manynovel Chapter 213: Myriad Laws Heaven Dharma Conch, Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch!
Chapter 213: Myriad Laws Heaven Dharma Conch, Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch!
Xin Province.Kindling Shelter City.
A-1, codenamed "Primeval" Kindling Rail Mountain.
As the first of the thirteen Kindling Rail Mountains in Kindling Shelter City, in terms of pure height, even the tallest satellite city structures in the shelter city were nothing more than low-lying ornaments when placed at the foot of this mountain.
When one's gaze passed over the overlapping domes of the A-1 satellite city, the majesty of the Primeval Kindling Rail Mountain was fully revealed.
Its height had long surpassed the limits of human understanding regarding artificial mountains, reaching an astonishing 6,245 meters, almost rivaling the Divine Mountains of the old era.
Even if placed among natural mountain ranges for comparison, this artificial Primeval Kindling Rail Mountain would still be considered a colossal behemoth.
No one could clearly explain exactly how this giant mountain was built. All that people could see was its massive alloy body.
On its surface, there was not a single crease or fold expected of natural rock. Every inch was as smooth as a mirror, yet under the light, it gleamed with a cold, heavy metallic luster, exuding the majesty of an unnatural creation.
If the researchers from Happiness City were to set foot here, they would undoubtedly lose their composure on the spot.
One must know that within Happiness City, the Research Institute had to carefully budget and scrimp when using their self-produced Happiness Alloy. Yet here, this precious alloy served merely as the outer coat of the Primeval Kindling Rail Mountain.
A layer of Happiness Alloy plating, about thirty centimeters thick, tightly and seamlessly wrapped around every corner of the mountain. No one dared to calculate the terrifying value of this outer coat's total weight.
Whenever moonlight fell upon it, the rays striking the alloy plating did not reflect normally, but instead seemed to crash into a flowing silver-blue ocean.
The light shattered and recombined on the surface of the plating, ultimately transforming into millions of faint yet dazzling starlights. These illuminated the distant satellite city structures, dyeing them in the same soft silver-blue hue and shrouding them in a dreamlike halo.
Passing clouds would occasionally sweep across the mountain's peak, reflecting the light from the plating to take on a faint blue-purple tint. It was as if this giant steel peak had been draped in an ethereal, lightweight gauze, adding a touch of soft poetic beauty.
Looking up along the mountain body, one could discover its intricate structure. Every fifty meters, an overhanging platform extended outward. With over a hundred such levels, they looked like the outstretched arms of a giant, steadily supporting the space.
The edge of every platform was shrouded in a translucent, pale cyan energy barrier.
Silver-gray tracks, resembling the spine of a giant dragon, coiled around the mountain in rings, extending all the way from the base to the summit, as if tying a brilliant belt around this majestic Kindling Rail Mountain.
But the most shocking sight of all was the summit of this Primeval Kindling Rail Mountain.
A massive circular platform, reaching four kilometers in diameter, floated out of thin air above the highest point. It seemed to merge with the sky, lacking any visible support yet remaining as steady as a boulder.
Above the platform, a giant bowl-shaped purple barrier inverted downward, tightly isolating the entire area. The surface of the barrier shimmered with faint flowing light, projecting an indescribable sense of mystery while blatantly displaying an inviolable might.
Only a very few knew of the existence of this platform, and even its name was a closely guarded secret.
It served as the highest scientific research Sacred Land of Kindling Shelter City, as well as the transit station for processing core information across the entire wasteland.
The Kindling Platform.
Anyone capable of entering this place was either an overlord-class shelter city lord with an incredibly noble status.
Or they were researchers with extraordinary intellects, individuals who would be hailed as geniuses or eccentrics anywhere else.
Aside from them, there was no one else.
At this moment.
Inside the spire-like central information distribution station of the Kindling Platform.
A staff member on duty suddenly looked up as a new message appeared on the screen in front of them.
[Happiness City (Spark Cornerstone)]
[Time of Dispatch: 04:06]
[Requesting Level 4 Information Synergy. Relevant synergy fees have been paid.]
