Umamusume's days are numbered

To reiterate, Rudolf Symbol himself stated that he and Golden Gun Sixty were on par in terms of horse racing. So, if he beat Golden Gun Sixty, wouldn't that mean he's stronger than Rudolf Symbol?

Now it's really better to ask yourself than to ask others.

However, there's still one problem... Although winning the game is very satisfying...

Platinum stroked her smooth chin, then realized that she seemed to have forgotten something.

A prophecy! That prophecy!

[The confluence of ten thousand rivers, a golden port]

Golden Gun Sixty, Swindler, Haidu City.

In the end, I wasn't even sure which one was the anchor point.

No, there are more than just these few... Platinum turned his head.

Also appearing in the same competition were several children, including Zhaoye Yushizi, Qingse Yihui, and Jianghe Risheng. They, too, could potentially be their anchors.

This greatly expands the scope of his thinking. Platinum suddenly felt his brain couldn't keep up.

It might not even be Hong Kong. For example, Macau, Shenzhen, Guangzhou...

Oh well, I'll be going to these places anyway. I've got the contact information for all the contestants. It's not like we'll never see them again, I'll just check them one by one.

As dusk fell, the surroundings gradually turned a yellowish hue. Platinum's contemplation was suddenly interrupted by a piercing scream.

“What is that…” Platinum muttered. It was a very piercing cry, one after another, like a hoarse person shouting incessantly.

She looked up in the direction of the sound and saw an unbelievable scene.

Cement utility poles stand every few dozen meters along the road, with black wires hanging from one end to the other. Countless wires extend from one pole to the other, tangled together in a chaotic yet orderly fashion, stretching into the distance.

The cable in front of the platinum cable was significantly heavier, slumping downwards much deeper. This wasn't because the cables were heavier than others, but because they carried a greater load.

crow.

Maybe there were a dozen, maybe there were dozens. There were always many black birds perched on the section of power line on Platinum's head, like dozens of murky, scarlet eyes on a continuous dark cloud.

Platinum was stunned, even forgetting to move. The scene before him was just too... too strange. Countless crows were perched on this section of the power line, and when he looked up, the crows remained silent, just staring straight at him.

Platinum took a step to the side, and whether it was her imagination or not, she saw that the crows' gazes also shifted slightly in her direction.

Platinum looked back. Unbeknownst to her, she had already walked quite a distance from the gas station; calling out to Alice and Alice Digital now might not even be heard. Looking at both sides of the street, she wondered if it was because the area was so desolate, but there were no pedestrians to be seen.

Even though it wasn't dark yet, and it wasn't exactly the middle of nowhere, and it was just a few steps back to the gas station, Bai Jin inexplicably felt a sense of fear and palpitations.

No, the key isn't fear, but rather the palpitation. This feeling... is the reason I haven't turned and run yet...

Platinum's pupils suddenly contracted.

She remembered. She felt the same way when she was searching for her first anchor point, when she first met Alice.

This feeling of insignificance, as if being watched and manipulated.

Platinum could hear her heart pounding. She looked up again at the dark mass of crows looming overhead.

Is it...right here?

She tried taking a step towards the flock of crows. The crows, who had seemed to be watching Platinum the whole time, suddenly began to squawk incessantly, the sound of their wings flapping filling the air. A dark cloud moved away from the power line, and Platinum's view suddenly became empty.

They've all flown away... Looks like I was overthinking things. Platinum paused for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly. I was just scaring myself; when did I become so timid?

Just as Bai Jin was thinking about getting back to the gas station quickly, she saw the flock of crows circle in the air for a while before landing on a power line. They were a little far from Bai Jin, but still within her sight. The crows tilted their heads and let out another hoarse, shrill cry, as if urging Bai Jin on.

Platinum rubbed her eyes. She was certain she wasn't seeing things; this was definitely...

Because those crows were still facing him. They were truly watching him!

Platinum's Adam's apple bobbed, and in the end, his inner desire overcame his fear, and he walked towards the flock of crows.

Like guides, Platinum wondered if these crows could think like normal people. They circled at a distance, occasionally letting out piercing cries to remind Platinum to keep up. The flock of crows circled higher and higher, flying farther and farther. Platinum sometimes had the illusion that there were more and more crows in the flock.

