On the other side, Shi Wanyun's story continues.
"That night, I slept in Room 228." Shi Wanyun picked up the water cup and took a sip of water, then continued, "I asked Room 228 a lot about the survivors of the previous sessions."
"Oh?" Xu Xin's eyes lit up, "What's going on with them now?"
"Before us, there were four groups of survivors, and there were survivors in each group. And those survivors are now all living on the other hemisphere of this planet, mostly concentrated in one area." Shi Wanyun took another sip of water.
"… in an area?" Xu Xin repeated what she said, "Are there a lot of survivors?"
"Yes, there are quite a lot of them." Shi Wanyun nodded. "There are quite a lot of survivors in each batch, far more than I imagined."
Now, the strong men from various regions, including Xu Xin and Ji Chaoyang, generally believe that there have been regional confrontations among the survivors from the previous sessions, and in the end there will probably be only a few people left.
As a result, Shi Wanyun now says that the number of survivors is far beyond her imagination
“… Could it be that they didn’t engage in regional confrontation?”
"No, they are engaging in regional confrontations. Each group of survivors will engage in regional confrontations, and only those who survive in the end are considered survivors. However, their so-called regional confrontations don't seem to be as cruel as we imagined, where it's a life-and-death struggle."
Shi Wanyun turned the empty cup in her hand and said softly, "According to No. 228, she was from the third batch of survivors, and that batch of survivors actually didn't lose too many people in the regional confrontation. From the beginning to the end of the regional confrontation, the number of survivors in that batch only decreased by 30%."
"30%..." Xu Xin muttered to himself, "Did most people survive the regional confrontation?"
"Yes, even among that 30%, some of them died from natural disasters. In fact, the number of people who died in battles among the survivors was even smaller."
"Why?"
"Because, among the third group of survivors, there are no beings like you, the explorers."
Xu Xin was slightly startled, then thought: "...You mean, they are all too weak, so they don't have any effective means to fight against each other?"
"That's one point." Shi Wanyun nodded, "The most important thing is that the survivors in different areas are very far away from each other."
“So, when regional confrontations come, most people can’t do anything except confront people from other regions on the world channel.”
"Wait a minute." Xu Xin frowned slightly and said, "Aren't the first few batches of survivors distributed in a cross-section like us?"
This group of survivors, survivors from adjacent areas, were mixed together. Area 187 and Area 188 were intertwined, and Area 188 and Area 189 were intertwined.
That is why they feel that the possible regional confrontation will cause huge losses to the survivors.
“That’s what I wanted to say, too.”
Shi Wanyun put down the quilt in her hand, looked at Xu Xin and said, "It seems that only our group of survivors is like this. The first four groups of survivors were all divided into regions. The survivors in a certain area are all people from this area."
Is this really the case
"And the most important point is that according to No. 228, at least the third batch of survivors, in the early days of their survival, never experienced such frequent activities, beast tides, and natural disasters as ours."
"Because of this, although many of their group of survivors died, the number of survivors in the end was even..."
Shi Wanyun looked out the window, at the purple-black light pillars that were still rising into the sky. Each one basically represented an area.
"Even... there are more people left than the survivors in our group. The survivors in the previous groups lived much more comfortably than us."
Hearing this, Xu Xin clicked his tongue lightly.
This is not a comfortable thing.
Are they the only ones who receive special treatment
Why
He looked out the window at the Crystal City, which was still sparkling and bright in the dark night.
Is it because of these explorers
To be exact, Xu Xin once said that their team had only tens of thousands of people at its largest.
Therefore, even if they sent all of their past selves to the future, there should only be tens of thousands of people.
This group of survivors was initially divided into two million areas, with ten thousand people in each area, for a total of two million people.
If it is said that the other survivors came to this era, it was not because of what Xu Xin and others did, then it would make sense.
And those tens of thousands of people who were sent to this era by Image Xu Xin and his team, perhaps... are all among their fifth batch of survivors.
Is that why the alien invaders treat them specially
Or is it that they simply made the experience of the fifth batch more cruel because they were dissatisfied with the performance of the first four batches of survivors and their sadistic needs were not met
"Go on." Xu Xin said to Shi Wanyun who had stopped talking because of his thinking.
Shi Wanyun nodded and continued, "No. 228 basically told me everything she knew. She herself was a survivor of the third batch, so she knew the most about the third batch of survivors. However, according to her, the experiences of the second and fourth batches of survivors were basically similar to hers."
"What about the first batch?"
"She doesn't know much about the first batch." Shi Wanyun said helplessly, "The number of survivors in the first batch was the smallest. She said that she has not seen many survivors from the first batch so far."
"As the first group of humans to take root on this planet, the first group of survivors are basically now in their 70s or 80s, and almost all of them are people of high status there. Ordinary people really can't come into contact with them."
