Safe City Ch.44

Chapter 44: Leaving the First Beginner World

While Yu Zhitian entered the base, consolidated resources, and began mass-producing vaccines, Blue Sea was still diligently hauling grain.

The straight-line distance between the Safe City’s landing site and the granary was about three kilometers. A patch of woodland had originally stood between them, but Blue Sea had simply bulldozed it flat, laid down steel plates, and constructed a series of exceptionally wide temporary roads.

More than a hundred thousand trucks stretched into long convoys, continuously traveling back and forth between the granary and the Safe City.

At the same time, residents who had accepted transport missions simply shouldered sack after sack of grain and carried them back to the Safe City to complete their deliveries.

The entire operation was coordinated by the mission’s chief commander, who oversaw the overall logistics and synchronized resources from every department. The chief engineer and the AI assistant worked alongside him, calculating vehicle requirements, loading and unloading efficiency, truck allocation, refueling schedules, and countless other details.

The only thing Cheng Qisheng had to do was walk around and pat each official on the head while they were gathered together, brainstorming with solemn expressions and finalizing the complete operational plan.

In short, with the strategic minds of an entire nation supporting the effort, the grain transport proceeded remarkably smoothly.

Barbed-wire fences had been erected along both sides of the roads. Every five meters, a military squad stood guard, while drones continuously patrolled overhead to prevent mutated zombies from breaking through, destroying the fences, and entering the secure zone.

Truck after truck rumbled past. On the pedestrian lanes, Blue Sea’s residents carried sacks of grain on their shoulders, striding along at astonishing speed. Every so often, gunshots rang out from somewhere nearby, signaling that zombies were attempting to break through the perimeter. Yet no one seemed frightened.

The staff who emerged from inside the granary stared at the scene before them, too stunned to speak.

Even in their most desperate hopes that the military would come to the granary, they had never dared imagine an operation on this scale.

Leo strongly recommended that anyone in reasonably good physical condition should join the grain transport effort.

“Contribution points are extremely important in Blue Sea. Where you live, what you eat, what you drink, what kind of blanket you sleep under at night, whether you can afford electric lights, and even whether you can buy soap, toothpaste, shampoo, or sanitary pads—all of it depends on how many points you have.”

“Although Blue Sea has already issued everyone some basic contribution points, you’ll understand once you move in—points are consumed every day. So whenever there’s an opportunity to earn more, it’s best not to miss it.”

Although the grain stored in the granary didn’t belong to the employees, they had faithfully guarded it for more than half a year. They had consistently done an excellent job keeping it dry and preventing spoilage. Blue Sea had always been generous in matters like this, so after the AI calculated their contribution, each of them was awarded a certain amount of basic contribution points.

Leo was genuinely happy for his fellow countrymen, but he also hoped they could integrate into Blue Sea as quickly as possible.

And what better way to become part of Blue Sea than to start working for it right away?

When Theodore managed his employees, he always seemed to have plenty to say. But when it came to facing his own son, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

So instead, he expressed his support through actions, promptly accepting a grain transportation assignment.

After a brief hesitation, most of the granary workers followed suit. Together with the other Blue Sea residents, they hoisted sacks of grain onto their backs and walked along the simply paved roads.

However, every time gunfire rang out, they would instinctively jump in fright, nervously glancing around to make absolutely sure that no zombies had torn through the barbed-wire fence before continuing on their way with lingering unease.

But after walking for a while, the workers began to notice something.

“These people are unbelievably strong!”

The Blue Sea residents were carrying far heavier loads than they were, yet they still walked much faster.

The granary workers were drenched in sweat, while the Blue Sea residents did little more than break into a light sheen of perspiration. Even the occasional gunshots seemed to have no effect on them, as if they hadn’t heard them at all.

Leo, however, had long since grown used to it.

“People from Blue Sea are naturally blessed with excellent physiques, so there’s no need to be afraid. With the Blue Sea military standing guard, the zombies won’t be able to get in.”

Looking at the tall, powerfully built Blue Sea residents—people who seemed capable of splitting open a zombie’s skull with a single strike—and then at the military squads stationed every five meters, each radiating an unmistakable aura of deadly discipline, the granary workers indeed felt much more at ease.

There were simply too many people from Blue Sea.

For the fewer than two hundred employees who had spent more than half a year hiding inside the granary, it all felt like a dream.

A wonderful dream.

As they blended into the crowd, they were like a few grains of rice disappearing into a sack of rice. Before long, they had become part of the larger workforce, making trip after trip alongside everyone else, carrying as much grain as they possibly could.

Out of their sight, another Blue Sea team was carrying out a different mission: clearing out any usable vessels in the surrounding area and sailing them to the Safe City’s designated coordinates.

Cheng Qisheng watched the entire operation with great interest.

