The Spark Reignited!

When the ward door opened again, the crowd of "patients" had already scrambled back onto their beds, each drooping like frost-bitten eggplants, completely stripped of their earlier vitality. Standing beside Yun You, Yu Feng pressed between his eyebrows, feeling a headache coming on. However, as merely an apprentice merchant, he was hardly in a position to speak up. Having put his shirt back on, Shen Rui walked out of the room with an embarrassed look. He had wanted to say something to change the subject, but Yun You beat him to it. "What was that?" "P-Poker." Shen Rui chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he explained, "It's... a card game invented by those blue jackets. It's pretty popular in the taverns around here." Yun You's brows furrowed slightly, her lenses catching a sharp glint. "Taverns?" "Uh, alcohol doesn't interfere with the treatment, and it even helps inhibit the mutant slime mold from spreading further... That's what the doctor told us." Under her piercing gaze, Shen Rui glanced around guiltily, terrified that a doctor might happen to pass by in the hallway. Yun You remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Before coming here, I heard about what happened to you and was worried about your safety the entire time... Looking at you now, it seems I was overthinking things." Hearing that sigh, Shen Rui hurriedly explained, "Th-that's not entirely our fault. Life outside the city is so monotonous, we had to find some... uh, form of entertainment to pass the time." "So your way of passing the time is gambling?" Knowing he was in the wrong, Shen Rui fell silent. Enforcing discipline wasn't her job after all. Yun You didn't pursue the topic further, and after a brief pause, turned to future arrangements. "In two days, you will be transferred to Xizhou City to take the return flight back to Yunjian Province." Upon hearing they could go home, Shen Rui's face finally lit up with joy. Although life here was quite interesting, it was suitable only for a visit, not for long-term living. Without access to the Endpoint Cloud and without immersive virtual entertainment spaces, staying here long-term would inevitably get boring. Otherwise, they wouldn't have stooped to playing cards. "...You've lived here for some time. Tell me about the situation here." Snapping back to reality at Yun You's question, Shen Rui replied, "What would you like to know about?" Yun You thought for a moment. "For example, what kind of organization is this Alliance, really?" The question was somewhat abstract. Shen Rui scratched the back of his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Their own explanation is... a survivor self-rescue alliance led by vault residents. The full name seems to be the Human Revival United Front, abbreviated as the New Alliance." *Human Revival, huh.* Yun You slightly raised her left eyebrow, her expression turning a bit strange, though she said nothing. There were countless survivor settlements on the wasteland with bizarre names—kingdoms of three people, tribes of ten thousand, federations made of ten tiny villages. An "Alliance" claiming to revive human civilization was hardly out of the ordinary. Seeing Yun You remain silent, Shen Rui continued, "...Regardless of what they call themselves, the people here are generally quite amicable, though it's also true that their folkways are rather martial. When the occasional clueless wastelander comes looking for trouble, they're quickly brought under control by those vault residents..." At this point, something suddenly occurred to him, and he added: "Oh, right! A lot of those blue jackets are Awakened! Including their Administrator! Their biotechnology is remarkably strong; they must have mastered technology that can reliably cultivate Awakened." Yun You nodded, not finding it particularly surprising. The Enterprise had similar technologies; it was just that, like cloning technology, it was considered taboo and rarely used. After all, awakening wasn't entirely a blessing—its price was a reduced probability of producing offspring. In terms of overall societal fertility rates, it was unsuitable for widespread adoption in a stable society. Ideal City had, to a degree, preserved the laws and ethics of the Human Alliance era. While they recognized the status of Awakened, they did not revere them like the destitute wastelanders who lived day-to-day. One could just as easily become a "superman" through mechanical exoskeletons and bionic organs. Not only were the enhancement paths more stable and controllable, but one also didn't have to sacrifice personal happiness. However, turning vault residents into Awakened was one thing—for the Administrator to awaken himself as well? That was genuinely beyond