Chapter 86: Revenge. Xue Yu Sets Up the People of the White Tower.
The square was in an uproar.
Bai Long walked out of the Manster Building. She looked very young, dressed in a silver-black leather suit. Her straight, shoulder-length hair was also silver-black. Her entire color scheme blended with the metal buildings of the White Tower.
“Everyone, it is you who need the White Tower, not the White Tower that needs you.”
“You are like parasites living in the White Tower, bringing a burden to the White Tower. I shelter you, so that the White Tower has no crime, no viruses, no natural disasters, and you are still greedy enough to want to reproduce.”
She looked at everyone, her eyes as sharp as an ice blade, glinting with a cold light. “I’ll give you a choice. Those who want to find Xue Yu and follow her to open up a new safe zone can leave now.”
No one below made a sound.
Zhou Siyan, Feng Qizhou, Mo Li, and Meng Wu were all standing together. The few of them looked at each other in silence.
After a moment, Zhou Siyan stepped forward with Xue Xiaohai in his arms. “I choose to leave the White Tower.”
Bai Long’s gaze rested on him, looking at the position tag on his chest. “Director of the Security Division, Zhou Siyan.”
A look of disgust flashed in her dark pupils. Then she said, “Yan Wantang, the Director of the Security Division, Zhou Siyan, wants to leave the White Tower. Calculate his debt.”
“Yes.”
Yan Wantang’s expression was also grave. She cautiously went to Bai Long’s side and used the tablet in her hand to check Zhou Siyan’s identity data.
“Zhou Siyan, as a high-ranking military officer, if you want to leave the White Tower, you have to pay for the large amount of cultivation resources that the White Tower has invested in you.”
The educational resources of the White Tower were free. Now, Yan Wantang had to start calculating from the time when Zhou Siyan was still in the nursery.
Yan Wantang kept calculating. “From birth to the age of three, Zhou Siyan lived in the White Tower’s nursery and now needs to pay the White Tower 1.42 million New Dollars; from the age of three to six, Zhou Siyan attended the White Tower’s Eighth Kindergarten and now needs to pay the White Tower 2.66 million New Dollars…”
From the nursery to the kindergarten, and then to primary school, middle school, and university military academy, everything was calculated.
Feng Qizhou clicked his tongue and whispered to Meng Wu, “I’ve heard that high-ranking military officers have to pay a fee to leave the White Tower, but I didn’t expect it to be calculated like this.”
Meng Wu’s lips were pressed into a straight line. “I’m afraid there’s more.”
Yan Wantang’s fingers tapped on the tablet screen quickly. She continued:
“From birth to the present, Zhou Siyan has lived in the White Tower for 24 years, 3 months, and 12 days, which is 8862 days. Excluding the days he was on field missions outside the White Tower, Zhou Siyan has actually been in the White Tower for 7985 days.”
“An ordinary person breathes about 15 to 20 cubic meters of air per day. Based on an average of 18 cubic meters per day, Zhou Siyan has consumed a total of 143,730 cubic meters of the White Tower’s air and needs to pay the White Tower an air consumption fee of 1.26 billion New Dollars.”
After calculating the air consumption fee, she began to calculate the water fee.
The people of the White Tower had always used water for free. Now, they had to start from the beginning. In the end, the water fee was calculated to be 600 million.
Then she calculated the compensation fee that Zhou Siyan needed to pay after he took office.
Including the floor wear and tear fee during his tenure, the computer keyboard consumption fee, the office chair cushion collapse fee…
It took a full half hour to calculate.
Finally, Yan Wantang said, “Before Zhou Siyan leaves the White Tower, he needs to pay the White Tower 85,589,381,290 New Dollars.”
Then, Yan Wantang looked at Xue Xiaohai, who was being held by Zhou Siyan.
“From the day you returned to the White Tower from the South Continent, Xue Xiaohai should have lived in the White Tower for 267 days. The air consumption fee will be calculated at a minimum of 15 cubic meters. She has consumed a total of 4005 cubic meters of air and needs to pay 83.22 million New Dollars.”
“In addition, she owes the White Tower 10,000 points. The points can be converted into cash. And then there’s the floor wear and tear fee and so on.”
“Then, before Xue Lanshan leaves, she needs to pay the White Tower 3.2674 billion New Dollars.”
Yan Wantang smiled at Zhou Siyan. “May I ask if it’s cash or transfer?”
“I want to find Mommy…” Xue Xiaohai held onto Zhou Siyan tightly with both hands.
