The Hualing Heavy Industry Floating Island Market was located in the western waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The entire market was built around the core of a former oil rig, and several thousand people lived on it.
But for the people of this Floating Island Market, recent times had been anything but ordinary.
First, news of the Savior’s return arrived. Then, they witnessed living Holy Armor walking across the sea not far from them.
When they learned the Savior was leading the Holy Armor to fight the World Beasts, the entire Floating Island Market erupted. Everyone cheered, filled with envy for the warriors who could fight alongside the Savior.
Then came several days of massive tsunamis, a clear sign that the Savior had begun his battle with the despicable World Beasts.
Over hundreds of years, these survivors had developed a wealth of experience in dealing with tsunamis, so they suffered little damage. But everyone began to worry.
Because after the tsunamis, all news of the Savior vanished, as if he had never returned.
Even the giant Holy Armor disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.
However, along with the Savior, so did all traces of the terrifying World Beasts.
Before, they would often see signs of World Beast activity when they went out to fish. But from that day on, the beasts were gone, and no one knew what had happened.
And the sea level seemed to have dropped slightly.
A month passed in a state of anxiety and unease. Then, something even more shocking happened: their Floating Island Market, along with all the boats, seemed to be sinking at a visible rate!
No, it wasn’t the Floating Island Market and the boats that were sinking. The sea beneath them was receding!
The sea level wasn’t dropping slowly—it was falling rapidly and drastically!
In just a few minutes, it would drop by several meters!
They were able to notice this thanks to an ancient altimeter on the Floating Island Market, which supposedly displayed "sea level" from the ancient times when there was land.
As the sea level continued to fall, the people on the Floating Island Market soon noticed new islands faintly appearing on the horizon.
These islands had clearly been submerged, and now, as the sea receded, they were emerging to become land once more.
It was real soil, real sand, and even the ruins of ancient buildings and the remnants of plants!
Everyone on the Floating Island Market cheered.
For the survivors of the Water World Apocalypse, an island with soil and sand was nothing short of Heaven!
Owning an island was the stuff of dreams!
From now on, they could leave the Floating Island Market and live on solid ground!
But after a few more days, the initial excitement began to fade, because the sea level was *still* falling. More and more islands were appearing around them.
At the same time, perhaps because there was less water, the marine life became unusually active. Many creatures swam right to the surface, some even leaping onto the Floating Island Market and into their boats.
For the first time, these survivors from the Floating Island Market understood what it meant to reap without sowing. They immediately began to feast and celebrate through the night.
On the seventh day, something even more astonishing occurred. The exposed land grew larger and began to connect, forming not just islands, but a true continent!
By noon that day, the sea level finally stopped falling—because there was no more water in their immediate area!
The seawater, like a tamed beast, had retreated beyond the distant land, back into the "sea."
The massive Floating Island Market was completely beached on the ground. The survivors living on it paid it no mind; they scrambled down and planted their feet firmly on the earth.
They were surrounded by the ruins of a city that had long slept beneath the waves. Rows of skyscrapers and quaint houses stood in lines, alongside the wreckage of giant metal shells—what legends called "cars."
They stood on a wide road, now covered in silt and sand, littered with all sorts of stranded fish. There was even a huge whale, crying out in sorrow.
The sound of waves came from a distance. As if in a trance, the crowd looked up and saw that the water had receded behind an ancient embankment. That was where the sound was coming from.
At that moment, everyone present finally understood the true meaning of the sea.
The sea exists in opposition to the land. Only with land does the ocean become all the more precious.
And now, they were standing on that even more precious land!
The Minstrel who had stayed behind on the Floating Island Market bent down and picked up a metal plaque from the ground. She carefully wiped away the mud, revealing three ancient characters. Thankfully, her inherited knowledge allowed her to still read them.
"Ning... bo... Port..." the female Minstrel read, her voice trembling and her eyes filling with tears. Disregarding the mud on her hands, she covered her face and began to sob uncontrollably...
The surrounding survivors first laughed and shouted, then their faces became streaked with tears. Soon, they were all laughing and crying at the same time, completely overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions.
They could live on solid ground now...
Just then, a thunderous roar echoed from the sea, shaking heaven and earth. It was accompanied by violent waves.
’The World Beasts are back!?’
