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Ah Zhuang had never seen him before, yet the man blended in effortlessly, as if he belonged there. His casual demeanor made Ah Zhuang question his own memory, struggling to recall if they had ever met.

Since his arrival, the man had struck up easy conversations about Big Cat Face, shared laughs with Er Zhuzi, and even exchanged friendly words with Li Ning Ning as though they were long-lost friends. Initially, Ah Zhuang let it slide, attributing it to the man’s outgoing nature. But now, his behavior was becoming intrusive, inserting himself into their plans and even asking for equipment.

“This isn’t a game, it’s a matter of life and death! Besides, are you even trained to skydive?” Ah Zhuang blurted out.

“Of course, I am,” Lin Xian responded with a confident grin. “I understand the stakes, and no one here is afraid of a little danger.”

“Who said you’re part of our team?” Ah Zhuang eyed him warily. “Do you even grasp what we’re attempting here?”

“I do. We’re gearing up for a high-altitude skydive into Rhine Sky City to find a cure for radiation sickness. Don’t worry, I’ve done wingsuit flying at altitudes as high as 20,000 meters.”

Lin Xian boasted, though the reality was less impressive. His actual experience in wingsuit flying peaked at just a few thousand meters—far short of 20,000. It wasn’t a lack of bravery but rather the rare opportunity for such extreme altitude jumps. Such feats were usually the realm of sponsored professionals.

“Think it through,” Ah Zhuang cautioned. “You saw what happened to Brother Face earlier. A minor error could get us spotted and obliterated by the laser defense grid.”

“Once the helium balloon hits 20,000 meters, it won’t come down. It’ll keep rising until it bursts in outer space. If you back out midway, there’s no turning back.”

“I’m ready,” Lin Xian urged, checking his watch—it was ticking past 11 p.m. The balloon’s ascent was slow, and with the prep and jump time considered, their window to explore Sky City would be tight. They had to move fast.

Moments later, a group of women handed Lin Xian his skydiving gear and a makeshift spacesuit. These items weren’t hard to come by; what was truly scarce were brave souls. In the dwindling village of Donghai, aside from the elderly, ill, weak, and women, only three men were left. Should they fail and perish, the women would be next to learn skydiving and face the same risks.

Without a cure for radiation sickness, their loved ones would soon follow. No one was exempt from this grim fate.

“Listen, Lin Xian,” Ah Zhuang said as he helped Lin Xian into the cumbersome spacesuit, “Our target is the plaza in the northwest district. It’s the only spot we’ve managed to evade the laser defense over the years. There’s a gap in their grid there.”

Lin Xian examined the map marked with a red circle. “That plaza looks large; is the gap equally big?”

“No,” Ah Zhuang shook his head. “We don’t know its precise location. All past attempts have ended in casualties, and we only have a rough idea of safe zones based on where others were vaporized. We’ve ruled out the northeast and southeast, but the data isn’t perfect. No one knows the actual size of the gap. We have to try our luck. I suggest we both aim for the northwest. If we don’t make it, Er Zhuzi and San Pang will try the southwest. This should boost our chances.”

“Understood,” Lin Xian nodded. As he surmised, the exact locations of safe spots and danger zones were mapped through countless sacrifices. His odds today seemed slim, but he held a unique advantage: the infinite loops of his dreams allowed him to remember each deadly outcome and sidestep it in subsequent attempts. With persistence, he was bound to safely land inside Rhine Sky City.

“Ready? Let’s launch!”

With the tether cut, the helium balloon carrying Lin Xian and Ah Zhuang began its ascent into the night sky. This was Lin Xian’s first experience in a hot air balloon, and he found the novelty exciting. In his dreams, his ascents were always via a skydiving plane.

The balloon climbed quicker than Lin Xian anticipated, accelerating as they ascended. The strengthening wind pushed them, though their course had been plotted with the wind direction in mind, crucial for their precise invasion of Sky City. A premature approach could activate the laser defenses, leading to their instant demise.

Higher up, the view resembled that from an airplane. Initially, thick clouds obscured their vision, but as they reached higher altitudes, the scenery cleared to reveal the city lights below. Lin Xian checked the altimeter: they were at 15,000 meters, the temperature plummeting to minus 37 degrees Celsius. Above, the moonlight cast a pale glow on sparse clouds.

Lin Xian had once scoffed at the idea that one could see the darkness of space from 30,000 meters, considering the stratosphere still far removed from outer space. Yet, extreme sports footage had shown otherwise, with backgrounds turning pitch black as adventurers ascended. He hoped to witness this phenomenon firsthand someday.

At 17,000 meters now, they surpassed commercial flight altitudes, facing temperatures near minus 50 degrees and atmospheric pressure only a fraction of sea level. This was a lifeless zone, inhospitable without technological aid. Despite Ah Zhuang releasing helium, the balloon expanded enormously.

Upon reaching 20,000 meters, Ah Zhuang tapped Lin Xian’s helmet, gesturing downward. Below, Rhine Sky City sparkled, its advanced infrastructure lighting up like a network of fireflies. Lin Xian focused on the northwest district plaza, its lights now mere pinpricks but providing them a target.

Signaling his readiness, Lin Xian watched Ah Zhuang nod before leaping, quickly finding his glide. Lin Xian followed, diving into the biting wind. The initial weightlessness gave way to the palpable tug of air resistance. Unlike Ah Zhuang, Lin Xian opted for a steep dive to gain speed.

Mastering his wingsuit, Lin Xian knew adjusting his posture and velocity was crucial. Galileo’s experiments had demonstrated that all objects, irrespective of mass, fall at the same rate in a vacuum, but in the atmosphere, a human’s body shape could dramatically influence their descent speed.

Extreme sport enthusiasts understood that at sufficient heights, a person reaches terminal velocity—the point where gravity and air resistance equalize, preventing further acceleration. While the average terminal velocity for women is around 50 meters per second, men can reach about 90 meters per second. Under optimal conditions, this could spike to over 300 meters per second.

Catching up to Ah Zhuang, Lin Xian maintained a calculated distance as they aimed for the plaza. As they neared the city, ice crusted over Lin Xian’s visor, the wind a roaring companion. Though still hundreds of meters up, the city loomed close, heightening the tension of their descent.

This was their gamble with mortality. Lin Xian adjusted slightly to the right, hoping to pinpoint the elusive safe gap. If unsuccessful, his next attempt would shift leftward, methodically eliminating possibilities until the gap was found.

Peering through his frosty helmet at the approaching Rhine Sky City, Lin Xian pondered the mysteries it held. What secrets were nestled within its confines?