Chapter 554.1: The Smell Of Blood

“Shelter 101, huh...”

It felt like ages since the last time he had visited Dr. Methods.

A faint sense of nostalgia unexpectedly stirred in Chu Guang’s heart. After a moment of reflection, he said, “It’s a hard place to describe.”

Elisa paused in surprise. “Hard to describe how?”

Seeing the longing and anticipation in her eyes, Chu Guang could roughly guess what kind of impressive tale Pai had spun for her. After thinking for a moment, he explained, “Most other Shelters preserved survivors, some kind of technology, or a specific plan... but what they preserved was the memory of the Prosperity Era.”

Elisa’s eyes lit up instantly, and she involuntarily clenched her little fists. “The Prosperity Era!”

That legendary, glorious age!

She had only caught fragments of it in a few books and illustrated stories.

Seeing the yearning in her eyes, Chu Guang could guess what she was imagining. Though he felt reluctant, he still had to pour a bit of cold water on her expectations.

“They preserved only the memory of the Prosperity Era. It might not be as wonderful as you imagine. To enter Shelter 101, you have to give up your physical body. Otherwise, all you’ll get is a fleeting glimpse, like sitting on a sightseeing tram.”

“Give up your physical body...”

“That means dying, literally.”

Elisa instinctively held her breath.

After a long silence, she muttered stiffly, “That sounds... like a grave.”

Chu Guang nodded in agreement. “Indeed. To outsiders, it’s no different from a grave, but to the people inside, it might not be.”

Back then, Chu Guang hadn’t really understood what Dr. Methods meant. But after encountering so many different AIs, he had come to understand a bit.

To an AI, one second and a century weren’t all that different. They knew that Shelter 101 was destined to go into permanent slumber someday, it wasn’t a hard outcome to foresee, but they didn’t particularly care.

Even the sun would burn out one day.

So what if a person, or an entire civilization, fades like an illusion?

In that endless dream, they had lived lives more beautiful and enduring than anyone else’s. They held no nostalgia for the outside world.

From a personal perspective, even if it was virtual, it wasn’t a loss. Their task was to live as they wished.

And for that Shelter, its purpose was to record everything about that era, memories, thoughts, relationships, lifestyles, to leave behind as a revelation for the future.

Chu Guang rarely told others about the existence of such a place within the New Alliance’s territory. Immersing oneself in the land of the dead was not a good idea for the living.

In a sense, it was a poison stronger than even the daydream of Ideal City.

Even he had been tempted to stay, though it lasted only a moment...

Elisa stayed quiet for a while. “Actually, I never wanted to live there, but sometimes I think... if only I could get a glimpse of that era.”

Maybe she realized her thoughts sounded childish, and she smiled a bit awkwardly before continuing in a quiet voice, “That way, we would know where to go.”

It wasn’t just her. The folks in the Worker's Union sometimes felt lost too.

They had already overthrown those nobles and earned themselves a bright future, but no one could tell them where they should go next.

Everyone agreed to just focus on the present, but it was impossible not to think about the future at all.

If only we could see that era...

She had fantasized about it more than once.

Noticing the uncertainty in Elisa’s eyes, Chu Guang thought for a moment before speaking. “I don’t think that place holds the answer. What we’re searching for might not lie in the past either. But the knowledge and experiences preserved there are certainly worth referencing.”

“That’s why I’ve been in talks with the administrator of Shelter 101. I plan to turn the camp they’ve maintained into a university.”

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Elisa looked at him in confusion. “... A university?”

Chu Guang nodded. “Yeah, you can think of it as a school. But unlike the other full-time schools in the New Alliance, people won’t just learn what we already know there, they’ll also explore the future and the past.”

As her puzzled expression gradually shifted into a flicker of comprehension, Chu Guang continued in a gentle voice, “It’s normal to feel lost. You’re at the most curious stage of your life, and you’ve got the courage to chase your ideals fearlessly. But those things alone aren’t enough. You need to see more, understand the world, understand natural science, then reflect and form your own experiences and methods. That’s how you’ll find your answer... and during that process of exploration, you’ll naturally discover where you want to go.”

The future was born from action, not imagined out of thin air while lying on a mat. At least in his eyes, the process of exploration mattered more than the answer itself.

Elisa lowered her head.

A moment later, as if steeling herself for something, she raised her chin and looked back up at Chu Guang. “That girl, Xiaoyu... She became so amazing after studying at the school built next to Shelter 101, right?”

“If possible, I want to go there too!”

What took her a week or two of overtime to finish, that girl about her age completed in three days, and even pointed out her mistakes in meticulous detail.

That included time spent just learning the work.

