Chapter 677.2: Shadow In The Depths |
Huang Guangwei sighed, “That’s pretty much it, but not exactly. We warned them, the modified strain is unstable, dangerous, and incomplete. But they were arrogant, thinking they could control it. Actually, we can’t blame them entirely, it’s partly our fault. We used pre-war technology to give them a century of easy living. They forgot humility, thought they were chosen ones, believed they could simply use the part of the technology beneficial to them and ignore anything bad.”
Ample Time’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Look at the Ocean Edge Province now!” Huang Guangwei said bitterly. “When the Torch Church fanatics arrived, everything went to hell. Back when the Iron Tower Organization ran things, everything was fine. There were marauders and mutant creatures, sure, but not this. There wasn’t this half-human nightmare.”
Old White frowned. “Couldn’t they see that?”
“They could,” Huang Guangwei snapped. “Of course they could. They just didn’t care. They haven’t traded with ports in the Ocean Edge Province in years. We told them the risks, they ignored us, saying we were too cautious. You know what they said when we warned them those lunatics were dragging everyone to death? They asked, ‘How do you know unless we try? Maybe we can perfect it’! They actually thought they could fix what we gave them, save the lost minds in the Ocean Edge Province and even save the Baiyue Province. Arrogant fools!”
He let out a sharp laugh and wiped seawater from his face. “Those bastards really know how to boast. We’ve worked with Shelter 117 for decades. I know what’s feasible and what’s not. And this, this isn’t science anymore. Those lunatics want to evolve humanity into a new species, the so-called Complete Human, and turn Earth into their paradise. Na Fruit was never about solving real problems.”
Old White scowled. “Didn’t the Southern Archipelago Federation see through this? Why side with the Torch Church?”
“They know,” Huang Guangwei said flatly. “But they’re overconfident. Sure, they’ve achieved things, feeding a hundred thousand survivors on a few dozen square kilometers, building a civilized system while others play feudal kings. They might’ve even built a true utopia at sea someday. But that’s the problem, they’ve been too successful. Success made them blind.”
He sighed. “The Torch Church is a wolf and they know it, but think they can leash the wolf to their door. They believe they can strip the poison and keep the sweet coating around it. They used the Torch Church’s neural devices to repel mutants, turning them into tools. So when the Federation president proposed that we cooperate, open Coral City’s labs, let the Torch Church’s apostles study the Hive of the Heavenly Gate Space Station wreck and improve Na Fruit, we refused, of course.”
The players fell into stunned silence.
Someone finally asked, “Then you started fighting?”
“Not at first,” Huang Guangwei said awkwardly. “Their fleet and settlements were ours originally. Why would we attack our own people?”
Ample Time nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense.” He could relate, if Shelter 404 suddenly went to war with Dawn City, it would be completely absurd. Every outpost in the game was built by the players’ hands. They would die for them before destroying them.
“That’s right.” Huang Guangwei nodded. “We just wanted to warn them, so we announced a power-grid maintenance notice and shut down the ocean-current generators…”
Old White interjected, “I heard you cut off Coral City’s power and oxygen, nearly killing 30,000 people!”
“Nonsense!” Huang Guangwei’s eyes blazed. “Why would we do that?! Many of Coral City’s residents were our students, colleagues, family! It was the Federation! While our engineers withdrew, they blew up the station and cut Coral City’s power in retaliation! We sent rescue subs and they dropped mines on us! We only saved a few hundred of them!”
Seeing his fury, Old White tried to calm him. “Easy. I heard the survivors are fine, the Federation relocated them to nearby islands.”
Huang Guangwei blinked, breathing slowing. “… Really? So they’re alive? Then maybe there’s still some humanity left… You’ve met them already?”
Old White nodded. “Yes. And from what I’ve seen, this could all be a misunderstanding. Why not talk it out?”
Huang Guangwei sneered. “Talk? The Federation wants Shelter 70 under their command. I wouldn’t care normally, but now? No chance. If we cave, our century of research goes straight to those northern lunatics.”
Prone Model frowned. “Then why sneak out? Weren’t you going to talk to them?”
