Chapter 657: Freebie?

Chapter 657: A Freebie?

Previously, the only contact from the Brugge Free State to the Alliance had been Xavier, a salesman from Firestone Group. Now, suddenly, a man claiming to be the foreign minister had appeared. Chu Guang had no idea whether his identity was genuine or not, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, he left him cooling his heels.

To be honest, he wasn't particularly fond of those folks up north.

Especially when, during the cleanup of the slums outside Boulder City, the Alliance's security forces discovered that many gangs had ties to Firestone Group.

Those guys, cloaked in the guise of private enterprises, had done plenty of shady deeds, and whenever trouble arose, they'd scurry back behind the Free State's skirts.

Since the Free State was a "protected state" of the Great Rift, and the latter possessed military might on par with the Legion and the Corporations, no one could do much about them.

The Alliance's security forces couldn't very well enter the Free State to enforce the law right under the Great Rift's nose.

And Firestone Group was clever enough never to provoke behemoths like the Academy, the Legion, or the Corporations; they only operated in their satellites or indirectly controlled settlements.

For instance, settlements under the Committee's jurisdiction, the kingdoms of the Rosette Province, or the more prosperous settlements in the eastern provinces.

That guy was like a pesky fly—those with the power to swat it had no interest, and those who couldn't reach it truly couldn't swat it.

What puzzled Chu Guang was that even if Norreg was indeed the Free State's foreign minister, why had the foreign minister come instead of a Firestone Group representative?

Firestone Group was the true power behind the Free State, and they surely knew the Alliance was aware of this.

Coming in an official guise to make contact, Chu Guang couldn't help but wonder if there was some inside story he didn't know.

Could it be...

That the Great Rift had "given them advice" again?

At that thought, a wry smile crept across Chu Guang's face. He decided to leave that foreign minister waiting until he spoke first, and observe for a while.

If he could figure out their weak spot, the initiative would undoubtedly fall into the Alliance's hands...

Having made up his mind, Chu Guang set Norreg aside for the moment and went to greet the Alliance's true old friends.

To his great surprise, he met Luo Yong, a member of the Corporation Council and a major shareholder of Silver Wing Group.

This distinguished-looking middle-aged man first thanked Chu Guang for his help with Luo Hua, then dropped a bombshell on him—

"The Council has no objection to joining the same cross-regional cooperative organization as the Academy, especially on the issue of resolving the mutant slime mold. We actually set aside the grudges from a century and a half ago long ago; it's just that they're still hung up on the past... If you can convince them, we have no problem with it, and we can even take on more responsibilities and obligations."

Hearing this, Chu Guang was inwardly astonished, but he didn't let it show on his face. He simply nodded with a smile.

"I'm glad the Council holds this stance. I'll do my best to persuade them."

Luo Yong raised his glass with a smile.

After a few more pleasantries, Chu Guang took his leave and headed elsewhere.

Just as he was thinking of wandering around the banquet hall, the master of ceremonies hurried over and whispered in his ear.

"Respected Administrator, a guest claims to be the administrator of Vault 70 and wishes to meet with you... We can't confirm his identity. How would you like to handle this?"

Vault 70?

Chu Guang was taken aback.

Though there had been occasional vault dwellers wandering the wasteland who joined the Alliance, they mostly came from vaults abandoned years ago.

A vault administrator visiting the Alliance—that was a first.

Not only was the master of ceremonies uncertain, but Chu Guang's face also showed surprise.

"What's his name?"

The master of ceremonies replied respectfully.

"He calls himself Sun Yuechi."

The name was completely unfamiliar.

That wasn't unusual.

The Alliance had never discovered Vault 70.

After a moment's thought, Chu Guang said, "Show him to the lounge. I'll be there shortly."

The master of ceremonies nodded.

"As you command."

...

In the spacious lounge.

Sun Yuechi, seated on the sofa, kept glancing at the clock on the wall and then at his VM, looking visibly restless.

Though he had prepared to meet the Alliance's administrator, he wasn't entirely sure what kind of person he was dealing with, or how he viewed other vaults.

For now, they seemed the most reliable in this region.

After a full quarter-hour of anxious waiting, heavy footsteps sounded outside the lounge door.

Sun Yuechi instinctively sat up straight, and at that moment, the door opened, revealing a man in power armor.

Seeing the azure power armor, Sun Yuechi was slightly startled. He rose from the sofa and blurted out,

"Is that... Seven Virad's power armor?"

Earlier in the square, he had only seen it from a distance and hadn't caught the details of the azure armor.

Hearing that the man recognized the origin of his power armor, Chu Guang looked at him with equal surprise.

"You know him?"

"Of course I do... Ah, but not in the way you think. I've just learned about some of his deeds on my own."

Seeing Chu Guang's surprised expression, Sun Yuechi realized he had misunderstood and extended his right hand with a smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sun Yuechi, administrator of Vault 70."

"Chu Guang, administrator of Vault 404. No need for such formality—we're friends on the same side. Let's sit down and talk."