[Please immediately connect all subordinate Flame Hub Cities and Fire Cluster Collaborative Cities to inquire about the source information of this item.]
[Related Reward: 120 Xin Huo Points]
"Level 4 Synergy?"
The staff member froze for a moment before their fingers began rapidly flying across the keyboard.
Streams of information began to quickly distribute from the Kindling Platform to hub cities and collaborative cities all over the wasteland.
To this day, the Kindling Alliance had numerous internal members.
Aside from Kindling Shelter City, which held a transcendent status as the founder, the six Cornerstone Cities were the greatest powers below it.
As one of the six great cornerstones, Happiness City naturally had the authority to issue synergy messages to the hub cities and collaborative cities beneath them.
The synergy levels were divided into five tiers, with level one being the lowest and level five the highest.
Generally speaking, Level 4 Synergy was only ever used for major events concerning the core development of a shelter city.
After distributing the information and confirming there were no errors in the command code, the staff member immediately stood up and quickly walked toward the private elevator leading to the top of the spire.
The spire had a total of 32 floors, and the elevator went straight to the 30th floor.
The staff member stepped out of the elevator, arriving at a door labeled "Zhang Ming" in just two steps, and lightly rapped their knuckles against it.
Knock, knock-knock.
"Come in," a resonant voice replied from inside the room, carrying a trace of reassuring calmness.
The moment the door was pushed open, cool-toned lighting was the first thing to catch the eye.
The office was not large, roughly around a hundred square meters. Floor-to-ceiling windows occupied the entire north wall, offering a panoramic view of the Kindling Platform outside.
There was no traditional desk inside, only a ring of floating silver alloy stands. Three light screens unfolded steadily above the stands; the left side displayed a rotating, complex molecular structure model, while the right side scrolled through real-time updates of energy fluctuation data streams.
Zhang Ming was standing in the center of the light screens. Wearing translucent sensor gloves on his fingertips, he manipulated virtual beakers and test tubes to gently touch each other. A pale green liquid swirled within an invisible container. The moment it finished mixing with a transparent reagent, a patch of light purple reaction spots instantly bloomed in the air. "Ah, failed again..."
Waving his hand to wipe away all the light spots, Zhang Ming shook his head with some helplessness before finally turning around.
He was around forty years old, with sharp and distinct facial contours. His short hair was held perfectly in place by gel, without a single strand out of order. A pair of rimless sensor glasses rested on his tall nose bridge, the inner sides of the lenses still rapidly flashing with pale green data streams, reflecting off his pupils and making them appear even deeper.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Division Chief Zhang, it's a Level 4 Synergy command transmitted from Happiness City," the staff member reported in a low voice, bowing slightly.
"Is that so?"
Zhang Ming slightly raised an eyebrow. He naturally reached out his right hand, gently pinching his thumb and index finger together and apart.
Following this motion, a pale blue interactive light screen unfolded out of thin air, clearly displaying rows of encrypted text and attached images.
In the picture was a peculiarly shaped conch, its surface engraved with dense, obscure runes, with a faint halo of clouds and mist lingering around its edges.
"An Immortal Item? And a cascading amplification type?"
Zhang Ming's gaze locked dead onto the conch runes in the light screen. A trace of genuine surprise uncontrollably flashed through his eyes before he raised his hand to signal. "Understood, you may leave first."
The moment the door clicked shut, he pondered briefly, then beckoned toward the empty space behind him.
The alloy floor cracked open a seam in response, and a large executive desk embedded with a touch panel, along with a heavy leather office chair, slowly rose up, stopping precisely beneath the light screen.
After sitting down, he adjusted his collar while looking at his own faint reflection in the light screen. He raised his hand to press a few stray hairs back into his neat hairstyle, and only then did he lightly tap the touch panel with his fingertip.
Buzz.
Hum—
A subtle resonance echoed through the air as ripple-like signal waves surged along the edges of the virtual light screen.
A moment later, the ripples gradually subsided, and the image stabilized, revealing a face framed by shoulder-length purple hair.
The woman wore a well-tailored research uniform. Her aura was elegant and tinged with a hint of intellectual charm, and she was similarly seated in an office chair.
