Chapter 13: System Activation

Originally, Di Ping had not planned to drive everyone away, but upon seeing that they showed no remorse or intention to repent, his heart grew cold. People like this were not worth saving or sacrificing for. Sharing the same roof with such individuals could lead to unforeseen problems, so he made the decisive choice to expel them. Moreover, he harbored some concerns about Wang Delin, who, though possessing both means and strategy, lacked morals. With such a man around, Di Ping felt it would be dangerous to keep him close. He couldn't bring himself to kill him, so he opted to send them all away instead.

"Go see if they have left. Once they're gone, seal up the entrance and come find me on the eighth floor!" Di Ping instructed the four people behind him. He then walked out of the room, heading upstairs. When he reached the stairs, he paused, turning back to say, "Also, dispose of the mutated dogs' corpses. We don't want to attract other mutated animals. I'm a bit tired, so you all handle it."

At that moment, Di Ping felt a bit disheartened. After a morning of fighting, having killed thirteen mutated dogs, he was mentally and physically drained. All he wanted now was to take a shower, eat something, and sleep for a while.

"Di Ge, don't worry, go rest! We'll take care of the small stuff!" The fat man patted his chest and promised enthusiastically.

Back in his room, Di Ping quickly took a shower, pleasantly surprised to find that his injuries had completely healed. The skin where he had been hurt appeared slightly reddened, suggesting the energy was quite effective in healing wounds!

After his shower, Di Ping found a piece of bread and a bottle of water, half-lying on the couch as he ate and drank. His mind wandered, thoughts scattered. So much had happened that day—leaving in the morning, encountering mutated dogs and getting separated from the group, killing the dogs, being betrayed by his comrades, and nearly losing his life. In the end, he had had to make the difficult decision to expel them, even severing Wang Delin's hand. He felt disheartened, unsure if humanity was still worth saving.

He lit a cigarette and took a few deep puffs, slowly calming his mind. Suddenly, he felt a sense of relief. There were still noble men who sacrificed their lives for their wives and children, like the fat man, Chen Gang, who came to his aid, and Li Sheng and Lao Luo, who risked their lives to protect the door. These were people worth saving. Despite the existence of bad people, there were still good ones, and this world was worth fighting for.

With that thought, Di Ping felt a renewed sense of clarity, his heart filled with purpose and courage to continue. He realized that he couldn't save the whole world—he could only protect his loved ones, his friends, and those who shared his ideals. As for others, they had no connection to him.

"Right, it's time to activate the system!" Di Ping suddenly remembered that he had collected enough crystal cores—actually, more than enough. Now was the perfect time to activate it. He tossed aside his cigarette and sat up abruptly.

"Ding... Crystal core detected. Activation conditions met. Would you like to activate the system?" As Di Ping presented the fourteen crystal cores he had gathered, the system's unique voice immediately echoed in his mind.

"Activate!" Di Ping murmured, his excitement palpable.

"Ding... System activation in progress. 1%... 2%... 100%. System successfully activated."

With a soft chime, five of the crystal cores in Di Ping's hand suddenly vanished, and a loading bar appeared in his mind.

"Ding... System activated. Reward: Legendary Recruitment Scroll. Please proceed with hero recruitment as soon as possible."

"Is that it?" Di Ping was somewhat speechless. The activation process had been so understated—there were no brilliant flashes or grandiose effects, nothing like the dazzling displays in movies or novels. It felt so anticlimactic, low-key even.

Di Ping couldn't help but mentally complain. However, since the system claimed to have activated, and since it suggested he quickly grow stronger, he had to trust it for now.

"System!" Di Ping thought, and with a mental command, a virtual interface materialized in front of him. He had tried this before and knew that he could open the system's operation panel with just a thought or by speaking it aloud.

The system interface changed right before his eyes. What had been a dull, gray space now had two bright, flashing icons: one was a Western-style castle, the other a manor. The interface resembled something out of a game, but Di Ping wasn't sure if the functions would be the same.

He clicked on the castle icon, which pulsated with light. After a few seconds, it transformed into a bright, colorful image, seemingly indicating that it had successfully been activated.

"Ding... Castle activated. Host's title changed to 'Lord of the Castle.'"

The system's voice sounded once again, but Di Ping barely paid attention to the title change. He was more interested in seeing what the castle looked like. He eagerly clicked on the icon, ready to explore.

In an instant, a 3D, fully-rendered model of a Western castle appeared before him. The castle was equipped with everything: walls, a plaza, a grand hall, towers, accommodations, meeting rooms, a study, a kitchen, stables... Di Ping's heart soared with joy. This was the kind of residence someone of high status should have! Compared to the so-called villas in the country, this was like comparing a chicken to a phoenix—there was no comparison.

