Chapter 305
After gaining access, a new control panel appeared on Lan Yunqing’s interface.
Under Old Li’s guidance, he added his name to the teleportation array’s access list, and then followed Old Li to the ninth floor.
As more people began to use the teleportation array, the original teleportation room became too cramped. So, Tang Yu’an moved the array to Room 902 next door.
To avoid drawing attention, he and Zhou Qi didn’t show up in person and instead let Grandpa Li continue guiding Lan Yunqing.
“Do I just stand on this?”
Lan Yunqing looked at the teleportation array on the floor. Its intricate patterns held a mysterious beauty that clashed with the surrounding home décor.
Old Li gave a small nod.
So Lan Yunqing stepped onto the array, and a system panel immediately popped up:
[Teleport to “Peace Grocery Store – Branch No. 5”?]
He hesitantly selected “Yes.”
At once, the array beneath his feet lit up with a blinding brilliance, forcing him to shut his eyes and raise a hand to shield them.
When the light faded and he lowered his hand, the environment around him had grown dim.
It was a small room, lit only by a faint blue glow from a lamp on the wall.
Lan Yunqing extended his spiritual sense.
Though he’d mentally prepared himself, he still couldn’t contain his shock when he realized this was indeed the basement of the Lanhu Grocery Store. He was really back in Lanhu Town.
He opened the door to the basement and stepped outside. The familiar scent of the Lanhu Forest in the air made him feel disoriented.
A sound came from behind.
He turned and saw Old Li climbing up the basement stairs.
“This is the Lanhu Grocery Store?” Old Li looked around and commented, “A bit deserted.”
Compared to Desolate City Haven, the shop was indeed quiet. Lan Yueliang and the others rarely did business here—they were usually running around town.
Lan Yunqing looked at Old Li, then suddenly asked, “Can Mo Ke use this teleportation array too?”
Old Li paused, smiled, and said, “That, I’m not sure about.”
Even so, Lan Yunqing already had a suspicion—which led him to another question:
“Do Little Tang and Little Zhou also have access to this teleportation array?”
Realizing he couldn’t brush the question off, Old Li thought for a moment and replied, “This branch store was built by the two of them together.”
It wasn’t surprising—they would’ve received rewards for completing tasks.
Lan Yunqing frowned slightly in thought but said nothing more in the end.
This was a serious matter. If Little Tang and Little Zhou had kept the teleportation array a secret, it was likely because it was too important.
Just like Mo Ke had said to him before—it was a matter of rank. He hadn’t been qualified to know about it until now.
But now, his rank and achievements had reached the required level, so he received the task to activate the teleportation array. As the branch manager, he even had authority to manage it.
“I understand now,” Lan Yunqing said. “As you mentioned before, Lanhu Town and Desolate City Haven should collaborate more in the future—for mutual development.”
“Exactly, exactly,” Old Li said with a smile, eyes crinkling in delight.
Just then, he saw Lan Yunqing wave his hand, and two figures appeared inside the shop.
“My Lord, when did you get back?” Lan Yueliang asked in surprise.
Lan Maolin also widened his eyes.
By their calculations, Lan Yunqing should still be away for another seven days. How had he returned so quickly? And where were the others?
Lan Yunqing didn’t rush to explain. Instead, he added them to the teleportation access list.
As employees, they quickly received the system prompt.
“Teleportation array? What does that mean? And…”
They both turned to Old Li. “Who is this elderly gentleman?”
Old Li studied them in return and nodded inwardly. The people of Lanhu Town were indeed different from those elsewhere.
Thinking of the over ten thousand residents here, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
“This is Elder Li, administrator of Desolate City Haven,” Lan Yunqing introduced.
Lan Maolin was taken aback.
He could tell that this old man, though an ability user, wasn’t particularly strong—actually, he was rather weak.
Could someone like that really be an administrator?
Then he must have some remarkable qualities!
“An honor to meet you, Elder Li,” Lan Maolin and Lan Yueliang both introduced themselves.
“Likewise. I’ll be relying on you for a lot going forward. Please take care of me.”
After a brief exchange, Lan Yunqing said, “Come with me.”
He led them down to the basement. Due to the cramped space, they had to enter one at a time.
Lan Yueliang went last. He noticed a faint light glowing from the basement, but couldn’t clearly see what was going on, which made him a little anxious.
Fortunately, before long, Lan Yunqing called him down.
Following his instructions, Lan Yueliang used the teleportation array—and arrived at Desolate City Haven.
Looking around the room, so different in style from the buildings in Lanhu Town, and seeing the view outside the window, both of them were stunned.
“So this is Desolate City Haven? We actually teleported?”
“Brother Lin, this building’s so tall! Look down there—isn’t that a Lanhu tree? And look at all those skyscrapers!”
Lan Yunqing cleared his throat to draw their attention back, then said to Lan Yueliang, “I made a trade with Desolate City Haven for a few pieces of furniture. Go with Elder Li to bring them over.”
