Above the clouds, a uniquely designed aircraft took off from an airfield on the outskirts of Ideal City, winging its way toward River Valley Province.
It possessed two sets of wings and four engines in total—two forward, two aft—symmetrically arranged at the aircraft's four corners, spewing faint blue plumes of plasma toward the rear.
This transport was essentially a civilian overhaul of the Orca transport aircraft. Its fuselage had been lengthened, its cargo bay enlarged, and an additional pair of plasma engines had been added.
Because it was built for civilian service, the aggressive moniker "Orca" was exchanged for the gentler "Blue Whale."
In appearance, the craft looked like an advanced iteration of a quad-tiltrotor, replacing traditional propellers with plasma engines that featured lighter structures, steadier output, and far less susceptibility to turbulent airflow.
Just like the Orca, it could toggle between horizontal and vertical flight modes, and could even perform lateral translations that the Orca was incapable of pulling off.
Much like a quadcopter drone.
Of course, any passengers aboard would most likely end up cursing up a storm after experiencing that maneuver firsthand.
The aircraft had been designed by a subsidiary of Silverwing Group, with over a hundred companies participating in its production. At present, only one had been completed, and it had already been pressed into service on the route connecting Yunjian Province to River Valley Province.
The deeds of the Pioneer had shaped mainstream sentiment in Ideal City to a certain extent, allowing the "Influence Expansion" bill proposed by Wu Changnian at the council to pass smoothly.
Enterprise would no longer restrict itself to tending its own small plot in Yunjian Province. Moving forward, it would project its vision beyond Yunjian's borders, joining hands with survivor settlements everywhere to explore the path ahead.
They would not regress to the era of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, unconditionally spoon-feeding those survivor settlements the way their predecessors in the Production Department had. Yet neither would they treat those settlements as nonexistent thin air, as they had done until now.
The birth of the Alliance had proven that wastelanders were not all irredeemable trouble.
And this very flight to River Valley Province was one of the fruits of Wu Changnian's bill.
His address at the press conference that day had inspired countless listeners. It was precisely for this reason that tickets for the maiden flight had sold out practically the moment they were listed.
If Li Shuyue hadn't helped them secure business travel reservations through Ruyue Group, the four members of the Ox and Horse Squad might well have been stuck lingering in Ideal City for quite some time...
***
"Damn it! Shitty luck today!"
Staring at the cards Fang Chang revealed on the table, Ye Shi leaned back in his chair, looking thoroughly defeated.
There were two hundred and forty seats in the cabin. Aside from the forward and aft passenger compartments, the common areas included an entertainment lounge complete with a bar where bionic attendants served drinks.
Before descent, passengers were free to leave their seats and stroll about at leisure. However, in the event of an emergency, they were required to follow the captain's instructions to return to their seats or strap into the nearest jump seat.
To pass the dull commute, the four players had sat down at a table in the lounge on Fang Chang's suggestion and started a game of blackjack.
Watching Ye Shi grimace in agony, Fang Chang offered a faint smile.
"Your hand is written all over your face. Winning against you couldn't be easier."
"But—"
"You want to say your expression was just an act, right?"
Seeing right through him, Fang Chang continued with a smirk, "Have you ever considered that a deliberate disguise gives away your intentions just as clearly?"
"Ugh, forget it, I'm out... You've got way too many damn tricks!" Ye Shi sighed, shoving his chair back. "Let's just play Fight the Landlord."
He had originally assumed his Perception stat would let him slaughter everyone at the card table. In the end, he had only managed to bully Lao Bai, who barely grasped the rules of twenty-one, while failing to take a single hand off Fang Chang.
Seeing Ye Shi throw in the towel, Fang Chang chuckled.
"If you're bad at disguising your emotions, you should take a page out of Kuang Feng's book... A poker face like his is tough to crack, especially with his math skills."
Kuang Feng let out a soft cough.
