Returning to hometown to farm: The apocalypse system arrived ten years earlier?

Chapter 365 Los Santos Changes Hands, Space Carrier Makes Maiden Voyage.

With a wave of his hand, Li Xiang sent eighty or ninety Saint-level beasts away.

These strange beasts each have their own clans and territories, assisting in the defense of 72 underground beehive cities within the country. Most of them have speeds between Mach 1 and 5, but there are a few that are particularly known for their speed, reaching between Mach 10 and 15.

Li Xiang had also subdued several of the types that had descended upon Earth during the peaceful era, such as the Shadow Abyss Tongue Demon and the Thousand-Bearded Abyss Queen. These had just joined the battle, and their combat power was considerable. Moreover, they were extremely ferocious. One of them even used its tentacles to pierce through the body of a Holy Son and drain him dry.

Relatively speaking, Tuantuan, Dundun, Little Fox, and Erhuang are more "gentle." These are privately owned spirit beasts that can enter the underground city and are well-liked by the residents. They have grown up in different environments and naturally cannot be compared to the ferocious space beasts on the outside.

Judging from the results of the "Mental Image Trial" just now, although we don't know the way to the Azure Spirit Starfield, there is at least some good news: there is a new home in the universe suitable for human habitation.

Moreover, there are quite a few such habitable planets.

You don't need too many. Just find one or two places that are similar to Earth, relocate them, and that will be enough.

These things can only be done gradually. There's no way to rush them now.

“There are still three outsiders in Los Santos. Cai’er, you stay here and guard the house. I’ll take some men over there and deal with them!” Li Xiang said.

Jiang Cai'er nodded, and then Li Xiang led Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and the nine-headed Saint-level spirit pet to attack Luo Shengdu.

To be honest, Li Xiang could have easily taken care of those three by himself. The reason he brought so many people was because these guys were too bored in the dungeon and insisted on going out for a drive.

On the way, Li Xiang joked, "This can be considered a team building trip, a trip to a post-apocalyptic ice and snow world!"

Tuantuan muttered, "This black fog is so annoying, I can't see very far!"

Even though they are Saint-level beasts, they all possess some abilities related to their eyes, but the maximum range they can see is only a few hundred meters, and beyond that, they can't see any further. Only Li Xiang's "Nine Netherworld Eyes of Delusion" can see thousands of kilometers away.

We took a few breaks along the way and had a picnic.

Li Xiang, along with Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui, engaged in a chaotic battle, thoroughly enjoying the outdoors. While the four of them were together, the nine Saint-level spirit pets were sent far away to roam freely.

Anyway, everyone had a great time.

Along the way, it was both a team-building activity and a training exercise. They killed countless alien space beasts, but when they encountered native Earth mutant creatures, they would let them go.

These native Earth mutant organisms, having mutated relatively recently, are often of low rank, at the bottom of the food chain, and thus require protection.

As for achievement points, elixirs, and extraordinary item rewards, Li Xiang is currently too busy killing alien space beasts to bother with them, so he naturally rarely targets native mutated creatures anymore.

Upon arriving in Los Santos, Li Xiang led everyone to sneak in using earth magic, completely ignoring the main entrance.

The three holy sons and daughters guarding this place are two men and one woman. According to the information obtained from the previous "Heart Image Trial", these three are on good terms with the three holy daughters Su Xuanji, Xue Nishang and Song Wanwan respectively. Yao Yao then transformed herself into the appearance of Su Xuanji, and then mysteriously went to find one of them (Su Xuanji's friend) and invited her to meet in a secret room.

Li Xiang, using his "group concealment" ability, carried Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui and hid in a corner of the secret room.

When the man saw that "Su Xuanji" had returned alone, and that the others were nowhere to be seen, he assumed that Su Xuanji had received some benefits and had secretly returned to share them with him, so he came over with great interest.

As a result, once inside the secret room, Yao Yao suddenly launched a surprise attack, catching her opponent off guard and killing him on the spot.

Holy crap, Li Xiang, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui, who were hiding in the corner of the secret room, were taken care of by Yao Yao before they even had a chance to make a move.

Subsequently, Yao Yao transformed into the forms of Xue Nishang and Song Wanwan, using the same excuse to lure the other two to a secluded location. She then used the same method to launch surprise attacks, killing or severely injuring them.

