Immediately following, it was as if an invisible giant brush dipped in the pigments of reality began “smearing” upward from the ground.
Grey but exceptionally solid walls grew out of thin air, orderly window frames quietly emerged, corridor interfaces connecting to the main building docked seamlessly, and the roof was leveled and covered...
One floor, two floors, three floors...
The entire process was smooth, quiet, and rapid, defying all laws of physics.
In a mere thirty seconds, a brand-new wing, perfectly integrated with the style of the main building, stood quietly beside the “Terminal Station” main building, connected to the second floor and above through a closed corridor.
It did not look out of place at all, as if it had been growing there from the very beginning and had simply been overlooked before.
Except for Su Wan, none of the vagrants witnessed this scene. In their consciousness, the scene of the building’s expansion simply did not exist.
A few vagrants felt a sudden realization that the “Terminal Station” building seemed slightly wider, but they couldn't say exactly what had changed.
They simply assumed they had misremembered or that it had always been this way.
The system’s “Rule-Overlay” effect was silently modifying their perception of the architecture.
Su Wan didn't have time to admire this miracle of infrastructure. She immediately used the system to bring the 36 new rooms into the management system, set the rent standards, and authorized C1 and C2 to begin assigning these new rooms to the vagrants waiting in line.
The accommodation pressure was instantly relieved!
Next, striking while the iron was hot, she used her remaining Points and the new rent that would soon be pouring in to expand the public facilities.
【Exchange and expand “Standard Convenience Store” (increase area, enrich shelves): Consumes 5,000 Points.】
【Expand “Basic Medical Station” (increase beds, expand medicine reserves): Consumes 4,000 Points.】
【Construct “Public Cafeteria” (basic cooking and dining area): Consumes 8,000 Points.】
Almost as soon as she confirmed, the wall on one side of the lobby near the entrance of the main building expanded inward without a sound, creating a more spacious and bright convenience store and medical station space, with shelves and medical equipment automatically sliding into place.
Meanwhile, on the first floor of the newly expanded wing, a simple but fully functional Public Cafeteria area was generated, equipped with basic stoves, dining tables, chairs, and storage space.
Old Wang the cook and his helpers finally had a place to showcase their skills.
The improvement of public facilities further enhanced the attractiveness and livability of the “Terminal Station.”
Seeing more and more vagrants pouring in, with the four registration lines still very long, C1 and C2 were already operating at full capacity.
Su Wan opened the System Mall once again.
【Exchange “Butler-C type robot” × 2. Consumes Points: 1,200 points per unit × 2 = 2,400 points.】
【New robot designations: C5, C6. Functional synchronization: Tenant registration, contract management, data entry, basic guidance.】
With four robots working simultaneously, the registration efficiency doubled instantly.
Although the vagrants were surprised by the shelter’s “formidable” financial strength, they were mostly relieved.
This meant they could obtain a place to stay much faster.
New tenants flooded in like a tide, signing contracts, paying the first month’s rent, and having their Star Coins converted into Points in real-time. They collected their room keys and then couldn't wait to head to the convenience store to exchange for much-needed supplies or look around to see if they could find a job...
The number of Points on the system panel, after a brief and massive consumption, began to rebound and climb at an even more startling speed!
【New tenants +6… +4… +10… Main Quest progress: 301/500… 335/500…】
【Points income: +4,800… +9,600… +14,400…】
【Current Points (ticking rapidly): 15,000 points… 25,000 points… 38,000 points…】
Points were like an opened floodgate, rushing into her account!
The ninety thousand-plus Points she had just spent were being quickly replenished, even heading toward a new high.
Lei Lie, mingled in the crowd of vagrants, moved slowly forward with the flow of people while using his sharp hunter’s gaze to observe everything around him as meticulously as possible.
This building named “Terminal Station” already looked extraordinary from a distance, but seeing it up close made it feel even more mysterious.
The wall materials seemed ordinary, but the texture was exceptionally solid; not even a single obvious crack or scorch mark from artillery fire could be found.
He concentrated once again, silently activating his 【Trace Resonance Perception】 ability.
This time, with the distance closed, the vague echo regarding the Shadow-Stalker Beast suddenly became much clearer!
The guidance pointed explicitly toward the building before his eyes!
“It’s actually here...” Lei Lie’s heart pounded wildly, almost unable to suppress his excitement.
This Level 3 Special Aberrant that had escaped from the Inner City laboratory was worth a fortune. It had even caused the Inner City to resort to purging a large area with artillery fire just to force it to show itself.
He hadn't expected it to be hiding near or even inside this mysterious building!
For this building to remain undamaged in the artillery fire, it must possess extremely strong defensive capabilities or some unknown characteristic.
And the Shadow-Stalker Beast had chosen to hide here to survive the bombardment!
What was it about this building that attracted it?
Or... was it trapped here by some kind of power?
Whichever the possibility, it meant that the “Terminal Station” building was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
The “Landlord” hidden behind the scenes was likely an extremely dangerous individual or someone with special means.
He wanted to enter the Terminal Station building.
Only by entering the building’s interior could he confirm the Shadow-Stalker Beast’s specific location.
The more accurate the intelligence, the higher the reward he could claim.
With this thought, Lei Lie suppressed his impatience and followed the line forward bit by bit.
...
Outer City, Blood Fang Gang headquarters.
“What did you say?!”
Han Laosan suddenly sprang up from his chair, nearly flipping the table in front of him.
“Boss, it’s true!” A-Liang panted. “On the edge of Area A, near the Non-Safe Zone, there’s a twelve-story building, completely intact—not a single scratch on it!”
“The building is surrounded by vagrants queuing to get in! There are even robots inside!”
A-Qing added, “We only discovered that building because we were following that kid Lei Lie. He mingled into the crowd of vagrants too. He was still there when we left.”
Han Laosan paced back and forth, his mind racing.
The bombing of Area A was the work of the Inner City; all the factions in the Outer City knew this.
Yet a building remained perfectly intact under the artillery fire, and the Inner City had shown no reaction—
What did that mean?
It meant that either the Inner City’s cannons were fake, or the Inner City had no idea this building even existed!
Han Laosan dismissed the first hypothesis immediately.
The saturation bombing was definitely the real deal. For that building to survive, there had to be something fishy going on!
And for Lei Lie, with his mind-boggling tracking ability, to go there...
It had to be the Shadow-Stalker Beast!
Rate on N.U.
