The Creators: From Night City

Page 457

This time, Jiang Bing's strength finally allowed him to glimpse a fragment of this 'great creation' during the teleportation.

Within his entire range of perception, time and space had been paved with some kind of high-dimensional 'pipeline', which was interconnected and linked to countless worlds, countless sectors, and countless dimensional crystal walls.

Jiang Bing's destination, however, is completely outside of these endless planes, residing alone in a higher dimension.

Perhaps it was a moment, perhaps hundreds or thousands of years, but with the blessing of this great creation, Jiang Bing traversed endless planes and traveled endless distances in the void.

Space and time are meaningless here; no matter how much time it took, he arrived at the location of the [Cartography Room] almost the next moment.

Just as he thought.

The Cartography Room is not a complete plane, but rather an existence above all the heavens, in a higher 'position', recording everything in these myriad worlds.

It's like a world archive.

The moment Jiang Bing arrived, the 'cartographer' Acacia was already standing in front of him.

"He's here for another promotion assessment, so proactive."

Without Jiang Bing needing to say a word, Acacia already knew exactly what Jiang Bing's purpose was.

"Young people these days are really something else; it hasn't been long and they're already preparing to officially graduate."

The towering copper bookshelf began to spin like a constellation of stars, and the stone slab representing Jiang Bing fell from the sky like a shooting star, landing in Acacia's hands.

"Hmm~, you've indeed met all the requirements for promotion, but aren't you going to take some time to mature? You know, the Seventh Sector is considered the easiest to get along in. There's no such good environment outside, so there's no need to rush out so quickly."

"Seventh sector?" Jiang Bing thought of the seventh crystal wall host that the system often mentioned.

Perhaps Jiang Bing had reached the corresponding level at this moment, because this time Icacia did not hide anything and told the truth about this information.

Icacia flipped through the stone slab, following the procedure to review Jiang Bing's professional development resume.

"The world you live in is the work of the great first Creator, a world born from His ever-pulsating and magnificent thoughts."

"He created everything, and transformed the territory He carved out from nothingness into twelve sectors to house His works, and mercifully allowed all followers on this path to draw nourishment from them."

"So compared to the Void where you fight all day long, the Twelve Sector is the most suitable place for you 'novice craftsmen' to grow."

Jiang Bing pondered the other person's words, his mind churning wildly.

So he's been living in 'The Truman Show' all along.

Based on what the other party said, Jiang Bing had some vague guesses about the content of the upcoming promotion assessment.

"But it's good that you 'resident trainees' graduate earlier. The earlier you graduate, the earlier you can enter the market and earn money to support your families."

No, wait a minute!

"Standardized residency trainee?" Jiang Bing's face showed great confusion.

"When did I become a so-called 'resident trainee'? Which organization is doing the residency training? And what exactly is residency training?" Jiang Bing fired off a series of deadly questions to express his confusion.

A hint of doubt appeared on Icathia's face, as if the lack of this basic information should not be expected.

"Which organization? Of course, it's the Craftsmen's Association. Didn't anyone tell you anything about how you got into this industry?"

"No!" Jiang Bing answered with unusual decisiveness.

The cartographer was so puzzled that he simply activated the stone slab that belonged to Jiang Bing again, flipping through it rapidly, determined to find out the reason.

But as the light screen shifted, the three-eyed civil servant suddenly slammed Jiang Bing's 'file' shut as if he had discovered something he shouldn't have seen, and abruptly changed the subject without saying a word.

"Let's talk about the promotion ceremony instead."

Jiang Bing looked at him suspiciously because of his unusual behavior, but Icacia, who had been around for who knows how long, had a thick skin and easily ignored Jiang Bing's behavior.

"The Cartography Room is where the archived data is stored, where the Genesis Blueprint is kept." As Icathia spoke, countless orogen bookshelves began to rotate, surrounding the two of them.

Among them, the various creation blueprints emitted projections, reflecting countless bizarre worlds in the void.

"As for the promotion assessment that serves as a pillar of creation, you can only be granted promotion if you submit a qualified creation blueprint for filing and pass the review, just like any other being."

'So I have to write a paper too? And then I'll have to check for plagiarism.' The feeling of déjà vu from the promotion ceremony was so strong that Jiang Bing couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"And you," Icathia's eyes on her forehead slightly opened, gently glancing at Jiang Bing.

"You have already embarked on this path, but the nascent world is still imperfect and not a satisfactory answer."

Unlike cyberpunk, Red Dead Redemption, and Dark Souls worlds, 'Honey' was created by Jiang Bing himself, and he was naturally well aware of the flaws in this young world.

It does have significant flaws and certainly doesn't qualify as a proper world.

