Chapter 832
Chapter 832
After the curtain of light dissipated away, several hundred men appeared in the centre area of the central plaza.
Standing in the frontmost position was Aderick. When the hundreds of Awakened ones behind him saw the central plaza, they all exclaimed in unison.
Aderick had already informed them in advance that they would be re-entering Zero City. Even so, the shock and impact of witnessing this view for real almost broke their hearts.
First, one of the Awakened ones broke into a sob. He was followed by several others. Then, tens of Awakened ones cried. In the end, almost every one of them ended up sobbing. From a gentle sobbing, it grew to become a loud wail.
It had been over half a year since Zero City’s destruction.
They had originally been the apex existence in the Awakened world, but they could only struggle to hide in the Antarctic, not having the courage to show themselves in the slightest.
Until now.
This home of theirs, which they believed to have been completely destroyed, suddenly appeared before them once again.
“Everyone, attention! Be quiet!”
Aderick turned around and his gaze swept over everyone there, his voice low but majestic.
Although it was not swift, the crowd quickly suppressed their feelings of excitement. Gradually, they calmed down.
All their gazes gathered upon Chen Xiaolian.
“Everyone… is feeling very excited, right?” Chen Xiaolian had both his hands clasped behind his back. Despite facing so many passionate gazes, he maintained his cool. There wasn’t the slightest hint of awkwardness. “Seeing this central plaza, it feels very familiar, right? Unfortunately, other than this place, the other areas have still not been brought back. But believe me, it will not take too long. Because right now, the owner of this Zero City is me.”
Another minor commotion broke out before him, but it quickly subsided.
“I think, some amongst you must have seen me before. The day Zero City was destroyed, I had fought alongside many people. Some of those people were killed in action while some survived and are standing before me. Then, those of you who remember me, please raise your hands.”
Tens of hands rose up from the crowd.
Chen Xiaolian glanced at them and saw some faces that he no longer had even the slightest impression of, though some were vaguely familiar. The only one he could truly recognize was Guan Shan.
Gibbs, the tech nerd who had Adam calculate out the escape route had failed to smoothly escape.
Chen Xiaolian sighed softly to himself, but the expression on his face did not change. “Right now, all of you must be wondering, how did Zero City re-appear before you all once again? And why, with the exception of this central plaza, the other areas have become empty spaces.
“Let me first tell you, this is not the Zero City you once knew nor is this the central plaza that you once knew.
“This is not the place where we fought side by side in a bloody battle against the Players and Electronic Guardians!
“I built this place, but I don’t plan on monopolizing it. Because, only with Zero City’s people can it become, be worthy and qualify to be called Zero City!
“In this new Zero City, with the exception of this central plaza, there are no other buildings.
“However, soon enough, it will – by your hands – return to its former appearance! Every inch would look exactly the same as the original!
“From this moment onwards, it will be your home. And this home is waiting for you to rebuild it!”
Chen Xiaolian’s voice was not loud, but it rang clearly towards everyone’s ears.
Following his impassioned speech, everyone’s hearts began palpitating vigorously.
“I believe you fellows would not forget how the city you once lived in looked like. Relay what you remember to the Main Controller and he will restore everything for you.”
After Chen Xiaolian said that, a holographic human figure appeared beside each and everyone there.
“I am the new Zero City’s Main Controller. Please do your best to recall Zero City’s original structure and tell me so I can restore the places you are familiar with.”
Every one of the holograms said the same thing to the people from Zero City.
Chen Xiaolian then turned towards Aderick. “Next up, we have to discuss some of the more complicated issues.”
…
Chen Xiaolian and Aderick hovered high in the air, observing as the crowd below them gradually dispersed, spreading out in all directions.
After confirming it with what they recall, every Awakened would describe it to the holograms of the Main Controller beside them. When they were done, the building described would swiftly appear at the designated location.
The first to be restored was the Sea of Love. Then, the nearby residential areas. It was the most bustling place in Zero City to begin with, making it also the place that everyone was most familiar with.
The public trading district in the west, the governing institutions and residential area of the resident guilds in the east and commercial district in the north were also slowly being restored.
Very soon, the entire Zero City became filled with buildings here and there, gradually becoming more developed.
“The power you possess have once again surpassed my expectations,” Aderick said with a sigh. “I had assumed that we would have to rebuild it brick by brick. Unexpectedly, you could directly transform Zero City’s energy into matter.”
“It’s just the simplest part.” Chen Xiaolian did not appear smug about it. “For now, I still have no way to restore all those parts used for production and machines. This Main Controller is not the same as Zero City’s Main Controller. He doesn’t know anything about all those stuff. Thus, I need your help in rebuilding those parts. This is the most important issue. Things like Tidal Fighters, Thunderstorm Tanks, Sentinel mechs and others like that. By the way, if memory serves, in the innermost underground area of Zero City, there is also an Energyquake Bomb and an ultimate-grade mech.”
“You know about that as well?” Aderick cast a curious glance at Chen Xiaolian. “Makes sense. Given your current state, no matter what kind of strength or knowledge you possess, it is no longer surprising. However, I am puzzled. Given your current strength, do you still need this?”
“I don’t, but my guild members still need it.” Chen Xiaolian slowly shook his head. “Also… you fellows also need it.”
“You said it before, your objective is to unite all the Awakened ones. That means our enemies are not the other Awakened guilds.” Aderick gave Chen Xiaolian a deep stare. “You… plan to start an all-out war with the Players?”
“That’s not it.” Chen Xiaolian did not give Aderick a detailed explanation. “I just want this new Zero City to become a refuge for all the Awakened ones. Because, in the near future, a comprehensive refresh will come to clear the whole world.”
Chen Xiaolian turned to look at Aderick, his gaze as sharp as knives. “However, don’t tell anyone about this for now. You just need to have your men follow orders.”
“I… understand.” Aderick, who was subjected to Chen Xiaolian’s stare, felt as though there was a thorn poking into his back. Cold sweat broke out all over his body and he nodded while stuttering.
“No need to feel so nervous. I’ve said it before, we are just partners.” Chen Xiaolian stretched his hand out and patted Aderick’s shoulder. “Three days, that should be enough to restore Zero City, right?”
“The streets and buildings will take only half a day. As for the production facilities, it’s hard to say how long it’ll take. I’ll have to go sort it out. At any rate, we lost too many men back then. Although the survivors here are mostly non-combat personnel, not every department has survivors. There are some places that I will need to personally oversee. Additionally…” Aderick pondered before continuing, “Even with the facilities restored, we need enough raw materials for production to begin.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” Chen Xiaolian nodded. “You just have to oversee the restoration of the key facilities. You have to hurry.”
“Hurry? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Why?” Chen Xiaolian turned to face Aderick and broke into a smile. “Naturally, it’s so you fellows can hurry up and tell the whole world.
"Zero City… has returned!”