326: Chapter 326 Zeroing Out: The Final Stage! 72-Hour Countdown

The moment the IPO celebration was forced to stop, the entire Myriad Worlds Exchange fell into a deathly silence.

The representatives who had been cheering just moments ago were now pale-faced, staring at the blood-red text on the holographic screen:

[Zeroing Final Stage Warning]

[Estimated Trigger Time: 72 hours later]

[Estimated Storm Intensity: 100 times the initial stage]

[Estimated Scope: All civilizations across the All Heavens and Myriad Realms]

[Recommendation: Immediately initiate the highest-level emergency response]

100 times.

The initial stage of the Zeroing Storm had already brought four star domains to the brink of collapse, forced Morgana to burn her source essence, sent Alpha into deep hibernation, and left Lin Chen with 967 trillion in debt.

What did 100 times even mean?

No one dared to imagine it.

Zhang Hao's voice was trembling. "B-Boss, 100 times... can our tree of heavenly dao hold up?"

Lin Chen didn't answer.

He just stared at that number, silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

That smile stunned everyone present—at a time like this, he could actually still smile?

Golden Abacus was the first to react. "Lin Chen, do you have a way?"

Lin Chen looked at him.

"Yes."

Hope instantly ignited throughout the hall.

The representatives' eyes lit up, the reporters recorded frantically, and the beings watching via livestream held their breath.

Lin Chen turned to face everyone, his voice as calm as if he were chatting about everyday life:

"Everyone, 72 hours is enough for us to do many things."

He opened the system and began operating it rapidly.

The first command was sent to Alpha:

"Alpha, activate all computing power to deduce the storm's path. I want to know where the storm will attack first, where it will leave last, and where it passes through in between. Accurate down to every single civilization."

Alpha's projection flickered once. "Understood. Estimated time required: 30 minutes."

The second command was sent to Zhang Hao:

"Zhang Hao, issue a universal announcement. All New Era Development shareholders and all civilization representatives are to enter an emergency state immediately. Each civilization is to activate highest-level defenses and await unified coordination from New Era Development."

Zhang Hao blanked for a moment. "Boss, will those civilizations listen to us?"

Lin Chen looked at him.

"They are shareholders. When the company is in trouble, if the shareholders don't help, who will?"

Zhang Hao suddenly understood and immediately went to handle it.

The third command was sent to Golden Abacus:

"President Jin, how much reserves does the Universe Bank have left?"

Golden Abacus calculated quickly. "Callable funds are about 3 quadrillion. But these are all depositors' savings, they can't be touched—"

"I don't want your deposits," Lin Chen interrupted him. "I want your credit."

Golden Abacus frowned.

Lin Chen continued, "Use the Universe Bank's credit to issue 'Disaster Relief Bonds'. Bond yields will be linked to post-storm reconstruction. If we issue them now, how much can we raise in 72 hours?"

Golden Abacus was silent for 3 seconds.

"If the interest rate is high enough, at least 5 quadrillion."

"Then issue them. Set the interest rate at 50% per annum."

Golden Abacus sucked in a breath of cold air. "50%? You're talking about usury!"

Lin Chen smiled.

"What's wrong with usury? If we can survive, what does 50% matter? If we can't survive, even the lowest interest rate is meaningless."

Golden Abacus was silent for a second, then nodded.

"Fine. I'll get to it."

The fourth command was sent to the Chaos Ancient God, Ancient Immortal Emperor, and Mechanical God:

"You three are now employees of New Era Development. Now, it's time to work."

The Chaos Ancient God stepped forward, his chaos qi churning slightly. "Speak. What do we do?"

"Chaos Ancient God, your chaos qi can evolve into all things. I need you to create 'Chaos Barriers' at the points where the storm is weakest. I'm not asking you to block the storm, only to delay its speed."

The Chaos Ancient God was stunned. "My chaos qi can counter the Zeroing Storm?"

Lin Chen looked at him.

"It can't fully counter it, but it can delay it. You've lived for over three million years; your best skill isn't fighting, it's stalling."

The Chaos Ancient God was silent for a second, then nodded.

"Fine. I'll go."

The Ancient Immortal Emperor stepped forward. "And me?"

Lin Chen looked at him.

