Daily life in Zongman

"Wow! Futaba Saigao~"

Thanks to the almost omniscient Futaba, Fujiwara Haru fumbled to start the car under her guidance, and then began to slowly get used to the feeling of driving at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour.

In front of the car is a tracked vehicle, which is always faster than the car and guides it towards the sixth tower.

Futaba, sitting in the passenger seat, was operating the screen in front of her, flipping through something. After a moment, she looked over and said, "Good news. According to records, there's a fully automated daily necessities factory on this floor that's still operational. We can go produce some daily necessities there and put them in the car later."

"Change destination?"

"Well, tell the tour guide."

Fujiwara Haru stuck his head out and spoke to the tour guide, then changed his destination to a new one - a fully automated factory.

After steering the car around the bend, Fujiwara Haru pondered, "Daily necessities, we need toothbrushes, toothpaste, bedding, clothes, and shoes."

"Well, I'm sorting out the list. The factory shouldn't have many resources left. Once we arrive, we'll prioritize production."

"With all the extra resources, can we produce some toys? I'm curious about what toys will look like in the future."

"can."

"Oh~ Futaba Saigao~"

"This is just using your mayoral authority. No need to thank me."

"We're a team, so it's best to discuss everything together. Toys aren't essential at this stage, so it's great that you agreed to this, Futaba~"

"..." Futaba Rio looked out the window: "Don't have too high expectations. We're not sure if the resources are sufficient."

"It doesn't matter. Even if we find out we don't have enough resources, I'll just feel a little disappointed when I get there. But I've been very happy on the way there. The happy time is definitely greater than the disappointed time."

"Fujiwara-kun, you are so optimistic."

"Hey, is this a compliment? Thank you~"

"..." Futaba Rio looked towards the cab, and the young man looked forward with a smile on his face.

56-57. Road Trip (Part )

The car fell into silence. Fujiwara Haru was driving seriously, and "occasionally" the car would sway forward in an S shape on the deserted street. The shaking feeling caused by the centrifugal force when turning was very interesting.

But after noticing that Futaba was sitting unsteadily, he stopped playing around and drove seriously in a straight line.

A slight breeze blew past, bringing with it the sound of the wind. Fujiwara Haru sighed, "It's so quiet, it feels like we are the only two left in the world."

Futaba, who was operating the screen, said: "In this world at the end, everything is coming to an end. This is normal."

"Speaking of which, in this apocalyptic world, will cockroaches still exist?"

Futaba said coldly, "Cockroaches are very tenacious. They survived the dinosaur extinction disaster and the ice age. Logically, they should have survived. But according to the current intelligence, humans in the apocalyptic world are short of food resources, and there are no corresponding cockroach breeding factories. They should have become extinct."

"Where's the mouse?"

"Same." (Calmly)

"Where are the mosquitoes?"

"Same." (Calmly)

"The cockroaches, rats, and mosquitoes are gone. That seems like good news, right?"

Futaba Rio thought for a moment and said calmly, "In this apocalyptic world, this is good news for us."

"Hey~ Futaba is so amazing, it seems like no matter what I ask you, you have an answer."

"No, what I just said is not an answer, it's just a guess."

"It's a compliment. I was just saying you're really smart, Futaba~"

Futaba Rio did not respond to this compliment.

Fujiwara Haru accelerated the car appropriately: "Speaking of which, Futaba should have a lot of friends."

"Fujiwara-kun... drive quietly."

"Ah, am I being disliked?"

"No." (Calmly)

"Oh..." Fujiwara Haru thought for a moment: "Futaba, do you have no friends like me? Were you trying to change the subject just now?"

"..." A moment of silence: "Drive quietly." (helpless)

Fujiwara Haru calmed down and drove silently, feeling a little bored. After confirming that there was a straight road ahead, he began to fiddle with the screen in the middle of the car.

"What are you doing?" (calmly)

"It's so boring. Let me see if I can play some music."

"There's no network connection nearby, so I haven't recorded any songs yet. I'll need to go to the sixth tower later to check. I'll also need to download the full Layered City map once I get there."

"Ok."

