Chapter 135 – Fire Seed (4)
◎ Do you think S-level is just a cabbage? ◎
“What’s District B like?”
Song Ke lounged on the soft couch in a sprawling “大” shape, occasionally flipping over, curiously asking when there was nothing else to do.
The journey to the Northern Base was long. Lu Xiaoyu activated the autopilot, allowing the starship to cruise at a constant speed in high orbit. The seven of them either nestled in their seats watching movies or wholeheartedly engrossed in holographic games. The rest were… playing cards.
Lu Xiaoyu, Zhuang Qingyan, Fang Zhixu, and Su Cha played the popular Texas Hold’em from the ancient civilization.
“On this matter,” Lu Xiaoyu, the dealer for this round, dealt three community cards, swiftly glanced at his own cards, raising an eyebrow slightly, “I can’t give an objective evaluation.”
“Then how about your subjective opinion?” Lin Youyou mumbled through her face mask.
The first betting round began. Fang Zhixu followed Lu Xiaoyu, tossing in the big blind.
Zhuang Qingyan slid a whole row of chips with his slender fingers, silently raising the stakes.
Su Cha watched the game with lowered eyes, cautiously choosing to fold.
“Subjectively speaking, the people there are all very arrogant, almost wanting to inscribe ‘I am the chosen one’ on their foreheads,” Lu Xiaoyu’s sharp and acerbic tongue spoke.
“Why? Does District B also have a hierarchical system?” Song Ke rubbed her chin against the pillow, shifting to a more comfortable position.
“Not exactly. The arrogance of District B residents doesn’t stem from their status; it’s innate,” replied Lu Xiaoyu.
“For instance, our friend here, the spokesperson for arrogance, why don’t you ask him?” He gestured towards Zhuang Qingyan.
Zhuang Qingyan coldly glanced at him, adding another bet during the turn.
Although Zhuang Qingyan never explicitly stated where he was from, given his profound knowledge and bottomless pool of information, everyone assumed he hailed from District B, just like Lu Xiaoyu.
Song Ke turned over, poking Zhuang Qingyan’s arm. “Tell me?”
Zhuang Qingyan used the cards to hold her mischievous hand down. “If District C plays an irreplaceable role, then District B represents ‘completeness.'”
“Completeness?” Song Ke repeated the word, puzzled.
Zhuang Qingyan nodded. “The Alliance has designated different privileges for each district. Only District B has complete access to knowledge channels, comprehensive information privileges, and a complete welfare system. Those with District B citizenship, from birth to old age, all adhere to the so-called ‘elite cultivation plan.’ Every person from District B is crafted using the best resources available.”
“But even with the best resources, one can still cultivate waste,” remarked Lu Xiaoyu, noncommittally, setting down the final round’s river card.
Zhuang Qingyan continued, “Individuals from District B raised in this environment hardly ever set foot in lower-level districts. Due to their lack of experience in the lower strata of life, their empathy is low. They cannot relate to many things, and even if they haven’t done anything wrong, they might come off as naturally arrogant.”
“Do you know the two most commonly spoken phrases among District B residents?” During the showdown phase, Lu Xiaoyu signaled for everyone to reveal their cards.
Song Ke and Lin Youyou shook their heads.
“What? You don’t even know this? Huh? You don’t have that there?” Lu Xiaoyu mimicked it perfectly, that slightly naive curiosity and the unwitting air of superiority, which could really get on one’s nerves.
“Talking about this makes me furious! Knowledge censorship, right?” Lin Youyou ripped off her face mask, scolding, “Before my debut, I wanted to gather gossip from District B’s entertainment industry, and it said ‘insufficient privileges.’ Oh yes, yes, we District C folks are only worthy of receiving neutered information.”
“CDE districts are all considered lower-level zones. We’re all the same,” Fang Zhixu chimed in.
“Right,” Su Cha nodded silently.
Song Ke from District F interjected, “Um… guys, haven’t you forgotten something?”
