As always, He Fang avoided rapid development, preferring to patiently wait for problems to surface. He could resolve issues promptly by addressing them as soon as hints appeared, rather than waiting until excessive expansion caused irreversible changes.
Sure enough, with time, some subtle anomalies began to emerge.
At first, the residents’ happiness in Hope City experienced a brief stagnation due to the integration of Angel City, and the subsequent increase was very slow. He Fang found this peculiar.
During this period, the road connecting Angel City to the experimental fields of the main city was completed. Yet, Angel City residents were unwilling to take the train leading into the depths of Nightmare Beast Forest.
Although many Angel City residents showed interest in the vacant houses of Hope City, their interest remained superficial. People from Angel City and Hope City rarely interacted, and when Angel City residents entered Hope City, it was mostly to visit the supermarkets and shops established by people from the main city.
The two cities might have developed a disconnect.
He Fang logged back in at his offline location—inside Wei Qixuan’s classroom in Hope City.
As he looked up, he saw Wei Qixuan diligently studying. Wei Qixuan had grown so quickly, changing almost daily. The child was beginning to show signs of refined features.
“City Lord.” Wei Qixuan’s previously dim eyes brightened the moment he saw He Fang. The teacher who had been giving the lesson quietly paused their teaching, standing silently to the side.
“Are you in class? Well then, keep focusing on your lesson. I need to step out for a bit,” He Fang said, intending to investigate the reasons behind the friction between Angel City and Hope City.
“City Lord, I have something to report,” Wei Qixuan stood up from his seat and addressed He Fang.
He Fang blinked, looking at Wei Qixuan, who was always confident and hardworking. At this moment, however, the young boy’s expression had a rare hint of melancholy.
“What’s the matter?” He Fang asked.
Wei Qixuan’s teacher, standing nearby, set down their pen and quietly left the room.
“City Lord, I truly don’t want to trouble you, but I don’t know how to resolve this issue,” Wei Qixuan said, bowing deeply to He Fang. Though kneeling etiquette had been abolished, Wei Qixuan’s bow conveyed the utmost apology.
“Hm?” He Fang questioned again.
“The interaction between Angel City and Hope City isn’t going smoothly, and conflicts have arisen.” Wei Qixuan’s expression was complicated. The boy, attempting to look more mature, now showed signs of distress. “The scale of Angel City and Hope City is vastly different. A massive mobile city and a once-abandoned medium-sized city simply cannot compare. Furthermore, Hope City’s population is mainly elderly, weak, and sick, while Angel City’s residents are primarily strong, young laborers. The disparity is immense and irreconcilable.”
“Yes, I understand,” He Fang nodded in agreement.
Wei Qixuan continued, “Because Angel City has its mission and sense of pride, its people are inherently confident. Thus… they instinctively look down on Hope City.”
He Fang froze for a moment and suddenly realized the reason behind Hope City’s slow increase in residents’ happiness. It wasn’t saturation—it was regional discrimination.
This issue couldn’t be solved even in his era. In a peaceful world, it would be called regional discrimination, but in a post-apocalyptic world, it became a class problem. Even though he had developed Hope City for a year, its population was too small compared to Angel City, which had eighty thousand people.
“At first, because Angel City had reservations about Hope City, the situation didn’t escalate much. But once Angel City realized that Hope City’s residents were lacking in many aspects, signs of discord began to emerge.” Wei Qixuan’s fingers tightened slightly. “And now, they’re demanding the statue of the Divine Lord be moved to Angel City.”
Claim the landmark? He Fang froze momentarily. It sounded absurd initially, but it seemed logical upon deeper thought. As a city of faith, Angel City placed great importance on belief. Once, Min Zizhou mentioned that people today are predominantly atheists, yet even among atheists, there are cities deeply rooted in faith. How could such a city possibly leave a true god’s monument untouched?
In the battle between Hope City and Angel City, the only fighter from the main city was Chong Xiao. The rest were Hope City residents; honestly, the fight wasn’t well-executed. It was purely a show of overwhelming military power. Perhaps Angel City had now regained its footing.
