Chapter 981: Reversal

Chapter 981: Reversal

"Future children, has the world returned to normal?

Though I may not live to see the day when everything is better, I hope you can witness it for me.

Beneath the master bedroom's bed lies a safe. The password is my birthday, written in my diary... I have placed all my most valuable possessions there.

Now I entrust them to you, hoping you will use them for post-war reconstruction.

This is my wish.

—Clyster Ally"

Perhaps perseverance pays off. After scouring an unknown underground complex from top to bottom without finding anything, Fengqing and Guigui finally discovered the above message in a shop converted into a private shelter.

The words were written on a card, like a letter sent to the future.

Yet when they finally located the legendary safe, exhausted themselves finding that Clyster's birthday in a diary, and pried it open, both were simultaneously blinded by the dazzling golden light.

"Holy crap—gold! Damn it, why is it gold?!" Guigui's expression first turned to delight, but soon she remembered this wasn't reality but the wasteland, and in frustration kicked the folding bed beside her.

Fengqing wore a subtle expression as well.

"Emm... though emotionally hard to accept, it does seem reasonable?"

Rumor had it that during the era of the Human Union, the total population reached tens of billions. With the prosperity of aerospace and electronics industries, coupled with people's need to preserve wealth in a high-growth economy, gold must have been quite valuable back then.

But now...

All industries and populations had shrunk too much.

Gold was still more valuable than silver or copper, otherwise the Vlandians wouldn't have used it as currency.

Still, its scarcity was certainly not what it used to be.

"About eight kilograms... exchanging it for ten thousand denars shouldn't be a problem."

Guigui, crouching beside the suitcase, measured the gold's weight, sighed, and stowed it in her backpack.

Ten thousand denars could be exchanged for two or three thousand silver coins—actually not a small amount.

It was just that the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

"...Regardless, he left us what he considered most valuable."

Fengqing patted Guigui's shoulder comfortingly and said with a smile.

"Anyway, mission accomplished. No alien nests found... we can go back and report."

The two retraced their steps.

But just as they were about to step onto the escalator, a faint noise suddenly came from the shadows not far away.

The sound was like shoes stepping on a dusty floor—just a weak "creak," but it didn't escape their ears.

Fengqing instinctively chambered a round in her rifle, raising the muzzle toward the direction of the sound.

"Who's there!"

The air fell silent for a moment.

Just as their hearts were pounding, a scruffy old man emerged from beneath a half-collapsed steel support, his hands raised.

He looked unkempt, wearing canvas trousers with many pockets, a jacket draped over his shoulders, and carrying a woven bag and a short crossbow—like any scavenger common in the wasteland.

"Don't shoot..."

Perhaps aware he had no chance, the old man placed his bag and weapon on the ground, watching the two girls by the escalator warily.

Seeing him voluntarily disarm, Fengqing lowered her muzzle and flashlight, asking in an inquisitive tone.

"Who are you?"

The old man stared at her intently, looking at her gun, then at her nose, before speaking in a hoarse voice.

"A survivor from Avant City. A demon named Julius occupied our homeland, so we fled from the surface to here... And you? Children of survivors? Or children of demons?"

Fengqing and Guigui were taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances, then looked back at the old man.

"Survivors from Avant City... Which year's survivors do you mean?"

The old man frowned.

"Which year? What do you mean?"

Sensing that their conversation was already showing signs of cross-temporal communication, Fengqing said with a subtle expression.

"It's now the Wasteland Era 215. That Julius you mentioned... should have been dead for a century?"

She hadn't bothered to remember the exact number, as it was Vlandian history.

"A... a century?"

The scruffy old man was stunned, staring blankly at the two young women.

Suddenly remembering something, he pressed urgently.

"Then are the Vlandians still around?"

Guigui nodded.

"They're still here, but we defeated them. The Legion is history now... By the way, you haven't felt anything after all this time?"

The old man stared blankly at these "enemies of his enemies," momentarily at a loss for words.

After a long while, he said bitterly.

