Chapter 631: Chapter 378: What Country C Has, We Must Also Have, Part 3

As for Li Xiang taking over as Head Shopkeeper, the other Underground Cities around the world didn’t have much to say, though some people were shocked. "What? You mean Li God wasn’t the Head Shopkeeper before this?"

"Oh my god, I thought he was always the leader of Country C. Who knew he was only now formally taking the position."

"Let me tell you a real secret."

"What secret?"

"The real boss of Country C is his wife!"

"Haha, so Li God is afraid of his wife."

Of course, Li Xiang wasn’t afraid of his wife. It was simply that she was far more capable in administrative matters. Having Jiang Cai’Er handle their various affairs was much more efficient.

Within Country C, the project to revive and restart the inter-city transportation network was launched with great fanfare. Sections of the line had already started trial runs, and videos were posted to the global network.

On the day Country C’s maglev Earth Vein network became fully operational, a holographic live broadcast showed a silver-gray train shooting through reinforced tunnels like a shuttle of light. A defensive line of Spiritual Shields and automated turrets was installed along the route to effectively kill any invading Exotic Beasts and ensure the safety of the underground transport network.

Li Xiang had subdued nearly every Saint Tier Exotic Beast leader in the country, ordering them to command their respective clans and guard the surface.

However, there were far too many beasts below the Saint Tier, and even the Saint Tier leaders couldn’t control them all.

There were also foreign Exotic Beasts that occasionally strayed in from beyond the country’s borders, so the underground transport network’s security still required its own protective force.

In addition to Spiritual Shields and various automated turrets, a patrol team of Extraordinary Beings was also organized to work in daily shifts, patrolling back and forth and providing various emergency responses.

The automated turrets were mainly Laser Cannons, Particle Cannons, and various other directed-energy weapons. These types of weapons had existed before the Apocalypse, but they hadn’t been widely equipped, nor was their performance particularly outstanding. Now, however, not only had their performance leaped forward by several generations, but they were also deployed in full force.

When the first long-distance train crossed over 3,000 kilometers to reach its destination, the global network erupted—this wasn’t just a revival of transportation, but a declaration of absolute dominance over the surface’s Exotic Beast ecosystem.

Many countries were green with envy. Some nations and Underground Cities even announced their own plans to build inter-city transport networks.

A European nation: "We need to restart our transportation, too. Without in-person interaction and communication, we will become increasingly isolated islands. The internet can’t make up for reality."

The South Asian Subcontinent: "Whatever Country C has, we must have too."

In particular, a few of the Underground Cities that had been sanctioned by Country C for wantonly slaughtering or expelling different social classes, and were thus unable to obtain the advanced Breathing Technique, jointly issued a statement. They declared that they would also restart their underground railways to strengthen inter-city communication and exchange.

And it wasn’t just empty words. These Underground Cities actually teamed up, organized a construction crew, and started the project.

They even gave it a badass-sounding name: "Project Wallbreaker."

The pilot project connected two cities that were relatively close, only a little over a hundred kilometers apart. And they actually managed to complete it, largely because the distance was so short.

On the day the line opened for service, these Underground Cities were overcome with celebration. Many people signed up to be among the first passengers and experience the long-awaited inter-city travel.

Although they were using old, low-speed, diesel-burning trains left over from the past with a top speed of only 60 kilometers per hour, they were still decent enough for transporting both goods and people.

The event was broadcast live.

But then, right in the middle of the live broadcast, disaster struck.

The underground railway tunnel was breached by burrowing Exotic Beasts. An endless swarm of them poured in from surface caves. Not only were all the passengers on the moving train killed, but the Exotic Beast Army also used the railway network to invade both Underground Cities. The casualties were catastrophic; not even one in ten people survived.

The only reason there were any survivors at all was because Li Xiang arrived in time. He annihilated the invading Exotic Beasts, helped them repair their Shelters, and even provided a shipment of supplies as humanitarian aid.

The nations of Europe: "..."

The countries that had been about to break ground immediately announced they were canceling their plans.

"Times have changed. We can’t even get low-speed railways running again, but Country C already has a comprehensive maglev network. They’ve even begun colonizing space, having already built two large cities on the Moon."

Images of European nations frantically canceling their transportation revival proposals went viral online, right alongside footage of Country C’s Aerospace Carrier, the Profound Nether, cruising around the Moon.

After several trial voyages, the Profound Nether Stellar Mother Ship had officially entered service and transported the first wave of colonists to Jade Rabbit City.

The Minister of Energy for the Frankfurt Underground City felt a chill run down his spine as he stared at the data report: Country C’s trains consumed only 0.003% of the energy per kilometer compared to theirs, yet had 8,000 times the carrying capacity.

"This isn’t a gap in railway technology. It’s a generational gap between civilizations."

As Country C’s representative, City Lord Yao Yao of Los Santos hosted a global video conference. The attendees were all City Lords from the major Underground Cities. Of course, a few of the less friendly ones did not receive an invitation.

The barrier to entry for this conference was a bit high.

During the conference, Yao Yao revealed the latest intelligence—Country C was building another Stellar Mother Ship, a "Divine Remains Level" vessel, whose keel alone was longer than the entire depth of most European nations.

While the survivors of the sanctioned alliance on the South Asian Subcontinent huddled in their filthy and chaotic Underground Cities, starving and freezing, the children of Country C were on a lunar farm observing glowing space-wheat seedlings.

This was a new variety developed by Zhao Xueqing’s agricultural team. In reality, it was also a product of Nature, representing the evolutionary path plants took to adapt to the new environment.

On the surface, amidst the endless darkness, plants had evolved in remarkable ways, leading to the emergence of varieties that could produce their own light.

The research and development team ventured deep onto the dark, frozen surface to collect samples. They extracted the relevant gene fragments and crossbred them with traditional wheat.

Although it utilized genetic modification, at a time when humanity’s survival was on the line, GM technology was considered a strategic asset, just like the high-yield crops of the past.

Furthermore, this bioluminescent technology could also be applied to other plants.

For example, some types of moss and climbing vines could be used to provide illumination.

Li Xiang stood on the blood-stained railway tracks, Star Sand coalescing at his fingertips into a warning inscription. Those voices still clamoring that "traditional railways have more of a human touch" would eventually be annihilated, caught between the roars of Exotic Beasts and the thunder of starship engines.

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