This situation was truly insoluble.
He Fang sighed and reached out to pat Wei Qixuan’s head. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I’m truly sorry, City Lord. I don’t know how to resolve this matter.” The boy, who had grown taller so suddenly that he hadn’t yet filled out, looked as slender as a resilient bamboo, but was easily bent under the weight of the current predicament.
“Hm, it’s alright.” He Fang patted his shoulder. He walked to the window, gazing at the vast city he had wholly created. Now, its residents’ loyalty levels were significantly higher than those of Angel City. “So, do you know how the residents of Hope City feel about this situation?”
“At the moment, it seems most people haven’t fully realized it yet,” Wei Qixuan said as he too gazed out the window alongside He Fang. “We were abandoned from the start, and we are fully aware that we can’t compete with Angel City. Psychologically, we’ve always felt a step lower. Coupled with Angel City’s initial caution, people may now faintly sense something, but they’re not certain about it.”
He Fang pondered for a moment, realizing how challenging this issue was. In the context of “Ruins Without Restart”, breaking free from this kind of cycle was extremely difficult. Although they were all called “cities”, the truth was they were as different as nations.
Lost in thought, He Fang felt that this online session had greeted him with a massive conundrum.
It reminded He Fang of Min Zizhou—a person who faced all kinds of discrimination when he first entered the main city, but was eventually, albeit gradually, accepted over time. Perhaps strengthening the relationship between the two cities was the key?
“Wei Qixuan,” He Fang suddenly said, “what do you think is Hope City’s advantage compared to Angel City?”
Wei Qixuan froze for a moment and found himself unable to answer the question right away.
Even though he aspired to become the City Lord’s right-hand man, the reality was that Hope City was just too weak. When a massive entity like Angel City voluntarily took steps to become Hope City’s subordinate city, Wei Qixuan understood the City’s strength. But this strength belonged solely to the City Lord.
As for Hope City itself…
What advantage did it have?
He Fang didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked intently at the boy in front of him. He wanted an answer from Wei Qixuan. However, it now seemed that not only the residents of Hope City, but the boy’s heart as well, was riddled with feelings of inferiority.
“It’s…” After a long time, Wei Qixuan slowly spoke, “It’s loyalty to you, our City Lord.”
He Fang heaved a sigh of relief; at least something had been said: “Then why do you think you surpass Angel City in this regard?”
“Because we have experienced death. Everything now is a new life that you, City Lord, have given us.” This time, Wei Qixuan could properly answer He Fang’s question.
“To be honest, compared to Angel City, I have more trust in you. You are mine, reclaimed from the hands of death. Before I brought you back, you were already gone. You truly belong to me. I am completely committed to developing you.” He Fang calmly told Wei Qixuan, “And you’ve been following me for more than a year.”
At that moment, Wei Qixuan’s eyes slowly widened. He seemed to realize something in a daze.
Wei Qixuan looked at the hero in front of him—the hero of Hope City. The young big brother in front of him had been with them for a year, building their city, communicating with the people of the main city, sharing the technology of the main city, even working in factories set up by the people of the main city, and accepting excellent teachers from the main city to teach them valuable knowledge.
They had started advancing a full year earlier than Angel City.
“If we must talk about discrimination, it’s really more about stereotypes. To Angel City, you are still seen as the remnants of a destroyed city—the old, weak, and infirm left behind. But in reality, after a year of transformation under me, would you still call yourselves the old, weak, and infirm?”
At this point, He Fang gazed out the window. Outside, the elderly who had once looked to be in their fifties or sixties had now regained their health one by one. They could still do a lot of work.
But what about Angel City? In Angel City, apart from a negligible few in the higher ranks, would there be such robust elderly individuals?
Flashes of memories crossed He Fang’s mind—he recalled glimpses of the exploration team members sitting in a vehicle as he passed the gatekeepers’ vehicle in Angel City. Even in Angel City, they wouldn’t provide for the elderly.
“Wei Qixuan, you are seniors.” He Fang narrowed his eyes slightly and looked in the direction of Angel City. “As seniors, how can you bow your heads lower than the juniors?”
