Wasteland

In the blink of an eye, another five years had passed in the New Dynasty.

For the New Dynasty, these five years had been years of drastic change.

The emperor fell ill. Though every possible method had been tried, they could only barely sustain his life.

And as his illness worsened, the emperor's personality grew increasingly strange, even violent.

Arbitrary, headstrong, irritable, quick-tempered.

He became ever more frightening.

If the change in his personality was still a minor matter, then the near-mad torrent of resources flowing into the Western Continent Research Institute under his direction had truly affected the functioning of the entire society.

To manufacture enough weapons, they drained the national treasury. Infrastructure projects stalled, taxes increased, and they even used administrative means to scrape wealth from the people as though draining a pond to catch every last fish, plunging the entire society's economy into depression.

Beneath the prosperous facade of the electrical age, a nation that ought to have brimmed with vigor had weakened within just a few years.

Some tried to resist, but they could hardly stir up any waves.

After its brief zenith, the entire New Dynasty seemed ready to collapse. Countless people were bewildered, unable to understand what the "wise and ambitious" emperor was thinking.

"I only wanted to see what lay outside."

On the Great Western Continent, at the outermost edge of the mountain range, at the end of the Northern Mountains, on the shore of the Endless Sea, stood a towering mountain.

On the side facing the sea, its lower half was a steep, smooth cliff, while windows had been artificially carved into its upper half and fitted with specially made glass.

This was the foremost frontier of the Western Continent Research Institute.

The mountain's interior had been hollowed out, with the Central Laboratory hidden within its belly.

To blast open the "Boundary," they had to deploy the Super Weapon—the Annihilation Bombs manufactured by the institute—at the end of the sea.

And this mountain range on the Great Western Continent was the land closest to the "Boundary."

All the Annihilation Bombs manufactured over the past five years had long since been placed at the end of the ocean. Submarine Cables had been laid as well, leading the "switch" into this Central Laboratory.

This was almost the limit of what they could control.

At this moment, in the laboratory's central hall, the aged emperor stood before a "window," supported by others, gazing out at the sea.

The weather was exceptionally fine today, and the sea was without wind or waves. Faintly, it seemed that one could even see the Great Wall in the far distance.

Behind him, countless people bustled about the central hall, carrying out their final checks.

A moment later, the Chief Scientist, who had likewise begun to show his age, slowly approached.

"Your Majesty, three thousand Annihilation Bombs have been deployed. The final calibration has also been completed. They may be detonated at any time."

As he spoke, he raised a dark green metal box in his hands. Several cables were connected to its underside, hanging to the floor like long snakes and leading toward instruments around the laboratory.

"Very good." The aged emperor withdrew his gaze and stared at him with already clouded eyes. He barely raised his weak right hand, yet at that moment, he hesitated briefly. "You know the consequences of detonating it, don't you?"

"Yes. According to calculations, the simultaneous detonation of such a number of Annihilation Bombs will release enough energy to alter the ecological environment of the surrounding region and may even trigger the collapse of ecosystems across the entire world. For us, even with the thick rock walls shielding us, the radiation produced will kill every one of us in a short time, without exception."

The Chief Scientist stated it in a calm voice.

He had not deliberately lowered his voice, yet the people around him showed no reaction whatsoever.

Over the past five years, through repeated activations of the Secret Seal, the old emperor had long since embedded the will for destruction deep within these people's minds.

"Then do you think I should activate it?" Upon hearing this, the old emperor suddenly asked as if seeking confirmation.

"Your servant... does not know." The Chief Scientist's eyes were somewhat lost.

"I understand." The old emperor pursed his lips, took the Detonator with trembling hands, then turned to look at the sea beyond the window.

At that moment, the few researchers in the laboratory all gathered around, staring blankly at the small Detonator.

No one spoke. In the hall, even the fall of a needle could be heard.

Only the old emperor followed the marked steps, slowly opening the casing, entering the password, flipping the safety... until at last, his hand hovered over the lever.

Outside the window, the sun shone brilliantly upon his shriveled face, yet it carried not the slightest warmth.

Click. A crisp sound rang out as the lever was thrown.

Then, amid deathly silence, the electrical signal entered the instruments through the Detonator and traveled through the long Submarine Cables to the other side of the world.

A brief stillness.

Then, some researcher let out an admiring cry. "Whoa."

In the distance, a terrifying force tore apart the tranquil sea, raising savage winds and monstrous waves and scattering the clouds overhead.

An indescribably violent boom drowned out every sound. Countless cracks appeared across the special glass embedded in the mountain, and it exploded into fragments in an instant!

Endless, pure, snow-white "light" passed through the windows, piercing everyone's retinas at that moment.

It drowned their consciousness.

At that moment, three thousand Annihilation Bombs detonated at once!

The sea for dozens of miles heated, boiled, and evaporated into endless vapor!

The incomparably terrifying shockwave tore apart countless devices and detectors on the mountain.

Radiation-filled dust rose high into the sky, spreading at tremendous speed. It swept over the entire Great Western Continent, then spread toward cities farther away.

In city after city.

On streets, in rooms, factories, schools, hospitals, stations... countless citizens all raised their heads at once.

They looked toward the Great Western Continent.

Toward the blaze that had ignited half the sky.

Countless men and women, the old and the young.

At that moment, they felt the earth tremble.

Their eyes widened, their mouths fell open, and they felt the sting on their skin. Staring at the dust storm stretching for hundreds of kilometers across the sky, blotting out the heavens and covering the earth, they cried out in terror:

"Ah!!!"

6 minutes and 26 seconds after the detonation of the three thousand Annihilation Bombs, the shockwave swept across the entire Great Western Continent!

7 minutes and 21 seconds: Mingzhou Prefecture fell!

8 minutes and 49 seconds: Tai'an Prefecture fell!

11 minutes and 05 seconds: Jingchuan Prefecture fell!

18 minutes exactly: it approached the center of the continent.

22 minutes and 07 seconds: the shockwave swept through the Capital!!

One hour later.

The Tako Continent's three hundred thousand square kilometers of fertile land had become a Wasteland!!!

Meanwhile, in Yangcheng City, inside a popular online Hotpot Restaurant.

The air conditioning was turned up high.

At one table.

Lin Tuo was holding chopsticks, stirring the spicy pot before him. In the enticing broth, ingredients rose and fell as they rolled and boiled.

To his left, he had already drunk more than half of his chilled beverage.

"Hah~" Lin Tuo picked up a large roll of thoroughly cooked lamb, instinctively blew on it, dipped it in sauce, then stuffed the whole mouthful into his mouth and chewed with a blissful expression.

Once it reached his stomach, warmth spread through his entire body.

He picked up his drink and took another few gulps, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Lamb only feels satisfying when you eat it in huge mouthfuls."

As he muttered to himself, the screen of the phone Lin Tuo had placed beside him suddenly lit up again.

It was a scheduled alarm.

It was time to collect Aether again.

"Ugh, having too much Aether is troublesome too. I have to absorb it every so often..." Shaking his head, Lin Tuo put down his chopsticks, leaned back against his chair, and closed his eyes.

Consciousness Switch!

The next second.

Inside the study of Lishan Martial Arts School.

The true body lying in the Rattan Chair as though asleep slowly opened its eyes, stood up, walked to the Sandbox, and switched it back to Creation Mode.

Once the shifting light and shadows settled.

Lin Tuo looked down at the three hundred thousand square kilometers of Wasteland.

His face went blank.

A moment later.

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly rang out from the Martial Arts Hall study:

"What the hell... happened here?!!"