I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 363: Chapter 360: Toward the Dome

”It looks like it’s getting late.”

Si Yang remarked nonchalantly, feeling the ever-hotter sunlight with its hand.

”Let me take you up.”

Li Luo walked over, still having some questions.

”Why did I end up in the nest after I fell asleep?”

’It seemed no one else on the island received this sort of ”special treatment.”’

’As far as she could tell, she was the only living person on Hell Island. The others were just memory constructs created by the Hell Beast.’

Si Yang stood pondering the question for a long while.

”Perhaps... because you’re the Fire Thief.”

After saying this, it walked toward the other side of the hill without looking back, leaving Li Luo standing there, at a loss.

She could only look to the robot, but it showed no intention of answering, simply following after Si Yang.

Li Luo had no other choice. She glanced at the name tag on her chest and followed them.

The group slowly made their way to the top of the hill.

Si Yang looked at the hole in the dome above and raised both hands.

It raised its left hand, palm facing right, and bent its right arm at a right angle, touching the fingertips to its left palm.

Si Yang began to make those strange gestures again.

”Build: Ladder!”

As it spoke, a white staircase instantly extended from the dome to the ground, landing heavily amidst the coal and kicking up a shower of black shards.

The base of the staircase had no support, just hanging in mid-air and looking as if it could snap at any moment. The steps were only wide enough for one person to walk on, there were no handrails, and it looked like one misstep could lead to a fall.

But Si Yang walked toward the stairs without a backward glance.

”Let’s go.”

Si Yang was the first to step onto the staircase and head up, with the robot following close behind.

Li Luo, bringing up the rear, curiously prodded the floating staircase with her foot before cautiously stepping onto it.

Only then did she realize the staircase was incredibly sturdy. An invisible force seemed to ”fix” her to the steps, making her every footfall completely steady. What’s more, this force was also protecting her, keeping her from veering off-center and preventing her from falling.

As they continued up, Li Luo could no longer suppress her curiosity and asked Si Yang up ahead, ”When you’re building, do you have to make hand gestures? And do you have to shout out what you’re building, too?”

This question had been bothering Li Luo for a long time.

Ever since she was blindfolded, she had been very interested in Si Yang’s ”move names,” and now was the perfect opportunity to ask.

Hearing this, Si Yang stopped in its tracks.

”I...” 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

It seemed a little embarrassed.

”I learned it from you humans. In your anime, don’t you have to make hand signs and shout out the name of your move when you use it?”

The robot, listening in, chimed in its agreement. ”That’s right. It increases the move’s power.”

Si Yang nodded. ”I thought it was strange at first, too. But after trying it for myself, I discovered that it really does give a technique more soul. Perhaps this is what you humans understand as ’putting your heart into it.’”

The two of them continued on, echoing each other’s sentiments.

Leaving Li Luo standing behind them, stunned.

She shook her head helplessly. ’Never mind the Hell Beasts... the places humans have been are the real disaster zones...’

The staircase seemed very tall, but it didn’t take them long to emerge from the hole.

The sun was directly overhead.

Li Luo felt a bit dazed as she looked at the glaring sun. It felt as if she hadn’t been on Hell Island for very long, yet it was already noon.

The change from night to day seemed to have happened in an instant.

The loss and return of her memories had thrown Li Luo’s sense of time into chaos. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if this was the next day or some time long after.

She breathed a long sigh of relief only after pulling out her electronic screen to check.

The island was still a world of pure white.

The hole was located right in the center of a bustling public square.

By now, the hole was cordoned off with a white fence. A police officer in a white uniform stood outside it holding an electronic screen, and not far away, a volunteer in a white vest was directing the crowd.

The island’s residents were very civic-minded and didn’t gather to gawk. Most of them merely spared it a quick glance before going about their own business.

It was working hours, and everyone had something to do. The sudden appearance of the square hole surprisingly didn’t cause much of a stir. Paradise Island remained as quiet and peaceful as ever, without a single ripple of disturbance.

The police officer watched in astonishment as the group emerged from below the hole, his gaze sweeping over them again and again.

A Stone Man made of coal, an all-black robot, and the only one who looked remotely normal—a human—who was being followed by a large Block.

The officer was stunned by such a combination, freezing on the spot with the electronic screen in his hand.

They stared at each other for a long moment before he snapped back to his senses, his face a mask of astonishment as he asked:

”When... did you all fall in?”

He vaulted over the barricade and walked toward them.

He first looked toward Li Luo, who was at the back of the group, and asked with concern:

”Are you hurt? Should I call a doctor?”

He didn’t seem to find the bizarre group suspicious, his first concern being their safety.

”That’s not necessary, we’re fine,” Li Luo quickly declined.

But the officer took one look at Li Luo’s disheveled appearance and raised his electronic screen to notify a doctor anyway.

”That looks like a deep hole. It’s better to have a doctor check you out.”

The officer in white was very diligent. After making the call, he walked over to the robot and wiped at its black mechanical arm.

”How did you get so filthy?”

With that, he turned to Si Yang.

”What race are you? Are you registered on the island?”

Si Yang shook its head. ”Silk Race. I’m registered. Look up: Builder.”

The officer gave it a skeptical look, then began searching on his electronic screen.

The profile for ’Builder’ appeared almost instantly, and it was extremely detailed.

The officer glanced at it for a moment, his expression turning to shock. ”You were one of the first to set foot on the island?”

”Yes,” Si Yang nodded.

”Then how come I’ve never seen you before?”

Faced with this suspicion, Si Yang just quietly uttered two words: ”Secret identity.”

The officer snapped to attention the moment he heard those two words.

He quickly tapped on his electronic screen for a moment, then his eyes widened. He lowered his voice and said to Si Yang:

”Understood!”

After that, the officer in white asked no more questions. He simply led the group to a nearby police kiosk, told them to wait there, and returned to the hole.

Li Luo watched this scene play out, her face etched with confusion.

Once the officer was out of earshot, she couldn’t wait to ask, ”What’s a ’secret identity’?”

”It’s an identity for carrying out secret missions. The first humans who arrived on the island met me. I asked them for a classified internal human identity to make it easier for me to get around. Since I need to come up to the surface of Paradise Island from time to time, I need an identity like this as a sort of pass to avoid conflict with human officials.”

Li Luo listened and nodded, but something about it still felt off to her.

”But you’re the one who built this island. Why do you need to get a ’pass’ from the humans who came later?”

”What’s the big deal? I just built the island. That doesn’t make me its owner,” Si Yang said, unfazed.

”Besides, I think the humans on the island have done a wonderful job building this place up. They’ve given it life. They are, without a doubt, the island’s true masters.”

Si Yang watched the people coming and going outside the police kiosk, lost in thought. After regaining its memories, it hadn’t yet had a chance to take a good look at the island.

The black stone figure stood there, watching as stranger after stranger walked by.

Black amidst the white.

In that moment, it was the one that didn’t belong.