Chapter 247
“No, you can’t.”
Tang Yu’an said to Huo Qiu, “Doing homework helps reinforce memory and allows you to better understand knowledge. Only through practice and thinking can you truly master it.”
Although he himself didn’t particularly like doing homework, he understood that it was a necessary part of learning.
Seeing Huo Qiu’s disappointed expression, Tang Yu’an reached out to pat his head, then took out a mechanical pencil and an eraser from his pocket and handed them to him.
“This is for you,” Tang Yu’an said with a smile.
“What is this?”
Huo Qiu curiously examined the gift he had just received.
The school had just been established and didn’t yet have complete supplies, so the children didn’t have textbooks or stationery and had to practice writing in the sand.
Because of this, Huo Qiu didn’t recognize the pencil or eraser.
“This is called a pencil. Just press here, and the lead will come out. Then…”
Tang Yu’an took out a practice notebook and wrote “Huo Qiu” with the pencil.
“This is your name.”
Then, he drew a mark next to it and erased it with the eraser. “Just like this—once you rub it, the writing disappears!”
“Wow!” Huo Qiu took the pencil and carefully tried writing his name on the notebook while lying on the chair.
“My handwriting is so ugly…” he said, blushing.
His writing was crooked and uneven—compared to Tang Yu’an’s beautiful handwriting, it looked terrible.
Tang Yu’an smiled slightly. “When I first learned to write, it was the same. You just have to practice, and eventually, you’ll get better.”
“In the future, the school will provide notebooks and pencils. If you keep practicing like this, you’ll definitely learn faster.”
Huo Qiu’s expression became conflicted.
He liked the mechanical pencil and notebook, but… did this mean he wouldn’t even be able to play in the sand anymore?
However, he still nodded in the end.
Even though he didn’t know if learning all this would actually be useful in the future, he was interested for now.
If mastering technology required learning how to write, then he would give it a try!
While they were talking, the construction crew had already boarded the bus under Shu Gen’s guidance.
Everyone sat in the spacious and bright bus cabin, looking a little uneasy.
On their way back, they encountered several residents from Jufeng Mountain who were taking their children to Desolate City.
Zhou Qi controlled the bus to stop and let them board.
“Everyone can ride for free once, but after that, there will be a fee,” Zhou Qi said to Shu Gen.
Shu Gen quickly recorded the new passengers.
However, as a 70,000-point intelligent passenger bus, it naturally came equipped with an AI system.
Zhou Qi adjusted the settings on the control panel, and a screen at the entrance displayed information:
“Welcome to Desolate City Settlement Line 1. Please follow the rules: let passengers exit before boarding!”
The screen also showed the passengers’ photos, along with a record of how many times they had taken the bus.
Shu Gen was amazed.
Zhou Qi continued, “Passengers will be charged upon boarding. If someone refuses to pay, just make them get off.”
However, since this road was now within the protective barrier, it was officially part of Desolate City Haven.
Refusing to pay or attempting to evade the fare could be considered a form of hostility toward the mysterious merchant.
Such people wouldn’t even be able to get on the bus in the first place, so Shu Gen wouldn’t have too much trouble enforcing the rules.
“Got it, got it,” Shu Gen nodded, then asked, “How will the fare be charged?”
“One Peace Coin per person. Children ride for free.”
Although Jufeng Mountain residents might be reluctant to spend Peace Coins on transportation, the residents of Desolate City Haven were different.
According to Old Li’s statistics, even the poorest resident had at least 100 Peace Coins saved up.
Since their work in the settlement provided food, and their only major expense was rent, they had enough leftover money for transportation.
Shu Gen hesitated for a moment and then asked in a low voice, “So we only accept Peace Coins? Nothing else?”
Zhou Qi glanced at him, thought for a moment, and said, “The principle is to accept only Peace Coins, but in practice, we should handle it case by case.”
Shu Gen nodded thoughtfully. “Understood.”
With that, they transported a full load of passengers back to Desolate City Haven.
The construction workers went on break, while the passengers who had come to apply for jobs were taken away by Old Li.
These job seekers, still in a daze from what they had just experienced, had just stepped off the bus when several people suddenly rushed at them from a side path.
They jumped over the fence, but before they could get far, the homestead guards intercepted them.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
One of them trembled and asked, “D-Does your base still have job openings?”
Tang Yu’an checked the map and saw that these individuals had previously been with the Qingmu Fortress group.
Were they defectors? Or spies?
