90: A turning point for China in reality

A black warship appeared in the sky above Skydome City, with long tubes hanging down from it. Shen Xiaochuan stood on the high platform of the Main Hall, his hands clenched so tightly his fingernails turned white. Before he could even open the king's treasure chest, the enemy had arrived.

He didn't look up, just stared coldly ahead.

At that moment, the System's voice sounded in his mind.

[Divine Being No. 9527, Shen Xiaochuan, fifth king-rank divine kingdom construction completed]

[Hidden achievement triggered: Civilization's Revival]

[Bound civilization—China, all negative statuses have been removed]

Suddenly, another alert exploded.

'Warning! Enemy is draining the city's energy!'

At the same time, changes were also occurring in the real world.

In a city in North China, the sky was gray and hazy. Pedestrians walked quickly, their masks worn tightly. An ambulance siren wailed as it sped through the streets, its red lights flashing past.

An electronic screen by the roadside was broadcasting the news.

'Today, the nation reported 82,000 new severe respiratory cases. The water level of the Yangtze River has exceeded the warning line by three meters. A sandstorm from the Northwest is moving south rapidly and is expected to affect the Central Plains region within two days...'

The screen switched to a meeting room.

Inside a research lab, a White-haired Professor slammed his glasses down.

'We can't find the cause! Abnormal atmospheric ionization, geomagnetic deviation, plant gene mutations—these aren't natural phenomena! The rules have changed!'

No one spoke.

A document lay on the table, its title glaring: 'Feasibility Report on the National Evacuation Plan.'

In a corner, a Young Researcher stared at a tablet, his finger scrolling through a data graph. Suddenly, he stopped.

'Professor... look at this.'

The curve on the screen had begun to drop three seconds ago. It wasn't a gradual decline; it was a straight line plummeting downward.

'The temperature normalized?'

'It's more than that,' another person leaned in. 'Wind speed has dropped to zero. PM2.5 levels fell from 800 to 35! This is impossible!'

They looked up toward the window.

Unnoticed, the smog had thinned.

A beam of light pierced the cloud layer, shining onto the solar panels on the rooftop, reflecting a bright glare.

In a hospital ward in a southern province.

An Elderly Man lay in a hospital bed, a ventilator beeping rhythmically. His Daughter sat beside him, holding his hand. Suddenly, the machine's sound changed.

His heart rate stabilized.

His blood oxygen levels rose.

The old man's eyes fluttered, then opened.

'Is... is it morning?'

His voice was hoarse.

His Daughter froze, then turned to look out the window. Sunlight streamed into the corridor. A Nurse pushing a medication cart walked by, her shadow clearly cast on the floor.

She rushed over and pulled open the curtains.

The entire city was bathed in sunlight. Withered trees sprouted green buds. In the dusty soil of a balcony flowerpot, a wildflower slowly bloomed.

Northern Military Region Command Center.

On the large screen, the national map turned from red to green. Red represented disaster zones; it had been completely red before, but now it was rapidly shrinking.

The Duty Officer shot to his feet.

'Report! The Yellow River's water level dropped 1.7 meters in two minutes! Seismic belt energy has returned to zero! All anomalous weather has ceased!'

A General walked in, holding a just-delivered briefing.

'What's going on?'

'We don't know,' a Technician replied, turning his head. 'But the System just popped up a message—'National Fortune Decline Status Removed.''

The General frowned. 'Which System?'

'The one all global Awakened can see. It said a divine being completed an achievement, named... Shen Xiaochuan.'

The command room fell silent for a few seconds.

The General walked up to the large screen, looked at the normalized map, and took a deep breath.

'Connect to all theater channels.'

'Yes, sir!'

'Issue the order: Level One Emergency Response is lifted. Notify local governments to restore order. Medical resources are to be reallocated, prioritizing support for severely affected areas.'

He paused.

'Add one more thing—tell the nation, our god has won.'

Some lowered their heads, wiping away tears.

Some clenched their fists.

The Communications Soldier's voice trembled as he repeated the orders.

At the same time, people all over the country witnessed the changes.

In a park, a Mother and Child stood under a tree. The child pointed upward. 'Mom, the leaves are alive.'

The mother didn't speak. She removed her mask and took a deep breath. The air was clean, carrying the scent of earth.

She cried.

In a university laboratory, several students gathered around a computer.

'The gravitational constant has returned to normal! The cosmic background radiation has stabilized too!'

'It wasn't us who solved it. Someone solved it for us.'

A Male Student closed the program and pulled out a USB drive.

'I'm not writing my thesis.'

'Where are you going?'

'To sign up for the Divine Battlefield. I'm going to find Shen Xiaochuan and ask him if he needs people.'

At a Sand Prevention Station on the edge of the Western Desert, a staff member pushed open the door.

The wind had stopped.

The sky full of yellow sand settled down, as if instantly stilled.

In the distance, on a sand dune, a camel thorn bush sprouted new branches.

He took out his phone and opened a social media platform.

The top trending topic was #ThankYouDivineBeing#.

Below were countless videos.

Someone knelt in a field, touching wheat seedlings and crying. Someone said their elderly relative had woken up. A doctor livestreamed footage of patients collectively improving in a hospital corridor.

Comments scrolled rapidly.

'Go, Skydome City!'

'Shen Xiaochuan, bless us!'

'We didn't lose!'

...Back at Skydome City's Main Hall.

Shen Xiaochuan was still standing.

The king's treasure chest remained unopened.

The black warship was still overhead.

But he felt different.

His faith points were increasing faster.

Previously, it was +1 per second. Now it had become +3 per second.

The panel updated automatically.

[Current faith points: 9,872,145]

[Rate of Increase: +3/sec]

[Mall Authority Level Upgraded to S+]

He glanced at the glowing Gear Pendant on his sleeve, his gaze darkening.

He knew what had happened.

He didn't need to see the real-world footage to know.

The smog had cleared.

The rivers had calmed.

The people could sleep soundly.

His fifth divine kingdom was built. The System judged that Chinese civilization had revived, automatically lifting the punishment on the real-world nation.

This was no coincidence.

This was the rule.

He yanked open the king's treasure chest! Golden light exploded, eliciting gasps from everyone!

A book shimmering with a metallic sheen floated in the air.

Three words were written on the cover:

'Nuclear Fusion'

Below, a line of small text: Can be exchanged for a complete technology package, including reactor blueprints, fuel purification methods, and safety control Systems.

Shen Xiaochuan reached out and grabbed the book.

The entire hall was stunned! Karl was so excited he knocked over his chair!

The moment the pages opened, a flood of formulas and blueprints poured into his mind.

He closed his eyes to receive the information.

When he opened them again, his gaze fell upon the black warship.

'You said you want me to hand over the treasure?'

He said quietly.

'Then take a look at this.'

He raised his right hand. A ball of blue-white flame appeared in his palm.

The firelight flickered, its temperature extremely high, distorting the surrounding air.

This was no ordinary fire.

This was the core energy of an Artificial Sun.

It was what he had just obtained—the Prototype Energy of Controlled Nuclear Fusion.

The warship's tentacles convulsed violently! A mechanical voice screeched: 'Detected annihilation-level energy reaction! Immediate retreat! Immediate retreat!'

Shen Xiaochuan smiled.

He tucked the book into his robe, pressing his left hand against the stone pillar of the Main Hall.

He sneered, 'Now, it's our turn to counterattack.'

A rumbling sound came from beneath the city.

A massive circular structure rose from the ground, its surface covered with cooling pipes and electromagnetic rings.

That was the energy center for his divine kingdom, planned long ago.

Now, it was time to make the enemy pay the price.

But this was only the beginning.