Safe City Ch.191

Chapter 191: Bounty for Company Executives

Cheng Qisheng could sense that the Eighths were in a very bad mood.

In fact, ever since they entered this [Norn Technology Park], the Blue Sea residents had been feeling terrible. However, they had been mentally prepared for this, and with the blessings bestowed upon them by their God, they had still managed to keep their emotions under control and carry out their tasks according to plan.

But when this anonymous person appeared—a person who had endured years of suffering, whose thoughts had been shattered into fragments, yet who still remembered to give them the shelter address of a colleague—the anger in the hearts of the Blue Sea residents reached its peak.

The people of Blue Sea had always revered the brave.

They admired those with powerful bodies who could fight ferocious beasts in hand-to-hand combat. They also admired those with strong minds who remained true to themselves, no matter what they encountered.

To the people of Blue Sea, both were heroes.

It was much like the first world Blue Sea Safe City had descended upon. Back then, Blue Sea itself was overcrowded, with people packed shoulder to shoulder and nowhere near enough space in the city.

One of the most important reasons they had been willing to accept the residents of Velvet Star was their admiration for the first Velvet Star native they had encountered.

After being infected with the zombie virus, she had been determined not to hurt her daughter. Relying on sheer force of will, she had managed to pull out her own teeth within the limited time she had left, then locked herself inside a room to keep herself away from her child.

It was witnessing all of that, and coming to admire her courage and resolve, that had led the people of Blue Sea to begin accepting residents from other civilizations.

And now, the more they admired this anonymous person—someone whose age, gender, and name were unknown, and who had been turned into a brain in a vat—the more fiercely their anger burned.

And so, everything returned to the familiar track the Eighths knew so well.

Bad mood = mental discomfort = physical discomfort = subconscious feeling of being attacked = must drag out whoever attacked them and kill them.

At this point, they no longer felt uncomfortable, nor did they find this area unbearable. Their minds were filled with nothing but the fighting spirit to take on the company’s executives.

“I’m going to drag them out one by one! I’m going to turn those company executives’ faces into flatbreads with my fists!”

“I’m going to kick them so hard I’ll break their ribs!”

“Then, like catching moles, I’m going to dig up those blasphemers one by one and drag them out of their holes!”

Cheng Qisheng did not interfere with the will of the Blue Sea residents.

Originally, she hadn’t intended to hunt down the company executives who had fled. Although she detested their actions, the Great Annihilation was still waiting for them, and as the victorious party, all she wanted was to devote her time to gathering resources faster and in greater quantities.

From a broader perspective, what Cheng Qisheng was doing was indeed the most advantageous course of action for her side. It would allow Blue Sea to obtain greater benefits.

But then again…

That anonymous person had delivered 451 researchers to Blue Sea, including as many as 39 Black Researchers.

Having received such a benefit, helping them take a little revenge on the executives was only fair and reasonable.

Cheng Qisheng had Aether display a global virtual map of Moon Silk.

The map had been obtained from the [Norn Company]. It marked various types of mineral deposits, showing which areas contained resources and which had already been cleared by company personnel.

The [Companies] had been deliberately concentrating Moon Silk’s resources in their own warehouses. However, they hadn’t actually plundered every last deposit. Instead, they had intentionally left some wild mineral deposits scattered throughout the various regions.

After all, the [Companies]’ original plan had been to wait for the apocalypse to bring Safe Cities to the planet, then kill their city lords and seize control of the cities.

And Safe Cities hadn’t come here for sightseeing. Their fundamental purpose in visiting each apocalyptic world was to replenish their own supplies.

Without enough bait scattered across the planet, how could the companies ensure that these Safe Cities would be willing to stay?

Now, Blue Sea had effectively acquired the enormous treasure trove of resources the companies had already extracted or were still in the process of mining. Simply transferring all of it directly back to the Safe City would already make Blue Sea incredibly wealthy.

There were still plenty of small and medium-sized gold mines scattered across the planet, some already exposed and others still hidden underground.

