Chapter 102: The Survivor Settlement in Five Mountains City

2:00 a.m., above Research Facility No. 1215.

"Invisibility engaged, preparing for takeoff. Three, two, one. Switching to autopilot." Zi’s voice resonated within the Violet Radiance fighter.

"I can’t believe this is what an aircraft looks like—it’s just like a magical artifact," Huihui said, gazing at the virtual display within the fighter.

"Put on the headphones and listen to some music. I’ll wake you when we arrive," Yun Xuan replied with a smile.

Huihui took the headphones, and as the gentle melody caressed her ears, she quickly drifted into sleep.

The interior of the Violet Radiance fighter could accommodate four passengers. Its flight was smooth, its speed nearly unmatched—let alone tracked or observed. Even before the apocalypse, this was cutting-edge technology.

Armed with energy weapons, the fighter maintained an altitude of 5,000 meters, and at supersonic speeds, any obstacle ahead would be instantly eliminated.

Yun Xuan kept his eyes on the countdown ticking across the virtual screen. It would take less than thirty minutes to reach Wushan City.

The second main quest—to slay ten mutant beasts—only one remained. As for the third main quest, Yun Xuan had already guessed its nature.

"I wonder if Wushan City has enough mutant beasts," Yun Xuan mused, gazing out into the night. The cockpit was comfortably warm, and he felt entirely at ease.

With a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," the fighter fired energy rounds, taking down a mutant beast. With a deft maneuver, Yun Xuan retrieved the fallen creature.

"Congratulations, Host, on completing Main Quest Two. Reward: 1,000 exchange points."

"Main Quest Three: Slay 100 mutant beasts. Reward: 10,000 exchange points. Completion will unlock subsequent missions."

"Just as I thought," Yun Xuan murmured as he read the quest. One hundred mutant beasts at 500 points each was 50,000, plus 10,000 more—sixty thousand points. Completing this mission would allow him to travel between worlds three times.

"Next stop—Hidden Leaf Village. I’ll learn ninjutsu, and even if I can’t, I’ll at least charm a few lovely girls," Yun Xuan grinned wickedly.

He’d read plenty of fanfics set in the Hidden Leaf Village—most were harems. Though he always claimed to dislike such stories, if it happened to him, he certainly wouldn’t refuse.

...

In less than half an hour, the aircraft landed atop a building in Wushan City.

Yun Xuan, Huihui, the eight Mizunotsuki Shiro, as well as Shira and Bingxue—twelve in total—stood on the rooftop, a mere five hundred meters from the survivor enclave.

"Clear the next floor and wait for dawn," Yun Xuan ordered.

The eight Mizunotsuki Shiro and Shira descended, silently wielding cold weapons to secure the upper floors and seal off the stairs below.

Once the place was in order, everyone shared grilled meat in silence, waiting for daylight.

Nighttime travel was extremely dangerous. Even with Yun Xuan’s formidable skills and courage, he wouldn’t dare to claim immunity from peril.

"The corpse tide is truly terrifying," Yun Xuan muttered, peering through a long-range telescope. The city’s outer wall was now a wreck, and all survivors had retreated behind the inner barrier, activating Wushan City’s Iron Wall Defense to survive.

The Iron Wall Defense was an ultimate fortification, approved by the capital in 2200. It could only be activated by the city’s highest authority, and once engaged, it could withstand a nuclear strike.

Every city had one; the capital’s was the largest.

Now, even with the Iron Wall open and the buildings reinforced, it was still insufficient.

Hunger and fear haunted the people. Malice grew rampant—each morning brought new skeletons littering the streets.

Without further food supplies, Wushan City would fall without a single assault, likely collapsing from within.

"No matter how strong a defense, it can never erase the rifts between people," Yun Xuan reflected. He saw much through his long-range scope.

A woman dressed in finery was dragged into an alley by three ragged men.

Children gnawed desperately at a corpse.

A girl was beset by a gang of men...

All these were ticking time bombs—the result of the city leader’s indecisiveness.

The soldiers could only barely maintain basic order; they had no capacity to deal with all the chaos.

"Fear is a deadlier plague than any disease," Yun Xuan murmured, lowering the telescope. If it were up to him, he would never have done the same—accepting everyone was far too merciful.

The slums were not just filled with the hungry and homeless; criminals lurked among them as well.

If it were his decision, he’d first purge the criminals, then gradually recruit others, mixing them into the city guard, providing brief training, instilling in them a sense of unity—a will to fight for the survivor enclave.

Only by fostering a genuine communal spirit could people truly give their all, rather than live in such misery and fear.

...

The morning sunlight bathed Yun Xuan as he stretched and rose, peering once more at the survivor enclave through his long-range lens.

Several skeletons were strewn across the street. Among the tattered rags, he recognized one as the finely-dressed woman from the night before.

"It chills the heart," Yun Xuan sighed, rousing Huihui for breakfast.

After their meal, Yun Xuan and the others climbed to the rooftop and summoned the second mutant beast captured the previous day—a mutated bee.

The rest entered the strategy machine, as the mutant bee could only carry three.

Yun Xuan, Huihui, and Bingxue climbed onto its back. With a beat of its wings, the bee soared toward the survivor enclave.

In less than a minute, they landed smoothly and headed for the enclave.

Huihui and Bingxue wore black robes and masks. Yun Xuan was clad in lightweight combat armor, a novice sword on his back—none of them looked easy to provoke.

Passersby glanced at the trio and quickly stepped aside; it was clear they were not locals.

It only took two lollipops to breeze through the gate inspection, and soon the three entered the survivor enclave.

Tents lined the streets, filled with hunched, starving people. Some women, clad only in nightwear, approached each passerby, soliciting favors.

"Yun Xuan, why don’t you help these children? They could become a great fighting force. If you took some in, you could train them into powerful talents," Huihui whispered.

"You may be right, but right now, I trust no one. In the apocalypse, you can’t afford to place your faith in others," Yun Xuan replied, shaking his head.

"I understand. But if you can, please help them," Huihui sighed.

"Sir, may I say a word?" a little girl blocked their path.

Her face was pale, her clothes tattered, but her eyes brimmed with hope—a stark contrast to the despair all around.

"Speak," Yun Xuan said, squatting down.

The girl handed him a slip of paper.

He read it, pupils narrowing, then tucked it away.

"Do you know the consequences of deceiving me?" Yun Xuan’s voice was icy.

"Sir, you can check my identity—here’s my smart bracelet. You can use it to access the network," the girl said seriously, producing a bracelet from her pocket.

"Bingxue, take her," Yun Xuan said, circling around the girl without another glance.

"Yes," Bingxue replied, taking the child’s hand.

(P.S.: Looks like we’ll be staying in the apocalypse arc for a few more chapters—how awkward… Please keep voting for recommendations! At most five more chapters before we return to daily life.)