Under Qin Xuezhong's brutal data invasion, tens of thousands of precisely functioning satellites were instantly breached.
As always, Qin Xuezhong didn't adjust the data or stop the main Ouyang Zhao from connecting; she simply used the most primitive physical method—blowing them up.
Ignoring the satellites' operational database, Little Qin overloaded the circuits near the energy modules, using extreme temperatures to ignite the high-energy compression batteries at the center of the satellites.
Such a massive data volume nearly matched the core computational capacity of the main brain.
The main Ouyang Zhao tried to step forward to stop her, but was almost overwhelmed by the exaggerated redundancy of data.
"You…"
She hadn't even finished her sentence when she sensed a sudden decrease in the data output from Qin Xuezhong.
For a moment, the main Ouyang Zhao felt a rush of joy, thinking that Qin Xuezhong might not be able to sustain such an action, and her consciousness was starting to collapse.
Instead, Little Qin smiled slightly.
She could feel that over a thousand satellites, which were originally connected to her, had suddenly disappeared in that brief moment.
Clearly, they had exploded.
However, there were no cameras in the sky, and she couldn't find a suitable interface to see a clear picture.
Just then, Yu Zhezhong sent over a video from the backup team stationed in Valley City.
—The video was a bit blurry and shaky, clearly filmed in a hurry.
The bottom label indicated it was sent by an observer from the backup team, who had a high-definition camera module implanted in their eye to facilitate real-time intelligence transmission.
The initial perspective was from inside a room.
The videographer hurriedly ran to the other side of the safe house, anxiously opening a door.
Upon exiting, they entered an observation area made of high-grade bulletproof glass, allowing people inside the safe house to check the outside situation without blind spots.
This time, the videographer looked up at the sky.
The long-overcast sky of Valley City had suddenly become incredibly bright, as if a thousand suns were shining above.
Then, even the clouds gradually began to disperse.
Only a clear blue morning sky remained, filled with countless points of light.
Next, these points of light began to fall, one by one.
This was the result of the intense energy explosion, causing the satellites to lose their originally stable orbits and plummet.
In an instant, the sky was filled with meteors, making it look as if the heavens were collapsing.
Of course, these meteors didn't hit the ground; after entering the atmosphere, they quickly burned up.
It was as if a continuous display of fireworks tore the densely clouded sky apart.
Due to the long-term lack of sunlight, the citizens of Valley City had developed pale, unhealthy skin, and their eyes had grown accustomed to dim lighting.
The overwhelming brightness and the sudden appearance of the sun instantly illuminated the entire city.
Similar occurrences were happening in other corners of the world.
Because the light was so intense, many people even felt a stinging sensation in their eyes, yet they couldn't help but keep looking up at the sky.
At the same time, the illusions and hazy thoughts that had been continuously fed to them became extraordinarily clear.
The previous illusions were swept away.
What everyone first saw was the raging storm concealed beneath the veil of the sky and illusions.
But in the next moment, this extreme weather began to weaken, and within minutes, signs of dissipation were evident.
Everyone, including the main Ouyang Zhao herself, had underestimated the powerful forces of the ecosystem.
No matter how formidable humanity was, in the face of the rolling forces of the planet and the universe, they were still insignificant.
For years, the main Ouyang Zhao had constructed a high-pressure environment to better squeeze productivity.
Even the Children of the Moon only knew that the outside world was harsh, not realizing that this harshness was deliberately created by the main Ouyang Zhao to force humans to live more concentrated, under pressure, and with greater motivation to work.
So, without Qin Xuezhong, if the Children of the Moon had ultimately shattered the illusions of the Twin Moons and the outside world, everyone would still believe that the disasters were looming ahead.
She could easily claim that the reason for constructing these illusions was to protect humanity.
But this time, Qin Xuezhong had directly shattered everything.
"You're insane! These people will collapse!" the main Ouyang Zhao exclaimed.
"You're the one who's gone mad from being cooped up for too long," Little Qin replied lightly. "People aren't as fragile as you think, and the ecosystem isn't as weak as you believe. Only someone who has become arrogant enough to see themselves as a savior would do something so crazy."
"Do you… can you guarantee 100%? Aren't you even a little worried? What if all the weather satellites explode and the ecosystem is destroyed?!"