Guided by them, Platinum walked through street after street, past several buildings, all desolate and uninhabited, as if abandoned long ago. A mottled curtain, speckled with rust, lay half-open. A gust of wind blew through it, producing an unpleasant sound like fingernails scraping a blackboard.

Platinum's breathing became more and more rapid, and she felt as if a pair of giant hands were gradually approaching her.

Do I even remember the way back? Does my phone still have a signal? ...Damn it, I should have told Alice beforehand...

The crows took flight one last time, soaring towards the rooftop of an abandoned building in Platinum's sight. Was it originally an apartment building or a hotel? Platinum noticed that although the building wasn't very tall, its densely packed windows resembled a honeycomb.

Should I go up myself?

After hesitating for a moment, the incessant cawing of crows from the building's rooftop seemed to urge her on. Platinum gritted her teeth, bent down, and slipped inside the building.

The entire building was pitch black; not even the lobby was penetrated by sunlight. Darkness had descended prematurely upon this space. Platinum carefully stepped onto the floor, groping for the stairs.

Finally, after traversing the entire front hall in the darkness, Platinum touched the handrail of the stairs and, as expected, felt a handful of dust.

She coughed twice, choked by the fumes, and took out her phone to try and clear her vision.

When Platinum turned on the flashlight, she was immediately startled by the scene before her.

"Ouch!" Platinum jumped back a step, almost kicking him.

The entire wall was covered head to toe with newspapers, then splattered with red paint. The pungent, lingering smell in the air must be coming from here. In addition, there were countless graffiti in blue and purple colors. Platinum couldn't understand what was written; it was all just scribbles. Even the original text on the newspapers was obscured by layers of paint and graffiti.

What... what are all these?

If that were all, it wouldn't have scared Bai Jin so much. She saw it: on the very first step of the stairs, a burly man was sitting with his legs drawn up to his chest!

The man, dressed in a dark green tracksuit that looked like a flour sack, sat motionless on the steps, his hands wrapped around his knees.

Even if Platinum shone light on him, he couldn't see his face. A metal lid covered his head, firmly secured, leaving no part of it exposed.

Episode 133 The Second Anchor Point

Even if Platinum shone light on him, he couldn't see his face. A metal lid covered his head, firmly secured, leaving no part of it exposed.

Platinum was genuinely scared now. In this place, wearing these clothes, sitting in this position, with this thing on her head... anyone would be terrified.

"Ahhh, um, I didn't mean to bother you, I'll leave now, you can continue..." Platinum hurriedly wiped away a cold sweat, and slowly backed away from him as if facing a ferocious monster.

Although Uma Musume has superhuman strength, and it's hard to say who would win in a real fight, well... even Narita Shirahito would be intimidated by her appearance.

This is a form of spiritual pollution.

As he was slowly walking backward, Platinum seemed to step on something cylindrical, and his foot slipped, causing him to fall flat on his backside.

No, she wasn't sitting on the ground. Platinum could feel the texture of the fabric, and the uneven surface...

She froze for a moment, then shakily moved the phone flashlight downwards.

"Ahhhhhhh!" An unimaginable scream escaped from Platinum's mouth.

I stepped on a piece of an arm and ended up sitting on someone who was also wearing a dark green tracksuit and had a pot lid on their head!

"Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!"

Terrified and on the verge of tears, Platinum unleashed unimaginable strength in her panic. She grabbed the severed arm and yanked it outwards, sending the person flying and slamming them against the wall. A series of cracking sounds followed as the person was torn to pieces, and the pot lid above their head rolled off with a clatter.

It was only then that Platinum realized that what he had thrown out was actually a mannequin.

"Huff, huff, huff... Which idiot put a doll here?!"

Feeling both lingering fear and the shame of being frightened by a mere doll, and also to bolster his courage, Platinum couldn't help but swear.

"I will explain your dream!"

After finishing his tirade, Bai Jin squatted down on the ground, trembling, and shone his flashlight around. The light made his face appear even paler.

They're all dolls!

There were male, female, and children's dolls, all dressed in dark green tracksuits with pot lids on their heads. Some were simply placed on the ground, some hung on the wall, and some even hung from chandeliers. Some were holding antennas, each in a different pose, all lifelike.

...Nonsense, with your head covered by a pot lid and it so dark, what wouldn't look lifelike?

Platinum rubbed her legs, which had gone limp, and got up. Although they were all dolls, they were still scary, but at least they were more reasonable than real people... so they were still tolerable.