Wei Qixuan’s eyes gradually lit up, as if he began to understand something. His reflection in He Fang’s eyes seemed to sparkle like bright stars.
However, He Fang also knew that this issue couldn’t solely depend on Hope City’s perspective. The main problem lay in Angel City. Angel City was still clinging to the old theories of the apocalypse era.
But under his leadership, those theories simply wouldn’t work.
He Fang pondered for a moment and then made a call to Yuan Zhiran: “Have the leaders of Angel City come to Hope City… No, I’ll go instead. Tell them to get ready immediately and send a car to Hope City to pick me up.”
After hanging up the phone, Wei Qixuan looked at He Fang with a puzzled expression.
He Fang gave the youth a reassuring smile. He reached out and patted Wei Qixuan’s hair. “Let’s go. The City Lord will take you to an exchange meeting.”
—
When Yuan Sanjin went to see her grandfather, she suddenly overheard the conversation between Mr. Qian and her grandfather from inside the room: “Yuan Feng, it’s been so long—haven’t you noticed anything unusual?”
City Lord Yuan Feng remained silent for a long time before slowly responding, “How is your son’s hand?”
“It’s fine,” Mr. Qian said, displaying a rare expression. “It’s exactly the same as it was before it was severed.”
Yuan Sanjin leaned against the door, understanding what her grandfather and Mr. Qian were talking about.
Hope City had showcased strength far exceeding its nature, but now, after genuinely engaging with Hope City, they discovered abnormalities.
In Hope City, many peculiar things occurred—strange shops, odd goods, and even remarkably cheap spices and clothing, with prices absurdly low.
Moreover, within Hope City, many individuals were evidently extraordinarily strong, so strong that their power couldn’t even be accurately measured. Simply standing there, they instilled an irresistible sense of fear in anyone nearby.
A significant number of these powerful individuals had been stationed around Angel City under the orders of the “new city lord”, creating a massive suppression, leaving them immobilized.
“Hope City is too terrifying and unfathomable,” Mr. Qian said. “Their strength is overwhelmingly powerful. Even though we outnumber them significantly, still, many cannot overcome the few.”
Yuan Sanjin knew that Mr. Qian’s son, Qian Qu, had been the commander of those who fought in the previous battle. When they reached their current location, the new city lord sent back all the injured and surviving soldiers. Although those soldiers were covered in bandages, one by one, they had fully recovered and were becoming lively and healthy again.
Many of them had suffered devastating injuries, bones completely shattered and flesh crushed beyond recognition. Yet, miraculously, under the care of Hope City’s doctors, they had been restored to perfect health. Such astonishing medical skill could almost be described as divine intervention.
“It looks like an utterly ordinary city, so why on earth…”
Yuan Sanjin couldn’t understand where the immense strength that Hope City displayed actually came from.
It was as if there was a massive mirage hidden behind Hope City, one they couldn’t discern.
Suddenly, Yuan Sanjin saw someone approaching from the front. She immediately lowered her head, not daring to look directly at the person. This individual was Yuan Zhiran, the Minister of the Armed Forces, who had consistently subdued them with a small but extremely powerful force.
One person forming an entire army—this was how they perceived these soldiers.
“Are Mr. Yuan and Mr. Qian here?” Yuan Zhiran didn’t even glance at the girl with her head lowered. Instead, he symbolically knocked on the door. However, the knock was merely a formality, as he directly opened the door and walked in. “The City Lord invites the top management of Angel City for an exchange meeting.”
At that moment, Yuan Sanjin’s mind went completely blank. The City Lord had been absent for a long time, almost as if he had disappeared.
Yet, upon suddenly hearing news of the City Lord, everyone’s expressions turned grave. Was the City Lord coming to take action against Angel City’s administration?
“Please hurry,” said Minister Yuan Zhiran, who was stunningly beautiful—so much so that, in the past, even disguising himself as a woman hadn’t revealed any flaws to them. His pleasant male voice carried both urgency and a hint of threat.
