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

Just as everyone was marveling at Hephaestus's blueprint, the most senior engineer in the engineering institute raised a different opinion.

“Chief, I think this ‘heart’ is missing something. It has flesh and blood, blood vessels, and lungs, but it has no ‘nerves’.”

"How can you guarantee that these hundreds of millions of independent 'cardiac cells' can achieve 100% synchronization? How can you ensure that they can think like a 'whole' and respond uniformly to external stimuli?" This question instantly extinguished Hephaestus's fervor like a bucket of ice water.

Yes.

He can design the most perfect cyclic system.

But how can he create a unified "will" for a "collection" composed of countless plants, animals and fungi?
Without a unified will, this "heart" is nothing but a pile of loose sand. It may even collapse due to "internal contradictions" when it receives different stimuli.

Hephaestus pondered, “Unless we can find a ‘bioconductor’ that can link all the independent organisms together like a ‘neural network’.”

At that moment, Ragnar suddenly raised his hand.

“Um… Your Excellency.”

Under the watchful eyes of the "big shots" in the technology and engineering departments, he seemed somewhat uneasy: "I might... know what you're looking for."

Ragnar's face showed a look of reminiscence: "When I was very young, I heard the oldest 'prophet' in the tribe mention a legend. He said that further north in our sea area there was a... living 'ocean'."

"There was no wind or waves there, and the entire sea was like a vast 'seaweed forest' that stretched as far as the eye could see. Legend has it that all life in that forest, from the smallest seaweed to the largest sea beasts... their heartbeats and their breathing were all... 'synchronized'."

"Because they are all just part of a plant."

“The Prophet said that the plant had neither flowers nor fruit, but its roots had already covered the entire ocean.”

Roots that cover the entire ocean?
Link all living beings... into a "whole"?
Isn't this the "biological neural network" they've been dreaming of?

“What…what is it called? Where exactly is it?” Hephaestus grabbed Ragnar’s hand and asked excitedly.

"I do not know."

Ragnar was startled by his reaction and shook his head regretfully: "'The Prophet' only said it was called... [The Root of the World]."

Upon hearing this name, Shen Ge suddenly recalled the "root" of all events, namely the "plug" that the earliest research team pulled out from underground, after which the supernatural energy appeared.

Is there some connection between these two things?
These clues are enough; the remaining task of "Hermes" will be to search the sea area based on the current "chart" information.

Hermes quickly provided the answer.

The good news is that the approximate location deduced from the information is on the route of this voyage; the bad news is that a very strong energy fluctuation was detected in that direction.

However, in order to solve the problem of "Iron Heart" rust disease, the senior leaders led by Shen Ge decided, after discussion, to search for that "living" sea area based on the clues given by Ragnar.

After only half a month of sailing, more than a third of the "flesh-and-blood alloy" on the surface of the earliest eroded support pillars at the bottom of the city had turned into a dark red powder that crumbled at the slightest touch.

Hephaestus had no choice but to order the emergency construction of temporary support structures using unmodified ordinary alloys salvaged from the ruins of the "City of Reflections," which barely maintained the stability of the city's structure.

Worse still, this "corrosion" began to spread upwards, and those disgusting "rust spots" began to appear sporadically on energy pipelines and in residential areas in the lower and middle parts of the city.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs in Ale had to organize engineering teams every day to cut off the parts corroded by rust and replace them with new ones.

But this is ultimately just a drop in the ocean. Everyone knows that if they can't find the legendary "Root of the World" before the city completely rots away and successfully create the "Heart of Eden" to replace that "cancerous" engine... then all that awaits them is the fate of sinking into the cold, deep sea.

Despite the intense pressure, all members of "Iron Heart" displayed unprecedented unity and enthusiasm for their work.

Under Hephaestus's leadership, the technical department worked tirelessly to manufacture replacement parts, slowing the city's collapse.
On the other hand, they repeatedly optimized and improved the design theory of "Heart of Eden" to ensure that they could modify it as soon as they found a "biological conductor".