"Calling it a poker face is a bit much... It's just that winning or losing doesn't really matter in games like this, and there are patterns to follow. Getting a good or bad hand isn't anything to get worked up over."
Ye Shi suddenly looked up.
"Speaking of which, I've actually always been curious."
Lao Bai, who had lost all his chips early on, laughed and asked, "Curious about what?"
Ye Shi glanced at Kuang Feng. "Why does a physics big shot like Brother Kuang Feng even bother playing games?"
Fang Chang smiled. "What's so weird about that? Everybody's got hobbies."
Kuang Feng coughed lightly. "...Hardly a big shot. I'm just interested in things that catch my interest, that's all."
Hearing that, Ye Shi couldn't resist ribbing him, "Truly one of the statements of all time."
Fang Chang studied Kuang Feng with keen curiosity. "Come to think of it, what's your research topic again?"
Lately, Fang Chang had picked up some knowledge on artificial intelligence, even if he had only skimmed the introductory concepts.
He didn't really understand what university physics professors spent their days researching, but if Kuang Feng's field happened to overlap with algorithms, it would be the perfect chance to chat about what he had discovered in the game.
Kuang Feng pondered for a moment, then abruptly changed the subject. "Wait, didn't we agree not to talk about real life in the game?"
Hearing that, Ye Shi instantly snorted with laughter. "Damn it! We've known each other for years, and you're still pulling this crap! I'm coming to Jinling to kick your ass one of these days."
Kuang Feng smiled faintly. "Sure, come on over. I'll show you around."
Fang Chang cast a sidelong glance at Ye Shi. "...Don't listen to this kid's hot air. He was clamoring to visit me in Shanghai two years ago, and he's gone from a high schooler to a college student without ever showing his face."
Having flaked for so long, Ye Shi felt a pang of embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. "Heh... I just wanted to wait for a chance for all of us to hang out together. When the time comes, I'll drag Lao Bai and Kuang Feng along too. It's more fun with a crowd; what's the point of going all by myself?"
Fang Chang rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We'll just stick to meeting up in the game."
Come to think of it...
There had actually been someone else.
Someone who had once said they would come visit him in Shanghai too.
Fang Chang couldn't help recalling a certain guy who was absolute trash at PUBG.
For the life of him, he could never figure out how that guy in sales had ended up going into game development.
He had never shown any inclination toward that sort of thing before...
***
While the four were shooting the breeze, a slickly dressed man standing before a long table not far from the lounge bar was holding forth with a smooth, glib voice before a group of youthful travelers.
"...Did you say Qingquan City? What a coincidence! I grew up there. Nobody knows the place better than I do."
"Really?" A young man in his early twenties looked at him in pleasant surprise and asked briskly, "Are you an Alliance resident?"
"The Alliance? Ah... that," the man hesitated, then waved a hand dismissively. "When I left home to travel, no such Alliance even existed. In all of Qingquan City, the only true survivor settlement was Boulder City. The other petty villages didn't even deserve the title."
His name was Jixiu, the second son of the Boulder City bank president. Years ago, his father had entrusted him to familiar local caravan merchants to send him off to Ideal City to broaden his horizons.
In the blink of an eye, nearly five years had slipped by.
Back in Boulder City, he had been a renowned playboy. Even the Inner City nobility gave him a bit of face, given that his father helped manage their wealth and his mother's family carried considerable clout.
As for the Outer City residents, it went without saying. No matter what outrages he committed, nobody dared give him trouble, and he had thrown his weight around plenty.
Yet upon arriving in Ideal City, things had turned out entirely different. Not a single person cared about his father's status as the Boulder City bank president, and the chips in his pockets couldn't even be converted into Cr directly.
It was only because his old man intermittently wired him funds that he, a noble of proud standing, hadn't ended up flipping burgers in a fast-food joint.
Ideal City was certainly prosperous, and its population dwarfed Boulder City's many times over, but holing up in a few dozen square meters of apartment, spending all his days trading barbs with morons on the Endpoint Cloud, was hardly the life he wanted.