Since they had managed to get inside, it was likely they had no ill intentions. Tang Yu’an decided not to intervene but left a note for Old Li.
Old Li also chose not to investigate too deeply and generously accepted them.
After all, the people Qingmu Fortress had brought over were all ability users. Even if their levels were low, they were still valuable assets.
The rapid construction of the dormitory buildings wasn’t just due to the tireless construction robots—earth-ability users had also contributed significantly.
Similarly, in the steel factory, metal-ability users played an important role.
Many ability users originally lacked production skills and were no better than regular people.
But now, the knowledge exchange center was making a difference.
Thanks to the influence of the physics and chemistry groups, the ability exchange group was also shifting toward production-oriented research.
This meant that those without prior technical skills could learn and improve, boosting productivity and earning higher wages.
This might seem like a small change now, but over time, it would lead to significant transformations.
In short, Old Li was completely open to ability users. In fact… he even sent people to poach talent.
As for how?
At the outskirts of Desolate City, near Qingmu Fortress’s camp—
“Desolate City Haven is hiring! No matter your background or age, there’s a job for you!”
“Get hired, and you’ll receive a salary, three meals a day, and well-balanced, plentiful food. Plus, every ten days, you’ll get an egg!”
Li Feng stormed out of the camp, furious.
“Not again! That voice is back!” he growled.
“If I catch you, you’re dead!”
But no matter how angry he was, he didn’t dare send people out to search again.
The last time they did, none of them returned.
Not far away, Wang Cai lounged in an abandoned building, gnawing on a roasted rabbit leg that Old Li had made for him.
At the same time, he controlled a swarm of spiders skittering around the Qingmu Fortress camp.
The spiders were carrying a white loudspeaker, which continued to broadcast persuasive messages.
At first, the voice had been Shu Gen’s, but later, it included people Tang Yu’an had previously picked up along the way.
Now, they were personally urging their friends to come to Desolate City Haven.
The defectors from earlier had been lured by this broadcast, and they had successfully found refuge in Desolate City Haven.
Old Li and the construction team had already returned, and Huo Qiu had gone home, leaving only Shu Gen.
He looked uncertainly at the intelligent bus behind him.
So… was he really responsible for managing this thing now?
“Did you memorize the operation manual?” Zhou Qi asked.
“Ah, I… this…”
Shu Gen scratched his head and could only say, “I… I’ll give it a try?”
So, they got on the bus.
This time, Shu Gen sat in front of the control console and was the one to start the bus.
Soon, the bus began to drive along the route that Zhou Qi had set up, and there were no problems. This boosted Shu Gen’s confidence.
“Is this okay?” He looked at Zhou Qi.
“Not bad.”
Shu Gen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Gradually, he became fascinated by the scenery along the way.
Sitting safely on the bus and leisurely enjoying the view along the road was a completely new experience for him. He quickly fell in love with this feeling.
“In the future, once this route is open, you’ll have to run on time, regardless of the weather. Be mentally prepared,” Zhou Qi said to him.
Having studied at the settlement, Shu Gen could understand the schedule.
It was from 8 AM to 6 PM, basically matching the opening hours of the Desolate City Haven. And since there was no one else to rotate with him for now, he didn’t have any holidays.
However, Shu Gen wasn’t dissatisfied. The job was so easy, and the salary and benefits were good. He didn’t feel the need for a vacation at all.
“If you feel bored, you can listen to music or look at study courses,” Tang Yu’an told him.
Tang Yu’an taught him how to activate the intelligent brain, and Shu Gen learned very attentively.
He wasn’t particularly interested in music, but he was very enthusiastic about learning. He believed that being faster and better at recognizing words than others was why Old Li had promoted him.
He also wanted to set a good example so that Huo Qiu could stick to his studies.
He understood clearly that this was a tiring task that yielded slow results, but the settlement had invested manpower and resources into it.
Once it was completed, the settlement would ensure a good future for you, just like with him now.
After struggling for most of his life, finally arriving at a place like paradise, Shu Gen was determined to seize every opportunity with all his might.
Once Shu Gen had memorized everything, Tang Yu’an continued, “If something happens, you can contact the settlement through the intelligent brain.”
Earlier on the way, he had deployed several signal devices.
These were bought from Cossona through the Dream Drift Bottle.
The small signal devices looked similar to light brains. Not only could they fly, but their signals could reach up to four or five kilometers. Placing them along the road allowed for a network connection.
The light brain that he bought from the dimensional store was at a similar technological level to Cossona’s dimension, so it perfectly connected to the signal.
