Chapter 324: Micro Ocean (Patreon)

Chapter 324: Micro Ocean

In the following days,

With the completion of the surface structure of the farmhouse courtyard,

The entire Eastern Continent gradually began to witness a monumental transformation originating from within human civilization.

On the second day after completion,

The total number of Ice Lake-class Transport Ships surged by nearly double, reaching 2,100 vessels.

They began expanding their resource-gathering operations

To the central regions of the Kuan Jiang River Basin.

Shanghe City, which had been among the first to collapse during the early days of the apocalypse,

Thus experienced its final fleeting moment of prosperity within its lifecycle.

Countless robots and engineering equipment

Turned the ruins of Shanghe City and its scattered shelters of all sizes

Into bustling construction sites.

Millions of tons of valuable resources, crushed and extracted from these sites,

Were continuously loaded onto the transport ships, which then set off at a steady speed of 10 kilometers per hour,

Slowly but surely making their way to Jianghe City.

Meanwhile, the farmhouse courtyard—the final destination for all transported materials—

Acted like a bottomless abyss.

No matter how many resources were funneled into it,

It could never be filled, nor could any changes be discerned from its unchanging exterior.

At the same time,

In the southern Xiao Jiang Province,

The unified Merchant Trains

Began a large-scale population relocation.

Hundreds of Merchant Trains from across the province converged onto the same return route,

Resulting in a stretch of nearly 800 kilometers between Xiao Jiang Province and Jianghe City

Where, during peak hours, a Merchant Train could be spotted passing by every minute or two.

Even in the harsh surface environment,

Where blizzards often reduced visibility to less than a meter,

The sheer volume of trains rendered these storms

As inconsequential as a gentle breeze.

They posed no hindrance whatsoever.

To the north of Jianghe City, in Steel City,

Unlike the Kuan Jiang River Basin and Xiao Jiang Province, where Su Wu had concentrated almost all his transport capacity,

This supercity, located even closer to Jianghe City,

Seemed almost forgotten.

Day after day, scarcely any trains or transport ships from Jianghe City arrived here.

Instead, the nearly 20 million residents of the city

Worked tirelessly to produce snow transport vehicles, robots, exoskeleton armor, and various other equipment,

All of which were continuously shipped to the farmhouse courtyard

To fill the massive labor and equipment shortages caused by the sudden surge in transport capacity.

Meanwhile,

The large-scale wireless power transmission installations here

Had now increased to two.

They gathered all the real-time generated electricity from within a radius of several hundred kilometers,

Transmitting it at a rate nearing 300 million kilowatts

To the farmhouse courtyard over 200 kilometers away,

Creating an invisible yet immensely significant channel for resource transfer.

At this transmission rate,

Every hour of normal operation

Converted roughly 100,000 tons of fuel into electricity, remotely stored within the farmhouse courtyard’s Ball Lightning Control Chamber.

Had it not been for the emergence and rapid expansion of the Ice Lake-class Transport Ships,

Which overshadowed their significance,

This sheer volume of material transfer alone would have made them the most formidable transport system within the entire farmhouse courtyard network.

Jianghe City, Farmhouse Courtyard.

Underground Control Center.

The holographic projection map of the Eastern Continent floated above the metal platform.

Silently shimmering.

Every subtle pulse of its glow.

Represented the exchange of astronomical quantities of resources.

Appearing in shelters, or wherever Merchant Trains and Ice Lake-class Transport Ships roamed.

The Farmhouse Shelter.

This de facto super fortress.

Was voraciously absorbing the resources of the entire Eastern Continent at breakneck speed.

Quietly advancing toward an underground metropolis unlike any other in human history.

May 6th.

For the residents of the Farmhouse Shelter.

Today was a somewhat special day.

Because the underground 13th floor of their shelter was officially completed.

Located on the 13th floor, an enormous aquarium—larger than the combined area of the underground 8th floor’s grand park and amusement park—

Also opened its doors on this day.

Underground Level 1, Residential Area.

“I’m ready.”

Liu Qianqian opened the bedroom door.

Her expression tinged with excitement and anticipation as she spoke to Su Wu.

Dressed in a pristine white dress for the occasion.

Her slender, delicate calves peeked out from beneath the hem.

Simple pink sandals adorned her feet.