Yan Wantang said to the child gently, “You have to pay first before you can go and find Mommy.”
Xue Xiaohai took out a small biscuit from her pocket. “I don’t have any money. I only have this. Can I use this?”
Yan Wantang took the small biscuit, threw it into her mouth, and laughed. “No, you can’t, little illiterate. A biscuit is not money.”
Zhou Siyan said, “If I can’t pay this much, what should I do?”
Yan Wantang: “Then you have to stay and work to pay off your debt.”
Thus, Zhou Siyan and Xue Xiaohai, Feng Qizhou and Xiaobei and Xiaonan were issued an expulsion order. And because they could not pay the debt for the time being, they could only stay in the White Tower to continue to work to repay the debt.
Feng Qizhou said, “I knew this would be the result. The capable ones can’t leave if they want to, and the good-for-nothings can’t stay if they want to.”
After Bai Long left, the crowd gathered in the square dispersed.
Zhou Siyan held the child and walked back with Feng Qizhou, saying in a low voice, “Let’s hold on for a few more days. After Mo Li has his baby, we’ll find a way to see if we can sneak away.”
Feng Qizhou carried one child on his back and held one in his arms. “I’m afraid it will be difficult. Even if we escape to the island with Xue Yu, the people of the White Tower will chase after us for the debt. Life will never be peaceful.”
In the depths of his heart, Feng Qizhou was still unwilling to leave the White Tower. He lowered his voice even more. “Bai Long has been managing the White Tower for so long. It’s time for her to step down…”
He raised an eyebrow and continued, “Don’t you think that Xue Yu is more suitable to lead the White Tower to a better future? She’s so warm, and everyone likes her.”
He lowered his head and nuzzled Xue Xiaobei’s cheek. “If Xue Yu becomes the supreme leader of the White Tower, our Xiaobei will be considered the eldest legitimate daughter.”
Zhou Siyan switched Xue Xiaohai to his other arm. “I was pregnant for longer than you.”
***
Bai Long returned to her private office on the top floor of the Manster Building. Yan Wantang followed behind, her heart pounding.
Bai Long sat down on the sofa. Yuxin and Jintong stood behind her respectively.
“Wantang, I’m very disappointed in you,” Bai Long said slowly. “You actually allowed someone to have a child in the White Tower, and the three children have been living in the White Tower for so long.”
Yan Wantang hurriedly bowed*. “I’m very sorry! I found out a long time ago, but you were in seclusion, so I couldn’t report the situation to you.”*
Yan Wantang had the rank of general. The position of head of affairs did not sound like it had a specific direction.
But she could manage anything, from the position transfers of the White Tower, to military logistics, to the research and development of weapons in the military factory… as long as she wanted to, she could have a hand in it.
During Bai Long’s seclusion, it was basically Yan Wantang who was in control of the major and minor affairs of the White Tower.
“Then now, how should we deal with Xue Yu and her men and children?” Yan Wantang asked for instructions.
Bai Long said, “Let’s wait for a while. This is a very tricky matter. Xue Yu is not from this world. Her arrival has disrupted the progress of the White Tower. I’m also considering how to completely erase the traces of her existence, so that she won’t interfere with the future of the White Tower.”
“What do you mean, not from this world?” Yan Wantang’s pupils constricted.
“You wouldn’t understand. You can go down first,” Bai Long’s face was ashen.
“Okay.”
***
When Zhou Siyan returned home, he used the internal channel to make a fixed-line call to Xue Yu. Xue Yu was at sea, and the signal was too weak. It took several calls to get through.
“Zhou Siyan, what’s wrong?” Xue Yu had not yet completely recovered from the terrible dream.
Zhou Siyan was brief and told her about the matter of her spiritual landscape being invaded by Bai Long. “Bai Long used her spiritual power as a link to let everyone in the White Tower enter your spiritual landscape and complete a virtual experience.”
“Are you talking about that dream?” Xue Yu told him everything about the dream she had.
Zhou Siyan said, “That’s right. It’s as if everyone in the White Tower entered your dream, and everyone knew that it was a dream, but you didn’t.”
Xue Yu almost slammed the table. “Then the matter of me having a bunch of children with one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten men was also watched by everyone?”
Zhou Siyan: “Yes. Don’t worry too much. No one saw the details.”
“What’s the difference between this and going to the bathroom in public!” Xue Yu gritted her teeth in anger. She had thought it was her own dream, but it turned out to be a game of the people of the White Tower!
