China

During the beginning of the twenty-second century, pollution in China skyrocketed, causing country wide food and water shortages along with countless disease outbreaks. The resulting riots were tearing the country apart from within. The government needed a quick solution in order to stop the riots from completely destroying the country.

Cleaning up the environment would be too costly and time consuming, so instead they opted to simply build underground as the soil had not yet been polluted. In the following years, the surface of China became a toxic wasteland, and the underground cities send out drones to scout out.

Timeline

 * 2160: Due to pollution, diseases and food and water shortages, huge riots form in several major cities.
 * 2163: In an attempt to calm their citizens, the Chinese government starts excavating vast underground tunnels to act as housing and shelter from the pollution of the surface.
 * 2165: The first underground city is finished and the first citizens move in.
 * 2167: After proving to be successful, the chinese government orders the construction of dozens more underground cities.
 * 2611: Due to China’s low robot population, they endure the Atlantium incident with very little damage.

Important locations
1 - Shanghai undergrounds

A sprawling underground city, home to nearly 45 million people. China is one of the few countries with an almost nonexistent robot population, so almost everything has to be done manually. Due to that, the architecture has remained mostly the same, aside from some minor innovations such as large air filters on almost every street as to keep the air breathable. 2 - Shanghai ruins

Due to centuries of neglect, the surface of Shanghai lies in ruins. When the first underground city was finished, the citizens quickly fled to it, leaving behind many things, most of which are considered artefacts nowadays. Due to this, a new profession called “heirloom hunter” emerged, heirloom hunters brave the toxic and decrepit city of Shanghai in hopes of finding lost valuables 3 - The capital

The Beijing undergrounds, often called just “the capital” is the most advanced city in China. The city is constantly expanding underground and new houses are built every day in order to accommodate the ever increasing population 4 - Beijing ruins

Right above the Beijing undergrounds there is a massive storm that has ravaged what remains of the original Beijing. Exploration is not advised unless the brave or stupid soul who wanders there possesses anti-element equipment 5 - Himalayas

Due to their secluded nature, the Himalayas have remained mostly untouched by the rampart pollution in the other parts of China. The colossal mountain chain has become home to many nomadic tribes who avoid combat and despise modern technology and AI