When he failed to kill the enemy with the last blow, it didn't matter. Li Xiang revealed himself and delivered the final strike.

At this point, all of these outsiders were truly wiped out!
Li Xiang wrote a lengthy press release, announcing the matter globally and declaring that he had forcefully taken over Los Santos and appointed Yao Yao as the city lord.

After learning the whole story, the Great Beautiful Country discovered that not only was Li Xiang a Saint-level being, but also that so many other Saint-level beings were under his command and dared not raise any objections.

In reality, the Great Beautiful Country has long since fallen apart. It used to be a federation, but now, due to poor transportation, the various states—no, the various suburban cities—have long since become independent. Even if Li Xiang were to return Los Santos to them, no one would be able to control it.

There is a large Chinese community in Los Santos, and when they learned that Li Xiang had taken over Los Santos and that a famous and beautiful Chinese woman was the city's lord, they were very excited.

These people posted comments online, expressing their joy.

The president of the Los Santos Chinatown Chamber of Commerce (ID "Dragon Soars Across the Seas") said on the most popular local forum: "The first order issued by Lord Yao Yao upon taking office is to restart the 'Moon Palace' cultural district in Chinatown! From now on, we can use City 03's psionic hot pot base to cook synthetic beef! #ChineseFlowIsTopFlow#"

An international student nicknamed "California Xiaolongbao" said: "I used to be harassed by white guards, but now the patrols are all Chinese superhumans wearing Eclipse Armor! Last night I broke through to level 5 using the 'Li's Breathing Method' and directly received double the Spring Festival quota!"

Local white and black people in Los Santos also posted comments congratulating Li Xiang on taking over Los Santos.

White veteran "Ranger Mike": "Last time, those politicians at the city hall ran away first during the beast tide! Now, Li Sheng's nine-headed Saint-level spirit pets are guarding all the gates, and I can finally sleep peacefully. By the way, do you get a signed photo of City Lord Yao if I join the city defense army?"

Black community leaders went live and declared: "We've had enough of this unfair treatment! Li Sheng's 'Mental Image Trial' executed the former mayor and his gang of bloodsuckers, and the new regulations allow even sanitation workers to advance to management positions through cultivation—that's true equality! We support Li Sheng and Lord Yao Yao!"

Meanwhile, other major dungeons around the world also sent their congratulations.

Cape Town Underground City (Southern African Commonwealth): "Congratulations on Los Santos' return to order! We are willing to exchange chromium and platinum group metal veins for the synthetic starch production line technology of City 03. Also attached is a letter from the Zulu High Priest: Can Lord Li Xiang's 'Mind Image Judgment' identify 'Voodoo Puppets'? The Tribal Alliance urgently needs to cleanse the elders corrupted by the spirits of the alien beasts!"

Vladivostok Underground City (Survivor Zone of the Russian Far East): "Congratulations to Li Sheng on taking over Los Santos! We wholeheartedly support it. In addition, a suspected 'Frost Titan' lair of the God-King Realm has been discovered in the Siberian permafrost region. The coordinates have been encrypted and transmitted."

Jerusalem United Underground City (Mediterranean Community): "The three major religious sects' teachers jointly decided to designate the day when Lord Yao Yao took over the city as the 'New Era Year'."

Berlin Underground City (with German poem): "The Eastern dragon finally spreads its wings, hoping to break the eternal night with the dawn. PS: Can I trade my old stash of rare beer for a black fog separator?"

……

At the same time, the revelation of the "outsider's" identity has sparked much discussion and speculation.

For example, the pinned hot post on the "Dawn Era Forum":
User "Star Traveler" (verified as a physicist in City 03): "Judging from the star map fragments carried by the outsiders, there are actually unpolluted, habitable star systems like the Azure Spirit Star Region outside the Black Mist Star Region! Li Sheng's 'Deep Dive Project' has added an 'Interstellar Coordinate Decoding Team,' so perhaps within a hundred years we will truly be able to pilot space carriers across the starry sea!"

Li Xiang naturally handed the star map to Jiang Cai'er, who then shared it with the entire research team. After all, it was just a star map; it could boost morale, and with everyone pooling their wisdom and efforts, who knows, they might actually be able to decipher the coordinates?

