CHAPTER 281: CHAPTER 281: LUNARIS PRIME

It had been a week since Liora started staying in Lunarise Prime with her baby. She didn’t want to miss a single day of her daughter’s life anymore—not after already losing the precious first two years.

It would’ve been better if life could always remain this peaceful, but she knew that was just wishful thinking. Kazren was still alive, and he might try to snatch her baby away at any time.

Her eyes landed on her daughter—just a cute baby, like any other child. Liora had asked Xu Kai everything about her daughter’s past two years, but Aerish had never shown any strange abilities or terrifying powers—nothing like what Kazren had coveted.

Still, Liora hadn’t forgotten his words:

He needed her baby to conquer the world.

But how could her baby be capable of that? She was just a child. An innocent one. She hadn’t even awakened her powers yet. Most babies in Spire awakened their abilities by the age of five. Some, like Eli, were exceptions—he had awakened his power at a very young age.

Her eyes drifted to Xu Kai, who was busy cooking in the kitchen. He had cooked so many delicious things in the past week, it was as if he were determined to make them fat. A small chuckle escaped her lips as warmth settled in her heart.

This was her true family now.

But she hadn’t forgotten her old family either. Her base was still thriving even in her absence, thanks to Mira, who had successfully managed everything. The only regret was that she couldn’t go and meet them.

She would’ve taken the risk before, but not now. Not when she had finally remembered her baby. She knew Kazren’s eyes were still on her base. He was just waiting for the right moment to strike... waiting for her to appear.

[New Mission Alert: Build Ten Bases on Planet Blue (Aerhua)]

Liora’s eyes narrowed as a new mission suddenly popped up on her system panel.

A new mission? So it had finally come—her next task after the last one, where she saved the base from the beast tide. The rewards for that mission were still sitting in her inventory, unopened.

"Why build so many bases, System?" Liora asked.

By now, she had already realized that the system never gave her random missions.

Every mission was connected to the future in some way and would likely benefit her. Just as Liora’s question echoed in the air, the system responded in its usual calm, neutral voice.

[System Notification: Host, this mission is essential for the survival of Blue Planet (Aerhua). Most existing bases have perished due to constant attacks by mutated beasts and zombie hordes. Only your advanced base structure has proven capable of sustaining life efficiently.]

Liora’s expression turned serious.

"So the people... the zombies have become more destructive?" she whispered.

[Affirmative. If the current rate of destruction continues, the remaining population on Blue Planet will start to disappear within months. That planet will become uninhabitable—another world lost to chaos. We cannot afford to let that happen. Especially not with the planet’s rich, untapped Aether energy. If another species claims it...]

The system trailed off, but Liora understood the implication all too well. Blue Planet was still valuable.

She straightened her back, her resolve settling like steel in her bones.

"I’ll do it," she said. "But... can I do it from here? I can’t leave Aerish right now."

[Confirmed. You do not need to return. You may use the World Interface to select ideal locations, preferably high-density zones with signs of life. Once selected, the entire structure of your current base will be copied and constructed there instantly. It will cost resource points, deducted directly from your stats.]

Liora blinked. "That easy?"

[Correct. Base construction time: 7.3 seconds. The only requirement is a viable environment and sufficient resource points.]

She let out a soft laugh, both surprised and relieved. "That’s nothing. I have points in the billions. After reaching level 20 and surviving beast tides and many zombie waves... I’ve barely used any."

Her eyes dimmed with memory. She had lived that life, the desperate struggle of those left behind, fighting in the ruins with nowhere to call home.

"I’ll do it," she repeated, this time with quiet determination. "Because those people deserve a chance. I know what it’s like to fight without shelter. If I can give them a place to live, a place to start again, then what’s a few billion points?"

And she had still not forgotten her will, nor the reason she wanted to create her base in the first place: she wanted a safe place that people could call home.

She tapped the interface panel and opened the world map. It glowed with soft blue hues, and small flickers showed remaining life zones scattered like stars.

She didn’t hesitate. "One by one," she whispered, selecting each location with precision. "Let’s give them a home."

As soon as Liora selected the first ten locations, a soft chime rang out from her system.

[Base Construction Initiated... Estimated Time: 7.3 seconds.]

She watched as blue rings of energy surged outward from the marked points on the holographic map. On the screen before her, real-time surveillance from the deployed satellite eyes zoomed in on the designated zones.

In the middle of a ruined city, where cracked pavement and skeletal buildings had long forgotten the warmth of life, a blinding flash of light erupted.

And then... a base appeared within seconds.

The entire area transformed into a fortress, surrounded by mighty high walls that no zombie or beast below level 15 could breach.

Rows of buildings stood tall, including dormitories equipped with all the facilities from before the apocalypse. There was a canteen, a convenience store, a medical hall, a supply store, and even a greenhouse. Every essential structure had been placed within the base.

Liora smiled as she gazed at it all. The system had truly advanced to a new level now that she had reached level 20.