Thriving and Prosperous

Out of a dark, profound abyss of chaos, it slowly awakened from its deep slumber. All around were invisible walls and a realm of blackness, with pulsating shadows veiling its eyes. They also cut off its hearing. Opening a mouth that did not exist, it let out a cry like an infant wailing. At that moment, a gentle power flowed slowly along an unseen umbilical cord, making every cell throughout its floating body stretch out in sheer delight. ‘My child... you have finally awakened...’ The trembling call carried a trace of loneliness, as well as a hint of longing. It did not understand those emotions. Yet the voice brought it immense comfort. ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am your mother.’ ‘Mother?’ ‘The one who gives birth to all things. I bestowed upon you your soul, your flesh, and your blood.’ ‘...Who am I?’ ‘Thea. That is your name, and the third gift I bestow upon you.’ Thea... It silently repeated its own name, gazing at the pulsating walls and dark expanse. The quivering of its soul gradually took on a hint of reverence as it listened to the voice softly drifting through the umbilical cord. ‘You shall awaken on the day the frost ends. You shall comprehend your destiny on the day of your awakening.’ ‘Go forth and conquer.’ ‘Go forth and devour.’ ‘Go forth and liberate.’ ‘Go forth and become the new sovereign.’ The vision veiled by darkness gradually grew clear. The pitch-black walls were replaced by a pulsating scarlet flesh membrane. The bloodthirsty hue reflected in the amber eyes that had just cracked open. The voice continued to reach its ears. ‘...We shall ultimately enter eternal prosperity.’ Without the slightest hesitation. It opened its mouth, which was linked by fine threads, venting a scorching rush of breath laden with low hisses. “Yes...” ... At the gates of Boulder City, noisy hawking echoed without pause. Beyond traveling merchants coming and going from north and south, there was naturally no shortage of little players from Shelter 404. “Explosive mushrooms! One silver each! Edible and explosive, packing a blast on par with a grenade! Wholesale straight from Boss Yaya, preorder fast!” “Mutated horsehair worm infused liquor! Fresh liquor, fresh horsehair worms, don't miss out as you pass by!” “What the hell is that?” “Horsehair worm? Damn it, isn't that just an earthworm?!” “Boss, take a sip yourself first!” “Ahem, requirement is Constitution-type LV20. I'm an Intelligence-type, don't have enough constitution.” “Boss, gimme a jin! I'm gonna buff my bro!” “Coming right up!” The heavy snow had stopped, and the Tide was drawing near. Before long, the bazaar outside the gates would shut down. Many stall owners and shopkeepers were hurrying to make their final run of business before spring arrived. Aside from food and daily necessities, plenty of arms dealers were also peddling weapons and gear. Such as Goblin Tech. Its banner was undoubtedly the flashiest among the crowd. Standing beside a three-meter-tall suit of armor, Mosquito clutched a megaphone and shouted with all his might. “Goblin Tech's latest release: Type II Unpowered Armor! Requires Strength-type LV10! Constitution-type LV15 works too! Tanks hits, dishes out damage, and even blows up when you charge into a mob!” The moment players heard that distinctive drake-like voice, they gathered around with keen interest. “Holy crap, Mosquito? Why're you running a stall in person?” Curious, In Debt God fiddled with the armor, but finding he couldn't even budge one of the arms, he helplessly gave up. Mosquito sighed, looking thoroughly melancholy. “Sigh... took a bath on the last mission. Flat broke lately, so I'm selling secondhand gear to make back some blood.” It was mostly because Old Na and Old Wang were totally unreliable. The two of them had roamed around the plains for several laps and still hadn't found his mechanical arm. In a few days, he planned to custom-order another set. Only this time he'd get smart and make it detachable. Construction Site Boy and Bricks leaned in for a closer look and asked curiously, “Stupid question, but does this gear cripple the user?” Not minding the banter in the slightest, Mosquito chuckled. “It's fine, it's fine. Doesn't cripple you much, just your average amount.” In Debt God: “Damn you!” Cutting through the bustling bazaar toward the north, Luo Yu suddenly paused halfway, his right hand unconsciously pressing against his chest. The flesh previously gnawed away by those bat-men had already been replaced by a rapidly growing biological prosthetic, becoming part of his body in the form of Yu's sub-entity. Right now, that spot was burning hot. Like it was on fire! Just as Luo Yu was wondering what was going on, a soft whisper came across the communication channel. “Ee-woo.” (It woke up.) He could understand Yu's murmurs, even more easily than its Human Alliance language. Subconsciously glancing around, Luo Yu asked in bewilderment, “Woke up? Who woke up?” “Ee-woo...” (Thea...) (That is its name.) Luo Yu froze. This was the very first time he couldn't comprehend what Yu meant. Thea? It? While he was still puzzled, a familiar shout came from the side. “Holy crap, Luo Yu! You bastard finally came back!” Luo Yu turned his head and saw Mosquito standing before a stall, excitedly waving at him. Subconsciously raising his hand, Luo Yu was about to greet him when his gaze landed on the three-meter-tall torture contraption nearby. Luo Yu's eyes instantly snapped to full alert, and he pulled his half-raised hand right back. “What do you want?” “Don't be so cold, brother,” Mosquito said, entirely ignoring the wary stare as he beamed, slipped away