Wasteland Development Diary

Winter gave way to spring, and a fine mist-like rain fell.

Night fell.

Two people, wearing bamboo hats, led a camel, walking in the sandy land with the light from rhombic stones.

The bearded leader spoke, "This is Death Dune. To pass through here in the past, one had to wear Chicken Feather Clothes, smear on chicken blood, then scatter chicken bones along the way to scare away the underground Antlions."

"Some tried to cut corners. I knew a merchant who thought he could make it through just by wearing Chicken Feather Clothes, but after he attempted it, he was never seen again..."

The young man beside him had a slightly cold look in his eyes, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword behind him, "I'll go forward, you stay back."

"Wait."

The bearded man waved his hand, "Sir, the Antlions here have been cleared out by the Wasteland Development Company, they're gone now."

The young man frowned, "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

The bearded man thought to himself that he hadn't finished speaking yet.

Indeed, as the rumors said, the swordsman would unsheathe his blade at the slightest disagreement.

They walked a little further when someone holding an umbrella, also holding a rhombic lamp, came towards them.

The bearded man immediately recognized the other, "Ah Wei, it's you."

"It turns out to be Brother Bao."

The newcomer was young, thin, dressed in a thick black coat, with shoes seemingly woven from cloth and fine ropes.

Ah Wei glanced at the swordsman beside Brother Bao then turned to him, "Taking someone for business, Brother Bao?"

"I've come for some dried sweet potatoes, this is a friend of mine, here to take a look at Jade City."

Ah Wei immediately brightened up, addressing the young swordsman, "Then you've come to the right place. Here in the Sand Port Region, Jade City is a must-see. You can walk around the Guangtai Dam, and although outsiders can't go to Maria Hospital, you can stroll around a part of Yalong Bay. There, Light Absorption Monsters flit about like falling stars on the ground..."

He enthusiastically gave a rundown, then suddenly remembered, "Oh, I've got urgent business, I must go."

Brother Bao laughed, "Why the rush? Off to find a woman?"

"Not at all, I'm going to order some furniture, need to get a bed made by a craftsman, it's more comfortable to sleep on."

"Alright then, you go on."

The figure and the light disappeared into the night.

The swordsman asked, "Is he from that company?"

"Yes."

Brother Bao, leading the camel, said, "His name is Yan Wei; everyone calls him Ah Wei."

"Just a few months ago, Ah Wei was so hungry he begged everywhere for food. Who would've known that after coming here, he not only moved into Building No. 3 in Jade City but also became a Guangtai worker and an employee of the Wasteland Development Company, earning 6,000 mushrooms a month, which is even more than the farming team."

The swordsman asked, "Why is he wearing clothes from Dead Sea creatures?"

"I heard it's a company reward."

Brother Bao walked on, "If a Guangtai worker collects enough high-quality Light Soot Sand and ranks in the top ten in production, they can get extra rewards in the monthly evaluation."

"Ah Wei used to be lazy, but now he's living with Bone Man Jacob, the guy who's always number one, and he's become obsessed with making money. That outfit and shoes are his rewards from the company."

Entering the Oasis Side, long stretches of fields covered the land, where two Electromechanical Lives glowed brightly, bustling about in the fields.

But the young swordsman's gaze sharpened, fixating on one of the farming machines.

"A combat electromechanical type. Good timing."

He strode towards his target, drew his sword from his back, and addressed the metal figure squarely, "Swordsman Ding Ye seeks your guidance."

"What are you doing?"

Another Electromechanical Life came racing over, "Do not disturb our work; we are farming machines, we only do farming."

The young man furrowed his brow, "But clearly, it's of the combat type; I've fought against its kind before."

"That was in the past."

The farming machine replied impatiently, "Were you a child in the past? Are you still a child now?"

Speechless for a moment, the young man ultimately sheathed his sword and expressed his disappointment.

He then queried, "Who's the best fighter around here?"

"Of course, it would be the Chairman. Or did you think it was me?"

The young man seemed to ponder this.

Brother Bao hurried over to smooth things over.

Finally, he managed to get the Beiyang Knight safely within the borders of Jade City, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

This task was accomplished.

But in the next second, Brother Bao's blood rushed to his head.

For some unknown reason, the young knight had drawn his sword and started fighting with a Black Samurai wielding a shield. It quickly drew other Black Samurai, and as their numbers grew, the knight was at a distinct disadvantage and started to struggle.

Nearby merchants and locals gathered to watch; it wasn't often that someone caused trouble in Jade City, and this was a novelty.

While Brother Bao was contemplating stepping in to mediate,

Suddenly, the young man's sword burst brilliantly with light.

"Cut down all that you see!"

Wisps of white vapor rose from his entire body, and the sword hilt suddenly pulled out from the iron sword, revealing a slender column of red light inside, instantly enveloping the surroundings with a powerful oppressive feeling.

It turned out the sword had not even been unsheathed before.

The knight became exhilarated as well, "Come on, come on, let's have a thrilling battle!!!"

The Red Sword in his hand blazed fiercely.