Chapter 928 The Bottom of the Nest City

First of all, this world has a very weak foundation. It originated from the dream world of 'Yarnan', which gave it a certain degree of illusory nature from the very beginning. Unlike most worlds where the material world came first and the spiritual world came later, the dream world came first and then the material world.

Moreover, the material component is still very thin.

This means that for this world to transform the false into the true and to completely solidify its position, it needs a massive amount of etheric energy.

Secondly, since it was born in the dream of the great Jiang Bing and is firmly established in the spirit of all those who enter the dream, its growth is naturally inseparable from similar forces.

Such elements, which focus on the spiritual realm, are frankly quite rare and uncommon.

However, this is not a difficult problem to solve.

He also possesses the [door key].

“I will submit a satisfactory answer soon,” Jiang Bing replied.

“Very well, then the assessment shall officially begin.” Acacia raised his hand and summoned the Lightforged Hammer again, slamming it heavily onto the stone slab representing Jiang Bing…

………………

Doria quietly ran through the abandoned sewage pipes, letting the dirty and radioactive wastewater flow beneath her feet.

This area is located on the edge of the No. 9 garbage shaft, separated from the waste pile below the shaft by dozens of pipes, making it a truly peripheral area.

As the final destination for the upper and middle hive cities to discard their trash, the trash cascades down the shaft like a waterfall, forming a huge, unstable mountain of garbage.

These stinking, filthy garbage mountains are the key to the survival of the residents at the bottom of the city; they are truly treasure troves.

The scavengers affectionately call these mountains of garbage "waste piles" and search for anything of value within them.

Doria is a hunter whose prey are mutated creatures living in radioactive waste and wastewater. She hunts them and collects their organs and flesh as resources to survive.

Similarly, she is also a scavenger, searching for anything of value in ruins and garbage dumps.

Of course, that's a polite way of putting it. In reality, she's just an ordinary resident at the bottom of the Nest City, barely surviving by scavenging scraps on the edge of the garbage dump controlled by various low-level gangs, clans, and illegal sects, hunting wild beasts like giant mutated rats and poison crystal crocodiles that aren't too dangerous, and exchanging them for fungal cakes and recycled water.

A sour stench suddenly wafted into the seemingly unchanging pungent air, instantly putting Doria on high alert and slightly arousing her.

This is the scent emitted by the mutated rats. These monsters, as large as hounds or even calves, have an extremely high reproductive capacity. The mutated rats, which appear in hordes, are the most common and numerous creatures at the bottom of the nest.

This thing eats almost anything, grows quickly, and although its body is covered in pustules and may carry poison or disease, it is still considered an excellent 'prey'.

Prey represents danger and death, but it also represents food and the hope of survival.

Doria gently lifted and gently put down the boots inlaid with worn steel, while her dirty gloves lightly gripped the rough yet deadly thin steel rod in her hand.

This metal pillar, over a meter long, was a component of some kind of machinery. It was extremely hard, and the broken part was sloping, which was deadly enough. After Doria obtained it, she tried countless times to sharpen it, but after ruining dozens of whetstones, she still couldn't make it deform in any way.

Fortunately, it's barely enough.

Following the sour, foul smell forward, Doria soon felt the air grow heavier, and she knew she was gradually losing oxygen.

A nest can be understood as a giant city, its size beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Unlike the horizontal expansion of ordinary cities, it grows vertically upward (and downward) wildly. A nest can be tens of kilometers high, and its bottom can penetrate several kilometers into the earth's crust.

Each hive is a massive production base, manufacturing day and night the weapons, ammunition, vehicles, uniforms, and all other supplies that the Empire might or might not need.

Nests are generally divided into three layers.

The upper level, located at the highest point of the hive, is where the planetary governor, nobles, and elites reside. It boasts the cleanest air, artificial sunlight, vast spaces for activities, gardens, and plazas, maintaining the dignified lifestyle of the elite.

Below that is the middle level, the area where the vast working class, manufacturer guilds, hive guards, and commercial activities take place. It is also the main location of manufacturing workshops, factories, and other major industrial production sites.

Further down lies the lower level of the city, a typical slum, an underground version of Kowloon Walled City.

As for the bottom layer of the hive, let's put it this way, it's not officially recognized in the official documentation; it has always been referred to as the sewers or septic tanks.

But this place is indeed inhabited by humans, yet it is also home to darkness, pollution, mutated creatures, and the social outcasts.

The air here is perpetually filled with toxic fumes, heavy metal particles, and radioactive dust emitted from countless factories above; the water sources are mostly mixtures of industrial waste and biological excrement, or unidentified polluted water flowing down from certain pipes; there is no soil here, only industrial waste, metal scraps, and untreated garbage accumulated over countless centuries.

