Sky-cracking Rider
Chapter 1143 1115: City
Taking advantage of the brief moments of complete darkness before dawn, the small flying ship silently left the pit-riddled, completely dismantled headquarters of Louis Industrial Company, leaving the foreign powers who had long coveted the factory area dumbfounded. Having invested so much manpower and resources, they ultimately gained nothing but emptiness.
Even the county town of Meilan County was reduced to ruins due to fierce battles, with locals either leaving long ago or moving into Atlantis. The place was now devoid of humanity, nearly destined to become abandoned.
After quietly retreating from the headquarters of Louis Industrial Company located in Meilan County, Chen Fei and his team did not directly return to the Socotra Island base at the Aden Bay. Instead, they utilized the space-related superpower "Space Transmission" to constantly move, relocating two branches of the Louis Industrial Company and more than 300,000 employees' families from predetermined assembly points within multiple states, then hurried to the Europa Continent, bringing back four branches and over 500,000 employees and their associated families.
This count doesn't include branches and related employee families from Asia, but the situation there is relatively stable, so there's no urgent need to relocate for now.
So far, the number of people entering "Atlantis" has far exceeded the original plan, as not only employees' families but also friends, in-laws, and refugees met during gathering joined.
Since they had all come here, looking pitiful as they did, Chen Fei couldn't bear to refuse and had to let them all enter the "Stargate." However, there was a time limit; once the 24 hours were up, they had to transfer promptly, or more people would continue to flock here after hearing the news.
The population capacity of "Atlantis" was limited, making it impossible to endlessly cram people inside.
Returning to the Socotra Island at the Aden Bay, Chen Fei had time and energy to begin formally installing the buildings and equipment extracted from "Spatial Branding," dedicating one-sixth of "Atlantis" to the newly arrived Louis Industrial Company, with just the recently moved headquarters occupying a third of that area.
Considering the structure of "Atlantis," which involves the entire city's central balance, various electrical lines, and related magic array planning, many buildings couldn't be distributed exactly as they were before. Departments and buildings with similar functions were clustered together, especially production lines, which made centralized management more convenient.
The arrival of nearly a million people suddenly brought more vitality to "Atlantis," with many districts no longer devoid of human presence. The increased stores and foot traffic on streets and alleys helped the city begin to flourish.
The security department of Louis Industrial Company fully transitioned to city security roles. Although their number appeared somewhat stretched thin relative to the entire city, one Security Officer leading a small team of ten Combat Mechs was enough to oversee a small neighborhood, immediately addressing the manpower shortage.
Not everyone among the lucky people who accompanied the employees and friends of Louis Industrial Company's headquarters and branches to "Atlantis" behaved honestly. It wasn't surprising that there were mixed elements, ranging from small gangs to organized factions. These emerging criminal forces faced severe crackdowns by the Security Officers eager for action.
Chen Fei did not tolerate these unruly individuals either, expelling them along with their families from "Atlantis," ensuring they returned to where they came from. "Atlantis" decidedly did not need these unstable factors. Strict management and harsh penalties immediately deterred many reckless intentions, forcing some young people known for street graffiti to scrub off their work with buckets and brushes under family supervision.
The policy of "one person breaks the law, the whole family is expelled" had deeply ingrained itself, and the role of the "tyrant" in "Atlantis" was always effective, especially since the first settlers felt it was only natural.
With more people came numerous trivial matters, but the "tyrant" simply enforced power and didn't spend time or effort dealing with these minor issues.
As a major presence in "Atlantis," the management team of Louis Industrial Company proactively took over the city's administrative management. They were already familiar with the task, seamlessly transitioning to new roles without burdening Chen Xiao'er.
With adequate rest and nutrition, Louis Landon's body began to recover quickly, and his mental state improved significantly. He could now walk short distances, sitting in an automatic wheelchair, gazing at the cityscape through the floor-to-ceiling window, never growing tired of it, and expressing his admiration each time.
"What a beautiful city!"
A city with six principal branches floating on the sea like snowflakes, its skylight illumination casting shimmering reflections, appearing as a magnificent artwork from every angle.
"An exquisite pavilion!"
Chen Fei approached Louis Landon from behind, their location was right at the central tower in the core area of "Atlantis," initially the building for the City Management Committee, now converted into this dignitary's base.
Completely enclosed by the "skylight," "Atlantis," in some respects, was indeed a thoroughly artificial pavilion, akin to a city management game, which it practically resembled.
"What about beyond the skylight?"
Louis Landon turned his gaze toward Chen Fei, reflecting off the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Endless darkness, a lava-covered land, landslides, tsunamis, storms, drastic temperature differences, relentless extreme weather changes, unbreathable air, the genesis of everything."
Chen Fei did not hide the truth about the "skylight's" exterior from the dignitary.
The ordinary people who remained in "Atlantis" would eventually realize the actual situation of this life space, although it wasn't the time to disclose it yet, this rule did not apply to the city's top personnel.
"Is it Hell?"
Louis Landon turned back, looking at Chen Fei, as the previous description seemed somewhat ominous.
"Though the skylight obscured vision, it served as necessary protection, since humans could not survive in such an environment."
Chen Fei pondered for a moment and finally nodded.
"More or less, it's certainly not a good place for life."
Recently, there had been over twenty instances involving overly curious brats (aged 14-40) attempting to open the "skylight" translucent panels to glimpse the outside world. Most were male, with solo actions and small group collaborations, daringly ignoring the consequences of endangering everyone's lives if the "skylight" was breached.
If a single translucent panel was damaged, polluting the city's air, causing all surface greenery and marine ecosystems to decay, people would be forced to huddle underground, struggling to survive, possibly even bitterly fighting over limited survival resources.
The first time the brats were caught, they would be warned, followed by city-wide media announcements and subjected to public condemnation, receiving societal death from the masses. If caught a second time, they'd be expelled along with their families, with no leniency.
"The Lin Family's strength is truly unexpected. 'Atlantis' feels more like a gift than a trap!"
Louis Landon had long discerned that the Lin Family, for some reason, gifted the sea city to Chen Fei, with definite underlying intentions.
Regrettably, he couldn't fathom the intricacies, only admiring the fact that the "Lord of the Sky" laid out the chessboard transparently, yet left the underlying hints indecipherable.