Zhou Siyan then told her that he and Feng Qizhou had been issued an expulsion order and needed to repay a huge debt to the White Tower.
Xue Yu slapped her forehead. “Damn it! The old saying is right. Children are their parents’ debt. I’m in so much debt just by having a few babies.”
Zhou Siyan: “Let’s hold on for a few more days. After Mo Li has his baby, and the baby in the incubator no longer needs Meng Wu to transmit spiritual power, we’ll see what to do next.”
“Okay. I’ll deliver the goods to the South Continent, go to the island to check the situation, and then go back to the White Tower.”
The thought of her dream being invaded by the entire population of the White Tower, and them messing with the plot and corrupting her, made Xue Yu furious.
Judge by actions, not by heart. She was indeed a little promiscuous, but she hadn’t hurt anyone. How could they publicly execute her like this?
This matter can’t just be let go. I’m at odds with you!
Xue Yu rushed on, first delivering the second-hand weapons on the cargo ship to the South Continent and getting the commission.
She then urgently set sail, taking the warship and the submarine towards the island.
As soon as she got on the island, she saw that everyone on the island was happily packing their luggage.
“What are you doing?” Xue Yu pulled Wenying and asked.
Wenying’s eyebrows were filled with joy. “Xue Yu, when you were not here, someone swam to the South Continent to buy things. They found out some new news. Did a riot happen in the White Tower half a month ago, and a lot of people died?”
“That’s right. It’s a tragic event,” Xue Yu held her head high. “I promise you, our new Shanhai Safe Zone will definitely not have a riot like the White Tower.”
Wenying patted Xue Yu’s hand. “This war is a good thing. So many people died, which means that there are job vacancies. We will definitely be able to find a job when we go back to the White Tower!”
“Huh? You’re going back to the White Tower?”
Several workers picked up their bags and came over to shake hands with Xue Yu and say goodbye. “We have to go back to the White Tower in the end. The White Tower is everyone’s home. This island is good, but we’re not used to living here. It doesn’t feel like home.”
Everyone cheered and left, rushing to board the cargo ship that Xue Yu had brought. “Xue Yu, we’re going home! Thank you for your care during this time!”
They waved at her from the deck.
Xue Yu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She picked up a stone and threw it at the ship. “If you want to go back, just go back! What’s the meaning of stealing my ship?”
The workers said, “This is a working cargo ship of the White Tower, not your private ship.”
“White Tower, I’m at odds with you!”
Xue Yu shouted at the top of her lungs, watching as the workers sailed the cargo ship away.
She was too lazy to fight with them and walked onto the island by herself.
Rows of wooden houses, strips of dirt roads. These workers had not slacked off. The basic construction of the island was quite plausible.
She sat on the highest slope of the island for a long time.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have thought of saving the people of the White Tower, shouldn’t have led the people of the White Tower to build a new collective safe zone.
It would have been fine to just build her own safe zone, bring the men and children over, and live a simple life as a family, relying on fishing for a living.
The White Tower had its own order. She couldn’t shake it.
A long shadow came over. Youke’en sat down on the grass beside her and leaned his head on her shoulder. “Xue Yu, I also want to go back to the White Tower.”
“Go back then. I won’t stop you,” Xue Yu said coldly.
Youke’en didn’t say any more, just quietly leaned against her.
Xue Yu calmed down for a long time and stood up. “Go back. I do have to go back. I have to go and get my husband and children. I have to talk to Bai Long and find a solution. I can’t just let Zhou Siyan and the others work to death in the White Tower.”
“Okay.”
Youke’en made a table full of seafood for her. The two of them ate happily and then went to start the warship that Xue Yu had brought, sailing towards the White Tower.
***
Zhou Siyan and Feng Qizhou continued to return to their work.
Their accounts were all frozen, and their salaries were also stopped. All their savings and salaries had to be used to repay the huge debt of the White Tower.
Their workload had doubled, and their food quota had been compressed. There were only energy supplements and compressed rations.
The only thing to be thankful for was that the three children no longer had to hide and could run around freely anytime, anywhere.
Meng Wu and Mo Li were not dealt with for the time being. Their salaries and food quotas were still normal.
The two of them shared the food they could get with Zhou Siyan and Feng Qizhou, trying to let the children eat a little more, but it was still not enough.
Because [Spirit Body Therapist] was a new profession and many of its structures had not yet been perfected, the three children were temporarily out of work.
