Wasteland Development Diary

On the Misty Sea, a transport ship from Steel Refinery City was slowly sailing.

Inside the passenger cabin.

A five-year-old child sat on a chair by the window, curiously looking outside.

Outside, the thick fog obscured everything, yet seemed to conceal everything, as if something might emerge from it at any moment.

"I'm scared."

He suddenly turned and hugged his mother beside him.

The young mother stroked his head: "Then don't look at the Dead Sea, look inside the ship."

Wang Jun, who was next to them, said, "Don't be afraid, Xiao Tao. A real man must learn to be brave."

He picked up the child and sat him on his lap: "Listen to me. The Dead Sea is very dangerous, with all sorts of powerful monsters. At first, humans were just like you, very scared and only dared to stay on land."

"However, the monsters didn't leave just because we retreated. Instead, because we never set foot in the Dead Sea, they came and went as they pleased, killing many people."

"Xiao Tao, remember when you said you were bullied by some kids and came back crying? What did I teach you then?"

The little boy said, "Fight back."

"Right. And then?"

"I got beaten up even more."

"And then?"

"They didn't bully me as much."

Wang Jun smiled and asked his son, "Why is that?"

"Because they knew I would fight back."

Speaking of this, the boy immediately perked up, waving his fists a couple of times.

"Exactly. Because you fight back, they don't dare to bully you so easily."

Wang Jun said softly, "It's the same with us humans. We can't just run away when we see the Dead Sea and the monsters. We have to fight back too. Even if we can't win, we still have to fight, so we won't be bullied so easily."

The boy blinked, seeming to understand, yet not quite.

"Our ships are sailing on the sea, more and more people are entering the Dead Sea, more and more enhancers—these are all ways we are fighting back."

Wang Jun hugged his son and said, "Don't be afraid, Xiao Tao. Look, everyone is around you."

The boy looked around and indeed found many other passengers in the cabin, which made him relax a lot.

He looked out the window again.

"Dad, land, there's land."

The mist outside had dissipated for the most part, and a vast continent could be clearly seen, appearing exceptionally clear under the bright summer sun.

"We've arrived at Sandport," Wang Jun said.

"Monster!"

Xiao Tao suddenly shouted again, pointing to the sky.

Wang Jun looked above the window and saw a large, triangular bird flying through the air.

He immediately recognized it.

"That's a glider, not a monster. It's a new type of aircraft made by the company."

"Wasteland Development Corporation!"

The child was very sensitive to this name.

"Yes, it's a vehicle produced by the company."

"Are people using that to fly?"

"Yes. But there are still very few of them. We're here this time to see if we can get a closer look."

"Dad, I want to fly too…"

…

The ship docked.

Wang Jun and his family of three disembarked and exited the port.

Emerald Avenue had very few pedestrians, with only occasional vehicles carrying goods passing by. It was quite a distance from here to Emerald City, and with two suitcases, he would have to rent a camel.

Wang Jun asked a few people leading camels, but none of them were willing to rent.

A young man dressed as a worker said, "You must be from out of town, right? Camels are mainly used for milking now, or rented to couples for romantic outings. The prices are much higher than before."

"A family of three with heavy luggage? They definitely won't rent to you. Those people are afraid of damaging the camels, and it's troublesome if the child falls."

"Emerald Avenue is mainly for company trucks, which don't carry passengers. Go to the overpass. There's a station there where you can wait for a car. It's a quick ride to Emerald City, just over an hour."

"Thank you very much."

"Also."

The man added, "The fares there are clearly marked, so don't be fooled by some merchants' tricks. The fare is always 2 iron per person one way, no matter where you're going. You can also pay 20 mushrooms. Whether it's a Horned Ox, a Mechanical Ox, or an Enhanced Vehicle, it's the same price. I suggest taking the Horned Ox or Mechanical Ox; they're more disciplined."

"It's very sunny here. Find a place to avoid the sun."

Wang Jun opened one of his suitcases—a small bamboo cooler—and took out a milky white popsicle from the freezer compartment, handing it to the man: "A small gift, please accept it."

The man took it and tasted it: "Oh, this is a new flavor. Milky, it's milky!"

"You have a good palate. It's indeed a new model."

"You're from Steel Refinery City, right? Your popsicles are so delicious; we can't replicate them here."

The young man was immediately happy and shook his hand vigorously: "Welcome to Sandport. I'm a Light Ember worker for the company, A-Zhe. If you need anything at the company, you can find me. I can be your guide."

"Thank you, my name is Wang Jun."

"Wang Jun?" The man was stunned. "Are you the one who created the second-generation cooler?"

Wang Jun chuckled: "Just lucky."

"I met a celebrity today!" A-Zhe became excited: "Are you here on official business?"

"Yes."

"I'll take you to the company."

A-Zhe immediately regretted it: "Oh, no, I have to find someone from the Tianjin Knights to talk about the Light Ember Sand problem…"

He explained some precautions before leaving.

It wasn't that Wang Jun hadn't done his homework.

It's just that the changes in Emerald City were too fast and too great. The information he had was from several months ago.

Although Steel Refinery City had changed a lot, everything still seemed old and backward compared to Sandport.

He braved the sun and took his wife and children to the Wuhu Overpass.

There were two stations here.

Vehicles came and went on the wide, flat bridge.

Under the sun, both the road surface and the metal shells of the vehicles were reflecting light.

After waiting for a while.

A vehicle with a slightly peculiar shape stopped at the station.

"Coming up? 2 iron per person, children free."

This vehicle asked them.

Wang Jun discovered that it was a Mechanical Ox, its four legs retracted, and four wheels modified underneath.

Compared to other enhanced vehicles, its structure was slightly strange, with the carriage on its back.

