Su Wan opened the Infrastructure Expansion interface again.
The option for 【Horizontal Expansion of Existing Building (Adding Side Wing)】 was still lit up.
【Single-floor side wing (adds approx. 6 rooms and corridor): 15,000 Points.】
【Current Points balance: 68,500 (Points are updated in real-time).】
Adding one floor cost 15,000 Points.
Six floors would be 90,000 Points. She didn't have enough.
But Su Wan didn't hesitate. “Add six floors to the side wing.”
【Command confirmed: Continue adding 6 standard floors on top of the existing side wing on the east side of the bound building, “Terminal Station.”】
【Total Points consumed: 90,000.】
【Current Points balance: -21,500.】
【Notice: Host Points have entered a negative state. Please repay within 30 natural days; late fees will be generated upon expiration.】
Su Wan’s mouth twitched as she looked at the glaring negative number.
“These Points... no matter how many I have, it’s never enough,” she muttered under her breath.
【Construction initiated... adopting “Rule-Overlay Silent Construction” mode. Estimated time: 30 seconds.】
Thirty seconds later—
The newly expanded six-floor side wing on the east side appeared out of thin air.
From the outside, the overall silhouette of the Terminal Station building had quietly changed.
Beside the original twelve-story main building, a twelve-story side wing was now tightly attached, appearing as one seamless, natural whole.
And yet, no one noticed a thing.
To the vagrants sprinting for their lives below, this building had always looked this way in their perception.
The “miracle” of those thirty seconds was silently erased from their consciousness by the system rules.
Only Su Wan let out a long breath as she looked at the thirty-six additional empty rooms.
“C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6—”
Through the system, she issued commands to the six robots simultaneously:
“All robots, drop everything you’re doing immediately and gather in the first-floor lobby. Your mission is to process the check-in procedures for the new vagrants.”
“Register them, scan them, sign the contracts, and assign rooms—simplify the process, but the contracts must be signed.”
“Speed is the priority.”
The six robots responded in unison:
【Command received. C1 in position.】
【C2 in position.】
【C3 in position.】
【...】
In the first-floor lobby, the six robots lined up in a row, operating at full capacity.
The tenants who had been queuing for other matters were quickly ushered aside by the Order Maintenance Team.
A brand-new lane was cleared, leading directly to the registration desks in front of the six robots.
Black Rat stood at the door, shouting at the top of his lungs toward the outside:
“Don’t push! Get in line! We’ve got six machines working at once; it’ll be fast!”
“If anyone fucking pushes, don’t even think about coming in!”
That last threat was incredibly effective.
The vagrants who had been madly surging toward the door slammed on the brakes and began desperately huddling together, forming several crooked, dragon-like lines.
Order was finally stabilized.
The six robots began working simultaneously—
【Scan complete. Entry requirements met. Please provide your handprint.】
【Contract in effect. Room number: East Side 1302. Please keep this safe.】
【Next.】
【...】
The long lines shortened at a visible rate.
Once registered, the vagrants grabbed their metal tags and charged into the building without looking back, following the signs to find their rooms.
Their faces were filled with the relief of having survived a disaster.
Su Wan stood by the window on the third floor, watching the scene, her gaze occasionally sweeping toward the dark red light in the distance that was drawing closer and closer.
【Ding! New tenant check-in complete +1. First month’s rent received: 600 Points.】
【Ding! New tenant check-in complete +1. First month’s rent (credit) recorded as accounts receivable; Points will not increase for now.】
【Ding! New tenant check-in complete +1. First month’s rent received: 600 Points.】
...
One notification after another rang out in her mind like a dense downpour.
Su Wan simply set the notifications to “silent background summary” and focused only on the jumping numbers on the system panel.
Every time it jumped, it meant a new tenant had completed their check-in, and 600 Star Coins had flowed into her account.
While checking in, they used the Star Coin Exchange Machine right next to them to trade whatever they had for Star Coins, then paid their first month’s rent on the spot.
Of course, not everyone had cash on hand.
The truly destitute vagrants had to take it on credit. But even so, out of the 137 people, at least half produced some amount of resources to exchange for Star Coins.
Some had a small piece of gold, some had a few Energy Crystal Cores, and others had old-era parts scavenged from the ruins.
Long lines formed in front of the Star Coin Exchange Machine, which swallowed up various materials and spat out numbers representing “wealth.”
And those who truly had nothing to offer weren't anxious either—
Because they knew this building had a Mission Board, a convenience store that needed shelf stockers, a public cafeteria that needed helpers, and an Order Maintenance Team that needed hands.
As long as they were willing to work, Star Coins would come.
【Current Points balance: -21,000... -19,000...】
The numbers climbed upward at a visible rate.
Su Wan’s mood improved bit by bit as she watched that negative number get closer and closer to zero.
Under the efficient operation of the six robots, over a hundred people were completely processed in less than half an hour.
Just as the last vagrant stepped through the main entrance, C1’s electronic voice rang out:
【Report, Master: A total of 137 new vagrants have completed registration and check-in. Occupancy rate has reached 100%.】
137 people in 36 rooms—an average of nearly 4 people per room.
It was crowded, but it was ten thousand times better than being exposed to the Death Tide.
Su Wan nodded and issued an order to all robots through the system:
“Close all building entrances. Activate sealed mode.”
【Command received.】
The heavy doors slid shut slowly, making a dull thud.
At the seams of the doors, a layer of energy membrane, nearly invisible to the naked eye, quietly formed, wrapping the entire Terminal Station building airtight.
Su Wan’s gaze moved past the now-empty clearing in front of the building and toward the distance—
It was here.
On the horizon, the gray-white haze billowed forward like a living thing.
The concentration of that haze far exceeded normal mist; it was so thick it had almost condensed into a physical substance.
Within the mist, points of dark red and eerie green light flickered in and out of sight, like the eyes of countless reapers blinking against a gray-white curtain.
Then, the gray-white wave of mist slammed into the Terminal Station building.
“Buzz—”
The energy membrane rippled slightly, creating tremors invisible to the eye.
The Death Tide enveloped the entire building, madly tearing and corroding, attempting to penetrate the barrier and devour the flesh and blood within.
But it couldn't.
Su Wan watched the churning gray-white outside the window in silence, yet her heart felt more settled than ever before.
In the face of the Absolute Safety Zone, the Death Tide was nothing more than this.
Rate on N.U.
