There was still a long road after this, a long fight waiting for them, but in that moment Bai Li felt something she didn’t want to name too loudly. Maybe having a teammate really was useful. Maybe this woman beside her was not just someone she had to protect, but someone who could actually stand there and keep moving when the world tried to swallow them whole. That thought stayed with her as they pushed toward the top, the iron stairs groaning beneath their feet, the zombies still chasing from below.

By the time they reached the very top of the iron staircase, both of them were already running on nothing but willpower, their legs heavy, their breaths uneven, and the sound of the zombies behind them still chasing like a never ending nightmare that refused to stop no matter how far they climbed. Bai Li didn’t even bother to look back anymore because she already knew what she would see, a mass of twisted bodies crawling and climbing over each other, dragging themselves up step by step, guided not by intelligence but by some strange instinct that pulled them upward like puppets being dragged by invisible strings. Yan Cijin reached the iron door first and grabbed it, shaking it hard, but the metal didn’t move at all, the lock holding firm as if mocking them at the worst possible moment. The sound of the zombies getting closer made her heart tighten for just a second, even though she had seen this exact situation before in her past lives, but this time felt different, because Bai Li was here, because things were slightly out of place, and because this time she wasn’t alone anymore.

Bai Li didn’t waste time talking. She stepped forward, pulled Yan Cijin slightly to the side, and raised her Tang sword without hesitation, bringing it down on the lock with a loud metallic crash that echoed across the entire rooftop entrance. The sound rang out sharply, almost painfully loud in that open space, and behind them, the zombies reacted immediately, their growls turning louder, more frantic, their movements speeding up as if that sound had just given them a clearer direction. Bai Li didn’t stop. She struck again. And again. Each hit sent vibrations up her arms, her already tired muscles screaming in protest, but she ignored it completely, her jaw clenched tightly as she focused only on breaking that lock before it was too late. The metal started to bend slightly, the lock shaking loose with each impact, and by the fourth strike it was already on the verge of breaking. By the fifth, it snapped.

The moment the lock gave way, Bai Li didn’t hesitate for even half a second. She kicked the door open with all the strength she had left and shouted sharply, "Run!" Her voice cut through the noise like a command, and Yan Cijin immediately moved, slipping through the doorway and onto the rooftop without looking back. Bai Li followed right after her, barely a step behind, her body still moving forward out of pure instinct as the zombies surged toward the open entrance behind her. The moment her feet touched the rooftop, she felt the space open up around her, but that didn’t bring relief. If anything, it made the danger feel bigger.

The rooftop was wide, empty in terms of cover, with nothing but flat concrete, a few scattered structures, and the open sky above. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to barricade themselves, nowhere to escape if they got surrounded. And worse, there were already zombies here. Several of them. Some wandered near the edges, some stood near the rooftop entrances, and a few turned toward them slowly, their movements delayed like they were reacting to something else entirely. It didn’t make sense at first, because normally, they would have rushed immediately, but instead, there was a strange pause in their behavior, like something was interfering with their instincts.

Yan Cijin noticed it too, her eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned the rooftop. The situation looked bad, almost hopeless even. Open space, enemies on all sides, and no clear exit. In any normal situation, this would be a dead end. A complete trap. She had seen it before, felt that same suffocating pressure of having no way out, and yet, something in her expression didn’t change. Instead, there was a faint calmness beneath it, because she knew what was coming next.

And then.....

It happened.

At first, it was just a faint flicker.

A subtle shimmer in the air, barely noticeable, like heat distortion rising from the ground. But within a second, that shimmer turned into a glow. A soft golden light, spreading outward in a circular shape, almost like someone had drawn an invisible boundary on the rooftop and then lit it up from within. The light wasn’t harsh at first. It was gentle. Warm. But it grew quickly.

Then came the sound.

A strange humming noise, low and steady, like something powering up from deep within the ground itself. It wasn’t mechanical in the normal sense, but it wasn’t natural either. It felt... different. Like something from another world forcing its way into this one. The air itself seemed to vibrate slightly, and for a brief moment, everything else faded into the background. Even the zombies paused. Their movements slowed, their heads turning toward that glowing point as if they could sense something they didn’t understand.

The light intensified.

What had been a soft glow suddenly turned bright, almost blinding, spreading across the rooftop in a flash that forced Bai Li to raise her arm slightly to shield her eyes. The golden red color deepened, swirling slightly like liquid light being poured into shape, and right at the center of it, something began to form.

At first, it was just an outline.

A rectangular silhouette, floating slightly above the ground.

Then it solidified.

Edges sharpened. Surfaces formed.

And just like that, it appeared.