Those brainless idiots.
If any of them had dared disrespect him like that back in Boulder City, he would have hunted them down and put a bullet through their skulls.
If not for the immense distance, his father's refusal to grant him a way back, and his own inability to scrimp together travel expenses, he would have returned home long ago!
Of course, his homesickness wasn't purely about reclaiming that bygone freedom. More than anything, he wanted to achieve something to prove that he wasn't just a good-for-nothing parasite riding on his father's coattails, as the trolls on the Endpoint Cloud claimed.
Most recently, the resolution passed by Enterprise's council had given him a glimmer of hope. Ideal City had even inaugurated a direct flight to River Valley Province!
He intended to ride this tailwind straight back to revitalize his homeland!
Sensing the atmosphere was primed, Jixiu cleared his throat forcefully and adopted an impassioned tone.
"...Friends, we are stepping into an era teeming with opportunity! Did you hear Deputy Minister Wu's speech at the press conference? From here on out, Enterprise will aggressively and proactively expand its operational footprint. And as the first stop of Enterprise's overseas endeavors—Qingquan City in River Valley Province, home to Boulder City with over half a million souls—it is unquestionably the market with the greatest potential!"
Yet—
To his utter bewilderment, the young people showed almost no reaction after hearing his stirring speech.
At least, none of the excitement and yearning he had anticipated.
"Wu... You mean that old guy?"
"He's not that old, okay?"
"Uh... fair enough, but I wasn't really paying attention to what he said."
"Wait, where's Boulder City?"
"Aren't we going to Dawn City?"
"I didn't buy the wrong tickets, did I?"
The group chattered and laughed among themselves, paying his words no mind whatsoever. Clearly, they were just tourists out for a holiday, without the slightest interest in business ventures.
Jixiu's brow twitched, but he refused to give up, making one final push.
"That's correct, our flight lands in Dawn City, but when speaking of River Valley Province, one cannot overlook Boulder City! It is perhaps the sole pristine beacon of civilization in all of southern River Valley Province. Once we reach Dawn City, we can hire a squad of mercenaries to escort us—"
A slightly taller young man coughed, cutting off his mounting volume.
"Enterprise's outbound travel office explicitly warned us to exercise caution once leaving Yunjian Province. The strike teams won't receive our distress beacons out there. Unless necessary, we shouldn't wander beyond Alliance-controlled territory."
A young lady wearing glasses nodded, her expression fraught with worry. "Exactly. I heard... River Valley Province is the birthplace of Deathclaws. Those horned monsters can rip powered armor to shreds with a single swipe."
"That's probably an exaggeration... But hey, will we run into wild Deathclaws?"
"Who knows? But you can visit Deathclaws at Vault 79! Word has it the legendary progenitor of them all is kept there!"
"Wait, Deathclaws were man-made?!"
"You're only finding that out now?"
"You guys go ahead; I plan on staying in Dawn City for a few days... I heard there's a festival in three days."
"Do you think we'll get to see that legendary Administrator?"
"Haha, stop daydreaming. A big shot like that wouldn't have time to meet an ordinary tourist."
The young men and women chatted merrily, their conversation effortlessly veering back toward the Alliance.
Watching these stubborn, dismissive travelers, Jixiu clenched his fists, dark lines running down his forehead.
Damn it...
These people!
Why wouldn't they listen to a single word he said?!
Taking a deep breath, Jixiu suppressed the fury in his chest, reminding himself to stay calm and not act on impulse.
Anyone capable of snagging tickets for this maiden flight was loaded.
Either they were wealthy themselves, came from money, or were traveling on corporate expense accounts.
If he could pry some Cr out of these people's pockets to invest in local Boulder City industries, his grand design would proceed far more smoothly.
He had already thought it through.
