Chapter 518.2: One Step Further From A Normal, Regular, Ordinary Human Being

Besides, even before he got off the airship, Hyrja had already scheduled a medical exam for him. Honestly, even if she hadn’t, he might’ve asked for one himself.

Last night, he had another dream.

If things happened as they did, he would be one step away from being a normal human again.

...

And as Chu Guang returned to Shelter 404, outside the security fence of Dawn City’s North Civilian Airport, the gates were blocked by a sea of people.

Part of the crowd consisted of wastelanders coming just to see the spectacle, while another portion was made up of players drawn by the excitement.

That day marked the maiden flight from Ideal City to Dawn City. Rumor had it that a giant aircraft would be flying in from the East Coast.

The news had been posted on the official site for several days already.

And the Enterprise didn’t disappoint. That massive aircraft with vertical landing capability descended like a true whale from the sky, and after retracting its thrust vectoring nozzles and stabilizing its trailing jet stream, it smoothly landed on an airstrip the size of a football field.

Staring at the colossal machine, Killing Gods commented with awe, "Damn, that aircraft is insane."

"If only we had one like that in real life!"

Stopping Fights nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that’s some seriously advanced technology."

He happened to work at a major aerospace company in real life.

Even setting aside the mind-boggling plasma thrusters, he couldn’t even identify the materials used on that aircraft.

What kind of structural strength would it take to support such a fantastical design? He simply couldn’t imagine it.

"It's just a game, why are you still stuck on the science of it? Have you read yourself stupid?" Mosquito slapped the back of Stopping Fights’s head. "Come on."

Rubbing the back of his head, Stopping Fights looked confused. "Huh? Where are we going?"

With a gleam in his eye, Mosquito giggled, "To build our own big aircraft! Remember that Orca wreck we salvaged last time? Let’s see if we can slap together a prototype with plasma exhaust!"

He had no idea how it actually worked, but that didn’t matter. The engineers at Camp 101 could figure it out.

All he needed to do was provide the general direction. He needed to know how to mount that beast onto an aircraft.

Killing God and Stopping Fights exchanged bewildered glances.

A plasma-powered plane?

Is Mosquito out of his mind?

While Mosquito's ‘disciples’ were trying to determine whether their boss had hit his head too hard, passengers were starting to disembark through the open hatch.

At that moment, a petite figure stood in the corner of the crowd, tiptoeing as she watched the cabin door, her face a mixture of anticipation and unease.

Had he not gotten a ticket?

Even after the last passenger had exited and she still didn’t see the face she was looking for, Dori’s expression dimmed with disappointment. Just as she turned to quietly leave, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

She hadn’t sensed anyone approaching at all.

Her entire body tensed, and almost reflexively, she swung her left arm back in a sharp arc, an arm forged from steel, sending a gust of air slicing behind her.

"Wait, it’s me!" A voice cried out as a sharp-edged piece of steel stopped just an inch from his nose. Ample Time broke out in cold sweat.

That was close!

He hadn’t saved in nearly half a year, if that blow had landed, it would’ve been a huge loss!

He had almost forgotten that they were in the wasteland.

Even though Dori looked like just a regular girl...

Using a soft voice, he joked, "I spotted you from up there and thought I’d surprise you when I got down... Didn’t expect I was almost carried out by my brothers to the grave after coming out."

He had deliberately taken a small detour earlier, circling around from the side of the aircraft.

"You... You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that." Dori turned her blushing face away, her heart fluttering with both sweetness and embarrassment. "Am I... really that noticeable?"

That bright green short hair of hers certainly stood out in the crowd.

Besides... There was no need to explain all the details now.

Ample Time gently patted her head and smiled warmly. "Of course. I saw you instantly."

He swallowed slightly and he added, "Sorry. This business trip took longer than I expected... I made you wait too long."

A deep blush climbed from her cheeks to her ears. With a bit of shy affection, Dori lowered her head and buried her face in his chest.

Ample Time noticed the khaki scarf in her hands the next moment. "Is that a gift for me?"

Dori blushed even harder and hid it behind her back. "I knitted it myself. Is it okay?"

Ample Time chuckled softly, "More than okay, it’s amazing. Actually, come to think of it, wasn’t the last one also a scarf? Too bad I only have one neck."

Sneaking a glance at the scarf wrapped around his neck, Dori smiled happily, then shook her head firmly and said seriously, "That last one was for wind and sand. This one’s for warmth. Winter’s coming."

Watching her explain so earnestly, Ample Time felt a warmth in his chest.

"Speaking of which, I prepared something for you too."

"What is it?" Dori’s face lit up with curiosity as she glanced around, but didn’t see anything.

Ample Time grinned mysteriously. "Come with me."

At the airport exit, Kishur craned his neck, glancing around as he muttered, "Where did he go?"

He been right next to him just moments ago.