Shaking his hand, Chu Guang invited him to sit, then studied the man who claimed to be the Vault 70 administrator with curiosity.

"Can you tell me where you heard about Seven?"

"That's a long story."

As if pondering where to begin, Sun Yuechi paused for a moment before speaking slowly.

"You probably know that most vaults, besides sheltering survivors, also have the task of rebuilding civilization."

Chu Guang nodded, but wondered why he brought this up.

Seeing Chu Guang's questioning look, Sun Yuechi didn't explain immediately but continued.

"Vault 117 housed a large number of biology experts and their descendants. Besides carrying out surface reconstruction after the unsealing date, they were also tasked with studying the mother nest in the center of Clear Spring City... After all, at the time, people believed the mutant slime mold was the main cause of the wasteland, and only by solving it could there be hope of ending the wasteland."

Mutant creatures, raiders, mutants, and the regressive wastelanders—those were problems born in the Wasteland Era.

Only the mutant slime mold and nuclear radiation were truly historical legacies.

Chu Guang nodded.

"I've heard of that. There's a resident from Vault 117 in the Alliance, and she's our chief biologist. Research on the mutant slime mold is led by her."

Sun Yuechi smiled.

"Is that so? If Mr. Seven Villard knew, he would surely be gratified. In any case, our mission is similar to that of Vault 117—aside from carrying out reconstruction duties after the lockdown period ends, we also have the task of researching the nearby hive."

"Thus, after discovering that the Post-War Reconstruction Committee had already evacuated from Clearwater City, we managed to make contact with Vault 117, the only one still holding to its mission in the area. After all, in scientific research, cooperation is always faster than working in isolation."

"Since we opened our doors a hundred years earlier than they did, and because Seven Villard strictly enforced Vault 117's lockdown policy, it was usually our people who conducted surface surveys on their behalf, while they focused more on sample analysis and data processing."

"This work went on for nearly a century. We sent people to Clearwater City almost every year to maintain regular contact with Vault 117, exchange data, observe the slime mold fruiting bodies in the city center, and discuss the next steps in our research."

As he spoke, a faint trace of regret flickered across Sun Yuechi's face, as if he were mourning a departed old friend.

Or perhaps mourning a bygone era.

"I took over the management authority from my predecessor ten years ago, and just ten years before that, all communication between us and Vault 117 came to an abrupt halt... That was the year 191 of the Wasteland Era. You must know about that, right?"

Chu Guang's expression turned solemn.

"The Torch."

Sun Yuechi nodded, his face complex.

"Yes. When our people arrived again... there was nothing left but an empty vault. We couldn't take over a vault a thousand kilometers away, so we copied some data, left it where it was, and trusted that other nearby vaults would find it once their lockdowns ended."

At this, Sun Yuechi looked at Chu Guang and smiled.

"It seems my predecessor's judgment was correct. Not only did you make good use of that vault's resources, but you even fulfilled the unfinished wish of those who died there... completely eliminating the hive in the center of Clearwater City."

Hearing this sincere praise, Chu Guang laughed heartily, but soon noticed another detail in his words.

"You have a hive too?"

"Yes," Sun Yuechi nodded gently, pulling out a holographic pen and placing it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. He lightly touched a button.

Pale blue holographic light wove together above the table into a giant silver disk.

At first, Chu Guang thought he was showing him the structure of Vault 70, until a blue planet appeared beside the silver disk.

It was a space station!

And judging by the Earth and space elevator beside it for scale, this ring-shaped space station was quite large!

It floated near the end of the space elevator, revolving like a carousel, like a satellite city to that elevator.

"This is what the Heaven Station looked like before... And now, it's become this."

Sun Yuechi slid his index finger.

The blue planet and the space elevator dissolved into pale blue particles, and the giant silver disk seemed to fall into a bottomless vat, soon wrapped by crimson tentacles emerging from the darkness, filling every inch of its interior.

Seeing Chu Guang's stunned expression, Sun Yuechi continued in a soft voice.

"Our vault is at the bottom of the sea, where there are vast untapped resources. We planned to build a settlement capable of housing a hundred thousand survivors on the seabed, then gradually expand to the surface and shore, to revive the Coastal Province and the southern seas."

"But plans never keep up with changes. The Heaven Station fell during the Three-Year War along with the collapse of the space elevator, and it landed right near us. The immense impact energy was no less than a strategic nuclear weapon. Though our vault survived the damage, almost all of our seabed engineering equipment and undeployed production units outside were destroyed..."

"Holy shit!"

Hearing this, Chu Guang couldn't help blurting out, and when Sun Yuechi stared at him blankly, he coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit surprised. Your luck is really..."

He couldn't find the right words.

A space station that big, and it just happened to land right at the vault's doorstep.

Though vaults were built to withstand nuclear strikes, Chu Guang had never heard of any vault actually being hit by one.

Maybe they were the only ones to take a "strategic nuclear weapon" straight to the face.

Sun Yuechi made a helpless expression and shrugged.

