ccnovels #416 - The world has changed, but you remain the same
#416 - The world has changed, but you remain the same
Wang Ji Xuan chuckled softly, calmly stepping forward and settling into a nearby seat.
Lin Zhiwei's lips trembled a few times, his mind finally catching up, and he hurriedly pulled out his own chair.
"F-的风暴, Storm, Big Boss," Lin Zhiwei stammered, "What are you doing here? What did I do wrong?"
"I saw you were about to file a report."
Wang Ji Xuan gestured with his chin towards the papers on the desk:
"I thought it was something important. Plus, I noticed you have an interesting constitution, so I came to take a look."
Actually, that was the real reason he came.
The words 'I report' piqued his curiosity. After a brief investigation, he discovered a good seedling suitable for cultivation.
Although a bit old;
With some nurturing, it might be possible to reach the Golden Core realm.
Lin Zhiwei scratched his head: "What's wrong with my constitution?"
"Nothing much, just one in a hundred talent, very suitable for… studying."
"Huh? Really? In college, I just wanted to play ball, play cards, and slack off, ah this."
"What were you going to report?"
"Well," Lin Zhiwei lowered his voice, "Haven't you noticed something strange here? There are no actual projects on the ground, not even clearly defined research projects, yet the salaries are ridiculously high! I checked, even employees stationed abroad don't make as much as a little security guard like me!"
"That's it?"
"What else is there!"
Lin Zhiwei said decisively:
"This is a waste of resources, Big Boss! Thirty percent of the population still lives in underground fortresses! Every bit of resource should be used wisely!"
"Salary is the only standard for measuring how much material we can obtain."
"Which means they're willing to spend money to support a group of idlers, just letting them sit around!"
Wang Daochang swept the area with his spiritual sense and chuckled: "Then don't report it. Just give me some face."
"Huh, okay… Give you face?"
"This place conceals the entrance to my secluded cultivation area."
Wang Ji Xuan smiled:
"Consider your salaries as being paid by me."
Lin Zhiwei was stunned for a few seconds, then his face turned red, and he stammered for a long time without saying anything coherent.
Wang Ji Xuan asked: "I heard you mention that you're very familiar with the past few decades of human history?"
"Yes, I'm quite familiar. That's what I studied in college!"
"Then let's go," Wang Ji Xuan said, "I just sent them a message, telling them to gather at the old place. Do you have transportation? If so, take me around present-day Earth."
"Yes! We have all-terrain low-altitude skimmers here!"
Lin Zhiwei immediately said:
"I'll go report to the supervisor… No need, I can get the keys. Wait for me!"
The young man turned and ran off, his speed not much slower than a hundred-meter sprint.
Wang Daochang saw several history books, Lin Zhiwei's college textbooks. He picked one up and flipped through it, quickly losing interest.
Why bother understanding it yourself when you have a guide?
Before long, a small, swept-wing aircraft smoothly flew out of the cliff edge, completed a loop in the air, and flew towards the nearest fortress in the night sky.
Wang Ji Xuan leaned against the porthole, gazing outside.
Even at his current level, what his eyes saw was still slightly different from what his spiritual sense perceived.
Looking out, a bustling town appeared on the ground, with rows of six- or seven-story buildings neatly arranged, and various lights dazzling Wang Ji Xuan.
It was nighttime, and the city was about to go to sleep.
Many shops were still lively.
Wang Ji Xuan saw a street full of bars, saw the drunkards singing loudly in the street, and saw the autonomous guards patrolling in formation.
How to put it?
You can tell the development level of a city from its sex industry.
This city was pretty good; the sex industry wasn't too good or too bad, and there didn't seem to be much crime.
Wang Ji Xuan's spiritual sense swept over, and he raised his eyebrows slightly.
There was another city underground, and the two were interconnected, with a large number of passages connecting them.
It was easy to see that the living standards of the underground people were more monotonous than those of the humans above, but the supply of materials was very sufficient.
So Wang Ji Xuan asked about the difference between the upper and lower cities.
"Hey."
Lin Zhiwei, who had put the aircraft on autopilot, immediately opened the floodgates:
"Those with money and ability will move to the surface. Although the underground has basic material guarantees, it offers very few entertainment options."
"The officials deliberately designed it this way."
"The current underground city is an expansion of the upper city of the old fortress. The real factories are still further down, in the middle city."
"It's not that everyone doesn't want to move to the surface. The surface strictly limits land use and controls the population. The ratio of surface population to underground city population cannot exceed seven to three. This ratio has been slowly adjusted; it started at two to eight."
Wang Ji Xuan frowned and asked: "Are the people in the underground city willing to accept that?"
"What's not to be willing about? The underground isn't restricted, it's close to work, and there's guided lighting, so you can come to the surface at any time. The benefits are much better than on the surface, and you don't have to worry about water and electricity bills."
