RHWHEG – Chapter 84 The New Administrator

On the screen appeared neatly arranged pipes with their connectors pointing in random directions. Their shapes could be categorized as “L,” “T,” “C,” and “I.” The player had to rotate the pipe connectors so that the pipeline ran smoothly from the starting point to the endpoint.

At the beginning it was very simple. As long as you worked backward from the pipes with fixed connectors, the blue liquid would flow smoothly from the faucet to the destination. Later, the difficulty increased, with liquids of different colors added. The player needed to design the routing of the pipes so that the liquids would not connect with one another, yet could still all reach their respective endpoints.

But these challenges were nothing to mini-game expert Yu Qunqing. He cleared the levels quickly. Correspondingly, the pipeline system hidden beneath the shelter underwent earth-shaking changes.

Five main water pipes now ran straight through both ends of the shelter, ensuring sufficient water pressure everywhere. The smaller pipes no longer crossed over one another in space, instead delivering water to points of use along the shortest paths and with the highest efficiency. After meticulous calculations by the AI, the new pipeline system used 30% less material than the old one.

Likewise, it also saved electricity needed to keep the pipes at a constant temperature. The cable routes were scientifically redesigned as well, reducing their length and thus reducing transmission loss. For example, where the power plant originally output 200 amps and only 177 amps reached the residential area, now 190 amps could be delivered. So the most noticeable change was—

The residents in the residential area slept better.

Yu Qunqing also felt a little sleepy, but if the shelter were compared to a game, then the residents were uncontrollable variables. A competent player would prepare all tasks before dawn. Players didn’t need sleep.

At this moment, She Lulang set an iron rack over the nearby campfire, took some food from Li Yue Bai and the others, and prepared to grill a late-night snack. Yu Qunqing multitasked, grilling food and eating with him. Neither of them was particularly good at cooking, but as long as it didn’t turn into charcoal, it was a victory.

Games and late-night snacks were the perfect match!

…

The next day, residents who had slept soundly emerged from their cramped rooms. Their day usually began with breakfast at the canteen. Those with high credit points could enjoy more options, and some people even worked at the canteen.

But now, all of that was gone. People who had earned credit points at the canteen came back with long faces, saying they had been laid off. The canteen now had only ten head chefs, cooking huge pots of food to feed twenty thousand people.

The residents began to anxiously look back toward the research center on higher ground. They knew the new administrator was there.

“What does the new administrator want to do? He’s not going to starve us all, is he…?”

“Ten chefs cooking for twenty thousand people—how good can that food be?”

Still, out of habit, the residents gathered in front of the canteen and found a long line already formed. A notice beside it read: “Today’s breakfast costs zero credit points, but each person must replace their access card to receive food.”

If it didn’t cost credit points, then even bad food was acceptable.

An access card was equivalent to a resident’s ID card. Everyone carried one, so replacing it wasn’t a big deal.

Because people had already prepared themselves mentally for the new administrator to be an eccentric, seeing such a gentle notice instead made it easy for everyone to accept.

The original access cards had been specially made from the bones of calamities, with holes manually punched by fire-element ability users. Last night, Yu Qunqing had upgraded many projects using electricity and computing power, including “Personal Identification Cards.” After the upgrade, the project was still just an empty blueprint—it required materials to be turned into a real item. Fortunately, there were some discarded water pipes left over from the night before. Yu Qunqing re-forged them in the “Other Operations Area – Steel Refining Furnace.”

The shelter AI hadn’t unlocked the technology for manufacturing chips. Instead, it analyzed the existing materials and determined that a certain type of calamity stone could possess magnetism. The stones were sliced thin, embedded with different coils, and used to record information through changes in magnetic fields. Finally, they were pressed into cards using a new material. The new access cards were jet black overall, with smooth edges, and serial numbers engraved on the casing. When residents received them, they felt as if they were participating in a ritual ushering them into a new life.

