This operation wouldn’t involve only people from the Agricultural College.
Before going to bed, Cheng Qisheng scanned the area and noticed that some locals had also joined the team.
“Since this is a rescue operation, and in order to quickly gain the trust of that agricultural expert, the military has opened some of the slots for external assignments to Velvet Star people.”
Velvet Star was the name of the zombie world, so the survivors here could also be called Velvet Star people. However, Blue Sea people were still more accustomed to calling them “locals.”
—“It feels more familiar that way.”
When Squad Leader Song Xi had once been asked about this by Wang Moning, she had answered:
“You see, when I call you ‘locals,’ it emphasizes that I’m from somewhere else. And since you’re the locals, you can help us understand your world more quickly.”
“You’re the side we rely on, so calling you that makes us feel closer, and it can also help put you at ease.”
Wang Moning’s expression at the time had been difficult to describe.
Precisely because they were constantly being called “locals,” she had initially thought Blue Sea wouldn’t accept aliens so easily.
Yet now she was being told that this way of addressing them was actually meant to give them a sense of security.
More importantly, the longer she integrated into Blue Sea, the more she realized Song Xi wasn’t wrong. In Blue Sea civilization, being “needed” was extremely important to the weak—apparently a habit inherited from their wartime past.
Blue Sea people wouldn’t bully the weak, but during periods of internal war and chaos, they hadn’t deliberately protected them either. So relatively weaker individuals had to demonstrate their own value so that the stronger ones—busy fighting wars—would take them along.
Curious, Wang Moning had asked, “You actually had internal wars? When was that?”
Song Xi thought about it seriously.
“Hmm… aside from the past six years without war, it seems like it was always wartime.”
Wang Moning: “……”
Song Xi laughed. “Don’t worry, there won’t be internal wars anymore.”
Just as Wang Moning relaxed, she added:
“We only fight other people now.”
Wang Moning: “……”
For a brief moment, she felt worried for her home planet. Then she remembered that her home world had already lost all its governments and no longer had any army at all—there was nothing left to fight over.
Haha. Nothing to worry about, then.
But as a Velvet Star person gradually integrating into Blue Sea, Wang Moning still couldn’t imagine what a Blue Sea civil war would look like.
After moving into the residential district, she had been able to feel it clearly: all Blue Sea people were guided by that great Creator God, gathering together like drops of water until they eventually formed a vast, surging ocean.
And she herself was now part of it.
Because of that, she felt at ease.
—Those local residents who had failed to develop faith in the Creator God and therefore couldn’t join Blue Sea as Wang Moning had were not nearly so at ease.
“You really signed up?”
Inside a simple mud-brick house, a pair of parents looked sternly at the two children standing before them.
The young girl being stared at nodded.
“Yeah, we signed up. We’re members of the Velvet Star hunting team, so our chances of being selected are very high.”
The parents’ expressions were grim, but they didn’t scold them. They knew their children had signed up because they wanted to give the family a better life.
“This time is different from joining the hunting team,” the mother said after a long silence.
“Right now, the hunting teams only operate within areas Blue Sea can support. If anything dangerous happens, or if a large wave of zombies appears, you can still run back to the ‘Cradle’ and let the Blue Sea military handle it.”
“But this time, you’re going to Wudu City! Didn’t you hear what the officer said?! Blue Sea hasn’t even taken Wudu City yet! It’s full of zombies! If you go there, the chances of dying are far too high!”
By the end, her voice was already trembling, and she was barely holding back tears.
The father also nodded, his eyes red.
“Listen to us. Don’t go. The points your mother and I earn, together with what you make from the hunting team, are already enough for our family to live well.”
The eldest daughter said, “That’s why I’m going. Yuan Yuan will stay.”
She knew this mission would be dangerous, but it was also an opportunity. Moreover, if she truly died in action, the Blue Sea people would provide compensation—an enormous amount of points, enough to exchange for many supplies.
But the younger daughter shook her head.
“No. I’m going too. Sister and I are both going.”
She adjusted her glasses. For the past six months, without them, she had effectively been blind and had survived only under the protection of her parents and sister.
It wasn’t until recently—when the Cosmic Safe Zone collapsed and all sl*ves became free people under Blue Sea’s protection—that things had changed. They could now earn points through work and combat. Her family had used those points to exchange for a pair of glasses, finally freeing her from her “blindness.”
Yuan Yuan analyzed calmly:
“First, the danger is real, but Blue Sea people aren’t reckless. Every operation they conduct is carefully planned, minimizing casualties as much as possible. So going doesn’t necessarily mean Sister and I will die.”
“Second, I think that when Blue Sea leaves this world, they’ll take some non-believers who are still useful with them. Every society distinguishes between useful and useless people. If we participate in this operation and make a military contribution to Blue Sea, then if Blue Sea has something like a ‘usefulness score,’ our family’s score will rise significantly, greatly improving our chances of being taken along.”
