Chapter 335
When Chi Hao spoke, even Xie Zhaori was speechless.
“You didn’t get permission to use the teleportation array?” he asked.
Although teleportation arrays hadn’t been widely deployed yet, small-scale access had already been opened between “Sky Purple Fortress – Linhai Town,” “Desolate City Homeland – Lanhu Town,” and “Flame Dragon Fortress – Linhai Town – Desolate City Homeland.”
Plus, the forum didn’t restrict discussion, so most employees already knew teleportation arrays existed.
Chi Hao was aware of them too. But since no one on the forum had clearly explained how to gain access, all he could do was read and watch.
Bluecloud had mentioned to him once that perhaps after reaching Nw25, he might gain permission.
But even after he struggled to reach Lv25, no mission was triggered. Eventually, with how busy he was, he gradually forgot about it.
Now, hearing what Hong Li and Xie Zhaori said, he was completely dumbfounded.
“No way—no one told me!” Chi Hao said. “You guys came here using the teleportation array?”
Hong Li and Xie Zhaori suddenly remembered that they hadn’t explained it back then because there were outsiders present. But still…
“We all appeared in the same room—didn’t it occur to you that we teleported?”
“…I didn’t even know that was a feature,” Chi Hao muttered.
Xie Zhaori and Hong Li exchanged a glance, then contacted Musheng through the shop’s internal chat—the roommate who had escaped the fortress with Chi Hao. Thanks to his outstanding abilities, he had also been recruited as an employee.
[Xiang Tianshi]: @Musheng, do you know that Qingmu Grocery Store has a teleportation array?
[Musheng]: Of course, didn’t you guys arrive using it?
[Musheng]: Why? Is it open to us now?
Chi Hao: “…..”
Xie Zhaori kept chatting with Musheng, while Hong Li asked Chi Hao, “So you really didn’t get authorization? When it’s granted, there should be a system notification.”
As the manager of Qingmu Grocery Store No. 1, Chi Hao logically should have access.
“I never got one!” Chi Hao said firmly.
But when Hong Li raised an eyebrow and replied, “Really?” Chi Hao started to lose confidence.
After all, he had to deal with so many transactions every day. With hundreds or even thousands of system messages, who had time to read every single one… could it have been buried?
So they went to the Qingmu Grocery Store No. 1 together.
Because it hadn’t been cleaned in a long time, the floor was covered in a thick layer of dust. And since the building had been hastily constructed, it only had a single door and no windows—the lighting inside was very dim.
Xie Zhaori used his ability, instantly gathering all the dust into a block of earth. Then Hong Li summoned a ball of fire.
“See it?”
Under the bright flame, the teleportation array was clearly visible on the floor.
Chi Hao scratched his head. “I see it.”
He stepped onto the teleportation array—and a system message immediately popped up.
[You are using a teleportation array. Please choose a destination.]
[Peace Grocery Store No. 1]
“I really have the access now!” Chi Hao exclaimed in surprise. “Where’s Peace Grocery Store No. 1? Jufeng Mountain?”
“Of course not—it’s in Desolate City!”
Desolate City—Chi Hao hadn’t heard that name in a long time. A small Grocery Store rose in his memory, the one that gave him hope when he was on the brink of death amid the ruins, and the two boys who had been there…
It had been over a year—nearly two. They must’ve grown taller by now, right?
Ever since leaving Desolate City, Chi Hao hadn’t seen Tang Yu’an or Zhou Qi again. At first, they stayed in contact through the portable storage, then later through the message board, and finally private chats.
Thinking back, those days were truly nostalgic.
“Let’s go! Let’s visit Xiao An and the others in Desolate City!”
Once they arrived in Desolate City, it would be easy to get to Lanhu Town. He’d heard they’d built a highway between the two, and there were now buses running back and forth. He’d been wanting to try that!
Since Xie Zhaori still had matters to attend to, Hong Li and Chi Hao returned first.
As he watched the siblings vanish into the teleportation light, Xie Zhaori smiled and shook his head. He stepped outside and looked up at the towering fortress.
He once thought he’d never return—destined to remain trapped in the center of that ruined city, just a silent, immobile stone. But those two boys had pulled him out.
Now, not only had he returned, he had taken control of a quarter of Qingmu Fortress and become a leader in this new homeland.
