Night fell.
Boulder City, the center of the inner city.
Inside a spacious room on the top floor of a pitch-black skyscraper, a man dressed in formal attire stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, looking expressionlessly toward the silent night sky to the north.
Last year, around this very time and in that very direction, those people from the East Coast had detonated a tactical nuclear warhead in the northern outskirts of Qingquan City.
And now, those people had visited this place once more.
*Time really flies.*
Staring at his reflection on the glass, the man pondered thoughtfully.
Once time became inconsequential, it passed at an unimaginable speed.
Whether it was because one was wealthy enough to squander it carelessly, or because yesterday and tomorrow were virtually identical.
This was time's curse upon the long-lived.
Recently, however, a slight shift had occurred. When he hadn't been paying attention, a tender sprout had pushed its way through the ruins not far away.
It had been two centuries.
This unremarkable city had never been so bustling...
Footsteps sounded from behind, coming to a halt near the doorway.
Without turning around, the man kept his back to the person at the door and asked in a quiet voice, "Did you meet that Administrator?"
Zhao Yongxu, standing by the entrance, bowed slightly, his chiseled face full of deference and devotion. "Yes, my lord."
The man continued, "What kind of person is he?"
Zhao Yongxu answered without hesitation, "Hypocritical! Cunning! An ambitious schemer adept at using underhanded tricks! I don't know what method he used to run those people from the East Coast in circles, but we certainly won't fall for their tricks!"
The man nodded slightly, his expression giving away neither belief nor skepticism.
Or perhaps he was simply indifferent.
After a moment of thought, the man asked, "Regarding our proposal, what did they say?"
Stealing a glance at his back, Zhao Yongxu phrased his words cautiously and recounted the results of the negotiations without adding any embellishment.
The man listened quietly from beginning to end, then nodded slowly.
"Mm. I understand. You may leave."
"Yes, sir."
Zhao Yongxu bowed respectfully, letting out a quiet breath of relief. Without adding another word, he turned and stepped out of the room.
Conversing with this lord always entailed long silences. Sometimes, a mere few sentences casually stretched across hours.
It gave him the distinct impression that time was being stolen from him.
Quiet returned to the room.
The man waited in silence for a moment, then reached out his index finger and tapped lightly against the glass.
Digital ripples rippled outward, and the reflected night sky shifted into a display screen.
The image shown on the screen was none other than the office of the Chairman of Boulder Military Industries.
As if expecting this call, Ibers, the Chairman of Boulder Military Industries, was standing respectfully before his desk.
"Honorable Lord Fang Ming... It is quite late. May I ask what your orders are?"
The man sat in contemplative stillness like a frozen image. After a while, he spoke slowly.
"I need you to upgrade Boulder City's radar systems. Expand the coverage radius to five hundred kilometers, and enhance identification efficiency by one tier..."
"...Furthermore, upgrade the bionics' weaponry and fire-control systems."
Strictly speaking, this hadn't been necessary before.
Dealing with the slime mold didn't require such high-tech weaponry.
Yet at this moment, Qingquan City was facing changes unprecedented in a century.
Though he had designed the skyscraper's power structure and the elite advancement system for wastelanders long ago, the system was not always foolproof.
At the end of the day, the cogs comprising this system were humans, and humans were far too fragile in the face of time.
He needed to prepare for a rainy day.
After listening to the man's words, Ibers replied respectfully, "This is not particularly difficult, but... I'm afraid it will require a substantial budget."
The man replied in an ordinary, matter-of-fact tone, "No matter. I will inform the militia and the representatives of the outer city residents."
To someone standing at the pinnacle of power, money was nothing more than a number.
Hearing the lord's guarantee, a pleasant smile surfaced on Ibers's face, and he bowed respectfully. "Understood."
***
North of Dawn City.
Along the edge of Ling Lake Wetland Park, Lao Bai and his group, returning from the city center, were heading back toward the resurrection point.
Today's harvest was bountiful.
