“Purchase the ‘Area Energy/Information Cloaking Field Generator (Basic),’ activate it immediately, and set the coverage radius to 150 meters centered on this building,” Su Wan ordered.
This range was sufficient to cover the main structure of the Terminal Station and a small surrounding buffer zone without consuming excessive energy.
【Exchange successful. Points consumed: 3,000. Current Points: +51,080.】
【Cloaking Field Generator deployed (Stealth State), activating...】
【Coverage confirmed: 150-meter radius spherical zone. Operating mode: Full-spectrum interference/environmental simulation.】
【Energy connection: Connected to the building's basic power supply (Apocalyptic Plane; building provides its own basic energy derived from unknown rules). Current operating cost: 5 Points per hour.】
Almost the moment the exchange was completed, an invisible force field, imperceptible to the naked eye, quietly radiated outward from the core of the Terminal Station building, enveloping the entire structure and its surrounding area.
Inside the field, light, thermal radiation, vital sign signals, and even the structural reflections of the building itself were cleverly assimilated into the environment.
Three minutes later, two streamlined silver-grey drones swept across the devastated ruins like silent falcons.
The scanning arrays beneath their fuselages flickered with light, transmitting massive amounts of data back in real-time.
In the drones' “vision”:
Where the Terminal Station should have been, there was only a pile of relatively intact ruins. No concentrated heat signatures of human activity were shown, and no abnormal or stable high-energy accumulation points were detected.
Whether it was infrared thermal scanning or vital sign detection, they found nothing out of the ordinary.
The two drones circled several times, cross-referencing the data, before finally packaging their conclusion—“No high-value targets in this area, no large-scale gathering of life forms, severe building damage”—and sending it back to the Inner City command node.
Atop the Inner City walls.
Lieutenant Liu received the first-hand data summary from the drones. After a quick scan, a satisfied smile touched his face, and the last bit of anxiety in his heart vanished.
His commitment to Panshi Exploration Company was fulfilled.
Not a single decent building remained in that area, let alone any survivors.
Just a bunch of reckless vagrants.
Composing himself, he turned to report to Colonel Yan, who was listening to briefings from other areas. “Colonel, the drone reconnaissance for Southeast Area A7 is complete.”
“The data shows the artillery coverage was highly effective. No signs of Shadow-Stalker Beast activity were found. Original structures are essentially destroyed, and no large-scale residual life signatures were detected.”
“The threat in that area can be considered neutralized.”
Colonel Yan nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised by the result and showing little interest in digging deeper.
“Understood. Record it accordingly.”
“Yes, sir!” Lieutenant Liu understood perfectly. After stepping away, he immediately used an encrypted channel to relay the news of the mission's completion to his contact at the Panshi Exploration Company's Outer City branch.
When the news reached Panshi Exploration Company, the person in charge merely gave a casual response and put the matter to rest.
The deaths of a few low-level exploration team members weren't a major issue.
Using a round of artillery fire to clear out potential killers while simultaneously intimidating the rats in the Ruin Zone was enough.
As for whether there was anything special in those ruins?
They didn't care, nor did they think there would be.
The drones circled and left, and the Inner City's attention shifted elsewhere.
Su Wan watched the drones disappear into the distant sky, fully aware that this was only the beginning.
As the Terminal Station expanded and its activities increased, it would eventually attract the attention of truly observant people.
A cloaking field could fool routine reconnaissance, but it couldn't fool a witness at close range or more specialized detection methods.
She turned back to the vagrants in the hallway, who were gradually recovering from their terror and looking at her with increasingly complex expressions. She raised her voice:
“The crisis is temporarily over. You've all seen it—staying in this building is your safest option.”
“Now, everyone, return to the original plan. Those who have work, get to work. Those who need rest, rest.”
“C1, C2, continue maintaining order. Proceed with job matching and skill registration.”
“Ah-Lan, continue to look for new tenants. Our goal is to reach one hundred new tenants by the end of the day!”
The entire shelter became busy once again.
The heavy fire doors of the Terminal Station Shelter swung open once more.
The tenants, who had been unable to contain themselves, scrambled outside, their faces flushed with a near-fanatical excitement.
“It's... it's really okay!”
A middle-aged man crouched down, grabbing a handful of scorched, hot earth. He looked back at the undamaged building, his voice trembling with incoherent excitement.
“Even artillery couldn't blow it up! This is a miracle! A divine feat!”
“Quick! Go tell Old Zhang and the others! Get them over here! It's truly safe here! It'll be safe even if the sky falls!” a woman realized, grabbing her companion and speaking rapidly.
“Yes, yes! My cousin's family is still hiding in a burrow to the east! I have to go get them!”
“And Auntie Li! Her legs are bad; I need to go carry her over!”
“I'll go north! I have a few acquaintances there!”
Su Wan didn't need to say another word. Having experienced absolute safety firsthand, the tenants felt a blind awe and faith in both the Terminal Station and Su Wan.
Survival instincts and concern for their loved ones drove these tenants, who had just survived a life-or-death ordeal, to display incredible initiative.
They didn't even stop to examine their surroundings closely. Relying on memory and their sense of direction, they sprinted off in different directions away from the bombardment zone.
They were going to tell everyone that a truly safe place had appeared in this Ruin Zone!
Neither the Death Tide nor the Purge Artillery was a threat anymore!
The news spread like wildfire through word of mouth among the surviving vagrants.
People began to converge from all directions.
There were lone survivors, small families supporting each other, and small teams led by old hunters or experienced scavengers.
Most were in rags, sallow and thin, and carrying injuries.
With Su Wan's silent approval, Ah-Lan and a few of the sharper tenants spontaneously maintained order outside the building, performing initial screening and guidance.
Robots C1 and C2 efficiently executed the processes of signing contracts, registering information, assigning rooms, and opening Points (Star Coin) accounts.
Su Wan stood by the window of Room 102, calmly watching the growing crowd outside.
The system's notifications chimed in her mind one after another, and the progress bar for the Main Quest ticked upward at an unprecedented speed:
【New tenant +1】
【New tenant +1】
...
【Current Progress: 66/100, 67/100... 99/100】
When the last middle-aged woman, her face filled with both fear and hope, pressed her thumbprint under C2's guidance, a faint glow of the finalized contract flashed—
【New tenant +1, current progress: 100/100】
【Ding! Main Quest “Rise of the Shelter” completed!】
【Task rewards being issued...】
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