In the depths of the hive, natural sunlight cannot reach directly; eternal darkness embraces all space. Light here can only be produced by artificial lighting, and many areas are completely dark, making them a paradise for all kinds of terrifying creatures and fugitives.

Countless abandoned pipes, collapsed factories, ancient supporting structures built and collapsed thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago, and temporary shacks built by residents at an unknown time have turned the bottom of the city into an endless maze. Without a reliable map, it is extremely easy for ordinary people to get lost.

Getting lost in such an environment often means death.

However, on the other hand, people who can survive in such extreme environments must all have unique skills.

Darkness almost completely swallowed the entire space, but Doria skillfully lifted the leather eyepatch covering her left eye, revealing the deformed eye underneath, covered with a cloudy white film and devoid of life.

In the lower levels of the hive, radiation often causes physical deformities in those struggling there. These can range from minor growths on the body, to skin covered with tumors or keratin, to more serious conditions like extra limbs, dislocated or extra eyes, or even more severe cases that distort the body, making people no longer human, with twisted reason and insane sanity.

Compared to these, Dorria's mutation is undoubtedly much luckier. Although one of her eyes cannot look directly at strong light, it allows her to barely see in near-total darkness. Combined with her other eye, which is relatively normal, this is the reason why she can live a decent life at the bottom of the hive city without selling her body, joining various gangs and fanatical religions.

With this eye, she can move around in the dark without xenon lamps or those homemade torches.

In this way, compared to her competitors, she not only saved a considerable amount of lighting costs, but also greatly reduced the risk of being attacked by monsters.

This is also why she has been able to live to this day.

Chapter 929 The Dead Corpses and the Scavengers

After turning nine corners and entering the ninth abandoned pipe, Doria heard a familiar 'squeak' sound – the signature sound of her old friend, the mutated giant rat.

But just as she was about to begin her hunt, a completely new smell entered her slightly enlarged, deformed nasal cavity.

It was a strong metallic scent with a salty and slightly sweet undertone, which made the old hunter's eyelids twitch.

She immediately recognized the source of the smell.

Blood, fresh human blood, and judging by the concentration of the taste, the amount of bleeding was undoubtedly enormous.

Something unexpected has happened!

Doria immediately held her breath and focused.

She has a very clear understanding of her own position: she is a bottom-dweller struggling to survive, and cannot withstand too much hardship.

However, the hunger in her stomach compelled her to keep moving forward.

If she can't find anything of value, she probably won't even have moldy fungus cakes to eat. Even though her mutated body makes her very resistant to hunger, it can't stop her from going without food and water for a long time.

She was timid and afraid of getting into trouble, but she also had to live.

So I had no choice but to bite the bullet and try to get through.

This is an abandoned pipeline junction where the foul-smelling polluted water has disappeared, and the upward terrain has created a rare dry and flat space.

The smell of blood grew stronger.

The hunter, huddled behind an abandoned pipe, held his breath and carefully peered ahead.

Surprisingly, apart from nine mutated giant rats with their heads down, gnawing on the corpses, there were no other living creatures at the flat pipe joint.

On the ground lay three corpses, their blood still fresh and uncongealed, suggesting they had all died not long ago.

The corpses were in extremely gruesome condition, with several large holes pierced through their fine armor, and broken combat shields and shattered kinetic weapons scattered on the ground.

From a distance, Doria could see the fine armor on the dead bodies and an automatic gun lying on the ground.

Although the protective armor supported by thin rigid plates made of high-density Kevlar blends is not as defensive as shell armor, nor as good as high-end power armor of general fine workmanship, it is definitely a rare treasure at the bottom of the hive.

At the very least, it's more than enough to deal with gang members using kinetic energy weapons made from scrap metal.

Doria's greed suddenly surged.

The aroma of wine reddens the face, and wealth stirs the heart.

After a brief moment of consideration, she decided to take the plunge.

She took a broken can from her waist, and as she pulled the tab on top, the shoddy timer inside was activated.

The hunter tossed the can of food a short distance away. The moment it hit the ground, the cheap gunpowder inside caused the can to explode slightly, sending a wisp of smoke flying in all directions.

This noise, barely louder than a fart, suddenly startled the mutated giant rats that were gnawing on the corpses. They abandoned their food, twitching their noses restlessly and sniffing around anxiously.

This can is Doria's trump card; it contains the excrement of a mutated beast called the 'Reaper Beast'.

This enormous, four- to six-legged monster with a head shaped like a giant, open trumpet flower and covered in sharp teeth is the natural enemy of the mutated rats.