Chapter Twenty-One: Founding the City

Through the dense fog, a majestic city came into view. Above the city gate hung a plaque bearing three crimson characters: Bone City.

At the gate, a squad of skeleton soldiers, armed with bone knives and bone bows, inspected the undead creatures entering and leaving. A long line of all kinds of bizarre undead creatures waited patiently to be checked before entering or exiting the city. Beyond the gate stretched a broad avenue bustling with many revenants. If not for the heavy aura of death permeating the air, one might mistake it for a thriving metropolis.

“Top-grade ancient skeletal arms! Equip these and you’ll be a one-punch man!” a zombie over two meters tall shouted, hawking his wares.

“Clothes worn by the King of Ghosts! Don’t miss out—only one black stone!” a vampire, humanoid in appearance, yelled.

At that moment, a towering black skeleton about five meters tall approached and said, “I tolerated that skeletal arm just now. You—come here and tell me, how does a ghost wear clothes?”

Upon hearing this, the vampire instantly unleashed an aura at the peak of level three power, his blood-red eyes fixed on the giant skeleton.

“Oh dear, how could I forget? Ghosts love wearing clothes...” the giant skeleton muttered as he shuffled past the stall.

The long avenue echoed with continuous cries of merchants. Undead creatures of all shapes and forms, strange and peculiar, filled the streets. Unfortunately, Shen Yi was unable to observe them all for the time being.

At this moment, a drifting ghost flew toward the tallest building at the center of the city.

Inside the dimly lit great hall, the Skeleton King sat dazed on his throne. His heavy armor gleamed as it was polished to a shine, black mist swirling around the plates. A golden crown sat slightly askew on his skull, with flickers of golden light wandering across it. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he lifted his pale golden skull, his two ghostly white eyes fixed on the main entrance of the hall.

The ghost nearing the hall felt a chilling aura wash over him. As a creature of cold and darkness, he sensed a powerful pressure for a moment, causing him to pause midair. Then, he slowly floated close to the floor and drifted into the hall through the main gate.

“Reporting: the reconnaissance squad has been completely wiped out. From a distance, I observed that the edges of the Boundless Forest are filled with explosive spiders. Their power is immense—even level three creatures cannot withstand more than a few hits!” the ghost humbly reported while pressed to the floor.

“It seems humans are reckless. No matter. Do we have any countermeasures against these explosive spiders?”

“No effective methods yet. The spiders hide underground and only emerge when approached. Zani tried throwing concealed weapons to intercept them. These creatures can also fly short distances; if they fly over, they must reach a certain height!”

“Hm. Since we cannot enter, do not force the issue for now. You lead a hundred ghosts to monitor the Boundless Forest day and night. Report back immediately if there’s any activity.”

“Yes, my lord!” The ghost slowly floated out of the hall.

“Puppeteer? Humans truly are an intriguing race. I would very much like to meet this fascinating human puppeteer...” The hollow voice of the Skeleton King echoed through the empty hall.

Thus, the continent returned to a relative peace. Shen Yi cherished this calm. The bodies on the battlefield of the Sky Beastmen had finally been collected. Over three million units of crystal energy bolstered Shen Yi’s confidence to seize control of the Boundless Forest.

At this moment, a splendid building shrouded in celestial mist rose from the ground. Shen Yi established the Divine Race base diagonally opposite the Human and Insect bases. For now, the Human base remained the main focus; the Insect and Divine races would gradually discover this.

Shen Yi’s mission panel shifted.

The first task displayed: “Build a city. Shelter 100,000 humans!” No time limit. The reward: summon a hero of the Human race. A note indicated that units led by a racial hero would gain a 10% boost in combat power.

Currently, Shen Yi’s Human base comprised 10,000 machine gunners, 2,000 flamethrowers, 500 battlefield medics, 50 ghost operatives, 100 vulture tanks, 50 siege tanks, 10 transport aircraft, and 5 ghost fighter jets. All units were currently at a moderate level of offense and defense; reaching level three was too difficult, so Shen Yi planned to let researchers study upgrades gradually.

