The land became mine on a rainy Thursday.
I signed the last document in the lawyer's office—a nondescript room that smelled of toner and coffee—and watched as the final electronic transfer confirmation popped up.
"That's it," she said, sliding a folder toward me. "You're now the proud owner of a decaying farmhouse and a lot of trees."
"Best purchase of my life," I said.
Outside, the rain had eased to a mist. Fitting.
On the drive out to the property, the System pulsed more frequently, as if excited.
[MAIN QUEST: SECURE THE ROOTS – COMPLETED]
REWARD:
– BASE MODULE (SEALED) – ACQUIRED
– +50 SURVIVAL POINTS
– FAMILY AUTHORITY SUBMODULE (LIMITED) – UNLOCKED
SP: 165
A new interface window unfolded in my mind.
[BASE MODULE – STATUS: INACTIVE]
[BASE NAME: UNSET]
[BASE CORE: NOT PLACED]
[TUTORIAL: PLACE A CORE TO ACTIVATE BASE FUNCTIONS]
"Of course there's a tutorial," I muttered.
The track up to the farmhouse was muddy, the car slipping once before catching. I parked near the sagging porch and stepped out into the damp air.
The land felt…aware, somehow.
And I wasn't alone.
A white pickup truck sat crooked in front of the house, logo for a local construction company on the side. A burly man in a rain jacket leaned against it, studying the building with a professional frown.
He turned as I approached.
"Ms. Shen?" he asked.
"Yes." I offered my hand. "Evelyn."
"Liang," he said, shaking it. "You said you wanted an assessment. 'Nothing fancy, but strong enough to last a storm,'" he quoted.
"And a few more things," I said. "Thanks for coming on short notice."
He shrugged.
"Work's work," he said. "Most folks only call when something falls down. Not many think ahead."
He walked me through the structural issues with the old farmhouse—rot here, mold there, foundation cracks that would cost more to fix than to raze.
"Honestly?" he said. "Cheaper to knock it down and start fresh. If you like the old bricks, we can salvage some for a patio."
"That's fine," I said. "I'm not attached to the house. What I need is…this."
I gestured at the land.
He followed my gaze.
"Lot of potential," he said. "Good slope. Natural drainage. If you're thinking of building a main house up there, we can do a retaining wall here, terrace that section…"
As he talked, I let him outline normal-world options: single-family house, maybe a guest cottage, a barn.
In my mind, I layered over top: underground storage, hidden panic rooms, kill zones.
When he finished, I said, "I want something…modular. Built in stages. And sturdier than a normal country house."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Expecting trouble?" he asked.
"Expecting storms," I said. "Literal and metaphorical."
He grunted.
"We can reinforce," he said. "Storm shutters, extra bracing, maybe a concrete safe room in the basement. Costs more, but it's doable."
I nodded.
"I'll need multiple structures," I said. "Some above ground, some partially buried. And I'll be bringing in other specialists for things like solar, water systems. I'll coordinate, but I want you as the main contractor. Interested?"
He studied me for a moment.
"Most city folks want big windows and pretty decks," he said. "You're asking for bunkers and backup generators."
"Is that a problem?"
He shook his head slowly.
"No," he said. "Just…refreshing. Means I'm not the only one who reads the weather reports."
The System pinged.
[CONTRACTOR RECRUITMENT: SUCCESS]
[BASE BUILD SPEED: +12% (INITIAL)]
[+15 SURVIVAL POINTS]
SP: 180.
We walked the property together, rain misting our jackets. I pointed out where I wanted the first structures: a central longhouse-style building that could serve as communal dining and shelter, a row of smaller cabins that could be converted into medical or sleeping quarters, a reinforced underground cellar accessible from multiple points.
As we talked, the Base Module interface updated in the corner of my mind.
[POTENTIAL CORE LOCATIONS: 3]
– HILLTOP (STRATEGIC VIEW, HIGH VISIBILITY)
– RIVERBANK (WATER ACCESS, FLOOD RISK)
– MID-SLOPE (BALANCED)
The mid-slope location pulsed faintly.
I drifted toward it instinctively, boots squelching in the damp grass, until I stood on a patch of relatively flat ground halfway between the farmhouse and the river.
The System waited.
[PLACE BASE CORE HERE? Y/N]
I exhaled slowly.
"Evie?" Liang called. "You okay?"
"Fine," I said. "Just…visualizing."
He nodded, apparently used to eccentric clients.
"I'll get you an estimate by tomorrow," he said. "If you sign off, we can break ground next week."
Next week.
Sixty-something days until the Mist.
"Do it," I said. "And if someone offers you double for your time, tell them you're already taken."
He grinned.
"I like the sound of that," he said.
When he'd driven off in a spray of gravel, the property fell quiet again.
I walked back to the mid-slope spot and knelt, pressing my palm to the soil.
"System," I whispered. "Let's do this."
[CONFIRM: PLACE BASE CORE HERE?]
"Yes."
The world flickered.
For a heartbeat, everything went silent—no wind, no distant bird calls, no hum of my cooling engine.
Then light surged up from beneath my hand.
It wasn't visible in the normal sense; if anyone had been watching, they would have seen nothing but a woman kneeling in the mud.
But in my mind's eye, a crystalline shape unfolded—like a transparent, many-faceted seed—sinking into the earth.
[BASE CORE PLACED]
[BASE NAME: UNSET]
[INITIALIZING BASE PARAMETERS…]
Lines of ghostly geometry raced outward from the point of contact, mapping the land in shimmering grids.
[BASE RANGE (LV.0): 150m RADIUS]
[CURRENT STATUS: DORMANT – PRE-MIST]
[AVAILABLE FUNCTIONS (LOCKED UNTIL MIST DESCENT):]
– BARRIER FIELD
– RESOURCE TRACKING
– POPULATION INDEX
– CONSTRUCTION BUFFS
Then, a smaller line:
[PRE-MIST BONUS: "FORESIGHT BUILDER"]
[ALL BASE UPGRADES – COST -15% (FIRST YEAR)]
I smiled.
"Thank you," I said softly.
[SUGGESTED BASE NAME: "SAFE HAVEN 01"]
I snorted.
"No."
[SUGGESTED BASE NAME: "ROOTS"]
I considered.
"Better," I said. "But not quite."
My first base, in the other life, had been called Haven. Later, people had jokingly called it "Shen Fortress" or "The Green Wall."
This time, I wanted something that didn't pretend isolation.
"We're not hiding here," I murmured. "We're surviving. Growing. Expanding."
An idea came.
"Name: Last Light Valley," I said.
A pause, then:
[BASE NAME SET: LAST LIGHT VALLEY]
[WELCOME, FOUNDER]
Warmth pulsed through the ground, a faint echo of the feeling I'd had in the System core room before everything ended.
This time, it was a beginning.