"Most of us are lying in hibernation pods, about ten to twenty thousand of us. Of course, this isn't a proper shelter—only a few backup generators, so someone has to stay awake outside."

He paused, then continued.

"Usually we leave about a hundred people, at least fifty, to maintain the facilities and do regular checks, to prevent the others from never waking up, and to keep the Vlandians from finding us... The rotation is about every five years."

Guigui stared at him in astonishment.

"Twenty thousand?! Wait, this place can hide twenty thousand people?! Then what do you eat normally?"

Fengqing was also dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open.

The old man grinned, looking unconcerned.

"Hibernation doesn't require food. Those awake just grow some mushrooms, whip up some nutrient paste—that's enough. We have people handling food, others scavenging. As for electricity, we're not short on that; commercial-grade nuclear batteries suffice."

As he spoke, he glanced toward the underground commercial complex.

"This is probably my second time waking up. I usually scavenge around here... Actually, I can't even figure out how long I've slept or how much time has passed outside. Management here is chaotic, life is a mess. Being awake feels like prison—the only hope is to finish five years and go back to sleep. But as soon as I close my eyes, I open them again."

"The guy who tapped my shoulder told me fifty or forty years had passed outside. He himself wasn't even sure, couldn't remember how many rotations had gone by. As for me, I felt nothing. At that moment, only one word came to mind: 'Damn.' To me, those forty or fifty years passed in less than a second!"

"But I'm still relieved—at least I outlived Julius, right? Thank you. This is the best news I've ever heard."

As he spoke, the old man laughed bitterly.

Perhaps he shouldn't have revealed these things; maybe he had already violated Avant City's discipline.

But honestly, he was tired of his mission.

At his age, how many more times could he hibernate?

Or to put it another way, was there still any need for him to continue hibernating?

Eyes closed, eyes opened, and everything was still the same, then he’d have to endure another five years.

Whether he hibernated or not, he probably only had about fifty years left to live in this lifetime.

And just for those fifty years, just to continue this aimless journey through time, they had given up family, love, friendship… and everything that should have belonged to them as human beings, and they no longer reproduced.

It was like a collective, slow suicide.

Rather than agonizing over who to wake up to live that rat-like existence, it would be better to grant everyone release.

More than once, he had wanted to turn off the power and become a true "graveyard keeper."

He even believed that anyone who had woken up more than twice would surely think the same.

So he spoke of these things without any restraint.

There was even a faint, hidden hope in his heart that these outsiders might do for him what he couldn’t bring himself to do—end everyone’s suffering.

Fengqing was silent for a moment, looking at the old man, and spoke in a gentle voice.

"What’s your name?"

The old man shrugged.

"Robin? If I remember correctly."

Fengqing nodded and patiently continued.

"Avent City now isn’t just home to the Vellant; there are also children of your former neighbors living here… The times have changed, and changed many times."

"Though the world might be on the verge of destruction, we… still intend to make the best of every remaining day. If you want to come out, we’ll find a way to help you. Of course… if you’d rather stay here, we won’t stop you."

The old man stared blankly at Fengqing, frozen for a long time before slowly speaking.

"The world… destruction?"

"Just a possibility," Fengqing nodded. "Strategic weapons in synchronous orbit have fallen into the hands of some bad people… Explaining it in detail would be troublesome, so just take it as that for now."

"Well… that really is a disaster," the old man gave a bitter laugh, scratching the back of his head. "I’m not in aerospace research… I don’t really understand that stuff. Maybe some of my compatriots would."

As for the end of the world, he didn’t find it hard to accept.

After all, he had already experienced something like that once in his lifetime.

Fengqing and Guigui exchanged a glance, then looked back at the old man and asked.

"So, are you considering going out?"

The old man hesitated.

"I’ll have to discuss it with the others… But of course, I’d still like to see the surface."

If what these two girls said was true, and the world might soon be destroyed, then staying here to scrape by really didn’t seem to have much point.

At the very least…

He wanted to die in a place with a bit more space.

As for the hatred toward the Vellant, the hatred toward Julius, and the restoration of Avent City…

Those could wait for later.

