Chapter 5

The Apocalypse 

“485345, you’re going the wrong way! Over here! I’ll give you a ride.” 

Juan heard a voice calling out from the distance. Some of the words were familiar, so he turned to look and saw someone waving at him from the side of the road. 

The person’s head was encased in a glowing circular helmet, similar to the light barriers that served as the city walls. Dressed in black, the person was sitting on a strange mechanical contraption.

Hmm… Is it a machine? It seemed to be made of metal, resembling something crafted by human-world mechanics. 

Juan slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked over. 

The man wearing black gloves patted the seat behind him and tossed something to Juan. 

Juan caught it instinctively, then looked down at the object in his hand before glancing at the man’s face. 

The man was wearing the same thing over his nose and eyes. So, is this how it’s supposed to be used? 

With that thought, Juan carefully unfolded the item and, imitating the man, placed part of it over the bridge of his nose while hooking the other two arms over his ears. 

As soon as the object was in place, a glowing sphere of light expanded around his head. Suddenly, the surrounding noise became faint, while the man’s voice came through the device clearly and distinctly. 

“Once you’ve got it on, hop on! I’ll give you a ride back to the dorm,” the man said, raising an eyebrow. His voice didn’t seem to come from his mouth but from the device hooked over Juan’s ears. 

After adjusting to the sensation, Juan swung his leg over and sat behind the man. 

The way people talked here was strange—it seemed like he could understand, but not entirely. Perhaps he needed to study more. 

After all, he figured he’d have plenty of time to learn while having that person read to him. 

Sitting behind the man, Juan made his mental plans. 

“Hold tight, I’m starting the bike,” the man warned. 

Juan wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. 

Though this was his first time riding, he had observed others doing the same before. 

Then, his attention shifted to the mechanical steed beneath him. 

Though the metal beast was cold and silent, it was far better than those horses that wouldn’t let him ride them. 

And faster, too— 

Just as Juan secured his seat, the machine shot forward like an arrow! 

No—faster than an arrow! 

The lights on both sides stretched into long, glowing lines, reflecting off the glowing sphere surrounding Juan’s head and mirrored in his unblinking eyes. 

They didn’t stick to the ground for long. After traveling some distance along the streets, the machine raced up a wall! Soon, they were driving along the walls of towering buildings, shifting seamlessly between horizontal and vertical surfaces. The lights around them blurred—straight lines one moment, vertical streaks the next, and occasionally glowing rings, leaving Juan feeling dizzy and exhilarated. 

It was almost like flying—Juan turned his head to watch the glowing lines streak past, filled with wonder. 

This human world was absolutely fascinating! 

After speeding along for a while, they finally came to a stop in front of a slightly run-down building. 

The building was a simple, square structure. Its outer walls were once white, though weather had faded the color. Graffiti covered the lower walls, while rows of small square windows dotted the upper floors. There were no elaborate designs or colorful lights. 

“You’re pretty impressive. Not many people can ride my hover bike without getting dizzy,” the man said, his voice echoing clearly through the earpieces. 

Hover bike—that’s what this machine is called? 

Juan silently committed the term to memory. 

While Juan was examining their surroundings, the man drove the hover bike into the building and rode it straight into the elevator. He finally stopped there. 

Juan didn’t know what an elevator was; to him, it was just a small, square room made entirely of metal. 

What is this room for? 

He watched as the doors slowly closed. A moment later, he felt a force pulling them upward. 

Oh, it’s a room that transports people to higher places—humans here are quite clever. 

“You’ve been really quiet today,” the man commented, noticing how Juan hadn’t spoken at all. 

Juan stayed silent. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk—he just couldn’t. Understanding spoken language was one thing, but speaking it required more practice. He didn’t want to risk saying something the other person couldn’t understand. 

Luckily, the man came to his own conclusion. 

“Whoa! Why is there so much blood on my back? Am I hurt? No… Wait, you’re the one who’s injured!” 

The man stretched and noticed bloodstains on his lower back. Alarmed, he jumped off the bike and inspected himself, only to realize the blood belonged to Juan. 

Though Juan’s black clothing had hidden the bloodstains, closer inspection revealed tears in the fabric—and a wound underneath. 

The man couldn’t help but pull Juan’s clothing aside, revealing stitches over a large wound. 

“So, you already treated it yourself?” the man asked, startled. He quickly pulled the clothing back down, this time moving carefully, as if afraid to hurt Juan further. Even his tone softened. 

“Wait a second. I picked you up at the city gate… Were you just coming back from outside the city?” The man frowned. 

Juan nodded. It was true—he had returned from outside the city. 

The man’s expression shifted to one of admiration. 

“That’s amazing! You don’t look like the type, but you snuck out of the city all on your own? Anyone else would’ve been bragging about it in class before even going!” 

Sneaking out of the city is something to brag about? Juan wondered. Class?

Are we students? 

He quietly analyzed the man’s words, picking out any useful information. 

Before Juan could think further, the elevator let out a “ding,” and the doors slid open.

Here’s the English translation of the text:

—

Perhaps knowing that the other person was an injured party, the man didn’t let Juan get off the vehicle. He pushed the cart out of the elevator himself and continued to push it in front of a room. Looking at Juan sitting like a statue on the cart, he suddenly had an epiphany. Without asking, he carefully lifted Juan’s left hand and swept the black wristband on it across the door handle, and immediately, the door opened.

“Do you need me to take you to the bed?” Seeing that Juan still didn’t move, the man scratched his head.

It was only then that he realized the room behind the door was most likely “his” bedroom. Juan shook his head, jumped off the motorcycle, took off the “helmet launcher” from his nose, and handed it to the man. After a moment, he said to him, “Thank you.”

After speaking, he nodded slightly and then entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Left at the doorway, the male classmate wondered, “What did he say? Did his vocal cords get injured too?”

“Ah, that must be it. Thinking back, he didn’t say a word the entire way here.”

“Outside the city really is terrifying…”

Muttering to himself, the man pushed the floating motorcycle away.

—

Juan didn’t hear his mutterings.

The soundproofing of the room was excellent; the moment he closed the door, the room was completely silent.

He took a quick look around the small room: it was very small, with only a bed, one end of which had a tiny window. Below the window was a small tabletop cluttered with various items.

Most of the items were unfamiliar to him, but he recognized a few books.

Climbing onto the bed to pick up the books, he found that he couldn’t read the text on them either.

After flipping through the pictures in the books a few times, he began to fiddle with the other objects on the table. The moment his fingers touched a small square box, it suddenly lit up, and moving images appeared on it, along with the sound of a person speaking.

Tilting his head slightly, Juan brought the box back to the center of the tabletop and started to watch it intently.

He ended up watching it for an entire day and night, and when the doorbell rang, he finally got up from his seated position. Ignoring the doorbell, he looked out at the tall buildings through the window, squinting slightly.

So this is a place called Earth…

And now it was the year 2112 in this place.

The year of the apocalypse, forty-nine years.