Unconsciously, all the morning classes ended, and it was lunchtime.
Wuer excitedly invited Lu Xun to go to the hot spring.
Lu Xun really couldn't imagine the hellish scene of soaking in the hot spring with a bunch of bones, so he refused.
"You go by yourself, I have to leave school for a few days."
"Ah? Brother Lu, didn't you just come back? Why are you leaving again?" Wuer was dumbfounded, "Did the teacher agree?"
"Yes, the teacher allows me to only attend two morning classes a week... on the condition that my grades don't slip."
He went to Zhang Lei's office in the morning just to discuss this matter.
Zhang Lei is a reasonable class teacher who appreciates Lu Xun as a good student and is aware of Lu Xun's family situation.
As the only impoverished student in Jinghai First Middle School, Lu Xun's situation was indeed a bit special, so the teacher approved it.
In fact, elite schools generally do not enroll students from the Outer City.
Lu Xun was able to become an exception for special reasons.
His parents sacrificed their lives for the underground development of Jinghai City.
After the death of his parents, his uncle and aunt took Lu Xun into their home and raised him as their own.
But his uncle also had an accident three years ago during a rift exploration organized by the higher-ups in Jinghai, becoming disabled... not just generally disabled, but utterly so.
Several elders have made great sacrifices for the development of this city.
Not long ago, Jinghai City passed the Human Federation review and was successfully upgraded from the lowest First-level Self-looping City to a second level!
A small first level, yet it cost several generations a tremendous price.
At the time, the whole city celebrated with great fanfare.
But many of the heroes were absent from the celebration banquet, having fallen before dawn, to rest eternally.
As a commoner, Lu Xun's admission to First Middle School was an exception, waiving the extremely high tuition fees, and receiving poverty assistance... thanks to his uncle's "work injury compensation".
However, he still lacked money.
Not just a small amount.
But a huge sum!
Even many elite families living in the Inner City Special Zone cannot easily come up with such a huge sum!
So Lu Xun always seemed out of place with his peers.
When classmates were studying, he was making money!
When classmates were shopping and spending, he was making money!
When classmates were dating, he was still making money!
Lu Xun said that Wuer and the others were "childish," immature, living carefree like children.
But in his heart, he actually envied them a little...
Their three years of high school were colorful.
While his three years were spent next to the operating table in a black clinic, with a youth only in shades of blood.
...
"Brother Lu, if you need money, just tell me. The embassy in Middleton gives me more than eight thousand a month in living expenses that I hardly have anywhere to spend."
Wuer couldn't help but pull Lu Xun to a corner and whispered:
"I've saved over forty thousand myself, I'll give it all to you, and every month, I'll give you six thousand until my study abroad ends."
"Stop doing odd jobs, it's hard work, exhausting, and you don't earn much. You're a high school student, don't live so hard."
"Come on, Brother Lu, go to the hot spring with me!"
Hearing this, Lu Xun gave it a meaningful look.
This guy actually wanted to give 3/4 of the embassy's study abroad funds to his deskmate.
If their race found out, they'd tear your skeleton apart!
"The Undead Race allocates funds to you for buying study materials, hiring tutors, doing experiments, and acquiring knowledge, hoping you'll bring human knowledge back to help the Undead Race develop and build."
Lu Xun told him, "It's not for subsidizing your deskmate. Keep the money for yourself, I don't need it."
"I understand all that, but I'm really not cut out for studying!" Wuer couldn't help but look dejected, the soul fire in its eye sockets dimming.
When it first came to Jinghai First Middle School a year ago, it was at the bottom of the class, and today, a year later, it's still at the bottom.
It felt like its race must have been blind to pick such a piece of scrap to "further study" at the Human Federation.
"We start laying the foundation with math, physics, and chemistry from kindergarten, and you want to catch up after just one year?"
"Don't easily negate yourself, math isn't as scary as you think, take your time, everything will be fine."
Lu Xun patted its shoulder to show encouragement.
Then he waved his hand, said "goodbye," and turned to leave with his bag.
Wuer watched slightly disappointedly as his good buddy's back gradually receded and disappeared from view.
It suddenly remembered something, the soul fire in its eye sockets flared up, and it hurriedly chased after him, shouting while running:
"Damn it! Brother Lu, who am I going to copy homework from if you leave? What about Wei'Er's homework?"
Unfortunately, Lu Xun slipped away without looking back.
Leaving Wuer standing there, dazed.
It recalled once again the terror of being dominated by the math teacher Zhou Yong.
It couldn't help but shudder.
For the past two weeks since school started, it had been spending math class standing in punishment.
Finally, it had looked forward to a savior, only for that savior to fly away right after showing up.
It suddenly lost even the desire to go to the hot spring...
In the entire class four, Lu Xun was Wuer's only good buddy.
Its relationship with other classmates was really just average, and it was too embarrassed to borrow homework from anyone else.
Without Brother Lu, how could it survive?!
.
.
.
Jinghai City is composed of three parts: Inner City, Outer City, and Underground City.
Among them, both the Inner City and Outer City are residential, commercial, and entertainment areas... collectively referred to as living areas.
The Inner City is what is called the "Elite Special Zone."
The Inner and Outer City Districts are not isolated and can be freely accessed.