In this way, even Old Li could monitor the bus from within the settlement.
Shu Gen could also contact him through the bus’s intelligent brain to communicate information.
When Shu Gen saw Tang Yu’an make a video call to Old Li, and Old Li’s image appeared on the light screen of the console, he was once again stunned.
“Is this the power of technology?” He asked.
“Exactly,” Tang Yu’an said. “With our technology, it’s hard to create this, but we can learn how to use it skillfully.”
“This is something every employee of the Desolate City Haven should learn.”
Shu Gen quickly nodded, “I will learn it well!”
After running through the process with Shu Gen and confirming there were no issues, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi left.
They flew through the air, watching the bus disappear down the road, and couldn’t help but feel emotional.
“It feels like the world we came from is finally showing up,” Tang Yu’an said excitedly.
“We still need to keep fixing the roads,” Zhou Qi replied. “Once we establish the transportation network of the Garden, this area will officially be part of our territory.”
Seeing Zhou Qi’s ambitious expression, Tang Yu’an also felt a surge of passion.
What Xiao Qi said was exactly what he was thinking.
Since they had worked so hard to build the Garden into its current scale, they must make it bigger and stronger!
The two boys looked at each other and smiled.
The sun shone brightly above them, warm and dazzling.
The next day, with six construction robots working non-stop, a brand-new bridge was finally completed, connecting the road from Jufeng Mountain to Lin Hai Town.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi once again drove the RV, fixing the roads as they went towards Lin Hai Town.
At the foot of Jufeng Mountain, a new construction team had also appeared.
Most of the team members came from Jufeng Town, with only a few core members from the Desolate City Haven.
They would guide the people of Jufeng Mountain on how to lay cement roads and build fences.
As for meals…
Since transporting food from the mountain was too troublesome, Shu Gen’s bus doubled as a food delivery vehicle.
This was something Shu Gen had worked for, and he felt that since there were few passengers now and the bus followed a fixed schedule, why not also use it as a delivery truck?
However, he hadn’t found a client yet, so he only provided the idea to Old Li.
Old Li was very pleased with his initiative and encouraged him to keep it up.
If he could work this out, once he passed his probation period and became a formal employee, he would likely make a great profit.
Everything was moving in a good direction.
*
MR168845 Dimension.
That day, after finding the truck, Tang Sheng and his wife and daughter made a home in the cargo vehicle.
That night, after dealing with the aberrant species, they developed a high fever. The parts of their bodies that had come into contact with the mucous gas were red, swollen, and accompanied by a burning pain.
This was the result of the protective cover of the Purple-red Sleeping Pillow, which alleviated the damage. If they had been directly sprayed with the mucous, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
In the end, it was treated with mutated lantern fruit.
Since the mutated lantern fruit could also serve as a light source and had anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, Tang Yu’an had sent them a plant.
It was grown from shiny fruits. While it had these properties, it had not awakened intelligence.
Tang Xueyun remembered what her son had said about its effects and tried using it. They applied it externally and took it internally, and surprisingly, it worked.
By the next night, their fever had subsided, and the redness and swelling had gone down.
“Things our son gives are really useful!” Tang Sheng couldn’t help but say. “Next time we go monster hunting, let’s apply a layer of protection first.”
“We only have a few fruits, can’t use them all up like this,” Tang Xueyun replied.
“Then let’s try something else.”
“Like what?”
“How about edible oil? It should form a protective film on the skin and provide some isolation.”
Tang Xueyun nodded. “We’ll try that next time.”
They still had two large barrels of edible oil, so they could try it out.
Just as they were talking, footsteps came from outside. The two of them immediately quieted down and cautiously opened a gap at the entrance of the tent.
The light brain fixed to the top of the vehicle transmitted the footage it captured to them.
It was two young people, one tall and one short, who had actually come once before, the day they moved to the truck.
But since they were unwell, they didn’t have time to pay attention to them and only reminded their daughter not to go outside.
In any case, only those with a blood relationship could enter this magical tent.
Outsiders would only see an empty tent, which, due to being left in the gym for a long time and contaminated by the aberrant species, smelled awful.
Normally, no one would pay attention to this collapsed tent.
Even if they noticed something unusual and found people inside, no one could move it, not even a power user like Tang Xueyun.
So the two young men didn’t notice anything and quickly left.
Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyi thought they were gone, but two days later, they saw them come back again.
“We clearly saw them come in that day, where did they go?”
“Could they have gone through the driver’s seat?”
“Look at this small window. Do you think they could climb through it? The bars are still there, how could they have exited from there?”
