Lowland, I... have returned!

Wasteland Time, March 24th.

The twenty-sixth day after Su Mo set sail.

It has been eighty-four days since humanity arrived on this land.

Just like any other day.

The weather in the wasteland wasn't great today either; it started pouring rain in the middle of the night.

Without game regulation, the rain lasted for most of the night.

The thunder and lightning gave the survivors in the wasteland a distinct feeling of impending doom.

Fortunately, as the sun rose in the morning, the rain lessened considerably, gradually turning into a light drizzle that felt wonderfully comfortable on the skin.

Despite the heavy rain, the group from Hope Village got up very early.

Just after six o'clock, Chen Shen, Qi Qin, Pei Shao and the others tacitly got up and greeted everyone with umbrellas.

Just as expected.

When Chen Shen uttered the words "The director is about to return," cheers erupted instantly at Iron Stone Mountain, shaking the water on the mountaintop.

Within a 1,500-kilometer radius of Hope Village.

The Radio Station I acquired earlier is already usable.

Su Mo's message had been sent a day earlier.

The contents are very simple.

There is only one: me.

"You're back!" "Oh, Village Chief Chen, you've gotten up really early today!"

"Holy crap, meat buns!"

"Wow, what's the occasion we have today? Why are we making such a big deal out of it?"

Unlike before, the number of people stationed at the foot of Iron Stone Mountain now exceeds 150.

These 150 people include, apart from the retired soldiers who stayed at the beginning.

These days, after being rigorously vetted by Chen Shen, he has gradually gathered about seventy or eighty lone wolves.

Unlike ordinary lone wolf players, the lone wolves included in Hope Village generally possess a special skill.

Chen Shen retained these people by offering them excellent treatment.

But today, meat buns are clearly not considered a top-tier treat.

This is even more grand than Chinese New Year!

"Haha, Tiger Bro, this meat bun isn't something our Village Chief Chen has the authority to approve. You can eat this thanks to our station chief!"

Standing to the side, Qi Qin, who was distributing steamed buns to the refugees, looked up and said something with a smug look on his face.

Li Hu.

A man with a square face, around forty-five years old, and a weathered appearance.

What doesn't match the tiger in his name is...

He wasn't broad-shouldered and burly; rather, he was extremely thin.

Despite being over 1.8 meters tall, he looks like a normal 1.7 meters tall, with a hunched back.

But he was the leader of all the veterans and the temporary administrator of all the refugees below Iron Stone Mountain.

"The director? Our director is coming back! Really?!"

Qi Qin scoffed, "Of course it's true, otherwise do you think we'd all eat these buns!"

"Hiss"

This caused not only Li Hu to gasp in surprise, but even the refugees who were receiving their buns showed a hint of astonishment on their faces.

Hope Village has its strengths.

This is the most important piece of information that everyone learns on their very first day after joining the village.

In fact, the first rule they were required to memorize on their first day in the village was: to unconditionally follow the leader's orders in everything!

But in the days that followed, when the director Chen Shen had mentioned failed to appear, the refugees began to have all sorts of different thoughts.

Some people even began to doubt the authenticity of the "director".

But now.

After Chen Shen nodded in confirmation.

All the villagers were eating steamed buns while raising their hands in excitement!

"By the way, everyone should pack their belongings today. We'll be leaving as soon as the director gets back!"

"Set off?"

Where to?

"Let's go to the deep sea! That would be great! We could enjoy an 80% reduction in disaster impact there!"

"Speaking of which, we haven't even built our own boat yet. Can the ship the director is piloting fit all of us?"

"Village Chief Chen, Village Chief Chen! I can build boats. I even participated in the construction of the sand barge at the Dian Niang Shelter!"

"I've heard them say that the Raft Ferry is pretty good. Why don't we get a large Raft Ferry to go there too?"

One by one.

All the refugees raised their own questions.

As unofficial staff members of Hope Village, their knowledge of information was extremely limited due to the villagers' tight-lipped nature.

The reason why they were allowed to stay even though they knew nothing was quite simple.

Meals and accommodation included!

This would sound like the worst possible treatment in civilized times.

In the wasteland, it became a highly sought-after commodity.

After more than ten days, their suggestions at this point reveal the following:

Everyone who received this treatment had no intention of leaving.

The first step of the plan to get back into the swing of things has been a complete success.

As the creator of the entire plan, after looking around at all the refugees whose faces were filled with confusion, excitement, anticipation, and expectation...

Chen Shen stood up, took out a megaphone, and said softly:

"No!"

Our destination is the New Continent!

Boom! Like a bolt from the blue.

Although it was only drizzling now, the most violent storm was still raging in the hearts of all the refugees.

They were all rubbing their ears, thinking they had misheard, and even forgot to eat the meat buns in their hands.

"Yes, you heard right, that is our destination!"

"New Continent!"

Repeating himself once more, and ignoring the reactions of the refugees below, Chen Shen turned and walked away.

Even though he could see the many doubts on Li Hu's face, he didn't want to explain on the eve of Su Mo's return.

He knew.

When the ship named "Hope" returned to its birthplace.

All doubts.

All of that will become a thing of the past! A new era is coming! "Come on, let's invite our Director Su to share his feelings about returning home!"

"Bring up the microphone, the lights, and the sound system!"

"The world stage is your stage, come if you dare! We're all about the awkwardness!"

Like Chen Shen, Qi Qin, and others, Su Mo, who had been traveling for nearly ten days, also suffered from insomnia last night.