"Institute Director Yu, you still haven't rested this late at night?" Zhang Ming spoke first, a perfectly measured smile hanging on his face, his tone carrying a touch of deliberate surprise.
"Division Chief Zhang contacting me late at night shouldn't be just to ask about my rest, right?" Yu Erlan's smile was equally appropriate. But upon closer inspection, one could spot a trace of distance hidden deep in her eyes, and even a faint, imperceptible disgust.
The internal researchers of the Research Institutes from the six Cornerstone Shelter Cities and Kindling Shelter City frequently held video conferences to communicate and exchange information. The two were naturally no strangers to one another.
However, if one were to list the people she hated the most, Zhang Ming would absolutely be on that list, and he would rank near the very top.
He was a thorough and complete "technology merchant."
He possessed absolutely none of the simplicity, professionalism, or perseverance that a researcher should have. All he had was arrogance, ignorance, and... ego.
"There is indeed a matter," Zhang Ming said.
As if completely oblivious to her repulsion, he took it upon himself to enlarge the holographic image of the conch. "Your Happiness City just issued a Level 4 Synergy Order. I thought this thing looked a bit familiar. Judging by the rune patterns, it shouldn't be a complete Immortal Item, just a fragment."
"But what's interesting are these few sections. We've already parsed the relevant rune meanings. They all represent amplification, and there's another segment related to material structure... This is truly a good item."
Yu Erlan didn't respond, merely continuing to smile as she waited for him to go on.
Happiness City was already lagging behind in Source-Guiding Technology, and their parsing of Immortal Item runes only scratched the surface. They had not squeezed their already limited research power for this specific type of technology.
Although she couldn't understand what Zhang Ming was saying right now, one thing was certain: this guy definitely hadn't come just to show off, nor had he come to congratulate Happiness City.
Sure enough, seeing that Yu Erlan wasn't taking the bait, Zhang Ming let out a light cough and finally revealed his true purpose. "There are still quite a few new runes on this fragment that we haven't seen before. If you're willing to trade the fragment, we can exchange it for a B+ rank technology. How about it?"
"B+?"
Even though Yu Erlan controlled herself very well, her expression still shifted slightly upon hearing this rank.
It sounded like B+ was far from the top-tier S-rank technologies of Kindling Shelter City, separated by a full several tiers.
However, Happiness City's own core technology, "Happiness Alloy," was only valued at the A-rank, which was merely two levels above B+.
Even the complete civilian Kindling Terminal technology popularized by the Kindling Alliance was only B-rank, one tier lower than B+. Only the military-grade Kindling Terminal was worth a B+ rank.
This condition indeed exceeded her expectations.
Of course, this also indirectly proved the terrifying value of this suddenly discovered Immortal Item fragment.
"How about it, my sincerity is sufficient, right?" Zhang Ming's smile deepened as he saw her being moved.
"The focus of your Happiness City has never been on Source-Guiding Technology. This fragment falling into your hands is purely a waste of time."
Zhang Ming's tone was full of condescending arrogance. "Moreover, if we find the other parts of it in the future, that half-piece in your hand will be completely worthless."
A familiar feeling of disgust welled up in her heart. Yu Erlan slightly furrowed her brows, yet she didn't relent verbally. "Exchange it for an A-rank technology, and we'll trade."
"Heh, what a lion's appetite..."
Zhang Ming laughed out loud, gently shaking his head. "It seems you haven't even gotten your hands on this Immortal Item fragment yet."
"Hmm?" Yu Erlan's expression slightly changed.
"Alright, there's no need to hide it."
Zhang Ming raised his hand and tapped the light screen, enlarging the local details of the conch runes. "The direction of this thing's influence is area-of-effect amplification. I'm guessing it's a product tinkered up by those lunatics in Antarctica back in the day to modify the environment. I didn't expect it to appear around your Happiness City. Quite a rarity."
"The runes on it share many commonalities with the core runes of our Kindling Rail Mountain. That's why I was willing to offer a B+ rank price. Otherwise, just based on a few unseen new runes, it'd be worth a B- rank at most. Furthermore, you can't even begin to imagine how many resources are required to parse these things. Looking across the entire wasteland, not even Natural Village Shelter City possesses the fringe technology necessary for related parsing."