She looked pure and adorable, exuding the youthful vitality unique to a girl her age.

Su Wu’s eyes flickered with admiration.

After taking a moment to appreciate her appearance, he rose from the couch.

Gently taking Liu Qianqian’s hand.

“Then let’s go.”

Considering how exhausted she had been lately—

Spending days reverse-engineering the technology from the Biological Battleship wreckage—

Su Wu had decided to give her a break.

On the aquarium’s opening day.

He planned to take her there for a full day of leisure.

Riding their private compartment.

Through the shelter’s intricate transit system.

The two arrived directly at the entrance of the 13th-floor aquarium.

The entrance was an open plaza.

Since Su Wu hadn’t restricted access to ordinary residents.

Small groups of people could be seen milling about, waiting to enter.

The atmosphere reminiscent of pre-apocalypse tourist attractions.

Of course, with 107 other entrances of the same scale elsewhere.

The first wave of 200,000 visitors was efficiently dispersed.

The vast plaza wasn’t overly crowded.

Striking a balance between liveliness and personal comfort.

Crossing the plaza.

They stepped into the aquarium proper.

Su Wu and Liu Qianqian soon found themselves in a transparent glass corridor.

Encased on all sides—even overhead—by deep, cerulean seawater.

“It’s breathtaking.”

Walking along the seemingly endless corridor.

Surrounded by tranquil, fathomless waters.

And countless marine creatures gliding through, their iridescent forms shimmering in the faint light.

Liu Qianqian couldn’t help but murmur in awe.

Even the world’s largest aquarium she had visited before the apocalypse.

Paled in comparison to this magnificent artificial ocean.

The sheer resources required to create it were unimaginable.

Su Wu quietly accompanied her.

Not interrupting her wonder.

Having personally designed every detail of the aquarium.

Experiencing it now as a visitor.

Added a unique layer to the experience.

The seawater filling the aquarium.

Was actually an artificially simulated replica.

After all, Jianghe City was located inland.

Before this, it didn’t even have the capacity to transport fuel.

Forced to develop an alternative method of generating electricity locally and transmitting power remotely.

Let alone seawater, which was of even lower value.

However, even though it was a replica.

Its scale was by no means small, with a total water storage capacity of nearly 40 million cubic meters.

600 times that of the world's largest aquarium before the apocalypse.

Because of this.

The underwater world outside the glass corridor could actually be considered a true Miniature Ocean.

Vast enough that most of the marine life inhabiting it.

Wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between it and the real ocean.

At the same time, to more realistically simulate the underwater world.

  The glass tunnel Su Wu and the others were currently visiting.

Actually had a layer of color camouflage on the outside.

Ensuring that, in the perception of those marine creatures, the glass tunnel would be recognized as an underwater cliff.

So they wouldn’t unknowingly and unpreparedly collide with it.

Additionally, Su Wu spared no expense in resources.

To build such a massive aquarium.

Not just to preserve some marine species and prevent their extinction.

There was another reason behind it.

To add an extra layer of insurance for the shelter, increasing its fault tolerance.

If, in the future, for some reason.

The shelter could no longer obtain any resources from the outside.

Then this aquarium.

Could become a backup resource site.

To be used in desperate situations to give the shelter a second chance.

Of course, if it really came to that.

The so-called Miniature Ocean, along with the marine life inside.

Would likely only become specimens.

Or simply food for the shelter’s residents.

Su Wu truly hoped that day would never come.

After spending an entire half-day touring the aquarium.

And enjoying a specially prepared dinner at the underwater revolving restaurant.

That night.

Su Wu and Liu Qianqian didn’t leave the aquarium.

Instead, they spent a wonderful night together.

Holding each other in a three-sided transparent undersea bedroom.

For Liu Qianqian, this day was a delightful date.

For Su Wu, it was also a rare opportunity to relax.

A temporary respite from the shelter’s endless tasks and the silent, dangerous surface world.

Morning.

Slowly waking from sleep while holding Liu Qianqian’s light and soft body.

Su Wu received a message from the Artificial Intelligence.

Last night, while he was asleep.

Anomalous activity had been detected in the waters where Zhenhai City once stood.

The long-maintained seismic activity of magnitude 5 to 6.