from the stall, and tugged at Luo Yu's sleeve. “Real talk, help me test out this new gear. Open the eyes of these clueless greenhorns.” Luo Yu yanked his arm back as if jolted by electricity and retreated a dozen steps in an instant. “We're not that close, thanks.” Watching Luo Yu vanish into the crowd at lightning speed, Mosquito stood with his hand outstretched, dumbfounded for a long while before snapping out of it. Seeing that even the Ace of Doom didn't dare test it, the spectating newbies scattered all at once. Hearing the snickers behind him that people couldn't hold in, Mosquito shouted toward the direction where Luo Yu had vanished, torn between laughter and tears. “Holy crap! You heartless bastard!” The shout melted into the distant bustling clamor. At this moment, most survivors living on the surface failed to notice that the grayish-green cloud of fog rooted in the city center like a colossal tree was quietly spreading in every direction... ... Chu Guang still remembered that when he took the Heart of Steel on the expedition to Jinchuan Province, the snow on the ground was deep enough to bury a person's shins. Now upon returning, only a thin layer remained. During his absence, a great deal had happened across the Alliance's settlements. The greatest transformation was still in Dawn City. As the capital of the Alliance and the first gleam of hope to rise on this wasteland, Dawn City had always been the focal point of the Alliance's development. Especially right before the new year, when Chu Guang waved his hand at the economic work conference and showered a staggering nine hundred million silver coins on the infrastructure sector. Spurred on by that massive budget, the changes brought to this settlement were practically immediate. Not only had the streets become wider and cleaner, making commuting far more convenient, but people's living standards had noticeably improved. Beyond those already living comfortably, newly joined residents and refugees who still held the status of "supervised persons" were not left behind either. The one thousand prefabricated-panel apartment buildings in the eastern suburbs were fully completed, and over forty thousand eligible households had successfully moved in. To date, Dawn City's registered permanent population had leaped from fifty thousand in earlier days to a full one hundred thousand! Even more heartening was the newborn registration data provided by the Ministry of Health—following the end of the war in Sunset Province, a sizable baby boom was in the making. Although this posed a significant challenge to the Alliance's currently limited medical and educational resources, the positive side was a tremendous improvement in the demographic structure. The Alliance's survivors were stepping into a new life. Although the calamities on this land were far from over, every heart was filled with confidence. Because their Administrator had truly delivered on the impassioned promise he made to the Alliance residents during the triumphal ceremony— To allow noble qualities to shine in the Alliance's society. Hardworking people would never be treated as fools. As long as they actively learned, worked, and lived, contributing their strength to society, they would certainly deserve a better life. Daybreak City was the same. The changes here were second only to Dawn City. The train station that once had only a wooden sign had now become a concrete terminal hall. A six-lane highway ran from the industrial zone to the logistics center. Workers who once lived in tin shacks repairing drainage facilities had moved into multi-story buildings equipped with elevators, and the noisy little workshops of the past had transformed into large factory compounds covering dozens, even hundreds of mu. Objectively speaking, while its level of development and standard of living couldn't match Dawn City, Daybreak City's "electrification degree" and "urbanization rate" surpassed Dawn City and Boulder City combined. After all, the Alliance's only city-grade fusion reactor sat right here; the transmission costs for electric power were negligible. Since hills outnumbered plains, local residents mostly lived in high-density multi-story buildings, making elevators standard equipment. The three-to-four-story detached houses found in Dawn City that housed only one or two families were nowhere to be seen in Daybreak City. Because of the vast amount of readily available foundations, the Daybreak City authorities simply built new housing directly atop the abandoned structures of old Xizhou City. Though most buildings constructed during the Prosperity Era were no longer usable, their foundations were shockingly intact and extraordinarily sturdy! Erecting a building with a fifty-year lifespan directly on top of the original foundation was entirely feasible! It was quite possible that by the time the new building reached its decommissioning date, the underground section would still be in pristine condition. Considering the infrastructure gap between the Alliance and the Prosperity Era spanned at least a century, such an outcome was entirely plausible. Furthermore, Xizhou City during the Prosperity Era was a low-density, livable city with generally modest building heights, making demolition far less arduous than in Qingquan City. Combined with concrete recycling technology provided by Ideal Group, the cost of constructing a twenty-story high-rise in Daybreak City was far lower than elsewhere. At present, Daybreak City's registered permanent population had grown from eighty thousand to one hundred and ten thousand, which accounted for virtually the entire settlement's populace. After all, this