Boulder City's core problem lay in the stagnation born of rigid social stratification. The lazy survivors realized that no matter how hard they worked, they could never become nobles. Venturing into merchant trade meant risking being flayed alive by marauders, so they sank into despair and grew poorer.
The solution was simple.
All they had to do was construct an outer city outside the Outer City, turning the original "Outer City" into a "Middle City," and the problem would solve itself!
On top of that, he intended to import Ideal City's advanced financial models.
Though that particular trump card had to be kept up his sleeve, not played right out of the gate.
Pushing it in the Inner City would run into fierce resistance, and attempting it in the Outer City would get his rear whipped by his father. But outside the colossal walls, there would be no issue at all.
A digital currency issued on credit!
Those backward, uncultured bumpkins would have their jaws dropped by his stroke of genius!
Yet what distressed Jixiu was that the rich brats from Ideal City showed zero interest in his concepts, while the seasoned merchants napping under neural links couldn't be bothered to entertain him.
Scanning the lounge, his eyes soon locked onto the four fellows playing cards in the corner. His gaze lit up, and he immediately strolled over.
***
Meanwhile, Ye Shi, who had just drawn a winning hand, was carefully contemplating how to manage his facial expression when an unfamiliar voice drifted over from the side.
"...Greetings. It's a pleasure to share this flight with you. My name is Jixiu, the second son of the Boulder City bank president." To keep his approach from sounding too abrupt, he glanced at the playing cards on the table and asked curiously, "What are you playing? Mind if I join in?"
"Cards... Wait for the next round."
Ye Shi couldn't be bothered with this random NPC who had popped out of nowhere. His eyes remained glued to Fang Chang, who was about to check his cards, intending to spot a tell and use his monstrous hand to stage an epic comeback.
To his disappointment, however, Fang Chang didn't look at his cards at all. Instead, he turned his gaze to the man who had approached them.
*The second son of the Boulder City bank president?*
*Which means...*
*Alisa's older brother?*
Fang Chang wore a look of mild surprise.
What an uncanny coincidence...
Then again, it had been so long since he visited Boulder City that he had almost forgotten about the NPC who had once commissioned him to find a missing kitten.
"I'm Fang Chang... These are my friends." Out of courtesy, Fang Chang introduced himself, then went down the line introducing Ye Shi and the others.
Jixiu stared at Fang Chang for a moment, rolling the name over in his mind. He had the persistent feeling he had heard it somewhere, but couldn't place it.
No matter!
Anyone who could secure a seat on this flight was a figure of real means. Perhaps he had caught the name on an advertisement somewhere.
Plastering on a radiant smile, Jixiu looked intently at the young man.
"The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were no ordinary person."
Fang Chang smiled faintly. "So you're planning to pitch me whatever you were just preaching to that crowd over there?"
Given how abysmal Ye Shi's card skills were, Fang Chang had managed to listen in on the NPCs while playing. He hadn't expected this hustler roaming the cabin to target them—let alone that he would turn out to be the son of Boulder City's bank president.
If he wasn't lying, that was quite a pedigree.
"...Since you overheard, I won't waste time repeating it," Jixiu lowered his voice, trembling with excitement. "What do you say? Interested in partnering with me to revitalize Boulder City? The market there isn't just half a million people—its influence reaches across the entirety of southern River Valley Province and even broad swathes of Jinchuan Province!"
Hearing that, Fang Chang couldn't help a chuckle.
Just as he was about to tactfully challenge the basis for that grand claim, an idea struck him. He quickly rearranged his face into an expression of keen interest.
"Is that so...? Well then, tell me, how do you plan on revitalizing this Boulder City?"
Seeing Fang Chang's intrigued reaction, Jixiu couldn't conceal his delight.
"It's simple! Well, not entirely simple, but nobody has realized it yet—"
"Shh." Fang Chang raised a finger to his lips, cutting him off, then produced a business card and slid it across the table.
"Matters of such gravity shouldn't be aired openly on a plane... Once we touch down, come find me at this address."
