Chapter 175 Sacrifice Yourself!!

Earth had seven billion people.

The underground cities could only accommodate 3.5 billion.

And nobody had bothered to tell the other 3.5 billion how they were supposed to survive!

These weren’t just cold statistics.

They were living, breathing human beings.

People who struggled like cornered animals, desperately searching for some way to stay alive.

Only to have their hopes slowly crushed until they eventually died, consumed by despair and bitterness.

For the first time, Vane began to understand why riots would eventually erupt in the underground cities.

Because the weight of what had been done was simply too great.

A debt of billions of abandoned lives.

A debt so heavy that even the slightest doubt could become enough to shatter everyone’s rationality.

“I’ll build you a shelter,” Vane suddenly announced.

“What?”

Joe thought he’d misheard.

“I said I’ll build you somewhere to live. A proper shelter.”

Joe stared at him for several seconds before bursting into laughter.

“Kid, do you have any idea what it takes to build a shelter?”

“You need a ton of construction materials, a stable power supply, enough food, clean water…”

“And we don’t have any of that.”

“Don’t worry about those things.”

Vane reached into his inventory and pulled out an enchanted diamond pickaxe.

“I’ll build you a shelter.”

“A massive one. Somewhere everyone can live safely.”

With that, he got straight to work.

He activated Vein Mining and quickly excavated a massive pit in the ground.

Then he began placing blocks along its edges, laying the foundations of his new structure.

The other refugees watched in stunned confusion.

None of them had ever seen anything remotely resembling this construction method.

Building materials appeared out of thin air, one block after another, each settling perfectly into its intended position.

The entire process flowed with incredible precision and speed.

It happened so quickly that the spectators could barely follow his movements.

Less than an hour later, a massive shelter covering several hundred square meters stood on the frozen plains.

It came equipped with a heating system, ventilation equipment, and multiple layers of thermal insulation.

Vane activated the enormous furnace he’d installed at the shelter’s center, supplying the entire structure with electricity.

The lights flickered on.

Warm illumination filled the interior, driving back the darkness.

The temperature-control system came online, circulating and purifying the air while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment.

“Come on in.”

Vane waved to the refugees.

“It’s a lot warmer inside.”

Joe was the first to enter.

He reached out a trembling hand as he stared at the enormous shelter.

His eyes immediately turned red.

“Come in! Everybody, get inside!”

Joe turned toward the convoy and waved frantically.

His voice was shaking.

“Hurry up! Get in here!”

The refugees surged through the entrance.

And when they saw what awaited them, something that had long since disappeared from their eyes finally returned.

Light.

Hope.

“Thank you.”

Joe approached Vane, his eyes still red.

“Thank you so much.”

“I don’t have anything I can give you in return. But from now on, all you have to do is say the word, and my life is yours.”

“Mine too!”

“You can have my life as well!”

“Same here!”

“Me too!”

The other refugees began speaking up one after another.

They had only just met this young man.

Yet they were already willing to entrust their lives to him.

Because unlike everyone else, he genuinely cared whether they lived or died.

And people were often willing to give everything they had for someone who truly cared about them.

Another mission completed.

Vane’s third objective soon appeared.

Save even more people.

“Turn on the radio,” Vane told Joe. “Spread the word. As long as they can make it here, I’ll save them.”

He wanted Joe to broadcast a message inviting every surviving person on the surface to come to the shelter.

Joe hesitated.

“If we do that, the underground cities might discover we exist. And once too many people start showing up, things could get ugly.”

“Over the past few years, people have gone crazy fighting over food and water. Some of them barely act human anymore.”

He couldn’t hide his concern.

“They’re not beasts. They’re just people trying to survive.”

Vane spoke casually, as though the answer should have been obvious.

“Nobody can remain calm when they’re staring death in the face. Not even a god.”

Joe opened his mouth to respond.

But the words died in his throat.

In the end, he simply nodded and followed Vane’s instructions.

Not long after the radio message went out, another convoy arrived.

When its passengers discovered that the shelter was real, and that it genuinely had food and clean water, they immediately broadcast the news themselves.

Word spread from one person to ten.

From ten to a hundred.

And before long, the news was racing across the world.

People scattered throughout the wastelands, barely clinging to life, began making their way toward the shelter.

Some came from nearby regions.