“Lastly, do you know why Blue Sea is launching this operation?”
Yuan Yuan had always been the intellectual backbone of the family. Even though she was the youngest, whenever she spoke, the whole family listened quietly and seriously.
Hearing her question, the elder sister replied:
“I know. The Blue Sea people didn’t hide the purpose of the operation. They want to rescue an agricultural expert at Zilan University in Wudu City.”
Yuan Yuan continued, “Exactly. That shows Blue Sea plans for the long term. Right now, they have enough to eat, they eat reasonably well, and sometimes they even get meat. I estimate their food reserves can last at least half a year, probably longer.”
To Blue Sea people, having to eat coarse grains meant their lives were worse than before.
But to these survivors, simply being able to eat their fill of coarse grain was already paradise.
“But Blue Sea isn’t satisfied with that. Not only are they farming outside the safe zone, they’ve even launched this military operation, going to so much trouble to rescue an agricultural expert from our Velvet Star world. That shows the Blue Sea government wants its people to eat better, eat more, and have larger food reserves.”
“This is a stable, functioning safe zone. It’s nothing like the distorted and abnormal Cosmic Safe Zone. It has a normal social structure, a government that plans for the future, and a shared faith. I think it’ll be very difficult to destroy, and it will only grow stronger at an extremely rapid pace.”
Yuan Yuan finished speaking in one breath. Seeing that her family was visibly shaken, she exhaled.
“So we have to get in. Not only should Sister and I go to Wudu City, but Dad and Mom, you also need to work harder. Work more diligently than everyone else.”
“We have to do everything we can to prove our value and earn the qualification to enter Blue Sea—to become one of them.”
The father hesitated. “But… can’t we stay? Stay on Velvet Star…”
“No.” Yuan Yuan shook her head firmly. “Did you forget what those other alien sl*ves said? Worlds where a safe zone descends are worlds on the verge of destruction. Yes, they might be wrong—but even if there’s only a 0.1% chance they’re right, that would still be catastrophic for us.”
“And even if Velvet Star isn’t destroyed, the four of us, with no social support and under constant threat from zombies, could never live better than we do now.”
Yuan Yuan lifted the cup in her hand. It contained hot water. Because of her weak constitution, her family always deliberately saved points so she could have hot water to drink.
“Just look at how things are now. As long as you spend points, you can get hot water. You can eat in the canteen. If you get sick, you can go to the White-robed Bishop. If something breaks, you can spend points to repair it, or even buy a new one. But if we lived on our own, just finding water and building a stove would already take an enormous amount of time—never mind maintaining any quality of life.”
The elder sister nodded repeatedly from the side.
“Yeah, yeah. Blue Sea even has cinemas. I haven’t watched a movie in forever. I wonder if their cinemas sell popcorn.”
The mother still hesitated.
“But, Yuan Yuan, all of this is only your speculation. What if Blue Sea only takes people who believe in the Creator God?”
“They’ll take us,” Yuan Yuan said firmly.
“We aren’t Blue Sea citizens. When Blue Sea doesn’t want to sacrifice its own people, we’re the ones who can be sacrificed. Hard labor, dangerous work—we can do it. When they need someone on the front line, we can be sent in as cannon fodder. Even if food becomes scarce, we can eat the least, or even go without. If we’re discarded, Blue Sea people can save a great deal of resources.”
“Taking us is in Blue Sea’s interest. So they’ll definitely take us.”
The elder sister’s mouth twitched.
“That sounds… kind of miserable.”
But Yuan Yuan remained calm.
“It’s the correct decision. If I were one of Blue Sea’s leaders, I would do the same.”
Their own people versus outsiders—of course they would prioritize their own.
Just like now, the alien survivors living outside the safe zones could only exchange their points for rough, scratchy grain bran that scraped their throats.
While Blue Sea people could exchange theirs for relatively soft corn cakes and millet porridge.
But no alien had ever openly complained that this was unfair—at least, no one had said it out loud.
After all, they were a different species.
They had only barely been accepted as aliens. Under Blue Sea’s protection, simply being allowed to work in exchange for food was already an extraordinarily merciful arrangement.
Moreover, Blue Sea had no intention of ensl*ving them. Aliens willing to stay weren’t rejected, while those who wanted to leave weren’t stopped either.
It was only after a long period of observation that Yuan Yuan became certain that Blue Sea truly was a good place to go.
“What I’m talking about is only the worst-case scenario. Most of the time, we’ll simply need to work and create value.”
“And at the very least, there’s a path in front of us that leads to becoming Blue Sea people.”
As long as one became a believer in the Creator God, one could become a Blue Sea citizen—a true insider.
