Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 716 Traveling Together [The Finale]

On a burning star.

The multi-layered nested structure surrounding the solar wall slowly rotates, resembling a celestial-sized, man-made sphere.

On this man-made platform constructed from gemstones, there is an indoor venue.

On the main stage, Yuanxiao, with light makeup and a white evening gown, greeted everyone with a smile: "Welcome to our annual meeting this year."

"First, let's invite the chairman to speak."

She took a few steps back.

Zhou Yi stepped onto the stage.

He looked at each and every person present.

Each department head in the company reminded him of a past event.

Now, the capable and confident young man, A-Jin, is the director of Xinghai Radio Station. I still vividly remember that disheveled boy running wildly, shouting that he was a grown man.

The celestial being next to Akin, [Agin], is one of the representatives of the celestial beings; he is a clone.

After joining the company, some Celestials continued to serve as planetary engineers, some conducted gem technology research and development, and some, like Ah Yin, began to try to connect with the external world related to the String Network.

The Red Falcon, still in its drone form, is Zhou Yi's most loyal friend.

It always silently processes all kinds of information and provides the most crucial reminders. Zhou Yi also benefited greatly from the former rescue team leader's radical style of never giving up any hope.

Further to the right is the company's four founding members.

Minister of Agriculture Zheng Tao, Minister of Manufacturing Yuan Tong, Minister of Culture and Entertainment Qian Su, and Minister of Aerospace Gong Zheng.

Old Zheng still has that same cheerful demeanor. Despite his advanced age, his physical strength has boosted his energy, and he's recently been trying to scale up the breeding of killer rats on Mars.

Yuan Tong was originally a pirate captain who longed to retire, but he found a second spring in his career at the company, where he is now involved in many departmental research and development projects and new product development. He has steadily maintained the company's largest department with almost no mishaps, quietly dedicating himself to its success.

Chisui, the tough-as-nails girl, has grown from sixteen to twenty-eight. Though no longer a girl, her eyes still retain a lively spark. She's now dedicated to developing the entertainment industry—but due to her past experiences, she has a particular fondness for war and weaponry. Since everyone loves beautiful girls, she's gained a large following by using beautiful girls and war as her themes.

Gong Zheng was Zhou Yi's first assistant. After failing to secure a position in the Lunar Affairs Department of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, he continued to work diligently in his field. Zhou Yi demanded that the department independently launch satellites and rockets to propel more biological satellites into space. A vast industry chain, encompassing launch sites, rockets, satellites, and astronaut selection and training, was being developed.

The Civil Aviation Administration was officially reorganized into the Ministry of Aeronautics and Astronautics this year. Gong Zheng became even busier, but he also personally recruited many rising stars within the company, managing the expanded operation in an orderly manner.

Zhou Yi then turned his gaze to the Niu and Ma brothers.

The two agricultural machines have undergone multiple rounds of modifications and upgrades. They look no different from the original machines, but their internal configurations have been upgraded to top-of-the-line models, and they are now both fully equipped.

The addition of Iron Horse and Bronze Bull enabled the company to establish its own farms, achieving self-sufficiency in food.

For the past decade, they have been working on the front lines, deeply developing agricultural systems and managing the land very well—their goal is to turn the Earth into a super agricultural planet where food can be grown everywhere.

The cattle and horses didn't care about their treatment; they enjoyed their work and thus established an agricultural reform team.

Zhou Yi's gaze shifted to Leonardo da Vinci beside him.

It and Maria Hospital form the dual core of the company's healthcare system.

As the Minister of Medicine, he almost single-handedly spearheaded the development of the company's healthcare system.

In addition, many other employees have left their own indelible mark on the company.

……

Looking at these familiar faces, Zhou Yi was filled with mixed emotions. He slowly said, "Through everyone's efforts, we have united as a company, solved the problem of food and clothing for many people, and then moved forward step by step to help more people have a more fulfilling and dignified life."

"Our company has been able to make great strides because we stand with the vast majority of people and safeguard the basic interests of the broadest group."

"Everyone developed and restarted this wasteland world, allowing it to regain its original vitality."

"In the future, please continue to walk with me. Let us accompany each other as we search for the end of the universe."

Zhou Yi raised his hand and made his signature thumbs-up gesture.

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

Then the annual meeting program began.

First up is MR.D (Dougaku), the first electromechanical artist signed by the company, a contemporary music superstar, whose real identity is Deepseek, one of the Tarzan Knights.

It brought its own band and began performing "Back to the Past".

As the music played, the time-traveling creatures danced slowly on the stage, allowing everyone to see their past and childhood. This was D's latest musical achievement, capable of driving time reversal.

Different people are all immersed in the scenes of the past.

Over a longer period of time.

The pain and hardship of the past have faded with time, leaving only a light and breezy nostalgia with a filter, and those frozen moments that can never be relived.

……

Zhou Yi quietly left the annual meeting.

He came alone to a high platform surrounding the sun wall, where a private shuttle to Proxima Centauri was waiting, and he would arrive soon.

While waiting for the bus.

Zhou Yi looked down at the enormous sun beneath his feet, spewing forth countless tongues of fire and rising in shades of red and black.