“Please let me go!” Yuan Sanjin suddenly pleaded. She didn’t dare approach Yuan Zhiran but deeply bowed instead, knowing the City Lord had once said he didn’t like kneeling ceremonies. “Please let me go with my grandfather!”
“Are you part of Angel City’s leadership?” Yuan Zhiran lowered his head, clearly not giving any special regard to the girl who once tried to help them.
Yuan Sanjin stiffened, but she quickly responded, “I am meant to inherit the position of City Lord in the future. Even if I can’t inherit the role now, I will still succeed my grandfather’s position. I may not yet be in the upper leadership, but as long as the City Lord continues to oversee Angel City, I am certain I will become part of the leadership. I must attend this exchange meeting!”
However, Yuan Feng furrowed his brow tightly. Even with his aged face, his displeasure was evident: “Minister Yuan, please forgive my granddaughter for overstepping. I will leave with you immediately.”
“No…” Yuan Zhiran looked down at Yuan Sanjin and, under Yuan Feng’s gaze, slowly said, “She’s right. You’ve grown old and can no longer shoulder major responsibilities. Sooner or later, the younger generation will need to take over. Mr. Qian, bring your successor as well. His name is Qian Qu, isn’t it? In ten minutes, I want to see you all at the train station.”
Yuan Sanjin finally showed a hint of joy, watching Yuan Zhiran’s departing figure. However, she heard her grandfather sigh deeply.
“Sanjin, why would you do this?” Yuan Feng’s expression was filled with bitter anguish as he worriedly looked at his very young granddaughter.
“The City Lord called for leaders, so of course, I must share the burden with you, Grandfather. I don’t want you to keep worrying all the time.” Yuan Sanjin quickly replied as she moved forward to support Yuan Feng, who was preparing to stand.
“Ah… the train station. Do you understand what that means?” Yet Yuan Feng did not display his usual look of relief. Instead, his face was filled with grief.
Yuan Sanjin’s face turned pale. She certainly understood what the train station meant—it was the train leading directly to the Nightmare Beast Forest, likely a path to death itself.
But…
“It won’t happen, it won’t happen…” Yuan Sanjin said, “Hasn’t the Divine Lord already managed to eliminate Nightmare Beast Seeds? So even riding the train won’t lead to death.”
Finally, Yuan Feng revealed a faint smile, barely visible on his aged face, and slowly said, “Sanjin, you are the successor I value most. I’ve always trusted your intuition and capabilities, and I still do now.”
Yuan Sanjin still felt that everything happening was somewhat strange, but she did not want to remain the person perpetually protected behind her grandfather.
When they arrived at the train station, soldiers were already waiting by the train doors, making welcoming gestures. Yuan Sanjin had no choice but to follow her grandfather and others onto the train.
It was a completely novel experience—very bright windows where everything outside could be seen, spacious seats, and no unpleasant smells. They sat down, yet the presence of soldiers made the atmosphere exceptionally quiet.
The train was something none of them willingly chose to board, yet now the upper leadership had to ride it.
Many wore expressions of dread. Yuan Sanjin could understand their thoughts. Perhaps they believed the City Lord intended to eliminate the administrative leaders en masse, sending them to their deaths and eradicating Angel City’s upper ranks for better control of the city.
Even with such thoughts, they still had to comply.
Each of them feared the overwhelming, terrifying power too much.
“Station?” Amid the unusually quiet train surroundings filled with people, a voice suddenly sounded.
“Yes, this time we will take the train.”
At the sound of this voice, Yuan Sanjin felt everyone who had previously heard the City Lord’s voice instantly become alert.
“Why does Angel City have train tracks as well? Do they also lead to the City Lord’s city?” The voice, which Yuan Sanjin recognized, belonged to Hope City’s divine messenger and acting City Lord. It was the voice of a young boy, not yet an adult, still carrying the innocence of a child.
“Yes, they do.” At this moment, the enigmatic City Lord stepped inside. “It’s just a bit far from the main city. Once we’re nearby, we’ll need to transfer trains.”
When Yuan Sanjin saw the City Lord board as well, the other soldiers immediately followed and took their seats.