As his voice fell, the unbridled arrogance on his face was fully displayed.
This was the confidence of Kindling Shelter City, and even more so, the foundation upon which the Kindling Research Institute stood proudly at the summit of the wasteland's scientific community.
In the first year of the New Era, Kindling Shelter City was the first to take root in the wasteland, choosing the correct path right from the start.
In the following years, shelter cities gradually rose up in various regions. Because they started a step late and each chose different technological directions, they had long since been separated by an insurmountable gap.
Kindling wholly devoted itself to dual-source technologies. Years of deep cultivation had paid off in today's technological explosion.
Happiness City, on the other hand, had taken the path of "retro combined with innovation." While salvaging the technological legacy of the old era, they attempted to embed and improve it with Source Rail Technology. Relying on this accumulation, they managed to secure their position as the overlord of Shi Province.
Light Rainbow Shelter City specialized in new energy sources. Now, with frequent technological breakthroughs, they had basically overcome the difficulties of energy utilization, faintly gaining the qualifications to become the new overlord of Guang Province.
On the other side of Earth, Natural Village Shelter City stood unparalleled in the field of biotechnology, having already developed the capability to recreate the modified 'treasures' of the previous era.
Each top shelter city had different focal points. Differences in direction ultimately created a divergence in destinies.
Those shelter cities entirely focused on restoring old era technologies were now finding it "hard to turn a large ship around." The technological systems of the old era were simply incompatible with the wasteland. Wanting to pivot to new fields, yet lacking personnel and foundation, they could only gradually march toward decline.
Those like Happiness City, who tried to balance both ends, were gradually revealing obvious signs of decline. They could only rely on the foundation they had amassed in their early years to bitterly hold on, constantly searching for an opportunity to pivot.
Meanwhile, Kindling, Light Rainbow, Natural Village... these shelter cities that had bet on new tracks right from the start were now constantly making technological breakthroughs, and the gap between them and other factions was growing larger and larger.
Zhang Ming was clearly very aware of this disparity, and the smile on his lips grew increasingly obvious. "Institute Director Yu, actually, the Ruin-level Infection Tide three years from now is also a good opportunity for you to pivot. Take advantage of the present to abandon your foundation in Shi Province and rebuild elsewhere. The geographical conditions of Shi Province were never suitable for research anyway; materials are barren, and the trade routes are almost broken... I know you are different from Silver City back in the day, that you have the ability to block the Infection Tide, but have you calculated the cost?"
"Now isn't the time to play hero. All the shelter cities across the wasteland are keeping their heads down and developing. If you smash your already meager resources into resisting the Infection Tide, how much will be left for development? And how much can be invested into the research of new technologies?"
He spoke more and more bluntly, showing not the slightest bit of restraint even as he saw Yu Erlan's expression darken bit by bit.
This was his duty, and his role within Kindling Shelter City.
To be the "villain who acquires technology."
If everyone acted as a Mr. Nice Guy, who would set the base price for scarce technologies? Who would suppress those unrealistic, sky-high demands? Who would maintain the mutual exchange of goods within the Kindling Alliance?
Ding.
Just as he was speaking, a crisp notification chime simultaneously rang out on both of their light screens.
Was there feedback from the synergy request?
Zhang Ming clicked open the message with a bit of curiosity, but the moment he saw the header, his brows instantly furrowed.
[Synergy Information Source: Canghai Shelter City]
[Information Content: Based on the Immortal Item fragment images and basic data provided by Happiness City, we have located the origin and partial core information of this Immortal Item. The object initially originated in (Classified Area), jointly developed by (Classified Organization) in collaboration with (Classified Individual). Its prototypes are divided into two categories, originally named "Myriad Laws Heaven Dharma Conch" and "Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch." Due to the deaths of core researchers at the end of the Old Era, the research and development was interrupted, and it never underwent actual combat testing. Thus, its efficacy can only be speculated. Specific speculation content: (Classified)]
[Note: Non-synergy parties detected. To view this classified information, please pay: 240 Xin Huo Points]
"There actually are records of it?" Zhang Ming stared at the information prompt on the light screen, his brows instantly knotting together.