The machine stood there in the middle of the rooftop like it didn’t belong to this world at all, and the more Bai Li looked at it, the more that feeling became stronger instead of fading. It wasn’t just a strange object, it felt like something that had been placed here deliberately, something that carried a completely different kind of presence compared to everything else around it. The zombies, the broken city, the blood, all of that felt rough and chaotic, but this thing was the exact opposite. It was clean. Precise. Almost... perfect.

It was roughly the size of a tall vending machine, maybe a little taller than Bai Li herself, standing upright with a rectangular body that looked smooth from a distance but revealed more details the closer you got. The surface wasn’t normal metal. At first glance, it looked like polished steel, but when the light hit it, it shifted in strange ways, like layers of translucent material stacked over each other. Faint golden red light moved beneath that surface, like slow flowing energy, forming patterns that kept changing every few seconds. It almost looked like veins of light running through the body of the machine, pulsing gently, giving it a sense of being alive even though it clearly wasn’t.

The edges of the machine were sharp but not rough, each corner slightly curved in a way that made it look refined instead of industrial. There were no visible screws, no joints, no seams that showed how it was built. It looked like it had been formed in one piece, as if it had simply appeared like this instead of being assembled. The top part of the machine had a faint halo-like glow, not too bright, but enough to make it stand out clearly even under the open sky. That glow wasn’t static either, it flickered slightly, like a flame that didn’t burn but still carried warmth.

On the front, there was a large panel that acted like an interface. It wasn’t a screen in the normal sense, but more like a surface made entirely of light. Symbols floated on it, shifting slowly, lines forming and dissolving, as if the machine was constantly updating itself. The language wasn’t something Bai Li could recognize at first glance, but strangely, when she focused on it, she could understand the meaning behind it. It was like the machine was directly translating its functions into her mind instead of showing them in a fixed language.

Below that glowing panel were several slots and compartments, each shaped differently. One was a narrow vertical slot, clearly meant for inserting something like crystal cores. Another looked like a wider tray, where items would probably be dispensed after a transaction. There were also smaller sections that seemed to react faintly when someone got closer, lighting up slightly as if detecting presence. Every part of it had a purpose, but nothing looked bulky or unnecessary. Everything was clean, minimal, and precise.

The base of the machine didn’t sit directly on the ground either. It hovered just a few centimeters above the rooftop surface, barely noticeable unless someone paid close attention. A faint circular glow surrounded its base, like a soft ring of light that marked the center of the entire area. That glow spread outward, forming the boundary that kept the zombies out, but near the machine itself, it was more concentrated, almost like the source of everything.

What made it even more unsettling wasn’t just how it looked, but how it felt to stand near it. The air around the machine was different. It felt lighter, cleaner, almost like stepping into a completely separate space. The noise from the zombies outside seemed slightly muted, like it was being pushed away. Even the smell of blood and decay faded a little, replaced by something faint and neutral, something that didn’t belong to the ruined world outside.

Bai Li couldn’t help but stare at it for a few seconds longer than she intended. It wasn’t just a tool. It wasn’t just a machine.

It felt like a gateway.

Like something that connected this broken world to something far bigger.

The entire machine gave off a presence.

Not threatening.

But powerful.

Like it didn’t belong here.

Like it shouldn’t exist in this world, and yet it did.

Around it, a faint circular boundary became visible, not as a solid wall, but as a thin shimmering layer in the air, like a transparent dome that could only be seen when light hit it just right. It extended outward roughly ten meters in every direction, creating a perfect circle around the machine. The moment that boundary fully formed, something changed.

The zombies moved.

They rushed forward.

Every single one of them.

Those on the rooftop, those climbing up from below, even those near the entrances, all turned and surged toward the glowing machine as if drawn by something irresistible. Their movements became faster, more aggressive, their growls louder, more desperate. It was like the machine was calling them, pulling them in, promising something they couldn’t understand but couldn’t ignore either.

And then...

They hit the boundary.

The first zombie slammed into it with full force.

But instead of passing through, it stopped.

Completely.

Its body pressed against something invisible, its hands clawing at the air, its face twisting as it tried to push forward, but it couldn’t move even an inch further. Another crashed into it from behind. Then another. Within seconds, a pile formed at the edge of the barrier, zombies pushing, climbing, clawing, trying to get inside, but none of them could cross that line.

Bai Li saw all of it.

Every single detail.

And in that moment, she finally understood just how real this thing was.

"This..." she muttered under her breath, her eyes fixed on the machine, "...this is it..."

Yan Cijin, standing beside her, watched the scene with a faint smile that barely showed on her face. There was no surprise in her eyes. No confusion. Just quiet acknowledgment.

"Here it is," she thought to herself calmly, her gaze steady on the glowing structure. "The interdimensional market."

Behind them, the zombies were still crashing against the invisible wall, their bodies piling up, their hands stretching forward uselessly, their movements desperate and chaotic.

.

.

.

To be continued.