Wasteland's Only King

“Alright, alright!”

Laya responded eagerly.

Soon after.

The two walked out of their home and boarded an unmanned flying car.

Looking down from the car at the fortress below, they could see a sea of people surging through the streets.

Some cheered with excitement, others beat their chests in frustration.

Clearly.

All of this was brought on by the selection results of this assessment.

Above the fortress.

Whoosh—

Whoosh, whoosh—

Unmanned flying cars streaked through the sky.

And they were all heading toward the building at the heart of the fortress, symbolizing the highest authority and prestige—the Tower of the Sky, where the Lord resided!

“Ah Ye.”

On the not-so-long journey, Laya held Ye Ye’s hand, unable to resist asking the question in her heart.

“That phrase you kept saying—’Wo Cao’—what does it mean?”

Ye Ye was stunned for a moment, then reflexively said:

“Oh.”

“That’s our national treasure of an expression, um… it means being surprised. You use it to show shock or admiration for something!”

Laya nodded, quietly memorizing it.

Time slipped by.

Ye Ye watched the fortress scenery outside the car, while Laya gazed affectionately at Ye Ye’s profile.

“Wo Cao, Ye Ye.”

“I’m really Wo Cao, Ye Ye.”

Laya began practicing, murmuring it softly to herself over and over.

…

…

Tower of the Sky, 17th floor.

As Dawn Fortress developed to its current state, the various departments and agencies within were already well-established and fully systematic.

The Tower of the Sky was where all these departments and agencies were headquartered.

The top of the tower was Lord Yu Jin’s private area.

Sometimes, it also served as the venue for Lord Yu Jin’s high-level meetings.

The high floors just below the summit mainly housed the Dawn Fortress leadership, especially accommodations for female leaders.

For example, influential figures like Yin Yao, Neil, and Naiya.

Generally speaking,

the higher the floor, the higher the individual’s status.

The Tower of the Sky had a total of 1,001 floors.

Except for the first floor, which served as the public affairs hall and was open to all subordinates, almost every other floor had entry permissions based on subordinate level.

The vast majority of floors served as offices for various agencies and departments; even a Class I citizen had no right to enter without authorization.

The Tower of the Sky, plaza at the base.

Ye Ye and Laya disembarked together from the car.

“Identity verification!”

A guard holding a laser gun appeared before them.

Ye Ye extended his hand.

[Beep—]

[Verifying identity…]

[Class I Subordinate: Ye Ye!]

[Access Permission: 17th Floor!]

[Verifying identity…]

[Class II Citizen: Laya!]

[Access Permission: No Special Access!]

A crisp mechanical voice issued from the holographic screen in front of the guard’s eyes.

He glanced at Ye Ye, then his gaze lingered briefly on Laya next to Ye Ye.

“Ye Ye?”

“Permission for the 17th floor—so you’re probably one of the top candidates in this commander assessment, right?”

“You can enter the 17th floor, but this lady…”

“She’ll have to wait for you in the first-floor lobby.”

The armed guard handled the matter strictly by the book.

Ye Ye and Laya naturally had no objections.

“Ah Ya, wait for my good news!”

Ye Ye and Laya parted ways in the first-floor lobby.

Ye Ye, led by a guard, headed to the special elevator straight to the 17th floor.

Laya, meanwhile, stayed in the lobby, quietly awaiting Ye Ye’s return.

In fact,

in the vast and nearly endless hall, it was already full—and continued to fill—with ’commander-escort’ types like Laya.

All kinds of people, young and old, men and women, all craned their necks, awaiting good news about their loved ones, friends, or partners.

…

…

[Ding—]

[You have arrived: Tower of the Sky, F17!]

With a crisp mechanical chime,

Ye Ye took a deep breath and, guided by a guard, stepped out of the elevator.

The next second, what came into Ye Ye’s view was a cavernous hall filled with science fiction ambiance, with countless holographic projections suspended mid-air.

“This is…?”

“A warship control room?”

“No, not only that…”

“Is that a fortress cockpit too?”

Ye Ye stared at the sight, his mind in turmoil.

Each of those holographic projections was a simulation of a control room or cockpit!

And he…

He was about to become a candidate commander!

Maybe, after some time spent training, he could actually step into the cockpit of his own warship or fortress!

“Hey!”