Right now, his mind was in a mess, and he had no energy to think about those things.

Guigui slung her rifle and hung it by her backpack, then volunteered, looking at the old man.

"We’ll go with you."

The old man didn’t refuse, just nodded.

"Come along, then."

…

[Mission Report: No alien nests found beneath 17th Street in Avent City, but remnants of a pre-war commercial complex were discovered, with over twenty thousand hibernators there. According to one survivor, they were original residents of Avent City who fled underground during the Julius era to escape war. The locals have now decided to return to the surface, and the twenty thousand hibernators are gradually awakening, some of them even from the Prosperity Era.

Reporters: Fengqing, Guigui

Mission Rating: S-

Rewards: 200,000 silver coins, 2,000 contribution points, 50,000 regional reputation!]

[Server Announcement: Avent City’s population increased by 21,771. New explorable area unlocked: "Prosperity Era Underground Commercial Complex Ruins."]

…

Though the world was once again on the brink of destruction, the players’ daily routines didn’t come to a halt.

After all, it wasn’t the first time the world in "Wasteland OL" had been on the verge of destruction.

In this game, a boss wouldn’t even dare call itself a boss without causing a world-level crisis.

Even if those ten thousand neutron torpedoes sounded a bit terrifying, when you thought about it, the Alliance still had quite a few cards up its sleeve.

Besides, they now knew where the enemy was.

There would always be a way.

Room 101, Prison No. 11, Avent City.

Looking at Flynn, who was firmly tied to the operating table, Jiang Xuezhou’s face was filled with complexity.

This guy’s mind had been severely damaged; he’d probably be a vegetable for a while.

And even if he woke up, he would likely live with mental illness for a long time.

Though it was "an eye for an eye," she didn’t feel much satisfaction from getting revenge.

As for why, she couldn’t quite explain.

Maybe it was because, after seeing his memories, she realized he was also a pitiful soul.

"This guy… what are you planning to do with him?"

Hearing Jiang Xuezhou’s voice, Ye Shi looked up and gave her a strange glance.

"We?"

Not sure what he found strange, Jiang Xuezhou frowned and asked.

"Is there a problem?"

"No…" Ye Shi scratched the back of his head. "It’s just that this guy killed your people, right? We’d naturally prefer to leave him to you."

Jiang Xuezhou was silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and asked.

"By the way, you’ve caught some members of the Enlightenment Society before, haven’t you? How did you deal with them?"

Ye Shi shrugged.

"How else? Prison time and labor reform. Let them participate in wasteland reconstruction, teach at refugee schools, do community service… things like that."

Jiang Xuezhou frowned.

"Does that work?"

"Who knows if it'll work? We can't exactly crack their heads open over something this trivial."

Ye Shi chuckled and continued.

"Some people really have been reformed, and they've helped us out in all sorts of ways. Others just know when to play along—since they can't beat us, they grin and bear it for now... And then there are the devout ones who finish their sentences and head straight back into the Great Wasteland. All of that's possible."

Jiang Xuezhou looked puzzled.

"You knew they might run, and you still did it?"

Ye Shi shook his head.

"That logic's flawed from the start. How could we possibly know if they'd run? The real point is, we don't care about the ones who fail to reform. We care about the former."

Jiang Xuezhou lowered her head, lost in thought.

"The former..."

Ye Shi shrugged.

"There are always some who get better, right? We showed them another way the world could be—where shelter dwellers and wastelanders stop killing each other and join hands to rebuild. Some people will agree with us and join us."

"Those who joined us became doctors, engineers, researchers. Some we turned into our spies... For us, that's enough."

"As for the rest, let them run. Just pray they don't get caught by us again if they do something bad."

Jiang Xuezhou's eyes gradually lit up. She rubbed her chin with her index finger, as if seriously pondering something.

After a moment, she made her decision.

"I've decided."

Ye Shi stared at her blankly.

"Decided what?"

Jiang Xuezhou said earnestly.

"I... want to give him another chance. Hand him over to you, let you reform him."