Taking the card, Jixiu froze. Without even reading the address, his eyes locked blankly onto Fang Chang.
"You've... been to Qingquan City?"
"What kind of question is that? I've done far more than visit—it's practically my second home," Fang Chang said with a smile, looking at the bewildered youth. "Ever heard of Changyue Group? If not, how about Kendaji?"
"Those are your companies?!" Jixiu was flabbergasted, though he quickly gathered his wits. "Wait, but I heard that was a subsidiary under Ruyue Group—"
Of course he knew that company!
He had specifically mentioned it in his last letter to his father!
Fang Chang gave a light cough.
"Your understanding of equity structures leaves much to be desired... But setting that aside, aren't you curious where the 'Chang' in Changyue Group comes from?"
Changyue Group was a joint venture between Niuma Group and Ruyue Group, registered under Ruyue Group's banner solely due to regulatory qualifications.
As for why they had used his name, Fang Chang had found it puzzling at first, but since the boys had raised no objections, he hadn't cared.
Using "Ox and Horse" really didn't sound all that flattering, after all.
Jixiu stared at him in disbelief. "Could it be..."
Seeing that Jixiu had clearly leaped to a wildly inflated conclusion, Fang Chang offered an enigmatic grin, offering no clarification as he simply tapped the card in Jixiu's hand.
"Certain things aren't convenient to discuss in crowded spaces... We'll talk once we're on the ground."
Jixiu promptly swallowed the rest of his words, nodding excitedly. "Right! That makes total sense!"
Forgetting the card game entirely, Fang Chang smoothly engaged the NPC in casual conversation, growing deeper and more animated with each passing moment.
When Jixiu learned that this fellow had also studied at Yunjian University, he was so thrilled he grabbed Fang Chang's hands, looking as though he had met an old friend in a foreign land.
Ye Shi shot a glance at Lao Bai beside him.
"...Now I finally get what Fang Chang meant earlier."
Lao Bai paused. "What did he mean?"
"About 'having your hand written all over your face.'" Glancing at the two face-down cards on the table, Ye Shi let out a heavy sigh and swept the deck together. "These manipulative schemers play way too dirty. I'm really done this time... Let's just the three of us play Fight the Landlord."
Kuang Feng nodded in solemn agreement. "Agreed."
***
While the flight from the east coast toward Dawn City was still cruising through the clouds, the *Heart of Steel*, bearing the glorious laurels and banners of victory from the Great Desert, had already returned to the capital of the Alliance.
Chu Guang had rested aboard the airship overnight, descending to the surface via passenger gondola alongside his little players at dawn the following morning.
In three days, Dawn City would host a grand celebration to honor the triumphant return of the expeditionary force.
Though the festivities had not officially commenced, a festive atmosphere had already begun to permeate the streets over the past few days.
To avoid disrupting the daily lives and labor of the residents, and to preserve the full joy for the celebration itself, Chu Guang made no grand fanfare upon coming down from the sky, even deliberately instructing Luka and the others not to stage a reception.
Flying the Alliance banner, the *Heart of Steel* moored quietly at the edge of Yumu District, making no further advance toward the settlement.
"Hahahahaha, this granddaddy is finally home!" His boots firmly on the ground at long last, Mosquito let out a roar toward the sky, bounding jubilantly in the direction of the industrial zone.
The war was over!
The true era of Goblin Tech had arrived!
Compared to practical, low-cost, and easy-to-operate gear, he still far preferred cooking up much more interesting inventions.
A handful of greenhorns stood at the edge of the wheat fields, gazing at the prosperous settlement in the distance, looks of astonishment washing over their faces.
"So this is Dawn City..."
"Holy crap!"
"This is insane..."
Neatly arranged houses completely devoid of the usual wasteland squalor stood tall, their red-brick exteriors coated in clean white paint. On the outskirts of the city, numerous construction sites clanged and clattered with industrious bustle.
