Chapter 342: Development

Zhang Wenda had succeeded. Whether it was his words that did the trick or the absolute power displayed by the Youth Palace, the fact remained that he had succeeded.

After he finished speaking, almost everyone present—be they lone wolves or members of small organizations—agreed to join the Federation.

People eagerly crowded around the Hippocampus to sign up. The Hippocampus, in turn, created a unique file for each person based on their physical appearance, making it impossible for anyone to fool the system.

The Hippocampus did absolutely nothing to enhance Zhang Wenda’s strength, and at times, it seemed like the most useless entity he had, second only to Yellow.

But every tool has its purpose. In a situation like this, the Hippocampus’s abilities were put to their greatest possible use.

As long as the Hippocampus was around, Zhang Wenda essentially had a supercomputer that could accurately and precisely record all data.

That was far more useful than a simple boost in strength.

The blue rabbit wasn’t idle, either. Following the system established by the Third Line, he quickly began assigning everyone to departments and jobs, as well as selecting a group of mid-level managers to ensure the whole operation could function.

As more and more people joined, the various cloths and masks they had used to hide their faces were discarded, gradually forming a small hill at the side.

Each new member received a two-kilogram piece of “subway meat.” It didn’t taste good, but it certainly filled a stomach.

The cold, wary atmosphere gradually faded. Everyone looked around curiously at their new companions. The strength of cooperation gave them a sense of security, a feeling that was especially potent for the weaker among them.

Not that most of them were weak. The truly weak had already died over the past four months.

“Everyone, I’ll say it again! Just like I said before! Here, all intel must be shared! If you don’t agree with that, you can choose not to join.”

But even with that condition, very few people left. In fact, some who had been watching from the sidelines began to hurry over. The crowd grew so large that they had to expand the Federation’s territory to include two nearby ponds.

Zhang Wenda had already hauled out a third “subway” to distribute as food. Its giant, elongated metal skeleton was used for construction, while everyone worked together to carve off its flesh.

And under Blue’s command, weapons once used for combat were now repurposed to carve through rock, connecting the two pools.

They also began digging new pools in the ground, preparing to fill them with water from elsewhere to serve as portals.

Everything was a hive of activity. It was as if the new order established by Zhang Wenda had broken the law of the Dark Forest, allowing civilization to make a comeback.

But a select few knew that this new revolution also brought great hidden dangers. Zhang Wenda soon saw the former leader of the Small Circle, an old man named Li Gao, walking over with an uneasy look on his face.

“What’s wrong, Old Li?” Zhang Wenda asked.

Li Gao came to Zhang Wenda’s side, leaned in close with a hand cupped over his mouth, and said anxiously, “You can’t keep recruiting people like this. We don’t have enough supplies to feed them all.”

“Did you think I didn’t want to save others before? I know they were having a hard time, but I couldn’t do anything! If everyone in the entire Threshold Realm were to join us, have you calculated how much food we’d need for a single day?”

Noticing people nearby looking over, Zhang Wenda opened a portal and pulled Li Gao into the Inner World. It was much quieter there. “I know, of course I know. But as I’ve said before, I have no interest in being some petty king in this place.”

“So what if we have a lot of people? The more, the better. We have to venture out of here sooner or later. If we don’t have food, we’ll explore other zones. If we don’t have resources, we’ll go find them in other zones.”

“V-Venture out?” Li Gao’s eyes widened. “But those places are incredibly dangerous! One wrong move and you’re dead!”

“‘Incredibly dangerous?'” Zhang Wenda said, sizing up the old man’s timid demeanor. “‘Fire was once dangerous to us. So was electricity. But the more dangerous something is, the more helpful it becomes once we master it.'”

Li Gao approached Zhang Wenda, his face a mask of conflict. “This isn’t like fire or electricity! All sorts of inexplicable things can happen in the Threshold Realm! It’s far beyond our comprehension.”

Zhang Wenda thought of the water in Zone 2, of the thought-tide creatures from before, and of the old departments of the Third Line. He slowly shook his head. “I don’t think it’s any different. Anything that exists can be observed. Anything that can be observed can be interacted with. Anything that can be interacted with can be understood. And anything that can be understood can be used.”

With that, Zhang Wenda waved his hand and opened the portal to leave. “If you don’t agree with my way of thinking, if you’re worried your son and grandson will be in danger, you can withdraw from the Federation. Go find another place and set up your trading post again. I won’t stop you.”

Zhang Wenda didn’t care what the old man thought. The Federation wasn’t short on a few able-bodied workers, nor was it hurting for their firearms.

After stepping back outside and seeing the bustling scene, Zhang Wenda knew Li Gao’s concerns were valid. If he only recruited people without putting them to use, they would just become dead weight.

‘Things are pretty much settled,’ he thought. ‘Time to move on to the next phase.’

With a snap of his fingers, his thoughts were transmitted simultaneously to Red, Blue, Yellow, the Little Black Cat, and the Clown throughout the entire area. They immediately relayed the message. “All intel regarding the zones must be shared within the Federation! Anyone with information leading to other zones is welcome to share it! Those who share will be rewarded!”

Zhang Wenda knew, of course, that empty promises weren’t enough. He had to lead by example. He immediately had Red carve the information about Zone 1 and Zone 2—intel he had nearly died to obtain—directly onto a wall.

No one cared much about the intel for Zone 2. But the news that Zone 1 contained a nearly endless supply of modern resources immediately sparked a flurry of discussion.

Even though Zhang Wenda had also clearly noted the extremely high risks involved, many were still eager to try their luck.

Regardless of what anyone else thought, Zhang Wenda’s methods were working. Soon, good news arrived: someone had come forward with information. It turned out to be a familiar face.

“You should’ve just asked! If you’d asked sooner, I would’ve told you!” Wang Shaojie said, running over.

Just as Zhang Wenda was about to speak, Yellow suddenly popped up, wrapping his arms around Zhang Wenda’s neck from behind and hanging off him. He put on a show of shouting at Wang Shaojie, “Is this something the leader should have to ask about? Where’s your initiative as a subordinate?”

Zhang Wenda gave the back of Yellow’s hand a light pat, and the entity immediately scurried away, giggling. “Just kidding with you! Hehehe~”

“Don’t mind him. Go on, tell me everything.”

Zhang Wenda nodded toward the distance. The Hippocampus, which had been in the middle of its record-keeping, stopped what it was doing and floated over.

As Wang Shaojie spoke, Zhang Wenda learned of a Zone 3, a swamp, which was where some of their information about the Big Circle had come from.

The entrance to Zone 3 was inside a spiral slide in the Shallow Water Area. After the Hippocampus marked it on the map, Zhang Wenda realized he had actually been to that pool before but had completely missed that it contained an entrance to another zone.

“What’s the environment like there?” Zhang Wenda pressed.