Chapter 85: Heading to the So-Called Amusement Park

December 25, 2237, 16:10

The two emerged from the Welsh cinema after watching their film, finally stepping out into the fading day. Yet by now, darkness had already settled outside, making any plans for amusement parks seem out of the question.

“Honestly, why did we have to watch the movie at this hour? It’s already dark!” Mingchuan complained with exasperation. After all, he was a prince of the United Kingdom, and the cycles of daylight and darkness were matters he had mastered long ago.

“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t think it through,” Wenxin replied, her tone apologetic. She coquettishly tried to charm her way out of blame, then readily handed the reins of their outing to Mingchuan. She knew that outside, at least, she would be protected—shielded by her Irish connections.

“That’s more like it! I’ve already found an amusement park that's practically on the equator, where day and night split the hours evenly. Want to go? It’s within London, United Kingdom.” Technically, it was under the jurisdiction of the Welsh Party, whose mysterious and formidable power meant that any project they wished to keep secret would remain so, no matter how much the Kwei Party, Lionheart Society, and Ireland combined their efforts.

“Where is it? I want to go!” Wenxin lit up at the prospect, eager to make up for the time wasted earlier.

“Follow me. There should be an elevator straight to the subway from here.” This was his territory, after all; during the Kohl era, Trachy had thoroughly mapped out the area. Mingchuan led Wenxin to the cinema’s innermost accessible area, where indeed an elevator awaited. Its panel showed only “G” and numbers from 1 to 50, but Mingchuan was well-versed in its secrets. He slid aside a hidden panel, revealing a special button marked “W”—the initial of the Welsh Party, though it also signified the subway. Upon pressing it, the ground began to tremble, a safety partition disengaging to prevent elevator faults. The elevator then descended toward the underground city, and within a minute, its doors opened.

Wenxin was startled. In her memory, this underground city didn’t exist on any map of London, nor was it mentioned in Ireland’s intelligence reports. Even the Kwei Party and Lionheart Society were oblivious.

“Amazing, isn’t it? Who would have guessed the United Kingdom had such a thing! If someone hadn’t assigned me a mission here, I’d never have known about Underground London. The methods of entry and these places were all revealed to me by that person, so the amusement park is no exception,” Mingchuan explained, attributing his knowledge to another.

Wenxin listened without much reaction; perhaps she suspected his ties with the Welsh Party but chose not to comment. “Looks like you’ve been busy these past two months,” she teased.

Mingchuan wasn’t offended. “Can’t be helped—I don’t want to leave you behind here, and I have to live honestly, so I accept the assignments given from above.”

He led Wenxin to what resembled a subway platform, though it was more like a small room—a station for shuttles, compact magnetic levitation vehicles common in the Welsh Party’s underground city. Using maglev and nuclear magnetic positioning, they required no tracks, and with the scale of the underground city rivaling surface London, it was essentially another metropolis. These shuttles were akin to taxis.

Having prepared in advance, Mingchuan summoned a shuttle, which arrived as its hatch opened. Wenxin, observing all this, grew suspicious. “Where are we going? And how are you so familiar with all this—did two months really suffice?”

Mingchuan had warned her before, so she didn’t press further, wary that probing might expose herself. “I basically work for someone who calls himself Welsh, so his people showed me around. I’ve heard he’s the heir of the United Kingdom’s royal party. If I can serve the crown prince’s party, that’s fine—after all, it’s for the country.”

After boarding the shuttle together, Mingchuan revealed part of the truth. Wenxin understood: the Welsh Party, Lord Trachy’s faction. If Lei Mingchuan wasn’t Trachy himself, then he was at least serving him now. And if she believed Mingchuan completely, all this had transpired in the past two months.

“So, you don’t want to go back to 2139?” Wenxin asked, not fully trusting him.

“Sigh, what’s the point of talking about that? Returning is one thing, but right now I want to head to the front and kill Satan. If you won’t go back, why should I return early?” Mingchuan replied, unable to give a definite answer—after all, yesterday his mind was still on Anne...

“So we’re staying here, then? Sigh, there’s nothing for it. The military wants us to risk our lives, wants us to solve the Satan crisis in this world, so only by completing their mission can we return.” Wenxin voiced what Mingchuan was thinking, and he smiled.

“It’s alright! At least there’s no frontline assignment right now—we can rest, enjoy ourselves awhile. Satan’s become harder to deal with, and the new mechs won’t be ready for a few days. For now, we’re ordinary people. Let's have fun, alright?”

“Um...” Wenxin realized she could only play the good girl now, innocently nodding, waiting to see what Mingchuan had planned.

“Good, then. Wait a moment—we’ll be there soon!”

—Extra Note—

I have to go back tomorrow, so I worked a bit overtime. It doesn’t seem well-written... I’ll revise it next time I return.