“Oh—okay!”
Lan Yueliang followed Old Li out of the teleportation room and into the hallway. Just as he was about to look for the stairs, Old Li led him to a door.
He assumed it was the stairwell, but to his surprise, the door opened automatically, revealing a square, brightly lit little room inside.
When he saw Old Li step in, he quickly followed.
“Welcome to the elevator. Please state the floor you wish to go to, or press a button.”
A mechanical voice spoke up, startling Lan Yueliang. “Who? Who’s talking?”
“I’m the AI controlling this elevator. You can call me Xiao Su—short for ‘Speed’.”
That name had been given by Old Li.
“Elevator? Artificial intelligence?”
Lan Yueliang looked completely lost, while Old Li had already pressed the button for the fifth floor. As soon as he felt the sensation of descending, Lan Yueliang was startled again.
“This is a machine-powered elevator. It saves time and effort compared to using stairs,” Old Li explained. “Right now, only children, the elderly, and employees of the Peace Guild are allowed to use it.”
Lan Yueliang did his best to maintain a composed expression and not look like someone who had never seen the world.
“I think I read about something like this in a book… I didn’t expect it to look like this. It’s amazing,” he said, nodding.
At that moment, the elevator stopped on the seventh floor, and an elderly man with a full head of white hair stepped in.
“Good morning, Old Li,” the man greeted cheerfully.
He was one of the people from the original world. His surname was Fan, and he was a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who had been assigned to live in Building No. 1.
Only people like them would still greet strangers so naturally.
Old Li responded with a nod.
Old Fan’s gaze quickly shifted to Lan Yueliang, and he couldn’t help but say, “What a handsome young man. Is that hair color natural?”
Having been in the settlement for a while now, they had learned that in this world, hair and eye colors often changed due to powers or abilities.
But most of the colored hair Old Fan had seen were streaks or highlights. Pure blue hair like Lan Yueliang’s was a first for him.
“Yes, sir,” Lan Yueliang replied.
“So beautiful,” Old Fan marveled. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before. What’s your name?”
“Sir, I’m called Lan Yueliang.”
“What?” Old Fan blinked in confusion and blurted, “Laundry detergent?”
Now it was Lan Yueliang’s turn to be stunned.
“Huh? You know my name already? Are you a Peace Guild employee too?”
Lan Yunqing, meanwhile, had no idea what conversation was taking place inside the elevator. He had stayed behind with Lan Maolin to explain the upcoming personnel exchange with Desolate City Haven.
Since this wasn’t part of the original plan, not everyone who came with the group met the necessary qualifications.
Most of the selected young people were chosen based on combat power and were only barely literate.
But back in Lanhu Town, there were still many others who were better suited.
“Go screen them carefully, then prepare a list for me. If anyone is unwilling, I’ll talk to them myself,” Lan Yunqing said firmly.
Everything he had seen in Desolate City Haven had reshaped his understanding. He now clearly realized that Lanhu Town couldn’t remain isolated any longer.
If the qualified, intelligent ones refused to go, he’d personally bring them here—force them to open their eyes and see the outside world.
“Got it. Understood!” Lan Maolin replied. After taking one last look at Desolate City Haven through the window, he stepped onto the teleportation array and quickly vanished into the light.
As his figure disappeared, Lan Yunqing finally had a moment to himself. For the first time, the reality hit him:
Two places, separated by thousands of miles, and yet connected in an instant—this kind of power… could only be described as divine.
Lan Yunqing walked to the window and looked out at the towering buildings of Desolate City Haven.
“Wasteland… a barren city?”
If a place this developed could be considered barren, then perhaps nowhere in the wastelands was truly habitable.
A thought struck him, and after a brief hesitation, he messaged Tang Yu’an privately to ask where he was.
Learning he was next door, Lan Yunqing immediately headed over.
Room 901, remodeled by Tang Yu’an, now looked no different from a pre-catastrophe apartment. As soon as Lan Yunqing stepped inside, he was hit with another wave of awe.
“Houses in a fortress probably don’t look much better than this,” he couldn’t help but comment.
Tang Yu’an chuckled. “One day, the Lanhu Grocery Store will have places like this too.”
Lan Yunqing nodded and looked at him and Zhou Qi. “So, the teleportation array at Branch No. 5—was it set up by you two?”
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi exchanged a look and then nodded in confirmation.
“We were on a mission—”
“I know,” Lan Yunqing nodded. “I’m not blaming you. You didn’t tell me because I hadn’t met the criteria yet.”
“Your journey from Desolate City Haven to Lanhu Town was incredibly dangerous. I’ve always been grateful for that.”
Hearing this, Tang Yu’an visibly relaxed.
Then Lan Yunqing asked, “Do you know what the minimum level requirement is to set up one of those arrays? If it’s not a secret.”
“Level 25,” Tang Yu’an replied.
“That high?”
Lan Yunqing fell silent. He glanced through his old chat logs with Chi Hao and sighed.
