"They look exactly like humans," Keal muttered, studying the three figures ahead. But something about them stood out—their clothes were different. Each wore formal-style pants paired with a simple T-shirt, topped with a long jacket and sturdy shoes. Keal glanced down at himself, realizing his outfit looked far more modern compared to theirs.
But their clothes looked surprisingly stylish. As Keal took a few steps closer, he noticed other people near the wall, stopping to show some kind of identification card before being allowed to pass through. The ones checking the cards were clearly guards—uniformed and alert. Their outfits were striking: primarily black and gray, accented by crimson lights running along the seams of their jackets and pants. The jackets had high collars and reinforced shoulder plates, while the slim-fit pants carried armored knee pads. Heavy boots with illuminated soles.
"What kind of place is this?" Keal wondered. "First, there was no one, and now the people I do see look so different. Some are dressed in casual styles, others in strange, futuristic fashion. Maybe those high-tech outfits are only for the guards." He glanced at the wall and sighed. "Whatever the case, I don't have anything like that to get past this checkpoint. Better to slip away before they notice me."
He began trailing the three people who had come from the other side of the wall. They were walking away from the checkpoint, and Keal moved after them, quietly and cautiously—like a cop shadowing a thief.
The first person said, "...I still can't get over it. What was her name? I've been trying to remember, but it's just gone. What was her name?"
The second person replied, "Did she even say her name? I don't remember hearing it. I was drunk at the time."
Keal listened quietly to their conversation, his mind racing. If this place is supposed to be empty, then why are they here? He hesitated. Should I talk to them, ask what this place is? No… better stay quiet. Who knows what they might do. I just need to survive these six hours. Best not to invite trouble.
The first person said, "Whatever her name was, it doesn't matter. The real question is—will she come again tonight? I keep wondering about that."
The second person replied, "Yeah… she was unbelievable. Do you remember? The whole place felt frozen when she stepped onto the stage wearing just a jacket. My mouth dropped open—I was completely frozen just watching her."
They turned right, and Keal followed, taking the same path. His brows furrowed as he replayed their words in his head. What the hell are they even talking about? Just a jacket? Sounds like some vulgar show… maybe a bar dancer or something.
Yeah… just like that time Robert dragged us to that so-called cultural show," Keal thought, remembering the moment with his friends. All of our jaws dropped when the dancer stepped onto the stage wearing nothing but a tie. None of us expected that. I'll never forget that day—none of us will.
The second person said, "Man, when she took off that jacket and started dancing, everyone nearly lost it. I swear, my heart was about to burst out of my chest."
The third person snapped, "You always say that. This isn't the first time either. Why are you guys so annoying—always talking about those perverted shows?."
First person said, "Don't put it like that. Just because you don't like her doesn't mean it was the worst. She was truly amazing! Her beauty was unlike anything in this world. But I don't get it—why don't you like those shows?"
The third person replied, "It's not that I don't like them. I just don't like talking about those shows."
First person said, "Then why did you sit at that table? From there you could barely see anything."
The second person added, "Tashi… even if you don't like those kinds of shows, it doesn't matter. But she was amazing—whoever saw her instantly fell in love. Even a simp like you. Don't act like you didn't fall for her too."
The first person smirked. "Don't say it like that. Tashi actually loved her—he even admitted it! Just look at his blushing face whenever we talk about her."
Tashi snapped. "You bastard… you never change! I'm not some pervert like you. Don't drag me into your stupid nonsense!"
"It really feels like Earth… only the buildings and places are different, as if the entire landscape suddenly reshaped, or all the people on Earth were teleported here," Keal thought as he followed the crowd ahead of him. His eyes suddenly caught sight of a bus-like vehicle in the distance. "Is that… a bus?"
They walked up to the vehicle and climbed aboard. Keal's eyes widened as he studied it—there were no wheels, and it didn't even touch the ground. It only looked a little like a bus. So this world has public transport too… but how is it floating above the ground?
