Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

The sun had set, and night had fallen. At Camp C361, it would be completely dark and silent by now. This was partly to conserve energy, and partly because bright lights and noise could attract zombies and mutated beasts, which desperately craved fresh flesh.

However, Class A shelters are different. They are densely populated and have impregnable security. There is no need to worry about attacks from zombies and mutated beasts, so the nightlife is much richer. Even at night, the streets are still brightly lit and bustling with people and vehicles.

Seeing such a lively and bustling scene, Zhou Chen and Fatty were naturally the most excited. Ye Wenrou was also clearly in high spirits, carrying the overclocking oscillator she had just bought at the supply station and looking around.

Chenxi held Leng San's hand, her gaze unusually focused, curiously observing everything around her, like a snail after a storm, carefully extending its antennae to its shell to observe the outside world.

Leng San was very pleased. This little girl should have more contact with the outside world. It's been so long and she still can't speak, which is worrying.

Bi Lang quipped, "Look at you all, so naive and unsophisticated. Do you really think this is what prosperity is all about?"

"Boss, isn't this bustling enough?" Zhou Chen retorted.

Bi Lang shook his head and sighed, "You children born after the nuclear war are truly pitiful. I'm not afraid to tell you, the prosperity you see now is not even comparable to the night market of a county town before the war. Now, almost everyone on Earth is either dead or has become mindless, emotionless walking corpses..."

At this point, Bi Lang suddenly laughed and said, "We've made a fortune today, why am I talking about such spoilsport? Come on, there's a pedestrian street up ahead where you can barter. It's quite interesting, and we might find some good stuff. Boss, I'll take you to check it out."

Immediately, everyone followed Bi Lang and headed towards the pedestrian street.

Before the nuclear war, Earth was a technologically advanced planet. Although it has now become a wasteland, some advanced things have been preserved, and some "ancient" things have been unearthed and used, thus forming a unique post-apocalyptic spectacle where advanced and backward coexist.

For example, Leng San's 100C Jialing motorcycle, and the AK47 rifle. These things had been out of production for over a century before the nuclear war, but after the nuclear war, these old relics that should have been preserved in museums were taken out and used.

As for advanced technologies, these include high-frequency oscillating knives, laser weapons, drones, mechs, and intelligent robots.

After walking a few dozen meters down the street, Leng San and his companions encountered three intelligent robots. Drones or flying cars also flew overhead from time to time, creating a visually striking scene.

Seeing Leng San carefully examining the intelligent robots, Bi Lang laughed and said, "These intelligent robots were everywhere before the nuclear war, but now there are very few left, and they are all rather stupid, not as smart as the robots of the past."

Leng Sanqi asked, "Why?"

Bi Lang explained, "Even before the nuclear war, artificial intelligence was a cutting-edge technology on Earth, and countries around the world were supporting it heavily. Moreover, major powers had their own global AI systems to manage national affairs. All AI products, including robots, were connected to these AI systems."

These robots can proactively learn and upgrade through an AI system to adapt to real-world needs, and a large amount of data analysis and computation must also be completed through this AI system. After a nuclear war, the AI ​​systems of various countries would be the first to be destroyed. Do you think these intelligent machines wouldn't become stupid?

Ye Wenrou shook her head and said, "Over-reliance on artificial intelligence is not a good thing either."

Bi Lang nodded and said, "Wenrou is right. Before the nuclear war, countries relied too much on artificial intelligence systems. Once these systems were destroyed, the entire country fell into chaos, and the communication system also became useless. Otherwise, those nuclear powers would have had the opportunity to communicate with each other to resolve the crisis."

Leng San frowned and asked, "Could that nuclear war that destroyed Earth have been caused by these AI systems?"

Bi Lang chuckled and said, "Believe it or not, there really is such a rumor. It is said that the global intelligent brain system of a certain nuclear superpower has developed self-awareness and deliberately induced a nuclear war in order to eliminate carbon-based life forms so that silicon-based life forms can dominate the blue planet."

Haha, but this is probably just a conspiracy theory made up by busybodies. Twenty years have passed since the nuclear war. Although 90% of all life on Earth has perished, isn't this planet still dominated by humans? Those robots are still working like slaves for humanity.

As they talked, they arrived at the pedestrian street.

This pedestrian street formed spontaneously, with many scavengers setting up stalls here to barter. Bartering has one advantage: it bypasses supply stations and eliminates middlemen who take a cut.

Of course, bartering also has a drawback: the value cannot be defined and depends entirely on the trader's judgment. Whether one makes a profit or loss depends on their own ability, which is somewhat like gambling.

However, this is precisely what makes this street so uniquely charming. If you have a good eye, you might find a bargain here. Moreover, some items may be worthless to you, but they may be priceless to someone else.

That's why there are so many scavengers strolling around the pedestrian street at night.

As Leng San and his group walked along, they discovered that all sorts of things were being sold, including roasted cockroaches.

Cockroaches are truly resilient; they thrive even in the apocalypse, and their reproductive capacity is remarkable. In a world where meat is severely scarce, roasted cockroaches have become a rare delicacy, and at only 5 contribution points per skewer, they offer excellent value.

Zhou Chen, Fatty, and Ye Wenrou each bought ten skewers and ate them with great relish, even asking Leng San if she wanted some. If it were the original Leng San, she certainly wouldn't refuse, but the current Leng San really couldn't eat anymore and politely declined.

Just then, a lone scavenger passed by the group, carrying a woven bag on his back. He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, roughly the same age as Zhou Chen. He was tall and thin, with freckles on his face that looked rusty. He wore green canvas shoes, had a machete hanging from his waist, and had a cold expression.

As the lone scavenger passed by, Leng San suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if something was calling to him from the depths of his being.

Leng San's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze involuntarily fell on the woven bag carried by the scavenger. His intuition told him that there was something he needed in that bag.

Cultivators value opportunities and fortuitous encounters. Since they have encountered such opportunities, they should not let them pass by. Therefore, Leng San said softly to Chen Xi, "Xiao Xi, you stay with Sister Wenrou for a while. I have some things to take care of."

After Leng San finished speaking, he quickly followed the lone scavenger. Ye Wenrou, holding Chenxi's little hand, looked curiously in the direction Leng San had left.