Xu Xing, still enthusiastically gaming nearby, had become obsessed with this new holographic game. After all, District F didn’t have anything like this. Even if Xu Weiguo could get it, he wouldn’t allow Xu Xing to play.
Song Ke glanced at him and then at herself, suddenly realizing.
District F might not even be considered a lower-level district, and most people from District B probably wouldn’t even know such a rural place exists, right?
Lin Youyou sighed, “Wait, you two are from District B as well. How come you don’t have these annoying traits?”
After she finished speaking, she was stunned for a moment, and then she thought…why doesn’t it count as nothing? When Lu Xiaoyu was with them, things seemed normal, but the crimes he committed in Death Prison, the records of his wrongdoings, and his behavior of not even bothering to remember names when facing outsiders—wasn’t that a kind of ingrained arrogance?
As for Zhuang Qingyan, although he always had a smiling face and seemed approachable, in reality…
“I quit! I keep losing,” Fang Zhixu threw the poker cards, sulking, his nerves almost pulled bare from the back of his head.
“You keep winning,” Su Cha stared at Zhuang Qingyan expressionlessly, “Did you cheat?”
Zhuang Qingyan adjusted his glasses, gathered all the chips on the table, and smiled faintly.
“Huh? You guys don’t count cards?”
“You, you, you… you damn District B person!!” Fang Zhixu’s trembling finger pointed at him.
The arrogant Zhuang Qingyan faced strong condemnation from everyone, had all his winnings confiscated (22 crystal chips), and was banned from speaking for a long time.
…
The New Asia Alliance’s territory was vast, spanning from Tongwan in the east to the Northern Base in the north. Even with starships, it took nearly three days to traverse countless mountains and valleys. Song Ke was enthusiastic on the first day, ordinary on the second, and by the third day, she was so bored she was almost growing grass.
In high-orbit mode, over 8000 meters from the ground, outside the porthole was a vast expanse, only showing undulating clouds and moisture.
“When will we arrive?” Song Ke asked listlessly by the window. If she didn’t move soon, her limbs would go limp.
“Five more hours,” Lu Xiaoyu replied.
Song Ke whimpered.
After the captain sternly requested an early arrival and with Lu Xiaoyu’s agreement, they switched to manual driving mode.
Three hours later, they finally saw the Northern Base.
The scene before them left them speechless.
The periphery of the Northern Base was an endless wasteland, filled with ruins, destroyed buildings, collapsed billboards, drifting scraps of paper, and plastic bags… Thick dust and sand buried the former prosperity of the city; the development of this land had been completely frozen in the river of time.
Above was a dimming setting sun, casting a gloomy shadow over the land. For miles around lay plains overrun by withered grass, the view dominated by dismal shades of gray, with the solitary Northern Base standing as the only splash of color.
Rather than calling it a city, it was more like an “oasis.”
“Why did it turn out like this?” Song Ke asked.
“War. Nuclear war,” Zhuang Qingyan said in a deep voice.
Before the establishment of the New Asia Alliance, a brutal war erupted among the Cario Empire and the Luce Federation lasting for three years. The entire northern region was razed to the ground. Later, the three political entities signed a ceasefire agreement and a non-aggression treaty, finally ushering in an era of peace.
“The Northern Base was originally a post-war reconstructed homeland, inhabited by survivors who experienced the war,” Zhuang Qingyan said.
“Almost fifty years ago,” Fang Zhixu murmured.
“The war had profound effects on the Northern Base. The city’s founders remembered the lessons of the past, accepted wanderers from various places, provided them with a stable living environment. He personally participated in reconstruction, military training, and the selection of those with supernatural abilities, gradually leading the base onto the path of military-civilian integration. Therefore, after the apocalypse, the Northern Base’s characteristics made it the refuge with the most people possessing supernatural abilities.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s cold voice echoed in everyone’s ears, “The entire Northern Base only pledges allegiance to that original founder, not under the jurisdiction of aristocratic families, super conglomerates, or the Central Court. It’s a unique presence in District B.”
