ATIGIBTC Chapter 130.2

He Fang choked up for a moment, staring at the deliveryman, unable to snap out of it for a long while.

The deliveryman truly was an incredibly optimistic person. Nothing could bring him down. Oh, except being ignored.

Since he couldn’t go to work, the deliveryman was temporarily staying at He Fang’s place. But to really say he was being “taken care of” wouldn’t be quite accurate. After all, it wasn’t some major injury. The deliveryman had even mastered the art of hopping on one leg within just a single day. He Fang’s not-so-big room was filled with objects that the deliveryman could use to support himself, so he really didn’t need any help at all.

The deliveryman even did a bit of housework when he had nothing else to do. Usually, he just lay in bed playing games, then applied a foot mask.

Because of the deliveryman, He Fang couldn’t go to the sensory pod anymore. He couldn’t exactly just keep gaming while the deliveryman was there. If the guy needed anything, He Fang had to be around to take care of it.

During this period, He Fang started turning all the interesting clips he’d accumulated in “Ruins Without Restart” into full videos. The deliveryman would sit nearby, pointing things out and making comments. Sometimes, He Fang couldn’t take it anymore and would push him aside with one hand, telling him to go play some other game.

His account had now matured into a well-established big account. It could bring in small amounts of money on its own. Every time He Fang uploaded a video, the view count would skyrocket. He was starting to get a faint sense of what it felt like to be a major streamer.

Even so, He Fang still didn’t have the habit of replying to comments. But just like how he had obsessive-compulsive tendencies in games, in real life, he also had to read through every single message. Yet, there still wasn’t any useful information about the game. Once again, He Fang began to doubt whether anyone had bought the sensory simulation pod at all.

He Fang turned around and looked at the deliveryman, who was playing a puzzle game on the console, then looked at his own massive sensory simulation pod. Suddenly, a thought came to him. Why did the deliveryman seem to have absolutely no interest in the sensory simulation pod?

“Aren’t you curious about the sensory simulation pod?” He Fang found it strange. If someone truly loved games, how could they not be interested in the sensory simulation pod? Just the ultra-realistic scenes he created for his videos would be enough to blow the mind of any gaming enthusiast. Was there really nothing in the sensory simulation pod that could attract the deliveryman?

“Not really,” the deliveryman replied, his eyes sparkling with the reflected glow of the game.

“’Ruins Without Restart’ is a great game. You seriously don’t want to give it a try?” He Fang remembered that the deliveryman had never played “Ruins Without Restart”, so he should be able to register a new account.

“I don’t like games that require building.” The deliveryman didn’t even lift his head, but his words carried a kind of inexplicable coldness that He Fang could clearly feel. It was the first time he’d heard such chill in the deliveryman’s voice. “In the end, infrastructure is really about building people. Only people need infrastructure. Once it’s built, you have to take responsibility for the people inside it. But I don’t think I’m capable of handling something like that.”

He Fang was momentarily stunned. As far as he knew, the only game on the market where infrastructure truly extended to the level of “building people” was “Ruins Without Restart”. All the other building games were just the usual farming, house-building, that kind of thing.

“Maybe you’re overthinking it?” He Fang asked.

“In any case, I just don’t like it.” The deliveryman didn’t even glance at He Fang. “The kind of person you are determines the kind of city you build. If I were the one building it, it’d probably just turn out to be a complete mess.”

He Fang couldn’t understand what the deliveryman was saying, but it was true that some people were just gifted differently when it came to games. After all, games came in all kinds.

“And honestly,” the deliveryman continued, “I think infrastructure-building games are pretty cruel. Games all have a lifespan, and players eventually get tired of them. And then what? The player can just pat their *ss and leave, but what about the city left behind? The well-developed ones might hang in there for a bit, but the poorly developed ones? They just turn into a mess. Players don’t care how a bunch of data points will evolve in the future.” As he spoke, the deliveryman grabbed a piece of apple from the fruit plate next to him and popped it into his mouth.

He Fang froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected the deliveryman to have thoughts like this.

“I once watched a video,” the deliveryman went on. “There was this player who built an incredibly magnificent city. He recorded it and even made it onto the leaderboard for the grandest city ever built. But after that, he stopped building. He just left the city running and kept recording the changes happening inside. Everyone was curious about what would happen to a city without anyone managing it anymore. That player found joy in watching the city decay.”

He Fang’s heart gave a jolt. He remembered the person the deliveryman was talking about. It was true. That incredibly skilled player had built a sprawling metropolis, grand enough to rival a provincial capital in the real world. It was eye-catching and stunningly beautiful. But for some unknown reason, that person suddenly flipped and instead started recording the city’s decline. Even when things happened in the game that could still be fixed by the player, he completely ignored them.

Once, a plague had broken out and spread through the city. In reality, all it would’ve taken was some efficient demolition and quarantine measures to prevent the city’s deterioration. But that player recorded a video showing the population dwindling and even gave it an educational angle. They used the game to show children how terrifying a plague could be, watching as the numbers representing human lives dropped bit by bit.