Generally speaking, Immortal Items created by Transcendents of the Old Era—provided they had names and actual combat records—had long since been completely carved up by the top shelter cities during the containment competitions over the years.
Only those "defective products" that had been cut short midway and left unfinished were likely to be scattered deep within the wasteland.
For this type of Immortal Item, even the origin was a mystery, let alone just a fragment. To be able to dig up its background was simply an anomaly.
And for something like an Immortal Item, once its specific origin and efficacy were figured out, its value would soar several times higher than when it was in a "mystery box" state.
Zhang Ming was extremely curious, but the synergy mechanism had strict rules. This type of information could only be viewed by the initiator and the synergist. Even for Kindling Shelter City, attempting to cut the line to take a look required paying double the points.
A full 240 points. This was almost catching up to the 300-point threshold of a Level 5 Synergy.
No matter how curious Zhang Ming was, he couldn't bear to squander that much. He could only suppress his urges and stare intently at Yu Erlan on the other end of the light screen, waiting for her to reveal a flaw after reading the information.
Unfortunately, his calculations were destined to fall flat.
The moment the information was sent, Yu Erlan's image suddenly froze. An "Auto-Away" prompt popped up in the corner of the light screen, evidently a security mechanism set up by Happiness City that shielded out external interference when viewing intelligence.
Two minutes later, the away status was lifted, and Yu Erlan's body finally began to move again.
"How is it?" Zhang Ming immediately raised his brows and pressed, asking probing questions. "No matter what background this thing has, our purchasing price remains unchanged. A B+ rank technology, just for those runes."
However, Yu Erlan gently shook her head. Not only was there no trace of solemnity on her face, but she instead broke out into a meaningful smile. "120
points to let you take a look at the complete information."
"Oh, it seems you've struck gold." Zhang Ming's heart shuddered, yet his face remained completely calm. He liked this kind of clearly priced tug-of-war, so he immediately shook his head to counteroffer: "40 points."
"120 points." Yu Erlan's tone didn't loosen in the slightest.
"60 points?" Zhang Ming sat up slightly straighter, his tone carrying a posture of "concession." "No more than this. That's already covering half your costs."
Yu Erlan merely smiled without saying a word, lightly tapping her fingers against the edge of the desk. That confident demeanor made it clear she had him completely figured out.
"I'll add another 10 points. 70 points?"
"Minimum 100."
"Deal!" Zhang Ming responded almost instantly, agreeing with exceptional decisiveness.
The previous haggling had just been a probe. From Yu Erlan's firm attitude, he had already confirmed that the intelligence was worth far more than 100 points.
It was just that when the prompt sound for the point deduction rang out, Zhang Ming couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
The value of Xin Huo Points far exceeded the currencies of various shelter cities. They were absolute hard currency. A single point could be exchanged for 1,000
Contribution Points in Happiness City.
This single glance at the intelligence was equivalent to forcefully throwing in 100,000 Contribution Points, while Happiness City itself had only needed to pay 20,000 Contribution Points to learn a crucial piece of information.
But it couldn't be helped. Who told the runes on that Immortal Item fragment to have a connection to the core runes of Kindling Rail Mountain?
Even if it was just a tiny trace of a connection, it could very well be the key to cracking the technological bottleneck of Kindling Rail Mountain!
As the points arrived in the account, the classified information on the light screen was instantly unlocked. Densely packed text and descriptive images spread out before him.
To his surprise, Canghai Shelter City had actually collected the prototype design blueprints for both types of Immortal Items. Although the functional speculations listed were based entirely on the blueprints and lacked further validation, just these bold speculations alone made Zhang Ming's heart pound wildly.
He had only hastily skimmed a few lines of the core data before his fingers tightly clenched. Standing up abruptly, the casualness on his face completely vanished, and his voice became several times more serious than before:
"An A- rank, my highest offer, and it is strictly limited to tonight."
"If you nod right now, I'll immediately go see the Elders to report it. Before daybreak, we will have finalized the details of the transaction."