Even though the word "go home" is an absolute luxury in the wasteland.

But for Su Mo, the lowland was still his home, the place where his roots lay.

There, too, were people waiting for him! "Brother, brother, what's wrong? You didn't really hide a sister-in-law for me at home, did you?"

As Su Mo stood at the bow of the ship gazing into the distance, listening to the words of the others, he fell into a daze.

The dozen or so people who had been jeering earlier, as well as Lü Kuan who was now controlling the robot, burst into laughter again.

After more than ten days of close interaction...

Everyone's attitude towards Su Mo has undergone a complete transformation.

In their eyes.

Su Mo might not be a successful, qualified leader in modern times.

But in this wasteland...

Su Mo, however, is a rare and exceptional lord whom everyone respects! This has nothing to do with the great deeds he has committed before.

Judging solely from his character and behavior, who could imagine that someone who has already been deified in the eyes of the wasteland humans would be so unpretentious?

He eats and drinks with everyone, and never uses his status to intimidate others when discussing issues.

Even when others point out some of their wrong ideas on the spot, they will not get angry at all, but will humbly accept it.

Who can imagine that the happiest time of the day is for someone who holds such power?

Sitting on a beach chair at the bow of the boat, feeling the sea breeze in my face, I would flip through thick books, frantically absorbing the knowledge within.

In everyone's eyes.

Su Mo lived a life completely unlike the Su God they had imagined.

It's not like what all the wasteland dwellers imagined.

But it is precisely this kind of Su Mo.

This made the "respect" that was meant to be distant from others less genuine.

There was a hint of affection in his voice! "Huh? Haha, what are you guys talking about!"

When someone called out to him, Su Mo suddenly came to his senses.

The Hope has now sailed into the Great Canyon that it had previously only explored through talismans.

Just as when I left, this place remains tranquil and filled with beautiful mountains and rivers.

But arriving here means that the Hope is only one hour away from the village.

"Hey, you didn't... hide a sister-in-law from me, did you?!"

With her hand shaped like a megaphone, Su Chan shouted again.

But this time, she received a flick on the forehead that made everyone burst into laughter!

"He hit me! I'm going to tell my sister-in-law!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

With a dismissive wave, Su Mo laughed heartily at Su Chan's "indignant" expression and stepped off the bow of the boat.

"Zhang Long!"

"Exist!"

"Go down and tell everyone to get ready. We'll be home in about an hour, so pack up and everyone can disembark and move around soon!"

Zhang Long nodded happily. "Okay, I'll go right now!"

During the more than ten days of sailing, the Hope ship hardly stopped.

The past few days have been fine; everyone has been able to endure this loneliness.

But in the last two or three days, without the Game Panel as a pastime...

With nowhere to vent their energy, everyone, including Zhang Long himself, felt a bit tormented and wished they could go swimming.

At this moment, as he strode down the deck, a thunderous cheer erupted from the Crew Quarters after an announcement! "Liu Neng, take a few men and go aboard the Sun Chaser. I'll slow down; you guys go ahead and scout ahead to see if there are any problems!"

Liu Neng stood up and pulled down the corner of his shirt. "Okay, Director, I'll take Moore with me. Otherwise, if we run into one of our own, it might be hard to explain."

Su Mo nodded.

Although I'm almost home, I'm practically 100% safe.

But even in this moment, Su Mo did not become complacent and chose the safest course of action.

One by one, the people on deck received their tasks and dispersed.

In the end, only Lü Kuan, who was controlling the robot, remained.

"Su Mo, the starch conversion technology you mentioned has already been discussed internally. The idea of bypassing photosynthesis in plants and using carbon dioxide to produce starch is indeed feasible, and it's very easy to implement and achieve results quickly."

"But this kind of thing is easy to get results in the laboratory, but difficult to operate in reality. You see, just like you said before, now that we've come this far, shouldn't we focus our efforts on Controlled Nuclear Fusion and research Infinite Energy?"

"With energy, we won't have to worry about anything anymore. Not to mention starch, even converting meat won't be a problem!"

For more than ten days.

No fewer than twenty brainstorming sessions were held on the small Hope.

In these meetings, Su Mo's shift from being passive at the beginning to being proactive later on, as the facilitator, demonstrates the terrifying speed at which he learns.

Even now, Su Mo can still lend a hand when Lü Kuan and others are conducting research.

"Don't panic. Controlled Nuclear Fusion needs to be put on hold for now. The pressure we face isn't just about finding this amazing element, but more importantly, it comes from..."

Pointing to the sky, and seeing Lü Kuan's expression harden, Su Mo continued, "Let's study starch synthesis first. I have a feeling that food will become a major obstacle for us in the future. If we want to develop, we must first overcome the food hurdle!"

"Good!"

Having learned the inside story, Lü Kuan didn't waste any words and began to control the robot to slowly retreat.

On the deck, only Su Mo remained.

But this time, unlike before, after arriving at the bow, watching the Sun Chaser quickly depart from the right side of the Hope,

A smile appeared on Su Mo's face as he allowed a green light to appear and examine his body.

Su Mo thought he had gained enough from this trip.

But the next second...

As a new attribute panel, infinitely more luxurious than the previous one, slowly appeared!

Su Mo's smile couldn't be maintained and gradually turned into an arrogant, loud laugh.

"Depression!"

"I've become stronger!"

"I am Su Mo."

"I'm finally back!"