Chapter 775.1: Ripple Effect

“I see. So it sank after all.”

Dawn City, Shelter 404, the library on Level B4.

When Sun Yuechi heard that the Ocean Edge had sunk, he froze for two seconds. A complicated expression appeared on his face a moment later.

Chu Guang could tell that the news had brought him both relief and joy, along with some hesitation over the outcome. More than anything, however, his expression conveyed what he had said...

So it happened after all.

He seemed to have foreseen that conclusion from the very beginning, even before dumping the mess left by Shelter 70 into Chu Guang’s hands.

Chu Guang could not help feeling curious.

Before he could ask, however, Sun Yuechi, seated opposite him, spoke first. “Is it really all right for you to leave the frontlines?”

Chu Guang smiled faintly. “They don’t actually need me there that much. They’ve done quite well even when I wasn’t around. Compared with that, meeting the representative of the Southern Seas New Alliance authorities is more important.”

Although the Heart of Steel remained on the front lines, he did not stay on it every moment of every day. He occasionally returned by aircraft.

For example, he returned whenever the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee had an important agenda to discuss at a meeting, or when internal New Alliance affairs required him to make a decision.

Sun Yuechi nodded in understanding, a gratified smile appearing on his face. “That’s good... I heard the Southern New Alliance was jointly established by the residents of Shelter 70 and the survivors of the Southern Seas, correct? In the end, they still managed to put aside their differences... It was actually rather foolish of us to turn the VM into a black card. We all forgot that we were compatriots to begin with. The shelter doors have been open for a century and a half, yet we still call ourselves shelter residents. It’s ridiculous. Sometimes I can’t help thinking that shelters should have been designed with a self-destruct deadline. Once the time came, they would explode... Perhaps that would have been better for the people who survived.”

“That would be excessively formalistic. Even without shelters, people could still invent black cards. Wouldn’t it be better to turn this place into a museum once everything is over?” Chu Guang glanced around and chuckled, “A library-themed museum, perhaps. I’ve collected quite a few books here, some from the Prosperity Era and others written by the people of the Wasteland Era.”

Sun Yuechi praised him sincerely. “It seems you truly learned a great deal from Boulder Town.”

“After all, we don’t want to repeat the path they walked,” Chu Guang replied. “Otherwise, we would merely fall into another cycle.”

“That’s good.” Sun Yuechi spoke sincerely and could not help nodding at Chu Guang once again.

That was a conversation between two administrators.

Chu Guang understood the meaning behind his words. It was one shelter’s recognition of another shelter’s “work.”

The administrator of Shelter 70 believed that Shelter 404’s methods might genuinely bring the Wasteland Era to an end. He felt no regret over transferring his administrative authority.

Seeing that Sun Yuechi appeared to have nothing else to say, Chu Guang finally asked the question in his mind. “I keep getting the feeling that you foresaw today’s outcome long ago.”

Sun Yuechi revealed a bitter smile. “Did it really require foresight? I believe I told you a long time ago that I was merely a paperhanger. By the time the position reached me, there was finally nothing left to patch. I considered every possibility, but they all ended with the same result. My residents believed I was irresponsible, but the truth is that they understood nothing. I had already examined every possible outcome. This was almost the only way to spare them from disaster.” After pausing, he continued, “You’ve seen the ‘stockpile’ inside Shelter 70, haven’t you? All the things those people who blamed me for not opening the doors kept clamoring for me to release them.”

Chu Guang nodded. “I haven’t personally been there, but my residents took a look on my behalf. There were indeed many impressive things.”

Sun Yuechi smiled and continued, “Do you think those things could have changed anything? Or that giving those things to them would have made any difference?”

Chu Guang considered the question before answering impartially. “Probably not.”

The stockpile contained quite a few suits of exoframes. However, with nothing but the inexperienced residents of Shelter 70, most of whom had never even touched a gun, they would probably have been forced to the ground and beaten by North Island Federation Marines the moment they left.

Weapons were merely weapons. Ultimately, people operated them, and warfare was an entire system.

