Chapter 18 Maomao Chapter Eighteen

Maomao didn't know how long it had passed.Sometimes the bell on the bell tower rings, but Mao Mao can't hear it.The feeling of warmth returned very slowly to her frozen limbs.She felt paralyzed, unable to make any decisions. Should she go back to sleep in the cabin in the ruins of the old amphitheatre?Now, when all her hopes for herself and her friends had been dashed?Because at this moment, she knew that the situation could never be undone, it would never be right... Besides, she was worried about Cassiopeia.What if the gray gentlemen did find it?Mao Mao began to blame herself painfully for mentioning the turtle at all.But she was in a trance at the time, and it never occurred to her that she should think about it.

"Maybe," Maomao said comfortingly, "Maybe Cassiopeia has gone back to Master Tila. Yes, I hope it doesn't come to me again.That's good for it—for me..." Thinking of this, she suddenly felt her feet itch, and she didn't know what she had touched.Maomao was taken aback, and she slowly bent down. Ah, it turned out to be the turtle!It lies in front of Mao Mao!In the darkness, a few words lit up on its carapace: "I'm here again." Without even thinking about it, Mao Mao grabbed it and hid it in his clothes.Then she stood up, listened carefully, and peered into the darkness for a while, for she was afraid that the gray gentlemen were still hiding around here.

There was silence all around. Cassiopeia scratched and pushed hard under the clothes, trying to get out.Maomao held it tightly, not letting it move, and even lowered his head to look inside, and whispered, "Please don't move." "What kind of prank is this?" The light flashed on the turtle shell again. "Don't let people find you!" Maomao said quietly. At this time, the words that appeared on the tortoise shell were: "Are you unhappy?" "Happy." Maomao said, almost sobbing, "Of course, Cassiopeia, I'm so happy!" She kissed Cassiopeia's nose again and again.

At this moment, the letters on the tortoise shell became a little red: "Do you have to invite me again?" Mao Mao smiled. "Have you been looking for me?" "certainly!" "Why did you come to me now, at this time?" "I knew it earlier." This was its answer. So, did it know that Mao Mao could not be found in the time before this, but still searched everywhere?That being the case, what else are you looking for?This is another puzzling mystery of Cassiopeia, and it makes people more and more confused.However, in any case, now is not the time to ponder this issue carefully.

Maomao quietly told Cassiopeia what happened just now. "What shall we do now?" she asked finally. Cassiopeia listened intently, and then, a sentence appeared on its carapace: "Let's go find Hula!" "Now?" Mao Mao cried out in fear. "And the gentlemen are looking for you everywhere! It's a good thing they're not here at the moment. Wouldn't it be safer to stay here? " However, what appeared on the turtle's carapace was clearly: "I know, let's go!" "So," Momo said, "are we going to throw ourselves into a trap?"

"We won't run into anyone." This was Cassiopeia's answer. Since it is so sure, let's go.Mao Mao put Cassiopeia down, but when she thought about the long and difficult road, she felt powerless. "Go by yourself, Cassiopeia." She said weakly, "I can't walk anymore. Go by yourself and greet Master Hou La for me." "Very close!" A few words appeared on Cassiopeia's carapace. After Mao Mao saw it, he looked around in surprise.As the sky gradually dawned, she found that this was the poor, dead-like urban area. At that time, when she left this urban area, she entered the brightly lit and colorful urban area with white buildings.

If all this is true, then she might still be able to walk into "Never Alley" and come to "Nowhere Building". "Okay," Momo said, "I'll follow you, but maybe I can hug and go faster?" "Can't borrow it", the words on Cassiopeia's carapace are clearly visible. "Why do you have to climb by yourself?" Maomao asked. Then a mysterious answer appeared on the tortoise shell: "The way is in my heart." The tortoise began to crawl forward, and Mao Mao followed behind it, walking slowly in small steps. Maomao and Cassiopeia had just disappeared into an alley at the corner of the street, and in the shadows of the buildings around the square, it started to become lively.Around the square, there was a kind of chirping sound one after another, like a silent sneer.That was the discussion of the gray gentlemen.They eavesdropped on Momo and Cassiopeia's conversation from start to finish.It turned out that some of them stayed behind just to monitor the little girl.They waited a long time.However, this waiting has achieved such an unexpected success, even they themselves did not expect it.