Lu Xiaoyu’s tone remained unchanged, “That’s right, the last hope of humanity—the Northern Base, a phrase known since childhood.”
Lin Youyou recalled, “I think I’ve heard, that founder’s surname was Ye…”
Zhuang Qingyan nodded, “Ye Zheng, General Ye, the longstanding leader of the Northern Base.”
As they approached the Northern Base, Lu Xiaoyu halted, “We’re nearing the detection zone. Let’s discuss how to proceed.”
“Can’t we just fly straight in?” Song Ke asked.
Occasionally, various flying terminals crossed the sky. When they neared the Northern Base, a transparent protective shield appeared above the city, an invisible ripple scanning before the barrier automatically opened. Once they entered, the transparent cover swiftly closed as if it had never appeared.
“Obviously, we can’t,” Lu Xiaoyu said.
“What about using your abilities to break it?” Lin Youyou persisted.
“I can make it briefly malfunction for a second, but what about after we enter? This is District B, do you think the patrols inside are idle?”
“One second?” Zhuang Qingyan smirked playfully. “The mighty S-level hacker, are you used to eating soft food? Aren’t you ashamed to say that?”
Lu Xiaoyu’s icy gaze sharpened, “What, too short? How about you try? Let me see how long you can manage.”
The two locked eyes, sparks flying, old grievances resurfacing.
Song Ke sighed, separating the two with a hand on each of their heads, “Stop it, no fighting.”
“Can’t we use the main entrance?”
In the tense atmosphere, Xu Xing’s talent for breaking the deadlock was triggered, “That recruitment requirement, didn’t we all meet it?”
V587 collectively responded, “Oh, right!”
“Oh, right!” Song Ke exclaimed as if awakening from a dream.
It seems like making mischief had become a habit. Always thinking about sneaking around, this time wasn’t like the incident with Mu City. They had openly announced the recruitment. Why did they keep wanting to break in? Blame it on those two people from District B; they twisted their thinking.
Lu Xiaoyu lowered altitude, and from a distance, everyone saw a small city in front of the Northern Base.
Song Ke poked her head out, “What’s that?”
Zhuang Qingyan replied, “That’s the Immigration Center.”
Song Ke asked, “What’s it for?”
Zhuang Qingyan sighed, “Song Ke, do you know how many people want to get into the Northern Base after the apocalypse?”
The seven of them descended from the starship, not yet close to the central gate, and were stunned by the massive crowd ahead.
How many were there? To put it this way, Song Ke had never seen so many people in her entire life.
Well, except during the zombie wave.
Zhuang Qingyan and Lu Xiaoyu, citing “inconvenient movement” as the reason, furrowed their brows and adamantly refused to proceed. Song Ke happily waved her hand, taking on the role of the team leader, “You guys wait here; I’ll go and take a look first.”
She took a deep breath and struggled to squeeze into the crowd.
Half an hour later, Song Ke, with her wrinkled clothes and face nearly flattened, finally made it into the hall. She rubbed her almost squashed face and tearfully remarked how difficult it was to enter the Northern Base. Perhaps it would be better to let Lu Xiaoyu use the black protective shield…
Inside the center, there were different zones, with many floating light panels indicating passages like “Immigrant Zone,” “Talent Recruitment,” “Temporary Entry Applications,” and the “Awakeners Fast Track,” though ironically, the area with the most people queued up was the “Fast Track.”
Song Ke looked around and saw continuous prompts on the floating screen:
“Please attend to A1322 at Immigration Window 8.”
“Please attend to C0654 at Talent Window 2.”
“Please attend to E119988 at Awakeners Fast Track 17 for genetic testing.”
Song Ke exclaimed, “…119988?”
There are so many awakeners here, it’ll take forever to get through this line!
She stubbornly wandered around the center and suddenly had a bright idea! Beyond a corridor, a newly opened area was marked with a sign saying “Recruitment Zone.” Song Ke hurriedly squeezed her way there.