Wang Jun remembered A-Zhe's words and took his wife and children into the car.

The ox-cart ran no slower than other vehicles. The cars here only had two uniform speeds, one in the slow lane on the right and one in the fast lane on the left.

For safety and to enjoy the surrounding scenery, Wang Jun had the Horned Ox take the slow lane.

With the windows open, the wind blew in, so it wasn't stuffy.

The Mechanical Ox chatted with him along the way: "Are you here for tourism or to settle down? If you're here for tourism, have you seen the Great Buddha and the Thousand Buddha Stone Carvings on the mountain?"

"Emerald City has a lot of food too. There's the Mushroom House Restaurant now. This season, the best-selling items are popsicles, sweet cakes, and cold chicken salad, which are appetizing and not hot. But if you want to eat proper dishes, you have to go to the restaurants in Sandport City. But it's okay, order takeout, and they'll deliver it to your door in two or three hours. Order whatever you want. The weather is so nice that you don't have to worry about the food getting cold…"

Apart from the slightly strange pronunciation, it was no different from ordinary people.

Wang Jun chatted with it all the way.

He noticed that his wife, He Hua, was very interested in the Mushroom Houses that lined the road like trees, constantly looking at them.

His son stared at the sky.

Many gliders glided through the air.

The car slowly parked at the station. Wang Jun took out a round iron piece from his pocket and placed it on the Horned Ox's weighing platform, which displayed 20.17g.

"Thank you for your patronage. I'm No. 201, welcome to come again."

The Mechanical Ox sucked the round iron piece into the box next to it and then turned around and left.

Wang Jun found that in front of him were the tall Emerald City buildings. There was a circle of Mushroom Houses and self-built wooden houses around them. Because it was hot, many people were cooling off under the Mushroom Houses.

As he was looking around, a child ran over.

"Are you Mr. Wang Jun?"

"I am. And you are?"

The other party said, "My name is Beta. I work as a programmer assistant at the company. Mr. Gong asked me to receive you."

Wang Jun was a little surprised: "You're working at such a young age?"

"I'll be ten years old soon."

The other party said, "And the chairman also said that heroes should not be judged by age. As long as you have the ability, regardless of age, you can find a suitable position in the company."

Wang Jun noticed that the child's entire right hand was a prosthetic, and he generously showed it off without minding.

"Your hand…"

"It was crushed by a wall during the last War of Honor. I lived in Shell City at that time."

Wang Jun's heart sank.

During the war, although he was a steelworker in Steel Refinery City, some of his coworkers were injured and disabled by the bombing.

The young man in front of him didn't seem to mind: "Mr. Wang, because the other buildings are full now, Building 8 is currently undergoing some experiments and cannot be occupied temporarily. So, we have arranged for you to stay in the Samurai Crab Apartment. Do you mind?"

"If you don't think it's appropriate, we also have other housing, but the conditions are a little worse than in Emerald City."

His son, Xiao Tao, asked, "What is the Samurai Crab Apartment?"

Wang Jun smiled and said, "It's Building 6, where the residents are all Samurai Crabs. Are you afraid?"

"No."

"Okay, then we'll live there."

"Please follow me."

Beta led the group to Building 6.

The Samurai Crab Apartment was full of Samurai Crabs walking sideways, as well as some Double-Blade Hands and Hammer Soldiers.

At first, Xiao Tao's face was tense, but he quickly relaxed. Because a Samurai Crab gave him a strange human-shaped doll, these Light Nascents seemed fierce but were very friendly.

"That's an idol from the Age of Gods."

Beta explained to Xiao Tao, "I used to have one too. It is said that people in the Age of Gods would use such idols to protect their families, which would bring good luck."

Xiao Tao was very happy.

After Wang Jun settled down, he let his wife take the children to rest for a while, after all, they were tired from the journey.

Then he asked about the whereabouts of his friend Gongsun Bao.

"Mr. Gongsun Bao is not here."

Beta said, "I'll take you there. He's in the northeast near the coast at the Dead Sea Canal."

He drove a company car and took Wang Jun to the northeast corner.

Wang Jun saw that there was a huge ring-shaped ditch on the ground here. The water was turbulent inside, stimulating a large amount of mist, making this area seem like a branch of the Dead Sea.

Two large mechanical lifeforms were rumbling, and they were building dams and bridges across the ditch. The mechanical roar was accompanied by the sound of rushing water.

Three large waterwheels stood on the bank of the ditch, driving the pumps behind them to pump some of the water into the adjacent pool, and then transport it further away.

Gongsun Bao was wearing a hat and sweating profusely, directing the scene.

Seeing Wang Jun made Gongsun Bao happy.

"Why are you here?"

Wang Jun said, "Your speed here is amazing… How is the Dead Sea Canal working?"

Speaking of this, Gongsun Bao's face suddenly turned pale: "Alas…"

"What's wrong? It looks pretty smooth."

Wang Jun looked around, and the Dead Sea Canal's circulation seemed very successful. Except for the temporary lack of a Light Ember port, the waterwheels were running very smoothly.

In the center of the small island surrounded by the ditch, a wide platform was planned to be built, but it was not known what it was for.

"The problem is that it's too smooth."

Gongsun Bao wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "The chairman wants to build two more Dead Sea Canals and promote them to other regions. It has been determined that Steel Refinery City, Shell City, Sandport City, and Tree Monster Territory will all have them."

"I'm under a lot of pressure. I don't know if I can do it well. I feel like the chairman is being too aggressive…"

Wang Jun was stunned: "Is the Dead Sea Canal that useful?"

"It has a unique strategic value and is of extraordinary significance."

Gongsun Bao's tone suddenly became serious.