Chapter 11: Who is the big shot?
This wasn’t the first time Cheng Qisheng had watched the Blue Sea civilization in battle.
But it was the first time she didn’t end up with a headache because of it.
Because this time, the Blue Sea wasn’t fighting each other—they were fighting someone else.
——When Cheng Qisheng first began cultivating human civilization, she had hoped everything could be perfected.
Back then, she was still very naive.
She thought that as long as she raised humanity well enough, they would be able to rapidly climb the medical tech tree and find a way to cure her illness.
So Cheng Qisheng tried to cultivate them.
Externally, she wanted human civilization to possess the eagle’s vision, the wolf’s hearing, the leopard’s speed, the bear’s strength, and the cat’s flexibility.
Internally, she wanted them to have superior intelligence, abundant emotions, and powerful learning and evolutionary abilities.
After generations of cultivation, only the Old Seventh Star Civilization managed to achieve internal evolution.
And as expected, Old Seventh became the only civilization among them to reach the level of a spacefaring civilization.
Then, with its superior intelligence, Old Seventh became so arrogantly confident because of that very intelligence that it believed itself omnipotent. It carelessly brought back an unknown virus from space—and ended up destroying itself.
Cheng Qisheng’s mood at the time was, naturally, completely blown apart.
She decided to let it go. No one is perfect.
There was no need to insist on cultivating a perfect human civilization anymore. As long as they could survive, time itself would bring everything else.
But unexpectedly, carelessness led to fortune.
After more than five million years of savage survival, the Old Eighth Blue Sea civilization, likely because it had spent so long fighting wits and strength against various beasts, had developed all the external combat abilities Cheng Qisheng had once hoped humanity would possess.
As for the internal side… well, no one is perfect!
Old Eight really was a good little one—but even so, Cheng Qisheng had once been driven to a headache by them.
After the birth of the Blue Sea civilization, more than half of its existence was spent in a primitive, savage era. Even after it entered the modern age, deep in their bones they were still like wild people swinging on vines, drifting freely through the forests and mountains.
They had a strong territorial instinct. No matter what environment they were in, their first priority was to confirm whether there was enough food. When faced with problems, their instinctive first response was physical conflict.
As a result, the Blue Sea civilization was consumed by unending wars.
Cheng Qisheng had managed to stop several large-scale wars, but she could not stop every single one.
She once issued an order banning large wars entirely. As a result, the birth rate in Blue Sea dropped sharply, and large groups of people developed inexplicable depression each year. Even when she had the government open fitness centers and extreme sports facilities all over the world, it didn’t help.
In the end, Cheng Qisheng had to admit it.
Telling Blue Sea people not to fight was like telling a human not to breathe, a fish not to live in water, or herself not to work.
And as her condition worsened later on, she truly no longer had the energy to manage them, and could only let Old Eighth do as it pleased.
The only good news, perhaps, was that every major war in Blue Sea civilization’s history had a legitimate cause.
When the nations were not unified, some wanted unification.
When they were unified, others wanted division.
And once they were divided again, someone would once more want unification.
In short, they went through constant cycles of splitting and merging, much like human history Cheng Qisheng knew—just that the Blue Sea civilization fought far more frequently.
So frequently that she once worried Blue Sea civilization would eventually destroy itself through internal conflict.
Or worse, that they would fail to adapt to modern society and regress technologically back into a more primitive agricultural era.
—Back then she worried deeply; now she felt entirely reassured.
Only after watching their battles did Cheng Qisheng realize that, in the past, when Blue Sea civilization fought internally, they were actually holding back.
Now, when it came to fighting foreign races, they were completely unrestrained.
The original civilization of Cosmic was called Klan.
They had facial features and body shapes identical to humans, except their skin was blue and their lips were a bluish-purple.
They actually looked quite intimidating.
But their combat strength was roughly on the level of ordinary humans—there was no way they could compare to the Blue Sea civilization, which had combat genes.