As for what these dolls were used for in the past, Platinum didn't dare to think about it or not, since it had nothing to do with him anyway.

Maybe I should just sneak back... Platinum was sweating profusely and wished he could just run away as fast as he could.

This place looks really weird; it might be a horror movie set. If I keep going, I'll be the first one to die!

As if sensing Bai Jin's timidity, even from such a tall building, she could still hear the unpleasant cawing of crows from the rooftop, as if urging her to hurry up.

...Although the prophecy came in a mysterious way, judging from the fact that it led him to meet Eliseko, it certainly didn't have any intention of harming him... Platinum pondered.

Most importantly, I don't want to miss any hope of a cure for soul dissolution syndrome.

So Bai Jin, trembling, raised her phone flashlight again, hugged the handrail, stepped over the burly mannequin, and headed up the stairs.

The sound of Bai Jin's footsteps and the light from his phone gradually faded into the darkness, and the lobby fell silent once more. The usual quiet had returned.

No... there's also a soft rustling sound.

It wasn't the sound of a mouse. The burly figure sitting at the top of the stairs shifted slightly and turned the lid of his pot.

Then it returned to a completely still position. This time, the entire foyer truly fell into silence.

But none of this mattered to Bai Jin anymore. She simply listened to the cawing of the crows on the rooftop and felt her way up the stairs, feeling her way along the walls. The entire stairwell was covered with layers of newspaper, just like in the front hall, but without any paint. Therefore, some of the densely packed small print on the newspapers was still legible.

[Qigong Craze: The Body, Science, and Utopia]

Do aliens really exist?

An elderly farmer in Henan province witnessed an unidentified flying object (UFO) flying through the air; it disappeared after about two hours.

[Xiamen prodigy claims to have received a signal from extraterrestrials, indicating the impending destruction of Earth?]

With her breathing growing heavier, Platinum finally reached the rooftop. She hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed the door leading to the rooftop.

Surprisingly, the door didn't seem to be locked, and it didn't look old or dilapidated. It opened with a gentle push without making a creaking sound.

Platinum saw the entire rooftop.

Countless crows perched on the rooftop railings, on the rooftop floor, on the rooftop drainpipes, and on the shoulders and heads of the people on the rooftop. The sky grew even darker, the sun almost completely below the horizon, like a bonfire that had burned out.

This flock of crows looks like the night falling from the sky.

The instant the door opened, all the crows' eyes turned towards Platinum, countless bird eyes fixed on him. It was a truly chilling scene.

But then, as if given a command, all the crows took flight and soared into the sky.

"Wait..." Platinum covered her cheek, her eyes peeking through the gaps between her fingers and the wings of the crows to see the figure standing among the crows on the rooftop.

A tall, slender figure in pure white, dressed in a light, ghostly gown, her legs bare. She stood on the rooftop, head held high, her golden hair and deep blue highlights billowing in the wind like ocean waves.

The figure turned around and gazed at Bai Jin with gentle yet calm eyes as blue as the earth.

“EVEU…Finally…I can wait for you…” Platinum heard these words. A ghostly figure danced gracefully in the air.

In that instant, Platinum's heart skipped a beat.

It wasn't a romantic flutter of the heart, but rather a connection of the soul and intuition.

Yes, this person in front of me is the second anchor I've been searching for...

"Yes. I've been waiting for you for a long time too." Platinum said this as she stepped onto the rooftop.

Episode 134 The Classmate at the Next Table

Early in the morning, Bai Jin walked into the classroom yawning, water droplets still rolling down her forehead, and her hair was a mess.

It was another morning where I was being whipped by Alice. After her trip to Hong Kong, Alice hadn't changed her attitude; in fact, she'd made things even harder for me. She pushed me to the point of exhaustion every day.

In addition, Platinum's work and rest schedule has gradually become more like that of Americans, resulting in a sharp decrease in his daily sleep time.

But! Though the road ahead is fraught with peril, I will go!

Sleeping even a second longer is disrespectful to life.

Wait a minute... If I think about it this way, if I only sleep four hours a day, wouldn't I have almost twice as much time for activities as others?

If I only live to be twenty, doesn't that mean I've lived to be forty?

—I see! Isn't this also a way to extend lifespan?!

And so, Platinum opened the door to a new world.