Trailing behind the four of them, the mechanical dog carried a bundle entirely disproportionate to its size, packed with evolved organisms salvaged from the city center.
Including the wreckage of a Decayed Knight!
The creature had brandished a chainsaw scavenged from somewhere, and the remains of its power armor had been overrun with dark red creep.
Ordinary seven-millimeter rounds felt like mosquito bites to it, shaving off a few clumps of fungus at most, while shaped-charge warheads from RPGs were detonated midair by its chainsaw before they could even hit.
Watching it charge forward, Lao Bai had decisively drawn his Black Cleaver, activated Limit Break, and swung the axe right into it.
A red arc of light flashed along the blunt edge of the heat-cutting axe.
In the blink of an eye, sparks showered everywhere, and a deep red fissure was branded onto the armor along its flank.
Scorching air laden with superheated metal fragments blasted directly into the derelict power armor, destroying the organic tissues inside the evolved organism.
Seeing that the attack had worked, Lao Bai seized the moment while the hunk of iron lost its balance, following up with two thunderous chops—horizontal and vertical—refusing to stop until it ceased moving altogether.
A Decayed Knight that had once wiped out half a squad from the Storm Corps had actually been soloed by him thanks to the equipment buff.
That the Administrator hadn't kept such an awesome melee artifact for himself had completely exceeded Lao Bai's expectations.
According to Fang Chang's calculations, the materials they had salvaged today could be exchanged for at least eight thousand silver coins, and each person would net around five hundred contribution points from the quest.
For the guys running the Niuma Brick Factory, the silver coins from the quest rewards weren't all that appealing anymore. The key was their Scientific Expedition class level and the contribution points.
Especially the latter.
Presently, Fang Chang, Kuang Feng, and Ye Shi all had over ninety thousand contribution points.
The urgent priority was to grind everyone's points above a hundred thousand to upgrade their citizen rank to Knight.
Even though the NPC shop was out of power armor, a new map was about to open, meaning there was a high probability a fresh batch would arrive.
When that time came, they would have a place to spend their money again!
"Damn it, when did that dog Fang Chang become as much of a turtle as Brother Spring?"
Glancing at his own hazmat suit and body armor, riddled with burns and holes, Ye Shi looked over at the folded powered wingsuit on Fang Chang's back and couldn't help letting out an envious grumble.
Fang Chang chuckled and said calmly, "If I'm playing ADC and don't play safe, am I supposed to frontline and soak damage like a tank?"
Though he had some abrasions on his body, they were merely from careless handling when he first tested the powered wingsuit. Compared to his three buddies, he was in far better shape.
It had to be said that the shelter's black tech was truly incredible.
At first, he had worried that lacking flight experience would make the gear hard to handle, but he quickly realized his concern was entirely unnecessary.
Once linked to his VM's control interface, the powered wingsuit could not only plot cruising routes, but also switch between various flight modes, including gliding and slow descent.
Twelve sensors distributed across the wingsuit could sensitively detect obstacles within two hundred meters and calculate optimal evasion paths based on built-in chip algorithms.
Thanks to this powered wingsuit, he enjoyed an exceptional firing environment.
While mutants capable of flight and ranged attacks existed, they were few and far between. With such agile mobility, he could launch attacks from any angle in open terrain.
Ye Shi protested, "Fuck! I'm an ADC too, okay?!"
Kuang Feng glanced at him sideways. "Aren't Perception types support?"
Ye Shi cursed, "#@%&!"
As the group shared combat experience gathered during the battle, they strolled toward Resurrection Square, planning to deposit their gear and take a shower.
The black slime sprayed by slime-mold mutants smelled revolting, like rotting corpses. While the game could filter out excessive pain, it couldn't filter out that unbearable sour stench.
Lao Bai, who had served as the frontline vanguard, looked like he had rolled in a mud pit, making it impossible for anyone to stand near him.
Not far off.
A petite figure stood at the edge of Resurrection Square, her face filled with worry as she craned her neck, looking all around.
Finally spotting the familiar figure, a glint of joy flashed in her eyes, and she broke into a trot.