“May I go to your city, City Lord?” Wei Qixuan’s voice was filled with unease, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Why not? If you want to go, you’ve always been allowed to. I’ve never stopped you from taking the train, have I?” They were seeing the City Lord, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time, once again. He greeted them with a friendly smile. “Now that everyone is here, let’s go.”
No one dared to speak. Until the City Lord allowed them to talk, no one would dare to act rashly.
Yuan Sanjin watched as the train rapidly moved into the Nightmare Beast Forest, her heart feeling as though it might leap out of her chest.
“Why are you unwilling to take the train? If you don’t take the train, how will you get to the experimental fields?” Suddenly, the City Lord asked them.
Distracted by the City Lord’s words, they found themselves entering a pitch-black section of the Nightmare Beast Forest before they even realized it.
However, neither death nor accidents occurred, nor did their perceptions undergo any strange changes. Yuan Sanjin suddenly looked out the window. Although it was pitch-black, it had the unique characteristic of the Nightmare Beast Forest, where everything could still be seen in the darkness.
“See, nothing happened.” Yuan Sanjin quickly turned back and saw the City Lord shrugging. “So don’t be afraid. We are now heading to my city—my real city.”
Everyone present suddenly had an absurd thought.
Could it be that the truly powerful entity was not Hope City after all? Was this City Lord not originally the city lord of Hope City? Could it be that this City Lord’s city actually lay within the vast, seemingly endless Nightmare Beast Forest?
Could that… really be possible?
The train moved incredibly fast, at a speed almost beyond their comprehension, reaching the limits of velocity. Yet, inside the train, they felt no discomfort.
“I was originally planning to call just a few people, but so many came along,” the City Lord said. “It doesn’t really matter, though. I just wonder if Qi Jingwei has arranged enough cars on his side. Patrol cars should be able to move freely within the city.”
However, after hearing the City Lord’s words, everyone’s hearts were filled with fear. Could there truly be an unknown city hidden within the Nightmare Beast Forest?
At this point, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, but among them, only Wei Qixuan maintained his usual composure. “City Lord, I feel very excited.”
“If you’re excited, show a little excitement on your face.” The City Lord tapped Wei Qixuan on the head.
Yuan Sanjin lowered his head, not daring to show any expression.
Yuan Feng and Mr. Qian were both wary of Hope City. Hope City was too peculiar, unlike any other city. They were aware that Hope City had likely been under the control of the City Lord for a long time. That mysterious City Lord had granted Hope City things that they themselves did not possess.
They were wary.
And equally vigilant.
They were unsure whose hands their fates truly lay in.
“Have we arrived?” He Fang was slightly surprised when he saw the bright artificial lights suddenly turn into bright daylight.
Has the speed increased?
He Fang recalled that it used to take a plane a day to cross the direct distance, but after familiarity with the route, it could be done in half a day. When the train was built, it reduced the time to four hours, and now, unbelievably, the train took only two hours.
Was it because the route to Hope City was different? Or had the institute further increased the speed here?
He Fang had just checked the time and looked up, only to be met with countless expressions of utter shock, faces old and young, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, all in complete disbelief.
He Fang blinked, suddenly realizing that when Ye Sheng had come here back then, his face hadn’t shown much expression. Ye Sheng’s composure was indeed remarkable.
Back then, Ye Sheng had followed him back to Hope City. However, he didn’t know how Ye Sheng was doing now.
He Fang turned his head to look at Wei Qixuan. Despite having mentally prepared himself for what awaited, Wei Qixuan’s expression was no better than anyone else’s. The usually clever little fellow now resembled a dazed rabbit, unable to snap out of it even after He Fang poked him several times.
Everyone was awestruck by what lay before them, as if they had traveled back in time and witnessed history itself. He Fang could even guess what they were thinking, likely something similar to what Min Zhizhou and Ye Sheng had felt.
“This is my city. A peaceful place where everyone has dreams,” He Fang said to the group, gazing out the window. “My ultimate goal is to transform every city outside into one like this, where everyone on the streets wears a smile.”