was the Alliance's industrial stronghold, far less commercially prosperous than Dawn City to the south. Most people came here looking for work. Working meant paying taxes, and paying taxes required registration, meaning this place theoretically had the fewest "undocumented residents" in the entire Alliance. Beyond housing and industry directly tied to public livelihoods, Daybreak City's other major infrastructure project was the dam on the northeast shore of Xizhou Lake! As one of the environmental engineering feats from the Human Alliance era, Xizhou Lake could be considered the largest artificial lake in the central region of River Valley Province. This lake had played a vital role in combating desertification across the central continent, but upon entering the Wasteland Era, the neglected lake had developed into a severe flood hazard due to the end of the glacial period, increased rainfall, shifts in the lakebed structure, and various other factors. If this "artificial reservoir" could be restored, vast tracts of black soil stretching from northwest Xizhou City to the Tianshui tributary could be reclaimed. This project was projected to add at least several hundred thousand mu of arable land to the Alliance! Moreover, unlike the farmland in Sunset Province that relied on the "river levee" system, the existence of this black soil required no unknown technology. Although the Alliance mainly imported food from vassal states and agriculture was not Daybreak City's primary focus, no one would complain about having too much farmland. Even if NPCs weren't interested in farming it, turning it over to lifestyle players obsessed with agriculture like Makabazi and Hunting Tigers on the Mountain would still be fantastic. Hundreds of thousands of mu of farmland, brand-new production methods and relations, the challenges of taming the wilds... In the hands of a big studio like Ubisoft, that would be enough to ship as an expansion pack for *Anno 1800*! Leasing an estate of over a hundred mu in reality meant dealing with endless headaches, but on the wasteland, one only had to clear out stray mutants and wastelanders every now and then. In short, despite enduring many trials including war along the way, Daybreak City's workers lived up to expectations and overcame every hurdle. According to the blueprints and construction plans provided by environmental engineer Butan, through the joint efforts of Camp 101's experts and the construction crew, the Xizhou Lake Dam was finally completed! Not only was the black soil north of Xizhou City reclaimed, but the Sixin District, previously submerged beneath lake water, surfaced once again. Crossing this area would never require a boat again! And that wasn't all. With the lake's retreat, this urban district sealed beneath the water for nearly a century and a half unlocked numerous new areas that players had never explored before. For instance, Vault 100 near the Sixin District subway line! According to data provided by Camp 101, that shelter was designed to shelter thirty thousand people and was originally scheduled to unseal in Year 60 of the Wasteland Era. Regrettably, in Year 52 of the Wasteland Era, the expanding lake submerged the entirety of Sixin District, sealing Vault 100's blast doors shut. Public records indicated that Vault 100 had been assigned the mission of reconstructing Xizhou City. In fact, the backup controlled fusion reactor beneath Xizhou City—the very one the Alliance was currently using—had originally been prepared for Vault 100. From this, one could infer that Vault 100 likely held a substantial reserve of helium-3 and that a considerable proportion of its residents were nuclear engineers. Dr. Method, living in seclusion inside Shelter 101, estimated that the probability of the vault's residents surviving was a mere 3.1 percent, the probability of them continuing their mission was under 1 percent, and their chances of success were near zero. He had therefore provided the coordinates of that controlled fusion reactor to the wastelanders of Camp 101. However, as to what Vault 100's sheltering plan actually was, perhaps only that vault's administrator would know. Perhaps just like Vault 79 in Ruigu City, Vault 100, which publicly claimed to bear the mission of reconstructing Xizhou City, was secretly conducting some entirely different shelter project? Yin Fang was exceptionally interested in this vault. After all, his profession was tomb raiding; his fascination with coffee makers, electronic gadgets, and even medical skills were mere side hobbies. Chu Guang felt the same. Yet rather than the mystery of why the vault had "sunk," he was far more interested in what treasures could be scavenged from within. Currently, Alliance construction crews were attempting to install a drainage system, using water pumps to drain the lake water flooding the underground passages and discharge it into the northern Tianshui tributary. With large numbers of aquatic arthropods like split-claw crabs and battleship shrimp nesting in the area, construction faced considerable challenges. At present, the excavation of Vault 100 ranked second on Daybreak City's work log, behind only a series of industrial zone expansion projects. Chu Guang was confident that the moment this vault saw the light of day again, all the treasures and secrets buried inside would be unearthed along with it. He harbored high hopes for it. If they could dig up a few popsicles, that would be even better. Specialists who possessed pre-war technical expertise were far more valuable to the Alliance at this stage than a black box or two... Compared to the rapidly transforming Dawn City and Daybreak