To Elisa, it was almost unbelievable. However, after seeing those magical math tools and methods, all disbelief turned into sincere admiration.

That was the kind of knowledge she would never have learned staying in Boulder Town.

She wanted to bring that knowledge back and help the folks there.

Maybe, just like the administrator said, on her journey, she might gradually find her path to the future.

“Xiaoyu... She's a special case. She just happens to be good at math,” Chu Guang replied. “But yes, she did grow into who she is now after studying at the Camp 101.”

Looking at the renewed hope and eagerness in her eyes, Chu Guang said seriously, “As for studying at Camp 101, you should discuss that with your father.”

“I actually already asked my dad,” Elisa said. “He said I’m already an adult with my own opinions and that from now on, I should make my own choices. If I’m unsure, I should ask you... He’s not going to give me any more life advice.”

She glanced at him shyly and continued in a soft voice, “... When I’m not sure what to do, can I ask you?”

Though he didn’t think he could be of much help, Chu Guang couldn’t bring himself to say anything coldhearted when faced with that hopeful gaze. “You can, but I can only give you advice. In the end, you have to make the decision.”

Those eyes full of expectation immediately lit up as a smile blossomed on her face. Nodding enthusiastically, Elisa cheered, “

Mm

! Thank you!”

Looking at the polite young lady, Chu Guang chuckled and said, “You’re welcome.”

Thinking of the agenda for the following day, he picked up a file from the desk. “Since you’re here, there’s something I’d like to trouble you with...”

“No problem! Leave it to me!”

Smiling at Elisa’s enthusiasm, Chu Guang handed the file to her.

Elisa took it and flipped through it quickly. “What’s this?”

“It’s for the New Year’s Eve event. Every year, we vote on the most popular recipes. It’s a tradition from our Shelter days. To promote interaction between Shelter residents and survivors outside, we added a new category last year for the most popular dish among wastelanders. So we need a few judges.”

Judges that year were chosen through an online vote, with each settlement picking a few based on votes from active local players.

Chu Guang didn’t want to tell her that she had a pretty high popularity ranking on the forums. After all, he didn’t want her getting cocky.

Fortunately, Elisa didn’t ask why she was chosen. She just assumed it was out of trust. After learning the event details, her eyes immediately sparkled. “

Mm

! I’ll go hungry the whole day beforehand so I’ve got room!”

Seeing the look of determination on her face, Chu Guang cleared his throat lightly. “That might be a bit much...”

...

Elisa wasn’t the only one selected as a New Year’s Eve judge, someone else got even more votes than her.

It was by quite a large margin too...

In one of the little cottages by Linghu Lake...

Dori had just come home from work when, after hearing Ample Time’s explanation, her face lit up in surprise. “Huh? Me, a judge?”

“Yeah... Of course, it’s just an invitation. If you’re not interested, you can turn it down.” After explaining the event to her in full, Ample Time looked a little embarrassed.

The New Year’s Eve judges that year were selected by player votes, and somehow his dear brothers had all voted his wife to the top of the list.

Anyone who knew him knew he wasn’t one to show off his relationship.

Rather than flaunting it, he preferred a quiet life with just the two of them. Shame for him, he couldn’t stop those fools from always snooping into his private life.

Those assholes...

Why are they so curious about other people’s wives?!

Go find your own, you fools!

“Ohohoho... How can the star reporter of Survivors’ Daily miss such a big event?” Hanging her handbag on the rack by the door, Dori smiled mischievously and poked Ample Time in the arm with her finger. “Surely my dear Mr. Ample Time wouldn’t let me go alone, would he?”

Seeing that she had no intention of declining, in fact, she seemed quite eager, Ample Time sighed helplessly, “... Of course not. I wouldn’t dream of letting my dear reporter wife travel that far by herself.”

Seeing that rare awkwardness on the rascal’s face, Dori curled her lips upward in a smug smile. She felt as though she swallowed a mouthful of honey as the sweetness bloomed in her heart.

Suddenly remembering some gossip from her colleagues recently, she added with a tinge of emotion, “By the way, it sounds like a lot’s happened in Boulder Town lately.”

Both inside and outside the great wall... Many things happened.

Even as a reporter, she hadn’t expected the New Alliance to send troops and wipe out all the gangs in the slums.

Ample Time nodded. “Yeah, a lot’s happened. It might still be called Boulder Town, but it’s nothing like the one you remember.”

“Sounds like a good time to go back and take a look!” Dori’s eyes shimmered with anticipation.

The inner city was gone for good.

What would it look like now?

Seeing the glimmer in her eyes, Ample Time could feel the emotion in her heart. He reached out and gently stroked her fluffy green hair. “

Mmmm

. When we go back... let’s explore together.”

...