Chapter 8: 008
【008】 Territory Upgrade
It was unexpected that the Earth survivors were still okay. Since it had crossed her mind, Gu Qing directly asked the system.
【999 Can you tell me the current situation of the Earth survivors through other doomsday game subsystems? With billions of people spread across this world, there should be some kind of response or movement.】
At least the refugees knew the location of Qingyun Village. As long as any Earth survivors landed nearby, there was a certain probability they would encounter the refugees. It would be quite appropriate for them to come to Qingyun Village.
But the fact that there wasn’t a single one was… strange.
After Gu Qing asked the question, the system quickly responded.
999 System: 【Host, do you remember what happened before your game and character modules were loaded?】
Gu Qing paused, a bit stunned, and tried to recall. A conversation flashed through her mind.
【Congratulations, you’ve killed several lv.1 Red-Eyed Rabbits, meeting the login conditions. Would you like to log in?】
【Log in.】
Thinking back to this conversation, Gu Qing considered a possibility.
【Could it be that after using a skill card to kill the small monsters, that’s when you really enter the game world? Now… there are still many people who haven’t logged in successfully?】
999 System: 【Yes.】
Gu Qing: 【Then what happens to those who haven’t logged in?】
999 System: 【Although the two worlds have fully merged, the doomsday game system has given Earth survivors 7 days to adapt. They must kill small monsters within these 7 days to log in. If they fail to do so, then unfortunately, without the ability to load the game and character modules, they will disappear along with Earth.】
Gu Qing: 【What about the elderly and children?】
999 System: 【If the parents of underage children have successfully logged in, they can bring their children along. As for others, there are no special privileges. Civilizational evolution itself is a process of survival of the fittest. In this process, luck and strength are also part of the test. As long as they can kill monsters, the game doesn’t care about age.】
Gu Qing: 【…Then how many people have logged in so far?】
It had already been two days, so there should be quite a few by now, right?
999 System: 【The last ID to log in was 189736721.】
Only about 200 million people? That’s so few?
Maybe they just hadn’t fully adjusted to the sudden and drastic changes on Earth.
Just like her, if it weren’t for her being a quick-transit tasker, and if it weren’t for the help of the 999 system, she wouldn’t have reacted so quickly.
Really… damn civilization evolution.
Before the formal assessment, elimination had already begun… How ruthless!
With this thought, Gu Qing continued, 【So how large is this game world?】
999 System: 【Several Earths.】
Listening to this, Gu Qing finally understood why she hadn’t encountered any survivors up until now. With nearly 200 million Earth survivors scattered across this vast and boundless world, it was like a drop of water falling into the ocean—impossible to stir up any waves.
Thinking about what she had learned from Ulysses, this world was not even inhabited by just humans. Gu Qing couldn’t help but mourn for the Earth survivors.
Even if they had passed the first hurdle to enter this world, adapting to it would still be incredibly difficult.
Gu Qing: 【So, have I not found any Earth survivors because I haven’t encountered them, or because they’re hiding?】
Gu Qing double-checked.
999 System: 【There are currently no Earth survivors in your territory. If there are any, the system will provide a notification. This is a privilege granted to survivors by the doomsday game system, meant to help bridge the gap between you and the native inhabitants of the game world. As the Earth survivors develop, you will discover more and more features of the doomsday game system. We hope the host will make good use of them in the future.】
Gu Qing listened but couldn’t help but think about the meaning behind the system’s words. It felt like there was hidden information in this statement. After all, “bridging the gap” had been mentioned twice now.
The repeated emphasis made it clear there was something suspicious.
Gu Qing: 【999, you’re hinting at something here, aren’t you?】
999 System: 【Host, please don’t overthink things.】
Gu Qing: 【Appropriate overthinking, right? I’m definitely remembering this, and maybe it will come in handy later.】
It would be a shame not to remember this much information, especially since it was so rare.
Sure enough, the 999 system didn’t bother to clarify anything, which could only mean one thing—Gu Qing was right.
Unconsciously, Gu Qing’s curiosity about the doomsday game system grew. The current system was already incredibly powerful, but according to 999, it had even more undiscovered features? What else was there?
Knowing that 999 wouldn’t provide any answers, Gu Qing stopped asking, because she knew that as they delved deeper into the game world, the truth would eventually surface on its own.
