Ice Age Apocalypse: I've Stockpiled Billions of Resources

A beam of light cleaved through the night. Thousands of heavy electromagnetic projectiles streaked through the air, leaving blinding trails as they slammed into the crimson horde of beasts.

The explosion shattered the swirling snowflakes. High-temperature plasma fireballs rose one after another from the snow, instantly vaporizing the mutants at the forefront.

The shockwave overturned the frozen ground, sending debris, including severed limbs, flying high into the air before crashing down like raindrops.

ten minutes.

The battle ended without any suspense.

Under the overwhelming firepower of the Mars Alliance, 100,000 mutants didn't even reach the edge of Jinghai City's walls before turning into a pile of minced meat and charred remains.

Lin Luo stood beneath the city wall and glanced at the tactical radar on his wrist. The red dots on the screen had completely disappeared.

"Clean up the battlefield and collect useful mutant cores. Titan mech squadron, establish a second perimeter." Lin Luo issued the order into the communicator.

He turned around and walked towards the alloy gate of Jinghai City.

The door slowly closed behind him, completely cutting off the cold wind and the smell of blood from outside.

Entering the inner city, the scene before me was completely different from the ruins I had just seen.

Hundreds of millions of nanomechanical insects have completed the infrastructure construction of the core urban area. The streets are paved with smooth, high-polymer shock-absorbing asphalt.

Holographic projection equipment was installed on the roadside trees on both sides, projecting realistic green trees.

Rows of thirty-story residential buildings stand in neat rows, their exterior walls painted a warm white, and their balconies fitted with transparent bulletproof glass.

The convenience store on the street corner, the fountain in the center of the square, the benches along the roadside—everything is reproduced one-to-one according to the city blueprints of Jinghai City from decades ago.

The domed ceiling completely enveloped the city. Environmental stabilization towers supplied a constant-temperature breeze. The 24-degree Celsius temperature made it impossible to feel that the outside world was an icy wasteland of minus 40 degrees Celsius.

This is a perfect livable city.

Lin Luo removed his heavy outer armor and tossed it to the logistics robot beside him.

Su Xinyue walked over quickly. She held a transparent tactical tablet in her hand, her fingers tapping rapidly on the screen.

“Honey, the first phase of the inner city project is complete. The water and electricity systems, waste recycling system, and air purification system are all connected to the grid. The residential buildings in Zones 1 to 5 are ready for immediate occupancy. Based on the efficiency of the nanobot swarm, we can now continue to advance outwards, and we expect to expand the area of ​​Jinghai City five times within 24 hours.” Su Xinyue handed the tablet to Lin Luo.

Lin Luo didn't answer the tablet. He looked at the streetlights that had come on on both sides of the street and shook his head.

"Expansion halted. Reclaim all nanobot swarms."

Su Xinyue stopped what she was doing with her fingers and looked up at Lin Luo.

Ye An'an stepped forward and asked with some doubt, "The energy reserves are very sufficient, and the nanite swarm's dormancy period has not yet ended, so why stop? Once the land outside is cleared, we can build more resource collection stations."

Lin Luo walked to a bench by the roadside and sat down, patting the metal armrest of the bench.

“This planet is still unstable.” Lin Luo looked at the pale golden dome overhead. “The cities on Mars are big enough to accommodate everyone. We don’t lack living space. No matter how big we build here, it’s just an outpost. Don’t forget how we got to Mars in the first place.”

Tian Xiaoyu wiped the blood off her longsword, sheathed it, and walked to Lin Luo's side.

"A time tunnel," Tian Xiaoyu said.

Lin Luo nodded.

"When the cataclysm broke out, I activated the time tunnel and forcibly took tens of millions of people to Mars. That was a forced tearing of space. Earth's spatial structure and magnetic field have long been damaged beyond repair. Now we are using Martian technology to forcibly terraform the Earth's surface. If we make too big a move, it will trigger a chain reaction in the Earth's crust. If Earth's space collapses again, or an uncontrollable cataclysm occurs, history will repeat itself."

Lin Luo stood up and looked at his wives.

"I don't want to go through another great escape. It doesn't hurt to be careful. Maintain the current size of the city and concentrate our firepower on defense. Even if the Earth is in danger, we can take off and evacuate at any time. Jinghai City is large enough to accommodate the first batch of people who come back."

A tremendous roar of engines came from overhead.

Five fully loaded interstellar transport ships passed through a specially designed passageway in the dome shield and slowly landed on the helipads surrounding the plaza.

The hatch opened.

A large number of soldiers in Martian Alliance uniforms rushed out first and lined up in two rows on both sides of the passage. They held Gauss rifles and had cold expressions.

Immediately afterwards, the first group of Martian residents to return to Earth stepped out of the hatch.

Those at the front were all elderly people in their seventies and eighties. They supported each other and walked down the metal gangway with faltering steps.

An old man had just stepped onto the smooth street of Jinghai City when his legs buckled and he knelt down. He stretched out his calloused hands and groped the ground, then pressed his face against the asphalt and burst into tears.

More people knelt on the ground, kissing the ground of the new city.

"Alright, everyone get up. Go to your respective residential areas according to your numbers to register your fingerprints." Su Bo shouted from atop a war chariot, holding a megaphone. "Listen up, everyone! Earth's construction has just begun. The city lord sent you back to enjoy yourselves, not to cause trouble. No one is allowed to approach the edge of the city walls, and no one is allowed to demolish city facilities without authorization. Anyone who violates the rules will be sent back to Mars!"

The soldiers immediately stepped forward, forcibly pulled up the elderly people who were kneeling on the ground, and guided them to their respective residential buildings.