"We're not the only vault in the deep sea. It fell on us—there's nothing to be done. Maybe, as you said, our luck isn't great... especially since that space station had a hive incubating on it."

"When we left the vault, the Three-Year War had been over for a century, and that hive had been breeding on the seabed for a century, turning most of the station into part of its nest. To build our seabed settlement, we tried to recover some materials, but we could only salvage a limited amount. And even though we were careful enough, the fruiting bodies it spawned still caused us considerable trouble."

After hearing this, Chu Guang roughly guessed the purpose of his visit—he likely hoped Chu Guang could help them deal with the hive entangled around the space station.

And Chu Guang was indeed very interested in that space station, so he immediately spoke with a serious expression.

"No problem! Fighting for the future of human civilization is our bounden duty, and neutralizing mutant slime molds is exactly our specialty. We'll help you solve that problem!"

"Thank you. I knew I wasn't wrong about you," Sun Yuechi said, looking at him gratefully, but soon his expression turned apologetic. "However... the help I need to ask of you is not just that. Before dealing with the hive around the Heaven Station, we have a more pressing problem."

Before Chu Guang could ask, he paused and continued.

"Like Vault 117, we too are facing disintegration."

Chu Guang was taken aback, looking at him with a strange expression.

"But... didn't you leave the vault long ago?"

"That's true, but the issues worth arguing about aren't just whether to leave the vault. We have disagreements on many matters... especially after our people saw the situation in the Coastal Province. Some began to think that evolving humanity into a higher form might also be a way to end the Wasteland Era, even if the Church's methods were extreme."

Seeing Chu Guang's stunned look, Sun Yuechi's face showed a mix of bitterness and embarrassment.

After all, this was nothing to be proud of.

Still, he tried to defend himself a little.

"It's understandable. We cooperated with Vault 117 for nearly a century, so our people naturally felt sympathy for those who broke free and escaped..."

"Do you... know what those madmen did in the Coastal Province?" Chu Guang's throat moved as he asked.

"I know," Sun Yuechi said with a wry smile. "But what good does it do that I know? I'm not like you. You can make people trust you unconditionally, but I can only try to persuade those who disagree. I think the Torch Church's methods are too extreme, even if we were once friends. But some believe it's a necessary price to pay, even fantasizing about using Torch's technology to turn themselves into spirits roaming the sea... What can I say?"

He paused and continued.

"Before I took over Vault 70, the mistakes were already there. Most of the residents still in the vault are on my side, but the rift comes from the sea settlement we built on an artificial island in the southern seas."

"Led by some Torch supporters, they formed a federation and have effectively broken away from our control, intending to embrace the Torch Church."

"I've tried every means I could, but I still can't stop them from leaning toward the Torch Church. If they only wanted to destroy themselves, that would be one thing, but the problem is they're not satisfied with that—they also want to introduce the mycelium of the Nago fruit into the ocean."

He paused for a moment, then looked at Chu Guang with a serious tone.

"I originally planned to seek help from the Great Rift Valley. There are still people from the War Construction Committee there; maybe they would act given the urgency. But on my way here, I heard many legends about you and the Alliance, and that changed my destination."

"Those wastelanders have no hope for anything left by the War Construction Committee. They even see those people as one of the reasons the world became like this. But when it comes to you and the Alliance, they give you extremely high praise... even if not everyone likes you."

The flattery caught Chu Guang off guard. He coughed lightly and said modestly, "Rumors are always exaggerated... Compared to those ancient survivor factions, we are still too young."

"But you've accomplished what they couldn't, haven't you? And I'm not just relying on hearsay. I've observed this settlement for a while. You truly have something we lack—not just in technology."

Looking seriously at Chu Guang, Sun Yuechi continued in a tone that left no room for jest.

"So, I wish to transfer the management authority of Vault 70 to you, including the settlement we built on the sea surface."

Chu Guang: "...?"

Without waiting for Chu Guang's reply, Sun Yuechi raised the VM on his left arm, tapped the screen with his index finger.

As a pale blue pop-up window appeared on the VM screen, he selected the confirm button twice, completing the transfer of management authority.

Watching Sun Yuechi let out a long breath, Chu Guang stared in utter astonishment.

Was this guy serious?!

Just as Chu Guang came to his senses, the man had already finished the entire procedure and cheerfully handed him the key to Vault 70.

The entire process of transferring authority was far simpler than imagined, rows of pale blue pop-ups flashing rapidly before Chu Guang's eyes.

[Authority of Vault 70 Administrator has been reclaimed...]

[Please proceed to Vault 70 as the new administrator, input the password at any terminal connected to the vault's main server, and update biometric identification information to complete the final confirmation procedure for the transfer of administrator authority.]

Watching Chu Guang, stunned and speechless, Sun Yuechi let out a relieved smile, his tone far lighter than before.

"I'm ashamed to hand this mess over to you, but it's the only thing I can still do... Since you said we must unite everyone, then I entrust our future to you as well!"