Fang Chang saw her too. He instinctively shoved his gear into Ye Shi's hands and took the initiative to step forward and embrace her.
Wrapping both arms around her beloved's neck and gazing at the scarf around him, Dolly's lips curled into a sweet smile.
"...Didn't you say you'd only be gone for a little while? Why did you come back so late?" Hanging onto him like a bear clinging to a tree, unwilling to come down, she murmured softly.
It was indeed very late.
Remembering that he had promised Dolly that morning to have dinner with her upon returning, Fang Chang couldn't help feeling a tinge of guilt.
"Sorry, I—"
Before he could finish, soft lips pressed against his.
Dolly stood on tiptoe, planting a gentle kiss on his mouth.
That faint touch of bashfulness shone brightly under the streetlamp, like the first red leaf of early autumn. It lacked the dazzling splendor of a mountainside ablaze with color, yet it made it impossible to look away.
"I don't want an apology in exchange for waiting... It's enough that you came back safe."
Perhaps it was the living environment.
Or perhaps it was because the lives of the people here were as fleeting as morning dew, leaving no time for subtlety.
Seeing the sincerity and warmth shining on that youthful face, Fang Chang felt a little self-conscious instead.
"...There are too many people here."
A sly smile surfaced on Dolly's face.
Suddenly, she brought her nose right against his ear, acting like a mischievous kitten teasing its prey, and gave a playful hum.
"Good. That way, everyone can see that you're mine—"
Before she could finish.
Fang Chang suddenly crouched down, pressed his shoulder against her soft belly, and scooped her up.
Her feet abruptly left the ground, and Dolly let out a brief, startled squeak like a frightened little critter.
Her face flushed crimson all the way to her ears, disappearing into the tips of her emerald-green hair. With nowhere to rest her hands, she whispered, "What... what are you doing all of a sudden?"
"Taking you home!"
Home...
Was this what home felt like?
Feeling that warm, solid shoulder, Dolly's shy face overflowed with sweetness. She bit her lip gently, letting out an obstinate hum, but spoke no further.
With tacit understanding, both fell silent, vanishing under the square's streetlamps.
Behind them, a pack of envious, jealous single dogs remained frozen in place, gazing after them with longing eyes.
Tossing his gear to Kuang Feng, Ye Shi covered his eyes with both hands, squirming like an earthworm. "Aaaah! Fang Chang, you bastard, give me back my dog eyes!"
While Kuang Feng didn't react as dramatically, his expression was equally strained. "Everything else was fine, but seeing a bashful look on that guy's face... my toes curled so hard they dug out a four-bedroom apartment."
It wasn't that it was an eyesore.
It was just that one second, the guy was calmly analyzing tactics, discussing team coordination and equipment utility, and the next, he had morphed into a coy newlywed bride.
The contrast was so jarring it was hard to stomach.
Standing nearby, Lao Bai laughed heartily and patted the two brothers on the shoulder. "Alright, they just got together. Isn't being all lovey-dovey completely normal? If you can't bear to watch, just close your eyes. You'll get used to it in a couple of days."
Ye Shi still looked thoroughly unsettled and sighed. "Sigh, dammit... selling this game to him without a subscription fee is a total loss!"
Lao Bai chuckled. "If you're jealous, go learn the Human Alliance language, or find a girlfriend in real life. Didn't you say you have plenty of pursuers?... Let's go. We're heading back to the shelter for a shower too. Fuck, that hunk of iron sprayed gunk all over me. It stinks to high heaven!"
Snapping back to reality, Ye Shi's face instantly shifted, and he dodged Lao Bai's arm in a hurry. "Holy shit! Don't get that on me!"
"Hahaha!"
Not far off.
Mosquito, consumed by jealousy, poked the button on the upper left corner of his VM screen so hard his finger nearly snapped. "Damn it... why doesn't it work!"
Passing by just then with a skewer of roasted mantis legs, Elaina remarked with a comical grin, "The player handbook only says to obey Alliance laws and forbids harassment; it didn't castrate you. What the hell is calling Ah Guang gonna do?"