"But according to the rumors she heard, the experience of the first batch of survivors was extremely cruel, much more cruel than that of the second, third and fourth batches, and the death rate was also ridiculously high. The humans who survived the first batch of survivors are the best of the best."
"But because so many people died, it is said that the highly intelligent creatures who sent us to this world were very dissatisfied, so the difficulty of the activities experienced by the second, third, and fourth batches of survivors was greatly reduced, and the number of survivors also increased significantly."
"No. 228 also said that the survivors after her should be grateful for the sacrifices and dedication of the first survivors, otherwise she would have died in the survival selection."
In other words, the survival difficulty of the first batch is very high, while the difficulty decreases for the second, third and fourth batches.
By the time it came to their fifth batch, the difficulty had risen again.
…it may even be harder than the first batch.
"Isn't the woman you talked to one of the first survivors?" Xu Xin asked.
"Yes, she was. But No. 228 also said that the supervisor was the only survivor from the first batch that she had seen, and she only saw him after she came to the World Tree. Before that, she even thought that the first batch of survivors had all died."
"... before that?" Xu Xin asked the question that had been on his mind for a while, "What were the survivors on the tree you came to doing before they came to the giant tree?"
"They have their own city." Shi Wanyun's expression became softer.
"… ? A human city?"
"Yes," Shi Wanyun nodded gently, her voice becoming softer than before, "These survivors, starting from the first batch, have been building their own cities, which are the areas where humans gather that I just mentioned."
Humans have built cities on the ground
"A city managed by humans themselves?" he asked with some doubt.
"Yes, that's right. It's a city managed by humans themselves." Shi Wanyun responded, "It's almost the same as our world. It's a city managed by humans themselves."
"However, leaving the city is not allowed. Humans are only allowed to move around in that area. There are groups of mutant creatures outside the city. The lowest level is intermediate, and there are a lot of advanced mutant creatures. Those mutant creatures will not attack human gatherings, but once someone steps out of the activity area, they will be slaughtered by the beasts."
This was something Xu Xin had not expected.
Back then in the Crystal Palace, Xu Xin in the image had told him that after the Earth was invaded, the humans who were selected and survived were nothing more than slaves of the alien invaders.
How could they allow a group of slaves to build a city and govern themselves
Is that still called a slave
But now, this kind of thing is actually happening.
In addition to the human base below the ground, there is actually a human city above the ground!
why is that
Keeping humans in captivity
Or did the alien invaders find their conscience and want to give humans a living space
"As long as the first few groups of survivors survive, they will be concentrated in that city."
"The city is rich in resources. Apart from occasional labor, there is no pressure on life. The people living in the city give birth to newborns generation after generation."
"According to what No. 228 told me, the number of humans in their city has exceeded two million. That city is the first city built by humans in this world."
Xu Xin raised his eyebrows.
That’s quite a lot.
A city with a population of more than two million would be considered a relatively large city even on Earth thousands of years ago.
In ancient times, the capital of a dynasty had a population of only a few hundred thousand. The population of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was conservatively estimated to be no more than one million.
And on this earth that has been invaded thousands of years later, in addition to the underground human base, there is actually such a prosperous city!
But, I think so.
Since the death rate of the second, third and fourth batches was not high, there may indeed be a lot of humans left.
And, most importantly, if the first few groups of survivors were the same age as theirs, it would be extremely easy for them to reproduce.
They are all young people between the ages of 18 and 30. They have extraordinary energy in this regard. After their life-threatening situation is over, they can even give birth to the next generation within a year, causing the population to explode.
… etc.
Could it be that this is the reason why all the survivors are people of this age group
Is it just to let them reproduce quickly and give birth to more humans
"No. 228 also said that it has been nearly fifty years since the first group of survivors came to this world. Those people are already in their seventies or eighties. Many of them have become great-grandparents, with four generations living under the same roof."
"Although she has rarely seen the first survivors, she has come into contact with their descendants. There are several great-grandsons and great-granddaughters of the first survivors on that world tree."
When Shi Wanyun spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly to reveal a faint smile, and her voice became much softer.
She seemed to have a good impression of this city, and even said that she was somewhat longing for life in that city.
Xu Xin lowered his eyes slightly.
really…
She didn't know the actual situation of this world yet, and thought it was another planet, or even a different world.
Even if Xu Xin himself did not know the truth about this world, he would probably feel relieved after learning that there is a city in this world composed of humans and the predecessors of the survivors.
At least, in this world, humans still have a home and a large number of companions.
but…
Knowing the truth, he would not be so optimistic.
He didn't believe that the alien invaders who wiped out all human beings thousands of years ago would do anything good.
