Cave Refuge-Chapter 177 - 176: Canary and Cat_1

Looking at the two massive stone pillars at the ends of the road ahead, Dong Tianyu guessed that they must have been the original gate posts, although he had no clue where the original gate had been moved to.

For estates like this, the main purpose of the outermost gate was generally not to bar outsiders, but to serve as a marker, reminding anyone entering that they were now in the Peach Blossom Paradise area.

Once inside the gate, other than two asphalt roads which were still somewhat recognizable, all the other areas on the ground were pitted. One could guess without a doubt that these areas used to be planted with various greenery.

All these plants had died in the Cold Catastrophe, and then were washed away by the flood that followed.

Anyhow, the ground had already dried up and cracked, so Dong Tianyu didn’t bother to follow the irregular asphalt road. Instead, he drove straight towards the main building complex.

Even if there were clear steps ahead, Dong Tianyu didn’t mind. The wheels of the black car under the body, over a meter in diameter, were unstoppable, despite the harsh road conditions.

When the black car stopped at the entrance of Peach Blossom Paradise’s Reception Hall, Dong Tianyu didn’t rush to get out of the car. Instead, he used his Divine Sense to scan the opposite side first. After confirming that there were no survivors in the building in front of him, Dong Tianyu didn’t get out of the car. He drove directly into the Reception Hall, entering the building complex behind.

The black car, able to "pass through walls", drove recklessly within the building complex. Dong Tianyu’s Divine Sense was constantly expanded to its maximum state, but to his great disappointment, although there were underground spaces here, he did not find any traces of survivors.

After scanning the entire building complex again, Dong Tianyu was somewhat doubtful. Could it be that he had guessed wrong and all the survivors had already left this place? That’s why there were no survivors here.

Dong Tianyu, feeling a little let down as he thought he might have made a wasted trip, was about to leave when he suddenly remembered Ye Liuyun’s mention of Peach Blossom Paradise hidden within the mountain.

Dong Tianyu activated the panoramic mode inside the car, and the metallic body of the car instantly became transparent. After driving out of the building complex and looking around at the terrain, he quickly located where the mountain was.

But what Dong Tianyu, who was now in his black car, didn’t know was that his arrival in Peach Blossom Paradise was already noticed by someone.

Although Dong Tianyu now possessed Divine Sense, the radius it covered was only seventy to eighty meters, similar to a normal person’s clear line of sight.

Given the straight-line distance from the mountain to the gate of Peach Blossom Paradise was pretty far, someone had been using a telescope to monitor him without his notice.

But as the black car approached the mountain, Dong Tianyu gradually felt that someone was watching him.

By the time the black car had stopped at the foot of the mountain, Dong Tianyu had already used his Divine Sense to identify the location of the person in question.

At this moment, the originally lush mountainside looked like it had been gnawed at by dogs, revealing a well-hidden man-made tunnel amidst the tore up and bare landscape.

Dong Tianyu wondered about the initial design of this place because the tunnel gate wasn’t very wide. It was about three meters high and not more than four meters wide; it seemed that the black car wouldn’t be able to enter.

But when Dong Tianyu drove the black car halfway up the mountainside, close to that tunnel gate, a voice suddenly emerged from inside the mountain.

"Who are you and what’s your purpose in coming here?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Seeing their caution, Dong Tianyu just laughed it off. Even though he hadn’t gotten out of the car, through his Divine Sense, Dong Tianyu could detect a group of burly men staying at the end of the tunnel, holding weapons in their hands.

Upon inspecting the handgun on the waist of the apparent leader of the group, Dong Tianyu figured that these people were probably the original security (hitmen?) for this place.

Originally planning to break in, Dong Tianyu thought for a while after hearing the other party’s question. His sole purpose here was to find a clean, well-behaved girl to take away with him.

He didn’t intend to change the principles effective here, so he straightforwardly said, "I heard that various Canaries are kept here. I’m looking for a clean, beautiful one to take away."

Even though Dong Tianyu’s voice wasn’t loud, those inside heard everything clearly.

The moment they heard Dong Tianyu say that he had come to take away a ’cat’, those ready for battle took a sigh of relief.

The sight of this armored vehicle entering the gate had left everyone on edge. After all, ordinary people could only see such vehicles at exhibitions or in online photos. Having one, let alone seeing one, was rare.

Vehicles with this kind of exterior were usually used by military during wartime. Unless it was for training, they were typically forbidden from being driven on regular roads.

Moreover, the outdoor temperature had already exceeded fifty degrees at this point, disabling regular vehicles from starting. Even if one managed to start an engine, there was no guarantee it’d control the temperature inside the vehicle.

So, this sudden intruder was certainly no ordinary person.

When they saw him enter the gate, go straight to the building complex, the surveillance team silently hoped that Dong Tianyu would leave if he didn’t find anyone.

However, they knew the chances of Dong Tianyu leaving directly were low. At this precarious time, any survivors roaming outside were definitely not simple people.

So when Dong Tianyu emerged from the building complex and drove towards them, the team in charge of surveillance in the mountain wasn’t surprised. They simply reported the situation according to procedure.

Only when the black car stopped at the entrance did the security team fully arm themselves.

But when they heard Dong Tianyu articulating his purpose in coded words, they could finally relax a bit.

The women kept here were roughly divided into two categories, one being referred to as ’Cats’, and the other as ’Canaries’.

These appellations were not based on appearance but on their status.

Although the ’Cats’ lived in Peach Blossom Paradise, they were free. They came here for varied reasons, and although most were here to make quick money, some had other motives.

But no matter what their motives were, as long as they complied with the rules of this place, Peach Blossom Paradise wouldn’t enforce any restrictions. They could freely come and go.

The ’Canaries’, on the other hand, were different. Just like the Canaries that everyone would see in their daily lives, they were birds kept in cages for exhibition.

If someone was called a ’Canary’ in Peach Blossom Paradise, then all her rights belonged to Peach Blossom Paradise.

Forget about the freedom everyone is used to today. Think about Waist City (腰子城, the text seems incomplete or incorrect here). The real authorities wouldn’t discuss freedom with you. Their definition of ’freedom’ is a circle they draw for you. Your freedom is only within that circle.

This was also true for the ’Canaries’ in Peach Blossom Paradise. Most of the ’Canaries’ were orphans acquired by Peach Blossom Paradise through various channels. After being selected, Peach Blossom Paradise spent a significant amount of resources on their development.

Those who failed in this development process were sent to deal with clients like the ’Cats’, and the rest, used as important assets, were utilized at critical moments.