Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

The ruins at night were quiet and eerie, as Bai E stepped lightly over the shattered sand and stones, creating a faint sound.

In the hidden corners, some daring little creatures opened their curious eyes to look at the huge entity they had never seen in the bygone times.

Bai E followed the barely visible main road, watching the progress on the panel slowly increase.

0.2%...

0.3%...

0.5%...

1%...

Unbelievably slow.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Could this mean that the scope of the ruins was very large?

And yet it was referred to as a 'small' relic...

Bai E inwardly scoffed, taking a turn and suddenly becoming energized.

The monotonous ruins were still ruins, but after the turn, some of the ruined buildings shone brightly with a row of translucent words only he could see—

[Abandoned and Damaged Bar] (Claimable) (Repairable)

[You are exploring a functional area of the target ruins; current exploration progress: 10.7%.]

The progress had suddenly shot up a large fraction!

When Bai E focused, more detailed explanations appeared one by one beneath that line of text—

[Hint: You have discovered a no man's land—an abandoned and damaged bar. Current status: Claimable, Repairable. This area has been abandoned for many years and has lost the effects it once held.

However, the shadow of time has recorded its most perfect days, and if you can gather the necessary materials (alcohol: 100 units, servers: 3, manager: 1), and complete the main building's repairs, you can put it back into use.]

[Bar: As a place to exchange information, it can occasionally serve the function of posting and completing commissions. (Requirements: Regional reputation level 1)]

[Bar: Due to the frequent visits from travelers from all over and various effective information exchanges, this place can occasionally attract some individuals with certain "strength"... (Requirements: Faction reputation level 2, Regional reputation level 2)]

"..."

Bai E's expression became somewhat odd after he read the detailed explanation thoroughly.

Is this... asking me to start farming?

Exploring relics and developing power turned out to be two complementary development paths.

Fine.

Bai E continued forward, simply noting this clue...

He didn't even need to remember it.

Just like the last time he explored the ruins of the internet root server, the map on the panel directly marked the location and size of the ruin with a faint blue line in a three-dimensional display; he could check it whenever he wanted.

As Bai E continued along the main road, he discovered more abandoned buildings—

[Abandoned and Damaged Vehicle Repair Factory]

[Abandoned and Damaged Freshwater Treatment Plant]

[Abandoned and Damaged Food Production Factory]

[Abandoned and Damaged Power Plant]

[Abandoned and Damaged Steel Plant]

[Abandoned and Damaged Market]

...

With each new discovery, the exploration progress of the ruins surged dramatically.

The scale of this small town ruin was certainly no match for the core cities of the Golden Age, but as the saying goes, "Though the sparrow may be small, it possesses all its vital organs."

In this place, Bai E could almost find all the functional buildings necessary for a force... or rather, a community to sustain life.

But in a state of abandonment and ruin.

Restoring these facilities to functioning status would first require finding the key resources they needed.

For instance, the power plant would need at least 3 generators.

The food production factory would need at least 1 production line and three planting bases... and so on and so forth.

As Bai E walked, he suddenly remembered what the refugee elder Gilder had mentioned—allegiance.

Suppose... Suppose one day he left the barracks, even the city.

Or to say, even if he did not leave the barracks or the city, it seemed that it would still be possible to secretly develop his own armed forces.

The underground warehouse that the players were now constructing was too close to Black Street and the barracks. A micro-base wouldn't be an issue, but to expand... location became the biggest obstacle.

Neither the bigwigs in Black Street nor the military would sit by and watch an unknown force build various infrastructures so boldly nearby.

This place... seemed quite right.

Materials, knowledge, people...

The most important was people!

Talent! More talent!

Like Kuang Xin, Dai Lian—talents in combat and tactics.

Like Gong Yan—talents in management.

Like Zhou Wenjie—talents in science and technology.

With people, everything else comes.

Bai E's thoughts flickered briefly through his mind; he didn't think too deeply.

Both his own strength and that of the players were still weak, and what the future held for this group of refugees was uncertain.

If there was a chance, perhaps he could let them start developing from here.

But for now...

Bai E stopped in his tracks.

He was very far from where the rest were resting, having crossed more than a dozen blocks. Anyone who might have followed out of momentary curiosity should have turned back by now.

But still being followed until now... suggested "ulterior motives".

Bai E spoke softly, "Come out."

Two small figures emerged hesitantly from behind a broken wall in the distance.

"Sir... Sir."

"Bai E."

Morphie and Kiro Lan called out softly.

