The Lowland Cornerstone, Prelude to Soaring!

Participating in the celebratory dinner did not take up much of Su Mo's time.

Even if he stood at the very front and used the loudspeaker at maximum volume to transmit his voice, the people behind him on the Raft Ferry could only hear a rough outline of what he was saying.

Su Mo had always disdained such meaningless activities, even though he knew it would alienate him from the masses to some extent.

But he also believed that after tomorrow's reward was distributed, these refugee survivors would remember him for the rest of their lives.

I am so grateful!

Therefore, from the beginning to the end of the banquet, Su Mo only showed up once, waved to everyone from afar, and then disappeared on the deck.

All the survivors had regrets.

But they also felt it was only natural.

Soon, they, who were immersed in the lively atmosphere of the banquet, gradually became happy.

The sounds of singing, the sizzling of grilled meat, and the crashing of waves filled the air.

Amidst the noise, they didn't notice that some acquaintances around them were quietly slipping away with excited expressions.

By the time they belatedly realized what was happening, the crew selection process for the Hope had already concluded successfully in a sense.

"Director Su, all S-Class Talents have been reviewed. From their backgrounds to their professional knowledge, no problems have been found."

"They've already packed their bags and brought their families. Should we send them off?"

In the voice call on the chat panel, you can hear a lot of noise through Zhang Long's background noise.

These selected survivors were all gathered on the Tundra.

As one of the "Lucky One" out of hundreds of thousands of people, they prepared everything the moment they were informed that they had obtained their seafarer qualifications.

Get rid of all the clutter!

Only pick up the important items and put them in the Storage Space!

They believed that once they were on the ship, these survival tools would become a thing of the past.

They were more convinced that what Su God valued in them was definitely their special abilities that set them apart from the crowd! Even though these abilities seemed to be of little use in wasteland survival! "Um, my crew quarters aren't even finished yet. It's all bare floors, not even a bed. Should we wait until tomorrow to bring them up?"

What doesn't match the Hope's exterior is its "simple" interior.

Each of the partitioned crew quarters, though large, was like an unfinished house, completely empty inside.

Thinking of the disappointment of these people coming up excitedly only to find nothing there, Su Mo scratched the back of his head and said uncertainly.

"Chief, you really don't understand. You could give these people any piece of land on the Hope, and they'd be ecstatic. They could even sleep on the deck and they'd be laughing all night."

"Wait, let me ask, then you'll know, Director!"

Zhang Long's slightly mischievous voice flashed by, and then a loud shout suddenly rang out in the voice chat.

"On the Hope, the renovations aren't finished yet, so you'll have to sleep on the floor. Anyone who doesn't want to go? Raise your hand so I can see the number!"

Whoosh! The previously slightly noisy sounds suddenly became deathly silent, as if a phone call had been disconnected and all the voices on the other end had disappeared.

Then, after two or three seconds, a series of indistinct but enigmatic voices began to ring out, making Su Mo smile and rub his forehead.

"Zhang Ge, you're looking down on me! I'd sleep in the toilet even if you made me sleep on the floor!"

"Don't even mention the floor, I'd be willing to sleep on him even if you asked me to!"

"Holy crap, Peng Wenshan, your XP is terrifying! Get away from me!"

"Zhang Ge, please stop torturing us! You know we've already come this far, how can we possibly go back now!"

"Yeah, Zhang Ge, please beg Su God to let us up. We've been lying on the deck of this raft every day!"

"."

After everyone had been complaining for about twenty or thirty seconds, Zhang Long's voice rang out again. "Chief, did you hear that? They're all about to go crazy with worry!"

"Alright, find someone to escort them onto the ship, and I'll have someone open the door for you!"

Everyone's low points are a period worth remembering.

But those two months of struggling and living on the edge of death in the wasteland were a terrifying experience that these people never wanted to recall in their entire lives! Let alone dreaming about it, even a single image that suddenly flashed through their minds during the day could send them shivers down their spines.

Now that they have finally received permission to board the ship, they were so excited that tears streamed down their faces as soon as they saw the dark boarding gate of the Hope.

They took off their dirty clothes as if bidding farewell to the past, throwing them behind them with all their might, without a trace of regret or lingering affection in their eyes.

Then, they quickly changed into a new set of clothes they had bought from the market.

After embracing and exclaiming to each other, they began to board the ship in order, following instructions.

With each step they climbed the rope ladder, their backs miraculously straightened a little more, until they were completely atop the Hope, where they stood like proud and spirited soldiers, their imposing presence still building.

One minute they were wandering in the wasteland, homeless survivors.

The next minute, they became subordinate crew members under the human Su God, envied by millions.

The change in identity and the resulting shift in mindset may seem silent, but it truly happens to everyone.

A moment later, after the first batch of S-Class Talents, a total of 27 people, boarded the ship, Liu Neng led the group up the passage to the upper level.

