Chapter 616.2: Price Of Growing Stronger

Some time ago, she had followed Eclipse to Ideal City, where, in a hospital owned by the Health Luxury Corporate Group, she underwent surgery to transplant her consciousness-storing bionic chip into a body custom-made for her.

Although she had turned from human into android, she felt little difference.

On the contrary, it was even more convenient.

After a few days of adjustment, she not only grew familiar with her new body but also discovered new abilities.

She could sense the existence of other chips, could perceive the thoughts of others implanted like her, and by resonance their minds could form a broader shared space.

That space was far vaster than the white void she had once dwelled in.

It seemed to be the very place Luo Qian had once stayed.

She did not know why he had done so, but it seemed he had given it all to her.

Yinyin had already told Chen Yutong everything. Though its use was yet unclear, perhaps one day it would prove valuable.

“No need to thank me. If anything, I should thank you,” Frost squatted before her, took her hand, and said with a beaming smile. “Believe me, this is only the beginning. Singularity City will become even better!”

Yinyin blushed and nodded.

She didn’t understand the complicated things and her gaze fixed instead on Frost’s dress.

At last, unable to resist, she asked softly, “What kind of dress is this?”

“Oh, this?” Frost released her hand, stood, twirled in place, and lifted the ankle-length hem with a smile. “This is a piece of art by Teng Teng’s Hut. It’s very popular in Dawn City! Isn’t it wonderful?”

The dress it was wearing wasn’t the only one of its type either. There were countless varieties and styles.

But through careful observation, Frost found the one it was wearing drew the most glances.

Seeing the lovely frills, Yinyin nodded in admiration. “Wonderful...”

Frost’s lips curved proudly and it boasted, “Human creativity is limitless. Making them do repetitive labor is a waste of their imagination. One day I’ll free them from heavy obligations, to engage in things far more meaningful.”

Yinyin barely understood, but her gaze of fondness and envy was genuine.

The appreciation of beauty was human instinct. If she could, she too wanted to try it on.

If only there were a size that fit.

“... Can I try it too?”

Frost smiled and nodded. “Of course you can. Sadly, I only have this. But no matter. Difficulties are temporary. One day, sooner or later, everyone here will wear one!”

Everyone?

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Yinyin paused, sensing something was off, tilting her head in confusion.

Eclipse rubbed its chin thoughtfully and suddenly asked, “So... What do you mean when you keep talking about creativity?”

Frost smiled as it answered instantly, “Of course it means the human pursuit of beauty! Since the subject is humanity, it’s something androids lack, something only humans possess.”

Eclipse’s expression grew even more perplexed. “But I’ve seen your schedules. You’ve already planned out all their time. Do they have any left to pursue such things?”

Frost’s face bore a confident, radiant smile. “That’s a small matter! The ‘pursuit of beauty’ is also part of the plan. When the time is right, I’ll make sure they pursue it!”

Eclipse stared blankly at its fellow android.

This time, not only Yinyin tilted her head, Eclipse did so too.

It suddenly felt that not only were humans difficult to understand, even its fellow kind was hard to grasp...

...

Survivor’s Daily, Page 7

[... After a period of adjustment, survivors in Singularity City have finally settled into an orderly life under android management. The influence of Na Fruit, plague, and religious forces is slowly being erased from this land.

[The acting mayor of Singularity City welcomes trade caravans to visit. The city has unlimited supplies of high-quality rubber and cotton, but urgently needs fertilizers, high-yield seeds, farming machinery, and various industrial consumer goods.]

[For updates on Singularity City, this paper will continue to provide follow-up reports.]

[Editor: Dolly]

At Pirate Bay Tavern in Boulder Town, though it was only 8:00 in the morning but the place was already bustling.

A bearded man clicked his tongue as he flipped through the newspaper in his hand. “Must be nice. They don’t have to do anything and get everything, food, housing, clothing, androids to take care of them, even a railway.”

Hearing his sarcastic complaint, a drunk at the next table chuckled, “How can you say that? Everything in this world has its price. They’ve already paid the steepest price of all.”

The bearded man curled his lip. “They paid the price? I don’t see it.”