Bai E turned around, squinting at the two in the dim moonlight with some helplessness, "After traveling all day, aren't you tired?"

"We just wanted to see what you were up to..."

With a gentle shake of his head, Bai E responded, "I was just looking to see if there were any resources that could be recovered... All right, there's nothing else here, let's head back."

After all... the progress was already full.

[You have completed all the puzzles of the ruins exploration, current exploration level: 100%.]

There were no extra rewards, just the three-dimensional lines of the entire abandoned town outlined on the panel, waiting to be rebuilt someday.

As Bai E slowly walked forward, Kiro Lan's big eyes looked up at him, filled with nothing but admiration.

"Did you discover anything, sir?"

"Everything that could be moved has been taken."

Hundreds of years have passed since the curtain fell on the Golden Age, and in this era, every resource is scarce and precious. Anything that could be moved from the ruins had long been taken away.

Even some of the more difficult-to-move fixtures had been divided and carried off. After all, for countless ordinary people in this era, even the steel produced in the old days was considered an unimaginably high-tech product.

Bai E shook his head with a hint of regret, his gaze drifting over the silent ruins in the dark, "It's just... such a pity."

Not being able to make use of it... it's a real loss.

There must be some reason why this place was chosen to be a town back in the past, with its fairly fertile land and a live stream not far away.

With manpower and resources, it might be possible to rebuild and make use of it again.

But that's only if one can withstand all possible malice from the wilderness—

Coming from insects, from machine rebels, from beastmen... and even from other humans.

There is actually a lot of land available in this era, a true era of vast spaces and sparse population.

If there are small tribal settlements... like the underground Wind-Eroded Cave, where refugee groups maintain a low-tech primitive life, they might be able to survive for a long time if they're lucky.

But if one really wants to develop industry, to create a future of their own... then without high walls and a sound military system like those in Blackwater City for protection, almost all will die in their infancy.

Insects will subconsciously seek out places where there is a large accumulation of biomass.

Machine rebels will instinctively collect any mineable resources they can.

Beastmen will keep looking for trouble and fights.

Humans... will attempt to occupy the fruits of other people's labor without working for it.

Not all, but often.

Such a pity.

To be confined within towering castles, drooling over the vast world outside, is indeed a great pity.

"Perhaps you could give it a try, sir?" Kiro Lan followed Bai E's gaze and looked towards the silent ruins.

The ruins of the city held a unique beauty of Order for her.

The city planning during the Golden Age was always so reasonable and aesthetically pleasing.

In a moment of inadvertent daydreaming, everything before her eyes seemed to rewind rapidly, restoring to its original perfect state in the fast flow of time.

She saw the broken stones leap back onto the rooftops.

She saw the fractured iron frame return to its place.

She saw the shattered signs hang back under the eaves facing the street.

She saw the toppled equipment soar back up.

Time told everything.

The past glory had not been entirely forgotten.

Even though she had never seen that so-called Golden Age with her own eyes, just by looking at the few traces left behind by that era, she seemed to travel through time and space, tracing back to that most beautiful time from the river of time.

Right before her eyes, everything returned to its most beautiful state.

The bright lights shone around her, and she felt as though she was immersed in the bustling noise of the crowd.

For a moment, she was entranced.

"So beautiful..."

She murmured softly.

"What?" Morphie thought he had heard wrong.

Kiro Lan blinked, and the fantasy-like scenes instantly vanished.

Since childhood, her thoughts had always been particularly divergent, her imagination rich, always able to imagine things she had never seen...

It had troubled her, but she had gradually gotten used to it.

"Shh~"

Out of the blue, Bai E spoke, placing his index finger on his lips.

There was a disturbance.

Quiet and stealthy, as if trying not to attract attention.

Right behind that wall next to them.

Bai E carefully shifted his stance, imperceptibly placing the two children behind himself.

This time... what was it?

"Hiss!"

Grotesque bony claws, like swords, stabbed out from the darkness. The focused Bai E embraced the war blade machine gun that had always hung at his waist and met the attack head-on.

"Clang clang clang!"

The clang of bone against blade echoed like the sound of steel striking steel.

After blocking the opponent's initial assault, Bai E covered the children and fell back several steps before he could clearly see the monster's full form.

A... grey-whitish spider?

A spider bigger than a human!

And not just one.

The spider that launched the attack was just the first to blow the horn of charge, and more grey-white figures emerged quietly from the corners of the ruins, overwhelming in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, had these creatures surrounded them?

This ruin... had guardians?!