Chapter 585: Chapter 362: A More Advanced Civilization (Part 2)

Kanna only had access to the Breathing Technique thanks to Li Xiang. Otherwise, being from a Lower Caste, she wouldn’t have even been qualified.

Through her own hard work, Kanna had become a highly skilled individual. She spoke three languages—English, the language of Tianzhu, and Chinese—and was a Tier Five Transcendent, a bona fide member of the elite. Unfortunately, due to her origins and the cautionary tale of Amir, she had been expelled.

When Kanna arrived at the "Spiritual Energy Matrix," she saw a hundred-meter-tall Extraordinary Particle enricher suspended high overhead. A rotating, silvery-white dodecahedron was scattering starlight visible to the naked eye onto the Cultivation Square. A nearby detector showed that the particle concentration was about 300 times that of the surface; the number fluctuated, but never by more than five points in either direction.

HISS... Feeling the dense Extraordinary Particles, Kanna took a deep breath. A wave of comfort washed over her, leaving her feeling almost drunk on it. She immediately began to cultivate.

At lunchtime, when people from her unit went to the cafeteria, someone asked, "Where’s that girl from Tianzhu who arrived this morning? Why isn’t she around?"

The person who had shown her around that morning replied, "She went to the Spiritual Energy Matrix to cultivate. I guess she’s not out yet."

Someone guessed, "Maybe she has dietary restrictions?" After all, she came from an Exotic Realm with a different culture and beliefs. She might not be used to the food in Country C. Plus, people from her homeland liked to eat with their hands.

In truth, Kanna was from a Lower Caste—no, she had no Caste at all. She was one of the Dalit, the lowest of the untouchables, unworthy of a Caste. Having survived the Apocalypse and endured countless hardships, how could she possibly have any dietary restrictions? Such things were a game for the Upper Caste to flaunt their status. For the lower classes, it was more often a matter of simply being unable to afford food. Everyone was just struggling to stay alive. In the Apocalypse, all the effort in the world couldn’t guarantee a single full meal.

Just as the group was gossiping, Kanna walked in. She expertly grabbed a tray, got her food, and picked up a pair of chopsticks and a spoon. As an Extraordinary Being who had diligently studied Chinese and had already eaten in the cafeteria the day before, she had long since mastered the use of chopsticks.

When everyone saw the variety of food on her tray, they thought, ’So Kanna really doesn’t have any dietary restrictions. And she can use chopsticks. Excellent.’ Then, a colleague couldn’t help but cry out, "Kanna, you were Tier Five this morning. Are you Tier Seven now?"

That colleague was also Tier Seven, and he had keenly noticed that the aura Kanna was now exuding was the same as his own.

Kanna smiled faintly. "I went to the Spiritual Energy Matrix this morning, didn’t I? It’s a truly wonderful place. So, um, I rose two Tiers."

’What the hell?!’ The others all gasped. ’Two Tiers in a single morning? Are you some kind of monster? The Spiritual Energy Matrix helps, but it’s not omnipotent, is it?’

Those present who had been chosen for the "Earth Vein Passage Envoy" team were at least Tier Four. To reach Tier Four in little more than a year since the Apocalypse began, one had to be a genius.

In over a year, those who could step into the Extraordinary Realm and become a Tier One Transcendent were one in a hundred. A Tier Four Transcendent was one in a million.

And Tier Seven? That was one in ten million.

Kanna froze. In truth, she had no concept of her own talent. Having always been at the bottom, struggling to survive, she had never paid it any mind. Her only creed was to get stronger, and stronger still, until she had the power to protect her people!

’Perhaps that was a bit too conspicuous,’ Kanna thought to herself. ’I really didn’t mean to show off.’ She said no more and lowered her head, focusing on her meal. Having been hungry for so long, now that she finally had a chance to eat her fill, she polished off a portion three times the size of what her male colleagues ate.

No one laughed at her. The woman serving the food even gave her a larger portion, and the chef personally came out to ask Kanna if she had any requests or feedback on the food so he could make improvements.