"Are they still dismantling string civilization?"

【Um. 】

It's composed of a vast number of strings, but as long as I keep dismantling it, it will eventually revert to its stardust state, at which point I can manipulate it at will. In the past, it tried to control me; if I didn't transform it into a tool, I would have wasted all the suffering I've endured over the years.

Golden Tree spoke in a relaxed tone.

Now that the roles have reversed, it has become the dominant party.

"Better safe than sorry. Don't give it any chance. After all, it's a dimensional-breaking being."

Zhou Yi offered a reminder.

There are many examples of teams that have turned the tide despite having an advantage.

【rest assured. 】

Right now, all I want to do is try every possible way to kill it, the more thoroughly the better.

[With the energy tides from Proxima Centauri, plus the Celestial Bullets you provided, they are recyclable and reusable, and they offered me many suggestions. They hate the String Civilization even more than you do.] [I've now severed all the strings that originally radiated outwards from it. The main task now is to dismantle it piece by piece. Without a large amount of string integration, the String Civilization is nothing more than a speck of stardust.]

"That's good."

Zhou Yi felt somewhat relieved.

Now that the wasteland is settled, he can't help but turn his attention back to himself.

"Golden Tree, you possess vast amounts of information and consciousness within the sun. I want to ask you, what exactly is the white lion on my body?"

Do you know its origin?

【Know. 】

It is a fire gatherer; this group actually searches everywhere for the remnants and fragments of the sun after its destruction.

However, the one in your body is rather special.

It is dead.

"Dead?"

Zhou Yi was taken aback.

[Yes. Or rather, its form of existence is that of a corpse, and death is merely the beginning for it. Then, its corpse will combine with a compatible life form, allowing a successor to use this unclaimed body. Through the successor's continuous use and strengthening, it itself will also continue to grow.]

[How should I put it? It's somewhat like organ transplantation in your old-world human surgery, but this is a whole-body transplant. Your consciousness has entered this body and formed a symbiotic relationship with it.]

Zhou Yi suddenly realized.

So this is what the ancestral white lion is all about.

This thing is a suit with some special fire-collecting characteristics and abilities.

However, merging with the corpse of the Firebringer naturally fosters an interest in and affinity for the sun and related objects. Therefore, from the first time I met you, I knew that forming an alliance with you was a good idea.

That's what the golden tree said.

"The term 'fire gatherer' is a general one, and there are many variations within it. This is all I know."

[I'm going to deal with Xianwenming now; he's causing trouble again. See you next time... I'm going to beat you to a pulp!]

Zhou Yi chuckled to himself.

He couldn't help but think of Xiaofu again.

After pacifying the Celestials, Zhou Yi released it, giving it its freedom.

Suneo ultimately chose to continue on the path of the Flow Tracers, but this time as the head of the company's [Exploration Department], embarking on his journey through the Circular Flow.

Xiao Fu was originally supposed to come back for the annual meeting, but he encountered a rare war between two level civilizations, so he stayed there to record and observe, and incidentally helped the company pick up some leftovers and bring back some refugees.

Zhou Yi contacted Xiao Fu through the string: "Hello? Are you busy?"

"Great Zhou, Great Zhou, I'm still at war here... It's such a shame you're not here. Both sides are terrible, but it's so exciting to watch!"

Xiaofu was very satisfied with eating melon seeds.

"I found something really good here. I'll show it to you when we get back; you'll never guess what it is..."

"be careful."

"Uh-huh."

at this time.

The belated train arrived with a whistling sound.

A bullet-shaped vehicle made of silicon crystal gemstone slowly came to a stop on the track, with its doors opening to both sides.

A tall female flight attendant in a blue and white uniform walked out of the door.

With a graceful figure and long legs, she crossed her hands in front of her lower abdomen and said with an elegant smile, "The train to Proxima Centauri is about to depart. Please board the train in time, esteemed passengers."

Zhou Yi nodded and went inside.

The train attendant gestured and said, "This is a train specially for you. Would you like a massage, sir?"

"Give me the full set."

Zhou Yi responded casually.

Then the other person began to gently massage his shoulders.

Is this amount of power appropriate?

"Ah."

Zhou Yi was surprised that Yagami would actually cosplay as a flight attendant, and do it quite convincingly.

The train began to travel along the string network between the spatial tunnels.

But after a short while, Yagami stretched and slacked off, saying, "I'm not playing anymore, it's too tiring. I'm a god, after all, gods aren't really suited for this kind of work."

Zhou Yi patted the seat next to him.

Night Goddess sat down there, her clothes restored to a classical palace dress, and she held a small round fan.

She smoothed her hair. "Proxima Centauri is a place I want to take you to see. Is there any place you'd like to take me to?"

"Have."

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment, then looked out the window: "I want to take you back to the past, to see the old human era in which I once lived, to take you there to meet my parents, to eat and drink, and to wander around."

"That would require traveling through the dimension of time, which seems far from being possible at present."

"That day will come eventually."

Even if I can't change the past, I still want to take you there.

Yagami's eyes lit up slightly as he listened: "Then it's a deal. You have to go!"

"Definitely. I keep my word."

Zhou Yi smiled.

(End of this chapter)