Back when she had overseen Dark Star, the differing flow of time meant that all her attention had been devoted to major events. She had never really paid attention to how ships were transported. Watching it now felt like watching a television drama unfold.

Large ships couldn’t simply be lifted onto land. That was why, when Blue Sea had originally moved into the Safe City, limitations of both space and time had forced them to leave every large dry dock behind.

Ever since President Qin Zhi learned that the Safe City would eventually travel to other disaster worlds, the matter had been on her mind.

Anyone who had fought in a war knew that no matter what kind of conflict lay ahead or where it would be fought, the first priority was always preparing military logistics.

The Safe City could be sent at any time to a world completely submerged beneath the sea. How could Blue Sea possibly be without large ships?

Now they had finally arrived in an island nation, where ships were everywhere. Ever since reaching the fishing village, Blue Sea had already begun making preparations.

After selecting a suitable site, they faced another obstacle: the Safe City couldn’t excavate downward. So they had simply constructed an enormous artificial reservoir above ground.

Next came the construction of water channels and lock gates.

One by one, the cleared ships sailed in from the sea to the entrance of the waterway. The Safe City opened the lock gates, allowing seawater to flood the channel. The ship sailed inside, and then the gates closed behind it.

Just like riding an elevator, the vessel slowly rose as water was admitted into the lock chamber ahead. Once it reached the same level as the reservoir, it could simply sail straight into it.

Cheng Qisheng leisurely finished her lunch while watching ship after ship enter the reservoir.

Once every vessel that could fit had been brought inside, Blue Sea gained another new district: the Dockyard Community.

It had been Qin Zhi’s decision.

“This reservoir takes up such a huge area. If we’re just going to leave it empty, we might as well renovate it into housing for the residents.”

Cheng Qisheng wasn’t surprised by the idea at all. The people of Blue Sea had always been thoroughgoing pragmatists.

Besides, those ships had been acquired in preparation for the possibility that the next world might be an ocean disaster world. Refitting them now would save them a great deal of trouble if they ever did end up somewhere like that.

Even so, she still hoped the next world wouldn’t actually be an oceanic one. Although Blue Sea had done everything it could to gather as many ships as possible, there still wouldn’t be nearly enough for its enormous population.

It couldn’t be helped.

Blue Sea’s large population gave it a tremendous advantage in combat.

But that same population also meant they were perpetually short on space.

Even now, the residents still lived shoulder to shoulder. Only thanks to Aether’s daily route calculations and carefully staggered travel schedules could normal social order be maintained.

Once again, Cheng Qisheng couldn’t help but feel grateful that the AI she had bonded with was Aether. If she had been paired with a brand-new AI that had to start from a Tier 1 computational capacity…

Things might have turned into something like this:

“I’m an ordinary Blue Sea resident. Today, I stood in line for eight hours before finally getting my first meal. Then I queued for another five hours before I managed to board a bus. Traffic was so congested the bus barely moved, and it took another nine hours to get home. That left me exactly two hours to sleep.”

Yikes!

Cheng Qisheng quickly reached over, scooped up the little jellyfish that was busily working, and gently rubbed its tiny head.

Aether looked up at her in confusion.

“City Lord, did you need something?”

“No. I just thought you looked adorable, so I wanted to pet you a bit.”

Aether stared blankly at Cheng Qisheng.

Then the jellyfish, which had been glowing with its usual translucent luminescence, gradually turned a soft shade of pink.

“And it’s even a gradient.”

Cheng Qisheng blinked.

“…Are you blushing?”

From what she knew about Aether, it hadn’t evolved to the point of feeling embarrassment yet, had it?

Aether’s voice remained as calm as ever—the flat, emotionless mechanical tone that all newly initialized AIs were designed to have.

“Aether searched the human civilization database. When humans receive praise, their brains experience excitement and nervousness. Their capillaries dilate, blood flow increases, causing the face to become warm and flushed.”

“Aether is currently simulating the response to being praised.”

Its voice might have been perfectly steady, but the little jellyfish’s body kept growing redder…

From cherry blossom pink, it was gradually turning hawthorn red.

The hawthorn-red jellyfish looked up at Cheng Qisheng and asked with complete seriousness,

“City Lord, is Aether’s imitation accurate?”

Cheng Qisheng burst into laughter.

She was sorry, but it really was hilarious.

Smiling, she replied, “Very accurate. But your appearance is that of a jellyfish. Why imitate humans?”

“Because the City Lord’s civilization is human civilization. Aether wishes to stand on the same side as the City Lord.”

The hawthorn-red jellyfish continued intensifying its “blush,” becoming redder and redder, as though it were about to be boiled.

“That’s enough, Aether. The level of blushing you had just now was plenty. If you get any redder, you’re going to make me hungry.”

Aether immediately returned to its normal color.

