They Actually Dug Something Up?!

"Holy shit! Why are there so many people?!" Dawn City, the train station in the northern suburbs. A string of grumbled curses was instantly swallowed by the roaring din of the crowd, carried along as the packed mass of people surged from the platform toward the security checkpoint exit. It was December, the coldest time of year in Dawn City. Yet whether because of the swelling crowds or the blast of the heating system, the cramped station felt completely devoid of winter's chill; if anything, the sweltering warmth stirred a restless agitation in everyone's chest. "Damn it all... finally made it out." Having at last squeezed into an open space, Mei You Jia Ren exhaled a long breath and stretched his aching bones, which felt as though they had nearly been crushed to pieces. In the distance lay streets and plazas gilded gold by the sunlight. Standing right at the center of the main square was the towering Colossus of the Iron Hammer, the grand symbol of order. Squinting as he gazed across this scene both familiar and strange, a pleased smile crept onto Jia Ren's face. Not only did his mood improve considerably, but the lingering gloom clinging to him was swept clean away. Three days ago, during an amphibious assault on Death Coast, he had been unexpectedly taken out by a suicide mutant huddled in a trench. In the words of his teammates, he had launched straight into the sky like a rocket, and when he finally came down, there wasn't even an intact corpse left to be found. No wonder he hadn't been able to reconnect no matter how hard he tried. And so, he had spent three agonizing days offline pacing in frustration and scratching his head before finally getting back into the game today. Taking several deep, satisfying gulps of Dawn City's intoxicating air, Mei You Jia Ren felt thoroughly refreshed. With an expression of pure contentment, he headed toward North Street. Before transferring to an airship to rush off to Port French Fries, he planned to grab a bite on North Street and stroll around to take in the sights. Ever since the War in Heaven started, he had been operating around the Southern Sea, and come to think of it, he hadn't been back to look around for over half a year. Walking down this street both familiar and strange, listening to the peddlers hawking their wares on both sides, he actually felt a bit like the woodsman returning home after the rot had claimed his ax handle—a stranger in his own hometown. "Fresh tropical fruit! Durians bigger than a washbasin! Cold-chain airfreight from Baiyue Company! Don't miss out as you pass by!" "Grilled cold noodles! Freshly grilled cold noodles!" "Smart wearable devices from Ideal City! Featuring the latest holographic projection technology—switch your style whenever you please! One outfit replaces an entire wardrobe!" "The Free State's bionic companions are the most practical in the entire wasteland! Our company's models satisfy every need and can learn autonomously based on the visual data you provide! Come take a look, everyone!" The cries of vendors echoed without pause. Mei You Jia Ren ambled leisurely down the street, taking in the surroundings with keen interest to see if there were any novel gadgets he hadn't seen before. "...Dawn City really is getting more and more good stuff." Just as he wandered back toward the plaza, he suddenly spotted a group of peculiar fellows. They wore white robes and held stacks of flyers, handing them out to anyone who walked by. Perhaps because they looked too suspicious, passersby they targeted swerved aside to avoid them. Even after handing them out for a long while, they still held thick stacks in their arms. Yet despite distributing only a meager few, they weren't in the least discouraged, persistently trying to thrust the flyers into the hands of passing pedestrians. Noticing Mei You Jia Ren's gaze, the young men in white robes exchanged a few brief words, and soon one of them walked over carrying a stack of pamphlets. "Excuse me, friend, care to hear about the Equality Society?" "Let me take a look." Curious about what these guys were up to, Mei You Jia Ren took a flyer with great interest and began reading it intently. At first, he assumed this so-called "Equality Society" was probably another grassroots "Administrator Fan Club." After all, Dawn City never lacked brain-dead fans of the Administrator, and similar fan gatherings had happened plenty of times before. Yet halfway through reading, he was startled to realize that this Equality Society had nothing to do with Dawn City at all; it was a rescue organization formed spontaneously by overseas survivors from Bolo Province. The pamphlet laid out not only the Equality Society's governing philosophy, but also a concrete program of action designed to achieve their grand goal of "building an egalitarian society in Bolo Province." *The guy who wrote this is a real talent!