Chapter 148 – Fire Seed (18)
◎ Let’s go to District A5, Elderly People’s Nation! ◎
Northern Base, outskirts of Qianzhan City.
A helicopter was slowly descending, its massive rotor buzzing and generating strong gusts of wind that forced pedestrians to step back. The cabin door opened, and a member of the Tustan team in black combat gear lowered a swaying rope. He effortlessly grabbed it and descended one after another, performing with a flair as if in a movie.
The first to touch the ground was a tall young man wearing pilot sunglasses, a dazzling ruby earring catching the light, exuding an arrogant disregard for others’ well-being.
He waved towards the other group waiting on the opposite side, “Hey, Captain Song, traffic was jammed on the morning route. Sorry for being two minutes late.”
Yin Xiao’s gray eyes, seen through the sunglasses, scanned the large vehicles parked on the side of the road, and his eyebrows slowly lifted, “Oh, District B Starship. No wonder you have the confidence to have us gather here.”
Needless to say, the other group waiting in place was V587. They had repeated their morning routine and “borrowed” another starship.
“Youyou~”
Jennifer had just landed, her deep red curls swaying as she eagerly rushed towards Lin Youyou, opening her arms to embrace her.
Su Cha stepped in with an expressionless face, blocking her way.
Jennifer glared at him, “What are you doing? I want to get close to the beauty.”
Su Cha remained unmoved, his tone cold and unyielding, “Stalker fans are not allowed, please maintain a safe distance.”
Jennifer exclaimed, “What the heck?!” She had just successfully arranged a joint activity between the two teams, no, two alliances. What did this man mean by calling her a stalker fan?
“Get on first, we’re in a hurry.”
Song Ke cleared her throat and raised her voice.
The two groups quickly boarded the starship, the cabin door closed, and facing the crowd bustling towards the Northern Base in the glow of the morning sun and mist, the silver-white flying starship quietly departed.
Inside the starship, there were twelve Tustan members in total, spreading out to find seats.
Yin Xiao’s two long legs moved swiftly, heading straight for Song Ke. Just as he was about to sit down next to her, he suddenly noticed someone already there—Zhuang Qingyan in white casual attire, golden-rimmed glasses, reading a light screen with a gentle and perfect profile.
Yin Xiao sneered inwardly, what’s up with him? It’s not like they’re on vacation. Wearing all white, isn’t he afraid of getting bloodstains?
He casually sat down directly across from the two, as if passing the time, dismantling and reassembling the “Hellcat,” its cold mechanical parts emitting a chilly gleam.
Zhuang Qingyan raised his eyes to glance at him, showing no emotion.
Once everyone was seated, a Tustan team member spoke up loudly, “Captain, none of us have been to District A, and we don’t know much about the Elderly People’s Nation. Can you introduce the background of this mission to everyone?”
Yin Xiao completed the assembly of the Hellcat with a “click” sound, placing it in front of Zhuang Qingyan. Then, he leisurely stood up and said, “Sure.”
Without a word, Zhuang Qingyan’s wheelchair glided forward, taking the lead to enter the aisle, brushing past Yin Xiao, and stopping in front of everyone. “I’ll do it.”
Tustan member: “??” Who is this guy?
V587: “…” The peacock has opened its feathers again.
Yin Xiao generously extended his hand in a “please” gesture, then crossed his arms and stepped aside, with a face full of anticipation.
Zhuang Qingyan nodded indifferently, “I am V587’s technical consultant. I’ll be introducing the relevant information about this mission. Feel free to ask if anything is unclear.”
Someone below whistled lightly, making a joke about him stealing the limelight, but there was no malicious intent.
Zhuang Qingyan paid no attention, opened the screen, and projected the Alliance map. “The New Asia Alliance currently has five District As, representing the highest centralized authority for different functions. They are: Central Court A1 for political center, Emira A2 for military command, Eikang A3 for economic council, Liuponi A4 for cultural academy, and Elderly People’s Nation A5, a welfare paradise.
Except for the Elderly People’s Nation, the other four districts do not provide household registration services, have no local residents, and entry and exit are based on admission permissions. Even so, 90% of the Alliance’s people, throughout their lives, cannot step into any District A.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s storytelling was clear and organized, his voice seemingly possessing a peculiar persuasive quality. On the Tustan side, the initially disdainful expressions gradually disappeared, replaced by focused and serious expressions.
Song Ke held her chin, listening with relish, while Yin Xiao stared at her face without blinking, his fingertips subtly moving, feeling strangely itchy.