The [Companies] had long since thoroughly surveyed Moon Silk’s various mineral deposits, including all kinds of underground resources.

Although these underground deposits appeared to be outside the companies’ control, their coordinates had already been marked on the companies’ maps. They were simply waiting for the Safe Cities to arrive, ready to be used as bait.

—In fact, some of the mineral deposits controlled by [Norn] had indeed attracted Safe Cities. It was just that, under the influence of the Cognitive Lock, the company’s executives had failed to recognize them entirely.

And now, all of them belonged to Cheng Qisheng.

She tapped the map in midair, quickly selecting a large number of small and medium-sized mineral deposits.

They were all medium-sized mines, producing energy resources that Blue Sea currently had in abundance.

The situation was now like this: the biggest tool Blue Sea had at its disposal was a bucket.

But the resources on Moon Silk could fill an enormous water vat.

Even if Blue Sea started mining around the clock from this very moment, it still wouldn’t be able to extract all the mineral resources currently available on Moon Silk.

Rather than leaving them on the planet to be annihilated along with everything else when the Great Annihilation arrived, she might as well use them to trade for something.

Cheng Qisheng had Aether compile the sizes of these mines and estimates of how many resources each could yield, then sent the information straight to the City Lords’ group chat.

[Bounty for company executives! Dead or alive, executives from any of the Three Major Companies are acceptable. Five executives in exchange for one mine.]

[The areas around the mines have already been cleared by the Companies, and some mining equipment has been left behind. The general details are listed below—]

[In addition, I’m selling the precise coordinates of underground mineral deposits. DM me with your offer.]

After sending the messages, Cheng Qisheng selected several underground mineral deposits near Coriander and sent over the detailed information compiled by the Companies.

[Blue Sea Safe City: Coriander, finish mining these deposits within four months, then pack up and leave~]

Now that she had a huge water vat at her disposal, Cheng Qisheng naturally didn’t mind splashing a little water on her little underling.

[Coriander Safe City: !!!]

[Coriander Safe City: Waaaaah, thank you, boss!!! I’m so grateful, boss! I’ll pledge my loyalty to you until the end of time!!!]

Coriander immediately launched into another round of extravagant flattery and fervent declarations of loyalty.

…

Meanwhile, the City Lords’ group chat was just as lively.

The City Lords of the Safe Cities all shared one characteristic: under normal circumstances, everyone kept their cards close to their chest, hiding this and concealing that, never revealing too much.

But whenever a benefit appeared, they would rush forward faster than anyone else.

Even if a City Lord offered a hundred pieces of rotten wood, there would still be people scrambling to get them.

Let alone a bounty like this, with a clearly stated price, a formal contract, and the offer posted directly in the group chat.

The City Lords who had previously been so cautious around Cheng Qisheng that they practically wished she didn’t even know they existed suddenly became extremely active.

[As expected of a big shot! You’re so generous!! I’m sending my residents out to look for leads on the company executives right now!]

[Five executives for one mine!! Aaaah, I’m in!]

[Don’t worry, boss! My residents are experts at hunting people down!]

Some City Lords happily accepted the bounty, while others gave orders to their residents. Still others coveted the mineral deposits but felt that hunting people down wasn’t their strong suit, so they contacted Cheng Qisheng privately to ask how much she was charging for the mines.

But regardless of what these City Lords were doing, they were all quietly raising their assessment of Blue Sea’s threat level.

—Although, to be fair, that threat level had already been pushed about as high as it could possibly go.

The various Safe Cities had witnessed the battle between Blue Sea and the three major companies. They understood perfectly well that this had been an overwhelming victory for Blue Sea.

Some well-informed City Lords had heard rumors that the company executives had fled, but they didn’t take the matter seriously at all.

So what if they’d run away?

The company executives were terrifying neither because of their physical prowess nor because of any unparalleled intelligence.

The fundamental reason for the rise of the [Companies] was their exploitation of researchers. They seized the various technologies developed by those researchers and put them to use in every field imaginable.