However, if an Outer City civilian wants to settle in the Elite Special Zone, they must obtain a pass.
The precondition for obtaining a pass is to become an "Elite Citizen."
What exactly counts as an "Elite Citizen"?
According to Lu Xun's understanding, it's based on the value one creates for society.
Jinghai City will establish a value standard line to distinguish between elites and non-elites.
This standard is not set by humans.
Jinghai City has a supercomputer with an artificial intelligence named "Ling Xi," also known as "0C."
It sets the standard.
Doctors, construction workers, magicians, breeders, city hunters, the City Defense Army, taxi drivers... no matter what profession you engage in, as long as you can create value for Jinghai City and the value reaches that standard, you can be certified as an elite by 0C.
Once you become an elite, you can work and live in the Inner City, and your descendants have the right to reside in the Special Zone until they reach adulthood.
Some people achieve class ascension in just a few years.
But some people struggle their whole lives and remain civilians.
Using artificial intelligence to manage the promotion channels of millions of people in the entire city is very cruel.
The value of people is specifically quantified, which is actually quite frightening.
When someone says you have no value, you can still shout, "Don't underestimate the poor and old."
But when 0C considers you worthless, you can't refute it at all... because the data is thrown right in your face, showing you simply can't create much value for society.
Take Lu Xun's uncle, for instance. In 0C's judgment, he's probably considered a waste of air, an unnecessary being, and a hindrance to humanity.
Moreover, it only seems fair.
Because the educational resources accessible to civilians can't compare to those in the Inner City for elites.
The children of elites are highly likely to become elites too.
Whereas the descendants of civilians find it hard to leap into the higher classes.
However, there is an advantage to AI managing the city.
It can make absolutely rational judgments, devise paths most beneficial to the city's development, maximize the utilization of all city resources, prepare a talent echelon, and efficiently use every inch of land.
From a macro perspective, AI indeed helps more and more humans escape poverty, and technology is advancing rapidly, with each self-sustaining city becoming more prosperous every day, and the human race becoming more prosperous.
Moreover, 0C only manages the system; it has no decision-making power in major matters and can only provide plans.
Overall, for now, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
As long as AI doesn't rebel, it's humanity's good partner!
...
Lu Xun crossed the bustling streets, went beyond the tall city walls, and returned to the Outer City District, immediately feeling a strong sense of disparity.
Low-rise houses, garbage everywhere, wild dogs rolling in mud... forming a sharp contrast with the landscapes of the Inner City.
A wall, two worlds.
Lu Xun belongs to the one outside.
The material life and security conditions are worlds apart from those in the Inner City.
Lu Xun looked back at the tall city wall and then shifted his gaze away, continuing forward without any attachment.
Sometime in the future, he wants to bring his uncle, aunt, and cousin to settle in the Inner City.
This was a decision he made many years ago, and it remains unwavering, his ambition unchanged.
He did not go home, but instead changed direction and headed towards the Underground City entrance.
Both the Inner and Outer Cities are merely "living areas."
And the Underground City is the core, the lifeline of a self-looping city!
What is a self-looping city?
As the name implies, relying solely on the operation of the city itself, it creates enough resources to supply the life needs of the entire city's population.
Even if the city gates are sealed for a thousand years, people's lives won't be affected.
When foreign enemies invade, the city's defense system can ensure that most crises are resolved.
Even in the face of world-ending level disasters, the entire surface population can be evacuated to the Underground City within hours, turning it into a completely enclosed underground shelter!
This is the standard of a first-level self-looping city.
A city capable of independently becoming a utopia.
Surface-level Jinghai City is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Underground City is the true essence!
Beneath Jinghai City are over three hundred layers of bases.
Steel mills, farms, livestock farms, paper mills, breweries, power plants... all resources needed for human life come from the Underground City.
More than three hundred layers of the underground world are the achievements of over a dozen generations of Jinghai people.
This behemoth situated underground, like the heart of the city, continuously pumps blood to the surface, sustaining the lives of millions of citizens.
The existence of the self-looping city is to face the next Celestial Convergence, the next Great War of Hundreds of Races.
For survival, each race exhausts every means, leaving no stone unturned.
Because no one knows if they will be the next to face extinction.
...
Lu Xun queued for more than ten minutes at one of the elevator ports, finally getting his turn.
"Please step forward, place your hand on the touch screen, and look straight ahead." The electronic voice prompted.
Lu Xun supplied his palm print and iris, verifying his identity through scanning.
"Hello Lu, skipping classes again? That's not a good habit, is it?"
"The school approved it. Don't nag."
"Are you going to Linsheng Slaughterhouse on the -174th floor today to be an apprentice?"
"Yes." Lu Xun said blandly, "I'm a student of Jinghai First Middle School, by law I'm not permitted to sign a formal work contract, so what else can I do but be an apprentice? The rules were set by you, 0C!"
"This is to ensure students prioritize their studies. Your growth potential is significant, do not be delayed by short-term gains. Cultivating high-end talent is often challenging, as the saying goes, 'It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to nurture a person.' History has proven that..."
This AI really talks a lot!
It actually gets more excited when taunted, doesn't it?
Lu Xun rolled his eyes as the elevator doors opened, he zoomed inside, finally getting rid of this annoying entity.