The Insect forces, led by Yang Dianfeng, were also developing rapidly. However, a drawback was their apparent disinterest in upgrading. They had produced many troops—10,000 raptors ran wildly through the jungle, driving away most magical beasts. Those who could flee did so; those who couldn’t were eliminated by the Overlord. Yang Dianfeng produced only a few other units, showing a clear fondness for the raptors.

As for the Divine Race, their newly built base, though beautiful, was ineffective. Machine gunners patrolled around, but development was slow because Shen Yi’s funds were limited. Maintaining all forces required significant expenditure, so he reserved 300,000 crystals for emergencies.

As his forces grew, subtle changes occurred in Shen Yi’s personality. He launched another satellite into orbit, expanding their surveillance coverage considerably. The base’s AI constantly monitored every movement along the Eastern Avenue.

Life for humans on the border was harsh—always facing alien slaughter and extortion from their own kind. Shen Yi, educated in his past life, could not stand by. He quietly documented these actions, storing the records for future reckoning.

Next, the headache was building the city. To do so required people. Many scouts had ventured into the Boundless Forest and perished—destroyed by spider mines and siege tanks. Could he simply tell them to come and not be bombed? Who would believe that? After all, life was precious.

With no better options, Shen Yi called Director Wang. “Director Wang, I want to ask you something—I want to build a city for fun.”

It was already dark. Wang Sheng, dining with the Integrated City Lord, had just finished a glass of wine—only to accidentally spray it onto his companion’s face. The City Lord looked bewildered but said nothing. Wang Sheng answered the call while walking outside, saying, “Senior, I didn’t catch what you said—you want to play what?” Approaching the threshold, he jumped over it with a small hop. The City Lord watched, even more puzzled, thinking: “What’s wrong with him? The threshold is meant to be stepped over, not jumped.”

“I want to build a city, one where people can live. Do you have any good ideas?”

“Senior, you’re not joking, are you? Building a city is no small matter. You might face oppression from various races! The Boundless Forest is unclaimed land, but this isn’t a game!”

“I just want to expand human living space. Don’t worry; I can protect the area. What I’m lacking most now is people. Help me think of a way.”

“People are easier. I can arrange for many to relocate. The Emperor’s side will need to be informed. When do you plan to build the city?”

“I plan to start tonight and expect it to be ready by tomorrow.”

Wang Sheng was stunned. Did Shen Yi think building a city was like playing with mud as a child? One night and a city is done? Why not shoot for the stars? Shaking his head to confirm he wasn’t drunk, he said, “I’ll figure out how to get people. As long as there’s a city.”

“Good, I appreciate it, Director.”

After hanging up, Wang Sheng felt dizzy. This commander never failed to surprise him—always springing a royal flush when least expected. As he headed back inside, the City Lord reminded him, “Threshold.”

“Ah!” Wang Sheng exclaimed as if recalling something, reflexively jumping over the threshold again. He glanced back with a slight smile, thinking, “Trying to trip me up? I’ve tolerated you long enough.”

“Wang, the commander called you, right? What was it about? Did you ask for me? I want that vulture tank!”

“Oh, I forgot. I’ll call the commander back shortly to ask about the price.”

“Then stop eating and drinking...”

“So pragmatic?”

“Mm!”

“Don’t be so stingy. After dinner, I’ll take you out for a drive. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. It’s less crowded at night—perfect to test the vulture tank’s top speed!”

“Alright...”

In the base command hall, Shen Yi looked at the large screen and asked, “How many crystals to build an additional Human base?”

The base’s electronic voice replied, “An additional Human base requires 100,000 crystals.”

“100,000?” Shen Yi exclaimed.

“100,000.”

“Then build it on the outskirts of the forest!”

“Please confirm the construction location,” the screen displayed a map of the Boundless Forest.

Shen Yi selected a site about a mile from the forest’s edge to ensure faster support.

He then dialed the Emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire for the first time.

At that moment, Emperor Meide was preparing for rest with his consort when his phone suddenly rang. He answered, puzzled.

“Hello, I am the commander. I want to build a city for fun!”