"No, no, no, Division Chief Zhang. I'm not the one who can make that decision."
Yu Erlan, however, smiled calmly and gently shook her head, her tone unhurried. "You like clear prices, but as for me, I like having a lion's appetite. If you want to trade, it has to be an A-rank technology. Whenever you manage to apply for A-rank authority is when we can talk again."
Seeing Zhang Ming furrow his brows tightly, clearly about to start haggling, she immediately added, "Of course, I know that according to conventional valuation, it might only be worth an A- rank. But you know in your heart that its significance to Kindling goes far beyond A- rank, doesn't it?"
Whoosh.
Before her voice even fully faded, and without giving Zhang Ming a chance to fight for it, Yu Erlan directly cut off the communication.
The light screen instantly darkened, leaving behind only a cold metallic sheen.
Staring at the empty screen, the solemnity and inner conflict on Zhang Ming's face receded completely like the tide. Replacing it was an unconcealable surprise that gradually overflowed into irrepressible joy.
He raised a hand to rub his burning cheeks, his fingers faintly trembling.
Happiness City actually had this kind of dumb luck?
No, it should be asked: did his own shelter city actually have this kind of luck?
The technological bottleneck concerning Kindling Rail Mountain had persisted for two and a half years. During this period, countless manpower and material resources were expended without any progress. Yet now, it only required a single A-rank technology to potentially trade for a breakthrough?
After pacing quickly around the room for several minutes, Zhang Ming finally managed to suppress his excitement and stood back in the center of the light screens.
An A-rank technology?
There was absolutely no need to alarm the Elders!
With his authority as a Division Chief of the Kindling Research Institute, he could completely make the final decision on this trade himself.
"This is Zhang Ming. I am applying to access the A-rank resource technology database to initiate the transaction protocol for the Immortal Item fragment with Happiness City and reach a preliminary agreement."
The moment the application was submitted, the originally blank approval column in the top right corner of the form saw circles lighting up in green one after another.
Even though it was late at night, not a single person in the various departments responsible for approval was offline.
And this was also the norm for the Kindling Platform.
The researchers who stepped foot in here had long tacitly agreed to exchange their "future lifespan" for "present time." At the cost of shaving twenty to thirty-five years off their lives, they exchanged for the Vigor to fully recover with just one hour of sleep a day. All of this was merely to race against time and push forward technological breakthroughs.
The approvals passed in seconds. Zhang Ming raised his hand and waved at the light, causing application forms to fly out. They automatically distributed to multiple professional departments, including the Trade Department, Technology Integration, Inspection Station, and the Kindling Legion, initiating the full-process protocol drafting procedures.
Although Happiness City still hadn't obtained the fragment, he wasn't worried in the slightest.
For an Immortal Item fragment worth an A-rank technology, no matter which shelter city found out about it, they would definitely fight to the bitter end—even if they had to pile up human lives. There was no need to doubt this point.
At the same time, the various subordinate departments across Kindling Shelter City enveloped in the night simultaneously received special directives.
B4 District, Inspection Station Rooftop.
"Hey, it's not even autumn yet, so why have the applications for escort training been opened?"
Li Changfeng spat out the cigarette butt in his mouth, sitting on a chair and swinging his legs as he pulled out his Kindling Terminal, his face full of bewilderment.
Every autumn, Kindling's Inspectors could apply for escort training, following merchant caravans to travel to other shelter cities and experience different wasteland sceneries.
But this training was completely different from Happiness City's field missions. Not only was there no reward, they also had to bear the responsibility for the caravan's security and even pay for a portion of the expenses out of pocket. Thus, there were rarely many willing to go.
However, the early opening of this year's training applications still managed to hook Li Changfeng's curiosity.
He tapped with his finger, opening the application details page. The moment he clearly saw the destination, he couldn't help but sit up straight in shock:
"Holy shit? No way? We can go to Happiness City this year?"
Shi Province.
Jianbo Town.
A Ruin-level Infection Tide was heading straight for Happiness City?
Cheng Ye froze abruptly, his first reaction being sheer disbelief. But when he met the unconcealable solemnity in Elder Qian's eyes, the doubts that had reached his lips were silently swallowed back down.
