While Lindong was still sweltering in heat, here, it was bitterly cold—winter had divided the climate into extremes since the apocalypse. The hotter it got, the hotter it was, and the colder, the colder.
Snow drifted through the air, the horizon a vast expanse of white.
A giant city stood resiliently, as though it had existed since time immemorial.
The old man's hand slipped, his pupils seemingly unresponsive as he stared ahead, muttering, "Yun City, a Sanctuary in Nuo da, has just vanished."
In the meeting room, the faces of others looked no better.
As high-ranking members of the Beiting Sanctuary, they received all sorts of news daily.
However, the destruction of this large Sanctuary was something no one had anticipated.
"To think that the Abyssal Rift would appear inside the Sanctuary, if we can't figure out a response, there will be more tragedies in the future."
"Exactly, but unless we can predict where the Abyssal Rift appears, otherwise…" a senior member in the meeting room responded.
He was of medium height with broad shoulders, his eyes shifting to another, "Does the science academy have any way to predict the movements of the Abyssal Rift?"
The head of the science academy, holding a stack of documents, said, "Based on the signs before the red mist appears, we can predict the emergence of the Abyssal Rift ten to fifteen minutes in advance…"
"That's not enough!" the broad-shouldered senior frowned, "Ten minutes is too brief to evacuate all survivors or establish a perimeter defense."
"The experts who study the Abyssal Rift have a new idea." The science academy's head pulled out a document and handed it to the seniors present, "According to their research, the Abyssal Rift is a type of spatial passage, and its sudden appearance is fundamentally due to the instability of the space in our world."
"Based on speculation, as long as we can create a Space Stabilization Device to reinforce the space within a certain range, we might prevent the Abyssal Rift from appearing inside Sanctuaries."
"This method is good, tackling the problem at its root. Can the science academy also create a device to destabilize spatial passages, thereby destroying the Abyssal Rift?" the broad-shouldered middle-aged man quickly grasped the main point.
The person in charge nodded, "That's the idea, although, these Space Stabilization Devices are still in the concept phase. The biggest issue is that the science academy's understanding of spatial rules is not profound and there is a lack of spatial objects for reference."
"Spatial objects?" someone muttered, seemingly recalling something.
"Yes, that Crystal Stone containing Space Power. If we could use this stone as a template for research, the development of the Space Stabilization Device could speed up significantly." The person in charge spoke quickly, his tone slightly anxious.
However, a senior wrinkled his brow, "That Crystal Stone is key to stabilizing the number three Secret Realm. If we remove the stone, there's a high possibility that the Secret Realm would collapse."
The meeting room was suddenly divided into two camps, some thought that researching the Space Stabilization Device should be prioritized, and others felt that the number three Secret Realm was very important and the stone should not be hastily removed.
The senior elder contemplated for a while and then spoke, "It's possible."
"But that's a Secret Realm—"
"The number three Secret Realm has been fully explored by us, though there might still be things overlooked, but right now, developing the Space Stabilization Device is more crucial."
No one from the opposition spoke anymore.
The elder then looked at someone beside him, "What is the development status of the number one and two Secret Realms?"
The person looked to be in his early thirties, but the full head of white hair and the slight signs of age in his eyes suggested that he might not be as young as he appeared.
He shook his head, "Those two realms are too dangerous; we've developed less than ten percent of them. The number three realm is an Inheritance Secret Realm; that's why we could develop it completely in just a few days."
The elder nodded, "Then let's move on to the next agenda item, Minister Chen, please update us on the progress of the Beiting Defense Circle."
A middle-aged man with a moustache cleared his throat and began, "Currently, the construction of the Defense Circle is proceeding as planned. In the first batch, fifty-six small Sanctuaries and three medium-sized Sanctuaries within the Beiting region have been completely assimilated, and Sanctuary Directors and some senior figures have been appointed to corresponding government positions based on their contributions."
This had been planned since the beginning of the apocalypse.
Numerous small Sanctuaries spread out like stars in the sky, providing a haven for survivors the military couldn't reach in time. However, they ultimately weren't safe enough to withstand attacks of the Demon Tide, so when the number of survivors in these small Sanctuaries noticeably decreased, the plan to assimilate these Sanctuaries and construct the Defense Circle began.
"These Sanctuaries, including Lingshan Sanctuary, Yanhe Sanctuary, and five others, are planned to be converted into wilderness Transfer Stations for Awakeners to hunt and rest, with three already completed, and the other two expected to be finished in the next two days,"
"At the same time, we plan to establish five wilderness departure points at various gates of the Beiting Sanctuary and convert the Military's Rhino-class armored vehicles into transport buses, tasked with ferrying Mercenaries to and from, and intend to complete a railway connecting these five points within the next month to ensure high-speed transit."
The elder nodded, "What's the assimilation status of the surroundings of the eight large Sanctuaries like Jin State, Kangding, and You State?"
"The areas around these eight Sanctuaries have completed forty percent of their assimilation, with the rest expected to finish in three days. By then, centered on the Beiting Base City, the Eight Great Sanctuaries will each act as a Satellite City, initially forming the skeleton of the Beiting Defense Circle—it will offer humanity much more room to maneuver."
This topic evidently didn't meet any opposition and was merely a routine report.
The senior elder nodded, "Once the Defense Circle is complete, we will have more space for agriculture, but simply growing ordinary crops won't be enough. The land inside the Defense Circle, although much more extensive than inside the Sanctuaries, is still insufficient. Additionally, given the current weather conditions, the situation of food remains severe."
"Director Che, how is the food stockpile and the progress of research into new types of crops?"
Director Che responded, "Based on predictions of the total number of survivors after the Defense Circle is built, the food stockpile can meet a three-month need. Currently, we have selected three new types of crops that appeared after the apocalypse: Green Fruit Tree, Earth Dragon Corn, and Climbing Crops. These new varieties all have significantly higher yields, and most importantly, they have much shorter growing cycles. Overall, these generate far more per acre than the pre-apocalypse crops."
"We are currently testing these three new crop types and plan to start planting them soon…"
(PS: This is a parallel world, a parallel world, a parallel world, so...)