Currently, there are a total of five Nest Cities in the world, along with numerous guard towns of various sizes distributed around them.
It’s not that more can’t be built, but this number is all that humanity’s strength can fully control and defend.
After all, Rift Beasts are just carbon-based lifeforms—an iron flood could tear them to pieces. However… there are simply too many of them.
As long as that spatial rift can’t be closed, even if the entire planet’s resources are drained, it’s still impossible to wipe out those endless monsters.
Nest City No. 1 is the very first Nest City established by humans, also the largest and most powerful.
Today marks its two hundredth anniversary since completion, and it also stands as proof that humanity has stubbornly survived on this planet for three hundred years since those monsters first appeared.
Lin Mowei and Lin Yu arrived before a certain building.
A silver-white tower stretched so far into the sky that its end could not be seen, as if it pierced the clouds.
“No matter how many times I see it, it still feels spectacular.” Lin Mowei sighed.
Lin Yu also gazed at this magnificent structure, imagining what the world looked like three hundred years ago.
This tower was originally an orbital elevator stretching from the ground straight into outer space. After the Rift Beasts appeared, it was converted into a spatial railway station connecting the Nest Cities.
Journeys of tens of thousands of kilometers were compressed into less than an hour thanks to it.
On this planet, the only place left untouched is the sky. It’s hard to believe, but Rift Beasts really can’t fly.
“Xiao Yu, let’s go.”
Lin Mowei turned to her younger brother, smiled, and naturally took his hand.
But don’t be fooled by her relaxed face—her heartbeat was actually racing.
Xiao Yu didn’t resist. Very good!
In fact, Lin Yu didn’t think much of it; he just figured his sister was worried he might get lost since there were a lot of people here.
The greatly reduced travel time meant that people from other Nest Cities thousands of miles away might also commute here to work like beasts of burden.
As far as Lin Yu knew, there were subsidies, too.
After they sat down, Lin Yu remembered something—not that it came out of nowhere, he’d just been too preoccupied to ask before.
“By the way, sis, why did you change your mind? Did something happen?”
Lin Mowei was still savoring the joy of holding her brother’s hand without him rejecting her. Caught off guard by his question, her body stiffened.
“Uh… well…”
Should she tell him? Getting suspended felt kind of embarrassing…
Lin Mowei didn’t really mind, but she’d always been an all-powerful figure in her brother’s eyes. If she told him…
A swirl of conflicting emotions rose within her.
Seeing her hesitant and troubled expression, Lin Yu’s face filled with concern. “What’s wrong, sis, did something happen?”
Perhaps his concern gave Lin Mowei a bit of courage. She spoke slowly:
“Actually, I’ve been suspended from my post, and transferred to Dome Academy as a combat instructor.”
Like a child who’d done something wrong, she lowered her head and peeked at her brother’s face. “Do you… do you think your sister is useless…?”
That left Lin Yu stunned. He truly hadn’t expected his sister to be suspended, nor could he imagine her acting like this over something like that… It made his heart ache inexplicably.
A trace of helplessness rose in his heart. Clearly, I’m the younger brother here, but sis has changed so much.
He reached out and gently held Lin Mowei’s tangled fingers. Under her startled gaze, he said softly:
“Don’t worry about it, sis. Actually… I’m rather happy about it. At least you won’t be on the dangerous front lines anymore.”
His sincere words and honest gaze made Lin Mowei’s heart tremble. The warmth flowing from within felt like it would melt her body, leaving her limp and powerless.
“Xiao Yu! I knew you were the best!”
“Huh?”
Lin Mowei suddenly cried out and, regardless of the occasion, wrapped Lin Yu in a big hug before he could react, treating him to an enormous dose of facial cleanser.
The difference in strength between the two was like that of an elephant and an ant. Lin Yu instantly felt himself enveloped in a rich fragrance, accompanied by a happiness so suffocating he didn’t want to admit it.
Happy as it was, he still felt like he might die.
“Sis, sis… calm down, I-I can’t breathe…” came a feeble plea.
Realizing her brother was truly about to suffocate, the slightly out-of-control Lin Mowei hurriedly let him go.
Once released, Lin Yu gulped down fresh air as if reborn.
“Sis… you nearly smothered me…”
But Lin Mowei was still basking in her joy, her smile slightly crazed. “Sorry, Xiao Yu. I got too excited, but when I think of you caring about me, understanding me, I just can’t help it.”
Hearing this, Lin Yu couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
Had he really cared so little for his sister before? Could a simple gesture have changed her so much?
Maybe… maybe it was true.
Though the general trajectory hadn’t changed, the appearance of the Mother Nest and his sister’s later “overload”—those things never happened before.
So, this should be normal… right?
“All right, all right, but you really can’t do that again, and look at where we are.”
He glanced around. Their antics had naturally caught the attention of the surrounding passengers.
They roughly fell into three groups: those envious of Lin Yu, those envious of Lin Mowei, and those who simply sighed, looking as though they might say, “Ah, youth is wonderful.”
Lin Mowei couldn’t care less. In her eyes, there was only her brother. She swept a cold, casual glance around.
Turning back to Lin Yu, she smiled. “Got it, got it, I won’t do it next time.”
Yeah, right. She added silently.
Seeing her mischievous attitude, Lin Yu figured she was just saying it and helplessly shook his head with a smile.
Forget it—as long as she’s happy.
Come to think of it, this was his first time riding the orbital train since his rebirth.
Back then, he’d thought that if Rift Beasts hadn’t appeared, humanity might really have escaped this planet.
That feeling hadn’t changed.
With barely a sensation, they’d crossed tens of thousands of kilometers in less than an hour.
Walking out of the station, Lin Yu glanced at his sister, who was browsing on her phone.
“Sis, what are you looking at? Travel guides?”
Lin Mowei frowned slightly, as if battling something.
“Yeah, let me see… Don’t rush me, give your sister a minute, I can figure this out.”
Seeing how seriously she took it, Lin Yu stifled a laugh.
If he remembered correctly, his sister not only couldn’t watch horror movies, but she was also a bit of a tech dummy. Not that she couldn’t use a phone, but anything even slightly complicated stumped her.
Nowadays, that was a pretty rare affliction.
“Huh?”
Under Lin Mowei’s puzzled gaze, Lin Yu took her phone. “Let me do it. First step should be to find a place to stay, right?”
“Yeah, Xiao Yu is so dependable.” It sounded like he was consulting her, but really, he was protecting her dignity as an older sister.
Xiao Yu is the best~
Such a wonderful Xiao Yu deserved a reward!
As she admired her brother’s handsome profile, Lin Mowei’s eyes held other intentions.
A hint of an alluring smile crept to her lips, but Lin Yu, busy checking the nearby hotels, didn’t notice.