"I don't care! They need to get one for me too!"
Elaina made a subtle face and offered the skewer. "Can't help you there... Want a bite?"
Mosquito immediately grew wary. "What is that?"
Elaina gave an embarrassed grin. "Mantis leg. Caught it today and just roasted it. That thing actually had a purple head—huge, too. Never seen one before, so it must be a rare breed... Wonder if it grants a buff."
"*Blargh—!*"
Before Elaina could finish, Mosquito was already leaning against a tree, dry heaving.
***
The following morning.
North of Dawn City.
After a night of rest and reorganization, the Enterprise's aid to the Alliance officially commenced.
Two pieces of engineering equipment from Ideal Group were assembled first, showcasing the East Coast's technological prowess to the onlookers gathered around.
Standing beside the half-finished highway, the Alliance's chief architect, Spare the Blade, stared wide-eyed at the two machines, cursing in astonishment, "What the hell is that?!"
A four-tracked mobile crushing station resembled a walking bunker, covering fifty to sixty square meters.
At its front sat a massive bucket, its jagged teeth resembling the maw of an abyss, pulverizing the concrete rubble ahead and churning it into its belly.
The silver cylinder on its back rotated continuously, emitting a deafening roar. Through a series of processes, it broke down the already hydrated concrete fragments back into reusable cement slurry.
Behind it followed a uniquely designed road roller. Rollers of different sizes sat at the front and rear, spanning a full six meters wide and supporting a square platform.
The engineering behemoths—one on four tracks, the other on two massive rollers—advanced slowly, one behind the other.
The front one handled "eating."
The rear one handled "shitting" and compacting.
As the two beasts rolled past, a straight, flat highway emerged like their footprints, stamped onto the weathered roadbed.
While the construction quality remained to be seen, as an emergency supply line, it was already countless times better than the wasteland's rugged terrain!
What the Alliance needed right now was not a highway that would last fifty years without damage, but one they could use immediately.
Standing nearby, Spare the Blade stared blankly.
This simple and crude method of construction completely shattered his understanding.
No...
Never mind the construction method itself.
Just the technology that could revert already hydrated concrete back into reusable cement was sheer black tech in its own right!
If such a convenient technology existed, no one would have to worry about where to pile the concrete rubble from demolished buildings; it instantly turned waste into treasure!
While the civil engineering nerds were busy gawking, Li Changkong stood nearby holding a tablet, adjusting the operating parameters of the equipment.
After finishing his task, he looked at the Alliance Administrator beside him and spoke.
"The highway from Qingquan City to Ruigu City is a hundred and sixty-nine kilometers long. The route we chose to restore is Provincial Highway 1704. The engineering quality certainly won't meet pre-war standards, but it'll be far more reliable than the concrete roads you're currently using."
"A subsequent batch of equipment will arrive here later, including machinery for laying asphalt... The estimated completion date is between mid-August and late August."
It was currently early July.
Counting to mid-August, that was forty-five days?
One hundred and sixty-nine kilometers in forty-five days meant building 3.75 kilometers a day?!
After a quick mental calculation, Chu Guang was stunned by this astonishing speed.
Even with their steel plant operating at maximum capacity and mobilizing thousands of prisoners of war, the Alliance had barely managed to lay three kilometers of railway a day.
This highway was being built faster than railway tracks!
They had to be using cheats!
Seeing Chu Guang remain silent, Li Changkong paused and continued, "Although the concrete waste needed for construction can be sourced locally, there will still be a material deficit of seventeen to thirty percent. We'll need your people to help collect and transport that portion."
"Of course, to shorten the construction period, we'll do our best to provide convenient tools, such as the 'Miner' series exoskeletons."
Recovering from his astonishment, Chu Guang cleared his throat and nodded earnestly.
"Rest assured, concrete rubble is the last thing Qingquan City lacks. We'll handle the material deficit! By the way... could you bring a couple more of these big guys over?"