Xue Xiaohai was greedy every day. While her father was at work, she would secretly take her stainless steel bowl to the cafeteria. When she saw someone eating, she would stand by, drooling. “Is that delicious?”
The recent period was sensitive. Everyone did not dare to get too close to the child and showed a look of disgust, waving their hands. “Go away, go away, you little beggar.”
“I’m not a beggar. I’m just watching you eat.”
She buried her face in the stainless steel bowl and pretended to eat, then showed the bottom of the bowl. “I have food to eat. I’ve eaten it all!”
She didn’t always hit a wall. Occasionally, someone would put a few pastries or a chicken leg in her bowl.
At this time, she would happily hold the bowl and return to Zhou Siyan’s office, using her watch to call Feng Qizhou. “Uncle Qizhou, I’ve gotten some food again. You should hurry up and bring Xiaobei and Xiaonan to my house to eat!”
Zhou Siyan held Xue Xiaohai, his eyes sore. “It’s Daddy’s fault.”
Xue Xiaohai’s chubby little hands wiped his tears. “Daddy, why is your saliva coming out of your eyes? Do you want to eat a small biscuit?”
Zhou Siyan showed a smile. “Thank you, baby. Daddy has just eaten. Xiaohai can eat the small biscuit herself.”
Xue Xiaohai held the biscuit to her mouth and then put it down. “Let’s eat together when Xiaobei and Xiaonan come.”
Bai Long no longer showed her face. Everyone was a little bolder and secretly helped the few children.
Every mealtime, Xue Xiaohai, Xue Xiaobei, and Xue Xiaonan would go out with their bowls and would always bring back a full bowl of food.
“They’re eating from a hundred families,” Feng Qizhou put the food that Xiaobei and Xiaonan had brought on the table.
Xue Xiaobei said, “Daddy, an auntie said that there are eggs in the food.”
Feng Qizhou dug into the rice and indeed saw two boiled eggs hidden at the bottom. “Here, Xiaobei, you eat one, and Xiaonan, you eat one.”
“Then what about Daddy?” the two children said together. Feng Qizhou had been receiving patients and performing surgery every day recently, and he had lost a lot of weight.
Xue Xiaobei broke open an egg. “The three of us will eat together, one bite each.”
Feng Qizhou kissed each of them on the forehead. “Thank you, babies.”
There was a knock on the door. Xue Xiaonan went to open it and saw that it was Yan Wantang. “Hello, Sister Wantang.”
Yan Wantang handed the child two tomatoes, walked into the room, and threw a stack of medical records at Feng Qizhou. “What’s wrong with you? If this goes on, the White Tower will be full of mentally retarded people.”
Feng Qizhou had been really annoyed these past few days. When the people who had laughed at Xue Yu came to his clinic, he would diagnose them all as mentally retarded, and he would classify them as mildly, moderately, or severely mentally retarded according to the degree to which they had laughed at Xue Yu.
“They are mentally retarded. If they don’t have a brain, aren’t they mentally retarded? I didn’t misdiagnose,” Feng Qizhou said.
“Calm down. Bai Long just wants to erase the traces of Xue Yu’s existence. She won’t kill you all.”
She said in a low voice, “You don’t have money. I can get you a loan.”
Feng Qizhou: “I’ve inquired. My and Zhou Siyan’s current identities can’t get a loan.”
“Don’t you have children? I can find a loophole for you, get a temporary ID for the children, and then get you a loan,” Yan Wantang said.
Feng Qizhou thought about it and went to discuss it with Zhou Siyan.
Although Mo Li and Meng Wu were giving them money, it was not a long-term solution. Mo Li and Meng Wu also had to save some money to prepare for leaving the White Tower in the future.
The two of them decided to let the three children apply for a loan, and they actually succeeded.
The three children each got a loan of two million, to be repaid monthly.
The interest was a bit high, but Zhou Siyan and Feng Qizhou didn’t care. Anyway, they already owed tens of billions. It didn’t matter if they owed more.
With the loan, they had solved their urgent problem. They could go to the supermarket to buy some pre-made dishes for the children to enjoy.
They could also ask someone to go to the South Continent to buy some food and formula.
Finally, Xue Yu returned with a warship.
She brought back a lot of food and clothes, and a lot of fruit from the South Continent.
The children gathered around her. “Mommy is back from hunting! Mommy has brought back delicious food!”
“Thank you, Mommy! I love Mommy,” Xue Xiaohai held a dragon fruit with both hands, her face covered in juice.