The elder sister sighed.
“I’ve tried, but I really can’t imagine there being a god in this world.”
Their parents were both teachers. From childhood, the sisters had been raised to believe that gods didn’t exist. The entire family were staunch atheists.
No matter how hard they tried, that fundamental mindset couldn’t be changed. The moment they tried to convince themselves, “the great Creator God this, the great Creator God that,” they would immediately remember that this was a safe-zone world—Blue Sea people firmly believed that safe zones were temples and that traveling between worlds was the power of gods.
But they had spent half a year as sl*ves in the Cosmic Safe Zone, and they knew perfectly well that safe zones really could cross between worlds. That so-called “Creator God” might simply be the City Lord.
But Yuan Yuan said, “I think the Blue Sea Creator God really does exist.”
The entire family abruptly looked up at her in complete shock.
She was the least religious among them!
“To join Blue Sea, the only requirement is passing a believer test. And that test doesn’t require you to perform any act to prove your faith. You only need to place your hand on a crystal ball.”
“If there were no god, Blue Sea couldn’t impose such a requirement, because they would have no way of determining who was a genuine believer.”
“Only if the Creator God truly exists—and can genuinely sense the faith of believers—would a believer test be possible.”
“Only then would the Blue Sea government feel secure enough to place aliens who pass the faith test inside their protected zone and treat them as their own people.”
“Because they know the deity truly exists. The deity created Blue Sea, protects Blue Sea, and those who believe in It are Its children.”
Yuan Yuan stood by the doorway and looked up at the sky.
“So… that great Creator God is here.”
“Maybe right now… It’s watching us.”
***
—“Hiss!! Damn, this new believer is kind of scary!”
Cheng Qisheng felt a new thread of faith.
At first, it was extremely faint, but in a very short period of time, it grew thicker and stronger, rapidly expanding.
Curious, she drifted over to take a look—and saw the alien believer’s entire line of reasoning.
Through a complete logical chain analyzing whether a god existed, this new believer’s thread of faith had already caught up with those of Blue Sea natives she had nurtured since childhood.
What kind of believer was this?
It was the first time she had ever seen someone use pure logical reasoning to prove the existence of the Creator God—and in doing so, actually strengthen their own faith.
For a moment, Cheng Qisheng considered telling Qin Zhi to send someone to test the girl’s IQ.
It really felt like it might be off the charts.
Right now, she even had the strange feeling that this believer was “looking back” at her.
A little unsettling—but honestly, Cheng Qisheng didn’t feel threatened at all.
Just as a human wouldn’t fear an ant, she had no reason to fear her own believers.
And she didn’t need to think about whether this girl named Yuan Yuan believed in the Creator God in order to join Blue Sea, to give her family a better life, or simply to verify whether the god was real.
None of that mattered.
What mattered was this:
She had entered her game.
And she had done so entirely of her own free will.
The moment Yuan Yuan became her believer, she ceased to pose any threat to Cheng Qisheng.
From that instant onward, this girl—so intelligent that she seemed almost inhuman, so clever that even the Creator God herself felt slightly startled—had completely become hers.
Heh.
Cheng Qisheng was very pleased to have gained another powerful member for her “team,” so her will gently brushed over the girl.
Like… patting her on the head.
—Good smart child, welcome~
At the doorway of the mud-brick house, Pan Yuan suddenly froze.
She felt it.
That warmth, that acceptance, that sense of safety.
So this was the Creator God?
Pan Yuan smiled.
She allowed herself to step into that warm ocean.
Great deity, I have witnessed Your existence, Your mercy, Your vastness.
Please help me. Help me, protect my family.
—I am willing to give everything for this.
She completely merged into that warm ocean.
Cheng Qisheng poured herself a glass of cola to celebrate.
Another powerful addition to Blue Sea!
She felt Pan Yuan’s prayer. Normally, she didn’t really respond to prayers.
After all, there were hundreds of millions of believers. If she responded to every single one, she would have exhausted herself long ago.
But Pan Yuan was different—she was smart. With someone like her around, so much effort could be saved.
The great Creator God happily considered for a few seconds whether to send the response through Qin Zhi or the Pope.
In the end, she chose the Pope.
When it came to matters involving believers, the Pope was always the safest option.
—Three minutes later, people from the temple arrived.
“You have become a believer of the great Creator God. You and your family may enter the temple. However, since your family has not yet become believers, they must live in the outer city for the time being.”
Everyone in the family except Pan Yuan was completely confused.
They had just been making a life-or-death decision a moment ago…
And now, suddenly, they were allowed to enter the safe zone?
Her sister, Pan Tuan, said, “Huh? Yuan Yuan, you became a believer?”
“Then can I still go with the army to Zilan University?”