* The further Mei You Jia Ren read, the more astonished he became, his eyes involuntarily lighting up. Who would have thought that such a progressive voice could emerge from that dog-eat-dog land of misery! While he read, the young man who had handed him the flyer wasn't idle either, tirelessly promoting his organization from the side. "...The wasteland is undergoing unprecedented upheaval. We cannot remain asleep; we must unite! Only when all of us take action toward the same goal will we have a chance to overthrow the corrupt, feudal Empire and march toward a new era alongside our fellow friends across the wasteland!" As the youth spoke, his eyes shone with vibrant passion, and his impassioned voice stirred an involuntary surge of hot blood in Jia Ren's chest. Right then, he noticed a triangular emblem at the bottom of the flyer and asked out of curiosity, "What's this?" Seeing his eyes fall on the triangular insignia, the youth eagerly explained, "This is the emblem of the Equality Society!" Surprised, Mei You Jia Ren said, "You even made an emblem already?" "Of course!" The youth said proudly, "We want to build a society shaped like an equilateral triangle! In this new society, there will no longer be distinctions of high or low, noble or base. Every side and every angle will be just as important as every other side and angle!" Mei You Jia Ren rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment before remarking, "Sounds interesting... but even an equilateral triangle needs one side facing down to stand stable, doesn't it?" The youth smiled and said, "Why must one side face down? We can lay it flat, just like drawing it on a sheet of paper. That way, isn't there no distinction between top and bottom?" Mei You Jia Ren was left dumbstruck, momentarily speechless. It took him quite a while to find his voice. "What a genius! Did you come up with that?" Yet the moment the words left his mouth, he realized the argument carried a whiff of sophistry. After all, let alone an equilateral triangle, if you drew a circle or a square and tossed it flat on the ground, it wouldn't have a top or bottom either. Still, pointing that out would make him seem like an argumentative nitpicker, so he kept his mouth shut. The youth, hearing only the compliment and missing the subtle shift in his expression, puffed out his chest and stated proudly, "Oh, I didn't come up with it. It was conceived by our revered Holy Father!" "Holy Father?" Mei You Jia Ren blinked. Just as he was about to ask who this Holy Father was, an unfamiliar voice called out from not far behind him. "Those are merely empty titles bestowed upon me by my friends on their own accord. Please don't take them to heart." Hearing the voice, Mei You Jia Ren turned around to see a man cloaked in a white robe walking toward him with a warm smile, politely extending his right hand. "I am Zayed, from Golden Gallon Port." "Ah, Mr. Zayed... pleasure to meet you." Mei You Jia Ren shook his hand, though he didn't give his game ID. The man named Zayed didn't press for his name either, merely offering a sunny, gentle smile before explaining, "My compatriots' understanding of equality remains quite abstract, so I sought vivid metaphors to help them grasp it. In truth, stripped down, equality comes down to those simple principles: land for the tiller, housing for the worker, free development for commerce and industry, and dignity for intellectuals... We intend to share what people need equally among everyone, rather than letting what rightfully belongs to all remain hoarded in the hands of a tiny cabal of nobles." After hearing him out, Mei You Jia Ren offered sincere praise. "I never imagined Bolo Province could produce a thinker like you." Zayed chuckled. "You misunderstand. I am no thinker. I suppose... I belong to the faction of action. The Equality Society I founded operates on the principle that action outweighs idle dreaming. Rather than writing about our ideals in newspapers, we would much rather practice the equality we preach through deeds! Of course, right now we are still far too weak, and we require the support of people of insight like you, friend." Hearing this, Mei You Jia Ren smiled bashfully, clearing his throat lightly. "You're far too kind. Compared to a casual thrill-seeker like me who doesn't have any grand ideals, you folks are