Under the command of Kyle and Roca, the Ironheart Guard raised the alert level to an unprecedented maximum.

They knew that the "Iron Heart" was more fragile than ever before and could no longer withstand a major battle on the scale of the City of Reflections.

Each patrol boat circled the city repeatedly, ensuring that no potential threat could get close to their ark.

Under the organization of Alai and Ragnar, the common people spontaneously took charge of maintaining the operation of "Eden" and ensuring food supply;
Some joined the engineering team's maintenance team as "volunteers".

There were no complaints, no panic.

They are all working hard for their "home".

A month and a half later.

Just as it was about to reach its destination, "Iron Heart" was blocked by a sea shrouded in thick fog.

The images from the "Prophet's Eye" clearly showed that directly in front of them was a vast archipelago composed of countless islands and reefs of varying sizes.

But all that was in sight was "thick fog".

After several probes, Shen Ge discovered that the strange energy in this area was severely distorted, as if several multiple strange spaces were stacked together.

"grown ups."

Hephaestus pointed to the violently fluctuating energy reaction diagram on the screen, his expression grave: "This foggy area is very strange. It's not just water vapor; it's more like a huge 'bio-force field.'"

"It is 'repelling' our probes. If we force our way in with the current structural strength of 'Iron Heart', I cannot guarantee that those structures that have been severely eroded by 'rust disease' will not collapse on the spot under the unknown internal pressure."

This conclusion plunged everyone's hearts into despair.

The destination is right across the street.

But their terminally ill ark is so fragile that it may not even have the strength to pass through the "gate".

"I'll go in first," Shen Ge said.

"no!"

Before anyone else could speak, Alai was the first, and for the first time ever, to reject his proposal in an almost irrational tone.

"Absolutely not!"

Alai looked at Shen Ge excitedly: "You are the governor, the true heart of 'Iron Heart'. Our city can do without anyone, or even without the city, but we cannot do without you."

“Big sister is right!” Kyle and Roca immediately stepped forward: “Brother, if anyone’s going, it should be our ‘Raiders’ team! We’re your spearhead!”

“My lord, from a technical point of view, the risk-reward ratio for you to take this risk yourself is the lowest!” Even Hephaestus mustered up the courage to voice his objection.

Looking at these people who were desperately protecting themselves in their own ways, Shen Ge became even more determined to enter the foggy area.

He said with a smile, "Actually, you haven't realized that since the founding of 'Iron Heart,' I have already handed this city over to you."

"In fact, in the past six months, there have been no more than three events that required my decision-making. Although I have taken action, think about it: wouldn't the city be able to function without me?"

Alai said excitedly, "No, that's not what I mean. We don't need you to do anything. 'Iron Heart' is now terminally ill, and you are our backbone and our spiritual pillar. If you continue... then 'Iron Heart' will truly collapse."

Shen Ge shook his head and looked at Hephaestus, saying, "Your technical team is the future hope of this city. Each of them is more valuable to this city than I am, an 'outsider.' I can't let you take unknown risks."

He then looked at Kyle and Roca: "Your 'Raiders' Legion is the shield and sword of 'Iron Heart'. Only with you can 'Iron Heart' be better protected."

Finally, his gaze fell on Alai.

"And you, Alai."

“When I’m not around, you are the supreme commander of ‘Iron Heart’. Your work at the Ministry of Civil Affairs these days has shown me your leadership skills. I believe that even without me, you and your team can manage this city even better.”

The appointment stunned everyone, especially Alai herself, who stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe her ears.

"I...I can't do it...I can't do it!"

"You're capable. You care about everyone in this city more than anyone else, and you know better than anyone else how to keep a 'home' running in dire straits. That's enough." Shen Ge is too good at making empty promises. Whether it's the mountain base or the Ark, he's always been a hands-off manager.

