Chapter 413.1: Horrifying Construction Capabilities

Night had fallen. In the center of the inner city in Boulder Town.

At the top floor of a dark building, a man in formal attire stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the quiet night sky to the north with an expressionless face.

Just the year before, around the same time and in the same direction, the members of the East Coast detonated a tactical nuclear bomb in the northern suburbs.

Now... Those people had visited again.

"Time flies," the man mused to himself as he stared at his reflection in the window.

Once time became insignificant, its passage could seem unimaginably fast.

Whether because one was wealthy enough to squander it, or because there was little difference between the days to come...

Such was the curse of longevity.

However, recently, there had been a slight change. Without him noticing, a tender sprout emerged from the ruins nearby.

Two centuries had passed and the unremarkable city had never been so lively...

As footsteps approached from behind. They stopped at the door.

Without turning around, the man asked in a soft voice, "Did you meet the administrator?"

Zhao Yongxu, who stood at the doorway, bowed slightly as his sharp features were filled with respect and devotion as he replied, "Yes, my lord."

"What kind of person is he?"

Zhao Yongxu answered without hesitation. "Deceitful, cunning, and he is an ambitious schemer adept in manipulation! I don’t know how he managed to trick those from the East Coast, but we won’t fall for their tricks!"

The man nodded, his expression revealing neither belief nor doubt.

Or perhaps, he was just indifferent.

After a moment of thought, the man continued, "What did they say about our proposal?"

Zhao Yongxu, glancing at the man's back, cautiously recounted the negotiation without adding any detail of his own.

The man didn’t say anything and he simply listened quietly from start to end. Eventually, he nodded. "Alright, you may leave now."

"Yes." Zhao Yongxu bowed and heaved a sigh of relief internally for not speaking out of turn. Without hesitation, he made a crisp exit.

Conversing with the city lord always involves lengthy waits. Sometimes, a few short sentences could inadvertently consume hours.

He felt as though his time was slowly being stolen from him.

As the room returned to silence, the man waited for some time before reaching out his index hand to tap the window. The next second, digital ripples spread outwards, turning the reflected night sky into a screen.

On the screen appeared the office of the chairman of Boulder Arms Industry.

Anticipating the call, the chairman of Boulder Arms Industry, Eberts, stood respectfully in front of his desk.

"Respected Lord Fang Ming... It's late, may I ask what your instructions are?"

Thinking for some time, the city lord looked like he was a man frozen in a painting. After ome time, he eventually mumbled, "I need you to upgrade Boulder Town's radar system to cover a radius of 500 kilometers. Make it one grade higher in detection efficiency..."

"... Also, upgrade the weaponry and fire control systems aimed at destroying androids."

There was actually no need for such upgrades.

Such high-tech weapons were unnecessary against Slime Molds.

However... Clearspring City was currently facing a change never before experienced.

Although he had long ago designed the power structure and the system for selecting and promoting elites from the wasteland, the system was not always reliable.

Ultimately, the gears making up the system were people, and people were too fragile in the face of time.

He needed to make some preparations for the unknown.

After hearing the man’s instructions, Eberts responded respectfully, "That's not too difficult, but... it will likely cost a significant part of the budget."

The man responded casually, "That's alright, I will inform the militia and representatives of the outer city residents."

For him who stood at the pinnacle of power, money was just a number.

Hearing the city lord's promise, a pleased smile appears on Eberts's face as he nodded respectfully. "As you command."

...

North of Dawn City.

At the edge of Linghu Wetland Park, Old White and his squad returned from the city center as they headed to the respawn point.

They made a substantial hall.

Following behind the four, a mechanical dog carried a load completely disproportionate to its size, filled with evolved corpses they had collected from the city center.

There was even the corpse of a Rotten Knight!

The creature held a chainsaw, its exoframe festooned with dark red spores.

Ordinary 7mm bullets on it felt like mere tickles, barely scraping off some spores, while armor-piercing rounds from RPGs couldn’t even touch it. They would be split by its chainsaw in explosive counterattacks.

As it charged, Old White decisively pulled out his new weapon, the Black Sunderer. As he activated his talent, Limit Break, he swung his axe down with terrifying force. ,

The blunt edge of the Thermal Cutting Axe sparkled with red arcs.

In a flash, sparks flew everywhere, and a deep red crack appeared on side of the Rotten Knight.

The hot air flow carrying high-temperature metal shards poured into the Slime Mold infested exoframe, destroying the organic tissue inside the evolved body.

Seeing the attack was effective, Old White took advantage of its loss of balance and followed up with two more swings, hacking and slashing until it stopped moving.