Unlike Sailing Battleship, this real modern warship is filled with steel that inspires awe!

With each heavy step, the sound of metal clashing could be heard.

The passageway was long and reassuring; after walking for two minutes, the view suddenly opened up, and we arrived at the warehouse on the second floor.

No one dared to look around carelessly. Everyone kept their eyes down, like old monks in deep meditation, following closely behind Liu Neng.

They are not yet real crew members.

They knew that one final test awaited them!

"Everyone, perk up! We're about to see Director Su. Hold your heads high!"

With a shout from Liu Neng, everyone went up another floor and arrived at the first floor below the Main Deck of the Hope.

Here, they spotted Su Mo standing at the front of the passage.

But unlike the serious assessment they had imagined, Su Mo wasn't wearing a stern face; instead, he had a relieved smile on his face! That smile alone instantly put everyone at ease! "You're all here, aren't you? You all look quite energetic!"

Unlike the Su God we see in the live stream, Su Mo now has none of his former power or airs.

In their sight, Liu Neng stepped forward and asked, "Director, these are the first batch of S-Class Talents to board the ship, a total of 27 people. Should we conduct a test?"

Upon hearing the word "examination," everyone immediately swallowed hard and tensed up.

But things took an unexpected turn once again. After hearing Liu Neng's words, Su Mo's smile remained unchanged, and he said kindly again, "No need, everyone has been busy all day and is tired by now."

"This disaster happened too suddenly. The Hope has only been equipped with weapons and Defense Facilities. We haven't been able to furnish it with entertainment facilities yet. I will provide everyone with enough materials in the next few days. As for what kind of accommodation and leisure area you want, you will have to do the work yourself. Just make do for tonight, okay?"

As soon as he finished speaking, seeing the bewildered crowd, Su Mo burst into laughter without saying another word.

"Shen Ke, you can arrange their dorm rooms. Just compile a list and give it to me at the end."

"Good!"

After offering a few words of comfort, he handed over the task of assigning dormitory rooms to Shen Ke.

Under the respectful gaze of everyone, Su Mo stepped onto the stairs and gradually disappeared into the ground floor.

After he left, the atmosphere among the Crew Quarters relaxed abruptly, and murmurs of discussion arose.

"Holy crap, Director Su is so young! He's even younger than I was in high school! It's unbelievable!"

"I'm captivated by the director's smile, I'm completely mesmerized!"

"Hurry, hurry, the dorm assignments are here! You guys are having a good time here, I'm going to pick out a good spot!"

"Damn, I almost forgot about this until you mentioned it. But this boat is so stable! Why don't I feel any swaying at all?"

"Holy crap, now that you mention it, it's just dawned on me. Ever since we got on the ship, it's been like being back on land. What kind of Black Technology is this?!"

"My current guess is that it's an application of stress; the specific model should be..."

"Stress my ass! I see it's clearly a balance between the resistance to buoyancy and the repulsive force acting from the side."

"You're all wrong. First of all, the model you've built is based on the rules of our Earth, but the wasteland has clearly undergone many changes. For example, the mechanical interactions—haven't you felt the varying strength of these interactions in the wasteland? Let me give you an example."

The circles of top students are always dull and boring.

As the first person began to speculate about why the Hope was comfortable, a chorus of voices, mixed with personal subjective judgments, began to emerge.

Even though Liu Neng knew that these people just wanted to show off and establish their status in the circle, after listening for a while, he couldn't help but feel like, "Damn it, it's clearly Chinese, and I can understand every single word, so why do I not understand anything when they're put together?"

Unbeknownst to Liu Neng, Su Mo, who was walking on the deck enjoying the sea breeze and stretching his body, was also experiencing a strange sensation.

In the civilized world, by a twist of fate, he was unable to study science.

However, in the university library, he also spontaneously studied some miscellaneous subjects, and through this process of drawing inferences from one instance to another, he also learned a lot of basic knowledge in science.

Although this knowledge is not systematic, what's amazing is that he could understand every single point the people below were making, and even grasp the meaning of each sentence!

"Wow, who says these top students don't understand emotional intelligence? They're all incredibly smart."

"That's true. The fact that they've survived to this day shows that they're not only accomplished in science, but also quite remarkable in other areas."

"Whether we can truly grasp the wonders of this world depends on these people!"

After realizing that these people were deliberately talking to him, he pressed the button on his earpiece to stop the audio monitoring.

With his hands gripping the railing, Su Mo let out a long breath, then clenched his fists with slight excitement.

These people will be the first research team he builds in the wasteland. In the future, amazing items will be born from their hands.

With their help, the shelter will no longer be limited to a small room of a few hundred square meters.

The future lowlands will be transformed by them into a sacred place that everyone in this wasteland envies!