The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the 7th stabilizing anchor of the 'Iron Core' power furnace has been calibrated. The energy output efficiency has reached the original peak of 130%."

"Reporting to you, sir, the first phase of the stress test for the 'Ark' connecting cables has been completed, and the structural strength is normal. The 'Iron Core' steering system is now linked with the 'Ark' main control rudder."

The Forge Temple has now been transformed into the central command center of this mobile city. Hephaestus, the newly appointed and youngest chief researcher in history, is leading his team of technicians who revere Shen Ge like a god, giving a clear and organized report on the final progress of the connection project.

Two full months have passed since Shen Ge replaced Arcturus as the new master of the "Rusty Heart".

In the past two months, this steel city built on the ruins of the apocalypse has undergone earth-shattering changes.

The “Ark Research Society,” a new technological group led by Hephaestus and with Ellie as its vice president, has integrated almost all the technological resources of the “Rusty Heart.”

Their sole objective is to fulfill Shen Ge's grand vision—to "link" the entire steel city with the upgraded "Ark No. 1"!
Using the "Eye of the Prophet" as the central control hub, they connected the city's main energy source, the "Heart of God," with the biomass engine of the "Ark No. 1" in parallel through Hephaestus's newly developed "Energy Synchronization Converter."

Countless high-strength alloy cables and newly forged traction arms were used to firmly bind the city's most robust drilling platform bases to the keel of "Ark No. 1".

From then on, "Ark No. 1" was no longer just a ship, but became the "flagship" and "tractor" of this huge floating city.

And this "Rusty Heart" is no longer a fixed sea fortress.

It has gained the ability to move!

“Very good.” Shen Ge sat on the “throne” that originally belonged to Arcturus, which was made up of countless gears and pipes, and nodded calmly.

He looked at the huge 3D sea chart projected by the "Eye of the Prophet," and the feeling of having complete control was far more captivating than simply possessing personal military power.

After this period of recuperation and absorption of some of the energy from the "Heart of God," his power has been completely stabilized at the peak of the seventh rank, and he is only one step away from the legendary eighth-rank Ghost King.

More importantly, with the addition of Hephaestus, a genius proficient in the technology of the old era, his once-shelved "Ark Zero" launch plan can finally be put back on the agenda.

He needs Hephaestus's wisdom to start the slumbering behemoth. He also needs the "Rusty Heart," a mobile industrial base, to carry out the subsequent salvage and modification work.

“All tests complete, my lord.” Hephaestus removed his goggles, wiped the sweat from his brow, and his eyes gleamed with barely suppressed excitement and fervor: “We are ready to… set sail at any time!”

Shen Ge slowly stood up, his gaze piercing through the porthole of the temple, looking at the boundless blue expanse filled with the unknown and danger.

"Relay my order." His voice, amplified through the loudspeaker system, clearly reached every corner of the city: "Activate 'Iron Heart' Engine One! Head towards the 'Tomb of the Sleeping God' sea area, the initial save point of the 'Abyss Compass'!"

As he solemnly declared, the entire massive steel city resounded with a deep and awe-inspiring roar for the first time!
The sinister heart beneath the city, connected to "Ark One," and the "Heart of God" engine inside the city simultaneously unleashed powerful energy.

After a violent tremor, the massive steel city slowly left the ruined sea area where it had lingered for hundreds of years, and, led by its flagship "Ark No. 1", it broke through the waves towards that distant shipping route!

A true "mobile city" has been officially born on this crazy sea!
With the "Iron Heart" mobile fortress as their backup, the return journey seemed incredibly safe.

Kyle and Roca commanded the reorganized "Gear Guard," patrolling the city's perimeter in patrol boats; Alai led a logistics team, managing the city's resource allocation methodically; Hephaestus practically lived in the laboratory, frantically studying the scattered data about "Ark Zero" provided by Shen Ge, and designing plans for the subsequent salvage operation.

Shen Ge spent most of his time adapting to his surge in power. He needed time to adjust to the system's completion and the return of his special abilities, as well as to consider which special ability to allocate the "special ability enhancement points" he gained after absorbing the system to.

Two weeks later, when the "Prophet's Eye" sea chart showed that they had arrived at the sea area previously known as the "Tomb of the Sleeping God," strange things began to happen.

"elder brother!"

Kyle, who was on lookout duty, spoke through the communicator with a puzzled voice: "The chart shows... we've arrived. But here... there's nothing."

Shen Ge frowned slightly, instantly aligning his vision with the "Eye of the Prophet" on the mainmast.

really.

Before me stretched a calm, azure sea. The sun shone brightly, seabirds soared overhead, and occasionally, schools of fish could be seen leaping out of the water.

The colossal tortoise carcass, as massive as a mountain, and the eerie island inhabited by the "prophet" and countless strange beings... vanished into thin air.

It's as if it never existed in this world.

"how come……"

Even Hephaestus rushed out of the laboratory, staring in disbelief at the calm sea before him: "Such a massive, bizarre corpse, its mass is enough to alter the surrounding ocean currents and magnetic fields, it couldn't have vanished silently. Unless... unless it sank to the bottom of the sea!"

"No, it's not on the seabed either." Shen Ge's voice refuted his guess.

Shen Ge's eerie eyes had already pierced through the deep sea. The seabed was flat, with no trace of any giant creature skeletons except for normal reefs and sand.

It's as if an invisible eraser has completely wiped the "Tomb of Sleep" off this ocean canvas.

This realization sent a familiar, bone-chilling cold back into the hearts of Alai and the others. Only one being could accomplish this—the one who wields the power of "rules," even more terrifying than the "Deep Sea Monster King"... the "Lighthouse."

"Are they... cleaning up 'traces'?" Shen Ge murmured to himself.