As for the once-mighty noble families—they had long since fallen, their glory lost to history. Even his own Xie family was no exception.
Sometimes he couldn’t help but marvel at fate.
Those seemingly unbeatable family clans had been wiped out by natural disasters—completely and effortlessly, without resistance.
Xie Zhaori looked up at the ever-expanding spatial rift above Qingmu Fortress.
The noble houses had spent unimaginable resources searching for a second spatial rift to build a second fortress—countless ability users had died on missions.
And in the end, it was the rift itself that destroyed them.
Xie Zhaori had a deep sense that everything had been preordained.
But now, a brand-new, more humane system had been established. Though far from perfect, and though Qingmu Fortress had not yet been fully reclaimed…
The rot of the old world had been swept away by history. Under new leadership, they would march toward a brighter future.
With that thought, Xie Zhaori withdrew his gaze and slowly walked down the mountain.
*
Desolate City Homeland – Teleportation Room
Hong Li and Chi Hao appeared in the room. As soon as they steadied themselves, they heard a voice: “Excuse me, coming through.”
They quickly stepped aside and saw people lining up to step onto the teleportation array, disappearing in a flash of light.
“Where are they going?”
“No idea,” Hong Li replied. “I’m heading back to Jufeng Mountain. Are you staying or coming with me?”
“Jufeng Mountain has a teleportation array too?”
Hong Li nodded.
“Then go ahead—I don’t have access to that one.”
Hong Li tapped on the control panel. “Now you do.”
“Huh? You have that authority?”
“Only to grant access between Jufeng Mountain and Desolate City.”
Chi Hao nodded. “I’ll walk around Desolate City first. After that, I’ll find you at Jufeng.”
“Alright.”
Hong Li teleported away, and Chi Hao exited the teleportation room.
A year had passed, and Building No. 1 looked completely different now. Walking through the clean, well-decorated hallways, Chi Hao wondered if he really was in Desolate City.
Soon he found the elevator.
He stepped in cautiously, and under the guidance of the voice assistant, he quickly reached the first floor.
When the elevator doors opened—
He was just about to walk out when a group of children rushed in. All of them wore clean clothes and shoes, with backpacks slung over their shoulders.
Some ran toward the stairs, and some toward the elevator.
Seeing Chi Hao, the kids didn’t shy away. Instead, they smiled and greeted him: “Hello, uncle!”
Even the outgoing Chi Hao was momentarily stunned by the scene. Then he instinctively smiled and replied, “Hello! What were you just doing?”
“We just got out of school! After dropping off our backpacks, we’re going to play in the fields!”
“We’re obviously going to help with farm work!”
“But I want to fly a kite. It’s windy today, the kite will definitely fly super high!”
“I want to play tag!”
“Work first—once we finish, we can play!”
“Uncle, are you going upstairs?”
Chi Hao quickly stepped out of the elevator. The children inside waved goodbye to him, and soon disappeared as the elevator doors closed.
As the elevator numbers climbed upward, Chi Hao stood frozen for a long moment before snapping out of it.
Though he grew up in a fortress—which was much safer than the wasteland—children who were this carefree and clearly well taken care of… he had only seen that in the noble families.
And only among the most pampered of them. People like old Xie weren’t that lucky.
So watching those kids made Chi Hao feel momentarily dazed.
He shook his head and continued walking out of the building. As he stepped out the front doors, a world beyond his imagination unfolded before his eyes.
Chi Hao stared blankly at the rows of high-rise buildings rising from the ground.
After being re-planned, the farms, ranches, and factories had all been relocated farther away.
The area around Building No. 1 had become a residential zone, with dormitories and an entertainment square. The places once planted with Starvine and Lanhu trees had been preserved, now serving more of a landscaping purpose.
The old dirt paths had been widened into proper streets, paved with smooth concrete. Sidewalks were marked off on both sides, and lanes in the middle were left for bicycles and tricycles.
And of course, there were dedicated lanes for public buses.
Looking at the crowded streets full of people just getting off work, and the rows of food stalls lining the sidewalks, Chi Hao felt like he’d stumbled into some surreal movie.
[Message Board – Nearby Channel]
[Changqing]: @Green as Blue, I’ve added you to the overnight stay list. Come to Room 501 to register in a bit.
Although Chi Hao was an employee, he’d never been to Desolate City before, so he wasn’t eligible for residential perks.
