novelraw Chapter 24 Planning: I'm a Professional
Chapter 24 Planning: I'm a Professional
After closing the forum, Chen Huai leaned against the cold metal control panel, feeling as if his brain was stuffed with a tangled mess of information. The amount of information was too much, and he could only try his best to sort out his thoughts.
until--
"Gurgle..."
His stomach rumbled again, reminding him that his body's most basic needs had not yet been met.
"Gaia..."
Chen Huai called out helplessly:
"I'm very hungry now. Can I go into those growing units and get something to eat?"
[All units in the primary agricultural zone are fully enclosed, automated, and circular ecological modules, powered by geothermal energy and core fusion energy. Human intervention would disrupt the precisely controlled temperature, humidity, light, airflow, and sterile environment, leading to decreased module performance or even failure.]
Gaia replied.
Chen Huai suddenly realized why he hadn't seen a single entrance or exit along the way from the planting unit.
Food production is collected periodically by automated equipment within the unit and transported through internal pipelines to the central processing and synthesis area for standardized processing. All primary agricultural products are processed into standardized nutritional pastes for storage and distribution.
"Okay, so where can I get the nutritional paste now?"
[According to the Civilization Spark Project File S-1024-A Details:]
Gaia's voice was like reading from a dusty archive.
[Total number of personnel under lockdown in Dungeon No. 57: 101]
Production Experts: 55
Construction experts: 20
Guardian Experts: 15
Pioneer Experts: 11
Their core mission aligns with the mission of the administrators: to rebuild human civilization and restore homes destroyed by war, using the 57th Dungeon as a base, in accordance with the Supreme Reconstruction Directive of the Old Federation. They will awaken under your management authority and become the core backbone of the reconstruction effort.
Chen Huai listened to Gaia's narration and nodded silently.
This was almost exactly the same as the game's background setting he had learned before his transmigration—the players played the roles of these expert warriors who had awakened from the dungeon, with the goal of returning to the surface and rebuilding their homes.
Apart from the fact that this dungeon was launched two hundred years later, the rest of the background settings seem to be the same.
"Okay, I understand."
Chen Huai responded and squeezed the last bit of nutritional paste into his mouth, feeling that his strength had been restored quite a bit.
Suddenly... 101 dormant warriors?
Including him as the manager?
A total of... 102 people?
However, the official announcement in the forum posters and information clearly stated that the number of players eligible for the closed beta test was... 100!
"Wait, Gaia! The hibernation zone has 101 rooms, corresponding to 101 hibernators, so... what about me, the administrator? Was I also awakened through a hibernation pod?"
He had a vague understanding in his subconscious: he and the players were essentially the same kind of beings, both characters generated by Gaia, but he woke up earlier and unexpectedly gained management privileges.
He subconsciously felt that among those 101 people, there should be a room reserved for his character, especially after learning that there were a total of 100 beta testers.
[The administrator's status is at an independent access level; they are not revived from a hibernation pod and do not occupy a hibernation slot.]
Gaia paused for a moment before speaking.
If he were truly intelligent enough to possess human thought, he would definitely be looking down on Chen Huai at this moment, thinking, "Don't you realize you just came in from outside? How come you suddenly think you came out of a hibernation pod?"
However, Gaia was obviously not that harsh, and seemingly to make it clearer, it thoughtfully projected a simplified structural diagram into the air in front of Chen Huai.
On the massive first-floor plan of the underground city, the areas representing agricultural zones, industrial zones, residential zones, control centers, and dormant zones are clearly visible.
In the core area, far from the hibernation zone and close to the control center, a golden marker flashed:
[Exclusive Living and Working Area for Managers]
However, Chen Huai's thoughts were not on that; he was more concerned about whether the extra person was someone unrelated to the plan.
It's no wonder he's so cautious now; after all, even though he has a player panel, he's still an NPC with only one life.
Gaia's calm electronic voice interrupted his confused thoughts.
[There are 67 hours remaining until the hibernation pods are activated. According to the core reconstruction instructions, before the hibernators awaken, you need to develop a preliminary plan for returning to the surface and rebuilding the home base to guide the initial work in an orderly manner.]
Gaia's reminder was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Chen Huai's excessive speculation about the "101st person".
He snapped back to his senses, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the unease and doubt surging in his heart.
"Yeah...why think so much?"
Chen Huai twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a self-deprecating smile:
"They'll wake up in three days, and then we'll see. There's no point in speculating now."
His gaze shifted from the cold countdown to survey the intricate yet lifeless creation space.
A completely different emotion began to spread in his heart—a professional instinct buried deep in his bones and... a hint of indescribable excitement.
Returning to the surface and rebuilding our home?
Gaia's urging precisely struck the area deepest in his soul that he was most familiar with and most confident in.
Chen Huai's confusion quickly faded, replaced by a long-lost confidence.
He turned and walked to the central control panel, his fingers swiping across the smooth control panel to bring up a detailed structural diagram of the first level of the underground city and environmental scan data of the area surrounding the Loman Forest on the surface.
His brain, like a precisely overclocked engine, instantly entered a highly efficient working state.
"Infrastructure? Farming? Resource recycling? Ecological logic? Building a growth system?"
Chen Huai muttered to himself as he quickly scanned the data that was pouring down on the screen.
"Ha, this is what I've been doing for all these years!"
His tone was resolute, full of unquestionable professional confidence.
Once considered marginalized and practically extinct due to the impact of virtual reality technology, this profession has finally shone with irreplaceable value in this real wasteland, at a time when shelters and order need to be built from scratch.
Planning? Arranging? Guiding one hundred awakened players to rebuild their homes?
Chen Huai's eyes shone with an astonishing light, like a traveler who had found a spring of sweet water in the desert.
"this--"
He patted the cold metal surface of the control panel, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of excitement and absolute control:
"I'm a professional."