"There, they're gone!" said a monotonous voice. "Shall we catch them?" "Of course not," another voice whispered. "Let them go!" "Why?" said the first voice, "we must catch the tortoise, anyway." "Yes, but what are we holding it for?" "Let it lead us to Holla." "Yes, it's going there now. We don't have to force it. It's voluntary—if not on purpose." Another giggle echoed in the shadows around the square. "Tell this to all the agents in the city at once. The search can stop. All join our ranks.

But extreme care must be taken, gentlemen!No one should stand in their way.Make way for them everywhere, and don't let them run into any of us.Now, gentlemen, let us calmly follow the two ignorant guides! " In this way, Mao Mao and Cassiopeia did not meet a pursuer, because wherever they went, the pursuers stepped out of the way, hid in time, and joined their accomplices behind.As a result, the line of gray gentlemen became longer and longer, constantly blocked by walls and building corners, and they tiptoed behind Mao Mao and Cassiopeia—Mao Mao felt so grown up, and had never been so tired before.Sometimes she believed she would collapse and fall asleep the next second.But she fought hard and moved forward step by step.Later, she felt slightly better.

If only the tortoise could move faster, instead of being so terribly slow!However, no one can change this.Maomao no longer looked around, but just looked down at his feet and Cassiopeia. She felt that after a long period of time, she found that the street under her feet suddenly became bright.Maomao raised his eyelids, which were as heavy as lead, and looked around. Yep, they're finally in that downtown area.A strange light shone here, and the hazy scene was neither dawn nor dusk.Here the shadows are cast in different directions.The buildings were blindingly white and inaccessible, and the windows were pitch black.She saw the rare monument again, nothing but a giant hair on a black plinth.

Mao Mao regained his courage, and now he can reach Master Hou La in a short time. "Interview," she said to Cassiopeia, "can we go faster!" "The slower the faster." This was the answer displayed on Cassiopeia's carapace. It continued to crawl forward, more slowly than before.Mao Mao found that - like last time - in this way, he really moved forward faster.It seems that the road under their feet becomes clearer as they go forward, so in fact, the faster they go, the slower they go. That's the secret of that white urban area: the slower you go, the faster you go.On the contrary, the more you rush forward, the slower you move forward.When the gray gentlemen used three cars to chase Maomao, they didn't know the secret, so Maomao got rid of them. But that's a thing of the past! Now, the situation is different.This time, they didn't want to catch up with Mao Mao and the turtle at all.They just follow, as slow as they come.They have discovered the secret.The army of Mr. Gray slowly crowded behind Mao Mao and the tortoise. Now, they know how to walk here, so they walk slower than the tortoise.Seeing them catch up, getting closer and closer to them.It's like a walking race, but instead of going faster, it's going slower, to see who can go slower. Mao Mao and Turtle walked through this mysterious street from left to right, and walked deeper and deeper into this white urban area. Then they came to the corner of Never Lane. Cassiopeia has already turned the corner and climbed towards the Nowhere Building.Maomao recalled the scene when she was unable to move forward in this never-ending alley until she turned around and retreated.So, she does it now. This time, however, her heart nearly stopped beating. She saw the Time Thief looming like a gray living wall.Side by side, they filled the entire street, behind them, row after row, with no end in sight. Fluffy screamed, but she couldn't hear her own voice.She stepped back into Never Alley, staring wide-eyed at the army of Mr. Gray who was following them. However, another strange thing happened at this moment: when the first row of Mr. Gray tried to step into Never Alley, they disappeared in an instant before Mao Mao's eyes.First their outstretched hands disappear, then their legs and torsos, then their faces. The expressions on their faces were one of surprise and fear. Not only Mao Mao saw this situation with his own eyes, but also the gray gentlemen who followed in the back row saw it clearly.So, those in front stopped and stopped moving forward, and in a blink of an eye, they lost their positions and started pushing each other.Mao Mao saw their angry twisted faces and shaking threatening fists. However, none of them dared to follow Mao Mao any longer. Mao Mao finally arrived at Nowhere Building.The heavy bronze door opened automatically, Maomao stepped in, walked quickly through the statue corridor, slipped in through the small door at the end of the corridor, passed through the hall full of various clocks, and ran to the small room surrounded by standing clocks , All of a sudden, he fell on the delicate little sofa and buried his face in a pillow.She didn't want to see anything, she didn't want to hear anything.