When Xue Yu returned this time, the eyes of the people of the White Tower were always filled with smiles.
Lu Sen and Bai Qi came to find her. Lu Sen said, “I had eight babies for you in your landscape. Are you happy?”
Xue Yu: “Hehe.”
Bai Qi: “Don’t be so sad. It’s not the first day we’ve known about your promiscuity.”
Xue Yu: “Hehe.”
Wherever Xue Yu went, everyone was laughing at her. Her thoughts were laid bare in front of everyone.
She wanted to see what kind of person Bai Long was. How could she bully her like this?
She went to find Yan Wantang and said that she wanted to talk to Bai Long.
Yan Wantang: “She’s not seeing anyone for now.”
Xue Yu tried her best to go to the top floor of the Manster Building. The closer she got to the top floor, the more she felt an attraction.
Finally, when she was close to the floor where Bai Long was, Xue Yu’s spiritual landscape changed. A new row of data appeared at the top of her reproduction tree:
“Spiritual Link, can be copied, level one.”
“Air Purification, can be copied, level two.”
Xue Yu didn’t quite understand. She had Blueberry enter the landscape and copy both [Spiritual Link] and [Air Purification].
A magical power was surging in her body. She seemed to have copied something amazing.
She hurried away and went back to find Zhou Siyan. “Spiritual link and air purification, what abilities are these?”
“Abilities?” Zhou Siyan didn’t understand.
Xue Yu analyzed, “This should be the ability of some kind of spirit body. Can you help me check?”
Zhou Siyan went through the spirit body database but couldn’t find which spirit body these two abilities belonged to.
Xue Yu went to the prison and said that she was going to serve a few hours of her sentence. She successfully went to the prison where she had been with the group of military officers who had been detained for attempting suicide.
It was here that she had seen some tree-like roots before. At that time, she had suspected that Bai Long’s spirit body might be a tree.
With Blueberry’s strong social skills, Xue Yu once again found those white, small roots.
She held the roots and, for the first time, used the copied [Spiritual Link].
Suddenly, she smoothly entered a strange spiritual landscape. In the landscape, she saw a huge tree with strange branches. From a distance, it looked like the various buildings of the White Tower.
There were the master’s thoughts in the spiritual landscape. Xue Yu was surprised to find that this landscape was Bai Long’s.
Through Bai Long’s thoughts, Xue Yu finally understood everything.
Bai Long’s spirit body was a plant-type, a tree. This tree was nurturing the White Tower, and everyone in the White Tower was parasitic on this tree.
She also understood why Zhou Siyan and the others’ debt included an air consumption fee.
Because the air in the White Tower was brought by the photosynthesis of Bai Long’s spirit body.
Xue Yu tried her best to find useful information from Bai Long’s thoughts.
Her reproduction tree was also a different kind of spirit body, just like Bai Long’s, so she could copy Bai Long’s spiritual skills.
This skill could not be copied casually. It could only be copied when Bai Long’s emotions fluctuated.
Sensing that Bai Long’s spirit body was fluctuating, Xue Yu was afraid of being discovered and hurriedly withdrew.
Xue Yu was happy.
People of the White Tower, didn’t you publicly invade my privacy?
A gentleman’s revenge is ten years not too late. A villain’s revenge is from morning to night. This time, I will let you know how powerful a villain is!
Xue Yu decided to take revenge and set up a trap for the people of the White Tower. At the same time, she would provoke Bai Long’s emotional fluctuations to copy her spiritual skills.
After some thought, Xue Yu found that the [Spiritual Link] skill was very useful, too useful.
She went back to find Zhou Siyan. “Old Zhou, who was laughing at me before? Give me all the names!”
“What are you going to do?”
“I want revenge!”
Zhou Siyan remembered these people very clearly and gave her a list of over a hundred names.
Xue Yu took the list and first found Lu Sen. “Lu Sen, do you want to watch TV? The White Tower can get internet now. Everyone can watch TV!”
“What do you mean?”
“This is a new technology. It’s linked to the spiritual landscape. You can watch TV directly in the landscape.”
The White Tower had no entertainment programs. The news was all AI.
Lu Sen agreed with suspicion.
Xue Yu quickly performed a spiritual link on him and built a bridge for his landscape.
She was going to link all the spiritual landscapes of the people of the White Tower into a network, so that everyone could see everyone else’s landscapes and have them act in a live TV series for everyone!
Didn’t you invade my privacy? Didn’t you laugh at me? Let’s all become The Truman Show together!