Above the fog sea, a transport ship from Steel Refining City sailed slowly.

Inside the cabin.

A 5-year-old child sat on a seat by the window, curiously looking outside.

The fog outside was dense, obscuring everything, while seeming to hide everything as if something might emerge from it at any moment.

"I'm scared."

He suddenly turned his head and hugged his mother next to him.

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

But Wang Jun, sitting next to him, said: "Don't be afraid, Xiao Tao. A man must learn to be brave."

He picked the child up onto his lap: "Listen to me. The Dead Sea is very dangerous, filled with all kinds of powerful monsters. At first, humans were just like you, very afraid, only daring to stay on land."

"However, monsters won't leave just because we retreat. Instead, because we never set foot in the Dead Sea, they come and go as they please, killing many people."

"Xiao Tao, remember the time you said you were bullied by some kids and came back crying to us? What did I teach you?"

The little boy said: "Fight back."

"Right. And then?"

"I got beat up again."

"And after that?"

"They didn't bully me much anymore."

Wang Jun asked his son with a smile: "Why do you think that is?"

"Because they know I would fight back."

Speaking of this, the boy suddenly got energetic and waved his fists a couple of times.

"Right. Because you fight back, they don't dare to bully you randomly."

Wang Jun softly said: "This is the same with us humans, we can't just run at the sight of the Dead Sea and the monsters. We must fight back too, even if we can't defeat them, so that we won't be bullied easily."

The boy blinked, seemingly understanding, yet not quite grasping it.

"Our ships sail on the sea, more and more people are entering the Dead Sea, more and more enhancers; all this is our way of fighting back."

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

The boy looked around and indeed noticed many other passengers in the cabin, which relaxed him a lot.

He looked out the window again.

"Dad, land, there's land."

The fog outside had dissipated for the most part unknowingly, revealing a vast continent, exceptionally clear under the bright summer sun.

"We've arrived at Sand Port," said Wang Jun.

"Monster!"

Xiao Tao suddenly shouted again, pointing into the sky.

Wang Jun looked outside, upwards, and saw a triangular bird flying by.

He immediately recognized it.

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

"Wasteland Development Company!"

The boy was sensitive to this name.

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

"Do people use this to fly?"

"Yes. But there are still very few of them. This time we came, hopefully we'll have a chance to take a closer look."

"Dad, I want to fly too..."

...

The ship docked.

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

There were few pedestrians on Jade Avenue, with the occasional vehicle passing by transporting goods. From here to Jade City was still a considerable distance, and holding two suitcases, renting a camel was a must.

Wang Jun asked a few camel owners, but none were willing to rent.

A young man dressed like a worker said: "You're from out of town, right? Camels are mainly used for milking now, and also rented out for couples to have a run around outside, the prices are much higher than before."

"Your family of three with heavy luggage, they definitely won't rent to you. Those people are also worried about damaging the camels or the kids getting hurt, which would be troublesome."

"Over here by Jade Avenue, it's mainly the company's transport cars, they don't carry passengers. You should go to the Wuhu Elevated Bridge over there, there's a platform where you can wait for a ride. Getting to Jade City by car is very quick, just over an hour."

"Thank you very much."

"And another thing."

The person went on: "There, the car fare is clearly marked so make sure you don't get tricked by some merchants with their little tricks. The fare is 2 iron for one person one way, no matter where you go, and 20 mushrooms will do as well. Whether it's a Hooked Horned Bull, Mechanical Bull or an enhanced car, it's all the same price. I recommend the Hooked Horned Bull and Mechanical Bull, they're more rule-abiding."

"It's very sunny here, you should find a place to take cover from the sun first."

Wang Jun opened one of his suitcases—inside was a small bamboo refrigeration box, from which he took out an ivory-colored ice pop and handed it over to the man: "A small gift, please accept it."

After tasting it, the man exclaimed: "Wow, this is a new flavor. Milk flavor, it's milk flavored!!"

"Your taste buds are sharp, it is indeed a new model."

"You're from Steel Refining City, right? Your ice pops are really delicious, we can't replicate them here."

The young man shook hands with him enthusiastically: "Welcome to Sand Port, I'm a Guangtai worker at the company, Ah Ze. If there's anything you need at the company, you can look for me, I can be your guide."

"Thank you, my name is Wang Jun."

"Wang Jun?" The man was momentarily stunned: "Are you the one who made the second-generation refrigeration box?"

Wang Jun laughed it off: "Just lucky."

"Meeting a celebrity today!!" Ah Ze got excited: "You're here on business, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll take you to the company."

Ah Ze had just finished when he suddenly became annoyed: "Ah no, I still have to find someone from the Tianjin Knights to discuss the Light Soot Sand issue..."

He mentioned a few precautions and then left.

Wang Jun hadn't neglected to do his homework.

But the changes in Jade City were too fast and too big, the information he had was several months old.

Although Steel Refining City had changed dramatically, in comparison to Sand Port, everything still seemed old and backward.

He braved the sun and led his family all the way to the Wuhu Elevated Bridge.

There were two platforms here.

Wide and flat, the bridge surface bustled with vehicular traffic.

Bathed in sunlight, the reflection glinted off both the roadway and the metallic shells of the vehicles.

After a wait,

an oddly shaped vehicle pulled up at the platform.

"Coming aboard? 2 iron per person, kids ride free."

The vehicle asked them.

Wang Jun noticed that it was a Mechanical bull, its four legs folded up and replaced with four wheels.

Compared to other enhanced cars, its structure was somewhat bizarre, with the passenger compartment mounted on its back.