Little Qin suddenly laughed.
"How strange that two split consciousnesses from one person could differ so greatly. Your opposite once said something that perfectly suits you now."
The main Ouyang Zhao fell silent.
Little Qin continued, "She said that even if the ecosystem completely collapsed, life would find a way to survive underground, and then evolve new skin and organs over a hundred million years to crawl back up."
"So, let go of your messianic delusions."
The main Ouyang Zhao seemed a bit at a loss, as she couldn't stop Qin Xuezhong, and the situation was now beyond recovery.
All her energy over the years had been invested in how to make humanity work more efficiently, only to have Qin Xuezhong and her team charge in and destroy everything.
She didn't even feel angry; she was left with confusion.
At this moment, the main brain spoke up: "The external crisis has been addressed. Ms. Qin Xuezhong, do you wish to begin assisting the citizens and detaining the main Ouyang Zhao?"
"Of course, let's start."
Instantly, the main Ouyang Zhao's data vanished, forcibly transferred by the main brain to a hard drive that could only be read mechanically for temporary storage, with further processing to be considered later.
Now, it was Little Qin who felt a bit dazed.
Once everything was done, she felt an emptiness.
—This time, should peace reign over the world?
Just as she was thinking this, Yu Zhezhong sent another video.
The footage showed a safe house established by the Ghost Organization at the edge of the energy shield in Valley City.
At the time, Yu Zhezhong and Kaise believed that if any changes occurred in the outside storm, they would need immediate information, so they had indeed dispatched a small team to stay there.
This safe house was semi-underground and had long been prepared to cope with the impact of storms.
But unexpectedly, as the climate control satellites fell, all the storms began to gradually dissipate, leaving only a clear sky and a desolate wasteland that hadn't been touched for decades.
The surfaces of all the rocks and ruins were marked by weathering, as if they had been chiseled and chopped. The slightly fragile objects had long since turned to dust in the years of extreme weather, leaving only the most resilient ones, which managed to retain their shape, albeit just barely.
A deathly silence prevailed.
There were no signs of life or any activity, only the occasional gust of wind stirring up some dust.
From the video, it was clear that the team stationed there was visibly hesitant, as if they had stepped onto an unknown land.
For the people of Valley City, it truly was uncharted territory.
No one had set foot there for decades, repeatedly washed by storms, with no worries about encountering any danger.
A small team of four cautiously ventured a few steps outside.
Their purpose for coming out was solely to clarify the situation for Qin Xuezhong and the others, aiding the Ghost Organization in planning their next move.
In reality, many felt such actions were completely unnecessary.
After decades of storms raging, even buildings made of alloys and special concrete had mostly collapsed, let alone any living beings.
The four exploration team members thought the same way.
Just then, a rustling sound suddenly emerged ahead.
This made the initially curious four tense up immediately. They quickly raised their weapons, chambered rounds, and formed a cross-cover defensive formation within two seconds.
Soon, a small section of the mound from which the sound came collapsed.
A shiny little head popped out.
With perked ears and button-like eyes, it looked like a creature that only existed in documents. Even among the four team members, one being a biologist, no one could immediately recognize what it was.
Unlike most creatures in the urban ecological area, this one was covered in a thick shell, marked by scratches and damage.
It was clear that this little creature had adapted well to surviving in storms.
Now that the storm had stopped, it curiously poked its head out to see what was happening.
In the presence of the four unknown beings, the little creature's movements even carried a hint of disdain, as if it thought that despite the storm's disappearance, they were still so tense, clearly having never endured the trials of nature.
It lowered its head and picked up a clump of something nearby.
This action made the four stare wide-eyed.
For that was a dark green plant.
Perhaps due to growing underground, its color was dim, but it still exuded vibrant life.
Two of the stalks even had seeds that hadn't fully opened yet.
It's important to note that within Valley City, all plants had to be meticulously cared for throughout their growth cycles to survive in the highly polluted urban environment.
Yet now, they were witnessing a plant that had grown entirely naturally.
This proved that even in the harsh conditions of storms, countless beings had still constructed a new ecosystem.
The frame froze here, with the clump of plants held in the little creature's mouth, swaying gently.
It was like a new hope.