“You’re a candidate commander too?”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Ding Zhen, from Litang, Blue Star.”

The hall was already crowded with people.

While Ye Ye was still looking around, a young man had already come up to greet him.

“Hello, my name’s Ye Ye, also from Blue Star.”

Ye Ye was a bit surprised by Ding Zhen’s enthusiasm, but quickly responded in kind.

“Haha.”

“I just knew you were from Blue Star like me; that’s why I came over to talk!”

Ding Zhen laughed heartily and continued,

“I got here a bit earlier and figured out a few things.”

“Let me show you around!”

“All the top figures are in the center of the hall!”

“If we go now, we can still grab a spot up front!”

Saying this, Ding Zhen strode ahead to lead the way.

“Top figures?”

Ye Ye was curious.

“Commander Tang!”

“Commander Yin!”

“And all the other super large fortress commanders—they’re all here today!”

Ding Zhen didn’t look back as he explained.

Ye Ye’s eyes widened slightly at that.

He knew all about these people, of course!

Commander Tang’s full name was Tang Yunxuan!

He was originally a Y-01 medium-sized fortress commander under Lady Carol, the Supreme Corps Commander.

Now, he commands the super large interstellar war fortress codenamed Z-1!

According to what Ye Ye had seen on the Dawn intranet forums…

Rumor had it that Commander Tang and Lord Yu Jin were friends back on Blue Star!

If that’s true, then Tang Yunxuan’s background is simply off the charts!

After all,

who in Dawn Fortress doesn’t know that Lord Yu Jin values relationships and loyalty above all else.

It might not be exactly “one person rises, the whole family ascends,” but anyone who had a good relationship with Lord Yu Jin now enjoys extraordinary privileges.

Just like Ye Ye himself.

The only reason he could afford a spacious 300-square-meter home in the inner ring was because of Lord Yu Jin’s support—back in Laxi City, he’d once helped Lord Yu Jin out.

As for the other one, Commander Yin…

His status and background are just as impressive as Tang Yunxuan’s.

His name is Yin Zhenzhong—he is Lady Yin Yao’s biological father!

He also used to be a medium-sized fortress commander under Lady Carol.

Now, he too commands a super large interstellar war fortress.

Lady Yin Yao’s position in Dawn Fortress is arguably second to none except Lord Yu Jin; she’s right at the very top of the power pyramid.

“If we really get to see these two figures today…”

“This trip alone is worth it!”

Ye Ye was thrilled inside.

Following Ding Zhen, they squeezed through the crowd to the very center of the hall.

Here,

a high-tech stage had already been set up.

More than ten people sat solemnly on the stage.

“Commander Tang, Commander Yin…”

Ye Ye’s eyes instantly lit up.

He whispered, his eyes filled with curiosity and awe.

To him…

Passing the commander assessment was just the first step.

In the future,

he might go through training as a warship commander, and if he performed well, be promoted to fortress commander.

Then…

If he always stayed ahead of the pack, he might keep advancing, commanding even higher-level fortresses.

“Medium-sized fortress?”

“Large fortress?”

“If I could ever command a fortress of that level, I could die with no regrets…”

Ye Ye’s mind spun with thoughts.

So much so that—

even as Ding Zhen rattled off the names and backgrounds of the big shots on stage, Ye Ye barely heard a word.

Time ticked by.

About an hour later—

[Ding—!]

A crisp mechanical voice sounded out around the hall.

“Four o’clock sharp!”

“Everyone’s here!”

“I’m glad not a single person is missing today!”

“All those who passed this assessment are present!”

Onstage, a deep, magnetic male voice rang out.

The speaker was none other than Tang Yunxuan.

He wore a super large fortress Commander-in-Chief’s uniform—a man in his early twenties, but exuding unstoppable spirit and confidence!

At that moment,

halfway through his sentence, he paused slightly.

Wow—

Wow—

Thunderous applause rolled through the hall.

“Hahaha!”

On stage, Tang Yunxuan beamed brightly.

He spread his hands, glanced around, then continued slowly,

“I, Tang Yunxuan, on behalf of the Dawn Fortress Star System Army Group, welcome all candidate commanders to join us!”

“At the same time…”

“I’m also here to announce the class and code of the warship or fortress assigned to each of you candidate commanders!”