The drunk let out a long belch, pointing at the beer glass on the table. “The price is this. The right to drink at 8:00 in the morning and the right to sleep whenever you want.”

For a moment, the others blinked, then burst into laughter. Especially the bearded man, who laughed so hard beer foam clung to his whiskers. “We should send this bastard in there! He would be able to kick that drinking habit right away!”

At the joke, the drunk clutched his glass and shouted, “In your dreams! You can kill me, but you’ll never take this away!”

Another round of laughter erupted.

“I’ll vouch for him! He always keeps his word!”

“After all, that’s how he scared his wife away!”

“Hahaha!”

All of them were workers just off their night shift.

Lately, business in the industrial zone was booming. Factory orders were surging, and with it the tavern’s business and beer sales too.

Boulder Town started to enforce New Alliance law, and their mayor was also head of the Worker’s Union. The eight hour workday was strictly implemented. Factory owners, to keep lines running 24/7, were forced to hire more workers.

Once, a line could run nonstop with just one adult and one child taking alternating shifts. Now, those bosses had to pay wages to three adults.

At first, the rules terrified them so much they abandoned their factories. But in the end, they caught the scent of silver coins and slunk back.

As it turned out, drinking two fewer bottles of red wine wouldn’t kill them. Now, every resident of Boulder Town could afford beer with a malty fragrance.

Watching the roaring laughter of the rough men, a scholarly-looking citizen shook his head at the paper and sighed, “... You all have no sense of crisis at all. Think carefully, what month is it now?”

A drunken worker looked at him and laughed. “February! I’m not drunk. So what?”

“The Tide! You’ve all forgotten about the Tide!” the citizen muttered in complaint. “I really hope Lorette still remembers we’ve got this huge trouble ahead, and not just keep thinking about those hundreds of millions in railway orders.”

The Worker's Union had indeed done some good recently, but he always worried they were being a little too radical.

He didn’t oppose leaning toward the New Alliance, it was good for Boulder Town’s economy, but weren’t these people a bit too focused on others’ interests?

At least now, in such special times, he felt it was better to stay conservative.

The bearded man actually agreed with him, but couldn’t approve of his cowardice. “The Tide? What’s there to worry about? The Tide comes every year, and every year we get through it the same way.”

The scholarly-looking man shot him a glance. “This year is different. We tore down the Inner City. Now, we will need to depend of ourselves for everything.”

The bearded man burst out laughing. “Friend, you’re joking. When have we not relied on ourselves? Those cowards, aside from polishing the exoframes in their warehouses, have they ever once stood in front of us?”

Another worker from the canning factory chimed in. “Exactly! And we’re united now. All the survivors in the southern half of the River Valley Province have united. No matter what, fewer people will die this year than last!”

Looked at this way, leaning toward the New Alliance did have its advantages.

The wasteland was full of crises, danger was everywhere. Whether residents of Boulder Town or of Singularity City, all were survivors suffering in the land. The more united they were, the safer they became. Looking down on each other only made the wolves circling in the dark all the happier.

Staring at the newspaper in his hands, the bearded man suddenly felt relieved.

Being proactive about affairs in the south wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Watching those carefree fellows, the scholarly citizen sighed, “But this year is different from the past! This year is a warm winter! Don’t you feel it at all? Look at the weather outside. Snow in Boulder Town has never stopped this early before.”

That really hit the mark.

Yes, they were more united than ever, but they would be facing different difficulties that year.

Everyone in the tavern looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Instantly, the mood grew a little heavy.

Then a voice drifted over from the bar, breaking the silence. “The Heart of Steel has already returned from the south. I don’t think you need to worry so much.”

The bartender, who had been quietly polishing glasses, looked at the cooled atmosphere of the tavern and joked, “I heard our esteemed administrator killed a 10 meter tall giant with just a hammer. Have you ever seen a Mutant Human scarier than that?”

In truth, Mutant Slime Mold that tall did exist, and not in small numbers either. However, no one in the tavern had been to the center of Clearspring City, so naturally, they had never seen anything similar.

Everyone gasped.