Lin Zhiwei smiled:
"In the beginning, wasn't the surface limited? So everyone felt that living on the surface was superior, and you could see the blue sky and white clouds."
"The key is the blue sky and white clouds."
"Then everyone subconsciously had the impression that being able to go to the surface meant you were a respectable person."
"Actually, there's not much difference in essence. Many big shots live in the underground city."
"Not abandoning the fortress is also to be able to fully activate the fortress at any time… in case the Blade Beasts attack again."
Wang Ji Xuan nodded slowly and smiled: "That's quite reassuring."
"This is said to be the Speaker's design."
"Who is the Speaker? I didn't see that name in the Hall of Fame."
"Uh, the Speaker is said to be your best friend. That's his campaign slogan."
Wang Ji Xuan's mouth twitched a few times.
"Zhou Zhengde?"
"Hey, probably. I didn't really remember that big shot's name."
Wang Ji Xuan chuckled, gazing at the vibrant city.
Lin Zhiwei tentatively asked: "Want to go down for a drink? I'll treat you to some local mulberry wine!"
"Forget it," Wang Ji Xuan sighed softly, "Fly according to the coordinates I gave you. We'll talk about seeing big cities along the way. This small city looks pretty prosperous."
"Uh, the largest metropolitan area isn't on this route."
"Then let's go to these coordinates first," Wang Daochang smiled, "I appreciate your help today. I'll have your Speaker give you a raise later."
"Oh, oh, that's not necessary."
Lin Zhiwei subconsciously quipped:
"A good life should be achieved through one's own hard work, not through back doors or anything."
Wang Ji Xuan admired: "I didn't expect you to be so noble. I was originally thinking of promoting you from your position as a security guard, but now it seems you should just keep working hard."
"Don't, Big Boss, I'm your fan!"
"I have too many fans, all over the past and present star fields."
Daochang stretched comfortably.
What is the happiest thing?
Nothing is better than the land you risked your life for being full of vitality;
Nothing is better than the people you once protected now being able to have a little wine after dinner, laughing and joking.
The prosperity of the world is nothing more than stability.
As for the parts about human nature and people's hearts, there is no need to delve too deeply.
The aircraft flew over several fortresses again.
Lin Zhiwei kept making reports on the plane, wanting to apply for temporary transit rights for some of the low-altitude airspace.
Normally, low-altitude aircraft are basically unrestricted. This is also the preferred way for people to travel long distances now. They are cheap to build, have a low consumption threshold, and use high-performance micro-core batteries.
In times of war, this would be a huge low-altitude delivery cluster!
But the place Wang Ji Xuan was going was a clearly defined military control zone, a huge red circle appearing in the northwest corner of the map, like a black hole.
Wang Ji Xuan carefully looked at several more cities, confirming that the prosperity he saw was not accidental, that almost everywhere was like this, and his Dao heart became more peaceful.
Lin Zhiwei muttered: "Big Boss, I can probably only take you to the front. I don't have clearance."
"You can contact them directly, tell them I'm with you."
"Ah this," Lin Zhiwei asked, "I really won't be shot down directly as a lunatic, will I?"
"Hahaha!"
Wang Ji Xuan didn't make things difficult for the guy.
He stood up, walked behind Lin Zhiwei's driver's seat, and casually pressed down on Lin Zhiwei's shoulder.
He really was a good seedling for cultivation.
However, Wang Ji Xuan also had some doubts in his mind.
When he used his spiritual sense to explore these cities, he discovered many young people with similar qualifications to Lin Zhiwei.
It was as if the new generation of humans had collectively awakened.
He couldn't figure it out;
However, if everyone was like this, Lin Zhiwei would lose that 'rarity'.
"Big Boss, what's wrong?" Lin Zhiwei asked.
Wang Daochang took out a jade talisman and threw it to Lin Zhiwei, saying slowly:
"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, take this, and say my name. If anyone doesn't give me face, I will naturally talk to them. Thanks for the ride."
Lin Zhiwei nodded quickly: "Okay, Big Boss!"
Then, he saw Wang Ji Xuan's figure flash, appearing directly outside the window, maintaining the same speed as the aircraft, and then with a whoosh, turning into a stream of light and rushing into the darkness ahead.
Lin Zhiwei breathed a sigh of relief.
He drove the aircraft to the side of the road on the surface, and the whole person was stunned in the cockpit for a few minutes, then suddenly came back to his senses, clenched his fists, and quickly punched a combination of punches into the air.
His excitement was overflowing.
He solemnly put away the jade talisman.
This fellow, unaware that he had almost stumbled upon a celestial opportunity, didn't think the item was particularly valuable.
It was purely to keep as a memento.
When he got old, he could brag about it to his buddies at the nursing home for ten years!
Lin Zhiwei turned his aircraft around and headed for the nearest city.
