Founders of the New World

Yet they truly possessed a sliver of hope and freedom.

This faint light only served to prove that the path ahead was an even more treacherous abyss; every single one of them could die on this road.

There was no turning back now.

He Jiu Chen lowered his head slightly, masking the emotions in his eyes.

The second batch of "New World" squads consisted of seven teams. Based on the abilities of the Sharp Blade members, each team was balanced to ensure at least two attack-type scavengers, two support-type, at least one healing-type, and one researcher.

There were forty-nine people in total.

Arriving in the dead of night, they were all fully armed, and not a single one looked unprepared.

Fu Xi Ming stood with one hand in her suit pocket, looking over them one by one.

Under her gaze, some of these forty-nine people would die, and some would reach the end; this was a path paved with blood.

Fu Xi Ming blinked. "Just now, we received news from New World Squad 1. A zero-pollution corridor has been established outside the city state, proving that our plan is feasible and correct."

"Now, New World Squad 1 will continue to push forward, while you in the second batch will depart from different city states to establish more zero-pollution corridors."

"You have only three months. Once you approach that limit, you must return even if it means abandoning your exploration. You must not be discovered by the monitoring system!"

Fu Xi Ming's voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone shiver as if a sharp blade were grazing their skin.

"However..."

"Do not worry about logistics. Once you establish the first zero-pollution corridor, researchers will move in to provide you with supplies and psychological counseling, and they will further reinforce the corridor."

"This is an incredibly difficult battle. Most people won't even know that while they are sleeping and resting, their comrades are fighting amidst death and blood."

"But I promise you, one day, everyone will know of your sacrifices and contributions."

"You are the founders of the New World."

"On behalf of Sharp Blade, I, Fu Xi Ming, thank you once again. I will do everything in my power to provide you with assistance."

"Lan Jing Shui, as the commander-in-chief of the New World project, will handle your assignments."

Fu Xi Ming stepped back. Holding multiple positions, she had to delegate the specific responsibilities of the New World project to someone else.

Lan Jing Shui was the commander-in-chief, with A-Xiu providing support.

Many members of Sharp Blade had been integrated into other squads, so multi-tasking was currently unavoidable.

A-Xiu had originally refused. Her feelings for Fu Xi Ming were deep, much like Fu Xi Ming's feelings for Shen Nian.

Fu Xi Ming had saved her and brought her into Sharp Blade; otherwise, her rebellious nature would have seen her dead in some mission long ago.

Fu Xi Ming was a powerful foresight-type, which put her at a disadvantage if she ever encountered a scavenger with attack-type abilities.

But in the end, A-Xiu had agreed.

This was because He Jiu Chen was taking over her position as bodyguard.

Lan Jing Shui adjusted his flashy pink overcoat and yawned as he took Fu Xi Ming's place.

"Well... I'm really sorry for calling everyone to a meeting in the middle of the night."

"I won't say much more. Our Department Head Fu's pre-battle speech was quite inspiring."

"Next, I'll go over the plans for the second batch."

"The city states we're departing from this time are concentrated among the animal and color city states..."

The meeting was brief but necessary.

Thirty minutes later, the meeting ended, and the seven squads headed to the teleportation point to depart for their respective city states.

It was late at night, and most scavengers were resting, so it was unlikely they would draw much attention.

One of the squads departed from Whale City State, a city state with a vast ocean.

Whale City State was very quiet. Under the starlit night sky, a squad appeared at the teleportation point, and a city state official waiting in the shadows drove out a prepared vehicle.

The seven people boarded the jeep and drove slowly across the city state boundary, merging into the endless ocean and vanishing from sight.

Under the shadow of a palm tree, no one noticed a man who had been watching them the entire time.

He chewed gum and blew a large bubble. Once the squad had disappeared, the bubble popped with a loud snap.

"Interesting."

"Things are starting to get interesting outside of missions too."

...

Fu Xi Ming didn't sleep all night. Since the New World project was viable, the squads leaving the city was only the beginning; there was much more to be done.

She processed her work quietly because, on the other side of her earpiece, Nan Yue and the others were already resting.

During those few days in the stilt houses, even Nan Yue hadn't rested well, and the mental attacks in that world had left everyone exhausted.

Even Nan Yue felt a bit nauseous whenever she thought of the monster in that deep pool.

Jiang Siyan had immediately provided treatment for everyone. Their mental stability was relatively steady, and they should be fine after a few days of rest.

Only the support-type members, Yin Qian and Jiang Haoyu, were more fragile; they had even taken the newly developed anti-mental pollution medicine.

The corridor was a vast expanse of white, with no buildings or roads. Everywhere—up, down, left, and right—looked exactly the same.

The vehicle and its occupants felt as though they were in a non-three-dimensional space.

There were air mattresses in the vehicle, and everyone was sprawled out on them in twos and threes, falling asleep as soon as they put on their eye masks.

Nan Yue and Zhu Xi Ning's mattresses were pushed together. Nan Yue lay on her side, propped up on her elbow, looking at Zhu Xi Ning.

"Who are you right now?"

Zhu Xi Ning hesitated. When she looked over, her gaze was gentle and familiar.

"Xi Ning."

Zhu Xi Ning knew she had been acting more strangely this time. Previously, either she would appear or Number Two would.

But this time, it seemed as if they had appeared as a combination of both.

In fact, that was how she felt as well.

One body, two minds. They were aware of each other's existence, but the decisions they made were identical.

The world they saw and perceived was also the same.

It was very strange.

But Nan Yue's gaze showed no curiosity at all. She acted as if she had just asked a simple question like, "What do you want for dinner?"

After confirming that Zhu Xi Ning was in a good state, Nan Yue yawned and closed her eyes.

Zhu Xi Ning watched Nan Yue, who was right beside her. Once Nan Yue closed her eyes, that cold, unapproachable aura softened significantly.

She looked very peaceful, like a...

Like a college student.

If they were normal people, Nan Yue would be at the age of a university student.

Instead, she had already survived countless brushes with death in numerous pollution worlds.

Zhu Xi Ning stared at Nan Yue for a while. Nan Yue's bangs had grown a bit long, brushing against the beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Zhu Xi Ning reached out and gently brushed that lock of hair aside.

Sometimes, she wished Nan Yue didn't have to be so exhausted.

She wished Nan Yue could rely more on her and the other teammates.

Just as she was thinking this, the sleeping woman beside her shifted closer, burrowing her head toward Zhu Xi Ning.