What’s more, Blue Sea didn’t just have such a massive army; they also had fully equipped weapon systems and a complete leadership structure.
The battle was almost entirely one-sided.
The Klan army had originally planned an invasion, but suddenly found themselves being counter-invaded instead. Caught completely off guard and vastly outmatched in strength, they collapsed in almost no time at all.
They did try to push enslaved captives from other civilizations to the front lines. But those sl*ves were so malnourished that they could barely get one full meal a day, weak and frail—and fully aware they were being sent to die. As soon as they reached the front, they surrendered instantly.
The Blue Sea civilization had no interest in b*llying the weak. What they loved was the adrenaline and intensity of real combat; against such weak opponents, they only felt bored.
As long as the sl*ves surrendered, they would just find a place to squat, and Blue Sea soldiers wouldn’t bother with them.
As a result, the sl*ves pushed onto the battlefield surrendered even faster.
Seeing this, Cosmic raged helplessly inside his city lord’s mansion:
“All weapons! Deploy all weapons and aim them at them!”
“Anyone among the sl*ves who surrenders—kill them all!!!”
His AI calmly responded:
“All weapons in storage were deployed ten minutes ago.”
“Your Cosmic Lord Army personnel count has decreased by 60 percent.”
Cosmic could hardly believe it.
How could it be this fast?
How could the Blue Sea civilization have such overwhelming combat power?
Even if they had far more people on their side, how could his Cosmic Lord Army have collapsed in such a short time?
“City Lord, the probability of your victory in this battle is 0.03%. The AI recommends surrendering, cutting away territory, and using nuclear crystals to relocate the remaining land.”
Once a Safe City war begins, there are only two outcomes: one side wins and the other loses—or the city lord grits their teeth and sues for peace by ceding territory.
They simply cut away the land occupied by the enemy civilians and flee with what remains of their Safe City territory.
Cosmic did consider cutting it off.
But those damned Blue Sea residents were like ants that seeped into every crack—even worse, they had aerial equipment. In just this short time, the entire Cosmic Lord Safe City had already been swarmed with their presence.
If he cut it now… what would even be left?!
Was he supposed to drag away a tiny scrap of territory and survive in humiliation, only to be mocked by Meow Meow Safe City?!
Enraged, Cosmic waved his hand and dispersed the AI-generated image of the Klan people:
“Surrender? In your dreams!! All troops, move out! Royal Guard as well! I’m Tier 3—how could I possibly lose to a mere Tier 2 like her?!”
“AI, open the shop. I’m buying heavy weapons to kill her off!”
The AI’s dispersed hologram reformed calmly:
“Apologies, Lord. Your nuclear crystal reserves are insufficient to purchase any weapons suitable for this large-scale war.”
Cosmic didn’t believe it.
“How can it not be enough?! I still have over six thousand crystals! Just buy that 5,000-crystal pulse shock net! At least it can push the Blue Sea Safe City people out of the central zone, right?!”
That was the minimum he could accept—at least escaping with the central region intact.
He was practically about to emit blue smoke from panic, but the AI remained as calm as ever:
“You used 1,000 crystals for relocation, and another 1,000 to initiate Safe City warfare.”
“Right now, you only have 4,932 crystals remaining—insufficient to purchase any large-scale war weapons.”
Cosmic froze.
Only then did he realize… that was indeed the case.
“There are only 68 nuclear crystals missing! Tell the Royal Army to stop fighting—have them all hunt zombies! Go find nuclear crystals!”
AI: “City Lord, it is too late. The Blue Sea Safe City army has blocked all exit routes. According to calculations, if you cut away territory now, you may still preserve part of the central city region.”
“No! That won’t work! If I only escape with this little land and people, I won’t have enough population to expand the Safe City! I’ll be stranded in this world!”
Cosmic finally made up his mind to leave the “palace.”
And then go out to kill some zombies to obtain nuclear crystals.
