Chapter 722.1: Oh, It's Me, Hehe

"Looks like I'm the one flipping the table over again..."

Shelter 404, in the library on level B4.

After finishing a day's work, Chu Guang leaned back on the sofa and browsed through the forum. As he scrolled through the posts, he found himself caught between laughter and exasperation.

- Oh! Spread the word! Ample Time was making money too fast and got nerfed by the Almighty Dev!

- Hahahaha! Divine justice has descended!

- Wait, Tail, aren't you a shareholder too?

- !! Giao!

- I hereby declare this... efficient resource allocation! (trollface)

- Brothers of the Death Corps, hit Brother Sideline with a round of applause!

- ??? What the hell does this have to do with me?!

- Doesn't matter! Watching you lose money feels even better than me making money!

- Holy crap! What’s your problem?

...

Having two identities certainly brought him many advantages. Especially his identity as the game designer, which granted him effectively limitless authority outside the rules of the game itself.

However, it wasn't entirely beneficial. Very few people realized that responsibility was just as limitless as power.

As a result, aside from rational analysis, the forums were never short of another kind of voice, one filled with humor and satire.

For example, some claimed that he had personally blown up the Boulder Grand Building and the disaster in Poro Province had been orchestrated by him from behind the scenes.

That even the Federation's civil war had been started by him.

If that line of reasoning continued, forget the Three Year War being blamed on him, people would probably end up saying he was the one who crashed into Mount Buzhou and separated the heavens from the earth.

Sitting atop his pen holder, Little Seven clutched its stomach and giggled nonstop. Unable to resist, Chu Guang flicked it on the forehead with his finger. With a yelp, it toppled backward inside.

A moment later, it poked its head out again, both hands gripping the rim as it gazed at him while giving him puppy eyes. "Wuuu..."

"Enough. Stop pretending to be pathetic and do something for me." Knowing the little robot couldn't actually feel pain, Chu Guang ignored its act. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "... Send a message through the official website's mission system to the players who received temporary authorization for Shelter 70. Tell them they can depart for Shelter 70 now."

The entrance to Shelter 70 had previously been under blockade by the Federation Navy.

Even a nuclear-powered submarine would have had difficulty sneaking in under everyone's noses.

Those 13 vessels were genuine warships. The weapons they carried were very likely adapted from starship weaponry, making them fundamentally different from the Xilande Empire's so-called "warships" that could exchange fire with civilian cargo ships for hundreds of rounds.

If directional shields were the "shields" of a starship, then those Federation warships likely possessed its "spears."

Shelter 70 had opened in the 100th year of the Wasteland Era. By then, the Post-War Reconstruction Committee had already been split apart for nearly 50 years! Considering that Shelter 70 had maintained communications with Shelter 117, they would certainly have known about the Army.

In other words, the Federation Navy had probably not been created to fight wasteland marauders. Its original purpose was more likely to confront the Army, which controlled vast numbers of starship cores.

Both sides possessed powers the other had never encountered.

Because of that, both Chu Guang and the players operating in the region had maintained a healthy degree of caution when dealing with the Southern Archipelago Federation.

Streams of data flashed through Little Seven's eyes. A moment later, it looked up and said, "They're already on their way."

"Already on their way?" Chu Guang stared in surprise at the holographic screen, where several of the IDs were still busy chatting on the forums.

Not bad. The number of proactive little slav... players I have am increasing.

At least it saved him from worrying about every little detail.

...

The setting sun sank beneath the horizon. The shimmering sea reflected the fading glow of dusk as darkness gradually enveloped the turbulent waters.

At the edge of the Ocean Edge Province, upon the beaches of the Death Coast, an old man in a gray robe stood quietly against the sea breeze, his robes fluttering loudly in the wind.

As he watched the waves carry away the last traces of daylight, excitement and joy gradually crept across Arzu's weathered face.

Even though he knew he should restrain such human emotions, he couldn't help laughing aloud.

"Hahaha..."

They succeeded! Their arrangements in the Southern Seas had not been in vain. Backed into a corner, their indecisive ally had finally recognized what his true trump card was.

Once the Southern Archipelago Federation fell entirely under the Torch's sphere of influence, they would gain access to a far broader strategic space to the south.

Perhaps even allowing the Torch Church's Kingdom of Heaven to spread across the entire ocean!

He did not have to wait long. Soon, a faint signal arrived from afar.