Fujiwara Haru began to concentrate on driving. The stacked city was huge, with each layer being a large city. The production plant was located in a remote suburban area, a bit far away. After stopping for lunch at noon, the two prepared to continue following the tracked vehicle.

Before getting in the car, Fujiwara Haru looked at Futaba Rio who walked directly to the passenger seat and suggested: "Futaba, why don't you drive? I think driving is quite fun."

Futaba Rio was silent for a moment: "I've calculated, I'm not suitable for driving."

"Eh? I think driving is pretty simple. I've already mastered it this morning. Futaba, you're so smart, so you're definitely more suitable for it than me. Plus, the streets are empty, so you don't have to worry about bumping into things. Futaba, give it a try, it's fun."

After a long silence, she walked over, said nothing, opened the car door, and sat in the driver's seat.

Then Fujiwara Haru saw that she was only slightly higher than the steering wheel, her vision was completely blocked, and after raising the seat, her feet were slightly hanging in the air.

Futaba Rio got out of the driver's seat and returned to the passenger seat.

Fujiwara Haru, who was taller than her, got in and started the car: "I'm sorry, I didn't expect it. I'm sorry."

"Huh..." Futaba exhaled softly: "The right thing to do at this time is to say nothing."

"But if you do something wrong, you have to apologize. You can't just pretend nothing happened. I'm sorry."

"..." Futaba was silent for a while, then replied: "It's okay, I know you didn't mean to laugh at me and it wasn't intentional, it's okay."

"The people of Futaba are so nice~" Fujiwara Haru sighed, looking at the car driving ahead, and casually found a topic: "How come I don't have any friends? It's really strange."

"Fujiwara-kun...you're even worse at chatting than I am."

"Huh? No way, I think I'm pretty good at chatting." Fujiwara Haru was a little confused. Although his only good friend was Nishimiya Shoko, he was still quite popular when chatting with his classmates.

Futaba was silent for a moment, then responded to the previous question: "There's nothing wrong with being alone."

"I see. Futaba isn't the type to make friends."

Futaba Rio did not respond to this statement. She didn't want to lie and say yes, but she also didn't want to clarify.

Fujiwara Haru looked ahead and drove: "Thinking about it, it's normal. After all, Futaba, you are smart and kind. It must be much easier for you to make friends than me."

Futaba looked out the window, a little uncomfortable with the compliment, and tried to change the subject: "Do you want me to reduce the production of daily necessities and produce more toys for you? No, compliments are useless to me."

"No~ I'm telling the truth. Like I said before, Futaba, you can always analyze a lot of things from some details. You are really smart. Even though you were impatient just now, you kept replying to me. You have a good personality. You have been very calm so far. When encountering problems, you can always analyze the best solution. You are very reliable."

Fujiwara Haru thought for a moment and added, "The gray hair looks light and soft and beautiful. No matter how you look at it, Futaba has good qualities. It's great to have her as a teammate. I sincerely think so."

Futaba looked out the window and didn't respond.

"Hey~ Did I say something wrong? Why didn't you reply to me all of a sudden?"

"Drive quietly."

"Alright alright."

The car began to speed up, and the wind blew past the car, blowing Futaba's hair and blowing her slightly red face.

Rio Futaba's parents are busy with work, her classmates dare not approach her, and her teachers leave her alone. She is always alone and rarely communicates with others.

But humans are social animals after all, so how could they really like being alone? Ultimately, it wasn't that she didn't like making friends, it was just that she had adapted to being alone, used to being alone.

She also wants to be noticed, wants to chat with others, and feels happy when being praised.

Futaba Rio, at this moment, is very happy.

------

After picking up brand new daily necessities from the factory in the afternoon, I followed the guide and arrived at the sixth tower at dusk, where I saw the virtual girl on the screen again.

This time she appeared in the form of a holographic projection, and it was obvious that she was very happy.

Virtual Girl: "Welcome~ Welcome to the sixth tower~ Please follow me, I will take you to the elevator and take the elevator to the next floor."

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Name?"

"Yeah, isn't it a bit bad to keep calling you the sixth tower artificial intelligence?"

