A familiar battlefield, in unfamiliar battlefield conditions.
After its initial panic, Ancient City did not descend into total terror and chaos. Courtyard scouts identified enemy spies and unstable elements among the crowds, and through the nearly omnipresent "SkyNet system," guided the evacuation.
Fang Wen's sub-bodies were fully deployed.
As the entire network began to collapse, local networks were activated one after another. Under the guidance of the "kin," monitors became loudspeakers and signposts.
At this moment, mechanical lifeforms became the cornerstone of stability. While normal communications were in complete disarray, their "information network" could still provide steady guidance.
And guiding people was far from all they could do.
With Lu PingAn's help, Fang Wen had completed her data model and could continuously calculate and coordinate the city's evacuation resources. While she could not yet guide every individual, directing entire blocks and buildings posed no difficulty at all.
Boom!
"An incident has occurred at Shelter Number Six. Personnel originally assigned to Shelter Number Six, please proceed to Number Seven and Number Eleven. The markers are displayed on elevated terminals, and maps will continue to be shown on the large screens."
Fortunately, Lu PingAn had completed the "reforms" in advance, and Fang Wen had taken over most of the network. Taking control of the power grid and urban service systems when necessary—like now—had only taken a year.
Under the rule erosion of another world, modern technological systems were always the first to suffer. Without Fang Wen, this would probably have become another bizarre era of carrier pigeons and messengers delivering orders.
That was manageable for superhumans, whose various communication systems were not greatly affected. But for ordinary people, "no internet, no signal" could cause immense panic.
Even so, a large number of facilities still malfunctioned.
When those shelters had been designed, no