Li Changkong blinked in surprise. "Two aren't enough?"
"To be precise, one highway isn't enough," Chu Guang continued shamelessly. "Our industrial zone is around Qingshi County and Xizhou City, to the north of the Alliance, which is also where your aerospace base is located."
"However, there is only a single rail line connecting that area to Dawn City. Besides military supplies, it also has to handle civilian logistics. Although we're building a concrete road, it has only reached the vicinity of Yuanxi Town. Our supply efficiency is a serious problem!"
Listening to Chu Guang, Li Changkong tapped his index finger against the screen, switching to the map of Xizhou City.
After studying the map for a moment, he rubbed his chin. "That is indeed an issue. How much water a barrel can hold depends on its shortest plank. We'll find a way to help you resolve this... Is that a mountainous region?"
Chu Guang nodded. "Yes, that area consists mostly of rolling hills. Can it be done?"
Li Changkong pondered for a moment. "...Construction might be somewhat difficult. These two sets of equipment are only suited for plains."
Before the Administrator could show a troubled expression, a faint smile surfaced on Li Changkong's face as he continued, "However, our inventory also contains engineering equipment capable of operating in hilly terrain... Once the aircraft are recharged, I'll have headquarters send a batch over."
"Additionally, your rail transport efficiency is far too low. I'll figure out a way to help you improve it a bit."
Hearing that, Chu Guang broke into a delighted smile. "Really? That's far too kind of you!"
Li Changkong smiled and waved his hand. "You're welcome. We are allies on the same front, after all."
Even if not for the sake of an ally, he would have secured this business for the company.
With the passage of Resolution 1001, the Enterprise had allocated a budget of three hundred million Cr for military aid to the Alliance.
This three hundred million Cr wasn't restricted to purchasing weapons; it could equally be spent on infrastructure and engineering contracts.
At a hundred thousand Cr per kilometer, a hundred and sixty-nine kilometers came to 16.9 million Cr.
Since materials were sourced locally and the power used by the equipment was supplied by the Alliance, ignoring the wear and tear on these surplus machines, those 16.9 million Cr were almost pure profit!
Ever since the Ideal City project was completed, most of the engineering equipment originally used for grand-scale construction had sat gathering dust in warehouses. They were only rolled out on rare occasions when clients in Yunjian Province requested them.
They hadn't seen such a massive order in a very long time.
Gazing at the desolate wasteland nearby, Li Changkong felt a surge of longing in his heart.
He had heard that long, long ago, in the early days of the Wasteland Era, their forebears had followed the leadership of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, building shelter settlements across this wasteland one after another and becoming saviors in the eyes of the locals.
And the reason Ideal City had stood tall for two centuries, becoming a holy land in the hearts of countless wastelanders, was precisely because of the engineering miracles they had left behind.
Once this war concluded, his own name would surely become a celebrated tale across this desolate, forsaken land...
As he thought, a pleasant smile spread across his meticulous face.
Li Changkong could almost see the grateful eyes, the scenes of people worshiping him as a savior—even a deity.
He would return laden with honors!
Returning home as a hero—
Suddenly realizing that the smile on his face was somewhat undignified, he hastily coughed twice and restored a solemn expression.
Failing to notice the shifting expressions on the middle-aged man beside him, Chu Guang's attention was completely captivated by the two heavy machines advancing slowly.
The Enterprise's display of skill had genuinely shown him up.
Frankly, the shock these two "little guys" gave him was not the least bit inferior to the Pioneer land fortress from last year.
Including how they had extended their maximum flight range from five hundred kilometers to three thousand in under a month.
And that didn't even account for the time spent reaching a consensus.
Though he had been mentally prepared, the technological and industrial prowess the Enterprise displayed still exceeded his expectations.
Watching the highway "growing forward" at a pace visible to the naked eye, Chu Guang felt an indescribable surge of emotion.
Indeed.
Science and technology were the primary productive forces.
He had to figure out a way to pry a few of those machines away from these tycoons!
Chapter 413