The Rotten Knight, who had once wiped out half the Storm Corps, was solo-killed by him with the help of his equipment.

Such an incredible close-combat treasure was surprisingly not kept by the administrator for personal use, which was beyond Old White's expectations.

According to Ample Time's calculations, the materials they collected could be exchanged for at least 8,000 silver coins, and each person could also receive about 500 contribution points.

For those running the Bull and Horse Brick Factory, the silver coins from mission rewards were not as attractive as the professional levels and contribution points from their missions from the Scientific Expedition Group.

Currently, Ample Time, Gale, and Night Tensan had accumulated over 90,000 contribution points.

The urgent task was to quickly raise everyone's contribution points above 100,000 to elevate their citizen level to a Knight.

Although NPC shops were out of stock of exoframes, a new map was about to open, likely introducing a batch of new exoframes.

Soon there would be another place to spend money!

"Damn it, when did Ample Time become such a useless loser like Spring Water, hiding at the back everyday?" After glancing at his chemically-burnt and bullet-riddled suit and seeing Ample Time's sleek wings on his back, Night Ten couldn't help but express his envy.

Ample Time chuckled calmly and said, "Playing as an ADC, why should I rush ahead? I’m not the tank?”

Although he also had some scrapes, they were just from trying out the Powered Wing Craft, and compared to the other three, he clearly had much fewer injuries.

It had to be said... The amazing technology produced by Shelters were really fucking impressive.

Initially, he was worried about not having flying experience and not being able to handle the equipment well, but he soon found his concerns were completely unnecessary.

After connecting to the VM interface, his Powered Wing Craft not only could set a cruising path but also switch between multiple flying modes like gliding and slow descent.

The 12 sensors on the wings could sensitively detect obstacles within a 200 meter range and by using the algorithm of the built-in chip, plan the best evasion route.

Thanks to his Powered Wing Craft, he could attack the enemy without much worry.

While there were other species capable of flying and attacking from a distance, they were a minority. With how mobile he was, Ample Time could launch attacks from any angle in an open environment.

Night Ten exclaimed, "Damn! I’m an ADC too, you know!"

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Gale glanced at him and sneered, "Isn’t the perception type a support player?"

Night Ten’s face contorted immediately and started cursing.

While exchanging their combat experiences, the group headed towards the respawn point, planning to store their gear and take a bath.

The spores sprayed by the Slime Mold smelled unbearably foul, like rotting corpses. Although the game could block excessive pain, it couldn't block the unbearable stench.

Especially Old White, who had been their tank, looked as if he had been rolling in a mud pit, making it impossible for anyone to get close to him for fear of puking.

Not far away, a petite figure stood on the edge of the respawn point, her face full of worry. She stretched her neck and looked around.

Finally spotting a familiar figure, a flash of joy appeared in her eyes. She darted over instantly.

Ample Time also saw her, instinctively throwing his gear to Night Ten beside him before greeting her with a huge hug.

With both arms wrapped around her, he noticed a scarf wrapping around his neck and Dori’s lips curved into a sweet smile.

"... Didn’t you say you'd only be gone for a short while? Why have you come back so late?" She murmured softly, hanging on like a bear cub climbing a tree, unwilling to let go.

It had indeed been a long while.

Remembering his promise to Dori that morning to return and have dinner with her, a hint of apology surfaced on Ample Time’s face. "Sorry I..."

Before he could finish, he was silenced by a soft touch.

Dori tiptoed and gently kissed his lips.

That slight blush under the streetlights shone like the first red leaf of early autumn. It wasn’t overwhelmingly dazzling but was captivating enough to draw the eye.

"I hope my wait hasn’t been for just an apology... It’s good enough that you returned safely."

Maybe... It was due to the environment, or perhaps it's because people there had lives as brief as morning dew. It was too short for roundabout speech.

Looking at the sincerity and passion shining on that youthful face, Ample Time felt a bit embarrassed. "... It’s too crowded here."

A mischievous smile appeared on Dori’s face. Suddenly, she leaned in close to his ear, like a playful kitten toying with its prey, and hummed softly. "That's perfect, I’ll make everyone see that you are mine!"

Before she could finish, Ample Time lowered his body slightly and carried her over his shoulders.

With her feet leaving the ground suddenly, Dori yelped like a startled little animal.

Her face flushed red completely, in stark contrast to her green hair. She didn’t know where to rest her hands and she whispered softly, "What... What are you doing?"

"Taking you home!"

Home...

Is this what home feels like?