He took out a bottle of specially provided functional drink from his tactical backpack, grapefruit-flavored, and gently pushed it towards Song Ke.
“The concept of the Elderly People’s Nation originated from the renowned utopianist, Smirel,” Zhuang Qingyan continued calmly. “He believed that individuals who had made significant contributions to human development should enjoy their retirement in the best environment, with the most comprehensive welfare conditions. Smirel attempted to mobilize the entire Alliance to create a retirement home resembling paradise, dedicated to caring for those distinguished individuals.”
Upon hearing this, whispers arose in the rear cabin:
“It sounds reasonable…”
“If you’ve contributed to all of humanity and worked hard your whole life, it’s only right to enjoy your later years.”
“The recommendations from this expert seem quite sensible.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s eyelashes drooped, and the smile at the corner of her lips gradually turned cold.
“Smirel’s original intention isn’t necessarily wrong, but unfortunately, he couldn’t see through human nature.”
“The best environment and the most comprehensive welfare always protect the privileged class. As long as you have enough power, enough status, and enough wealth, even crying children and blood-stained criminals can knock on the doors of the Elderly People’s Nation and enjoy the Alliance’s best infrastructure and meticulous care.”
“The household registration in District A5 is like a life clearance card. Once you have it, you don’t need to struggle for a lifetime. You can stand at the height others admire. As various interests continuously pour in, it gradually loses its initial function and becomes a paradise for the powerful.”
“The founder of the Elderly People’s Nation, Smirel, was also sentenced to a hundred years in prison.”
“Damn! Using our taxpayers’ money to support a bunch of social parasites?”
“You were just an electrician before. How much tax did you pay? I own a company. My heart is bleeding!”
The two members who joined Tustan after the apocalypse gritted their teeth. Although others remained silent, their hearts were filled with mixed emotions, feeling a sense of pity for the situation in the Elderly People’s Nation and the fate Smirel suffered.
In the quiet atmosphere, occasional clouds drifted past the porthole. They had already left the range of the Northern Base and were speeding towards the northern part of the Alliance.
Zhuang Qingyan lightly touched the screen, switching to the mission page. “Returning to the mission itself, because the residents of the Elderly People’s Nation do not engage in production or work, and all resources are transported from the outside, its only management department is also called the Foreign Trade Department, responsible for supplier selection and procurement. With the loss of contact for a whole twenty-one days, the entire chain of interests between the two sides has been completely severed. Our client, who can’t sit still, can understand.”
What Zhuang Qingyan didn’t mention was that there was something subtly strange about this matter. The system determined the difficulty of public commissions on its own, and the client simply asked them to investigate the Elderly People’s Nation. So why was the mission rated as S? Could it be that the Elderly People’s Nation had fallen victim to a zombie tide or savage beasts? — Absolutely impossible.
Not to mention its unique geographical location, the city defense of the Elderly People’s Nation is under the control of Emira, the strongest military force, making it virtually impregnable.
With the mission background understood, everyone had a clearer picture. Since the Elderly People’s Nation is located in the endless sea at the northernmost part of the Alliance, bordering the Cario Empire and the Luce Federation, even with the District B starship at full speed, the journey would take around five days to reach.
Zhuang Qingyan returned to his seat and smiled tenderly at Song Ke, “Do you understand? If there’s anything unclear, I’ll explain it to you in detail.”
Song Ke proudly lifted her head, “I understand everything.”
“That’s good,” Zhuang Qingyan completely ignored Yin Xiao across from her. Just as he sat back down, he suddenly noticed a bottle of pink drink on the table.
“…” He nonchalantly reached over, took it, and unscrewed the cap, taking a sip. “Thanks, you’re quite considerate, huh? You know I get thirsty when I talk.”
Yin Xiao couldn’t stop him in time, “Hey, that’s for Song Ke!”
“Really?” Zhuang Qingyan turned to look at Song Ke, looking melancholic, “I accidentally drank your drink. You won’t blame me, will you?”
Song Ke waved her hand generously, “It’s okay, go ahead.”
Zhuang Qingyan turned back, his peach blossom eyes curved as he smiled warmly.
Yin Xiao: “…” He had never seen such a shameless man!
On the other side, once the starship entered stable flight, the Tustan members enthusiastically started chatting.
“There are only fifty slots for this mission, and our Northern Base is sending the least, only three teams.”
“Another team is Blue Flame, right? Hey, speaking of which, did Xi Ze not go? Doesn’t he never miss an S-level commission?”
