Chapter 1: Global Statistics

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Global Statistics

[Today is March 18, 2066. Weather: Sunny. Air Mutant Value: 3. No current anomalies detected in Sanqing Mountain or the Wilderness...]

[The mutations have subsided, and a thousand things wait to be rebuilt! Following the medical retirement of Garrison Officer Lin Xuefeng of the Alien Plant Defense Army, the newly appointed Garrison Officer Wu Yue proposed at the representative assembly that civilian life must be restored as soon as possible...]

[Flower City’s first city-wide census is now beginning!]

[All citizens within Flower City, please bring your personal contribution cards and valid IDs to the administrative center in an orderly manner for verification and registration, and to claim your relief grain...]

The crisp, resonant broadcast echoed from all directions, clearly audible even deep within the mountain forest. Voices gradually rose from the Wilderness, sounding like people running back toward the city.

However, a strange cacophony drifted from the forest. It sounded like the wild RUSTLE of rapidly growing trees, the POP and SNAP of blooming flowers, all mixed with the bizarre, pleading cries of beasts and birds.

Suddenly, a young girl stumbled out of the woods.

She looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with skin so fair and tender that even a light graze from a stray leaf seemed capable of leaving a red mark. Yet, as she pushed her way through the trees in her ragged clothes, serrated leaves actively parted for her. Gnarled tree roots squirmed out of her path, as if terrified of tripping her.

When she fully emerged from the forest, an immovable barrier stood blocking her way: a rose wall, over five meters tall, stretching endlessly in both directions. Cascading clusters of pink buds hung from the wall. The faint, sweet fragrance was swept up by gusts of wind, scattering blooming petals into the distance.

A closer look, however, revealed that beneath the blooming flowers, the densely packed branches were covered in sharp, gleaming thorns. The very tips of these thorns glinted with a faint metallic luster.

"This looks so familiar," the girl murmured.

Without hesitation, she reached out and touched it. The very next moment, the rose wall began to RUSTLE. Branches writhed and squeezed against one another, parting to create a passageway just for her.

The girl stood in a daze for a brief moment before stepping through without a second thought.

Inside lay a ruined, desolate urban sprawl virtually devoid of greenery.

The city district was a chaotic mess. While many high-rises remained steadily upright, others had already collapsed into rubble. The streets were riddled with deep cracks and craters, bearing witness to some unimaginably tragic event. In all directions, the only signs of life were tufts of green grass swaying in the wind, sprouting from cracks in the walls. Looking afar, not a single fully formed tree could be seen.

It made the entire city feel incredibly desolate. In stark contrast to this desolation, an upbeat and encouraging voice repeated on a loop over the broadcast.

[Flower City’s first city-wide census is now beginning!]

[Please, all citizens within Flower City, bring your valid personal IDs and contribution cards to the administrative center in an orderly manner for verification and registration, and to claim your relief grain...]

The announcement played over and over again, drawing out more and more people from the surrounding areas. From residential complexes, shopping malls, and amusement parks—even from the depths of the ruins—survivors emerged from unknown shelters. Their faces were covered in dirt and ash, yet they were visibly trembling with unspeakable excitement.

Traveling in groups, they hurried toward the city center, chattering nonstop.

"The Mutant Value has been so stable lately. There hasn’t been any activity from Sanqing Mountain at all."

"Sanqing Mountain hasn’t really been active to begin with, right? It produces way fewer mutated plants and animals than the Wilderness does."

"With that mountain and the Rose Corridor blocking the way, Flower City’s damage is actually pretty minimal."

Huai Yu listened silently as she moved with the crowd. She was beginning to understand. So, that was Sanqing Mountain, and the flower wall she had just passed through was called the Rose Corridor.

"Flower City also has a lot of Wood Ability Users. My mom says it’s because the Mountain God is blessing us."

"There are only a handful of Superpower Users, and they all joined the Defense Army. They have nothing to do with ordinary people like us."

"What do you mean they have nothing to do with us? What if our Mutant Value reaches the threshold and we suddenly awaken a superpower?"

"Give it a rest! When ordinary folks like us hit the threshold, we just turn into monsters. Besides, even those with superpowers ended up getting more and more severely corrupted later on, didn’t they?"

Superpowers. Huai Yu opened her palms. She wondered if her ability to make plants obey her also counted as a superpower.

She wanted to listen more, but the crowd was jogging along, and the people surging up from behind were already onto an entirely different topic.

"How many Contribution Points do you have? I moved a ton of bricks before, which gave me an extra two points. It’s so depressing. Who could understand? I used to study finance."

"I used to study cosmetology! I have over four hundred points. I wonder what kind of relief grain I can get. I heard the Imperial Capital allocates everything based on Contribution Points."

"Well, we can’t be jealous. The Defense Army is on the frontlines, so it’s only right they get more. I just don’t know if my points are going to be enough."

Everyone was taking large strides or jogging along. Huai Yu, walking alone and gazing around in bewilderment, seemed completely out of place. By the time the massive swarm of people poured into a square building—which was visibly missing a chunk of its corner—she stood out even more.

The hall was packed. Everyone was talking, some excited and others calm. Voices drifted over from every direction, and as Huai Yu tilted her head, she managed to catch plenty of gossip from the crowd.

"Look how spacious this hall is! It used to be the Housing Bureau. Man, oh man! It was swarming with people all day long without a break. Now look at us, we can live in any unfinished building in the city for free."

"What are you talking about? Unfinished buildings are great! They didn’t have any landscaping done yet, so they’re incredibly safe!"

"You’re talking about the ones downtown. The ones in the suburbs are overgrown with weeds. It takes ages to clear them out before anyone can move in."

"Exactly. Back in the day, a lot of those suburban real estate projects boasted about getting close to nature and being adjacent to Sanqing Mountain."

"Those unfinished buildings don’t even have any shelter! The ventilation and sunlight are too good, so the plants grow insanely fast! You definitely can’t live there."

"Damn it. I used to live in a villa district just for the landscaping. When the flora and fauna mutated, the ivy on my walls completely tore down one side of my house!"

"Sigh, don’t bring up the past. We’ve managed to survive this long, so we’ll figure out a way to keep living."

She listened in silence as she slowly shuffled forward with the line. She had no idea how long she stood there before it was finally her turn.

Behind a flimsy desk, a middle-aged man was numbly going through the motions. "Give me your ID card."

Huai Yu stared blankly for a second, then shook her head. "I don’t have one."

The man sighed. "If you don’t have one, why are you waiting in this line? Didn’t you read the announcement? Go to the line next door."

Huai Yu couldn’t remember anything, so she could only rely on whatever rudimentary technology still functioned nowadays. Hearing his words, she cluelessly walked over and queued up in the other line.

The line next door was endlessly long as well. She queued from the faint light of early dawn until the sun hung high in the sky before it was finally her turn again.

"If you lost your ID, why didn’t you go get it replaced first thing? How did you even get your contribution card without an ID? Were you just using a temporary one before?"