Unable to suppress their curiosity, everyone turned to look outside. What they saw left them speechless. Even the two elderly men, their faces deeply wrinkled, couldn’t help but widen their eyes in amazement.
“Do you see it? This is the statue you’ve been looking for,” He Fang said, leading them to the base of the landmark. Gesturing behind him, he added, “I don’t understand why you insist on taking the one from Hope City. The one there is just a replica. If you like it, carve one yourselves—it will have the same effect.”
Yuan Sanjin was stunned. What was that? That perfect deity…why was it standing there so casually, like a mere decoration?
Shouldn’t there be a temple built in its honor? Shouldn’t there be thousands worshipping it? Shouldn’t offerings cover the ground? What was this? How could the deity they revered so deeply be treated so insignificantly here?
“We… we didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean…” Yuan Sanjin struggled to process the City Lord’s words. “We didn’t mean to take Hope City’s statue. Why would you say such a thing?”
“But didn’t you specifically request the statue?” Wei Qixuan immediately retorted, his attitude clearly unchanged from before.
“We meant that if you could not build a perfect shrine, we could provide manpower and resources to make it more refined!” Yuan Sanjin’s tone was full of disbelief. “How could we dare to casually relocate the statue? We don’t even know the Divine Lord’s rules. Moving the statue recklessly would be blasphemy!”
For a moment, Yuan Sanjin and Wei Qixuan stared at each other, finding the same disbelief in each other’s eyes.
“You… don’t discriminate against us?” Wei Qixuan, evidently, had not expected such a response.
“How could we discriminate against you?” Yuan Sanjin was utterly astonished by Wei Qixuan’s misunderstanding.
However, Mr. Qian simply chuckled, saying, “Do we even have the right to discriminate against you? What you possess is something we can only dream of. The reason you feel this way is likely because we seldom take the initiative to communicate with you.”
Standing nearby, Yuan Feng added to Mr. Qian’s words, “Our lack of communication stems from fear, not discrimination.”
Wei Qixuan never imagined that this was the truth. Confused, he turned to look at He Fang.
Gradually, Wei Qixuan seemed to understand something. His face flushed red, wave after wave, until He Fang thought he might faint.
Seeing Wei Qixuan’s expression and the helpless looks on the faces of Angel City’s leaders, He Fang quietly covered his mouth, “Pfft, haha… ahem, ahem…”
Finally, under the dull gazes of the crowd, He Fang stopped laughing. Wiping away tears, he said, “Do you see now? The things you hold onto so tightly mean little to me, because what I value and what you value are entirely different. Although this time was a misunderstanding, I hope you’ll follow my vision; to create the kind of city I love, rather than clinging to your narrow-minded ways to preserve your old ideals.”
No one could argue.
After witnessing the city, no one could hold onto their previous mindset.
Their persistence, efforts, and initial intentions seemed meaningless in this world, where pedestrians walked peacefully, the air was tranquil, and restaurants, dining spots, and entertainment facilities were everywhere. This world felt as though it belonged to the pre-apocalyptic era.
It was that pre-apocalyptic era they most longed to return to.
And the City Lord, this young City Lord, might just lead them toward an unprecedented and unimaginable future.
At this moment, a new hope was born.
—
“Are you ready?” He Fang looked at Zhu Yan and the researchers nearby.
“Ready,” Zhu Yan replied.
“Are you sure my words can be broadcast to everyone?” He Fang asked uncertainly.
“At the very least, it will reach everyone operating a locator. I’m confident they will report it to the City Lords of each city,” Zhu Yan responded.
He Fang instructed Zhu Yan to forcibly link the locators for communication between mobile cities, as he had something he wanted to say to them.
Now managing two mobile cities, He Fang no longer hesitated like he had when he only had Hope City. After acquiring Angel City, everything began to change.
Angel City, such a vast metropolis, was already capable of functioning as an independent nation. With Angel City under his control, He Fang’s status as the leader of a “mobile city” had been firmly established. Combining Angel City’s sheer scale with the formidable offensive and defensive capabilities of his own city, he no longer needed to remain in cautious hiding.