Recalling what Zhe had said, Wang Jun boarded with his wife and child.

The bull cart moved just as fast as the other vehicles; here, there were only two speeds for cars: the slower right lane and the faster left lane.

For safety and to better appreciate the surrounding scenery, Wang Jun chose the right lane for the Hooked Horned Bull.

With the windows open, the breeze flowed in, providing relief from the heat.

Along the way, the Mechanical bull chatted with them: "Are you here for a trip or to settle down? If you're touring, have you seen the Big Buddha, and the Thousand Buddhas rock carvings on the mountain?"

"There's plenty to eat in Jade City, too. Right now, the Mushroom House restaurant is popular. This season, their bestsellers are popsicles, sweet buns, and cold chicken salad—appetizing and not too heavy in the heat. But for a main dish, you'd still have to go to the restaurants in Sand Port City. No worries though, you can order delivery and it'll arrive at your door in a couple of hours. Whatever you crave, the weather won't let the food cool down..."

Aside from a slightly odd accent, it spoke no differently from a regular person.

Wang Jun chatted with it the entire journey.

He noticed his wife, He Hua, showing interest in the mushroom houses lining the street that looked like trees, taking them in with curious eyes.

Their son, however, was staring up at the sky.

A number of gliders soared across the sky.

The vehicle gradually pulled up to a platform, and Wang Jun took out a round iron disc from his pocket, placing it on the Hooked Horned Bull's weighing tray, which showed 20.17g.

"Thank you for patronizing. I'm number 201, and I welcome you back anytime."

The Mechanical bull sucked the round iron disc into a box next to it before turning around and leaving.

Wang Jun saw that ahead lay the towering buildings of Jade City. Around it were a ring of Mushroom Houses and homemade wooden structures; many people were cooling off in the shade provided by the Mushroom Houses due to the heat.

As he looked around, a child ran up to him.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Wang Jun?"

"Yes, I am. Who are you?"

The person replied: "I'm Bei Ta, I work as a programmer's assistant at the company. Mr. Gong sent me to welcome you."

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

"I'm almost ten this year."

The person replied: "Besides, the chairman also said age doesn't define heroism. Anyone with capability can find their place in the company, regardless of their age."

Wang Jun noticed the child's entire right hand was a prosthetic, which he showed off without concern.

"Your hand..."

"Got crushed by a wall during the last Honor War; I was living in Shell City at that time."

Wang Jun's heart sank.

During the war, although he was working as a steelworker in Steel Refining City, he knew colleagues who had been injured and disabled by bombings.

The young boy before him seemed unfazed: "Mr. Wang, since the other buildings are full and building number 8 is undergoing some experiments and temporarily uninhabitable, we have arranged for you to stay at the Samurai Crab Apartment. Would you mind?"

"If you find it unsuitable, we do have other accommodations, it's just that the conditions are somewhat less than those in Jade City."

Wang Jun's son, Xiao Tao, asked: "What's the Samurai Crab Apartment?"

Wang Jun smiled and said: "It's building number 7, where all the residents are samurai crabs. Are you scared?"

"Not scared."

"Alright, then we'll stay there."

"Please follow me."

Bei Ta led the group towards building number 7.

In the Samurai Crab Apartment, there were side-walking samurai crabs, as well as some Double Swordsmen and Hammerhead Soldiers.

At first, Xiao Tao looked tense, but he quickly relaxed when one of the samurai crabs gave him a peculiar humanoid doll. These Guangna Species appeared fierce but were very friendly.

"That's a deity figure from the God Era."

Bei Ta explained to Xiao Tao: "I used to have one too. They say that in the God Era, such figures were used to protect family members and bring good fortune."

Xiao Tao was overjoyed.

After settling in, Wang Jun asked his wife to rest with their child for a while, as they were tired from the journey.

He then inquired about the whereabouts of his good friend, Gongsun Bao.

"Gongsun Bao is not around here."

Bei Ta said: "Let me take you to him; he's near the coast to the northeast, at the Dead Sea Channel."

He drove an official vehicle, taking Wang Jun to the northeast corner.

Wang Jun observed a huge circular trench on the ground with turbulent water stirring up mists, making the area seem like an extension of the Dead Sea.

Two large Mechanical creatures rumbled as they worked on constructing embankments and bridges across the channel, the mechanical roar accompanying the whooshing sound of water.

Three massive waterwheels stood on the bank of the channel, their rotations powering the pumps behind them, partially drawing water into an adjacent pond before transferring it further.

Gongsun Bao, wearing a hat and sweating profusely, was directing on-site.

Seeing Wang Jun brought him joy.

"Why are you here?"

Wang Jun said: "Your progress here is really astonishing... How effective is the Dead Sea Channel?"

At this, Gongsun Bao's expression turned grim: "Alas..."

"What's wrong? It seems to be going well."

Wang Jun looked around; the circulation in the Dead Sea Channel seemed successful. Aside from the yet to be constructed Guangtai Port, the waterwheels were already running smoothly.

A large platform had been planned for construction at the center of the island surrounded by the channel, but its purpose was unknown.

"The problem is that it's been too successful."

Gongsun Bao wiped his forehead with his sleeve: "The chairman wants to build two more Dead Sea Channels and promote them to other regions. It's already confirmed that Steel Refining City, Shell City, Sand Port City, and Tree Monster Territory will each have one."

"I'm under a lot of pressure, not sure if I can do a good job. It feels like the chairman is a bit too aggressive..."

Stunned, Wang Jun replied: "The Dead Sea Channel is that beneficial?"

"It has unique strategic value, of profound significance."

Gongsun Bao suddenly became very serious.

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