Then some busybodies analyzed the combat power and deterrent force of Li Xiang and his sacred beasts, causing a global sensation.

An internal report from the remnants of the North American government-in-exile (leaked by hackers) states: "Li Xiang commands over a hundred Saint-level warriors, including a legion of alien beasts such as the Star-Eating Blood Vine and the Black Flame Crow. His individual strength is very likely to have reached the 28th rank."

A South Asian netizen, "Buddhist Superpowered One," commented: "Last time, Li Sheng single-handedly swept through the Bay of Bengal during the beast tide. Now I hear he can even instantly kill an alien holy son? I suggest the Hindu gods just give him the title of 'God of Destruction and Rebirth'!"

Tactical blogger "Jiang Cai'er Global Fan Club" released a simulation animation: the battle in which Li Xiang's team wiped out the Holy Son and Holy Daughter in 20 seconds was broken down into a series of killing moves: "spatial confinement + Eclipse Armor counterattack + Abyss Bell soul impact". The scene was extremely magnificent and gorgeous, and the number of views exceeded 10 billion.

In reality, it's nothing like the actual scene. After all, the tactical blogger and his team weren't there and didn't know the specifics; they were just guessing based on the available information. Even so, it still attracted a lot of attention and discussion.

……

Li Xiang didn't pay much attention to these things; he was currently in Los Santos with Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui, assisting Yao Yao with government affairs.

Li Xiang transferred three thousand elite superhumans of the third rank or above from City 03 to assist Yao Yao; these were the backbone of the army.

Since the nine-headed Saint-level spirit pets liked to roam around, Li Xiang sent them back to fetch people and escort the army over.

The three thousand superhumans did not walk, but were all equipped with a small ice motorbike powered by a nuclear fuel cell, which was also equipped with a glider and could briefly skim the ground. Since the Earth's surface was covered with ice and snow, the ice motorbikes powered by this nuclear power were extremely fast.

Moreover, each person has their own, making it more mobile and safer. Large transport planes, on the other hand, are too conspicuous, and if shot down, the casualties would be severe.

Accompanying them were three armies of strange beasts: one was the Blackfire Raven, with two Saint-level leaders and more than 12,000 beasts below the Saint level; another was the Star-Eating Blood Vine, with one Saint-level leader and more than 30,000 soldiers below the Saint level; and the third was the Shadow Abyss Tongue Demon, which was relatively small, with only one Saint-level and more than 100 beasts below the Saint level, but its strength was extremely powerful and ferocious.

After all, Los Santos is currently poorly defended and is far away in North America. Li Xiang was worried about Yao Yao being alone here. He couldn't stay with Yao Yao and keep watch indefinitely either.

Once things stabilize here, Li Xiang, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and the nine-headed Saint-level spirit pet will all be going back.

Los Santos, once a megacity with over 18 million inhabitants, had been invaded by alien beasts, ravaged by war and internal strife, leading to widespread death and exodus. Now, its population dwindles to around three million. Li Xiang re-registered all the extraordinary individuals in the city, totaling over 27,000, and incorporated them all into the army. The numerous sects left behind by the former Holy Sons and Daughters were naturally abolished, and members of the same sect were dispersed and assigned to different companies.

The three thousand superhumans from City 03 were the officers, while the superhumans from Los Santos were the soldiers, with the veterans mentoring the newcomers, and they trained each day.

Li Xiang believed that it wouldn't be long before he could form his own large army.

Due to the flawed "crash course" cultivation method, Los Santos already has superhumans of level ten and above. These people are all subject to "mental judgment." The most heinous are all executed, while those with lesser sins are pardoned and their past transgressions are forgiven.

Including regular soldiers, Los Santos now has nearly 200,000 troops. However, they don't have many high-powered missiles left; the previous conflicts have almost depleted them.

Li Xiang ordered two of the Earth Vein Transport Teams to transport some high-powered rocket launchers and missiles.

"Brother is so good to me. Not only did he make me the Minister of Economy, but now he has also given me military power and made me the lord of a city." Yao Yao was very happy and clung to Li Xiang like an octopus, unwilling to leave for a long time.

She's quite capable of handling things on her own now.