He was a Tier 3 transcendent. If he had joined the battlefield from the beginning, the situation would never have been this one-sided.
But Cosmic was afraid of getting hurt—afraid of dying in battle. That was the aristocratic education of his native world: fighting was something for the lower class. He only needed to sit safely in a secure room and wait for results.
So even after advancing in rank and gaining enough power, he still did not dare to enter the real battlefield.
But now… it was time to risk his life.
He rushed out fiercely. Passing a room, he suddenly thought of something.
Right!
That damn woman who gave him that terrible idea—wasn’t she staying in this area?
It was all her fault! If she hadn’t suggested giving coordinates off by 10 kilometers, he wouldn’t have wasted 1,000 nuclear crystals on relocation!
If he hadn’t spent those 1,000 crystals, he would have been able to afford the large-scale weapon right now!
Cosmic’s eyes turned almost completely blood-blue with rage. Like a rampaging machine, he smashed through the first room—
Nothing. Not there!!
Where the hell did that damn woman go?!
The AI’s cold voice echoed beside him:
“City Lord, your lack of judgment has caused you to miss your final chance of escape.”
The holographic projection vanished, and at the same time, every resident of Cosmic Lord Safe City heard the AI’s cold, mechanical voice.
[AI Announcement: Combat personnel of Cosmic Lord Safe City have dropped to 20%. In this Safe City war, Blue Sea Safe City has achieved victory.]
[Core system of Cosmic Lord Safe City… sssst… has been absorbed by Blue Sea Safe City… please, City Lord… sssst… proceed to your death…]
“No!! No!! I don’t want to die!! I, Chen Miaoyu, will become the King of the Universe!! I am the king of all civilizations!”
He tried to flee outward, but his movements were slowing down, bit by bit.
From Cheng Qisheng’s virtual screen, she could see the coordinates of the two Safe Cities gradually overlapping.
The display of Cosmic Lord Safe City was also becoming clearer and clearer—now it could even be switched and zoomed like the Blue Sea Safe City.
She asked Aether to pull up Cosmic’s feed.
Now there were two displays on the virtual screen: one showing Cosmic, and the other showing the two Safe Cities gradually merging.
As the two Safe Cities fused, Cosmic’s body became increasingly stiff—from being able to move slowly, to being completely unable to move at all.
Until, finally, the Safe Cities fully merged into one.
The residents of Cosmic Lord Safe City were simultaneously expelled from the merged territory, and Cosmic’s body turned to ash at the very same moment.
Cheng Qisheng watched the entire process.
“So this is the fate of a defeated city lord?”
Logically speaking, as a fellow city lord, she should have felt something upon seeing this scene.
But she didn’t feel much at all.
Cheng Qisheng had been sick for too long, and had also spent too many billions of years in Dark Star.
She only knew one thing: because she feared death, she would do everything she could, remain cautious, develop her Safe City, and make sure she would never end up like Cosmic.
Cheng Qisheng watched as the ashes belonging to Cosmic were blown away by the wind—without leaving a single trace behind.
She opened a private chat with Meow Meow Safe City.
—Blue Sea Safe City transfers an electromagnetic barrier shield (with 800 nuclear crystals attached) to Meow Meow Safe City—
[Blue Sea Safe City: Thanks for lending me the shield, I didn’t end up using it. As agreed, I’ve sent the rental fee plus service charges =v=]
[Meow Meow Safe City: That was fast meow? You won, meow?]
[Blue Sea Safe City: Yep~ I won. Also thanks for lending me the shield to anchor the formation, otherwise I wouldn’t have dared to fight a Tier 3 while I’m only Tier 2.]
[Meow Meow Safe City: No problem meow! I’m happy I could help you beat Cosmic!]
[Meow Meow Safe City: You’re strong! You didn’t even need a Tier 3 barrier net to beat him, I admire you, meow!]