The residents of Shelter 70 had suffered no losses whatsoever throughout the civil war. In the end, they had also played a decisive role in establishing the new Southern New Alliance. Most importantly, they were the only participants in the entire civil war whose hands had not been stained with the blood of their compatriots.

No matter how many times they had cursed the people outside or wished that everyone would die so they could begin again, those thoughts had remained inside their minds.

Everyone possessed a dark side. At least their actions had placed them, for the time being, upon the correct moral high ground.

After the civil war, every mistake they had made in the past had been wiped clean.

Judging by the outcome, the man’s shock therapy had indeed been somewhat effective. At the very least, it had prevented the worst and bloodiest possible conclusion. Calling him an irresponsible administrator would therefore have been somewhat unfair.

Sun Yuechi remained silent for a while before sighing softly. “We took the wrong path from the very beginning. Perhaps the young man who operated the Dolphin was right. Our ancestors may indeed have acquired administrative authority over the shelter through illegitimate means, while its rightful residents were locked outside. That was why we were always afraid that the people outside would discover the truth. We feared that they would learn the whole history, that one day they would suddenly awaken, and that they would realize the things we had bestowed upon them had belonged to them all along. The instinct to distrust them was therefore engraved into our very bones...”

He gulped once before he continued, “Apart from the battleship Ocean Edge, which was built to counter the threat from the Army, every other warship was constructed in the name of resisting foreign enemies but was, in reality, merely another layer of insurance protecting Shelter 70’s rule.”

“But ironically... As you saw, those mutually restraining measures were completely useless. Meanwhile, the only warship genuinely constructed with the Army as its hypothetical enemy was used against our own people from beginning to end. I anticipated that the Ocean Edge would eventually sink, but I truly did not expect the civil war to end in such a restrained manner. In the outcome I envisioned, the cost would have been far greater. The result might have been somewhat better than the past, but it would not have been better than what we have now.”

At that point, Sun Yuechi looked at Chu Guang and thanked him sincerely. “This was your achievement... Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Ending the Wasteland Era is the duty of administrators like us.” Chu Guang nodded to him. Suddenly remembering something, he continued, “By the way, Li Minghui has come to Dawn City. He intends to meet me personally to discuss our future cooperation. Although he hasn’t asked to see you, would you like to meet him?”

Sun Yuechi appeared tempted, but seemingly recalled an unpleasant meeting with someone in the past and shook his head with lingering apprehension. “Better not. I’m already retired. Meeting me would serve no purpose.”

“Is that so? I actually think meeting him might be beneficial. He is your compatriot, after all. Of course, it doesn’t matter if you choose not to. It’s your choice after all.” Chu Guang smiled as he spoke. After a brief pause, he suddenly added, “There are many missing sections in the administrator’s log of Shelter 70. Don’t you intend to complete it?”

Sun Yuechi appeared tempted once again. However, seemingly for the same reason as before, he ultimately shook his head. “Perhaps another time. I rather like my current job.”

Although Chu Guang was somewhat disappointed, he said nothing and merely nodded. Settling accounts with one’s own mistakes was no easy task. He could understand Sun Yuechi’s feelings. The man still cared deeply for Shelter 70, perhaps even more deeply than he cared for the survivors of the Southern Seas.

It was enough to trace the civil war back to its immediate trigger, the collapse of the ocean current power station.

The Torch Church had directly carried out the act, while Chalas and his followers had served as accomplices. The deceased President Mongo had enabled them.

As for what had happened over the past century and a half, or what had occurred more than two centuries earlier, the survivors of the Southern Seas no longer wished to pursue the matter. As the former administrator of Shelter 70, Sun Yuechi naturally had no reason to take the initiative himself.

From the standpoint of both the New Alliance and the current administrator of Shelter 70, Chu Guang had even less reason to do so.

The man had planned everything from the beginning. That was why he had transferred the Shelter’s authority to Chu Guang without hesitation. There was no question that the Southern Seas New Alliance had won the civil war. However, the greatest winner was actually Shelter 70, which had remained outside the conflict from beginning to end, along with the New Alliance, the shelter’s new true owner.

As for the survivors of the Southern Seas, they experienced both a complete victory, yet utter defeat, at the same time.

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