After obtaining the new cards, the entire shelter’s border defenses, access permissions, and trading model changed dramatically. No extra manpower was needed anymore; instead, newly produced AI devices demagnetized each access card to record changes in information. If a card was completely demagnetized, all its data had to be stored in a terminal, and the resident would then switch to a second card. The drawback of this new technology was higher material consumption, but as the AI’s computing power improved, it would eventually calculate a more material-efficient solution.

“Half of the border guard staff have come back!”

“And today the ability hall, research center, factory zone, and agricultural zone are all closed! What do you think—should we go ask the new administrator about the follow-up plan?”

“Without these permanent jobs… are we going to have to go out ourselves to look for calamity stones to exchange? We—we won’t survive.”

The residents never imagined that their first major problem would be a wave of unemployment!

Ordinary people grew restless. In contrast, ability users were much calmer. They knew they were the backbone of the shelter’s infrastructure, and therefore wouldn’t act rashly and let themselves be controlled by the new administrator. This was their invisible standoff with him.

The research center stood on higher ground, as if overlooking the twenty thousand residents in the residential area.

At just the right moment, the AI issued a new command.

“Good morning, survivors of the shelter. The Jiangbei City Shelter now announces temporary work assignments. All residents are encouraged to participate.”

“It seems the new administrator is short-handed,” someone analyzed quietly. “Otherwise, he’d form a dedicated publicity team like the old research center to issue commands. How nice a publicity team would be—we residents could just grab them and ask questions directly, making sure tasks weren’t miscommunicated. Will anyone really listen to AI?”

“I think this actually increases the sense of distance…” some residents said uneasily. “Not knowing who the new administrator is is one thing, but now we can’t even see the face of the one issuing the tasks…”

The AI’s broadcast drowned out the buzzing discussions like a swarm of bees:

“First temporary task: cleaning the residential area.”

Cleaning?

The entire residential area included not only where they lived, but also washing zones and public toilets…

Previously, they had no energy to pay attention to environmental hygiene. They simply scattered disinfectant powder layer by layer and called it a day. It didn’t look very good… but it worked!

It was just corrosive to the skin. Ever since the weather had turned colder, the air quality in Jiangbei City had been getting worse and worse.

“This AI has already assigned work zones for all residents. Please clock in and check at the access control points of the cleaning areas. Residents who complete this temporary work can obtain residency rights for LV3 housing. First come, first served.”

The AI continued broadcasting.

People looked at the access cards in their hands, then at the many new access control points that had appeared throughout the shelter, and immediately understood the new administrator’s plan!

“We live in Level-2 buildings, right… actually that’s good enough. Crowded together, it’s not too cold,” people instinctively resisted change, using similar reasoning to convince themselves.

But some hearts had already begun to waver. Neighborhood relations in the shelter were far from harmonious. If this was a chance to escape their original living environment, why not take it?

The first to step forward was a middle-aged man. Under the disapproving gazes of others, he walked to the access control point and received a bamboo broom and a bamboo basket. The AI told him his cleaning area was the corridor of the small residential units. He had originally thought he’d be cleaning toilets, so upon hearing this, he was overjoyed. He rushed off and swept all the trash from the corridor. But the task turned out to be more complicated than expected—he had to spray de-icing agent, shovel away gray ice, sort the garbage, and carry it to the recycling station in another operations area.

After finishing, he ran back quickly and stood beside the access control point like a victorious general. As expected, the AI added new permissions to his access card and guided him toward the edge of the residential area.

Some people had already noticed something unusual there, but assumed it was housing for high-level ability users. They hadn’t expected it to belong to an ordinary middle-aged man. Their gazes followed him, and they saw the LV3 housing.

Previously, residences were rectangular, tightly packed together like steps. They required more heating equipment and cables, resulting in higher material loss. The new LV3 housing was hexagonal, with two floors connected by an external ladder. The roof was conical. The AI had calculated that this shape was better for insulation and snow resistance. Inside the roof was a small attic where residents could store items.

Each floor consisted of six triangular rooms. The heating and water supply systems were located at the very center, able to serve all directions at once without letting any heat escape. Each room was about eighteen square meters and could accommodate two to three people. There was no furniture yet. In the apocalypse, this was more than enough for a pair of sisters or a family.