The controls are very strict. No one dares to run around in the streets.

Lin Luo looked at the orderly resettlement site and then turned to look at the main control building behind him.

"Let's go back to the command center."

The top floor of the main control building in Jinghai City.

This space has been transformed into a luxurious single-level residence covering 1,000 square meters. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic views of the entire city of Jinghai.

Shen Kexin was busy in the open kitchen.

Four high-powered induction cookers are turned on simultaneously. Two intelligent robotic arms are on the side, responsible for washing vegetables and cutting meat.

Shen Kexin wore a pink apron and held a thick-backed kitchen knife in her hand. The blade moved quickly up and down on the cutting board, cutting a piece of mutated porcupine meat weighing more than ten kilograms into even pieces.

Giant deep-sea crabs, freshly airlifted from Mars, were being washed in a sink. A pressure cooker nearby hissed as it released steam, filling the top floor with the rich aroma of beef bone broth.

Heat the oil in a pan and pour it in.

Shen Kexin grabbed a handful of chopped ginger and garlic and threw them into the pot. With a sizzle, the aroma burst forth. She picked up the bowl full of meat chunks and poured all the porcupine meat into the oil, quickly stir-frying it. Soy sauce, cooking wine, and star anise were then added to the pot one after another.

The oven on the other side made a "ding" sound.

Shen Kexin put on oven mitts, opened the oven door, and took out a huge baking tray. On it was a whole leg of lamb, roasted to a golden brown and crispy perfection, sizzling with hot oil.

In the center of the restaurant is a five-meter-long metal dining table.

The table was already covered with various kinds of food.

In the very center sat a brass hot pot, its red oil bubbling and sizzling with a dense layer of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Surrounding the hot pot were plates filled with thinly sliced ​​snowflake beef, fresh tripe, and washed greens.

Next to it were three large basins of boiled fish, covered with bright red dried chili peppers.

There are also steamed lobsters, braised pork ribs, braised prawns, garlic oysters, and cold mixed seaweed salad.

Dozens of dishes filled the table to the brim.

Lin Luo pushed open the door and walked in.

Tian Xiaoyu followed closely behind, walking directly to the dining table. She tore off a piece of crispy skin from the roasted lamb leg, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed it vigorously.

"Kexin's skills, which have been suppressed on Mars for so many years, can finally be put to use on Earth."

Tian Xiaoyu pulled out a chair, sat down, grabbed her chopsticks, picked up a large piece of beef, and threw it into the hot pot.

Natasha walked to the liquor cabinet and took out a large bottle of very strong vodka.

She didn't use a cup; instead, she unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted her head back, and took a big gulp.

The clear liquid dripped down her lips and into the gaps in her armor.

“The temperature on Earth is more comfortable than on Mars.” Natasha wiped her mouth, walked to the dining table, sat down, grabbed a boiled shrimp, and swallowed it whole, skin and all.

Karina tossed the two heavy battle axes onto the doormat with a dull thud. She walked to the table, tore off half a roast chicken, and took a large bite.

“Those monsters were too weak,” Karina said between bites. “Lin Luo, when are we going to expand the defenses? I haven’t chopped enough with my axe yet.”

Lin Luo walked to the head seat and sat down.

"Eat first. Leave the defense line as it is. No one is allowed to leave the city without permission." Lin Luo picked up his bowl and chopsticks.

Su Xinyue and Ye An'an also came over.

Su Xinyue placed the tablet on the corner of the table, her eyes still fixed on the data stream on the screen. She picked up a bowl of white rice with her left hand and a piece of braised pork rib with her right.

"Energy consumption in Zone One is completely under control. The water reserves are enough for 100,000 people for three years." Su Xinyue took a bite of rice.

Ye An'an used a remote control to hover several miniature drones in the corner of the roof, acting as surveillance cameras. She picked up a steamed lobster, skillfully peeled off the shell, and dipped the translucent lobster meat in sauce.

Jiang Yiyi placed the sniper rifle on the back of the chair. She took out a special cleaning cloth from her pocket and carefully wiped the moisture off the scope. After wiping it, she picked up her chopsticks and started eating the vegetables from the hot pot.

Shen Kexin carried the last large bowl of pork rib and lotus root soup out of the kitchen.

She placed the soup bowl in the center of the table, ladled out the first bowl with a large ladle, and presented it to Lin Luo with both hands.

"Honey, have some soup. It's snowing heavily outside, warm your stomach." Shen Kexin took off her apron and pulled out the chair next to Lin Luo to sit down.

Unlike the others who wolfed down their food, she picked up the serving chopsticks and kept piling food into Lin Luo's bowl. Large chunks of beef, peeled shrimp, and fish meat with bones removed quickly piled up into a small mountain in Lin Luo's bowl.

Lin Luo picked up the spoon and took a sip of the hot soup.

The rich aroma of meat and bones filled his mouth. He picked up the bowl and ate large mouthfuls of the meat that Shen Kexin had given him.

"You eat too." Lin Luo swallowed the food in his mouth and put a piece of roasted lamb into Shen Kexin's bowl.

Shen Kexin smiled and nodded, taking small bites of mutton.

No one at the dinner table was talking about complex strategies.

Tian Xiaoyu and Karina glared at each other, fighting over the last piece of tripe in the hot pot. Natasha finished a bottle of vodka and went to the liquor cabinet for a second one.

Jiang Yiyi ate her vegetables quietly, glancing at the sniper rifle barrel every now and then.

Su Xinyue and Ye An'an swiped their respective electronic screens while chewing.

Lin Luo finished his third bowl of rice and put down his chopsticks.