Closest to them at this moment was Dawn City's railway station.
The open plaza before the station had evolved into a bustling freight distribution hub, with merchants coming and going in an endless stream, their hawking calls audible from far away. Massive wooden crates virtually packed the freight platforms, while railcars awaiting switching formed long dragons before the tracks...
In truth, there was nothing extraordinary about this scene.
Any city in reality was vastly more prosperous than this.
Yet what boggled the mind was that merely a year ago, this place had been nothing more than an overgrown wilderness. Not a single house had stood here, let alone these endless fields of wheat stretching beyond the horizon.
Every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, and every tree had been built by the hands of the players who had entered the game since Alpha 0.1, shoulder to shoulder with the NPCs.
The visceral impact of witnessing it in person was infinitely more powerful than any photograph...
Glancing at the awestruck rookies, I'm the Darkest smirked playfully.
"Why do you guys look like you just fell off the turnip truck?"
Fa Wai Kuang Tu scratched the back of his head. "Uh, this really is my first time here... My respawn point was at Vault 79. The moment I spawned, I got sent straight to the front lines."
He remembered it clearly: shortly after reaching the front, the veteran players had hustled him into serving as cannon fodder against the Legion's positions.
Only later did he stumble upon a forum post revealing that the Pangolin was actually one of their own.
Beside him, Xing Le Jiu Kun was equally stunned, nodding along. "Same here... It's my first time coming home."
I'm the Darkest's eyes lit up. Throwing his arms around their shoulders, he grinned slyly. "Beta 0.4 brothers, right? Hahaha! Come on, your big bro will show you around to broaden your horizons."
Fa Wai Kuang Tu grew instantly vigilant. "What are you trying to pull...? I'm not doing anything illegal."
Xing Le Jiu Kun eyed him with equal suspicion. "Plus one! I was waiting in line before the Alliance even existed! Don't drag me into trouble!"
I'm the Darkest curled his lip. "Tch, who wasn't in line to get in?... Relax, I'm just treating you guys to a bowl of ramen. What's running through your heads first thing in the morning?"
*Pfft.*
*Just ramen.*
The two instantly looked thoroughly deflated.
Getting their hopes up for nothing!
Watching the rowdy young players jostling and joking with their arms around each other, a paternal smile spread across Chu Guang's face.
Though many Beta 0.4 players had fought for the Alliance for days on end and died countless times, they had never truly grasped what the Alliance meant, treating it merely as game lore.
He believed that at this moment, they would attain a deeper realization—this was a home forged collectively by human hands, a place people fought for not solely for coin and experience.
Naturally, even if his little players gained a newfound appreciation for the Alliance's cause, he still preferred that they enjoy the game in a lighthearted, joyous manner, without shouldering heavy burdens like "rebuilding civilization" or "uniting the survivors."
That was his job.
Beyond his identity as the Alliance's Administrator, he was also the game designer of *Wasteland Online*.
He vastly preferred his players approaching this game with a relaxed mindset.
After all, just as he had always proclaimed, this was a cheerful, casual game.
Pulling his gaze back from the players, Chu Guang smiled and said, "Come on, we should get going too."
Perched on Chu Guang's shoulder with her chin resting in her hands, Xiao Qi had been studying his expression all along.
Catching a faint, barely perceptible trace of loneliness, Xiao Qi assumed Chu Guang felt neglected because no one had come to receive him. Pumping herself up, she chirped encouragement in a spirited voice.
"Don't worry, Master, Xiao Qi will stay by your side forever!"
Chu Guang blinked in surprise, then burst into hearty laughter, reaching out with an index finger to lightly tap her little head.
"Mm. Good thing I have you by my side."
"Hehe."
A contented smile blossomed on Xiao Qi's face as she swung her little legs happily.
Just as Chu Guang was debating whether to head over to North Street for breakfast first or return straight to the shelter for a medical checkup, a familiar figure came strolling toward him from not far away...
Chapter 517