From the very beginning, he built "Iron Heart" with the aim of "arranging the aftermath" and cultivating the leadership abilities of people like Alai.

In other words, he will eventually have to hand over the operation of the city and continue to be a hands-off manager.

Shen Ge turned around and faced everyone.

"After I leave, all matters concerning the Iron Heart will be decided jointly by the Acting Governor, Alai, and the Chief Researcher, Hephaestus."

“Kyle, Roca, your guards must obey their orders unconditionally. Ragnar, you are responsible for maintaining stability among all the residents.”

"This is... an order."

He spoke the last two words with absolute certainty.

Shen Ge knew that he would eventually have to return to "reality," and whether he would be able to take the "Iron Heart" with him then was still unknown.

However, "Iron Heart" is different from Ark. The latter has a mature management team and operating model, and Shen Ge is a true hands-off manager.

He built "Iron Heart" from scratch. He understands these people's concerns, but he must consider how "Iron Heart" will operate on its own after he leaves.

Shen Ge's words were absolute commands. Once he made arrangements with "commands," there would be no further objections from those present.

An hour later, Shen Ge boarded a speedboat belonging to the Iron Heart Guard and entered the dense fog area.

On the deck, Alai bit her lip tightly, trying not to let her tears fall. She believed that Shen Ge would definitely return safely.

Alai took a deep breath and ordered through the ship's loudspeaker: "Everyone back to your posts. We'll protect this home until he returns."

……

It has been fifty-four hours since Shen Ge went "out of contact" after entering the dense fog area.

【alarm!】

The alarm of "Hermes" suddenly blared throughout the entire city!
[A massive, unpredictable deep-sea swarm has been detected rapidly rising from below!]

Please prepare for battle immediately!

Ellie and the others, who were working in the monitoring room, suddenly looked up at the main control screen.

On the screen, countless red dots appeared on the eerie creature detection radar, instantly covering the entire screen!

Soon, Kyle and Roca donned their specially modified "Raider II" armor and led their team into battle.

"Attention, all squads!"

Kyle's voice reached every member of the guard through the wide area communication channel: "The enemy outnumbers us by a hundred or more. Do not linger in battle. Our mission is to protect the core area of ​​'Iron Heart'."

"With 'Iron Heart' at its core, form a three-tiered defensive ring. The heavy artillery squad will be on the outside, the cutting squad in the middle, and the recruit squad at the rear. Repeat, our mission is to protect! We must not let any monster get close to our 'home'!"

With a deafening roar, the energy shield composed of countless strange deep-sea creatures crashed into the "Iron Heart" from the bottom.

Leading the pack was a bizarre creature over thirty meters long, resembling a giant immortal jellyfish, with countless tentacles that shimmered with electricity.

It was followed by a large number of "armored sharks", whose rotting bodies were covered with a thick layer of metal.

"Fire!"

Roca gave the order!
On the outskirts of the city, hundreds of terrifyingly large "bone spear crossbows" and "electromagnetic steam cannons" simultaneously unleashed deafening roars!

The dense barrage of bullets instantly tore through the seawater, blasting the leading group of "armored sharks" into bloody fragments.

A large area of ​​the seawater was dyed red!

But this could not stop the leading "Turritopsis dohrnii" from advancing. Its huge umbrella suddenly opened and closed, and a semi-transparent energy shield flashing with electricity instantly appeared, forcefully withstanding the city's bombardment.

Then its thousands of tentacles, each tens of meters long, lashed out like electric whips at the "Iron Heart's" shield.

Boom boom boom!
The entire city shook violently as if hit by a depth charge, and the shield's energy level began to drop rapidly.

Hephaestus shouted, "Perfect timing! We were just looking for a place to expend the energy of the 'Heart of God.' Increasing the power output will allow them to exhaust the 'Heart of God's' energy for us. They're really something!" (End of Chapter)