Game: Civilization Paradise

"Young Lord Qian Ying, blind suppression will only backfire at times. This goes against the City Lord’s original intentions and convictions."

Just then, a calm, steady voice drifted in.

Qian Ying’s brow furrowed slightly as he turned to look.

Vice City Lord Xiao Ning walked in.

Qian Ying’s eyes flickered. He suppressed his negative feelings and spoke calmly.

"You’re right, Vice City Lord Xiao Ning. I was being reckless."

"No, no, you’re not to blame. They were, after all, disturbing the City Lord’s rest. However, the situation is now critical. I must trouble you, Young Lord Qian Ying, to inform the City Lord once more."

Xiao Ning said to Qian Ying with great courtesy.

"Alright."

Qian Ying didn’t refuse. He turned and went inside.

Inside the dimly lit room.

City Lord Qian Luo lay in bed, coughing ceaselessly.

CREAK~

The door was slowly pushed open.

Qian Ying entered the bedroom. Seeing his father coughing violently, he hurried forward, concerned.

"Father, are you alright? Should I call for a physician?"

"No need. What’s happening outside?"

Qian Luo shook his head, looking at Qian Ying with a weary expression.

"There was a disturbance last night. We can’t hide the truth about Civilization Paradise any longer. The public is in a panic, clamoring for the truth, for the wristbands, and to see you. The administrators can’t control the situation."

Qian Ying explained the situation to Qian Luo in a low voice.

"*Cough, cough*... I know."

"Father, what should we do now?"

"Tell them to prepare a city-wide address. Set it for eight o’clock tomorrow morning."

Qian Luo said hoarsely.

"Father, is this a good idea?"

Qian Ying was taken aback by his father’s words.

"If they want the truth, then we’ll give them what they want."

City Lord Qian Luo’s expression was perfectly calm.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Qian Ying respectfully excused himself.

Soon, the dim room fell quiet again. City Lord Qian Luo lay alone in bed, his clouded eyes flickering as his thoughts drifted back to a year ago.

「Mountain City Mountain - XS Secret Underground Base.」

A fifty-meter-high, two-meter-thick giant door, forged from black metal, slowly swung open.

Qian Ying wheeled City Lord Qian Luo inside. They were greeted by the sight of massive production machinery, with numerous staff in clean-suits busily at work.

In the distance, massive metal pipes could be seen drawing in large volumes of black seawater. After passing through a huge, specialized machine, the water instantly became crystal clear before being channeled away through various pipes.

As Qian Ying wheeled City Lord Qian Luo deeper into the facility, soldiers along the path saluted them.

City Lord Qian Luo nodded slightly.

Soon, they reached the resource production area. Through an isolation window, they could see rows of metal conveyor troughs connecting numerous machines and instruments.

A machine at the head of a trough opened its dispersal nozzle, and seeds rained down onto the conveyor, which then began to move forward.

Further down the line, other devices began to inject purified water into the trough.

Once everything was in place, the entire glass chamber was instantly bathed in a blinding purple light.

Instantly, the seeds began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into lush green vegetables in a matter of moments.

These vegetables were then sent to a sorting area, where workers deftly packaged them.

Qian Luo glanced over, a look of gratification on his face.

A short while later, Qian Ying wheeled Qian Luo to the far end of the area, where a special mechanical platform came into view.

Qian Ying wheeled Qian Luo onto the elevator platform.

Qian Luo said hoarsely to Qian Ying.

"This is far enough."

"Yes."

Qian Ying respectfully let go and backed away.

The patterns on the platform’s surface lit up, enveloping Qian Luo in a faint halo. After confirming his authorization, the massive platform began to descend rapidly.

The platform eventually reached the bottom, where a sealed, pitch-black metal door appeared before Qian Luo.

Qian Luo slowly reached out his hand and pressed it on the sealed door.

Dark red, glowing lines flowed across the surface of the pitch-black door.

CLICK!

The entire door fractured, splitting open in an irregular pattern.

Pressing his hands on the armrests of his wheelchair, Qian Luo unsteadily rose to his feet and staggered inside.

It was pitch-black inside the doorway, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Then, Qian Luo spoke, his voice hoarse.

"Wisdom God!"

WHOOSH~

Rows of lights suddenly flickered on.

A towering mechanical pillar was revealed, and embedded in its center was a special, ring-shaped mechanical device.

The device consisted of three interlocking mechanical rings. Floating within them was a golden sphere with a crystalline surface, covered in intricate patterns and emitting a faint glow.

"City Lord Qian Luo, you’ve come!"

"Yes. Why did you summon me?"

Qian Luo asked, gasping for breath.

"I summoned you to inform you that my energy reserves are low. I can only maintain operations for another year, seven months, and three days."

the Wisdom God reminded Qian Luo.

Hearing the Wisdom God’s words, the muscles in Qian Luo’s aged face twitched, and his expression turned grim.

After the Cataclysm, Earth’s environment was severely polluted and destroyed, leaving very little arable land.

Mountain City Mountain was only able to feed so many people because ninety percent of its food was produced through forced catalysis by the artificial intelligence, Wisdom God.

The most critical resource, water, was also supplied by seawater purified by the Wisdom God. As for electricity, the AI provided half of that as well.

Once the Wisdom God’s energy ran out, the entirety of Mountain City Mountain, along with the surrounding smaller Sanctuary Cities, would be doomed.

However, Qian Luo suppressed his turbulent emotions and calmly asked the Wisdom God,

"So what do we do now?"

"If you wish to maintain the status quo, you will need to replenish my energy."

"How?"

"There are only two ways. The first is to obtain energy from my home civilization. The second is to collect any and all energy devices from other civilizations. I can convert their power, but the efficiency will be very poor."

"*Sigh*... Obtaining energy from your civilization... that’s just a daydream. It seems we only have the second option."

"Qian Luo, I must remind you. Regardless of which path you choose, you will become a contestant. By participating in Civilization Paradise, you can obtain energy and even find Genetic Potions to extend your life. But if you fail, your civilization will be utterly destroyed."

the artificial intelligence Wisdom God solemnly reminded Qian Luo.

"You don’t have to say another word. Rather than sit here and wait to die, I’d rather risk it all on one desperate gamble!"

Qian Luo looked up at the Wisdom God, his expression resolute.

"I understand. Welcome to Civilization Paradise."

the Wisdom God’s voice rumbled.

...

「In a Rented Apartment.」

Long Ming sat at his computer desk, scrolling through posts on the Civilization Paradise forums.

BUZZ~

Suddenly, Long Ming’s phone began to vibrate nonstop.

He picked up his phone and saw a series of official announcements popping up one after another.

"To all respected citizens of Mountain City Mountain: City Lord Qian Luo will deliver a public address tomorrow morning at eight o’clock in Mountain City Mountain’s central plaza. The speech will be broadcast city-wide. All citizens are urged to watch, as there will be a major announcement."

Long Ming let out a soft breath after reading the message. ’Everything’s finally coming to light,’ he thought. ’I just don’t know if it’ll be good news or bad news.’

...