“Hurry and go do the tasks!” the middle-aged man urged his family excitedly. He used his access card to unlock the door and looked inside with great satisfaction. The old rooms had been small and narrow like coffins, cramming in more than six people at a time. Now, after the housing upgrade, the space was finally larger. Even if the layout was a bit strange, it would definitely be more comfortable! He hoped his family could all move in together.

At this moment, the second person to complete the task discovered another difference in the new housing.

Previously, roommates had been assigned randomly. A family might be split across different dorms, entirely depending on which room they’d managed to grab at the time. Now, the AI had upgraded its “housing allocation analysis” function. It reassigned houses based on family units and the order in which residents completed tasks, reducing conflicts between neighbors. Moreover, moving in required unlocking the access control, eliminating malicious incidents such as forced occupation.

The second person to finish the task wasn’t familiar with the middle-aged man. He chose another triangular room opposite him, then encouraged his former roommates to move in together with him.

In the post-apocalyptic era, intact land resources were exceptionally scarce. People had long grown used to living without privacy, and would consciously find compatible roommates to band together and get by.

With a reminder from those two, everyone suddenly understood and hurried to grab the right to move into the new housing.

But at the moment there was only one hexagonal residential building, and its twelve rooms were snapped up almost instantly.

When it came to the residents who ended up without a room, their faces went pale. They were almost ready to curse this new policy—they didn’t fear scarcity, only unfairness. They couldn’t accept it.

“Hello, human. Your access card has been updated with residency rights for an LV3 residence (not yet constructed),” the AI reminded them in a timely manner, forcing the anger that was about to erupt back down their throats.

The AI explained: “If you wish to move into an LV3 residence immediately, you may follow the instructions to collect explosives and demolish an LV2 residence as prompted. Bring the materials to other work zones, and construction materials for a new residence will be generated. Construction workers will then build the new structure for you.”

Although many people had lost their jobs, construction workers hadn’t—they were still working in other zones.

With the AI providing a solution, the residents who had been pushed to the brink of anger deflated again. Tear down old houses to make room for new ones—this sounded reasonable enough. And the reason they couldn’t move in right away was simply because they’d been a step too slow. Why not just do as instructed? People naturally gravitate toward stability; without realizing it, many residents had already convinced themselves that this plan made sense.

But blowing up an old residence wasn’t something one person could do alone. Luggage had to be moved, furniture carried out. Over twenty thousand residents began discussing it among themselves. Gradually, more and more people took the initiative to go to the access point and accept tasks.

“Crack—bang—”

The first explosion rang out, and the tin-coffin-style housing collapsed. Other buildings followed, crashing down one after another, reminiscent of firecrackers during the Spring Festival. Some onlookers, used to watching the spectacle, clapped to liven things up, prompting a few residents to stiffly force faint smiles.

“A building we’ve lived in for over half a year… it’s collapsing. And we’ve survived this long too…”

“When is the Spring Festival, anyway? Does anyone still remember the calendar?”

The conversation drifted elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the high-level ability users stood aside, aloof and self-important, coldly watching those who got to work, their expressions distinctly sour.

In the past, they’d wielded considerable influence in the shelter. Today, however, they were completely ignored. One hexagonal residential building after another rose up, and rare smiles appeared on the residents’ faces.

“Finally I won’t wake others just by turning over in bed—and there are partitions. Before, someone else’s bedboard was practically pressing against my nose.”

“The new place is so warm! There’s even a little loft—if only we could dry something up there!”

Residents who moved into the new housing clearly felt their happiness increase, and much of their dissatisfaction with the new administrator faded away. The residential area became festive like never before.

At this moment, a high-level ability user grabbed his underling. “What are you doing? Going to sweep floors too? What’s the rush! That new administrator will come buttering us up with gifts sooner or later. We’ll get a big house then!”

“With your great abilities, you’ll definitely get a big house,” the underling replied obsequiously. “But I heard others say that the later you take a task, the more likely you’ll be assigned to clean toilets! I—I… you know I don’t carry much weight with the new administrator. I—I… I don’t want to clean toilets!”