For the chef, it was an honor to have someone enjoy his cooking so enthusiastically.

Kanna, of course, had no requests. She just praised the food, saying it was delicious, which made the portly chef beam with delight.

News of Kanna rising two Tiers in a single morning spread quickly. Everyone now knew a new genius had joined their team—a true genius who had come from the very bottom and survived countless life-and-death battles.

Li Xiang, of course, also heard the news. He was rather surprised and quickly summoned Kanna to his office to personally check on her Cultivation and offer her some careful guidance.

Kanna was delighted to be held in such high regard by Li Xiang, but she remained humble and didn’t let it go to her head.

About a week later, all the personnel had arrived. 468 people had passed the selection. Including Kanna, the total was 469. Li Xiang divided them into 36 teams of about 13 people each, balancing the combat strength of each team according to its members’ Tiers.

Kanna, without a doubt, was made captain of one of the teams. She not only had experience surviving long treks through dark, cold environments, but her strength was also among the very best—she ranked in the top ten of all 469 members. Her captaincy was well-deserved.

The other Extraordinary Beings who had rushed over from distant North America or Western Europe were also appointed as captains.

The reason was simple: they had experience with long-distance travel and wilderness survival. Effort had to be rewarded, so no one else could object. If anything, it sparked a competitive spirit. Others felt they could do just as well, but they would have to prove it through their performance on the job.

Those who lived nearby, especially the ones originally from City No. 03, had thought they were lucky to get a "free pass" from the grueling travel requirement. Now they were annoyed. ’Why did I have to live so close?’

Li Xiang distributed thirty-six Space Bracelets, one for each team captain to carry. He also designated two vice-captains per team. If a captain were to unfortunately die, a vice-captain would take the Space Bracelet. If the vice-captains also died, it would be passed on to another team member.

Their mission was to transport supplies, traveling between the world’s major Underground Cities and facilitating the exchange of resources.

Aside from the food from its underground farms, Underground Dungeon 03 also had food synthesis plants, such as one for creating starch. This technology had previously been a strategic reserve and not used for mass production. But now, with the global situation critical and many Underground Cities facing food shortages, the project was put into operation.

Synthesizing this starch was a simple matter of using water and carbon dioxide. The technology had existed since peacetime and had already been optimized from a 60-step main reaction down to 11. After further improvements by Jiang Cai’er’s team, it was now down to just 7 steps.

With only carbon dioxide, water, and Electric Energy, artificial starch could be mass-produced in just 7 main reaction steps. As for the Electric Energy, with power generated by a Helium-3 controlled Nuclear Fusion Reactor, it was a complete non-issue.

The people of City No. 03 didn’t eat this artificially synthesized starch because it tasted terrible. City No. 03 had abundant resources; the underground farms, managed by Zhao Xueqing, were thriving and had already expanded to several hundred crop varieties. Why would anyone there eat this artificial stuff?

But for other Underground Cities, this synthetic starch was a strategic resource.

The Earth Vein Passage Envoy teams were primarily responsible for transporting this synthetic starch. Their second priority was transporting the high-yield crop seeds developed by Zhao Xueqing. These seeds had one drawback: they were only viable for one or two generations and could not be saved for replanting. New seeds had to be purchased from City No. 03 every year.

It was the same for the synthetic starch; it could only be purchased from City No. 03 or other energy-rich Underground Cities in Country C. Other cities lacked the production capacity.

After three days of intensive training, the new department officially began its operations.

As Kanna accepted a mission and set out with her team, her admiration and respect for Li Xiang deepened. ’The boss is truly a saint,’ she thought. ’To think he’d just give such important food and superior seeds to other Underground Cities for free.’

In reality, it was hardly free. A series of agreements had been made behind the scenes. And even if there weren’t, even if it was a true donation, it would still grant them immense influence and control.

Don’t fall in line? The food supply gets cut off instantly.

With so many Underground Cities across the globe needing support, why should they prioritize you?

However, Li Xiang truly held no such selfish ambitions. He genuinely hoped that everyone could unite and build themselves up as quickly as possible.

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