its head was lowered. It took two steps forward and opened its mouth. “Have you eaten?”

Xiao Bin said, “Er…”

He was scared out of his wits. He had thought that this was some kind of supernatural creature, but it was a bird.

The bird told them, “Come to my place to eat!”

As soon as the bird finished its sentence, seven to eight birds came around the corner and started talking. “Come to our place to eat. Come to our place to eat…”

Wei Huo said, “They are parrots.”

Five hundred years ago, humans had been halted by time. The pet parrots had escaped from their cages and come to live here. However, they had not forgotten the human language. They had even passed down the language repeatedly. Strangely, the meaning had not changed.

As soon as Wei Huo spoke, the parrots stared at him. They turned their heads, used their left eyes, and turned their heads again. They kept observing Wei Huo.

One of the parrots suddenly said, “Hello!”

Wei Huo walked over. “Hello, hello!”

The group of parrots jumped aside and made way for Xiao Bin. Xiao Bin hurriedly followed them. A parrot suddenly asked him, “Have you eaten?”

Xiao Bin said hurriedly, “Yes, yes.”

The two of them continued walking. The group of parrots followed them. They curiously observed Wei Huo and his companion while following them.

Wei Huo kept walking forward. Seven to eight minutes later, Wei Huo and Xiao Bin arrived at a cave entrance. Through the cave entrance, they saw a huge pit. The loud sound of a waterfall could be heard. There was a waterfall. The water from the waterfall rushed into the pit. The bottom of the pit was lush, and there was a dense forest. In the middle of the sky was an oval-shaped lake. A few water birds descended from the sky and extended their claws. When they flew up again, huge fish had appeared in their claws.

It turned out that the ground on the other side of the C-shaped building had already descended and turned into a pit. It was blocked by the dense trees around the C-shaped building, so the few of them could not see it.

Xiao Bin took a deep breath and puffed his chest out. He narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance. “How spectacular!”

They both looked into the distance and saw a broken plant-filled building. It was a building similar to the C-shaped building under their feet. It was also covered by plants. The interior of the building had disappeared, leaving only plants behind.

Apart from the broken building, they also saw a circular green building. It seemed like a gymnasium. They then saw a huge bridge made of vines and leaves. The pit used to be a bustling steel city!

Now, it had become a plant city.

Wei Huo was confused. Where were the residents of this city?

Xiao Bin sighed. “This is the state of the world after humans disappeared. It’s so spectacular and beautiful…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Wei Huo took two steps forward and jumped into the pit.

Xiao Bin was shocked. “Big Brother Wei!”

Wei Huo leaped down into the pit. He spat out a mouthful of dragon flames and rubbed his back. Then, a pair of flame wings appeared on his back. The flame wings did not need to be flapped. The strong thrust of the burning flames was enough to lift him up.

Wei Huo landed in the pit and drew a standard parabola. He then flew up again. He brushed past the canopy of trees and chased after the birds. Finally, he flew over the huge lake and toward the river connected to the waterfall. In the end, he flew up the waterfall and into the sky.

Wei Huo stopped after flying for a few hundred meters. He was like an eagle observing its prey, his sharp eyes trying to see through everything down in the pit.

Xiao Bin’s eyes widened when he saw this scene. “F-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr-terr… Is this the imposing field? Is this really a realm that can be reached in three to five years?”

Wei Huo had found nothing. He flew back and landed by Xiao Bin’s side. The wings of fire disappeared, but Xiao Bin could still feel the lingering pain in the air.

Wei Huo said, “I’ve looked around. There’s no one down there. Let’s take a detour. There’s no way down.”

Xiao Bin could only nod and suppress his shocked emotions. They followed the original route back, followed by the group of parrots. “Have you eaten?”

Wei Huo turned around and said, “Yes, we’re leaving.”

They had thought that there was someone inside, but there had only been a group of parrots. Any traces of humans had disappeared. However, they had not expected the parrots to retain the human language.

The parrots could not understand what he was talking about. When Wei Huo and Xiao Bin walked out of the C-shaped building, the parrots started singing one after another. “Come to my place to eat… Come to my place to eat…”

Wei Huo did not turn around. He waved his hand with his back facing the parrots. “No need!”

When the parrots behind him heard that, their song reached its climax. “No need… No need… No need…”

The Tree-Man asked curiously, “What is this?”

Wei Huo smiled. “A song.”

The Tree-Man thought about it for a moment and asked, “This is the sound of birds looking for a mate, isn’t it? You call it a song? Yes… This is a song. Hello! Have you eaten? Come to my place to eat… No need…”

The giant tree started singing. It used the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. The whole song became sad in the process.

As the breeze blew, rustling sounds could be heard throughout the forest. The leaves were playing music for the Tree-Man. The Tree-Man’s voice was stuck amid the rustling sounds. He was speaking Mandarin, but he was not proficient. He sounded like a foreigner speaking Mandarin, but his voice was very special. Along with the sound of the leaves, the song emitted a special scent.

“Hello…”

Xiao Bin could not help but sing along. His eyes turned moist. He thought of his hometown, his parents, his neighbors, his ordinary life, and his normal conversations with his neighbors.

“I can’t go back anymore,” he said.

The giant tree was stunned for a moment before picking up the song again. “I can’t go back…”

The entire forest was filled with the sounds the Tree-Man made. Wei Huo and Xiao Bin listened quietly. Xiao Bin’s face was already covered in tears. He kept wiping his tears with his sleeve and sniffing. He looked into the distance and sang loudly with the Tree-Man. “I can’t go back anymore…”