With that, he ran off, leaving the high-level ability user staring in shock.

This move by the new administrator was really vicious!

Even the underlings who had firmly supported them before were starting to waver. They didn’t have strength as backing, and the bosses they followed didn’t seem particularly loyal either. Of course they were going to take tasks—the later you did, the more likely you’d end up cleaning toilets!

If everyone had to clean toilets, they might’ve just slacked off together. But those who took tasks first cleaned muddy ground and moved straight in; those who went later blew up houses and swept floors to move in; and they would have to clean toilets and blow up houses to move in… The more they compared, the more outrageous the loss felt.

Several underlings exchanged looks, gritted their teeth, and ran off right in front of their boss!

The LV2 ability users grew even more displeased, their faces dark as ink. One of them cautiously went to inspect the cleaning work area, and when he returned, he looked relieved.

“No need to worry, everyone. According to the AI’s allocation, everyone’s cleaning area is the same size. And the cleaning zone will be finished very soon. So… the ones who take tasks last won’t have to clean at all!”

The LV2 ability users were delighted and regained their composure. They even drove all their underlings to clean toilets, so the underlings wouldn’t have to handle the finishing work later. Feeling deeply aggrieved, those underlings, once gone, didn’t want to come back.

Thus, the power base of the ability users began to crumble bit by bit.

Before long, the entire residential area had been cleaned. People could clearly feel the air flowing more freely; the burning sensation on their skin eased, and the scenery before their eyes felt refreshing. The roads were neat and free of trash, no longer forcing them to step numbly through filth. Even the vague resistance they used to feel toward public toilets vanished. It turned out the environment had never been clean—they’d simply grown used to it and ignored the grime. The brand-new houses seemed like their brand-new future.

“We should also give the new administrator some face,” the LV2 ability users said, swaggering over to the access point to clock in. They’d already made concessions, hoping the new administrator would be more sensible.

“Hello, human,” the AI said. “You are now assigned a second temporary task: you will be added to the temporary construction team to build the remaining residences.”

What?

Cleaning toilets was dirty work; building houses was hard labor! They weren’t going to do that—they already worked hard enough protecting the shelter!

But the gazes of the other residents were already fixed on them.

The original construction team was small, and building progressed slowly. There were still many residents lined up waiting. If these ability users refused to help, they would be harming everyone else’s interests.

Surrounded by hostile stares, the ability users were instantly caught in a dilemma.

“Since everyone needs it, of course I’ll do what little I can,” some ability users said, unwilling to make enemies of the entire shelter.

A few, however, were extremely stubborn. “I’m not going to be a laborer working myself to death!” one shouted, trying to kick apart the access gate. Unexpectedly, several claws shot out from the gate first, each palm fitted with a rope launcher.

“Detected intent to violate public security regulations. Please remain calm, or the security team will intervene. Violators will be confined in the □□ Zone. Currently available □□ Zones include: Basement Level One of the Research Center.”

“Basement level one—wasn’t that where we did experiments before?” said an experimental subject who had escaped from there. Their abilities were strong, but they were especially weak physically, so they’d taken cleaning tasks early. They looked at the intact LV2 ability users with a mix of disgust, pity, and schadenfreude.

Stung by those looks, the enraged ability user cooled down as if doused with cold water. Right—how had they forgotten that the team backing the new administrator was unfathomably powerful? With no strong allies now, it wasn’t wise to provoke conflict.

And so, the construction team suddenly gained several capable hands. Using abilities, people transported new materials, laid foundations, and installed hot water pipes. Narrow passageways were left between each new residence, arranged neatly like a honeycomb. By noon, the new homes for over twenty thousand people were finally completed. Cheers erupted as people moved in.

Housing was not distributed equally. For example, important researchers and ability users with high credit points could each get a single triangular room, no longer needing roommates. This imbalance actually soothed some people—if everyone ate from the same pot, there’d be no motivation to climb upward.

