The Creators: From Night City

Page 550

However, after they tentatively harassed several 'Star Torch' locations on the flanks and were then attacked from both sides by reinforcements 'descending from the heavens' from the network, they gradually became less interested in these sure-fire, risky ventures.

A philosopher surnamed Fan from Northeast China once said that people are all talk about friendship, but all they care about is business.

The Eye of Fear is so big, what's wrong with letting the human empire take some territory?

The energy within the warp is inexhaustible; what's wrong with the human empire taking a cut? Consider it charity from a beggar.

Ultimately, it's like the son selling his father's land without feeling any remorse. The forces within the Eye of Fear are already in chaos, each acting independently. When things don't come to a head, they naturally hold their own opinions.

As for Abaddon, the only one who could shoulder the responsibility, he's currently being smoldered in a cage by Jiang Bing, and he's probably burned to ashes.

In reality, it is indeed difficult for the Imperium of Man to completely encircle the Eye of Terror, since its range spans several star sectors, and there will always be corners that the Imperium cannot cover.

But none of this matters. As long as the Star Torch system can function properly and the human network can spread and be used normally, the human empire will be able to sit back and relax. As for the small fish and shrimp that slip through the cracks in the network, they will not affect the overall situation.

Jiang Bing, who had invested a great deal of manpower and resources, finally saw the moment of harvest.

Countless subspace pumps were running frantically, dividing the ether into several portions according to a certain ratio. Apart from those used to replace human faith and supply the burning of the Star Torch and the growth of the Web, the rest of the ether went into Jiang Bing's pocket.

The surging ether constantly filled the 'oil pipelines,' so much so that Heiml, acting as the 'intermediary,' ate his fill.

With the financial support of endless ether, Jiang Bing was finally able to advance the improvement of his advancement 'work'.

The gaps between planes, the cracks between worlds.

Having already displayed his full potential, Jiang Bing revealed a divine body unimaginable to mortals, standing in the endless void.

Before him lay the nascent land, the plane he had carefully nurtured—Ru Mi.

His exam answers, his foundation for creation.

A new world, which may be small and weak, but is absolutely flawless, is rapidly taking shape.

Having received the infusion of endless ether, 'Ru Mi' began a dramatic transformation.

The phrase "earth-shaking changes" here is not an adjective, but a truly realistic description.

Originally, 'Like Honey' was just a dream, a pure spiritual realm, a flawed, unfinished world.

Its operation depends entirely on Jiang Bing's supply. Of course, this does not mean that such a world is unworthy of existence, but that such a work is not 'qualified'.

The most basic requirement for a qualified work to be promoted to 'craftsman' is that, like countless other planes, it can be self-sufficient.

Dreams naturally disappear after the dreamer wakes up. Only by completely turning them into reality and breaking free from dependence on Jiang Bing can one become an independent world.

The fact that casting a world can be used as part of the exam for becoming a 'caster' is naturally inevitable.

Creating a world from scratch is both a test and a process of growth.

It is everything that one must experience, understand, and master in order to become a qualified creator.

It is destined to be an extremely complex and vast task that exceeds the limits of human imagination. Even Jiang Bing today has to invest an immeasurable amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources into it.

Similarly, it can also bring Jiang Bing immeasurable benefits.

After all, some things can only be understood through personal experience.

However, creation, an act that sounds incredibly grand, remains an extremely difficult ordeal for Jiang Bing at present.

Initially, he thought that as long as enough ether was filled, a mature world would be readily available.

But he soon discovered how superficial that understanding was.

The newborn world was so flawed, leaky, and seemed on the verge of destruction at any moment.

Thus began the long process of 'the forgers' fixing bugs, improving the architecture, enriching content, running tests, beautifying the UI, and so on.

These tasks nearly exhausted all the knowledge and experience he had accumulated since embarking on the path of 'craftsman,' drained all his energy and wisdom, and wasted countless hours in the void before finally achieving success.

Without any verification, as if guided by some unseen force, after the final hammer blow against the laws, a weak but very "healthy" world took shape, and Jiang Bing's rank was simultaneously elevated.

The first thing that arrived was not Heiml's greeting, but the same low-key but ever-present message from the artisan training system that had accompanied him all this time.