Others set out from places thousands of miles away.

But they all shared the same reason for making the journey.

They wanted to live.

Vane instructed Joe to organize a rescue convoy.

The vehicles would operate around the clock, heading out to collect refugees along the roads and transport them safely back to the shelter.

Meanwhile, Vane focused on expanding the settlement.

He continuously enlarged the shelter and constructed additional facilities to provide housing, food, and other necessities.

As a result, the settlement’s population began growing at an astonishing rate.

From hundreds to thousands.

Then tens of thousands.

Millions.

Eventually, tens of millions…

Industrial facilities of every kind were gradually rebuilt and brought back into operation.

A new community began taking shape around the shelter.

People who had once been left to die were finally rebuilding their lives.

The United Earth Government had actually learned about the shelter’s existence quite early.

Initially, however, its officials paid little attention to it.

As far as they were concerned, Earth was about to begin its journey.

Once the planet left its original orbit, surface temperatures would plummet rapidly.

Everyone remaining aboveground would freeze to death.

The plants and animals would perish alongside them.

Complete extinction was inevitable.

Or so they believed.

It wasn’t until the shelter’s population reached several million that the United Earth Government finally realized something was seriously wrong.

The President personally led a diplomatic delegation to meet with Vane.

Their demand was simple.

The shelter must submit to the United Earth Government’s authority.

And naturally, they justified this demand in the name of humanity’s future.

According to their argument, allowing the shelter to develop independently outside government control would create the possibility of future hostility between the two societies.

It might even lead to another war.

Unfortunately for them, Vane’s latest conquest mission was to reject their proposal.

“So let me get this straight.”

Vane almost laughed when he heard the government officials’ demands.

“The United Earth Government abandoned these people. But now that they’ve managed to survive, you suddenly want to bring them back under your control?”

Talk about showing up to claim someone else’s hard work!

“Technically speaking, these people are still citizens of the United Earth Government,” one official replied. “Therefore, the government retains the legal right to exercise authority over them.”

“Rights and responsibilities go hand in hand.”

For once, Vane actually had the patience to argue the matter with them.

“The United Earth Government abandoned these people. By doing so, it forfeited any legitimate right to demand their loyalty.”

The officials found themselves momentarily speechless.

Seeing that his subordinates had no response, the President stepped forward.

“There’s no need to make this unpleasant. We can both make concessions.”

“You may retain administrative control over the shelter, but you must agree to oversight by the United Earth Government.”

“And we will publicly announce that a consensus has been reached.”

“This is for the continuation of human civilization. To prevent another war from breaking out.”

“But there isn’t a war right now.”

Vane casually tapped his fingers against the table.

“The shelter has more than enough resources. What possible reason would we have to start a war?”

“The absence of war today does not guarantee peace tomorrow,” the President replied firmly.

“Humanity must remain united as a single collective. Only then can we prevent future conflicts.”

“If you insist on refusing, then should war break out in the future, you will be the one responsible.”

“You will be remembered as the criminal who caused it.”

The smile on Vane’s face grew even wider.

“So the people who abandoned billions of human beings aren’t criminals.”

“But the person who saved them somehow is?”

“Tsk, tsk. I have to say, your logic is absolutely incredible!”

“Joining the United Earth Government would not harm the shelter in any way,” another official interjected.

“On the contrary, it would grant the shelter access to additional resources and allow it to become part of a larger community alongside the other underground cities.”

“I wouldn’t count on getting any benefits from you,” Vane replied sarcastically. “I’d settle for you not coming here to screw us over. You abandoned these poor people once. What’s stopping you from doing it again?”

“That’s an unnecessarily harsh accusation, sir.”

Another government official frowned in displeasure.

“You seem to harbor an unreasonable amount of hostility toward us.”

“What, would you prefer I praise you?” The warmth disappeared from Vane’s voice, replaced by an icy coldness.

“Your plan has already resulted in the deaths of more than three billion people.”

“Once Earth begins its journey, those still surviving on the surface will die in the freezing temperatures.”

“You couldn’t care less whether these people lived or died.”

“But the moment you discovered that they’d survived, you couldn’t wait to come here and seize control.”

“This was done for the future of human civilization,” a government official protested. “Those were necessary sacrifices.”

“Then why the hell didn’t you sacrifice yourself?”