As the automatic doors opened, the bustling crowd diminished instantly, and the air became noticeably fresher. This area was evidently filled with high-ranking awakeners. Groups of them stood in small queues, their mixed awakened energies faintly shimmering around them.
Song Ke obediently joined the last queue, looking around while observing her surroundings. Unexpectedly, she noticed, through the window, on the other side of the transparent sky bridge, a luxurious passage lay with a red carpet. It was empty, and above it was written in black elegant script, “VIP Channel.”
Song Ke tilted her head, ‘What’s that? There are so few people there. Can I go there?’
As she contemplated heading over, the opposite door suddenly opened. A sleek and luxurious starship docked directly at the passage. A middle-aged man, impeccably dressed in a black uniform and wearing a top hat, descended from the gangway, followed by family and staff, all surrounding him like stars encircling a moon.
On the other side, the center’s high-ranking official, looking very important in his tie, personally came out to greet him. He wore a gracious smile, his face brimming with excitement and joy. He nodded and gestured for the middle-aged man to enter. The passage was cool and refreshing, in stark contrast to the noisy place where Song Ke stood.
The people in front of Song Ke started discussing in hushed tones; they were all high-ranking awakeners with their own sources of information.
“Isn’t that Ken Oda? An S-level engineering awakener, a renowned architect from Tokushima (District B15).”
“Wow! How did he end up at the Northern Base?”
“Why else? He must have been paid a fortune. I heard Tokushima poached two S-levels from the Northern Base a while back, so it’s tit for tat.”
“You only know half the story. Those taken by Tokushima were a powerful attack-type lightning awakener and a weapon master. No matter how you look at it, the Northern Base seems to be at a loss.”
“Uh… that makes sense.”
Song Ke blinked slowly. S-level attack-type ability… that’s what she had too.
She turned towards the VIP channel and took a couple of steps but accidentally bumped into another group of people talking.
“What are you doing? Trying to cut in line? Go to the back!” The burly group immediately turned and glared at her.
“No, I’m going that way,” Song Ke pointed in the direction where Ken Oda had disappeared.
The person she bumped into scrutinized her and burst into laughter, “Are you serious, little girl? That’s the S-level channel.”
As if hearing some ridiculous joke, he loudly shouted, “Hey! Someone wants to use the S-level channel!”
The entire recruitment zone erupted into laughter, various onlookers’ eyes fixed on Song Ke.
“Trying to cut in line, she should come up with a better excuse. S-level, as if she could even say it with a straight face.”
“Too ambitious…”
“Let her go; I want to see how she gets kicked out.”
“Where did this country bumpkin come from? She didn’t get lost, did she? Hey, you! This is the Recruitment Zone; regular people go to the main hall.”
“I know,” Song Ke politely replied, but amidst the loud noise, nobody heard her.
Some kind-hearted soul, unable to watch quietly, advised her, “Hey, you’re new here, right? Ignore them. The VIP channel requires a prior appointment, personally arranged by the leaders. It’s mostly for those who have finalized agreements from other districts and switch over. It’s not usually open.”
Song Ke asked humbly, “So, what if someone hasn’t made an appointment, a wild S-level, for instance?”
The nearby awakeners’ mocking laughter grew louder:
“A wild S-level? Hahaha, what nonsense are you saying?”
“An S-level is snatched up by every district as soon as they’re registered. How could there be a ‘wild’ one?”
Someone intentionally bumped into Song Ke’s shoulder provocatively but ended up surprised when she didn’t budge.
Unaware of this, others continued their mockery:
“You think S-level awakeners are just everywhere, like cabbages? The entire Northern Base only has eight; that’s already remarkable, okay?”
“Yeah, do you think you can pull anyone from the streets and they’ll be S-level?”
Amidst the laughter, Song Ke remained expressionless, thinking to herself: ‘Yeah, there’s nothing extraordinary about it. There are three in our team.’
Picking out anyone randomly from outside now, there’s a fifty-fifty chance they’d be one too.