An Elder had no need to deceive people, at least no need to lie about a matter concerning the life and death of Happiness City.
It was just that.
Once upon a time, when he had first seen information about the Ruin-level Infection Tide in the Survival Library.
Back then, he had felt that Happiness City's strength was completely vulnerable. Let alone stopping an Extinction-level tide, even facing a Ruin-level one would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Therefore, he had decided to amass his strength as quickly as possible. When real danger approached, he would have the confidence to escape from Happiness City and find another path of survival out on the wasteland.
But as he slowly came into contact with Happiness City's deeper foundation, sticking his head beneath the water's surface to see the unknown other side of this behemoth.
He suddenly realized that the goal he had set back then to just escape was truly somewhat naive.
And now, after personally experiencing the crisis in Jianbo Town and witnessing a Ruin-level Infection Source erupt right beside him, Cheng Ye finally came to a sudden realization:
A Ruin-level Infection Tide was undoubtedly terrifying.
It was just like Silver City back in the day, a shelter city several times larger than Happiness City, which happened to be standing right in the inevitable path of an Infection Tide. Even after exhausting the entire city's power to resist it, they ultimately failed to stop it, and the entire city was turned into wasteland.
Yet in comparison, an Infection Tide at least had traceable signs. Its trajectory could be predicted in advance, allowing shelter cities time to evacuate their citizens and...
pack up core resources. There was still a chance to run away.
But what about those high-risk Infection Sources slumbering underground, ready to awaken at an unknown time? What about the Immortal Items hidden all over the wasteland that even detectors couldn't find?
They had absolutely no early warning. It might be calm and peaceful one second, only to detonate a devastating disaster the very next.
And to an individual, these invisible threats were the truly fatal ones!
They were ten times, a hundred times more terrifying than a so-called Infection Tide!
Yet, even after revealing the news of the "Ruin-level Infection Tide," Elder Qian's face remained devoid of any ripples. His tone was as flat as if he were saying "I need to drink two more bags of nutrient paste tomorrow." There was absolutely no sign of the tension expected from Happiness City imminently facing a life-and-death crisis.
"The first four Ruin-level Infection Tides all charged out from the restricted areas. The fifth time is no exception."
Seeing him recover his wits, Elder Qian slowed his speaking speed, deliberately leaving a gap for thought. "The Kindling Alliance has already detected abnormal restricted area activity. This winter, they will depart from the 'Source Area W-1' and head straight for the 'Source Area M-2', and our Happiness City happens to be right on the connecting line between these two source areas."
"Since it can be detected in advance, is there no way to lure them into changing their route?" Cheng Ye couldn't help but press.
Being able to accurately predict the trajectory of the Infection Tide once again pushed his estimation of the Kindling Alliance's strength beyond his imagination.
However, on second thought, it made sense. Slumbering Infection Sources were hard to capture, but a colossal natural disaster of this mobilized scale would inevitably make massive commotions. If they couldn't even detect that, it would actually be unreasonable.
"Of course we can lure them, but which direction do you think we should lure them towards?"
Elder Qian chuckled, his words carrying a hint of implication. "The shelter cities on other routes won't just sit idly by and watch the Infection Tide change course to charge at them. If another shelter city lured the Infection Tide toward our Happiness City, what do you think we would do? Besides, luring an Infection Tide of millions to change direction is no small matter. Who do you think should shoulder such a mission?"
He paused before continuing to add, "There's no need to be too anxious. The Infection Tide won't arrive this year. They only move during winter, absorbing the Infection Sources and Infected Bodies along the way to strengthen themselves. According to predictions, they will arrive around Happiness City in the third winter. The intensity will be second only to the second Ruin-level Infection Tide, which was the one that completely destroyed Silver City back then."
His words fell.
What surprised Elder Qian a little was that after hearing about the Infection Tide's threat level and arrival time, the fluctuations on Cheng Ye's face actually disappeared, completely settling down.
Was it because he still hadn't developed a sense of belonging to Happiness City and planned to simply leave when the Infection Tide arrived in three years?