System notification: Congratulations to user [Jiang Bing], you have successfully completed the system's preset career assessment and been promoted to [Creator].

Due to the Primal Rank Ascension, your Existence Strength has increased by 1200000, your Composition Strength has increased by 1200000, your Class Rank cap has been unlocked, and you have unlocked access to higher-level Creator databases.

Displaying your personal attributes panel.

Name: Jiang Bing

Position: [Creator]

Job level: Version cap reached.

Registered Residence: Planet Origin of Plane B33 (Earth)

Location: Plane numbered HXXD-F09752

Existence strength: 2267982

Compositional strength: 2457423

Creator's Database Access Level: 3 (1%)

Number of Artisan Badges: 18542611

System notification: Coordinates 'Seventh Crystal Wall Border Checkpoint' and 'End Council Visitor Hall' have been unlocked.

System notification: This system version is outdated and no longer meets your current rank. Please register and upgrade to the corresponding advanced version at the End of the World Council's Career Hall as soon as possible, or uninstall this system to avoid issues such as incompatible information flow anchoring and false alarms in the underlying architecture, which may cause inconvenience to your work and life.

Chapter 1117 Returning Home (Final Chapter)

Night City, 8 PM.

This once decadent city, shaped by violence, rapidly restored its precious order and became prosperous.

Since the two cars that were engaged in a gunfight a few months ago were blasted into beautiful steel fireworks by a missile that fell from the sky, there have been no more car-to-car gunfights on the busy ring road for quite some time.

Vivian sat on an empty bus, gazing at everything outside the window with a mixture of surprise and greed.

The streets and alleys of Westbrook felt completely unfamiliar to the old Haywood residents who had grown up there.

The trash on the street corner is gone.

The garbage collector on the street corner is gone too.

There were no thugs, no gunfights, no drug addicts, no homeless people, no prostitutes, and no gang members guarding the premises.

The once sinful streets are now clean, hygienic, and orderly, with commuters rushing home and freight vehicles coming and going.

All of this, so full of life, even had a touch of the eerie.

This felt very unfamiliar to Vivian, who had just returned from Atlanta.

The car continued speeding along, passing through Little Chinatown, a once bustling and vibrant area that now felt completely unfamiliar to her.

Soon, the car arrived at the station.

She got off the bus, paid the same amount for the ticket from her not-so-well-off account, tossed her blond hair, and strolled into the entrance of the Rebirth Bar.

Before she left Night City for Atlanta, a small-time hoodlum like her wasn't qualified to enter the heart of Night City. But the emergence of [Reverse Entropy] changed the entire ecosystem of Night City and altered this status quo.

However, no matter how the rules of Night City change, the Afterlife Club is still a private club with limited access. Unsurprisingly, Vivian was stopped at the door by the bodyguards, and was only allowed to enter after she presented the referrer.

Greasy tables and chairs, creaky floorboards, worn-out faux leather sofas, a bar counter riddled with bullet holes, flashing neon lights—aside from the bustling crowd and a holographic billboard that seems out of place, this place is actually not much different from any other bar.

However, the patrons around them were all quite extraordinary, including many well-known fringe figures that Vivian had heard of. They wore expensive prosthetics, and their faces were either cold and stern as they either talked loudly or pondered deeply, whispering among themselves, as if they were planning a million-dollar deal.

The unfamiliar environment and people made Vivian, who wasn't doing so well, feel a little inferior, so she quickly looked around for her old friends.

She quickly spotted him: a chubby, greasy bartender.

"Pepi, you look great lately~" Vivian plopped down on a bar stool and greeted him by tapping on the bar counter.

The greasy bartender immediately stepped forward to greet her, "Hey, isn't this Vivian? You've finally arrived! I was surprised when you contacted me. I heard you went to Atlanta to make your fortune. It's been years since I've seen you."

“Call me V, Peppy, that’s my new name from when I was hanging out in Atlanta.” Vivian picked up the bitter drink the bartender poured for her, downed it in one gulp, and let out a satisfied groan.

The bartender was taken aback when he heard Vivian's words.

"You're also called V?"

"Huh, what's wrong?" Vivian was a little suspicious of the other person.

“No, not really. But I do know a friend named V, two others.” Pepi put down the glass he was wiping and poured the other person a full glass of white tequila.

"Hey, didn't they just bump heads?"