This time, Arzu did not ignore it. Instead, he willingly allowed the signal to connect to his sea of consciousness. Looking at the figure of Chalas that appeared before him, he smiled and nodded. "Congratulations, Mr. Chalas."

Chalas looked at him expressionlessly. "So you've already heard."

"Of course." Arzu spoke in a cheerful tone. "If there are people on North Island who support you, and others who support your Constitution, naturally there are also followers of ours. In fact, the ease with which you ascended to the presidency may not have been entirely unrelated to our support and efforts."

Chalas merely snorted. He offered no comment on the deliberately ambiguous statement. "We've encountered a problem."

"Peace Island?" Arzu asked softly.

Chalas nodded. "That's right. Shortly after we acted, the Vice President gave his own inauguration speech and established a new government. We moved quickly, but they weren't slow either. Excluding the governors of Ring Island and Sandbar Island, who remain neutral, Li Minghui still managed to recruit four governors."

"But the Ocean Edge battleship is in your hands." Arzu smiled faintly. "I've heard its main gun was removed from a starship."

"That's true," Chalas replied patiently. "But that doesn't make it invulnerable. Especially if the threat comes from beneath the sea. The troublesome part is that Coral City and Shelter 70 are much closer to Peace Island than North Island. If they manage to seize control of those locations..."

"No need to worry about that." Arzu interrupted him before he could finish. "Our people can breathe even underwater. They won't get the chance. You only need to focus on dealing with Peace Island's fleet. Leave the battlefield beneath the waves to us."

Chalas froze. The next moment, he suddenly realized what this man had been doing while the Federation was descending into chaos.

His brow gradually furrowed. "You..."

Arzu continued casually, "You promised to lend Coral City's research facilities to us. We're simply cashing that check a little early. Or..." He smiled. "Were you planning to deceive us?"

"I did promise that." Chalas narrowed his eyes. "But I never agreed to let Mutant Humans appear there."

His voice carried an unmistakable warning. "Listen carefully. Your people had better not do anything stupid around that place. I'm not joking. Entering it without restoring power first will only destroy everything inside."

Arzu chuckled. "Relax. I didn't send those scaled beasts inside. I don't want the place turned into ruins either. They're merely guarding the entrance on your behalf..."

But halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stopped. The confident expression on his face froze.

Noticing the change, Chalas immediately sensed that something was wrong. "What happened?"

"Nothing..." Arzu muttered evasively. Without giving Chalas a chance to continue questioning him, he waved a finger and abruptly terminated the connection.

Almost the instant the communication ended, the wrinkles on his face twisted together. His withered hand pressed against his forehead as he cursed at the rocks along the beach. "... Useless idiots! Good for nothing fools can do nothing but fuck up!"

...

In the dark depths of the ocean, a massive nuclear submarine glided silently along the edge of a kelp forest, hugging jagged reefs as it advanced. Two full hours had passed since the crew of the Dolphin rescued Dongwen and the sailors of the Glory.

During that time, they had traveled from the southwestern reaches of the Southern Seas into the south-central region.

Inside the submarine's bridge, Chen Jianhong set down his coffee cup. Looking at the pitch-black waters beyond the viewport, he narrowed his eyes and smiled. "We're almost there."

The waters between Peace Island and Coral City were among the routes he traveled most frequently. Without exaggeration, he could practically navigate to Shelter 70's doorstep with his eyes closed.

Tail, who had only recently logged back in, peered outside in excitement and struck a dramatic lookout pose. "Wowie! Such a huge... dammit, why can't Tail see anything?!"

Squatting nearby, Roshan covered her mouth and chuckled. "Maybe only smart people can see the settlement. Idiots can't."

Tail's eyes immediately darted toward her. "Hehe, then tell us what it looks like?"

"Uh..." Realizing she'd trapped herself, Roshan froze for a moment. Thankfully, inspiration struck. "How would I know? I'm just a bear."

Tail stared at her in shock. "... Good grief. Roro got smarter!"

Roshan rolled her eyes. "I wasn't dumb before, okay?!"

Watching the human and bear fool around, Sesame Paste couldn't help smiling. Even Sisi's lips curled slightly upward.

Although he couldn't understand their conversation, Chen Jianhong noticed the short-haired girl's eager attempts to look outside and immediately guessed what she wanted to see.

He waved to a crewman nearby and a moment later, the submarine's forward spotlight switched on. A brilliant beam pierced the darkness, illuminating the surrounding waters and startling fish and crabs hiding among the rocks.

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