Keal quietly climbed into the vehicle, moving as silently as he could. The inside view caught him off guard—it looked more like a spacious room than any bus he'd ever seen. Seats lined the sides, but there was no driver's seat, no steering wheel, nothing that suggested it could be controlled manually. Keal sat down quietly, his mind racing. What kind of vehicle is this? And what technology are they using to make it float above the ground?
Suddenly, a female voice echoed through the bus, calm yet mechanical. "We are leaving in one minute. I repeat, we are leaving in one minute." The announcement wasn't only inside—the same voice carried outside as well. As soon as it ended, a countdown appeared on a screen at the front of the bus, beginning its sixty-second timer.
Is this thing going to take off, like the ones I saw in the sky earlier?" Keal wondered, excitement flickering in his chest. He couldn't wait to see how the vehicle worked. Will it really lift into the air, just like in movies or games? His eyes darted to the window, remembering the car-shaped objects he'd seen flying across the sky.
10… 9… 8… 7… 6…" The countdown echoed as a low hum vibrated through the vehicle. At "5… 4… 3… 2… 1," a seatbelt automatically locked across Keal's waist. The same female voice followed, "Now we are leaving." A faint jolt ran through the floor as the vehicle surged forward, quickly gaining speed.
Disappointment spread across Keal's face—the vehicle didn't fly. Why didn't it take off? he thought bitterly. I had such high expectations, and they were all just crushed in an instant.
Keal gazed out the vehicle's window as the strange buildings slid past, their shapes blurring into unfamiliar silhouettes. His mother's words echoed in his mind, "Go outside, play some games, travel a little—you'll experience something new." A bitter smile tugged at his lips. "Always nagging me with those words… but this? This isn't something you can describe with just words. Not even close."
The second person asked, "Tashi, what happened with that case you were investigating?"
Tashi frowned. "Which case are you talking about?"
"The one about that guy," the second man said. "People said they saw him in the abandoned district—laughing, screaming nonsense… then he just ran off and disappeared."
"Oh, that case," Tashi said. "We searched everywhere, but found no one there. The only thing we know is that the guy was being followed by someone."
Keal gazed out the window, taking in the scenery beyond. The buildings here were unlike anything he had seen before—cylindrical structures crowned with rounded domes, each dome pierced at its center by a sharp, needle-like spire. The streets below bustled with people and strange vehicles gliding past.
He also noticed four roads converging at a junction—one road curved toward a massive tunnel in the great wall, while another stretched left, winding through the forest of these unusual buildings.
The first man added, "Maybe that someone made him disappear. But if I'm not mistaken, you guys didn't detect any frequency, right?"
The vehicle continued gliding forward, passing by rows of strange new buildings.
"That's the real mystery," Tashi said. "They didn't just disappear—there was no trace at all. No frequency, no one… just gone, like they vanished into thin air. If you ask me, there must have been some kind of high-level frequency involved—and whoever did it managed to erase even that. No residual radiation, nothing. Now, the case has been transferred to Ethon."
The first person asked, "What kind of frequency do you think they used? Do you know anyone capable of that?"
Tashi shook his head. "No. We've never seen anything like that before."
Keal frowned, trying to make sense of their conversation. Frequency? How could that have anything to do with someone disappearing? Maybe 'frequency' means something else in this world… Could it be some kind of teleportation? Something like what brought me here?"
He glanced at his wrist. "Maybe this thing belongs to that store employee, and they handed it to me by mistake. If that's the case, they'll definitely come looking for it. I need to return it before they find out."
"The voice rang out again: 'We have arrived at our destination—Mon, the capital of Magadha. Please prepare to step off the bus.'"
"The hover bus slowed to a stop, and their belts unlatched automatically from their waists. The three stepped out, followed by Keal. As he glanced around, surprise flickered across his face—the area looked… normal. The buildings were no different from those in his own world. A market stretched nearby, bustling with life, and what eased his nerves most was the sight of people—crowds moving about as if everything here was completely ordinary."