If Old Li hadn’t discovered him in time, he would’ve been rejected by the protective barrier. And with the area outside currently flooded, getting ejected like that would’ve definitely meant being swept away.
Chi Hao quickly thanked him, then asked a dumb question in the message board.
[Message Board – Nearby Channel]
[Green as Blue]: Boss Changqing, is this really Desolate City?
[Panshi]: Whoa! Lil Green, when did you arrive in Desolate City?
[Green as Blue]: Just now. You’re in Desolate City too?
[Panshi]: Yeah, but I got transferred to Linhai Town a while back. Just visiting today.
Shi Tou and Xiaocao had already settled in Linhai Town. The Linhai No. 1 store run by Xiaocao had outperformed even the main store for three straight months.
Business was good, but exhausting.
After paying off the debts from her ability awakening, Rock couldn’t take it anymore and decided to take a few days off to visit people in Desolate City.
As for Xiaocao…
Ever since she awakened a mysterious “High Energy” ability, she was practically made of steel.
This power kept her constantly energized, needing only three hours of deep sleep a day to feel fully refreshed.
Though not an especially powerful ability, to Rock, his awakened little sister had become absolutely terrifying.
Luckily, Xiaocao still gave him time off.
[Panshi]: Lil Green, where are you? I’ll come find you, then we’ll go hang out with Yunying!
As early contributors to the forum, the group had always gotten along well and shared a strong bond.
However, Chi Hao hesitated and declined.
[Green as Blue]: I’ve got things to do. I’ll catch you guys in a few days.
[Panshi]: Okay, take care!
Chi Hao closed the message board and continued staring at the buildings around him in disbelief.
He had thought the No. 1 store was just that tiny little Grocery Store from before… So how had it developed into all this?
He asked a passerby for directions to Lanhu Town, then circled back to Building No. 1 to register in Room 501.
As he reached the door, he heard a woman’s voice from inside.
“I don’t care—I have to go to the other world! Old man, hurry up and authorize me!”
The other world?
Chi Hao froze at the doorway, ears perked.
Had the Desolate City Homeland found a spatial rift? Had they already sent people over?
“I’ve hit a bottleneck. I need to go there to study a more complete knowledge system. There are experts and professors I can learn from—I really need this!”
“Why can Kang Kang and Granny Guo go, but I can’t? If you won’t approve it, I’ll go to An An!”
Then Chi Hao saw a ponytailed woman storm out of the room. She glanced at him briefly before walking away.
“Green as Blue?”
Chi Hao stared at her retreating figure, still thinking about what she’d just said, when he heard an elderly voice from inside.
He quickly looked away and entered the room, where he saw an elderly man with white hair but a bright, spirited expression.
“You’re… Boss Changqing?”
The old man nodded. Chi Hao was surprised—in his mind, Changqing knew a lot and held a high position, but he’d never imagined he was an elder.
After all, he always came across as lively and chatty, especially when bantering with Xiaochao.
“This is your overnight stay card.”
After completing the registration, Old Li handed him the card. “Since you’re not a Homeland employee and haven’t been granted residential perks, you’ll follow the rules for regular residents.”
“No problem!” Chi Hao tucked the card away.
Just as he was about to leave, Old Li asked, “Are you going to find Hong Shenghuo?”
Chi Hao paused. “You know him?”
Old Li nodded. “Need me to help you apply for teleportation access? But it’ll require approval from Lanhu’s lord.”
Chi Hao hesitated, then shook his head with a smile. “I’ll go ask him myself!”
Old Li watched his quickly retreating figure and couldn’t help but shake his head.
Youth is truly a blessing…
His gaze fell again on Lin Zhen’s application to go to the other world, and he sighed.
Even though his physical condition had improved, no one really knew how much his life had been extended…
The time difference between the two worlds was getting wider. Once that girl left, who knew when she’d be back?
As for following her? Old Li knew that wasn’t realistic. If he left, who would take care of this giant mess?
In the end, he stamped both applications.
There was no stopping her—but that didn’t mean he was out of options.
Once he had wrapped up all his tasks, Old Li took out a book and began to study it carefully. It contained a cultivation method that Tang Yu’an had compiled and given to him.
As long as he practiced diligently, even if he didn’t become powerful, surely it would at least extend his life a bit—right?