her expectations. It seemed she had still underestimated that fellow's ambition. "I have the general picture now." After listening to Shen Rui's account, Yun You pondered for a moment before continuing, "It seems the situation here is even more complicated than I imagined... including that Administrator." Shen Rui asked, puzzled, "Complicated?" "Yes." Yun You nodded, continuing in an even tone, "Ambition, shrewdness, and leadership... He possesses every quality an ambitious schemer requires, and is far better at disguising and concealing himself than typical schemers. He makes himself appear completely harmless, leaving people unable to fathom his true intentions." Shen Rui scratched the back of his head, his expression subtle. "Still, I feel like he's actually a pretty upright person, and the residents here really like him... Could you be overthinking things?" He wasn't the only one who felt that way. Anyone who had interacted with that man could sense that he was easy to get along with, and the way the locals spoke of him showed not a trace of feigned flattery or sycophancy. This stood in stark contrast to the survivor settlements they had encountered along the way. Shen Rui had seen cannibal tribes that swallowed people alive, and survivor communities that devoured their own under fabricated pretexts. Village chiefs who called themselves civilized men had even offered eleven- or twelve-year-old girls as slaves in exchange for the weapons of civilization in their hands... Naturally, they had refused. Rather than an ambitious schemer, Shen Rui felt the man bore a certain resemblance to Lu Yang, the commander of the Pioneer... more like an idealist. Of course, that was just his personal opinion. For instance, a certain fellow calling himself Mr. House frequently cursed him over the radio. "It's not that I'm overthinking; you just view people too simply," Yun You said calmly. "I don't deny he has an upright side, but that doesn't invalidate what I said." Pausing briefly, she continued: "This isn't just my opinion. According to the computations of the Intellect, there is a 37 percent probability that this war was instigated by the Alliance." The Intellect was Ideal City's primary server, the core of the Endpoint Cloud network, and the heart of Endpoint Group's operations. While the other four major groups rarely relied on AI for decision-making, Endpoint Group was highly automated—even more so than Kangmao Group, which made extensive use of bionic employees. Shen Rui showed a look of surprise. He glanced left and right down the corridor before looking back at Yun You and saying cautiously: "I think... judgments made on limited intel aren't necessarily reliable, even if they come from the Intellect. To be honest, I don't really trust that thing, and we really shouldn't be discussing this on someone else's turf... After all, they're the victims here; a lot of people died that day." Yun You's expression remained unchanged as she said in an even voice: "It is merely reasonable suspicion. The Pioneer was first attacked by the Legion in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City, and shortly after leaving this place, they were intercepted by the Legion once again... Too many coincidences suggest things are not that simple." "Of course, this is merely suspicion. I will not submit unverified speculation to the board of directors as evidence. Not unless we have sufficient clues proving that he provoked this war deliberately to defraud us of aid or for his own selfish desires." This was not her perspective alone. Within Endpoint Group, many shared similar views. To delve deeper, unlike Silverwing and Changge Group, Endpoint Group's business was concentrated primarily within Ideal City. Most wasteland survivor settlements had no use for their AI technology and cloud computing services, so "expanding into overseas markets" brought them zero benefit. Therefore, setting aside personal emotions and looking purely through the lens of interest, they had no reason to support this war. Even if they ultimately cast an affirmative vote. Shen Rui opened his mouth, but ended up shrugging helplessly. "Fine. I can't guarantee he's definitely a good guy, I'm just sharing my own perspective... My impression of him is pretty good." "Understood. Let's drop the subject," Yun You said, adopting a gentler tone. "By the way, I almost forgot to ask: how much were your medical expenses?" Shen Rui blinked, caught off guard. He hadn't really paid attention to that. After thinking for a moment, he replied uncertainly, "I think it was... five hundred?" "That cheap?" Yun You looked at him in slight surprise. Shen Rui: "Uh, five hundred a day, probably." Noticing that Yun You's expression was growing distinctly unfriendly, Yu