Had abruptly risen above magnitude 7 in a short time.

The resulting tremors were so intense that they traveled over 100 kilometers.

Reaching the coastal shelter.

Even affecting the large power plant located in the coastal mountains.

Frowning.

Su Wu didn’t get up immediately.

Instead, he lay in bed and checked the situation at the coastal shelter via projection.

“Average wind speeds have reached force 9.”

“Cracks have also begun to appear on the frozen sea surface.”

After quickly scanning the real-time data.

Su Wu’s gaze.

Focused on the seascape captured from the coastal shelter’s perspective in the projection.

At the far edge of the ocean.

Dark clouds seemed to hang so low they touched the sea.

Occasionally, flashes of lightning illuminated the gloom.

Rolling through the clouds.

Occasionally breaking through the cloud layer to explode upon the ice surface.

A scene resembling an apocalyptic extinction event.

"A branch cyclone from the ocean depths."

"It has already shifted 40 kilometers toward the coastline."

"And the movement shows no signs of slowing down yet."

"It seems the mountain power plant is going to have trouble."

Even now.

With the warm, soft sensation of the girl in his arms.

Su Wu could still feel a chill rising from the earth's surface.

He had a vague premonition.

This might just be the beginning.

A little over half an hour later.

Rushing back to the control center.

Su Wu accessed the Eden Satellite.

Once again analyzing and predicting the climate and geological activity around Zhenhai City.

As expected, the results were grim.

There was over a 70% probability.

That the coastal shelter would be engulfed by the violent cyclone core within the next 3 to 5 days.

By then.

Wind speeds there could approach the speed of sound.

The power plant built in the nearby mountains, along with the fuel and other supplies temporarily stored there.

Would all face extreme danger.

"And the active geological zone shows signs of spreading too."

Unlike ordinary earthquakes.

The active zone near Zhenhai City had almost no transitional lulls.

Maintaining high-intensity tremors throughout.

Apart from the Farmhouse Shelter.

Every other shelter across the Eastern Continent caught in its path.

Would face complete disintegration.

Studying the analysis report.

Su Wu pondered for a moment.

Then turned his attention to the Ice Lake-class Transport Ship fleet nearing the end of the Kuan Jiang River Basin.

Three days had passed since the completion of the shelter's above-ground third level.

The total number of Ice Lake-class ships had correspondingly grown to 4,100.

Theoretically, just one or two trips.

Could transport the remaining 60 million tons of fuel from the coastal mountains.

But beyond the fuel.

There were also over 100 million tons of general supplies relocated from Zhenhai City in those mountains.

Transporting those posed another challenge.

Originally, Su Wu's plan was.

To have the Ice Lake-class fleet follow a near-to-far sequence.

After scavenging all resources from the Kuan Jiang River Basin.

They would then transport the general supplies from the mountain region.

This plan had been sound.

With current production of a thousand Ice Lake-class ships per day.

At most, within a week.

They could reach the mountain area.

But unfortunately.

They didn't even have a week left now.

"We'll have to abandon some less critical supplies."

"Focus on salvaging the highest-value items first."

Importing the Eden Satellite's geological activity report.

Onto the Eastern Continent's holographic map.

The projected paths of both the branch cyclone and active geological zone.

Headed almost directly toward Jianghe City.

The sight was alarming.

After careful consideration.

Su Wu decided to abort the Ice Lake-class fleet's current mission.

Have them cease collecting construction debris.

And proceed at full speed toward the coastal mountains.

"Transporting all the mountain supplies directly back to the Farmhouse Shelter isn't feasible."

"But storing them in shelters along the way isn't ideal either."

"There's no guarantee the active geological zone won't accelerate further."

"After making landfall."

"Besides, most of the shelters in the Kuan Jiang River Basin have already been demolished."

"There's nowhere left to store anything."

The consequences of being scavenged too thoroughly became apparent at this moment.

Su Wu awkwardly realized.

He couldn't even find a temporary place to make do.

However, this didn't trouble him for long.

Soon.

He turned his gaze to a location 70 kilometers north of the coastal mountain area.

According to predictions from the Eden Satellite.

There was a high probability that the shelter complex located there wouldn't be immediately destroyed.

When the branch cyclones made landfall.

There would be some buffer time.

(End of Chapter)