"That kind of thing doesn't matter~ Come with me quickly~ Come with me~ I'll take you to the elevator~"

Fujiwara Haru felt that she was even more anxious than he was. Perhaps it was because of the impatient personality setting when the AI was first generated? It was unknown. He followed behind her.

On the way, Futaba Rio chatted with her for a while, and Fujiwara Haru listened and learned some of the past of this apocalyptic world.

Thousands of years ago, Earth was technologically advanced and prosperous. However, Earth's resources were limited. To survive, humans invented stacked cities—they efficiently utilized space, energy, and materials, allowing for better survival and concentrating resources for space exploration.

It was a prosperous period, and it ended in a nuclear explosion.

When a new sun shines on Earth, World War III sweeps across the globe, and one of humanity's ultimate weapons against humanity - nuclear weapons - begins to wreak havoc on Earth.

It did not blow up the earth, but it destroyed the entire earth's ecology. Most animals died, leaving only a few trees.

The EMP shockwaves that spread across the globe simultaneously destroyed the vast majority of the remaining human electronics and the conveniences of life. When World War III ended, the remaining humans, having survived the nuclear winter, discovered that most of their cutting-edge technology had been lost, leaving them unable to maintain the most advanced technological creations of the time—the Layered Cities.

After the EMP impact, each layer of the stacked city severed its connection with the upper and lower levels, and they each formed a new regime.

After the Third World War, the remaining humans still live in the stacked cities. The fully automatic nuclear power plants at the grassroots level ensure that humans have light. At least here they don't have to worry about energy and water problems.

If humanity could have rested and recuperated for a long time, perhaps it could have had a future. However, under nuclear weapons, the destruction of the ecosystem has made it impossible for humans to easily obtain resources from nature, and everything is slowly moving towards extremes.

The first to take action were the upper echelons of the Stacked City. After being unable to maintain a decent life, they began to move towards the lower classes, carrying cutting-edge weapons from the old era, and plundering other people's resources.

The Fourth World War broke out, and the surviving layered cities were plundered by the upper echelons of power, falling into war layer by layer.

After all, resources are limited. After everything has been plundered and destroyed, there is little left of humanity, and everything is coming to an end.

"I'm on the sixth tower, responsible for maintaining the sixth and seventh floors. I have EMP protection. That's why I survived World War III. But the five towers below me have all lost contact."

"After you go down, you can find the main tower on each floor and enter the password to activate the manual program of the main tower. If the main tower is completely damaged and cannot be operated, you will need to find the communication tower on that floor. The communication tower connects the upper and lower floors and has a rotating passage inside that allows you to drive all the way down."

"Turn left ahead, we're here~ This is the elevator for this floor~"

Fujiwara Haru and Futaba Rio arrived at the center of the sixth tower, where there was an elevator leading to the next floor.

The AI projection seemed very happy. She moved closer, and the virtual projection passed through the car window and came to the two people: "Please get out of the car~ Please get out of the car~"

After getting off the bus, a pillar rose from the platform.

Her projection stretched and spun. "I've already loaded the map of Kawara City into the car. You can check the map for navigation after you get off."

"The elevator will automatically descend in a moment. Now, in exchange, I hope you can help operate this control console."

Fujiwara Haru walked over to check.

The holographic projection moved closer to him: "Please enter the password manually here first. The password is..."

"After you've finished entering your information, please look inside this pillar."

Fujiwara Haru walked around the pillar without entering the password or looking at the area where the virtual projection required.

"Please enter your password manually here. Please enter your password manually here. Please enter your password manually here."

The holographic projection became a little anxious.

Fujiwara Haru looked at the anxious AI: "What will happen after entering the password and verifying the pupil?"

"Don't worry~ It won't harm you. We can't hurt humans."

"Excuse me, what happens after entering the password and verifying the pupil?"

The AI was silent for a moment, then answered the question: "I will disappear."

The base tower fell into silence.

The holographic projection of the girl began to distort and elongate. "I'm ready for everything to end. I've spent decades programming the self-destruction process, but the final steps must be verified by humans."