How wonderful it would be to live in such a castle, Di Ping thought.

"Select a suitable location to materialize the castle. The castle is the symbol of the Protector's authority," Di Ping noticed a line of text beneath the 3D model. He read it aloud, and after finishing, he was momentarily stunned before being overjoyed. It turned out that this "castle" could be materialized in the real world. His dream of living in a castle could now become a reality.

With his excitement tempered, Di Ping began studying the castle. He discovered that, aside from the text, there were no additional special features listed. The details of its functions remained unclear, and Di Ping could only explore them after materializing the castle.

After examining the castle, Di Ping turned his attention to the other flashing icon, which represented the manor. He knew from the game that the manor was used to gather resources, but he was eager to discover its function in this new system. With anticipation, he clicked on the icon, which flared with light. A few seconds later, the icon brightened, and the pulsing stopped.

"Ding... Manor activated. Reward: 100 initial resources of each type. Please designate a location to materialize the manor or bind it to an existing structure."

As soon as the icon was clicked, a pop-up appeared in front of Di Ping. It displayed various resource types and their initial quantities, including food, wood, iron, crystal, and mithril, each with a storage capacity of 100/1000.

The manor had already provided 100 units of each resource, and it seemed there was a storage capacity of 1000 for each. However, Di Ping didn't know where this storage space was yet, as he hadn't bound or materialized the manor. He suspected the space might be within the system itself. The system seemed to have more functions waiting to be discovered.

Then, Di Ping noticed a "Recruit Craftsman" button at the bottom. Cautiously, he clicked it, wondering if he could recruit a craftsman. To his surprise, two options appeared: "System Craftsman Recruitment" and "Real-World Craftsman Recruitment." Di Ping thought to himself that this system was not merely a copy of game content; it seemed to integrate the most advantageous aspects with the real world.

He still didn't know where this system came from, but for now, it was something he had to accept. After all, it had been nothing but helpful so far. There was no point in worrying about the future.

Shaking off his chaotic thoughts, Di Ping turned to the third icon—the tavern. He knew that in the game, the tavern was the final step to truly beginning the game. It allowed for hero recruitment and class upgrades, which was the feature he most looked forward to.

However, after activating the castle and manor, the tavern icon remained gray. In the game, the tavern would be unlocked once these two were activated, so Di Ping felt disappointed and frustrated. He clicked the tavern icon in frustration.

"Ding... Tavern activation failed. Activation conditions: Castle and manor must be materialized before the tavern can be unlocked!"

The system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Ah, so it needs the castle and manor to be materialized first," Di Ping realized. It made sense now, but it also meant that it wasn't the right time to materialize them yet. He would need to decide on the proper location for his base first. Once the buildings were materialized, their full potential would be revealed, and choosing the right place was crucial.

"Knock knock..." The sound of knocking interrupted Di Ping's thoughts.

Di Ping recognized the knock—it must be the fat man and the others. He quickly exited the system, realizing that there was no point in coveting the features yet. He needed to materialize the buildings first.

Looking through the peephole, he saw the group, all drenched in sweat and looking exhausted. They must have been working hard.

"Come on in! You all must be tired!" Di Ping said with a smile as he opened the door, welcoming them inside.

"Di Ge, you don't have to say that. You saved our lives! This little bit of work is nothing. If you need my life, I'll gladly give it!" The fat man said, his gratitude clear. His small eyes squinted with a smile that made him look even more comical.

"Yeah! What's a little work compared to what you've done for us?" one of the men, who had been saved by Di Ping and the middle-aged woman, chimed in, wiping his sweat with a look of deep gratitude.

Di Ping was impressed by this middle-aged man. People who reached out to help during times of danger were truly rare—unlike the others who had barricaded the door at the first sign of danger.

Looking at the people who had shared life and death with him, especially those who looked at him with respect and admiration, Di Ping suddenly felt that all his sacrifices were worth it. The injuries he had suffered had not been in vain, and his heart was filled with gratitude. He gently punched the fat man's shoulder and said, "Good, you're all good brothers. No need to stand on ceremony in the future."

He then became serious and said, "But don't go around saying you owe me your life. If you do, you're not treating me like a brother."

After speaking, Di Ping chuckled, and the fat man also scratched his head, laughing and nodding in agreement.

"Heh heh! Alright, alright! We'll do whatever Di Ge says!"

Standing behind the fat man, Li Sheng raised the corner of his mouth, his gaze towards Di Ping becoming more intense. Lao Luo also seemed moved, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Alright, alright! Let's stop getting sentimental. We're all survivors in this post-apocalyptic world! Come, sit down!" Di Ping said with a chuckle, inviting everyone to sit. He enjoyed this camaraderie.