"But Pepi, you've been doing really well lately, even becoming a bartender now." Vivian exchanged a few pleasantries, but poverty prompted her to get straight to the point.

"It was also by chance that Mrs. Wilson retired, and the Wild Wolf Bar closed down due to urban redevelopment. Just then, the previous bartender left the bar because of a change of ownership, and I was introduced to this place."

"Your connections are pretty impressive," Vivian said, offering a few words of flattery before getting straight to the point.

"Call me over. What jobs do you have to recommend? To be honest, I'm so poor I'm about to have to sell my tools."

"Of course, and it's a good thing, a really good thing. If you hadn't helped me before, this kind of good thing would never have happened to you." The bartender didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

"Yes, yes, Boss Pepi, if you have any ways to make money, please take me, this poor soul, under your wing."

Pepi leaned closer and whispered, "Do you know about [Anti-Entropy]?"

"Of course, it's everywhere in Night City, in every crack and corner of the wall. I haven't even returned to Night City yet, but I've already heard so much about it in Atlanta."

"That's perfect. Westbrook's been undergoing urban redevelopment lately, and the [Anti-Entropy] coordination department just happens to need a local familiar with the area to be a guide. You've been out on the streets since you were a kid, so this job couldn't be more suitable for you," the bartender boasted, beaming with pride.

Vivian frowned and whispered her understanding.

"Do you need someone to show you around, to be your company's 'street guide'? You know I never do that kind of job. Besides, I just got back to my hometown, this..."

Before she could finish speaking, Vivian noticed that the bartender had suddenly frozen in place, and the bustling bar had suddenly fallen silent as if it had been muted, with only the loud music continuing to play as usual.

Vivian followed the bartender's gaze and noticed that someone had suddenly appeared at the entrance.

This is a very typical Asian man, tall and robust, wearing a retro black suit and leaning on a metal cane. Other than that, he is clean, without any cybernetic modifications, firearms, or any other weapons.

But his arrival was like a tiger barging into a sheepfold, causing everyone to instinctively fall silent.

Fortunately, he soon entered the innermost private room of the afterlife, and the once silent hall suddenly erupted into a clamor far exceeding the usual level.

"Who is this person, with such a grand entrance?" Vivian asked her old acquaintance amidst the hustle and bustle.

"You don't even know him!" Peppy was taken aback at first, then, remembering that the other person had just returned from Atlanta, he explained, "He's the boss of [Anti-Entropy], a legend among legends of Night City..."

Vivian immediately craned her neck to look in the direction Jiang Bingyuan had gone, as if she had seen some kind of idol.

"Really? I heard from people in the underworld that he used to be a street hustler and even worked as a mercenary for a while..."

The bustling noise did not disturb Jiang Bing's mood. He calmly walked into the interior of the afterlife, along the newly renovated corridor, and into the office of Gloria, the head of [Anti-Entropy].

"You're leaving your headquarters office here, and instead you've chosen to settle down in the afterlife," Jiang Bing teased.

“I don’t feel comfortable there, it’s too high up. This basement is more stable.”

"Any new instructions, boss? They seem quite important, making you come all this way in person." The head steward's tone was somewhat resentful, but this was to be expected. She had just been relieved of her heavy administrative duties due to the improvement of 'Xiyong' and hadn't had much rest when her boss came knocking on her door.

Jiang Bing looked at the other party but did not assign any new work.

“I just came back from City Hall. Before that, I went to Charter Hill and the Night Group.”

"Hmm?" Jiang Bing's words made Gloria raise her eyebrows.

"Is someone trying to harm the Ye Clan and Night City?"

"No," Jiang Bing shook his head, his tone complicated, "It's just that I need to go on a long trip soon to say goodbye to my old friends."

"Going on a long trip? What are you going to do? Are you going to explore new worlds again?" Gloria asked three times in a row, her fear of working overtime palpable.

Jiang Bing's gaze was distant and complex, as if he could see through endless planes.

"do nothing"

"I just want to go home and visit," he said softly and calmly, yet his words carried a surge of emotion.

He tapped his cane, looked at Gloria, at the afterlife, at Westbrook, at Night City, at the city he had fought for, dedicated himself to, and which had been changed by his arrival, and gave his final response.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

(End of the book)