Could it be that because he refused the invitation and disrupted the order, the "New God Cult" also eliminated this "coordinate point" that exposed their existence after clearing out the Deep Sea Ghost King?

This conjecture is the most plausible, but also the most unsettling.

That means that although the other party is not directly hunting them down, they have already included them in the list of those who need to be "dealt with".

Just as everyone was confused and on guard, Ellie, who was in charge of monitoring the "Eye of the Prophet" chart, suddenly issued a new report.

"Brother! The nautical chart... a new 'singularity' has appeared on the nautical chart!" Her voice was full of surprise: "It's not far from us, and the energy reaction... is very peculiar. It's not supernatural energy, but... it's full of life, and it's very, very large!" Shen Ge immediately switched his gaze to the nautical chart.

Sure enough, to the southeast of their location, a brand new bright spot appeared, radiating a soft emerald green light.

That was one of the four directions he had seen when he was making the "Abyss Compass"—the direction that represented the "most concentrated plant or natural energy reaction".

This "singularity," which was previously incredibly far away from them, now appeared nearby as if it had "teleported."

It's as if it appeared specifically after the "Tomb of the Sleeping God" disappeared, in order to "lure" them there.

“Interesting.” A glint of light flashed in Shen Ge’s eyes. “One was just wiped out, and another immediately appeared. Is this… a coincidence? Or… another ‘invitation’?”

He pondered for a moment, then made a decisive decision.

"Hephaestus, analyze the spatial stability of this area. Kyle, Roca, send out reconnaissance boats to explore the area, maintaining a safe distance and not approaching rashly."

“Let’s go take a look,” Shen Ge said, a cold smile playing on his lips as he looked at the vibrant green dot. “Does this world still have… free lunches?”

The reconnaissance boat responded an hour later, Kyle's voice filled with shock and disbelief.

"Brother, you absolutely... you'll never believe what we've seen! Here, here's an island, a living, living paradise island, just like... just like in a fairy tale!"

As the moving "Iron Heart" slowly approached the sea, everyone was speechless at the sight before them.

It was a vibrant tropical island bathed in golden sunlight.

The island boasts pristine white beaches, swaying coconut palms, and lush, verdant primeval jungles laden with vibrant fruit. A magnificent rainbow, like a mythical bridge, spans the island's highest peak, where a crystal-clear waterfall flows.

The air was filled with the refreshing fragrance of flowers and fruits, and... the sounds of laughter.

Yes, laughter and joy.

On the island's coast, in a beautiful city built of white rocks and logs, brimming with natural and artistic charm, countless people dressed in bright and colorful clothes, looking no different from those of the old era... are singing and dancing on the beach.

Some were chasing and playing, some were playing unknown musical instruments, and some were sitting around the campfire, sharing grilled fish and wine.

On everyone's face radiated a genuine, pure, and unblemished happiness and joy.

Here, there is no trace of the apocalypse, no eerie erosion, and no struggle or pain.

This place is like a secluded "utopia" forgotten by the gods in a corner... isolated from the world.

This scene was even more impactful for Alai and the others, who had struggled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, than when they saw the "Rusty Heart".

They stared blankly at the joyful crowd, their eyes filled with longing and yearning. Even Ellie, who had maintained a stern expression, couldn't help but show a hint of emotion.

This... is what humans should be like.

However, Shen Ge's expression remained solemn throughout, his eerie eyes "reading" everything on the island.

In his view, the island's core did indeed operate a vast, stable, and pure life energy system, without any signs of demonic energy contamination. And every person on the island was indeed a living, breathing human being with an independent soul.

Everything... was perfect, without any flaws.

And that is the biggest... flaw.

“Hephaestus,” Shen Ge’s voice rang out in the command center: “Compare this to the global population happiness index report in your database before the ‘world-ending catastrophe.’ What do you think is the probability that, in a primitive environment without any technological or social order support, the 'happiness index' of a large settlement of tens of thousands of people would reach… 100%?”

Hephaestus, who was analyzing the sea area data, was suddenly stunned. He didn't even need to retrieve the relevant data for modeling and deduction; the answer was already obvious.

zero!
If the index couldn't be reached before the apocalypse, how could it possibly be reached after the apocalypse!

The color drained from Hephaestus's face in an instant.

"Notify Kyle and Roca," Shen Ge said calmly, "that they are allowed to land on the island, but only to have 'non-contact' communication with each other."

"Tell them that on the island, whatever they see or hear... stay calm, and if necessary, open fire!"

Kyle and Roca's reconnaissance boat carefully docked on the pristine white sand beach.

They were greeted with an almost exaggeratedly enthusiastic welcome from the island's residents. A group of young people dressed in grass skirts and wearing flower wreaths immediately surrounded them, offering them necklaces woven from fresh flowers and fragrant fruit wine served in coconut shells.

"Welcome, friends from afar!" A middle-aged man with dark skin and a robust build, who looked like a village chief, said to them with a smile, "Once you come to 'Paradise Island,' forget all your past troubles! Here, there is only sunshine, fine wine, and eternal happiness!"

His smile was infectious, so genuine that it was flawless.

But Kyle and Roca remembered Shen Ge's strange command and always dealt with everything with a stern face and a wary yet distant attitude.

“We…we’re just passing through, stopping by to replenish some fresh water and food,” Kyle replied curtly, not even daring to look into the other’s overly enthusiastic eyes.

"Of course! Of course!"

The village chief, unfazed by their indifference, waved his hand and declared, "Everything on the island belongs to everyone! Water, food, shelter—take what you need! Today is our monthly 'Thanksgiving Celebration,' you've come at the perfect time! Come on, friends, let's dance!" (End of Chapter)