“Of course not,” Huang Guangwei said. “I was heading to the Great Rift Valley.”
“Them?” Old White blinked in confusion. “Why?”
“To find our administrator, that bastard Sun Yuechi! Without him, the Shelter is running at half capacity and we’re getting crushed by the Federation’s idiots. If he were here, we would still have access to the armory!” He clenched his fists, teeth grinding. “If that guy were standing here, I would punch him myself.”
The players exchanged bewildered looks.
They never heard the name, but one detail stuck out.
“Why is your administrator in the Great Rift Valley?”
“Hell if I know,” Huang Guangwei cursed. “He said it’s the last ember of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, that we should rally under its banner, that it’s not too late, that they’ll help. If they cared so much, the Ocean Edge Province wouldn’t be a graveyard!”
Ample Time stroked his chin and muttered, “That’s over 3,000 kilometers away, even if he travels in a straight line. How were you planning to get there?”
“I was going to land on the eastern coast of the Ocean Edge Province,” Huang Guangwei said. “It’s deserted, no Torch Church patrols. From there I would circle around through Spur Province on the east side of River Valley Province. I bet that’s the same route our administrator took.”
Midnight Pubg frowned. “Then how did you end up here?”
“I didn’t want to!” Huang Guangwei said helplessly. “I avoided the main routes, tried to slip along the coast, but those blue-skinned freaks ambushed me out of nowhere. They chased me relentlessly and I got swept off course. I drifted all the way here, until you guys found me.”
He looked earnestly at Ample Time and the others. “You’re from a Shelter too, right? Can you take me to yours? I’ve heard of you, you’re based in River Valley Province, right?”
He glanced toward the airship hovering above and pleaded, “Please, I have nowhere else to go.”
Old White looked at Ample Time and asked casually, “Why not take him back?”
Ample Time thought for a moment. “I was considering arranging a meeting, have him talk with the Federation’s authorities.”
Old White chuckled dryly. “A bit ambitious, don’t you think? Even if we could, how do you know the Federation isn’t already infiltrated by the Torch Church?”
Ample Time sighed, “That’s exactly what worries me.”
Each side blamed the other for the generator explosion, and there was no proof either way. Ample Time suspected the Torch Church had orchestrated it, framing Shelter 70 to spark the war. But… there was another possibility.
Maybe the Federation wanted that explosion.
Energy had been Shelter 70’s leash, a form of invisible control. Now that it was gone, the Federation realized they could survive without it. They could import coal from Silvermoon Bay, restart old thermal plants, and supplement with solar and wind.
Sure, costs rose, but unity under the Federation made it manageable. The price of independence didn’t seem that high after all.
After a long silence, Ample Time exhaled. “We’ll let our administrator decide.”
Old White nodded. “Agreed. We’ll leave it to the professionals.”
Ample Time turned back to Huang Guangwei. “We’ll take you with us. It’s about two days’ voyage to Clearspring City.”
Huang Guangwei’s face lit up in relief. “Thank you, thank you so much!”
Ample Time smiled. “Don’t mention it. But we’ll need a favor too.”
“Anything!” Huang Guangwei said eagerly. “Just say the word, I’ll do my best!”
“Good. We’d like you to record a short video detailing your encounter with those mutants near the eastern coast of the Ocean Edge Province and give us the coordinates of the attack.”
Huang Guangwei agreed immediately. “No problem! I’ll record it right now if you want! The coordinates are stored on my submersible, you can take them!”
“No rush,” Ample Time said kindly. “I’ll report to our administrator first. You go change into something dry before you catch a cold.”
Then he looked toward the submersible already dragged ashore.
“And one more thing, mind if we borrow your craft? We’d like to see if we can repair the propulsion system.”
Huang Guangwei waved generously. “Take it! If you’ll get me to Clearspring City, it’s yours.”
He hadn’t planned on keeping it anyway. If he had made it to the Ocean Edge Province, he would have abandoned it either way.
Now that these people had offered him passage, he had no further use for it.
Ample Time grinned. “Then we’ll take good care of it.”