Everything was ready.
“Thank you for your hard work, for researching this all along,” He Fang said, acknowledging Zhu Yan’s efforts over time.
“It was simple, not difficult,” Zhu Yan replied.
He Fang nodded at Zhu Yan.
Following He Fang’s command, Zhu Yan swiftly connected all the communication systems of mobile cities equipped with locators.
At this moment, members of mobile cities maintaining the locators panicked. Without their knowledge, their locators had suddenly activated and connected to the communication feature. By the time they noticed, it was already impossible to shut it down.
Moreover, someone discovered that the communication wasn’t merely within the system; it was also directly linked to their city’s loudspeaker system. These loudspeakers could broadcast sound to areas spanning tens of thousands of kilometers.
Zhu Yan used these cities’ loudspeakers as a relay to transmit He Fang’s words to everyone.
“Ahem, sound check.” Though He Fang didn’t experience social anxiety when speaking in games, especially using the game microphone, he was still a bit nervous. Despite having prepared a script in advance, he couldn’t help stammering when he spoke. “Sound check, sound check.”
At this moment, Zhu Yan gave an “OK” gesture.
“Hello, everyone. I am the new City Lord of Hope City. Um… After Hope City’s destruction one or two years ago, I took over, and the city has now been successfully rebuilt. Um… Currently, we have formed an alliance with Angel City, becoming united cities. Um… Well…”
As He Fang spoke, he began to stammer, regretting not preparing a proper speech in advance.
“With Hope City successfully rebuilt, but its population still low, I sincerely hope that those who are interested will settle here. Hope City will provide a variety of survival opportunities and protection. Joining is worthwhile—there are no restrictions on gender, age, or background. Everything is under unified management. Um… I am not trying to compete with other mobile cities for people. What I mean is, um… anyone who has been abandoned, mercenaries seeking stability, wandering small groups, individuals, or even mobile cities struggling to hold on are welcome to take a look. Um… It’s fine just to learn more. I will now permanently activate Hope City’s coordinates. For those without locators, please remember the coordinates…”
He Fang stammered through a less-than-inspiring recruitment pitch and then nodded to Zhu Yan, signaling to close the loudspeaker and switch to one-way communication with mobile city leaders.
“Greetings to all leaders and City Lords. I have incorporated Angel City and have deleted all stored information files regarding your cities within Angel City. Hope City aims to be an inclusive city and does not intend to be an enemy to any mobile cities. We are a city of integrity, and I ask for your trust. Thank you.”
As Zhu Yan closed the communication, He Fang took a deep breath and exhaled deeply.
However, before he could relax for even two seconds, a flood of communication requests suddenly came from Zhu Yan’s direction. Countless windows popped up repeatedly on Zhu Yan’s screen, leaving He Fang dazzled.
“City Lord, would you like to connect?” Zhu Yan asked.
He Fang shook his head decisively, “Leave it all to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“Okay.” Zhu Yan relayed all the information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sparing He Fang from having to personally handle the daunting flood of calls and messages one by one.
He Fang let out a deep sigh.
He wasn’t sure if his actions were right or wrong, but he had already provided thorough training to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure they could represent his position in discussions with everyone.
From this moment on, Hope City would officially enter the radar of all mobile cities. He Fang had a strong feeling that things were about to get hectic.
Just then, He Fang suddenly heard a system notification sound. Glancing down, he noticed that his system map had been updated.
When He Fang saw the map, his eyes widened in surprise.
His map had been massively updated all at once!
Apparently, the connection with other cities’ locators had allowed the system to extract all the stored data from the locators, completing almost the entire map. Only a small portion remained as unexplored black zones.
Good heavens…
He Fang drew in a sharp breath.
Now he could see a chaotic array of various icons scattered across the entire map. Many of the icons were unfamiliar to him, but He Fang suspected they represented a multitude of tasks!
He had always assumed his city was located at the edge of the map, but after the map’s expansion, he realized his city was actually positioned at the center of it all!
This discovery would save him an enormous amount of time in exploring the map.
A tremendous leap forward!