“Life is really good now…” Last night, Yu Qunqing had sighed after seeing the AI’s new projections. “I’m pretty sure our residential area stayed LV2 all through my previous life…”

In his previous life, he’d been a dignified LV5—and still had to squeeze into one room with She Lulang!

Though later on… ahem…

Yu Qunqing wasn’t the type to tear others’ umbrellas just because he’d once been caught in the rain. He generously approved this distribution plan.

At noon, the cafeteria reopened for a second time, this time using a staggered schedule. Those with higher privileges could eat first, which made the ability users feel even more considered. Though the food was just mushy vegetable patties, the portions were large and filling, bringing them some comfort.

In reality, everyone got enough mush to eat their fill; the ability users’ privilege was merely a more spacious dining hall.

The handover between the old and new administrations proceeded smoothly. People trusted the new administrator more, and many conflicts quietly dissipated.

In the afternoon, the AI continued issuing tasks:

“The frequency of external exploration missions from the Ability Hall will be reduced…”

“Most people, please go to the agricultural zone and other work zones to select new occupations.”

When people arrived at the fields, they found many machines shut down. Confused, they still chose work aligned with their skills—plowing, sowing, turning soil, insulation…

“There used to be very few jobs in these two zones,” residents couldn’t help comparing. “I thought machinery had advanced so much that manual labor wasn’t needed, and most manpower was used for external exploration.”

Their gazes drifted toward the picky high-level ability users. “That’s why the old research center especially favored them.”

“Now it seems there are plenty of development opportunities here!”

“And with fewer external expeditions, the medical burden is lighter. Defensive equipment wears out less too. We actually could… be self-sufficient?”

Some residents formed a bold conclusion in their hearts, but kept it to themselves. They continued completing the AI’s temporary tasks, upgrading all the farm equipment.

With twenty thousand people building together, the agricultural zone and other work zones were upgraded to LV4 before nightfall. The AI developed more planting methods, and farm productivity rose further.

Other professions opened up one after another. The cafeteria began recruiting chefs again, producing tastier food at higher prices. The security team needed more people to assist with access control. Many new roles appeared—maintenance workers, steel forgers, smelters, assembly-line inspectors. In just one day, ordinary people’s lives gradually stabilized—and even improved.

“I’m certain now…” residents said loudly in private. “This new administrator is a true infrastructure expert!”

“The old research center was always doing research, but never developed tech that made us happier. Sigh… specialization really matters.”

At this point, it was the researchers and high-level ability users who grew anxious. The research center and Ability Hall remained closed; their research skills and exploration abilities had nowhere to be used. The new administrator didn’t meet with them either—was he planning to settle accounts with them?

Did they have to submit their résumés proactively?!

Research Center.

Lin Luyi and Dong Changxin were playing badminton in the spacious second floor. Sun Min had just lost a match and was sitting nearby keeping score. Li Yuebo was pulling an all-nighter organizing the research center’s documents.

Yu Qunqing was teaching Tang Qianjiang how to operate the AI. Big-budget AAA games were fun, but unfortunately you couldn’t fast-forward technology at double speed. And he couldn’t always be in the shelter—some decisions had to be made by the shelter’s people themselves.

“You’re giving me authority? Aren’t you afraid I might… ch-change later?” Tang Qianjiang asked, stuttering.

“I’ve seen what you’re like in the future,” Yu Qunqing said calmly after eating a piece of meat charred to carbon. “But if you really change your mind, there’s nothing I can do. That’s fate.”

Tang Qianjiang wished he could swear to the heavens. “I’ll never forget my original intentions!” He then took notes in earnest.

“Ding-dong!”

The system emerged from the wall at just the right moment.

“Your friend has submitted a job request in Mediterranean Butler: Love Match Elimination. Do you accept?”

Yu Qunqing: “Of course.” He thought the café was recruiting again.

System: “Mm… this result matches the system’s projections…”

Sensing something odd, Yu Qunqing opened the request—only to discover it came from the Fourth Ring?

—A massive wave of community residents, following severed remains, had already made their way to the ice-sealed Fourth Ring!