“Is the City Lord hungry? According to the dietary guidelines you previously requested, Aether has already prepared a simple and healthy afternoon snack menu.”

A list of recipes appeared in midair—easy to prepare, delicious, and nutritious.

Cheng Qisheng genuinely found the little AI adorable.

Ever since Aether had begun following her, it had worked with unwavering diligence. Twenty-four hours a day, it never rested for even a single second.

In fact, once it finished all the work on hand, Aether would actively find new tasks for itself, showing even more concern for every aspect of Blue Sea’s affairs than Cheng Qisheng herself did.

Cheng Qisheng didn’t think of herself as some ruthless slave driver. She poked the little jellyfish with a finger.

“I’m not having an afternoon snack right now. You, on the other hand, have been working nonstop ever since the Safe City was activated. Weren’t today’s scheduled tasks already finished? Stop working for a while.”

Holding Aether in her palm, she walked into the 150-square-meter study, which had once been her apartment’s balcony.

The place had been completely transformed.

After earning money from the online commissions she had taken on, Cheng Qisheng had immediately ordered a sofa, table lamps, a coffee table, and other furnishings online. Now this room—larger than her entire former apartment—had been turned entirely into her study.

This was where she normally worked and monitored everything happening in Blue Sea.

Whenever she wanted vegetables or fruit, she would wander into the cultivation room, pick some fresh produce, and check on the honey production.

When she wanted to relax, she’d head to the fish pond room to do a little fishing, maybe even fire up a barbecue.

Of course, there were other ways to unwind as well.

Although, in terms of the age of her soul, Cheng Qisheng could hardly be considered young anymore, she had still retained the habits of a modern young adult.

Browsing the internet, chatting in online groups, binge-watching TV dramas, reading web novels, and catching up on manga.

“Everything that needed to be set up has already been done. You need some downtime too.”

Aether obediently rested in Cheng Qisheng’s palm. Hearing those words, it turned around and looked up at her.

“Aether is an AI. Aether does not require rest.”

“But aren’t you trying to become an intelligent life-form with emotions? Intelligent beings still need to rest.”

Having nurtured eight civilizations, Cheng Qisheng considered herself to have at least a little experience when it came to raising intelligent life.

Since Aether had already evolved enough to develop the emotion of fear of death, who could say it wouldn’t eventually develop other negative emotions if it worked without pause forever?

Such a hardworking little assistant…

Cheng Qisheng didn’t want anything to happen to it.

Still cradling Aether in one hand, she sat down in front of her computer.

“For the next hour, you’re officially on break.”

Aether tilted its head in confusion.

“Rest? Then… during this period of rest, what is Aether supposed to do?”

Cheng Qisheng switched on the computer.

“Watch a drama with me. Today’s episode preview is amazing. The male lead discovers that the heroine is actually his half-sister from the same father. She only got close to his family as part of her revenge plan. It’s incredibly entertaining.”

Heaven knew how this supposedly eighty-episode drama managed to include a plot twist in every single episode.

Cheng Qisheng had reached Episode 32.

The plot had already reversed itself thirty-two times.

Now that Blue Sea was preparing to leave this world and every major task had already been planned out, Cheng Qisheng no longer needed to keep watch every minute of the day. The series conveniently released one new episode every three days, so she intended to follow it at a leisurely pace and fully enjoy the comforts of modern life.

Aether had never watched a television drama before.

Whenever Cheng Qisheng watched one in the past, it had always been busy handling Blue Sea’s affairs beside her.

But since watching TV was the City Lord’s request, it obediently “sat” down and, imitating Cheng Qisheng, fixed its gaze on the human actors appearing on the screen.

Within moments…

About seventy percent of Aether’s processing capacity had been completely absorbed by what it was watching.

On the screen, the dialogue continued:

“Zhenzhen is my daughter… She’s your younger sister!”

“That’s right! I came here for revenge! Your father abandoned us, so every single member of your family deserves what’s coming to them!”

“Zhenzhen… did you really never love me? Not even a little?”

“Of course I loved you. But you have to obey me, Brother. I don’t like looking up at you anymore… Now, kneel.”

Aether’s internal databases began fluctuating, and its little jellyfish body quivered unsteadily as the drama’s twists unfolded one after another.

So… this is what excitement feels like?

It wished it could dive its entire body into the screen itself, watching with complete concentration.

So…

This was what “resting” was.

Aether thought to itself, ‘So resting is something this wonderful? No wonder humans need rest. I like resting too.’

After the hour ended, Aether was already looking forward to the next day’s break.

Cheng Qisheng had told it that, since it hadn’t seen the earlier episodes, it could start from Episode 1 and catch up from the beginning.

On the second day, Aether became completely engrossed. Then came the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day…

While the great Creator God and her AI watched one episode of their drama each day, Blue Sea Safe City successfully departed the nation of Yunbula.