With this thought, the topic was put aside, but after learning about the current situation of the Earth survivors, Gu Qing could only say that even if this world was dangerous, adaptation was the only way forward, because those who couldn’t adapt would be eliminated.
—
When Gu Qing paid a little more attention to the territory, the construction was already in full swing.
The farmland, basic general store, basic warehouse, and canteen were all rapidly being built in their respective functional areas.
According to the system’s initial classification, the entire territory could be divided into five areas.
The central area, which was the core of the entire territory, centered around the village affairs center. Not only now, but in the future, it would be the heart of the territory. Since all the resources in the territory would be allocated through the village affairs center, the basic warehouse was built to the left of the center, connecting the two buildings.
The northern area, the public area right after the main gate, was more like the face of the territory. If all went according to plan, future public infrastructure, like a square, would be built in this area.
Western area will serve as the residential area in the future. Rows of neatly built houses have already been established. In front of the residential buildings, a basic general store and a canteen are under construction. The presence of these two buildings will make daily life more convenient for the residents.
Southern area, the production area, where farmland has currently been allocated.
Eastern area, the commercial area, where the transaction hall and a basic tailor shop, built by the system, are located. If all goes as planned, a functional commercial district will form around the trading center in the future.
Given the current situation in Qingyun Village, this simple division of the territory is sufficient. As the territory expands in the future, the functions of each area will increase and become more refined, and new areas will emerge where these zones connect. So, any current vacancies or repurposing of space is just temporary.
For example, a temporary camp was established at the border between the northern and western areas. This serves as a transition zone for the refugees to become residents. Due to the mixture of people and nearly two hundred individuals living there, the area feels a bit chaotic.
That’s why, at Ulysses’ suggestion, Gu Qing had several new houses built in the western area and rented them out to the residents at a low price.
Currently, the residents don’t have many surplus copper coins and may not consider moving just yet. However, once they have extra funds, most will likely choose to move into the residential buildings.
After all, the living conditions in the temporary camp and the residential houses are worlds apart.
When safety is uncertain, everyone looks for a stable place, and once they have stability, they want to be well-fed and warmly clothed. Once these basic needs are met, they will have higher demands for their living conditions.
The introduction of residential buildings at low prices is partially meant to guide the residents toward having higher expectations.
The effect was immediate. On the day the houses were released, the wealthier residents quickly formed groups to rent one. The remaining residents began to feel uneasy about staying in the temporary camp.
This can be seen from the increasing amount of wood and stone materials in the territory.
It’s only a matter of time before all the residents move into the new houses.
As time passed, the construction took shape little by little. Every time residents returned from outside, they could notice the changes in the territory.
Of course, these changes were seen as good in the eyes of the residents.
They understood that as the territory improved, their lives would get better.
In just a few days, all the buildings had taken shape. Almost immediately after they were completed, a system prompt sounded in Gu Qing’s mind.
【Congratulations, host, you’ve built a basic warehouse. You’ve obtained the basic warehouse blueprint x1, and the basic warehouse x1.】
【Congratulations, host, you’ve built a basic general store. You’ve obtained the basic general store blueprint x1, and the basic general store x1.】
【Congratulations, host, you’ve built a canteen. You’ve obtained the canteen blueprint x1, and the canteen x1.】
【Congratulations, host, you’ve cultivated farmland. You’ve obtained farmland x10.】
As the buildings on the panel were marked as owned, new changes appeared on the screen.
【Territory population has reached 100 people.】
【Buildings owned: Transaction Hall, Basic Tailor Shop, Basic Warehouse, Residential Houses, Farmland.】
【Territory meets upgrade conditions. Would you like to upgrade the level 1 village to a level 2 village?】
Finally, the territory was about to level up! Gu Qing’s mind shifted, and she immediately selected “Yes.”
【Congratulations, host! The territory has leveled up. Reputation +1, territory area doubled, reward: 2 building blueprints, 20,000 copper coins.】
With this system notification, the territory map on Gu Qing’s panel began to change, and in reality, the first to be affected was the protective fence around the territory. It rose from the ground and expanded outward by about twice the previous distance, settling in the newly acquired land.
Residents nearby watched in awe as the territory transformed right before their eyes. After a brief moment of shock, they quickly became excited.
“The territory leveled up! Everyone, come see! Our territory leveled up!”