“Really strange…”
Tang Sheng lowered the curtain he had lifted, then said to Tang Xueyi, “They saw us come in that day.”
“Do you think they’ve been watching us from outside?” Tang Xueyi frowned.
She would have no hesitation fighting against the aberrant creatures, because they were monsters, but fighting against humans…
“They may not necessarily mean us any harm,” Tang Sheng said.
Since they arrived in this town, they’d met quite a few people. They’d formed a self-defense team and even invited them to join.
It had only been a little over four months since the disaster, and moral order hadn’t completely broken down yet.
But their magical tent was definitely something that couldn’t be exposed…
Tang Sheng looked at the supplies piled up inside the tent.
Afraid they might go hungry, An An and Xiao Qi had packed them a lot of things. Not only was the tent full to the brim, but the space bags were also packed full.
They had been eating for three or four weeks, but hadn’t consumed much.
Tang Sheng pursed his lips, hesitated, and said, “A’Yun, do you think… we should take the supplies out?”
“Are you crazy?” Tang Xueyi instinctively responded.
“Those two young men look like skin and bones, they must not have eaten for a long time.”
Tang Sheng whispered, “Our supplies will spoil if left too long. If we take them out, maybe we can help more people survive…”
Tang Xueyi stared at him, her eyes reddening more.
Tang Sheng’s head slowly lowered until it nearly dropped to his chest.
Then, he heard Tang Xueyi sigh, “What do you want to do?”
“You agree?” Tang Sheng looked up in surprise.
Tang Xueyi shot him an annoyed look, then said, “We can save people, but we must never put ourselves in danger.”
“I’ll think about how to handle it…” Tang Sheng began to think.
Outside, Lin Hui and his companion Wang Xujun, unable to find anything, had to jump off the truck and leave.
But just as they were about to leave, suddenly a stone was thrown from behind, hitting the ground near their feet.
The two men cautiously looked back and saw that the truck door, which they had previously opened, was now closed.
They exchanged a glance, cautiously approached, and opened the truck door just a crack to peek inside.
The inside of the truck was pitch black and silent. There was nothing.
They opened the door fully and found the truck was indeed empty, not a person in sight.
“Is this some kind of ghost?” Lin Hui said, a bit frightened. “I told you, the guy with the pillow on his head is weird!” Just as he was about to turn and run, Wang Xujun stopped him.
“Wait! There’s a notebook here!” Wang Xujun was sure that this notebook hadn’t been there before.
And the notebook looked very new.
He picked it up and saw that there was also a pen inside. On the page that was open, it read:
“Want water, food, and salt? Bring a book to exchange. Specific instructions: Place the book in the truck, close the door, and wait an hour before opening the truck to collect your goods.” “Don’t do anything extra, or there will be consequences. You can check the gym next door for what happens.”
“Huizi, this is a person! Not a ghost!” Wang Xujun said excitedly. “They want to trade supplies for books… uh, books?”
Lin Hui, who had been ready to run, quickly came over.
He studied the notebook for a moment, then said, “It was definitely written recently, the ink is still fresh. But why do they want books? Any book?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t feel good about this,” Wang Xujun said.
“Not sure if it’s reliable? We’ll find out if we try,” Lin Hui said, tucking the notebook into his coat.
He looked around the truck and found that, just as before, it was impossible to tell where anyone might be hiding inside. He gave up.
“Let’s go, I know where to get books!”
On their way to find books, they stopped by the gym next door. When they saw the horrible state of the two aberrant creatures inside, all their suspicions vanished.
Those were two big shots!
The two aberrant creatures were clearly high-level; if they went up against them, they would have no chance of winning.
Only aberrant creatures of this level dying would clear out the street, because their distinctive smell would repel others of their kind.
Soon, they went to a bookstore and grabbed a pile of books.
Because they were too weak from hunger, they couldn’t carry many, only about eleven or twelve books.
Following the instructions in the notebook, they placed the books in the truck and wrote a reply below the note.
Then they jumped off the truck and closed the door.
They didn’t know how long an hour was, so they waited and waited. As it got darker, they couldn’t wait any longer and cautiously approached the truck.
When they opened the truck again, they saw—
The books and the notebook had vanished, and in their place were a pack of compressed biscuits, two bottles of mineral water, and a small bag of salt!
Lin Hui and Wang Xujun looked at each other, and both couldn’t help but pinch each other.
“Hiss, that hurts!”
“This isn’t a dream!”
They had really traded books for food!
