Chapter 1285: Chapter 4 Wall (Begging for end-of-month votes!)_4

It stands 381 meters tall, with a total of 102 floors.

It’s currently the tallest building in the world, a record held from 1931 until it was broken in 1972…

In other words, it will be another 20 years before a taller building than the Empire State Building appears in the world.

It’s truly hard to imagine.

Such opulence and grandeur, separated from the Brooklyn slum they were in only by a river.

This enormous contrast made Lin Xian reflect on The Second Dreamland…

At that time, standing on the uneven rooftops of Old Donghai Village, he turned back and saw the dazzling lights of New Donghai City in the distance, feeling like it was a different life.

“The center of the world, Manhattan.”

CC’s voice came from behind.

Lin Xian turned his head.

CC also gazed with longing eyes, staring relentlessly at the skyscrapers across the river:

“That’s the most prosperous, most beautiful place in the whole world… It’s even more beautiful and splendid when the lights come on at night, truly worthy of being the center of the world.”

Lin Xian blinked.

The center of the world…

Such familiar descriptions.

In 2023, when he participated in the “World Hacker Competition,” he also stayed with Chu Anqing in the Aman Hotel in Manhattan.

After the celebration party, they stood on the observation deck of the hotel’s top floor, overlooking the entirety of Manhattan.

He and Chu Anqing also saw the Empire State Building, pointed out the Rockefeller Center, and the Hudson River to Chu Anqing.

At that time, Chu Anqing sighed from the bottom of her heart:

“Is this the [center of the world]?”

Coincidentally, the other side of the Hudson River is exactly where he and CC are now in Brooklyn.

Unexpected.

In this moment, a cross-time gaze is formed.

In 2023, he and Chu Anqing stood atop a Manhattan high-rise, overlooking the Brooklyn shore;

In 1952, he was with CC at the Brooklyn Pier, gazing up at the Manhattan towers.

Confused.

Bewildered.

He couldn’t help but look around…

Now, in 1952, does the Aman Hotel building already stand in Manhattan?

It should be.

The building housing Aman Hotel should have a history of a hundred years, though its height is only 23 floors, and from the location at Brooklyn Pier, it should not be visible, blocked by towering buildings.

“Do you like Manhattan a lot?”

Lin Xian asked, seeing CC’s longing expression:

“Do you want to go to Manhattan?”

“Of course.”

CC replied without hesitation:

“Everyone living in Brooklyn dreams of going to Manhattan.”

“But… they can’t go.”

CC turned her head, pointing at the super bridge stretching across the Hudson River–

“See that bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan?”

Lin Xian nodded:

“[Brooklyn Bridge], probably the most famous bridge in the world.”

In countless Hollywood movies, this Brooklyn Bridge is a steadfast old actor, sometimes being blown up, sometimes crashed into, sometimes serving as the backdrop for a car chase…

This bridge has a long history.

When it was completed in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, the first bridge built with steel, considered the eighth wonder of the world following the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, and it has remained standing for hundreds of years afterwards.

Yet…

CC smiled and shook her head:

“It looks like a bridge, but in reality, it’s a wall, a high wall standing between Brooklyn and Manhattan, insurmountable.”

She looked at Lin Xian and softly said:

“Also the wall that we… can never cross.”