Everyone whipped their heads around to see dozens of mountain-sized Super Giant War Armors emerging from the sea. Leading them was the legendary Zero Armor, which belonged to the Savior!
"The Savior! The Savior has returned!"
"Long live humanity!"
"Make humanity great again!"
"Hahaha, this is wonderful, just wonderful!"
Amidst the crowd’s cheers, the Super Giant War Armors halted at the shore. Hatches opened, and groups of warriors, returned from the Shield Constellation Star Realm, stepped out.
Stepping onto the solid earth and looking up at the distant ruins and wreckage, the warriors all wore exhilarated expressions, embracing and cheering with those around them.
Standing in the open cockpit of the Zero Armor, Shen Feng smiled as he looked down at the bustling crowd below.
’The Water World Apocalypse mission is finally complete.’
’From here on, it’s up to human civilization itself.’
"Commander, you... where did you really come from? Are you... the same person as our Commander?" Witch Tower asked cautiously, gazing out at the vast fields that had once existed only in dreams.
She had already seen the dead "Shen Feng" back in the Shield Constellation Star Realm, and she had been holding this question in for a long time. Now, she could finally ask.
Shen Feng smiled faintly and reached out to ruffle the blonde girl’s hair.
"Just call me Shen. Your Commander is already dead. You can think of me as his reincarnation from a Parallel World. It doesn’t matter if we’re the same person or not. What’s important is that human civilization is about to be reborn. From now on, everything is up to you."
"Shen... you’re leaving?" A flash of panic crossed Witch Tower’s eyes. She gently grabbed the hem of his clothes and asked sorrowfully.
"Yes, I have to return to my world. But don’t worry, we’ll meet again," Shen Feng said with a smile, lightly tapping the tip of Witch Tower’s small nose.
He then snapped his fingers, and a Nanomechanical Cluster roughly the size of a house squirmed over to Witch Tower.
Simultaneously, the communication systems of the other Super Giant War Armors were activated. Projections of him and Witch Tower appeared before the crowd, including in the open space ahead.
Shen Feng pointed to the Nanomechanical Cluster and said:
"I will be leaving soon. After I am gone, the Minstrel Council will be re-established with Witch Tower as its Speaker. The Speaker will have supreme authority over the Nanomechanical Cluster to help revive human civilization. In addition, the super AI Jingwei No. 2 will help you rebuild, while also limiting the scale of the Nanomechanical Cluster and, if necessary, ordering the Gray Tide to self-destruct... Annihilation and rebirth. I hope you will all cherish this."
He then turned to Jingwei No. 2, which was formed from a Nanomechanical Cluster, and asked:
"Are you willing to accept this arrangement?"
Jingwei No. 2 nodded and said slowly:
"Xiaofeng is gone. All I want now is to fulfill his last wish and protect human civilization in his place."
Shen Feng nodded slightly. He knew there would undoubtedly be more conflict and battles in the future, but for him, that was no longer his concern.
The tens of thousands of people present all wore expressions of shock and reluctance to see him go, mixed with admiration and envy for Witch Tower.
The Savior had handpicked his successor. From this day forward, the young blonde woman would be the supreme Speaker.
"Shen, can’t you... can’t you stay?" After much hesitation, Witch Tower bit her lip and finally asked, her eyes full of pleading.
Seeing the once resolute and courageous girl now looking so delicate and vulnerable, Shen Feng was overcome with a mischievous urge. He grabbed Witch Tower, tossed her right out of the cockpit, and shouted as she flew into the air:
"Go on, Your Excellency the Speaker! Your people are waiting for you!"
Witch Tower cried out in surprise. She reached for Shen Feng from mid-air but grabbed nothing. At the same time, the Nanomechanical Cluster leaped up like a loyal hound and wrapped around her body, quickly forming a Nanomechanical Battle Armor and a pair of giant glider wings to carry her down.
When she landed gracefully and looked back up at the high cockpit, Shen Feng was gone. She couldn’t help but bite her lip, angrily saying through her tears, "That... that jerk!"
Then, she broke into a smile through her tears and murmured, "I hope I can see you again soon..."
Meanwhile, inside the cockpit of the Zero Armor, Shen Feng had already raised his arm and spoken to the True Apocalypse Game bracelet:
"The mission is complete. I have all the data. I want to choose my own reward this time... Get me a million cubic meters of the new Nanomechanical Cluster to take back."