Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

After taking the elevator and winding through a series of turns, I finally emerged through an alloy door, and the view suddenly opened up.

Lin Mo's pupils dilated to their maximum size due to the sight before him.

They were standing on a viewing platform, surrounded by concrete walls.

Ahead lay a massive cavity that defied description.

The dome is made of rough rock and is being reinforced with modular cement, and it appears that a ceiling installation is underway.

Countless engineering lights, comparable to the sun, hung like stars in the darkness, casting magnificent beams of light.

Below, a city is rising from a steel skeleton!

Dozens of giant gantry cranes, hundreds of meters high, could be seen gliding silently along the crisscrossing tracks.

Each move involves precisely placing a prefabricated building module in its designated position, much like assembling building blocks.

Thousands upon thousands of tower cranes and construction vehicles, like industrious worker ants, shuttle through the veins of the city.

The welding arc is as bright as lightning, and the cutting laser cuts through the darkness.

Trains loaded with supplies roared past on the tracks, leaving streaks of light in their wake.

The entire space was filled with a deep and continuous rumble.

That was a symphony of tens of thousands of machines operating simultaneously, the most defiant battle song played by human civilization in the face of doomsday.

"Holy crap... holy crap... this view, holy crap!" Lin Mo was completely shocked and kept exclaiming in amazement.

Unfortunately, I lack education, so I can only use the word "damn" to describe my situation.

"This is... they hollowed out the entire mountain?"

He swallowed hard, then turned to look at Wu Suowei and Wu Jiandao behind him.

"This workload is so massive, even Yu Gong would be impressed and want to bring Jingwei along to work in three shifts, right?"

Wu Suowei stood at attention, eyes fixed straight ahead, and reported in a completely flat voice:

"Sir, this underground city called 'Ark' is called Kunlun No. 1. It is designed to be 2,500 meters underground and is planned to accommodate a permanent population of 3 million."

"What you see is the construction site of the first phase of the residential area and the central hub."

"Three million..." Lin Mo clicked his tongue.

The place where he used to do odd jobs was just a logistics and transportation point on the outermost edge of this huge project, which he thought was ridiculous enough at the time.

Standing here now, he finally understands what it means to only see the tip of the iceberg.

This isn't infrastructure; it's clearly replicating a civilization inside a planet!

"This is truly awe-inspiring; is this the power of a nation?"

Lin Mo forced himself to remain calm, walking with his hands behind his back and a pigeon-toed gait, pacing back and forth along the edge of the observation deck, looking like a retired cadre inspecting work.

"What's that tallest building, the one that looks like a big kidney?" He pointed to a giant domed building in the center of the city that was being topped out.

Wu Jiandao immediately replied:

"Reporting to the leader, that is the central support pillar, which is also used to house the ecological dome equipment. Once completed, it will project a simulation of the natural sky environment to avoid a series of psychological problems caused by residents' depression."

Lin Mo nodded, then pointed to a pit-like area on the wall in the distance, which looked quite abrupt and somewhat disrupted the hemispherical structure.

"What about that place that looks so out of place?"

"That's an energy center, which will be isolated from the rest of the city. It houses three medium-sized nuclear power plants, one of which can supply energy to the entire city, and the other two are backups, just in case."

Lin Mo was stunned.

Just as he was about to ask something else, he heard steady footsteps behind him.

"You can't tell anything just by looking at it."

Zhao Gang appeared behind them at some point, also looking at the steel jungle before them.

"Brother Zhao!" Lin Mo turned around and greeted him.

Wu Suowei and Wu Jiandao immediately saluted.

Zhao Gang waved his hand, walked over to Lin Mo, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Is it shocking?"

"It's more than just shocking," Lin Mo exclaimed sincerely.

"I feel that my previous understanding of the phrase 'Man can conquer nature' was too superficial."

"This isn't about humans conquering nature." Zhao Gang's tone was filled with unwavering determination.

"When heaven was about to destroy us, we chose... to change the course of fate!"

Lin Mo was immediately overwhelmed by the domineering aura. Why couldn't he say such awesome words?

He was lost in thought.

Is it because of my reading posture?

Zhao Gang then pointed to the ceaseless torrent of construction below.

"Every machine and every steel plate you see is supported by tens of thousands of people."

"Top scientists, best engineers, most skilled workers, and millions of ordinary people like you who have worked silently on the periphery."

"We spent a year completing the planning drawings. Then we spent two years turning those drawings into the reality you see before you."

Lin Mo fell silent.

Zhao Gang turned his head, seemingly sensing that something was wrong with his mood.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Mo whispered:

"I think of myself back then, and the other workers, the people...it was so hard."

To be honest, he had grievances; life at the bottom of society is truly too bitter.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang's voice sounded somewhat low amidst the roar of the machines.

"There's no other way; it's all a race against time."

"Such a grand project for the country and its people always requires some sacrifices, just like when we resisted invasion, so that future generations would not have to experience our suffering, and so that our race could continue..."

"If we don't stand up and grit our teeth to bear it, our descendants will suffer in the future."

Lin Mo suddenly thought of a sentence,

"Would you rather bear a lifetime of infamy than let your descendants enjoy happiness?"

Zhao Gang smiled nonchalantly.

"You could say that."

He took a deep breath and gazed into the distance.

"The latest data shows that the rate of deceleration of the Earth's rotation has increased by 0.03% compared to last month. This number may seem small, but in reality, it translates to a 12% increase in the frequency of global earthquakes and volcanic activity."

"Kunlun No. 1 is just one of the thirty-six Tiangang-level underground cities we have planned."

"Even if all 36 cities are built, they can only accommodate less than 300 million people."

"In short, the country has tried its best to maintain a balance. If more underground cities are built, the people will not be able to handle it, and chaos will ensue."

Lin Mo frowned.

"What about the other hundreds of millions of people?"

Zhao Gang remained silent for a long time.

"Based on big data projections, many more people will die in the next two years, and by then we should be able to accommodate them all."

Lin Mo's mouth dropped open, his eyes wide with astonishment.

Of the more than one billion people, only a few hundred million survived the final days of natural and man-made disasters.

He underestimated the terrifying damage caused by the slowdown of Earth.

Based on a family of six, this means that on average, about four people will die in each household.

Suddenly he remembered his deceased parents, and felt a tightness and discomfort in his chest.

There's a feeling of wanting to vent, but having no outlet for my energy.

Is it fair to blame the country for being cruel and refusing to help those in need?

But the country has already done its best!

Is it God's fault for punching the sky?

But what's the use?

"Grass!!!"

All he could do was utter that one loud curse.

His carefree and indifferent attitude towards life is also a result of the changes in the past two years, which has made him think, "So what if I die and lie on a flat board?"

In fact, this is more like a struggle against and a mockery of fate.

Does God want to see me suffer?

What a joke! I'm naturally proud and I just love to laugh!