It was rare to meet someone who understood him better than his own father. He planned to invite that person for a meal and a chat, but as soon as the plane landed, he vanished.

This is weird!

Around him, a group of tourists looked around with curiosity. Everything here felt novel to them. Even the air smelled different.

"This is incredible... Even though I saw the virtual models on Endpoint Cloud, standing here feels totally different."

"Is that ruin over there the legendary Clearspring City?"

"It’s probably like Above Clouds Municipality and Below Clouds Municipality... but maybe even larger since it was part of a metropolitan cluster."

"No wonder their Hive is so massive!"

"Ahhh, I really want to meet their administrator! If I could snag a selfie with him, I would die happy!"

"There’ll be a chance! He’s sure to show up during the celebration."

Watching the rich girl who’d been swooning over the administrator even before getting off the plane, Kishur scoffed dismissively. "Heh... What’s so great about that guy?"

It was just an exoframe, and a pre-war police model at that. Boulder Town had way cooler suits. They had so many it was enough to lose track of them all.

Besides, a leader of a survivor settlement showing up in public all the time? That didn’t look very authoritative or dignified.

By comparison, their City Lord had way more presence. Even he, a local prince of Boulder Town, had only seen that man once, from a distance on a screen.

Just then, Kishur recalled his grand plan and couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement.

If everything went smoothly, he might surpass even his father’s legacy.

Maybe the City Lord himself would greet him then.

...

Shelter 404.

Chu Guang sat up from the scanning bed and looked at his medical report on the holographic screen.

[ID: Chu Guang]

[Genetic sequence: Administrator (Fifth Stage)]

[Level: LV30→LV40]

[Attributes]

[Strength: 33→45]

[Agility: 25→35]

[Constitution: 27→40]

[Perception: 26→39]

[Intelligence: 29→40]

[Wild Instinct: Wild Instinct can be awakened in an extreme state. All attributes will be increased by 10 to 15% within the duration, and the accumulation speed of fatigue value will be increased by 20 to 30%.]

[Mind Deterrence: You will be able to produce a psychic pressure effect on the weaker intelligent being, weakening their will to resist.]

[Hive Mind: Share 3% to 15% of intelligence attributes with the weaker intelligent being, enabling them to gain inspiration and thinking speed bonuses. The effect is affected by various factors such as distance, number of people, acceptance level, and more. The maximum distance is 10 meters.]

[Victory Call: Vocal cords vibrate at a special frequency, infusing shouts with courage, making those who resonate with your cause feel an invincible determination.]

After reviewing the stats panel, Chu Guang remained silent for a long time before looking at Hyrja, who sat nearby.

"I didn’t unlock any new talents?"

"Don’t ask me that," she replied. "That section is stored in the shelter’s database. Apparently, there’s an algorithm analyzing the genetic data of all residents. I can only guarantee the accuracy of the attributes. If you want more detailed physiological data, click the 'Details' in the bottom-right corner."

As she spoke, Hyrja couldn’t help but complain while staring at his calm expression.

"Seriously, you’re worried about another talent? You didn’t even notice you’re becoming a total monster?"

Four awakenings.

Fifth stage of the genetic sequence!

She wasn’t sure whether her worldview was just too limited or if people in the wasteland were all so ridiculous.

Chu Guang shrugged indifferently. "Maybe I got used to it. I mean, I just lie down and do nothing, and my gene sequence keeps progressing on its own."

Actually, he had started to understand it.

In the real world, there was a system called reCAPTCHA. That allowed computers ask humans for help.

It worked by feeding OCR-ineligible text images to users across major websites. Once users correctly identified the text, their answers were returned to CMU. Reportedly, the system reached 99% accuracy.

The gene sequences stored in the shelter were like segmented research problems distributed to the players. Every player’s actions were essentially solving a puzzle, and their results were being aggregated in him, manifested and recorded by the shelter.

That was why his evolution was so balanced.

He might be the shelter’s optimal solution, derived from hundreds of controlled experiments.

Chu Guang didn’t fully understand the mechanism and he could only guess. The genetic progress accumulated in him might not be replicable through simple clone cultivation.

That might also explain why he couldn’t be revived.

As for the true purpose of this grand experiment, it probably tied to Shelter 404’s greatest secret.

Chu Guang didn’t know why. He wasn’t the type to trust blindly, especially not someone he never met. And yet, he instinctively believed two things.

First, the First Administrator was dead.

Second... That person would never harm him...

"That’s the most ridiculous part, awakening has basically turned into cancer in your case. Seriously, you should think about leaving behind an heir or something." Hyrja sighed from her seat, changing posture and crossing her arms. "Oh right, this is a good time. There’s something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"You remember Little Feather?"

Seeing that sharp look in her eyes, Chu Guang was momentarily stunned. His brows furrowed. "Yep, what about it?"

Hyrja shot him an intent stare. "It’s about to evolve!"