He needed a drink.
And then:
A good life depends on one's own hard work!
......
Wang Jixuan flew all the way to the ruins of Fortress 76.
Before he even arrived, he sensed the unusually concentrated wood-attributed spiritual energy in the air.
The five elements of spiritual energy on Earth are evenly distributed.
The spiritual energy in this area was generally much denser, and the excess was clearly wood-attributed.
What's going on?
Is there some kind of natural treasure?
Even Wang Daoren, who possessed the legacy of the Yina civilization, felt a surge of excitement, his eyes instinctively lighting up.
Alas, he quickly discovered the source of this spiritual energy.
At the site of Fortress 76, a towering giant tree stood proudly, its massive trunk probably hundreds of meters in diameter, its countless branches covering an area of over several kilometers.
A large number of container buildings could be seen under and on the tree, where many spiritual energy users lived.
Wang Jixuan glanced over roughly and noticed that these spiritual energy users seemed to be injured.
Outside the container clusters were a dozen or so high-end nursing homes, and further out, a city cluster radiating outwards.
Clearly, this place had become a place for dignitaries to recuperate.
Wang Jixuan flickered several times, ignoring these irrelevant people, and appeared directly in front of the tree trunk, raising his hand to press against it, closing his eyes to sense.
He sensed a very familiar aura.
Beta.
Treant Beta.
Did he die? Did he transform into this giant tree after death?
Wang Jixuan's spiritual consciousness quickly searched the area and soon discovered a ball of light.
It was a ball of light hidden in the very center of the trunk.
Inside the ball of light was a faint phantom.
Beta's soul.
A wisp of Wang Jixuan's primordial spirit entered the space, looking at Beta, who appeared to be middle-aged, pondering the injuries he might have suffered.
He didn't quite understand this situation either.
But this giant tree was probably Beta's body.
"Beta… Beta?"
The figure curled up and asleep in the ball of light slowly opened his eyes, a hint of doubt in his eyes, unable to recover for a long time.
Wang Jixuan approached the ball of light and said with a smile: "It's me, Wang Zheng."
"Teacher Wang…"
Beta's soul immediately lit up, instantly perking up.
But he couldn't move much, only shifting within the ball of light to sit up.
This ball of light could protect his soul from dissipating, but it also restricted his movement.
"Teacher Wang! It's really you!"
Beta shouted excitedly:
"Are your injuries healed? When did you come back? I'll notify them right away, my communicator… Ah…"
He suddenly thought of his situation, and said with an embarrassed smile:
"It's broken, I can't move."
"What's going on?" Wang Jixuan frowned and asked, "Are you injured?"
"To be precise, I was killed in battle," Beta sighed, "I died in the battle on Mars, but I was very lucky, they saved one of my thighs, Professor Shen had a whim and planted it in the soil, and I came back to life… But, I don't know when I'll be fully recovered in this state, but I'm much stronger than before!"
Beta said with great interest: "Teacher Wang, if you need any spiritual medicine, you can directly graft it onto me, I can now produce dozens of tons of spiritual medicine every day!"
Wang Jixuan smiled and sighed: "You should think about how to get out."
"Ahem," Beta pretended to be profound, "It's also good to be a guardian of the countryside, I can probably live for thousands of years now!"
Wang Jixuan gave a thumbs up.
He was instead comforted by Beta.
Mainly because he had plucked too much of Beta's hair before, he was really a little embarrassed.
"Do you have any news about them?" Wang Jixuan asked.
"Yes, they gather here every five years, Captain Dragonfly has retired and gone to the front lines to continue contributing, my two teammates have sacrificed themselves."
Beta wasn't too sad, but instead said mysteriously:
"You actually want to ask about our military god, Lord Tie Yu? How is she?"
"Yes," Wang Daoren didn't mince words, "Ling Tong, is she alright?"
"She's doing well, but she's a bit lonely."
"Because you told her it would be thirty to fifty years."
Beta sighed:
"Teacher Wang, your healing this time has been over eighty years…"
"She waited for you for eighty years, didn't date, didn't have a partner, didn't even have a one-night stand, and gave all her time and energy to human civilization, she once said when she was drunk… that way, she could wait for you to come back and have no psychological burden to go with you to live in your own world."
"She's almost old, Teacher Wang."
Beta blinked: "Why don't you go and send her a message now?"
"No need," Wang Jixuan said with an embarrassed smile, "I already sent a message to Mudan, but she didn't reply."
"Uh, Mudan is in another galaxy, you need to use an interstellar communicator."
Wang Jixuan: … …
"Goodbye!"
This wisp of his primordial spirit disappeared with a whoosh.
Beta stopped talking.
He still wanted to chat a few more words, no one else could chat with him, those few big shots who could chat were all very busy people.
Tree Tree, he hasn't communicated with people in a long time.