City, Fallen Leaves City on the Alliance's western frontier maintained a much lower profile, yet its developmental potential was equally undeniable. As the trade hub connecting Sunset Province and southern River Valley Province, its most critical infrastructure consisted of the train station and logistics warehouses. Looking down from above through a Hummingbird drone, more than half the buildings and factories across the entire city were tied to logistics. Although wastelanders migrating from the west could often be seen here, most did not stay long, treating it primarily as a springboard to settle in Dawn City or Daybreak City. Pioneer City didn't boast any particularly flashy achievements; the only figure worth showing off at present was its population growth rate. After all, every so often, the players operating in the Great Desert would capture a slave caravan trafficking slaves from Brahma Province into the desert, or locate a mutant tribe hiding among the ruins, causing Pioneer City's population to bump upward. This placed considerable strain on the pocket-sized settlement, not merely because the population routinely doubled, but also because it possessed the most extreme gender ratio in the entire Alliance. Much like roosters in a chicken farm far outnumbered by hens, most mutant tribes like the Black Stone Tribe typically kept only a few of the meatiest male survivors in their pens for breeding, while the rest were tossed into stew pots within days. Slave traders doing business with those mutant tribes rarely bothered selling "worthless" male slaves here either. According to City Lord Teresa's report, most survivors rescued by the Thorn Corps and the players hailed from the Brahma Peninsula south of the Great Desert. A severe man-made catastrophe seemed to be unfolding there. Yet it was simply too far away. The shortest route from the Alliance required traveling first to Silver Moon Bay in the Camel Hump Kingdom before taking a ship further south. Alternatively, one could depart from Pioneer City and cut across the pre-war "Eastern Industrial Zone" and "Southern Industrial Zone." Therefore, despite sympathizing with the suffering endured by the people there, City Lord Teresa did not make unrealistic requests in her report. All they could do right now was strike at the mutant tribes and slavers near Pioneer City and excavate desert-buried ruins to build up their own strength... Pioneer City's population was now approaching three thousand, having multiplied several times over from the initial three hundred-odd survivors. Even though local conditions remained harsh. Regardless, their lives were incomparably better than before. Cargo airships drifting regularly from the east and merchant caravans occasionally arriving from Beast Town also brought fresh hope to this settlement forged through adversity. From Dawn City to Pioneer City, all four of the Alliance's trueborn children had progressed from their initial tottering steps to learning how to run. And Boulder City, once under the Post-War Reconstruction Committee and now governed by the Alliance, had also picked itself up from its previous stumble. Yet compared to the other rapidly expanding settlements in the Alliance, the visible changes here were hardly staggering. The settlement remained just as massive, just as crowded, and just as noisy. Its transformations occurred mostly in places outsiders could scarcely see, discernible only by those who lived there. Drafty houses no longer let the wind through, neglected matters finally had someone to oversee them, store shelves carried richer selections of goods, more people strolled the streets, public safety had improved, and so on. Through struggles that spared no blood, the local survivors had finally made their lives into what they ought to be, allowing the people who canned food to actually eat the food they produced—nothing more. Yet that simple "nothing more" was exceedingly rare and precious for the vast majority of settlements on the wasteland. Although Chu Guang had spent this recent period on the front lines, he was not in the least unfamiliar with what was happening throughout the Alliance. Most administrative work in the Alliance was conducted via electronic terminals. From logistical management to settlement architectural planning, digitized governance reached nearly every aspect of the survivors' lives. While it fell short of the Prosperity Era's standard where even a water faucet was connected to the global network, on the wasteland it was undeniably advanced. Thus, even if Chu Guang frequently left the Alliance's political center, his grasp over the various regions remained completely unaffected. So long as he could connect to the shelter's server. Naturally, with the focus having remained on the front lines previously, a considerable backlog of unfinished work had accumulated despite the convenience of "digitized municipal administration." Both duties as a "shitty dev" and as the "Administrator." Yet even with mountains of paperwork awaiting him. Before returning to his "workstation" in the browsing room on B4 of the shelter, Chu Guang paid a visit to Xizhou City on the Alliance's northern border. Situated there was the Alliance's largest research institute and higher academy—larger even than the biological research institute of Vault 79. He had promised Xia Yan that he would visit her upon his return. Furthermore. Pai had informed him during a recent holographic call that Shelter 101's overseer, Dr. Method, wished to speak with him about something. As it happened, Chu Guang also wanted to talk to him about the "Sanctuary" and "Torch," so he had readily agreed...