The afterglow of that mushroom cloud had yet to completely fade from the horizon.
The terrifying shock wave crossed a distance of fifty kilometers and slammed into Nuoding City's alloy walls!
"BOOM!!!"
The entire city shook violently!
The newly built alloy walls and the Umbrella Corporation's buildings were completely unharmed. Only the energy shields flickered a few times.
But the city's old brick-and-wood houses were not so lucky.
"Crack... rumble!"
The already-ramshackle houses instantly reached the limit of their structural strength under the shock. Roof tiles slid down like raindrops, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the walls. Then, amid the residents' cries of alarm, whole rows of buildings came crashing down!
Cries, screams, and pleas for help shattered the city's quiet.
"Oh my God! Was that an earthquake?!"
"My house! My house collapsed!"
"Quick! Help them! Old Wang's still buried underneath!"
Panic spread through the surviving civilians like a plague.
They had no idea what had happened. They only knew that disaster had struck without warning.
Just then.
"Bzzzt—"
Every loudspeaker in the city, along with the emergency broadcast poles that had just been pushed up from beneath the rubble, turned on at once.
Qin Feng's voice, calm and utterly without a hint of emotion, rang in the ears of every panicked citizen.
"All residents of Nuoding City, please pay attention."
"This is not a natural disaster."
"This is the necessary demolition work preceding a controlled 'urban renewal.'"
Demolition?
Everyone froze, even forgetting to cry out.
Amid the ruins, a man with a face full of dust looked up in confusion at the broadcast pole still belching white smoke.
He wanted to curse, but realized he didn't even have the strength to be angry.
His home was gone. What good would cursing do?
In the Central Control Room, Grey Wolf looked at the collapsed houses and homeless citizens on the screen, then scratched his head.
"Boss, don't you think we've gone a little too far? How much compensation is this going to cost us?"
"Compensation?"
Qin Feng laughed.
He walked to the main control panel and pressed another red switch.
"I never pay compensation."
"I only create value."
He spoke into the microphone, addressing the entire city in a tone like a god issuing a decree:
"From this moment on, the Old City Renovation and Comprehensive Infrastructure Plan for Nuoding City is officially underway!"
"Every resident whose home was damaged will receive a brand-new alloy safe house, planned and built by the Umbrella Corporation, free of charge."
"Every citizen injured during this 'renewal' will receive the highest level of medical care, free of charge."
"For now, all citizens should stay where they are. Do not move."
"Witness the birth of a miracle!"
As soon as he finished speaking—
"WOO—WOO—WOO—"
Shrill alarms rang throughout the city!
But this time, they weren't red, the color of danger. They were green, the color of construction and hope!
The armored plates on top of the Umbrella Corporation's main building slid open once more.
But this time, what rose from within wasn't a missile or a turret.
It was a series of launchers shaped like beehives.
"Bzzzz—"
A gray "fog" poured from the launchers and rapidly spread across all of Nuoding City.
"What is that? Poison gas?!"
Some citizens screamed in terror.
But when the gray "fog" drew near, they finally saw what it was.
It wasn't fog at all!
It was a swarm of nanobots—billions of tiny robots, each no bigger than a grain of sand and glinting with a metallic sheen!
"Worker Bee No. 1 nanoconstruction robots, all deployed!"
Grey Wolf shouted excitedly in front of the control panel, its paws flying over the keyboard.
"Boss! The building blueprints are loaded! Beginning Phase One: clearing the rubble and recycling materials!"
On the screen, the gray cloud representing the nanobot swarm covered every collapsed area.
The next second, a sight every resident of Nuoding City would remember for the rest of their lives unfolded before them!
The fallen bricks and broken wooden beams were seized by countless invisible hands the instant they touched the gray cloud. In a manner beyond comprehension, they began to disassemble and reassemble themselves!
The shattered bricks were enveloped by nanobots, lifted into the air, and pieced back together into complete walls.
The scattered roof tiles flew back into place, lining up neatly with no gaps.
Even the dust hanging in the air was captured by the nanobots, compressed into little black solid pellets, and dropped in designated recycling areas.
The whole process was quiet and efficient, imbued with an orderliness that seemed almost beyond imagination!
In less than five minutes—
All the rubble was gone.
In its place were neat, level foundations, cleared spotlessly clean.
Every resident of Nuoding City stood stock-still, mouths agape and minds completely blank.
What had they just seen?
A god.
This was a divine miracle!
Only the gods of legend possessed the power to move mountains, fill seas, and create things out of thin air!
"Thump!"
The first person fell to his knees.
Facing the gray cloud still circling overhead and the broadcast pole that had delivered the "divine oracle," he bowed his head and knocked it hard against the ground.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
More and more people fell to their knees.
There was no panic or confusion in their eyes anymore, only the most primal, frenzied worship!
[ Ding! The residents of Nuoding City have collectively developed fervent worship, and their worldview has been completely overturned! ] [ Ding! Your "Science Cult" belief system has been initially established. Public support +5000%! ] [ Ding! You have gained a vast amount of Shock Points! Total: 580,000 points! ] [ Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked a branch of the technology tree: Nanotechnology! ] [ Reward issued: T-1000 Liquid Metal Robot Manufacturing Blueprint! ]
Qin Feng looked at the prompts flooding the system panel, his expression utterly unchanged.
Just routine.
He picked up the microphone again, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Citizens, don't rush to your knees."
"The real show is just getting started."
"Brother Wolf, start Phase Two. Renovate all of Nuoding City for me!"
"On it!"
Grey Wolf let out a strange cry and slammed the Enter key!
The gray cloud of nanobots in the sky changed once again.
Like worker bees following orders, they split into tens of thousands of small groups in an instant and swarmed toward every old building in the city that was still in decent condition.
What happened next left the citizens kneeling on the ground with their eyes practically bulging out of their heads!
The old wooden doors were covered by a layer of silvery liquid metal. A few seconds later, they had become brand-new alloy security doors.
The fragile windows were removed by the nanobots and replaced with sturdy bulletproof glass.
Even the leaking roofs and moldy corners of their homes were repaired and renovated at a speed visible to the naked eye!
What kind of demolition was this?
This was a free, full renovation!
An old woman reached out with a trembling hand and touched the brand-new door that had just been transformed by the "divine miracle." Tears streamed down her face.
"A g-god! A true god has descended to earth!"
Just as the entire city was lost in a frenzy of worship—
The alarm in the Central Control Room rang once more.
But this time, it wasn't an external threat. It was an incoming internal communication.
Orochimaru's pale face appeared on the screen. Behind him was the Biological Laboratory.
His voice was hoarse, but carried a barely concealed excitement.
"Qin Feng."
"I have results on the thing you asked me to study."
Orochimaru moved aside, revealing a special cultivation tank behind him.
The person floating inside was none other than the one who had been implanted with the Heaven Cursed Seal, thrown into a filthy ditch by Qin Feng, and long since forgotten by everyone...
Tang San!
His skin had turned an eerie grayish black, and the three Tomoe Cursed Seals on his neck glowed with an ominous red light.
His body was undergoing some kind of violent, uncontrollable mutation!
"His Second Martial Soul, that hammer..."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his golden snake eyes gleaming like he'd discovered a whole new world.
"It's devouring my Cursed Seal!"
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