Now that the executives were fleeing in disarray, they certainly wouldn’t have many trusted subordinates around them, and they definitely wouldn’t have much weaponry at their disposal. Add the looming Great Annihilation to the equation, and even if they managed to escape, they wouldn’t pose any future threat.

There’s a saying about kicking a dog when it’s down. The [Company] executives weren’t merely dogs that had fallen into the water anymore. They’d been skinned alive and were now barely clinging to life.

And yet, even under these circumstances, Blue Sea still intended to hunt them down.

“Write down the name Blue Sea Safe City and mark it clearly. Under no circumstances are we to provoke her. If we ever have to choose between her and another Safe City, as long as the difference in their levels isn’t particularly large, we must choose Blue Sea.”

Inside one of the Safe Cities, a City Lord was giving careful instructions to his record keeper.

“Also, make sure we’re polite and courteous when speaking to her… Hmm, let’s add some emojis, too.”

He personally disliked using emojis when he spoke. His native civilization simply didn’t have that custom.

But since Blue Sea used them, that meant she liked them. Catering to her preferences couldn’t hurt.

He wasn’t hoping to grow closer to her or make her develop any particular fondness for their Safe City. He simply wanted to avoid giving her a bad impression.

The record keeper quickly jotted everything down, then looked up and asked, “My lord, how many stars should I assign to this in terms of importance?”

“Ten! Max it out!”

The City Lord took a deep breath, thought for a moment, then added;

“…Also, see if there’s any way we can establish a friendly relationship with Blue Sea.”

A Safe City with overwhelming strength, an aura that could crush everyone else, and a long memory for grudges—one that would even chase down and kill its enemies when they were already beaten—was truly terrifying.

In the past, if he’d encountered a Safe City like that, he would undoubtedly have preferred to leave the planet as soon as possible, even if it meant giving up some resources.

Strangely enough, however, Blue Sea Safe City didn’t seem particularly inclined to attack others of its own accord.

It even had a follower.

And judging by the way that follower chatted and spoke, he was enthusiastic and cheerful, and his flattery of Blue Sea came so naturally that he didn’t seem the least bit afraid of saying the wrong thing. It was clear that Blue Sea treated this follower, who went by the name Coriander, quite well.

That sent everyone a message: Blue Sea was approachable. It was possible to communicate with her and build a relationship.

Watching this unfold, they naturally began to wonder, ‘What would it be like if I were one of Blue Sea’s followers?’

When danger struck, wouldn’t having such a powerful figure backing you up be the equivalent of having an extra life?

The more this City Lord thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was the right approach. In the end, he issued an order.

“We won’t be staying on Moon Silk for long. Have the social relations department come up with a plan to befriend Blue Sea within two days. Flattery, gifts, whatever works. The action gets nine stars for importance.”

“Yes, my lord.”

…

After the Blue Sea residents followed the coordinates provided by the anonymous researcher, successfully excavated a shelter, and used the access key to open its doors…

141 researchers were awakened from their cryogenic pods.

To avoid any misunderstandings, the Blue Sea residents sent to carry out the mission immediately recited the code phrase given to them by the anonymous researcher.

“We’re going to have a group barbecue at Kaxi’s Barbecue Restaurant today.”

The researchers, who had been awake for less than a minute, all wore expressions of sorrow.

One of them stepped forward and asked, “They’re dead, aren’t they?”

The Blue Sea officer leading the team nodded. “Yes. We’ve buried them.”

“Thank you. I’m Qiu Ka. What should we do next?”

This Black Researcher named Qiu Ka quickly composed himself. His reaction left the Blue Sea officer, who had been preparing to offer them some words of comfort, momentarily bewildered.

“Aren’t you going to ask what happened?”

Qiu Ka replied, “The code phrase has already told us everything. It means the plan failed and our colleagues are dead, but they found people worthy of our trust. We can trust you and follow your instructions.”

“If our colleagues hadn’t trusted you enough, they would never have said those words.”

She went on to recount the great rebellion that had taken place several hundred years ago.

To put it simply, the Science and Technology Institute had already discovered that something was wrong back then, but by the time they realized it, it was too late.