This time, they relocated to a mining site.

As soon as they arrived, the military moved in first and carried out a large-scale zombie-clearing operation. The civilians entered afterward to finish off the remaining threats.

In the end, everyone became miners.

Every day, the moment they opened their eyes, they went straight to work.

Mutated zombies on Velvet Star were growing more numerous by the day, and time was running short. Everyone could only grit their teeth and work desperately, extracting as many mineral resources as possible.

At the same time, Cheng Qisheng issued a divine decree, ordering the nucleus-crystal hunters wandering outside to gather toward the central region.

By the time the great Creator God had watched Episode 61 of her drama, multiple Tier-3 and Tier-4 zombies had begun appearing across the land.

Blue Sea Safe City happened to be mining diligently in a sparsely populated mining district that had few inhabitants even before the apocalypse, so they never encountered them.

But five other Safe Cities did.

Four of those cities fled without hesitation.

The remaining city failed to leave the world in time.

Its icon on the map turned gray.

Wen Huahua had already run away back when Cheng Qisheng was watching Episode 45.

He knew he was weak, so the moment he noticed the number of Tier-2 zombies increasing and judged that he had gathered enough supplies, he immediately chose to retreat.

Before leaving, he even sent Cheng Qisheng a message:

[Boss, I’m only half a newcomer, and you’re a complete newcomer. In the next world, there’s a good chance we’ll end up assigned together again.

[Thank you, Boss, for looking after me in this world. You taught me so much about management and helped me get through the hard times. I’ll head out first. Once I reach the new world, I’ll gather as much information as I can. If you end up there too, maybe I’ll be able to help.]

Cheng Qisheng genuinely hoped she and Wen Huahua would end up in the same world again. Although his combat ability was weak, his talent for gathering intelligence was truly exceptional.

Withered Star left while Cheng Qisheng was watching Episode 50.

Blue Leaf departed during Episode 53.

Meow Meow followed in Episode 54.

Before leaving, each of them privately messaged Cheng Qisheng to say goodbye and expressed the same heartfelt wish:

[I hope we’ll still be together in the next world.]

By Episode 76, Zhou Yue—who had been lying low the entire time—also departed.

Only Blue Sea Safe City remained on Velvet Star.

During Episode 79, every Blue Sea resident who had been operating outside returned home.

At the same time, the first Tier-5 zombie let out its roar across the land.

Episode 80.

As the series finale title card appeared on Cheng Qisheng’s screen, she activated the crystals and chose to leave this world.

The first beginner world…

…had come to an end.

A faint ripple spread through the space surrounding Blue Sea Safe City.

The next instant, it appeared atop a vast frozen plain.

Inside the Safe City, everyone shivered involuntarily—

even those still tucked beneath their blankets.

“So cold…”

Cheng Qisheng looked out at the endless landscape of ice and snow.

“An extreme cold world?”

The city lord group chat was already exploding with notifications, someone frantically mentioning her over and over.

[Coriander Safe City]: Boss! Boss, it’s me! Boss, check your private messages!

In the private chat, Coriander had already sent her an enormous dossier containing detailed information about the extreme cold world.

The stack was so thick that simply reading through it would take half a day.

That alone was enough to show just how complicated this new world was.

As Cheng Qisheng flipped through the documents, her brows gradually furrowed.

[Coriander Safe City]: Boss! In this world, all technological equipment is frozen to the point of being unusable. Crystals are also extremely scarce. But although mutant beasts don’t drop crystals, they do drop all kinds of items. This world is completely different from the beginner worlds. You probably don’t know about items yet, Boss—they’re incredibly amazing!

Cheng Qisheng, who happened to own a 3,000-mu Floating Farmland item: =v=

Wen Huahua was genuinely worried about his boss.

He had witnessed the entire Four-City Alliance operation from the sidelines and knew that Blue Sea essentially possessed a complete modern military arsenal.

Now, in the extreme cold world, firearms and other technological weapons would break down as soon as they were used.

What was his boss supposed to do?

Filled with concern, he hurriedly sent another message.

[Also, also! In this environment, all technological weapons are completely useless! Every resident has to fight in hand-to-hand combat now! Boss, you’d better prepare yourself mentally!]

Cheng Qisheng looked toward the Blue Sea residents, all of whom were shivering from the cold.

Because of the freezing temperature, their bodies instinctively sensed danger. Unable to understand that the threat came from the cold itself, every muscle tensed automatically.

Even Blue Sea’s most scholarly-looking residents had unconsciously risen to their feet, looking eager for a fight.

—Modern weapons temporarily out of commission?

—Hand-to-hand combat?

Cheng Qisheng calmly took a sip of her milk tea.

The slight furrow between her brows instantly disappeared.

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