She had always envied Lei Xiaohui for being able to lead troops, and even hundreds of thousands of them. Now, she also had an army of nearly 200,000. Although their combat strength was certainly not as good as that of City 03, she could catch up with them through training.

"It's just that there are too few people, so it feels empty."

It's worth noting that the Los Santos Underground City was designed for 1800 million people, but now only 300 million live there, so it naturally appears very empty and desolate.

“It’s alright, I’ll help you transfer some more people over. Aren’t there many homeless people in the South Asian subcontinent? Also, there are quite a few homeless people in North America. We’ll work hard and subdue them one by one.”

Li Xiang acted immediately, leading Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and nine Saint-level alien beasts that had already completed their escort missions to North America to gather population.

With the Nine Netherworld Eyes and the ability to sense the earth's veins, Li Xiang's first target was a force entrenched in an abandoned military base in the Rocky Mountains, now known as the "Rust Brotherhood".

This force consists of several former members of the US Marine Corps, mechanics, and wilderness hunters. They control armed trucks converted from the engines of several destroyers, frigates, and the wreckage of a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Their total population is approximately over 100,000.

Li Xiang led the Blackfire Crows to the front of their base. With a wave of his hand, the beast army of more than 10,000 Blackfire Crows began to charge, spewing flames. In less than 20 minutes, they melted the titanium alloy gate that they were most proud of.

“We only obey a leader who can feed us!” said Scarface Joe, the leader of the Rust Brotherhood, knowing he was outmatched.

Li Xiang then tossed out a compressed biscuit made from synthetic starch from City 03. It contained salt, vegetable oil, and some flavorings and spices, and the taste was quite good, no less than the compressed biscuits used by the military in peacetime: "I dare not say anything else, but we have all kinds of this stuff. We can provide as much as you want."

The raw materials for synthesizing starch are carbon dioxide and water. As long as there is sufficient electricity, Li Xiang can synthesize as much as he wants.
With this "trump card" (which the people of City 03 actually didn't eat at all, and even used to feed pigs), the "Rust Brotherhood" immediately seized the opportunity to surrender and began organizing the relocation of their base personnel.

With the Blackfire Crows escorting them, the journey was uneventful, and they arrived in Los Santos without incident.

The "Rust Brotherhood" was not alone. As Li Xiang's work progressed, many scattered forces and nomadic camps across North America began to migrate.

Li Xiang, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, the nine-headed Saint-level spirit pet, and the three armies of exotic beasts all participated in the escort mission.

They also suffered attacks from other alien beast armies during this period, but with Li Xiang's escort team there, the casualties were not particularly high.

Those who came to attack were often hunted down and their entire clans were wiped out by Li Xiang. It's just that his "Beast Taming - Azure Scale Guide" slot is full right now, otherwise he could definitely have tamed more.

They gathered approximately four to five million people on the North American continent. Afterwards, Li Xiang, along with Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and the nine-headed Saint-level spirit pet, went to the South Asian subcontinent. As for the three previous armies of alien beasts, they guarded the outskirts of Los Santos, protecting Yao Yao and the city's safety.

The wanderers on the South Asian subcontinent were easier to gather, since they had all received favors from Li Xiang before. Back in peacetime, he was the divine messenger here, and now he had even replaced the original gods, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a new god.

As soon as Li Xiang appeared, the homeless people knelt down and worshipped him, and Li Xiang couldn't stop them even if he wanted to.

"Hello fellow villagers, I have a plan that I need your opinions on!" Li Xiang began his speech, but before he could even get to the point, the homeless people all chimed in, saying they were willing to cooperate with whatever the plan was.

After Li Xiang explained his plan in detail, the homeless people were even happier.

Then, the "expedition" began.

Although the journey was long, the prospect of living in Los Santos, a city renowned for its advanced and safe lifestyle even in peacetime, naturally ignited hope in the hearts of these lower-caste people.

In the South Asian subcontinent, there's a place called "Bollywood," dedicated to filmmaking, and the name "Hollywood" is a copycat. Hollywood is one of Los Santos's most famous industries. Even now, a small group of people in Los Santos still pursue this career.

There are also several actors with superhuman abilities among them. When actors with superhuman abilities film blockbusters, they don't even need special effects; they can create super-strong special effects directly.