Or was it because the current crisis in Jianbo Town hadn't been resolved, and he had no mind to consider matters three years into the future?
Or perhaps... he had other plans?
'As expected of an Elder from the Idealist Faction, even his style of doing things carries a rich idealistic flair!'
A thought turned in Cheng Ye's mind, making him inevitably sigh with a bit of emotion.
The identity of an Inspector was undoubtedly noble in Happiness City, but that was only relative to the residents living in the buffer zone.
To the higher-ups and Elders, a Trainee Inspector clearly possessed no qualifications to know so much important information.
Whether it was the inside story of Source-Guiding Technology, the core of Kindling Rail Mountain, or the bombshell news of the Ruin-level Infection Tide.
Yet Elder Qian had taken the initiative to explain all of this anyway. He had clearly already seen through his choice and was giving the most direct respect exchanged between smart people.
In reality, it was an opportunity for a true choice.
The moment he started asking questions, he had already chosen to enter Jianbo Town to contain the Immortal Item fragment.
Otherwise, he should have directly refused. After all, the less one knew, the easier it would be to extract oneself from this vortex of crisis.
"Elder Cheng's grandson is actually a bit more outstanding than I thought. Why haven't I heard anyone mention him before?"
Elder Zeng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interrupted. His tone carried a hint of reluctant approval before he snorted. "Stop dawdling and spouting nonsense. It's almost daybreak. He's not stupid, just state the conditions directly. Our Happiness City hasn't fallen so low that we can't bring out bargaining chips for someone to risk their life. Give him whatever he wants. If that's not enough, I'll pay for it out of my own pocket."
"Businessmen only talk about money, but we only talk about feelings, right?"
Elder Qian looked over with a beaming smile. Not giving Cheng Ye a chance to respond, he said directly, "First, the twenty thousand Contribution Points I invested in you previously were used very well and reasonably. If you can complete the mission this time, I will additionally inject another fifty thousand points into this investment. Moreover, I can promise you that there won't be any strings attached this time. You won't have to go to the Public Works Department to withdraw it, either. I will transfer it into a public account for you to manage. However you wish to allocate it... well, you can even take it for yourself if you want."
"Second, even if the affected Jianbo Town contains the Immortal Item fragment, according to the mutual treaties of the Kindling Alliance, it must be sealed off as a high-risk zone for fifty years. But I can apply to the alliance in the name of Happiness City to lift the ban. Furthermore, in the name of the Council of Elders, I will inject a one-time addition of 1,000 Infrastructure Points to Jianbo Town. Also, the Public Works Department will cooperate by regularly investing 300 points every year for a duration of ten years. That is to say, a total investment equivalent to four hundred thousand Contribution Points for Jianbo Town."
"Third, I guarantee you in my capacity as an Elder of Happiness City: as long as you do nothing to betray Happiness City, the Inspection Station in Jianbo Town will solely be your responsibility from now on. You may also appoint your own personnel to handle the town's administrative affairs. Happiness City will not interfere in any way. Whoever dares to stretch their hands in, I will directly chop them off for you."
"Fourth, I guarantee you in the name of an Elder of Happiness City that the equipment for your execution of this mission will be configured according to Happiness City's current top-tier protective gear. In this aspect, we will maximize the guarantee of your safety to ensure you can smoothly complete the mission."
Speaking up to here, Elder Qian's tone suddenly grew heavy. All those roundabout preludes were entirely reeled in, leaving behind only a trace of melancholy from having seen through the affairs of the world:
"In this era, what we lack least are bottom-rung people who want to risk their lives to carve out a path of survival. If you choose to leave, I won't stop you. But after you leave, perhaps hundreds, thousands, or even over ten thousand people will die here, until someone can successfully bring the Immortal Item fragment out."
"But if you stay, even if you end up dead, there won't be many people who will know of your contributions or sing praises of your greatness. So, you must think clearly. Are these bargaining chips truly worth you gambling your life? Or... can you find a firm reason to re-enter Jianbo Town, a reason that makes you perfectly willing even if you die inside?"
"Come, Inspector Cheng Ye, tell me. What is your choice!"