—Meow Meow Safe City transfers 200 nuclear crystals to Blue Sea Safe City—
[Meow Meow Safe City: You don’t need to pay that much rent meow. Since it was used against Cosmic and didn’t consume energy, I’ll return the energy fee. If you borrow it next time, the rent stays the same whether you use it or not, meow~]
[Meow Meow Safe City: Alright, I won’t chat anymore. We’re throwing a party to celebrate that Cosmic finally died, meow! Meow meow meow~]
Cheng Qisheng thanked her again.
When she had spoken with Cosmic earlier, she could clearly sense from his tone that he was extremely confident—and that he had enough nuclear crystals to purchase large-scale battlefield weapons.
Yet somehow, once the battle truly began, even though she had already borrowed a shield from Meow Meow Safe City, Cosmic still never ended up buying any large-scale weapons before his death.
Cheng Qisheng had a strong intuition that this had a lot to do with that so-called “mouthpiece” resident.
She looked toward the now fully merged Safe City.
Originally, the Blue Sea Safe City covered 1,600 square kilometers, while Cosmic Lord Safe City alone spanned a full 4,800 square kilometers.
Cheng Qisheng did a quick calculation. A Tier 3 Safe City should start with an area of about 3,200 square kilometers.
That meant Cosmic had either absorbed two Tier 1 Safe Cities, or one Tier 2 Safe City, in order to reach exactly 4,800 square kilometers.
And now… all of that had become her advantage.
Cheng Qisheng pulled up the Safe City panel.
[Safe City — Tier 2]
[Actual Territory: 6,400 square kilometers]
[Descent Occupied Area: 40 square kilometers]
At this moment, the Blue Sea Safe City had become a true giant—spanning 6,400 square kilometers.
Although housing 360 million people was still a bit cramped, it was still better than before.
Before, everyone had been forced to go out according to strict schedules and time slots—like traffic restriction days for cars, except Blue Sea Safe City restricted residents by ID number.
Now things were much more relaxed. Life would only get better from here.
Cheng Qisheng then looked at the former residents of Cosmic Lord Safe City outside the territory.
The Blue Sea army did not ignore them just because they had been expelled.
Almost the very next second after Cosmic’s residents were forced out, the Blue Sea military leadership rapidly reacted, commanding soldiers to pursue them.
Now, all the residents of Cosmic Lord Safe City had been completely surrounded.
Those civilians were terrified, not knowing what the Blue Sea people intended to do.
The Blue Sea people themselves… actually didn’t really know either.
They simply could not tolerate enemies escaping—especially not escaping right to the edge of their own territory.
As for what to do with them afterward, that could be decided later. For now, one thing mattered most: control had to be in their hands.
Catch them first—decide later.
Some residents who had already lived in Cosmic Lord Safe City for over half a year—and understood what a Safe City actually was—began pleading with the soldiers, asking to be allowed to become citizens of the Blue Sea Safe City.
The soldiers didn’t understand their language, but they could roughly interpret the meaning from their gestures.
And that created a new problem.
The Blue Sea people had fought countless internal wars among themselves. But regardless of how chaotic their history had been, one thing was always clear to them: they were still one civilization.
You are the children of the gods, and so am I. So after I defeat you, I can also accept you into our shared life.
But… these aliens were not children of the gods.
The great Creator God had guided them to conquer this vast city.
The fruits of battle were now visible to all.
The temple had expanded again—this time, to nearly boundless proportions.
But what about these extra aliens attached to it? The deity had given no instruction on what to do with them.
Kill them?
They could be killed—but what if the great Creator had other intentions?
The military sought out the Pope.
The Pope knelt inside the temple and prayed, asking the great divine being for guidance.
Cheng Qisheng herself was also conflicted.
She had cultivated eight human civilizations before, and she knew very well the darker nature of humanity. These alien humans were no different.
Right now, the Blue Sea civilization was a unified whole—its most stable, most solid, and internally unbreakable state.