In the midst of their excitement, the parents froze—then both of them turned sharply to glare at her.
“You still want to go?!”
But Pan Yuan remained calm. She understood her sister well. She knew Pan Tuan was already accustomed to a life of combat and was even fascinated by it.
“If Sister wants to go, then as long as you’re recruited, of course you can go.”
After hesitating several times, the parents still said nothing.
In this family, the youngest—Pan Yuan—was the one whose words carried the most weight, because she was always the one making the correct decisions.
Pan Tuan immediately broke into a wide grin.
“Hehe, now that Mom and Dad can enter the safe zone, I feel much more at ease. I’m sure I’ll be selected. Wait for me to come back.”
And she really was selected.
The next morning, Pan Tuan set out with the military.
The first to depart were two helicopters.
Their mission was to reconfirm the terrain and lure most of the zombies onto alternative routes, ensuring the safety of the advancing troops.
For Blue Sea soldiers, this was just another completely ordinary mission.
For the locals who had joined the Blue Sea military, it was a gamble—some were nervous, some uneasy, and all of them hoped they would win.
But for the survivor group at Zilan University, it was a genuine shock.
***
Zilan University
The survivors leaned out of the windows, staring at the two helicopters slowly approaching in the distance.
“Helicopters!!! Those are helicopters, right?! I’m not seeing things, am I?!!!!”
They excitedly tore strips from their clothes and waved curtains out of the windows, trying to attract the pilots’ attention.
But to their disappointment, the helicopters didn’t approach Zilan University. They flew past along the very edge of the area, and no matter how loudly the survivors shouted, the aircraft gradually disappeared into the distance.
“It… it’s gone.”
“Did they not see us?”
Most people were devastated, collapsing to the floor.
A small number, however, carefully observed what was happening outside.
“No, look—there are a lot of zombies moving outside the school.”
A teacher suddenly spoke, her voice filled with surprise.
“Those helicopters are attracting the zombies!”
“Right! So many zombies are following them!! They’re definitely doing it on purpose!”
“Are they clearing the route? Or is there some kind of operation underway?”
The students immediately grew excited and began chattering.
Their food supply was still sufficient, but they had been trapped inside the school for half a year. If not for these two helicopters, they might have believed they were the only people left alive in the entire world.
“Is the military clearing out zombies?”
“Do you think those helicopters saw our signal? If they did, will the pilots report it? Will someone come rescue us?”
“I think they’re clearing obstacles. Maybe the organization behind those helicopters is carrying out some major operation—like in TV shows, rescuing a scientist who can develop a zombie vaccine or something.”
“There must be bases outside. Underground shelters or something like that.”
Everyone discussed it intensely for a while.
Then, no one knew exactly who stopped talking first—but gradually, the voices became quieter… and quieter…
Until finally, there was complete silence.
After an unknown amount of time, someone suddenly spoke:
“Maybe the helicopters saw us. They’ll definitely come rescue us, right?”
No one responded for a long while. After who knew how much time had passed, a student finally answered.
“They will. They definitely will.”
“We’ve grown so much food here, haven’t we? Maybe the base needs supplies too.”
Everyone tried to comfort one another, but they were still extremely uneasy. Whatever they were doing, they kept glancing up at the sky, hoping the helicopters would return.
Even in the afternoon, they still went to check from time to time.
An elderly man stood by the window as well, gazing at the sky.
The students respected him deeply and followed his instructions. Under his guidance, they had built defenses, constructed shelters, and set aside part of the farmland for cultivation, working together to make sure they wouldn’t starve.
But their numbers were limited. They couldn’t leave the university, or even the Agricultural College area. Previously, some people had been unable to endure the confinement any longer and had risked leaving one after another.
No one knew whether those children had succeeded—or whether they were still alive.
The old man sighed again and looked down at his own aged hands.
—Am I already too old to lead these children much longer?
Just as he was about to turn back inside, he suddenly seemed to hear something.
Like… gunfire? And very dense.
But when he listened carefully, it was gone.
At first, it seemed like an illusion.
But the sound grew closer and closer. More and more students in the classroom heard it and rushed to open the windows and look outside.
A student’s voice suddenly rose sharply, filled with excitement:
“Teacher!! Look outside!!”
“There’s someone… there are people!!”
“Really—there are people!! Oh my God!! So many of them, they’re killing zombies!”
The old man abruptly turned his head. He tried to lean out of the window, a dangerous movement that made several students rush over to grab him so he wouldn’t fall.
He didn’t even notice them holding him back. He strained with all his strength to look in the direction of the sound.
And then, the old man saw it.
A military force advancing toward Zilan University like a surging tide.
At the very front, tanks were clearing the way.
On both sides, armed soldiers advanced with rifles and artillery, sweeping through the zombies with overwhelming momentum.