“Haven’t you seen the official statement from the Awakener Department yesterday?”
“…I was shopping with my wife yesterday, what happened?”
“Zhigler and Xi Ze were besieged by a large-scale beast tide during their mission, including a rare 5th-level beast. They almost got wiped out. Xi Ze’s awakened energy shattered, and he dropped back to A9. Director He was suspended from duty because of it.”
“What the heck, an S-level awakener getting downgraded? Isn’t that explosive news? Why don’t I know about it? Am I the only one who doesn’t know? Hey, V587, do you guys know?”
The members of V587’s “Beast Tide” could hardly keep the smiles on their faces: “Haha… We don’t know.”
Innocently, Xu Xing said, “Uncles and aunts, yesterday we rested and slept at home all day.”
Song Ke, the globally rare “5th-level beast”, said: “…”
…
Five days later.
Northern part of the Alliance, Endless Sea.
Early in the morning, Lu Xiaoyu disengaged the automatic pilot, summoned the control panel, and switched to low-orbit mode. Then, he pressed the intercom button and spoke in a flat and calm tone, “Wake up, we’ve reached the ‘Sea of Misfortune.’ I will manually pilot the starship and pass through the navigational hazard zone. Friendly reminder, fasten your seatbelts, or bear the consequences.”
Outside the porthole, the morning sun painted the sky with a golden glow, casting a radiant light on the gently undulating sea, resembling a serene and embracing elder.
As an islander, Song Ke had grown up by the seaside and was very familiar with the ocean. However, this particular area gave her a completely different feeling. Beneath the calm surface, it seemed to hide a turbulent crisis.
She turned her head and curiously asked, “Why is it called the ‘Sea of Misfortune’?”
Yin Xiao, having just finished washing up and holding a toothbrush, came back and casually explained, “Because misfortune descends here. Hundreds of airplane and ship disappearances occur here every year, and the phenomenon remains unexplained by science.”
“Oh,” Song Ke nodded in understanding. At that moment, Lu Xiaoyu’s morning announcement sounded, and her expression changed. She quickly fastened her seatbelt.
At the same time, other V587 members heard that Lu Xiaoyu was switching to manual control. They instantly rushed back to their positions, their expressions uniformly serious. Only then did Xu Xing, almost imperceptibly, grasp the armrest, and even Yin Xiao hesitated for a moment. With a sudden realization, he threw away his toothbrush, took a step forward, and swiftly buckled his seatbelt across from Song Ke.
The Tustan team members remained oblivious to this, continuing their cheerful conversations and carefree movements. Jennifer lazily sat at the mobile snack bar, lifting her flower-adorned fingers to enjoy an ice coffee.
The next moment, the entire starship flipped in mid-air, engines roaring violently as it charged towards the vast sea like an unbridled wild horse.
“Ah, xxxx!” Jennifer was splattered with coffee all over her head, her beautiful face a mess. However, she wasn’t the most unfortunate.
The Tustan team members standing in the aisle, caught off guard, tumbled and rolled like bowling balls, colliding with each other in twos and threes.
In the cockpit, Lu Xiaoyu was completely focused, pushing the energy system to the maximum. The calm sea gradually revealed ferocious fangs, black clouds overhead changing rapidly with lightning and thunder. Layers of huge waves splashed against the front window, and black, terrifying mist encroached from all directions.
Although the navigation had long since failed, Lu Xiaoyu, relying on pre-memorized mechanical coordinates, decisively changed direction. The massive starship, like a sailing ship breaking through the waves, plowed through obstacles, advancing at high speed!
In the rear cabin, cries of despair filled the air. Jennifer’s long hair was in disarray as she clung to the bar like a koala.
But when she looked up, she saw Yin Xiao sitting calmly in place, securely fastened by his seatbelt, witnessing their embarrassment and bursting into laughter.
Jennifer angrily exclaimed, “Yin Xiao, faced with great danger, you abandoned your daughter. What kind of man are you?”
Others weakly echoed, “Yeah, Captain, you…you’re not a real…man!”
Thirty minutes later, the speed of the starship finally returned to stability, and the sounds of vomiting echoed in the rear cabin.
Zhuang Qingyan gently reminded, “We’ve arrived.”
Song Ke looked out of the porthole with anticipation. The sky was clear, seagulls soared, and in the center of the vast sea, a magnificent and dreamlike island stood quietly.
This was one of the five major District As in the Alliance and the destination of their journey—the Elderly People’s Nation.