"This city is called the City of Hope, just as the name suggests." Shi Wanyun looked at Xu Xin, "The people in the City of Hope generally believe that the beings who brought them here are creatures with higher intelligence than humans. To them, these higher intelligence beings are like gods, making them powerless to resist."
"However, their current comfortable life also makes them think that the struggle for survival they experienced was a thrilling selection. Only those who succeed in the selection are qualified to come into contact with the higher creatures of this world, qualified to live in this world, and qualified to serve them."
"They are very proud of this. Everyone shows a very devout and even somewhat fanatical worship for this highly intelligent creature, for their so-called gods."
Xu Xin's heart moved slightly.
This is basically consistent with what Xu Xin said about the image in the crystal house.
Most of the people who were controlled by the alien invaders at that time had an extremely fanatical worship for them, a worship that was almost impossible to betray.
Xu Xin and his team are one of the few people who are immune to mind control.
"So, every year, there will be a fierce selection in the city to select the best people in the city to go outside the city to serve the real masters of this world, the group of more advanced commanding creatures, the gods in their hearts."
Xu Xin showed a look of understanding: "That towering tree?"
"Well, but that's just one of them." Shi Wanyun looked at the world tree that was still growing outside the window and said softly, "There are many trees like that on the back of this planet, and they are of different levels. The one I went to is one of the highest level."
She smiled softly: "No. 228 is very proud of this matter."
Xu Xin didn't want to laugh at all.
The World Tree... On the back of the planet, there are many
From this perspective, the selection in human cities is somewhat similar to the college entrance examination in the world thousands of years ago.
It is a relatively universal selection.
All people of appropriate age can participate. Those who fail will not be able to enter university. Only those who are selected are eligible to go to university, and universities are divided into good and bad ones.
The world tree that Shi Wanyun went to was one of the highest level "institutions of learning".
"However, unfortunately, even those who were selected and came to the World Tree have never actually seen any advanced intelligent creatures. Even though No. 228 has a relatively high status, she still has never seen her master, and has only heard of him."
At this point, Shi Wanyun's eyes trembled slightly.
There was a flash of fear in her eyes, and she couldn't help but clench her hands in front of her, trembling slightly.
Then he let out a slow, trembling breath.
"You... have seen it." Xu Xin said softly.
"... Yeah." Shi Wanyun sniffed and nodded gently, "I've seen that... monster."
As she spoke, her hands had already unconsciously grasped Xu Xin's arms.
Her hands were already shaking.
Xu Xin could also see that her exposed wrists were covered with goose bumps.
…
That morning, Shi Wanyun was awakened by the mature woman.
Next to the mature woman, besides No. 228 who looked reserved, there was another girl, the one who had greeted her before, the girl whose hair was covered with worms.
"Help her change her clothes within ten minutes." The mature woman's voice was very cold.
Shi Wanyun did not resist and let the two girls take off the pajamas that No. 228 had prepared for her last night, and then put on some very gorgeous-looking clothes for her one by one.
"What is this going to mean..." Shi Wanyun looked at the mature woman, puzzled.
"The master is very interested in you, so he wants to see you." The mature woman's tone became softer, in sharp contrast to her previous coldness. "Although the master doesn't care about our appearance, we can't slack off."
"Master..." Shi Wanyun murmured.
Is she about to meet the real owner of this place
No. 228 had told her last night that wanting to meet the master here was an extremely honorable thing, but also an extremely difficult thing. Among the people she knew, except for the supervisor, no one else was qualified to meet the master.
Unexpectedly, she, who had just arrived here, was summoned directly
Beside her, No. 228, who was tidying up her clothes, was also stunned, with his neck stretched out.
The other girl was so shocked that her "black hair" began to twist wildly and even got tangled around Shi Wanyun's arm.
Shi Wanyun's body trembled, and she almost kicked the girl away.
Enduring the physical discomfort, she let the two men help her put on the cumbersome outfit.
She looked at the mirror beside her.
She looked like an exquisite doll at this moment.
The mature woman looked at Shi Wanyun and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad. You two did a good job. You can have priority in using the genetic medicine next time."
The latter sentence was directed to the two women at No. 228.
The two girls suddenly woke up from their shock and said with surprise: "Thank you, Director!"
"Okay, we should go."
The mature woman nodded to Shi Wanyun, turned and walked out of the room.
The clothes on her body were not very comfortable, and even felt restrictive, making it difficult for Shi Wanyun to move for a while.
"Hurry up and catch up!" No. 228 urged immediately, her eyes full of envy and jealousy, "Oh my God, you can see the owner the next day after you come here! Hurry up and catch up, hurry up, if the place is full and the supervisor gets angry and doesn't take you with him, that's all!"