That player had personally created the city, then also personally watched it be destroyed.

He Fang lowered his head. It was true: when many players played infrastructure-building games, they never gave a thought to what would happen later. Players could come and go as they pleased. But what about the people in the game? Without the player’s guidance, they couldn’t build the city, couldn’t develop it, couldn’t solve problems, couldn’t act on their own. The NPCs in infrastructure-building games were just that—NPCs, nothing more.

Even though the NPCs in “Ruins Without Restart” could carry out tasks very well, there was still a fundamental difference. He Fang was the one who drew out the construction zones on the map. This area needs development, that one needs planting, another needs progress, and yet another needs improvement.

If there was pollution, should the factory be relocated? If there were an epidemic, should the city be quarantined? If a fire broke out, should the burned floors be rebuilt? These were all decisions that had to be made by him. The NPCs couldn’t do it.

“What you said… isn’t wrong,” He Fang had to admit that the deliveryman was right. “Now that you mention it, I feel even more responsible for my city.”

“You’re different,” the deliveryman said outright, without the slightest pause, like he trusted He Fang with his whole heart. “You’re not like the others.”

“…How am I different?” He Fang asked, a bit curious.

At last, the deliveryman was willing to put down the game in his hands. He looked at He Fang and suddenly grinned widely: “Because you’re my husband!”

He Fang: “……”

He knew it. The deliveryman never did say anything particularly serious.

The deliveryman stayed at He Fang’s place for a week. Once his foot had more or less healed, he couldn’t wait to get back to work. During that time, all the food expenses had been paid by the deliveryman. Although He Fang had tried to refuse, unfortunately, he hadn’t succeeded.

Just before leaving, the deliveryman suddenly turned back and said, “Lately, Customer doesn’t stutter anymore when talking to me.”

He Fang was stunned.

The deliveryman had already shut He Fang’s front door behind him and left with the trash.

He Fang sat alone in the now-empty room. During those seven days, he’d vaguely felt that the small space was a bit cramped. But the moment the deliveryman left, he suddenly became aware of a strange, hollow stillness in the air.

It really did seem like he was getting more and more used to the deliveryman. So used to him that now, with him gone, he even felt a little out of place.

Still in his pajamas, He Fang lay on the bed. The deliveryman had to make his deliveries, so he left early. He Fang had gotten up along with him, and now he couldn’t fall back asleep.

He hadn’t logged into “Ruins Without Restart” once during these past seven days. But now that everything had quieted down, he suddenly felt a strong urge to see his NPCs again. It had been a long time, and he missed them deeply.

He Fang lay down in the sensory simulation pod and set an alarm to remind himself to get up for lunch on time.

Out of habit, he checked the system operation panel. The happiness levels of the residents in Angel City, Hope City, and the Library were steadily rising. Only the main city’s happiness level had stalled due to his absence. But thankfully, it hadn’t decreased.

After research conducted jointly by Angel City’s rare plants and Hope City, a new generation of seeds had been successfully developed, and all of them had been sold to the other cities currently in the Holy Land.

He couldn’t view the construction progress of the other mobile cities, so if he wanted to know more, he’d have to log in and ask Yuan Zhiran directly.

During this time, the final version of the peace treaty had already been settled. Now, the cities were about to enter winter. Once the treaty was officially signed, a large supply of food from the main city would be secured. He Fang did the math and realized that the food supply was still tight. Even though his crops could continue growing normally in winter, it still seemed like demand would exceed supply.

Although He Fang really wanted to open up a new stretch of farmland, unfortunately, he didn’t have the money.

The population of the main city had already reached 300,000, something He Fang hadn’t expected at all, since the main city’s capacity was only 230,000. He discovered that a considerable number of main city residents had actually moved to live together with those in Hope City and Angel City, and a few had even scattered into the Holy Land’s territory. He Fang couldn’t be sure whether they had settled there permanently or just gone to the embassies.

Still, if the main city’s NPCs were involved, they could likely give a boost to the economies of these former mobile cities. After all, his NPCs were truly smart and capable.

He Fang filtered the data for information related to the “Diva Xiao Zi” and was stunned by what he saw. A long list of major events appeared before him:

“Rainbow Squad Xiao Zi successfully transformed into a diva, becoming a singer.”

“Diva Zi successfully released her first album, reaching unprecedented popularity. The name of Mirage resounded throughout the world.”

“Diva Zi has captured global attention. Her unique voice and mech appearance have won widespread love. Numerous people are requesting she hold a concert.”

It was expected that Xiao Zi’s songs would be successful, but He Fang hadn’t anticipated that she’d explode in popularity in such a short amount of time. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Looks like the idea he’d had before of building a grand theater could finally be put into action. From the very beginning, He Fang had already designated an area for the theater within the Library’s zone. The venue was spacious and could accommodate a large audience, which would also help promote the cultural city, the Library.