Feng, who had remained quiet all this time, cleared his throat and hastily explained: "It's silver coins, silver coins... Not Cr." ... The next morning. Dawn was just breaking. Gu Lang, dressed in casual clothes, yawned as he walked out of the shelter and found Kuang Feng waiting on Resurrection Square. As a life-skill player and a total slacker, unless it was a major server event, he rarely appeared directly on the front line and seldom partied up for dungeons. After all, he was acutely aware that he was dead weight in combat. Thus, his routine usually involved either discussing technical problems with a few players at Factory 81 in the industrial zone, or heading down to the lakeside with Quit Bullshitting, fishing rod in hand. Although he had been roped into filling out the registration form by this colleague of his, their vastly different playstyles meant they didn't interact much in-game. For the most part, they did their own things and met up occasionally. Teaming up early in the morning like this was a first in several months. "What's the big deal? Did it really have to be discussed in the game?" Baffled, Gu Lang stared at Kuang Feng, trying to glean some clues from his expression. Yet, despite sporting an uncommonly wild handle, Kuang Feng was reserved and emotionally restrained to a fault; whether inside the game or in reality, his facial expressions rarely showed much variation. "Things in the game naturally have to be discussed in the game," Kuang Feng said solemnly. "Follow me. I'll show you something good." Gu Lang asked reflexively, "What good thing?" Kuang Feng offered no explanation, merely saying concisely, "You'll know when we get there!" *Good grief.* *Playing mysterious, are we?* Gu Lang raised an eyebrow, a spark of curiosity ignited in his eyes. What piqued his interest wasn't the mystery itself, but the fact that beneath that deadpan face, a flicker of excitement and agitation was actually gleaming. What kind of treasure could get this guy so worked up? Carrying that curiosity, Gu Lang followed Kuang Feng all the way to the train station in the northern suburbs of Dawn City and boarded a train bound for Xizhou City. After a bumpy ride of nearly a hundred kilometers, it was close to noon by the time the two stepped off the train. Seeing that they still hadn't arrived at their destination, Gu Lang finally couldn't resist asking, "How much farther?" Yet— The answer he received was the exact same line: "Almost there!" Gu Lang: "..." The only comforting sign was that the excitement in Kuang Feng's voice had grown noticeably stronger. Perhaps, just as he said, they truly were close to the destination. Venturing deep into the urban area of Xizhou City, Kuang Feng expertly raised his rifle to scout the street. Seeing no danger, he led Gu Lang through a cluster of ruined buildings to the entrance of a subway station. Little blades of grass poking through cracks in the concrete swayed gently, while shadows cast beneath the concrete walls crawled with moss and reddish-brown rust. The surroundings were dead silent. Forget humans—there didn't seem to be a single living creature around. Looking into the pitch-black passage, Gu Lang swallowed hard. But seeing that Kuang Feng had no intention of stopping, he hurried to keep up. Walking along the subway tunnel with an uneasy heart, just as Gu Lang was about to repeat the question he had asked half an hour ago, Kuang Feng ahead finally came to a halt. Standing before a rusted iron door, Kuang Feng raised his hand and knocked three times. Before long, sounds stirred behind the door, followed by a creak as it opened. Two soldiers in Type 5 "Light Cavalry" exoskeletons stood on either side of the entrance. Upon spotting the insignia on their breastplates and helmets, Gu Lang's face filled with surprise. *The Guards Corps?* *Why would the Administrator's personal guard be here?* "Please present your VM," one soldier said. Kuang Feng immediately extended the arm bearing his VM. The soldier who had opened the door stepped forward, checked his VM, and then turned his gaze to Gu Lang, who was standing frozen in place. "And this one?" "He's in my party. May I bring him in?" At the vault resident's request, the two soldiers exchanged a glance, and one replied: "Please wait a moment. I will request permission from the Administrator." Kuang Feng nodded. "Thank you!" After a brief wait, the soldiers received clearance orders and stepped aside to clear the way. Relieved that the Administrator had granted his request, Kuang Feng exhaled, gestured to Gu Lang, and led him down the corridor behind the door. Security here was exceptionally tight. Not only were there sentries at the door, but surveillance cameras were mounted at hallway turns, alongside