the true people of insight." With that, he pulled a hundred-silver bill from his pocket and dropped it into the donation box under the thrilled gazes of the youths. "Just a small token of support, nothing grand. I hope it helps you out... Also, my name is Jia Ren—Family. You can just call me Family." "Family..." Zayed turned the word over in his mind, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "What a wonderful term..." Words like "friend" or "comrade" always felt a bit distant. But "family" was different. It seemed to carry an almost magical power, capable of instantly drawing two complete strangers into intimate warmth. The more Zayed thought about it, the more he felt whoever came up with using the word this way was an absolute genius. Without hesitation, he turned to the youths standing nearby and declared, "Our customs must change! From now on, members of the Equality Society will address one another as 'family'! We must stand united just like one family!" The young men looked toward their "Holy Father" in high spirits and chorused in unison, "Understood! Family!" Standing to the side, Mei You Jia Ren was utterly dumbfounded by hearing these people call everyone "Family" at every turn. He hurried to explain, "I meant my name is Jia Ren, Family—not what you think... Hey! Listen to me for a second!" He wanted to correct them, but it seemed too late. These people learned at an alarming speed and had already fully embraced the new setting. In the end, he could only abandon his efforts at persuasion. In truth, what they called themselves was secondary; what mattered was what they actually did. As long as their hearts were set on uniting everyone, what was the difference between calling it the Equality Society or the Family Society? Mei You Jia Ren convinced himself of this rationale. Besides, this fellow Zayed seemed a bit more reliable than that Laxi guy. While Laxi was capable, his methods were admittedly quite crude. For the sake of the suffering survivors across the wasteland, he sincerely hoped his name and that hundred-silver bill would bring them a bit of good luck... It would be wonderful if they truly managed to succeed. *** Meanwhile, in the abandoned urban sector of Haibei City. Ever since the Torch forces entrenched in this area were broken, the sector had grown noticeably bustling at an observable speed. Near the crooked, shattered remnants of concrete buildings, a clatter of clanging and banging echoed non-stop. Wilante soldiers carrying shovels worked with their faces turned to the ruins and their backs to the sky, looking as though they wanted to overturn this entire mine-riddled area. Favre refused to believe in this rotten luck—that his fortune was truly so dreadful that there was nothing beneath this patch of rubble except shattered concrete debris. Since they couldn't dig up anything under the mutant-built fortifications, he had ordered the excavation zone expanded. When manpower proved insufficient, he requested a reinforcement of a thousand laborers from Korwei. The entire worksite churned with billowing dust. Seen from afar, it looked as though they were locked in combat with the Alliance. Battlefield Guy thought this fellow had gone somewhat mad and couldn't help grumbling internally that his buddies had pushed things a bit too far. In reality, Favre truly had. At this moment, he was like a gambler whose eyes had gone red with loss, utterly obsessing over the ruins beneath his feet and driving his subordinates into misery. Just then, a startled cry of delight suddenly carried across the worksite. A Wilante soldier holding a shovel came limping over, caked from head to toe in mud, shouting as he ran, "Sir! We dug something up!" Favre, who was chewing on rations, was overjoyed. He hastily shoved his shoehorn-hard beef jerky and cold bread into his pocket and hurried forward to meet the Wilante soldier. Paying no heed to the filthy grime on the soldier's body, he grabbed the man by the shoulders, asking with an excited, trembling voice, "What did you dig up?!" "An underground space!" The soldier swallowed nervously, his eyes brimming with excitement as he gestured with his hands. "The area is roughly this big... big enough to stuff several hundred tanks inside!" Not knowing how else to describe such vastness, he could only resort to this clumsy analogy. Seeing the fellow gesticulate wildly without explaining anything clearly, Favre's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. He shoved the man forward. "Take me there at once!" The soldier nodded hastily. "Yes, sir!" Watching the two hurry toward the depths of the ruins, Battlefield Atmosphere Group, who was sitting not far away chewing on his dry rations, showed an expression of astonishment. *Holy crap... did they actually dig something up?!