Ye Shi gave a wry laugh.

"Ah, this... I mean, we don't mind, but does your side not mind either?"

Jiang Xuezhou shook her head.

"The Academy never cares about any one person's life. This guy's worthless to us now... My advisor told me to handle it as I see fit."

Seeing that Jiang Xuezhou wasn't joking, Ye Shi sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"I think this is a bit too saintly, but suit yourself... Anyway, if you ever can't make it at the Academy, you'd be welcome here."

This time it was Jiang Xuezhou's turn to freeze.

Snapping out of it, she furrowed her brows and shot Ye Shi a fierce glare.

"How could I not make it? I'm doing just fine—I've even made it to C-level researcher, you know! Hah, you'd better worry about yourself."

"Me?" Ye Shi pointed at himself in disbelief, laughing helplessly. "Are you joking? I'm the number one perception-type powerhouse in the whole server. How much better do I need to be?"

Jiang Xuezhou frowned.

"What server? Perception-type? Number one? What weird stuff are you saying now?"

Realizing he'd slipped up and nearly crossed a line, Ye Shi quickly reined himself in.

"Forget it, forget it. You wouldn't understand anyway."

Seeing Ye Shi about to bolt, Jiang Xuezhou immediately chased after him, refusing to let it go.

"What do you mean I wouldn't understand?! Don't—don't leave me hanging like that!!"

Out in the hallway, listening to the distant shouts, Old Bai's face broke into a fatherly smile.

"Looks like Ye Shi's got a tight lip after all."

Fang Chang, standing nearby, gave a faint smile.

"You don't know him. He may not always be serious, but he has his principles."

A simple sense of justice and morality?

Whatever others thought, that was how Fang Chang saw it.

A long, long time ago, when *Wasteland OL* first appeared in the chat group, it was this kid who immediately thought of scams and, out of concern for the group's safety, dragged the other admins into discussing countermeasures.

If it had been Fang Chang himself, he probably wouldn't have bothered with such things.

He had a low tolerance for stupidity.

Old Bai glanced at Fang Chang, hesitated, and finally spoke.

"What if the apocalypse really comes—"

Before he could finish, the other interrupted.

"I won't let that happen."

Saying this in an unquestionable tone, Fang Chang placed a hand on his shoulder and continued earnestly.

"Never."

...

Elsewhere, in Dawn City.

The browsing room on B4 of Vault 404.

After listening to Chu Guang's account, Yin Fang couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

"A hundred thousand neutron torpedoes?! Your Praetorian Guard... are they serious?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"That intel didn't come from the Praetorian Guard. It was provided by your old employer, the Academy."

The browsing room fell silent for a moment, broken only by the gurgle of the teapot.

Yin Fang pressed his index finger to his brow, silent for a while, as if finally calming himself. Then he looked up at the ceiling.

"Activate the gravity well immediately, then set up an orbital defense system... No, that won't work. If we do that, we'll be playing right into their hands!"

The debris rampaging in synchronous orbit acted like an eggshell, forming a natural shield for Earth.

If the neutron torpedoes detonated near low Earth orbit, the high-energy rays, combined with other factors like the geomagnetic field, would have almost no lethal effect on surface life!

But if the gravity well was activated and the orbital debris blockade was lifted, everything would be up in the air...

The biggest problem now was how much control the Celestials had over the Orion-class missile cruiser.

Neither the Alliance, the Academy, nor the Enterprise had any idea what was happening aboard that missile cruiser.

Watching Yin Fang mutter to himself, Chu Guang nodded from the sofa.

"...The Academy thinks the same way. Until we get more intel, we not only can't activate the gravity well—we have to make sure the Enlightenment Society doesn't activate it either."

He had already informed the Eastern Empire about this, and they took it seriously, dispatching five hundred thousand troops to the Great Wasteland.

The Alliance was doing the same.

Pioneer City has declared a state of emergency, and the Thorn Corps stationed east of the Great Wasteland has extended its patrol zone into the heart of the desert.