Some people had betrayed them. Those who remained had weathered countless hardships together, desperately trying to turn the tide. In the end, however, they had still failed to protect even the last remnants of the Science and Technology Institute.

Some researchers had families and couldn’t simply leave on their own, so they chose to stay and fight back. They covered the escape of another group of researchers who had no family ties, allowing them to flee and enter cryogenic pods, preserving a final spark of hope for the future.

“Seven hundred years. That’s how long we calculated the cryogenic period should last. Originally, we weren’t supposed to wake up until seven hundred years had passed. But since our colleagues decided to wake us early, that proves the time has indeed come for us to awaken.”

The Blue Sea officer was slightly stunned. “Your cryogenic pods can operate for seven hundred years?”

“Of course.” Qiu Ka looked at him. “Has technology regressed? In our time, cryogenic pods could preserve people for seven hundred years. They were used to freeze patients with terminal illnesses, allowing them to wake up again once a cure had been found for their diseases.”

The Blue Sea officer could only sigh. “I thought our current level of technology was already quite advanced. I didn’t realize technology was even more advanced in your era.”

Still, it made sense. If technological progress could have continued under the [Companies]’ methods, that would have been truly absurd.

He thought of the anonymous researcher who had endured unbearable pain, forcibly resisting the instinctive longing for release, just to tell Blue Sea the coordinates of this place.

“Can you tell us who knew the coordinates of this place? They’re truly someone worthy of admiration, but we still don’t know their name.”

Qiu Ka lowered her eyes slightly. The moment she heard this question, she knew what must have happened to their former colleagues.

Under what circumstances could someone be stripped of even their name?

Still, this had been one of the possibilities she’d considered upon waking. After all, their former colleagues had stayed behind for the sake of their families. Naturally, they would have been willing to do other things to ensure their families’ safety as well.

She suppressed the tears welling up, but her eyes remained red. Forcing herself to lift her head, she looked at the Blue Sea officer.

“Everyone.”

The Blue Sea officer was taken aback. “What?”

Qiu Ka replied, “There were seventy-nine people who stayed behind. Every single one of them knew the coordinates of the shelter.”

The Blue Sea officer fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.

“I can only tell you this: you’re Blue Sea residents now. Blue Sea will not spare anyone who has harmed you.”

He was going to apply for an assignment abroad.

He was going to personally twist the heads off those [Company] executives!!!

—And he wasn’t the only Blue Sea officer taking action.

Mineral deposits held enormous appeal for every Safe City.

And when those deposits belonged to the current overlord of Moon Silk, and the right to mine them had been explicitly granted by that overlord under a formal contract, they were all the more secure.

Nearly every Safe City still remaining on Moon Silk sprang into action.

They would make sure that, during what remained of their lives, the [Company] executives who had escaped would spend every moment drowning in fear and despair—

…

The ability user with the teleportation ability still had no idea what was coming.

After trying every possible way to wait for his own Safe City to show up, only to come up empty-handed, he had no choice but to go with the flow and enter Blue Sea Safe City alongside the other residents.

The main reason the [Teleportation] ability user was willing to enter Blue Sea Safe City was that he’d discovered the city didn’t restrict residents from coming and going.

Want to enter? Just register at the entrance.

Want to leave? You could do so at any time.

The [Teleportation] ability user: I’m just here to take a look.

He entered the Inner City.

He saw the residential facilities for Inner-City residents.

He checked out the newly opened movie theater.

He also visited the Inner-City hospital (the Temple), where he took the opportunity to ask about the prices of various medications and treatments for different illnesses.

The [Teleportation] ability user spent two whole days exploring the inner city, yet still couldn’t manage to see everything.

But he did confirm one thing: according to Blue Sea, the Safe City he’d previously lived in hadn’t been destroyed, nor had it left Moon Silk.

The [Teleportation] ability user was overjoyed.

He was still going to keep watch for his former Safe City.

Then, as quickly as possible, he would get his younger siblings out of there.

And bring them with him to join Blue Sea Safe City.

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