He checked on the Library’s construction status.

Progress on the Library was relatively slow. Since it was meant to be a “cultural city”, its design style naturally had to be both unique and charming. Even just the architectural styling had a lot of room for creativity, which made it an extremely labor-intensive project.

What surprised He Fang even more was that the Library had somehow managed to divert a waterway, actually opening up a whole new river channel. He stared in a daze.

No way… really?

He distinctly remembered that when he was drawing up the design plans, he hadn’t included any river channels. Did the NPCs take the initiative on their own? As expected of the Library, its NPCs were certainly full of ideas.

But… could NPCs really be this creative?

The Library’s construction was different from that of Angel City or Hope City. It wasn’t meant to become a massive metropolis, so the real slowdown came from how the space was being used.

For example, the Library’s collection of paintings and other art pieces had to be fully displayed, which required a very large area of land and also fairly tall buildings. Only then would it be possible to showcase everything.

And since more artworks were bound to be added in the future, He Fang had even requested the construction of a separate art museum. It would be used to display new-era pieces added later on. He Fang hoped that once people’s basic needs were met, they’d also have the opportunity to pursue spiritual and cultural enrichment.

A musical instrument store had also been set up within the Library, and it was huge. While there were many kinds of instruments in the world, He Fang’s real purpose for building the instrument store was to establish the Library as the “highest music academy”. It would serve as a grand stage for NPCs who loved instruments and aspired to reach new heights in music. So in truth, the instrument store was also a type of school. In addition to displaying instruments, it would require a substantial number of music teachers.

He Fang had also thought about how, in the future, to encourage communication and interaction between cities, he could model large-scale national-level events after the modern world. Things like world expos, sports competitions, and so on. So naturally, that would require a great deal of space. He had even considered building a racetrack, equestrian grounds, and similar venues.

He Fang also planned that once the Library was completed, he would establish a support institution. All niche yet not-yet-lost cultural activities could be registered through this support institution. Once certified, they would be given a place within the Library to develop and thrive.

That was why, at the time, He Fang had taken advantage of the opportunity presented by the military parade to completely redesign the land around the Library. It was all to better shape and develop this area.

The Library would continue to expand in the future, becoming more and more prosperous. It would become a spiritual city.

It was just that, looking at it now, construction was still proving to be quite difficult. Clearly, the NPCs of the Library did have minds of their own. Perhaps… he was the one being too rigid.

Thinking along these lines, He Fang suddenly recalled what the deliveryman had said that if a player left, what would happen to the city? And now, he felt that maybe even if he did leave, this city could still find its own way forward, relying on its own ideas.

“Ruins Without Restart”, on a land of hopeless ruins, it had restarted a new era of civilization. The future would surely bring even greater development.

As soon as He Fang logged in, Yuan Zhiran immediately messaged him, saying he’d be there to pick him up right away. Seeing how anxious Yuan Zhiran was, He Fang was a bit puzzled. Was his NPC this eager to see him again?

But once he was bundled into the car, He Fang realized that wasn’t it at all. It was because during his absence, the people who had been waiting to sign the peace treaty had grown extremely impatient.

By the time he was brought into the control room with the positioning device, Yuan Zhiran had already dressed him in a formal ceremonial outfit. Under the watchful eyes of the city lords of all the mobile cities, He Fang signed the peace treaty. From that moment on, the new peace treaty officially came into effect.

This time, He Fang’s aircraft was finally cleared for takeoff. To ensure safety, he ordered the planes to fly all routes for a full month. After that, they could begin carrying passengers.

Because in the new peace treaty, it was agreed that once the division of land among the cities was deemed reasonable and safe, a request would be made to the Divine Lord to transform the land into a holy land. The mobile cities, originally coexisting peacefully, began to confront each other. However, because the peace treaty stipulated that land could not be forcibly divided through battle or violent means, or else the division would be invalid, the whole conflict turned into a covert war. Everyone racked their brains trying to figure out how to seize land from other mobile cities.

And with them caught up in that, things became much easier on He Fang’s side. He could calmly and steadily watch the land around the Library develop.

Furthermore, He Fang began selling resources at base prices. Since He Fang’s resource production was endless, and aside from labor and transportation, it was basically cost-free. He Fang watched with his own eyes as his little treasury grew rich. After consulting Lu Hu for his opinion, he set aside a portion of the funds and once again expanded the Nightmare Beast Forest.

At the same time, He Fang was considering whether to organize a concert tour. After all, the grand theater would likely take a long time to complete. To avoid a situation where the “diva” fizzled out before truly shining, he needed to strike while the iron was hot.

Although Xiao Zi couldn’t personally go out, as it would affect public perception, she could still perform live through the terminal. And she would bring along some of the currently popular singers from Angel City to go on tour together. It’s a kind of publicity for the main city and Hope City.

Just as He Fang’s development plans were progressing rapidly, he suddenly received a piece of information that was unexpected yet completely within reason. It came from the Summit of the World.

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