* At that thought, he couldn't sit still any longer. He quickly dusted off his trousers, got to his feet, and quietly trailed behind them, intending to see what was going on. The group soon reached the destination. Over a hundred laborers carrying shovels stood beside a half-collapsed concrete building. Surrounded in their midst was a tunnel sloping downward. The passage was remarkably wide, easily accommodating two combat vehicles side by side without feeling cramped. No wonder the Wilante soldier had used tanks as a comparison. Not only that, the concrete walls here had been poured at a different era than the buildings outside: the exterior structures were clearly more than two centuries old, whereas this tunnel was at most a hundred and fifty years old. Seeing both Millurions walking over, the technical officer standing beside the ruins quickly stood at attention and saluted Favre and Pangolin. "Sirs!" Returning a brief salute, Favre fixed his gaze intently on the man-made passage, asking impatiently, "What is the situation with this tunnel?" Sensing Millurion Favre's excitement, the technical officer hurried to explain, "We only just discovered this passage ourselves, so specific details remain unclear. For now, we can only confirm that this tunnel was likely built around Year 50 of the Wasteland Era... and was buried around Year 70 of the Wasteland Era." "Around Year 70 of the Wasteland Era..." Battlefield Atmosphere Group chewed over the phrase, and realization struck him like a thunderbolt. Wasn't that precisely when Shelter 20 ceased operations?! In other words... The reason Shelter 20 halted operations the first time was connected to the facility before his eyes?! Realizing this, Battlefield Atmosphere Group was utterly stunned. *Good grief!* His casual remarks had actually turned out prophetic! Unaware of the shifting expression on "Pangolin's" face, Favre merely knitted his brows instinctively upon hearing the technical officer's conclusion. Year 70 of the Wasteland Era? That was ages ago. The Church of the Torch had only emerged in recent decades, which meant this ruin probably had little to do with the Torch... Still, his men had painstakingly unearthed this ruin, so he pressed on with keen interest, "What is buried beneath this passage?" The technical officer standing by the entrance exchanged a glance with the engineer beside him. Seeing the officer pass the buck to him, the engineer turned to Millurion Favre with a helpless expression. "We aren't certain either, sir... A massive collapse must have occurred here previously, and we've only just excavated this passage. A large amount of construction debris inside needs to be cleared away. We've already dispatched an exploration team down, but they'll need some time." As if worried Favre would grow impatient, the engineer added, "However, based on the debris we just hauled out, our preliminary assessment suggests that an ancient survivor settlement lies below." Favre froze. "A settlement?" The engineer nodded earnestly. "Yes... a settlement dating back roughly a century! Moreover, there's a strong likelihood it belongs to the early batch born in the early Wasteland Era! We might even find a shelter nearby—after all, many early wasteland settlements were built near shelters, or even right at their entrances!" While the ruins of a mere survivor settlement held zero interest for Favre, adding a shelter into the equation changed everything. A look of pure exhilaration erupted across Favre's face, and he urged, "Then what are you waiting around for?! Get digging! Everyone get down there and dig!" Hearing such reckless orders, the technical officer nearby hurriedly cautioned, "People are already digging, sir! Only so many men can go down at once; send any more and an accident will happen!" "Fine, fine! Then make it quick! Whatever you need, just ask, and I will do everything in my power to secure it for you!" Favre rubbed his hands excitedly, unable to suppress the triumphant joy dancing across his features. By contrast, Lord Pangolin standing behind him wore an impassive, steady expression that commanded admiration. Yet no one knew that while this Lord Pangolin showed not a ripple of emotion on his face, in his heart he was cursing the mothers of everyone present up and down. *What the bloody hell am I supposed to do now?!* All he could do was silently pray that whatever lay beneath this tunnel was truly nothing more than a graveyard...