ceiling-mounted automated machine guns. Anyone attempting to force their way in would be turned into a sieve the moment they breached the corridor. Surveying the heavy security around them, Gu Lang glanced down at his VM map, only to find this area wasn't recorded on the map at all. A surge of excitement stirred within him. "Is this some hidden map? Why so secretive?" Kuang Feng gave no answer, merely gesturing forward with his chin and guiding Gu Lang through the opened alloy door ahead. The instant they stepped through, the view before them opened up dramatically. The cavernous hall spanned several hundred square meters, bustling with personnel in work uniforms moving back and forth in a hive of activity. On the door directly opposite the hall hung a sign: [Reaction Chamber]. Following in Kuang Feng's footsteps straight into the reaction chamber, a metal cylinder roughly ten meters in diameter quickly came into view. Countless pipes and cables were connected to its alloy hull, leaving only a palm-sized observation port. Through that small window, one could see complex and delicate components wired inside the hollow cylinder. Gu Lang's face showed sheer astonishment, even shock. Who would have thought that such an unassuming subway tunnel concealed such an immense secret! What surprised him even more was the deep blue power armor—the Alliance's Administrator was here as well. Not only that, but several people stood beside the power armor: Yin Fang, leader of the Scientific Expedition; Boss Xia and Xiao Yu, who had vanished from the scene several versions ago; and the genius little girl who had previously visited No. 81 Steel Mill and Goblin Technology... He recalled her name was Pai. Lowering his voice, Gu Lang looked toward Kuang Feng and asked excitedly, "Is there some ceremony going on?" "Controlled fusion reactor ignition!" Face glowing with fervor, Kuang Feng suppressed the trembling excitement in his voice as he answered. Once the Scientific Expedition reached Level 6 (Max Level 10), players could check the expedition's research plans and experimental schedules through their VM at the shelter, and apply for observation privileges. Hearing Kuang Feng's words, Gu Lang froze in bewilderment. What baffled him wasn't controlled nuclear fusion itself, but why this professor from the School of Physics at Jinling University was making such a huge fuss over it. Come to think of it, in *Wasteland OL*, controlled fusion wasn't considered all that rare, was it? According to the game lore, it was a breakthrough achieved on the eve of the Golden Age, and there were far more outrageous black technologies everywhere! "A controlled fusion reactor... Doesn't the shelter already have one?" Gu Lang said with a quirky expression. "Yes." "Is it really worth coming all the way out here to watch?" Kuang Feng made a shushing gesture, his eyes locked onto the reactor without blinking. "Quiet. It's about to begin!" Seeing him so utterly engrossed, Gu Lang swallowed his confusion and closed his mouth, deciding to stay by his colleague's side until the end. Not far away, standing by the railing, the Administrator checked the time, then looked to the researchers nearby and signaled to commence. Factories across Daybreak City sequentially halted production, and the thermal generator units at the power plant ramped their output to maximum, routing all electrical capacity toward this thermonuclear reactor. As the capacitor banks finished charging, the researcher at the control terminal keyed in a sequence on the touchscreen. Soon, the cylindrical apparatus emitted a sizzling hum of electrical current. When the final button was pressed, the magnetic field in the entire room surged into frenzy, boiling like a pot of water on high heat. Pulling a compass from his pocket, Kuang Feng watched the needle thrash as though having a seizure. Fanaticism burned in his eyes as he muttered repeatedly, "Magnetic confinement! It's magnetic confinement!" Gu Lang stared at him blankly, at a loss for words. Not far off, beside Chu Guang, Yin Fang rubbed his temples and said with a slight headache, "Magnetic leakage... Too much time has passed after all." Chu Guang frowned slightly. "Will it affect anything?" Before Yin Fang could speak, Pai chimed in eagerly from the side: "Don't worry, minor issue! Once the magnetic confinement apparatus stabilizes, the field leakage will naturally resolve itself." Yin Fang nodded. "Yes, that should be the case." The magnetic field within the reactor adjusted according to the shape of the plasma. Once the plasma stabilized, the field would settle as well. Evidently, this reactor did not rely on a Faraday cage for magnetic shielding; it dispensed with that redundant design entirely. It was precisely for this reason