Cheng Qisheng was very satisfied with this condition. Her rational mind told her it would be best not to introduce any external variables.
And yet… she couldn’t ignore the information revealed by Coriander.
Incorporating multiple civilizations into a Safe City could bring benefits.
Moreover, in the long run, Safe Cities would travel across different worlds, expanding with each advancement in rank. Other city lords were also continuously absorbing new civilizations.
If she did not absorb them, then in the long run, other city lords would continue to replenish their populations, while her Blue Sea civilization would only be consuming its own.
At the current low tiers, a city lord with one million residents was already considered powerful, while her 360 million residents placed her far above the rest.
But what about the higher tiers?
The in-game shop even sold an Air Tower sufficient for 1 billion people (so expensive that just looking at the price made her eyes hurt), and it could be upgraded further.
In the end, Cheng Qisheng still did not fully make up her mind. She needed time to observe whether these foreign civilizations would affect the Blue Sea civilization.
She issued a divine decree to the Pope.
“Those residents willing to join our Safe City may be temporarily retained, but they may only live in the outskirts of the city. They may receive Blue Sea protection and take on Blue Sea missions, but only those who become my believers may truly become Blue Sea citizens.”
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Qisheng added another cautious instruction:
“Blue-skinned people are not to be accepted. Expel them.”
Cosmic might have treated other civilizations poorly, using them as sl*ves.
But toward the Klan people of the same skin color as himself, he had actually shown some preferential treatment. Those with higher status became elites, while those of lower status became guards.
Perhaps, to other civilizations, the conquest of this Safe City was not entirely unacceptable.
But for the Klan people, it would feel like Cheng Qisheng had destroyed their homeland.
She did not want to end up with a “patiently enduring years of humiliation, only to return for revenge” storyline—especially when she would be the villain in it.
After receiving the divine decree, the Pope immediately informed the military.
The military acted quickly, expelling the Klan people and bringing in locals as translators.
Since the military had translators, the aliens also had former sl*ves among the locals acting as translators.
Once it was announced that people could apply to stay in this new Safe City, many lined up in long queues.
But most of them were from other worlds. They understood that even if this world survived this crisis, it would eventually be destroyed anyway.
The local people, on the other hand, were mostly hesitant. After just escaping a nightmare-like life of sl*very, they found it difficult to trust another group of aliens (the Blue Sea people).
However, a neatly dressed woman firmly stood in the registration line.
When the local translator asked her name and specialization, she answered without hesitation:
“My name is Ru Buyan. I am a highly talented researcher. My main field is…”
Cheng Qisheng watched the long registration queue and ticked a box next to the name of Cosmic on her notebook.
At least two months remained before leaving this world.
During this time, she could slowly consider whether to accept other civilizations, and also learn from other city lords.
Ah, right—speaking of other city lords.
She glanced at the group chat.
The usually quiet chat had exploded into chaos.
[Blue Leaf Safe City: Cosmic’s name turned gray?? He’s dead??]
[Blue Leaf Safe City: @Meow Meow Safe City, was it you?]
To be honest, almost every city lord who saw the message assumed it was Meow Meow’s doing.
[Meow Meow Safe City: Not me, but I know who it is meow~]
[Coriander Safe City: !!! What!! Who’s bold enough to take down a Tier 3 Safe City!]
[Coriander Safe City: Oh my god! Don’t tell me it was local zombies?!]
[Blue Leaf Safe City: Impossible. Tier 3 Safe Cities have shields—even if you can’t win, you can just activate the barrier and escape using 1000 nuclear crystals, right? It must be another city lord.]
[Coriander Safe City: A weakling is shaking… which big boss did it?]
[Withered Star Safe City: Not me.]
[Gu Gaga Safe City: Not me.]
[Zhou Yue Safe City: Not me.]
The replies lined up in perfect tacit agreement.
Until a different answer finally appeared.
[Blue Sea Safe City: =v=]
[Blue Sea Safe City: It was me =v=]
