Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1048: Section 604: Journey to the South (5)

Chapter 1048: Section 604: Journey to the South (5)

Union’s Welcome Building.

This building is currently the only one in Yangon City where the elevator is still operational. Sostak No.3 and Jason spent the entire afternoon fixing it, resolving the issue of the elevator only reaching the 11th floor. They replaced the elevator cables, repaired the winch at the top, and brought back a piece of news—their bio-scanner detected numerous life signals in the upper levels.

Originally, Malin had planned to move into what was rumored to be the most luxurious hotel in all of Yangon back in the day, but the discovery by the two AIs shattered Malin’s dream.

Presidential suites on the top floor, large waterbeds, still-functional refrigerators—all of it was done for.

Because when Malin, along with Ails and his Lich Squad, investigated the upper levels of the building—which had been previously inaccessible due to collapses—they found them crawling with mutant undead creatures (as compared to beings like Konen, who retained intelligence and could still communicate). Thus, Malin led his team from the 12th floor, clearing all the way up to the 37th floor, dragging out thousands of corpses of mutant undead.

Ails profited once again, but he distributed all the Soul Coins he collected among his underlings, earning their heartfelt gratitude.

This time, Malin noticed a few soul patterns among Ails’ followers that he hadn’t seen before. After much consideration, Malin refrained from deploying detection arrays. After all, given how Ails himself had transformed, it was no surprise that his first batch of subordinates had changed as well. These newly recruited underlings would likely face the same brainwashing process one day.

Truth be told, Liches are naturally suited for covert operations. As long as the Soul Coins were sufficient, Malin had never heard any complaints from Ails’ subordinates. What Malin saw most often was these Liches fighting alongside Ails, working tirelessly without a single objection, behaving like highly precise machines.

Speaking of which, Malin had never figured out why these mutant undead creatures could survive for so long. Konen had explained the secret of their species—under extreme conditions, bio-engineered humans could enter a state of suspended animation, lasting as long as centuries.

Perhaps the mutant undead had endured the baptism of the first Spiritual Energy wave, coupled with twists and mutations, making it possible for them to survive in this dormant state until now.

Moreover, Malin suspected that this might be the true answer. These mutant undead were far weaker than any others of their kind Malin had encountered before—their emaciated bodies and staggering movements clearly showed that they had been starving for too long.

Given that the rooms below still required clearing, Malin had no choice but to move up to the rooftop with his bedroll.

Konen preferred sleeping in ground burrows, but he had missed out on too much today. As a result, he spent the entire afternoon lingering around Ails, bombarding him with questions to the brink of exasperation. To prevent Ails from turning into a "mad Lich," Malin reluctantly decided to keep the kid close.

He called it "letting you witness the beauty of the night sky."

However, Konen seemed utterly unable to grasp the charm of the Starry Sea. Perhaps it was because they were creations and not born naturally—a thought that left Malin deeply saddened. His good friend Quetos could certainly appreciate such beauty, so why couldn’t Konen? After all, they were both half-bloods.

Could it be that prominent bloodlines dictated the difference—or perhaps the divide—in their emotional sensitivity?

It was truly intriguing. Both kids had mixed-heritage parents, with humans possibly using their own base genetic codes to create bio-engineered beings. But the vast gap between half-bloods still left Malin curious.

Quetos excelled in the realm of language, while Konen himself admitted that in combat, he was at least twice as strong as Quetos, the young woman.

Within the mutant undead groups Malin had encountered—like during the operation to save Meng Quyi—some had developed forms of social organization. These mutant undead had even begun collective feeding practices, which was a surprisingly effective adaptation in such a dangerous world.

If divided into small family units, mutant undead would face internal competition as a result of such fragmentation. Collective feeding minimized this competition and fostered mutual support. And since the undead hadn’t yet learned selfishness, this approach significantly benefited their population expansion.

Konen’s species couldn’t truly be considered small family units either; their unions were based on mutual consent in relationships, where powerful males or females could still maintain multiple lovers—to ensure the spread of strong bloodlines. It was far from civilized, but in these damned times, it was simply practical.

"Mr. Malin, the prosperity of the Thanans truly astonishes me. Look at this city below us." Konen stood at the edge of the building, gazing down at the city below. The elevated height afforded him a broad view, far beyond the confines of his subterranean experiences.

"Indeed. Before the Great Catastrophe, you could even travel to the orbital ring and gaze down at the planet beneath our feet from the heavens." Malin leaned against a pile of cushions in the corner, gazing up at the Starry Sea. The closer he got to home, the heavier his sorrow became.

Because he didn’t know if his hometown still existed, or if it had changed in some way. Worst of all, he didn’t even know whether the hillside where she lived had long been deserted.

Wait a minute, who was she?

Malin questioned himself again in his heart, but found no answer. Malin could only sigh and bury himself deeper into the soft cushions.

"Mr. Malin, I have a question. Humans were so powerful, why did the Great Catastrophe happen in the first place?"

"I’ll tell you. It’s because the deities they called upon were substituted with impostors. The Evil Gods infiltrated this world through such substitutions, bringing destruction to the planet beneath our feet." Malin looked toward the Starry Sea and responded.

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