that the outer wall retained a small observation window for "visual inspection" of the plasma's operational state. Seeing both researchers guarantee there was no problem, Chu Guang patiently watched on. A deep blue glow materialized behind the palm-sized window. As energy continually concentrated, it rapidly transformed into pure white light. That had to be the plasma enveloped by the magnetic field. Even through the reactor's thick hull, Chu Guang could viscerally feel the heat capable of melting all things and the terrifying energy locked within! Nearby, the technicians stationed at their consoles performed their duties in unison, calling out reports in turn: "Plasma temperature has reached critical threshold!" "Probe detects reaction initiation!" "Core status optimal, confinement operational!" "Energy surplus has reached self-sustaining conditions!" "Cut external power!" "Voltage differential adjusted!" "Phase difference zeroed!" "Frequency synchronized!" "..." "Connect to the grid!" With that final command issued, massive currents surged through cables buried in the walls. Energy as vast as an ocean flooded Daybreak City's electrical grid in an instant. At the power plant adjacent to the new industrial zone, the thermal generator units running at full load were shut down one by one. As of this moment, their mission was complete. From now on, the Alliance would no longer need to burn firewood and coal to generate power. Clean nuclear energy would blanket the entirety of the Alliance through the electrical grid. From the flickering electric arcs of the steel mills, to the electrolysis chambers of the hydrogen production plants, to the lightbulbs, fans, and even air conditioners in every residential home... The energy coursing through the Alliance's grid had never been so abundant! Gazing at the stabilized white light inside the reactor, Chu Guang's tense expression finally relaxed into a relieved smile. From this moment on, the Alliance had officially stepped into a new era. And upon these desolate ruins, the spark of civilization had finally been rekindled! History would remember this moment! Chu Guang turned back to the crowd standing beside the reactor, looking over faces that were agitated, thrilled, amazed, or bewildered. Unlatching his helmet visor, he said with warm praise, "Well done." "Thank you for your hard work, everyone!" ... After the ignition concluded, the NPCs, including the Administrator, dispersed to attend to their tasks. Only Kuang Feng stood as if he had lost his soul, clutching his compass, walking out of the reaction chamber with dazed eyes. "Hey, man, looks like the ignition ceremony is over," Gu Lang prompted quietly, seeing Kuang Feng standing dumbly in the hall. Nuclear fusion was far outside his professional domain; he had stared at it for ages without understanding a thing. Hearing his colleague's voice beside him, Kuang Feng finally snapped out of his daze. Yet the look stamped on his face was no longer excitement or fervor. It was despondency... Even disappointment. "Man, what's wrong with you?" Gu Lang asked with concern. Kuang Feng stayed silent for a long while before shaking his head and sighing. "The disparity is just too great..." He hadn't seen any cooling systems; perhaps they were integrated inside the reactor. Yet how a reactor merely ten-odd meters in diameter managed to contain that terrifying energy was something he couldn't fathom at all. What astonished him even more was that he could discern the silhouette of the plasma with the naked eye through a tiny window without his vision being burned by that searing radiance... Whether in terms of materials or engineering design, that reactor was an absolute black box to him. Even placed right before his eyes, he couldn't begin to unravel its secrets. Instead, it felt like common sense had been turned completely on its head... Gu Lang stared at him in disbelief. *The disparity is too great?* *Good lord...* *Don't tell me you were planning to build one in real life?!* Kuang Feng looked at the compass gripped tightly in his palm. The wildly twitching needle from earlier had ceased trembling at some point, now pointing steadily in the direction it was supposed to. The only thing he could be sure of was that, at the moment of ignition, a massive magnetic field had been confining the plasma. Yet once ignition succeeded, the leaking magnetic field had vanished entirely. To the point where he couldn't even determine whether the leaking field was shielded, or if the reactor wasn't relying on magnetic field energy at all to confine that heat far exceeding a star's core... Scratching his head, Gu Lang mused, "I recall... the official website mentioned that the shelter's reactor uses pure helium-3 as fuel?" Kuang Feng: "Yeah." Gu Lang: "Can that stuff be acquired on Earth?" Kuang Feng: "No." Gu Lang: "..." Glancing at the closed alloy door, a bitter smile crept across Kuang Feng's usually expressionless face. He suddenly realized that obsessing over how to confine that plasma was utterly pointless. Deuterium-tritium fusion could at least be laser-ignited. Helium-3 fusion, however... With conditions that demanding, he couldn't conceive of any method to ignite such a reactor on Earth... ... News of the successful reactor ignition in Xizhou City quickly grew wings, spreading through every street and alley of the Alliance via newspapers and radio broadcasts. Chu Guang was not worried about anyone targeting the reactor. The Enterprise's airfield was right next to the Tianshui tributary; aside from the Great Rift Valley, virtually no one in the entire River Valley Province would dare provoke those folks. Furthermore, unlike the parallel Earth, controlled fusion was not an uncommon marvel on the wasteland—in fact, nuclear fuel was far rarer than the technology itself. Without the means to consume the excess power, thermal power generation wasn't necessarily inferior to nuclear energy. Of course, for the Alliance, that was entirely a non-issue right now. Twelve "Orca" transport planes from the Enterprise had already relocated from the airfield north of Dawn City to the open clearing north of Xizhou City, near the Tianshui tributary. Cables as thick as pythons were plugged into the sides of the planes, drawing power from the Alliance's electrical grid like whales swallowing the sea. Alongside that, river water from the Tianshui tributary was being pumped simultaneously. A series of fuel cells, including solid-state hydrogen and metallic hydrogen cells, were fundamentally different from conventional chemical batteries; the former carried no oxidizers themselves, instead drawing oxygen from the air to facilitate redox reactions. Using the entire atmosphere as a cathode was precisely why fuel cells possessed an energy density vastly superior to standard chemical batteries. In return, however, replenishing energy for metallic hydrogen cells was slightly more cumbersome, requiring both a reliable electrical grid and an abundant water source. Standing in the freshly cordoned-off airfield, Yi Chuan spoke animatedly to Chu Guang beside him. "...At this rate, we'll be fully charged in a day at most! Once charging is complete, we can deliver the second wave of supplies in three days at the latest!" Currently, the Enterprise had only twelve aircraft capable of a three-thousand-kilometer range, but it wouldn't be long before they assembled another twelve. With twenty-four large transport planes deployed, they could rely on the power grids on both ends to forge a stable air corridor between the southern River Valley Province and the East Coast, funneling an endless stream of equipment and supplies to the front lines! Chu Guang smiled and said, "Thank you!" "Don't mention it," Yi Chuan chuckled heartily. "We're allies on the same front. This is for our shared victory, and to defeat our common enemy!" "Even if it is for a shared victory, we won't forget the helping hand you extended in our moment of need." Turning his eyes away from the warm-hearted young man, Chu Guang "casually" glanced toward the aircraft parked nearby. Pausing for a moment, he let out a soft sigh. "Then again, it would be such a waste for these planes to fly back empty. Why don't you... take some local specialties back with you?" "Local specialties?" Yi Chuan blinked, then waved his hands with a laugh. "No need, no need! Our aid to you is free of charge! This is just our duty!" Watching the bright, sunny smile on the young man's face, Chu Guang couldn't help sighing inwardly. If only everyone were as generous and kind as him. Still... That was obviously impossible. Right now was the honeymoon period between the Alliance and the Enterprise, and he had to seize this window of opportunity. Whether out of short-term interest or long-term strategy, he needed to take advantage of this moment to tie their interests closer together. Otherwise, once the war ended, River Valley Province would cease to be so vital to the Enterprise, and he would be back to scheming across thin air against that faceless old miser next door. Clearing his throat and watching the declining Yi Chuan, Chu Guang adopted a solemn tone. "I know your aid is free, and we are immensely grateful for your generosity. But we cannot simply hold out our hands every time we run into trouble—my conscience wouldn't allow it!" "We have a saying here that courtesy demands reciprocity. We've prepared some gifts for you as well." "They may not be of great value, but they represent our sincere token of appreciation!"