"Your Imperial Aura can stabilize people's hearts. I need you to go to the civilizations where panic is most severe and use your majesty to stabilize order. Tell them New Era Development will protect them, and tell them not to panic."

The Ancient Immortal Emperor frowned.

"You want me to be a Pacification Envoy?"

Lin Chen smiled.

"What, is being a Pacification Envoy more humiliating than being a consultant?"

The Ancient Immortal Emperor was silent for a second, then smiled bitterly.

"Fine. I'll go."

The Mechanical God's light screen flickered, and before Lin Chen could speak, he said directly:

"I will be responsible for data deduction and information transmission. I will coordinate the defense status, resource allocation, and storm movements of all civilizations."

Lin Chen nodded.

"Smart."

The fifth command, and also the final one, was issued to all New Era Development shareholders:

"shareholders, New Era Development is your company, and also your home. In 72 hours, the storm will strike. You can choose to hide, or you can choose to stand up."

"If you hide, after the storm passes, you might still have a chance to live. But your civilizations, your homes, and everything you care about might vanish."

"Stand up and shoulder this with me. Use your resources, use your wisdom, use your strength. If we pull through, New Era Development will remember you, the All Heavens and Myriad Realms will remember you, and history will remember you."

"The choice is in your hands."

After the words fell, the entire hall was silent.

Three seconds later.

A Cultivator stood up. "Chairman Lin, my Spiritual Energy Star Domain is willing to contribute all our reserve spirit stones to support the defense!"

A representative of a technological civilization stood up. "My Heavenly Machine Civilization is willing to contribute all our Energy Cores for New Era Development's allocation!"

An emotion-awakened being stood up. "My Emotion Alliance is willing to contribute all our emotional energy to reinforce the defensive barriers!"

A leader of a faith civilization stood up. "Although my God Realm of Light has just transitioned, we have a group of loyal believers willing to pray for the All Heavens and Myriad Realms! Though our faith is gone, our intent remains!"

More and more civilization representatives stood up to voice their support.

Golden Abacus watched from the side, his expression complex.

"Lin Chen, you... you've mobilized the entire All Heavens and Myriad Realms."

Lin Chen looked at him.

"It's not mobilization. It's letting them choose for themselves."

Golden Abacus was silent.

Then he smiled.

"I've lived for over three million years, and this is the first time I've seen a leader like this."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Leader? I'm just a businessman."

Golden Abacus shook his head.

"No. To be able to make everyone voluntarily risk their lives for you, that's not a businessman. That's—"

He paused, not finishing the sentence.

Lin Chen didn't press him either.

He just looked toward the flashing warning signal in the distance.

72 hours.

That's enough.

Three hours later, New Era Development's emergency command center was officially activated in the Dead Silence Star Domain.

The command center was built right under the tree of heavenly dao, supported by Alpha's core computing power. Countless light screens floated in the air, displaying the real-time status of every civilization in the All Heavens and Myriad Realms.

Zhang Hao was so busy he barely touched the ground, answering communications, allocating resources, and recording data all at once. He was doing the work of ten people alone, but the smile on his face was brighter than ever.

Arrogant Dragon led his Immortal Emperor Guard on patrol along the border. Although he knew that if the storm really came, his meager martial power wouldn't be enough to matter, he still stood at the very front, motionless like a statue.

The young girl Morgana stood before the ruins of the icebound throne, looking up at the sky. Her inheritance fragment were heating up slightly, reminding her—the storm was coming.

The Chaos Ancient God was deep in the void, weaving a barrier with his chaos qi. That barrier blotted out the sun and sky, covering the thirty-seven galaxies the storm was expected to pass through. Although he knew this barrier could at most delay the storm for three minutes, those three minutes could mean countless lives.

The Ancient Immortal Emperor shuttled between various civilizations, using his majesty to soothe the panicked crowds. His imperial robes were covered in dust, and he didn't even have time to straighten his flat-topped crown. But he didn't care, because he knew he was doing something more meaningful than ruling.

The Mechanical God was in the data center, frantically processing massive amounts of information. His light screen flickered faster and faster, like a star on the verge of exploding.

And Lin Chen sat in the main seat of the command center, watching the constantly jumping data without saying a word.

Of the 72 hours, 24 had already passed.

48 hours remained.

The storm was drawing closer and closer.