The journey from the South Asian subcontinent to North America is much farther than from Country C. In particular, most of these wanderers are ordinary people, and there are also a large number of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, unlike the three thousand superhuman special forces soldiers in City 03 who can ride snowmobiles.

Even with Li Xiang's strength, after leading his men for a while, he still had a lot of headaches and lost many men along the way.

"This still won't work."

Fortunately, after about half a month, Jiang Cai'er brought good news: the aerospace carrier project of City 03 has made great progress. The first-generation aircraft "Cloud Whale" has been developed and successfully test-flown. It can be used to transport these wanderers, but since it is only the first generation, there may be huge risks.

Li Xiang waved his hand dismissively: "It's alright. Even if something happens, I can protect these residents."

Jiang Cai'er: "There may not actually be any risks. I'm just telling you in advance."

The Narwhale has a huge capacity, capable of transporting 300,000 people at once, and it is extremely fast, taking only 10 to 20 minutes to travel from India to Los Santos.

When the enormous Narwhale, the size of a small town, appeared above the procession, gasps of surprise erupted from the ragged crowd.

An elderly man with white hair and beard prostrated himself on the ground, his forehead pressed against the ice, and cried out, "Garuda! This is the reincarnation of the golden-winged bird from the Mahabharata, here to save us!" Hundreds of people behind him followed suit and bowed down, and a wave of devout prayers rose up on the ice field.

Several Dalit teenagers excitedly climbed onto the broken concrete blocks, pointing at the streamlined hull that was faintly visible in the black mist high in the sky and shouting, "Look at those anti-gravity engines! The blue light is brighter than the moon over the Ganges!"

The high-temperature blue light emitted by the space carrier's engines was so large that it could penetrate and disperse the black mist, making it quite conspicuous high in the sky.

The boys, who had secretly circulated the science magazines of City 03 in the wasteland market, now witnessed the legendary space carrier with their own eyes, their dirty little faces turning bright red.

Women holding infants huddled together, sobbing as they watched the twelve guiding beams slowly unfold from the ship's belly: "Shiva, thank goodness, our children no longer have to tread on corpses to cross the Khyber Pass." They wrapped their faded saris tightly around themselves and stuffed the last few chickpeas they had saved into their babies' mouths—these were meant to be life-saving rations, but now they no longer needed to be.

"Attention everyone! Form lines of one hundred people each. Those with electronic name tags will have priority boarding!" The synthesized voice pierced through the howling wind, but the crowd fell into an unusual silence.

After being taught by Li Xiang, the ragged homeless people learned how to behave and spontaneously made way for pregnant women and the wounded.

As the first beam of light enveloped the crowd, a strained rendition of "The Song of Rag" suddenly rang out from somewhere, quickly merging into a chorus of thousands. The ancient melody resonated across the Narwhale's silver-gray nano-armor.

To prevent alien beasts from attacking the space carrier, Li Xiang transferred more than ten Saint-level spirit beasts from China to protect it. However, some foolish space beasts still launched a sneak attack.

Li Xiang did not order the spirit beasts to attack, but instead had them guard the space carrier, and then took the opportunity to test the high-energy ion cannon that the space carrier was equipped with.

"Boom!" A huge beam of light shot out, and the 27th-level Saint-rank beast that came to ambush was instantly pierced through and fell to the ground.

Even Li Xiang couldn't help but cheer: "Cai'er is awesome!"

Finally, humanity has acquired high-tech weapons capable of directly annihilating Saint-level space monsters!

In fact, this project was started during peacetime, but no major breakthroughs were made until Jiang Cai'er joined, after which progress began.

Now, it has been directly installed on the space carrier.

"I wonder if it can deal with gods or higher?" Li Xiang wondered, but quickly shook his head, realizing it probably couldn't for the time being. He gave the order to fire a few more shots, carefully sensing the power of the high-energy ion cannon at close range, and assessed himself. He concluded that the high-energy particle cannon might not even be able to seriously injure him.

His current combat strength is equivalent to that of a mid-to-lower level god.

Having established their authority, no more alien space creatures came to their deaths, and the transport of people proceeded smoothly.

The South Asian subcontinent contributed approximately eight to nine million people, and combined with the previous population, Los Santos once again ranks among the megacities in terms of population alone. The total population is over 1630 million.

(End of this chapter)