Chapter 7: Land of Steel—Death of Gaia!

Chapter 7: Land of Steel—Death of Gaia!

Raku Sou booted up his computer.

He created a new folder.

But just as he was about to type, his hand suddenly froze in mid-air.

Raku Sou suddenly realized that he didn't actually know how to write an original apocalypse story.

All the famous apocalypse novels from his past life had been completely forgotten.

After a moment of silence, Raku Sou accepted that he wasn't a genius writer and decided to cheat on the spot.

He materialized an NZT-48 pill and reduced some of its side effects.

This thing appeared in the movie Limitless—a type of super stimulant.

It could unlock the brain's potential, stimulating neural pathways within 30 seconds to unleash all latent abilities.

When using NZT-48, the user not only gains an extraordinary memory and immense linguistic capabilities but also becomes filled with energy, sharp thinking, and agile reflexes. It even enables instant reorganization and analysis of details that are usually hard to notice, leading to precise deductions.

Simply put, this is a kind of brain hack drug, capable of turning a useless person into a genius in all fields—art, science, language, combat, literature.

To materialize it, Raku Sou spent 7.4 Divine Authority Jade, a cost so painful it made his heart bleed.

"Void, this thing doesn't have any issues, right?"

"Bzzzz~ (No issues)!"

Seeing the silver vortex on the left side of his vision tremble slightly, Raku Sou finally relaxed and smiled.

Then, he looked down at the blue pill in his palm, his eyes firm.

"Gulp—."

Raku Sou swallowed the NZT-48 without hesitation. The pill slid down his throat and instantly dissolved, sending a wave of cold energy spreading throughout his body.

"Thump... thump..."

This feeling...

His heartbeat pounded like rolling thunder, surging with vitality.

Raku Sou gasped for breath, eyes filled with astonishment. He keenly sensed his body undergoing changes—his metabolism alone had accelerated by thousands of times.

It was as if invisible chains shackling his body had been broken, and the world in his eyes suddenly became crystal clear.

Not only were his five senses enhanced, but even his brain's processing speed had increased a hundredfold.

Right now, he was like a supercomputer. Calculus, geometry, blueprints from his past life—at this moment, they were nothing more than child's play. Any data could now be processed effortlessly by his brain.

Raku Sou felt an eerie calmness washing over him.

Even calmer than a sage's state of mind—like still water, undisturbed by a single ripple.

For humans, achieving such a state was nearly impossible. As beings born with endless desires, true absolute calm was unattainable. In most cases, it was nothing more than a metaphor. Anyone who sought to be truly, completely calm...

Yes, achieving real and complete calmness—was something nearly impossible.

And yet, he had done it. Like breathing, it had been etched into his very genes.

Like a newborn instinctively knowing how to suckle, absolute calmness had become his natural instinct.

Raku Sou quickly sat in front of his computer, his gaze steady.

After careful consideration, he decided to rewrite and localize Nasu Kinoko's short story Land of Steel, enhancing the level of immersion.

Land of Steel—just as its name suggests, is a land as hard as steel, a metaphor for a desolate world with colors as cold as steel. Due to humanity's relentless exploitation, Earth had lost its vitality and entered its death throes.

Crops could no longer grow, and the atmosphere was no longer suitable for animal life.

Not only had most of the continents turned into barren, cracked wastelands, but the sky was also covered with gray and murky white clouds.

Earth had reached its final days, becoming a dying planet.

This story takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, and compared to other apocalypse theories, it is far more realistic.

Most modern doomsday theories originate from Christian beliefs, such as the Great Flood apocalypse. There are also asteroid impact theories, zombie apocalypse theories...

Because billions of people worldwide follow Christianity, the Great Flood apocalypse is the most widely accepted.

This is also related to genetics—ancient civilizations lived near rivers, and the memory of floods wiping out everything has been deeply imprinted in human subconsciousness. Every civilization has its own doomsday legend, and this fear continues to persist to this day.

However, the popular doomsday theories on the market always carried a sense of excessive paranoia.

Thus, Raku Sou decided to write a more compelling apocalypse—one that would send chills down people's spines and make them truly anxious about its possibility.

At the same time, he was writing Land of Steel simply because he loved this story—a tale where all of humanity was grand.

The world is dead?

No problem. We—humankind—can still survive!

Before its demise, the world deemed us unworthy of living and tried to exterminate us?

No problem. Fight back! Even if the Ultimate Ones were as strong as planets, humanity had already slain a few before!

Even if our continued existence meant evolving into a new species, that alone was enough to make us proud. Our indomitable spirit burned as brilliantly as gold, illuminating the endless path ahead for humanity!

Especially the setting of Slash Emperor—protecting humanity at the cost of the world's destruction. That was precisely the attitude humanity should have toward this world.

There has never been a savior, nor is there a need to rely on gods or divine intervention!

To create happiness for humanity, we must carve our own path with our own hands!

Raku Sou took a deep breath.

He opened Twitter, registered an account, and cloaked himself in anonymity under the alias Merlin, using Divine Authority Jade to mask his identity.

Click.

[Post Settings

Gender: Confidential

Age: Confidential

Occupation: Confidential

Hometown: Confidential

Bio:

No guarantee of completion, no guarantee of tying up loose ends, no answering questions, no making friends, no publishing...

I write, you read—stay silent.]

Then—

Raku Sou slowly closed his eyes. Countless sparks of inspiration erupted in his mind as he organized his memories, weaving them into the most flawless story.

With the rhythmic clatter of keystrokes, rows of pitch-black text appeared on the screen.

[Final Fate of Humanity • Part One: Land of Steel Chapter One

Act One — Death of Gaia

That day, the aurora blazed.

That day, doomsday arrived.

Bone-chilling despair, suffocating sorrow, depleting resources—what fate awaited humanity?

Before him lay a modern, dazzling metropolis, bustling with people, filled with laughter and chatter.

It appeared peaceful.

However, beneath this dazzling facade—like oil fueling a raging fire—humanity had already incinerated its own future.

In an instant, a distorted black vortex emerged in the vast blue sky.

In 2012, a magical ritual was conducted. Humanity drained the colossal reserves of mana within the atmosphere, leaving the Earth hollow, exhausting the Great Source, and shattering the planet—bringing with it the extinction of all life residing on it.

The Earth's consciousness—Gaia—calmly accepted its fate at the hands of humanity.

It had birthed these children, and now, it was being slain by them. Gaia would perish alongside humanity, viewing it as a logical conclusion, welcoming the end without the slightest regret.

The Earth was born from lifeless silence, and so it should return to lifeless silence. This was its inevitable conclusion.]

Raku Sou recited the story softly, a desolate sorrow reminiscent of the world's primal beginning washing over him.

But as he stared at the words on the screen, he frowned slightly, sensing that something was still missing.

Then, all at once, he understood. Without hesitation, he materialized master-level skills in painting and music.

Under the effects of NZT-48, he absorbed the entire influx of knowledge in an instant.

Without pause, Raku Sou began illustrating, bringing forth the exact imagery he envisioned. His right hand glided across the trackpad at an astonishing speed, sketching out simple lines that quickly filled the screen, followed by the meticulous application of colors...

In no time, a vivid, lifelike image emerged—the oppressive atmosphere reaching its peak.

It was as if this were not a fictional creation, but a scene cut straight from a real-world reality.