However, Bao Ge was on the verge of tears without them, why do you have to drag me into your madness and death... When the time comes for the reckoning, how can I escape?!

He felt like the future had already turned into ruins.

Just then, a thick bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the young man squarely.

The dust settled.

The young knight lay on the ground, his hand still tightly clutching the sword hilt, but his body was smoking, his life or death uncertain.

Bao Ge, however, was filled with joy.

Done well, truly worthy of Jade City!

This way the losses were minimized.

Only then did he realize that what had struck down the knight with one hit was a huge trapezoidal prism floating in the air. He didn't know when this stern Hunter had descended.

The samurai crabs dragged the knight away directly.

The Hunter issued a majestic warning, "For this outsider who caused a disturbance, immediately report any known information. Anyone found sheltering or concealing information will receive the severest punishment!"

Everyone's gaze uniformly turned to Bao Ge.

Bao Ge could only honestly raise his hands, "I, I know about the situation."

...

When Ding Ye woke up, he found himself lying in a spacious room with white walls all around.

Sword.

He looked around and saw the weapon integrated with the Sword Box in the corner of the room, feeling slightly relieved. At the same time, the sharp pain caused by forcibly using his enhanced body assaulted him, making Ding Ye arch his body, trembling all over.

He barely stretched his hand into his pocket and finally found a pill, which he shakily stuffed into his mouth.

Along with a spicy numbing sensation,

The physiological rejection and sharp pains brought by the enhanced body finally eased.

An electromechanical life with a lampshade head entered from outside the door, "I am Doctor Da Vinci, Mr. Ding Ye, your condition is very serious. Your enhanced body has suffered severe damage, and the excessive use of suppressant drugs has caused systemic pathological changes in your physiological structure."

"Your enhanced body's spine has long-term damage and high pressure, as well as certain scoliosis. Based on the spine's special nature, there are only two ways to proceed with treatment."

"One is to replace the spine. As there are no successful cases of enhanced body spine replacement surgery yet, I do not recommend attempting this direction."

"The other is to undertake a comprehensive repair of the spine. This too carries a high risk, as it involves repairing the Light Imprint Structure on the enhanced body while ensuring there is no stress reaction in the enhanced body and the physiological characteristics of the original host remain stable. Any fluctuation or anomaly could cause the patient to die instantly."

Ding Ye propped up his body, a pale smile appearing on his face, "Doctor, I don't have long to live. Seeing that you have successful cases of stimulating enhanced bodies here, I've come to try my luck."

The mechanical doctor's elongated screen on its face slowly dimmed, reflecting the weak face of the young patient.

"As a doctor, I will perform all necessary surgical treatments on you. However, why you attacked the guards of Jade City, that I cannot understand."

"Hunter's joy."

Ding Ye said casually, "I didn't expect that the ordinary guards of Jade City would have such considerable combat strength. Those guards are all D-grade, right? And those black woven shields, if I didn't fully stimulate my enhanced weapon, I fear I wouldn't have been able to break through."

"In the end, I felt the arrival of some kind of power, and then I lost consciousness. Was it the chairman who made a move?"

"No, the chairman is away on business, the one who captured you was the Hunter 'Lie Hai'."

Ding Ye instantly came to his senses, "The 'Light Prism Outer Bone' of the Hunter, indeed have intense strength. Facing them, my current power is indeed a little too strained. If it was somewhere else, by now I'd probably be a spineless corpse."

The mechanical doctor advised, "Please recuperate your body before the surgery, and rest assured in Maria Hospital for the time being. This will help increase the success rate of the surgery."

"Understood."

The young knight then said to the doctor, "Doctor, I have a request."

"Please speak."

"Could you let me fight with that chairman?"

"Why do you want to fight?"

Ding Ye said with a smile, "I'm well aware that there's a high probability I will die during the surgery. But that's the way of the knight; taking this path meant understanding this would happen."

"That chairman can command a large number of Guangna Species Guards, Hunters are willing to patrol for him, I've heard the Dead Sea Alien was also beaten and taught a lesson by the chairman, even the sea Alien that the Seventh Fleet couldn't deal with was also recruited by him... Clearly, he is above all of them."

"I guess, he has already entered the stage of the Skywalker."

"If I could challenge an A-grade powerhouse and witness the world of a real strong being, I would consider this life well lived. Many knights never see the Skywalker in their lifetime, I seem to be quite lucky."

"Of course, for making such an impertinent request, I am willing to pay the price. After I die, this broken body can be given to your company to use as you will. But for my sword, please help me take care of it; the Sword Tomb will come to collect."

The mechanical doctor's face displayed a rectangular waveform diagram, "I can only apply for you; we'll wait for the chairman to come back."

"Thank you," Ding Ye said, bowing with his hands clenched.

The mechanical doctor slowly left.

Ding Ye sat on the bed, looking out at the fog sea beyond the window.

Falling in battle was the destiny of a knight, rather than being paralyzed in a hospital bed.

People couldn't choose where they came from, so at least they could choose a death they desired.