Chapter 75: with translation of chapter title

Shutting down the System Mall, Lin Yue had only one thought on his mind right now—make money.

No, more precisely, it was to earn energy points.

Just as Lin Yue was calculating how to quickly 'generate revenue', a hurried footsteps sounded outside the command room.

It was Han Ya.

"City Lord, what should we do next?"

She looked out the window at the chaotic scrap metal wreckage, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes,

"Are we returning to the previous base?"

"Mm."

Lin Yue nodded, his gaze toward the direction of Hangcheng.

"Let's go home."

……

Half an hour later, when Black Tortoise's silhouette reappeared within the drone surveillance range outside the Third Prison Refuge, the refuge's Command Center instantly erupted in an uproar.

"Report, Commander! Target has appeared!"

A technician responsible for monitoring sprang up from his seat,

"What?!"

Zhang Zhen'guo rushed to the main screen in a single stride.

Since that day when Lin Yue left the banquet unhappy, taking Black Tortoise with him, he had disappeared for a full day and night.

During that day and night, Zhang Zhen'guo barely slept.

He regretted it after Lin Yue left.

He had been too impatient; he shouldn't have so bluntly probed Lin Yue's background.

Putting himself in Lin Yue's shoes, he realized he wouldn't have told anyone such an important matter either.

"Commander! After comparing with the previous footage, we found that Black Tortoise…… Black Tortoise's size…… seemed…… seemed to have grown larger!"

"What?!"

Zhang Zhen'guo's pupils contracted sharply; he immediately maximized the drone's feed.

Just a glance, and even though he possessed the composure of Mount Tai collapsing before him without changing expression, he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

In the footage, Black Tortoise's size was actually more than ten times larger than when it had left a day earlier!

If the previous Black Tortoise was a moving fortress, then now it is truly a moving city!

"How…… how is this possible?!"

"Just…… just one day, how could its size have become this huge?!"

Within the Command Center, exclamations rose and fell.

Zhang Zhen'guo felt a chill surge from his soles straight to his forehead.

He suddenly realized how superficial and laughable his understanding of Lin Yue and Black Tortoise was.

He even felt a bit relieved, relieved that yesterday he hadn't become angry from rejection and done something irredeemably stupid.

Just as Zhang Zhen'guo's mind was in turmoil, unsure how to face this 'colossal being', Lin Yue's encrypted communication came through on its own.

"Commander Zhang, I hope you've been well."

On the other end of the line, Lin Yue's voice was as calm as ever.

"Lin…… Mr. Lin…"

Zhang Zhen'guo struggled to speak, his voice sounding somewhat dry.

"Mm."

Lin Yue gave a faint reply, then got straight to the point,

"This time I contacted you because I want to continue our previous cooperation."

"Cooperation?"

Zhang Zhen'guo stared, momentarily unable to react.

It's no wonder he reacted that way; anyone seeing Black Tortoise undergo such a huge change would struggle to stay calm!

"Exterminate the Mutant Beast nests."

Lin Yue spoke concisely.

"I will continue to help your refuge clear all large Mutant Beast nests within Hangcheng, while you provide intelligence and part of the logistical support."

Happiness came too suddenly.

Zhang Zhen'guo almost thought he was having auditory hallucinations.

He had thought Lin Yue's return this time was to settle scores with him, but he never expected this outcome.

All that can be said is that he was too narrow-minded!

"Of…… of course! Of course there's no problem!"

Zhang Zhen'guo's heart leapt with joy, he repeatedly agreed, fearing Lin Yue might change his mind.

"Mr. Lin, rest assured! Our refuge will fully cooperate with your actions!"

After hanging up, Zhang Zhen'guo looked at the giant beast on the screen, his face breaking into an unprecedentedly bright smile.

Perhaps……

Hangcheng, it truly has hope now.

……

The following half year became a legendary period worthy of being recorded in the history of Hangcheng and even the eastern wasteland of China.

Lin Yue and the Third Prison Refuge of Hangcheng worked together, uprooting one by one the dozens of large Mutant Beast nests of all sizes that had taken hold within Hangcheng.

Boom—rumble—

An abandoned chemical plant in the western suburbs of Hangcheng.

Here, hundreds of second‑level Mutant Beasts infamous for their deadly poison—the Plague Giant Lizard—were entrenched.

Accompanied by a roar from the Black Tortoise, the ground within a radius of several kilometers collapsed with a boom, forming a huge funnel‑shaped sinkhole.

All the giant lizards, along with their nests, were instantly devoured and then merged with the earth.

Cleansing, rescue, construction.

This became the unchanging main theme of Xuanwu City for the next half year.

In repeated cleansing operations, the Xuanwu City garrison rescued large numbers of survivors.

These survivors, after personally witnessing life inside Xuanwu City, without exception chose to stay.

In just half a year, Xuanwu City's population surged from the original five hundred to over two thousand!

The population boom not only failed to cause resource shortages; it greatly propelled Xuanwu City's development.

Under the leadership of Wang Gongtou and those veteran miners, Xuanwu City is undergoing visible changes at a noticeable pace!

Wang Gongtou fully utilized the Black Tortoise's 'All Things Return to Ruins' ability to reshape the steel rebar, concrete, and other materials decomposed from the ruins.

Well‑planned, modern‑style residential buildings rose one after another, a broad, flat road network crisscrossed the entire city, and even a complete underground drainage system was constructed by him.

Everyone else also shone in their respective fields: farmers reclaimed farmland, workers labored in makeshift factories, doctors saved lives in the medical zone, and soldiers guarded this hard‑won homeland.

Lin Yue also timely exchanged a large quantity of seeds, fertilizer, tools, and even small‑scale production equipment from the System Mall, greatly accelerating Xuanwu City's internal construction.

In just half a year, Xuanwu City underwent a complete transformation; it has now become a fully functional post‑apocalyptic metropolis!

With the initial establishment of Xuanwu City's economic system, Lin Yue also formally abolished the 'contribution points' system.

He exchanged a small precision coin‑minting machine from the System Mall, using the Black Tortoise's image as a template, designed and mass‑produced a currency called 'Xuanwu Currency' to serve as the sole circulating medium within the city.

This move thoroughly stamped Xuanwei City with the mark belonging to him, Lin Yue.

Time quietly passed amidst this rapid development.

One day half a year later, when the Black Tortoise leveled the last mutant beast nest in Hangcheng territory marked as 'extremely dangerous,' Lin Yue watched the slowly growing energy points on the system panel, his brow faintly furrowing.

【Current total energy points: 5897 points】

As the large mutant beast nests in Hangcheng were almost completely cleared, the energy points the Black Tortoise could obtain dwindled.

It was time…… to leave.

PS: New book, please urge updates, please collect!