The old colonies of the Southern Legion, such as Eternal Night Harbor and the Ravenca Industrial Zone, have also begun mobilization, ever vigilant against the conflict that might erupt from the Great Wasteland.

Yin Fang spoke with a bitter expression.

"It was just one research vessel lost... I never imagined it would have such severe consequences."

"I don't think it's about the research vessel," Chu Guang said, pondering before shaking his head. "Perhaps our adversaries have been preparing for a rainy day for a long time. While we were dealing with the Torch Church, while we were mired in the quagmire of the Bahr Province and the Southern Legion, they were already making preparations for today. The lost research vessel is merely the tip of the iceberg of a conspiracy surfacing."

Yin Fang stared at him intently.

"What do you plan to do?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"Nothing."

Yin Fang was stunned.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?"

Chu Guang continued.

"It all happened too suddenly. Aside from sending someone to take a look first, I have no better option."

The representative of the Academy had agreed to lend the Alliance a research vessel.

That vessel was currently stationed on the outskirts of Avant City, and its pilot was named Jiang Xuezhou.

Yin Fang smiled bitterly.

"That's true..."

Seeing Yin Fang's anxiety, Chu Guang spoke slowly.

"Relevant deployments are already underway, including restarting the processing base at Vault 100 and a contingency evacuation plan just in case. But honestly, I don't have a clear concept of those one hundred thousand neutron torpedoes... What would happen if, without the protection of orbital debris, they launched a simultaneous salvo at Earth?"

"The effect would probably be as described in the Torch Project—perhaps not as efficient as neutron sterilization, but the outcome wouldn't differ much."

Burying his face in his palms, Yin Fang took a deep breath and continued.

"...There probably wouldn't be anything left on the surface, but not necessarily. The Aegis System should be able to defend against it, and the Zhiyuan in the center of the Ideal City should have a way to block a direct strike."

Chu Guang looked at him.

"And the vaults?"

Yin Fang nodded, but there was no trace of optimism on his face.

"Yes, but aside from those things, nothing else would remain! Furthermore, I don't think their attack would stop there. Even though I'm no expert in military affairs, I can imagine that after the strategic bombardment ends, the next step would be a landing."

Whether it would be orbital paratroopers descending from the sky or a full-ship descent of the "Orion" like the "Zhiyuan Colonial Ship," that would depend on the whims of the Celestials.

Neutron bombs only kill soft targets; the factories and railways on the surface should remain intact.

Those bastards could easily take over the surface production facilities and replicate themselves through them.

Chu Guang wore a thoughtful expression.

After hearing Yin Fang's explanation, he had a rough idea of the Celestials' intentions.

Those bastards planned to use them as fuel.

Or rather, to usurp the hard-won fruits of victory from the tens of thousands of survivors in the wasteland.

He would never let them succeed.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the viewing room, and Lü Bei, having received permission, entered.

"Report!"

"Our branch in Pioneer City has received a radio signal from the direction of the Great Wasteland's center!"

"After analyzing the signal, we found a set of coordinates and a signature... The signatory appears to be the sender, named Zhuang Lan."

Zhuang Lan?

Hearing that familiar yet unfamiliar name, Chu Guang raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had almost forgotten about that person, but it seemed they were still alive and remembered the bet.

Noticing the intriguing expression on Chu Guang's face, Yin Fang shot him a questioning glance.

"An acquaintance?"

"Sort of, I've known them for a while," Chu Guang said with a faint smile. "It seems we're not the only ones lurking in the shadows, acting in secret—our enemies have enemies too."

Looking at the smiling administrator, Lü Bei hesitated for a moment before quietly reminding him.

"Respected Administrator... we can't be sure yet that this Zhuang Lan is on our side, and the information they provided is quite vague. It might well be a trap."

"Whether it's a trap or not, we'll know once we take a look."

With that, Chu Guang turned his gaze to the pen holder on the nearby desk and gave an order.

"Xiao Qi, check for me which corps are available nearby."

"It doesn't matter if they're strong or not—I want the kind that isn't afraid of death."