Chapter 40: The Second City
`Year 4 - Month 3 - Day 10 - 0400`
`[Status: Headmaster Lira]`
`[Location: The Trash God Academy]`
`[Academy Population: 55,000 Students]`
`[Years Since Kael: 2 Years 1 Month]`
`[Active Missions: 1]`
`[Weather: Hot]`
`[ALERT: PRIORITY MISSION - CLASS S]`
`[Location: City of Ironport - 500km East]`
`[Status: NATURAL DISASTER - MAGMA FLOOD]`
`[Threat Level: EXTINCTION]`
`[Time Until Total Destruction: 72 Hours]`
`[Population: 200,000]`
`[Evacuation Rate: 10%]`
Lira stood in the War Room.
The map on the table was glowing red.
Greyhaven was 300km north. Team 1 did it in 2 days.
Ironport was 500km east.
And they only had 3 days.
"This is different," Ren said.
"Greyhaven was monsters. We can fight monsters."
"This is magma. You can’t punch magma."
Lira nodded.
"That’s why we’re sending Team 2."
The doors opened.
_Part 1: Team 2 Assembly - 0500_
`[Team 2: "The Shields"]`
`[Leader: Ren Jr - Age 16]`
`[Vice-Leader: Sara - Age 17]`
`[Members: 60 Students]`
`[Average Age: 15]`
`[Specialty: Heavy Construction + Defense + Environmental Engineering]`
Ren Jr walked in.
Same height as his brother.
Same scars.
But his eyes were calmer.
Behind him: 60 students.
All wearing heavy aprons.
All carrying big tools.
"Mission brief," Ren Jr said.
Sara pulled up a hologram.
Ironport.
A coastal city.
Half of it already glowing orange.
"A volcano 50km away erupted 2 days ago," Sara said.
"Magma river is flowing toward the city."
"1000 tons per hour."
"In 72 hours, the city is gone."
A 14 year old girl raised her hand.
"Can we move the city?"
Ren Jr smiled.
"No. We stop the magma."
`[Objective: Build The Great Dam]`
`[Length: 5km]`
`[Height: 50m]`
`[Time: 72 Hours]`
`[Casualties Goal: 0]`
`[Equipment: 20x Heavy Mobile Forges, 5000 tons Magma-Resistant Scrap, 100 Cooling Units]`
`[Transport: 15x Mega Scrap Carriers]`
The 60 kids saluted.
"Let’s build."
_Part 2: The Journey - Day 1_
`[Distance: 500km]`
`[Terrain: Desert + Mountains]`
`[Time: 0500 - 1800]`
The 15 Mega Carriers rolled out.
Each one 20 meters long.
Built by students.
Powered by 100 students pedaling inside.
Hour 4:
Sandstorm.
Visibility 0.
"Stop?" a driver asked.
Ren Jr looked at the clock.
"No. We build through it."
`[Skill: [Instant Shelter]]`
In 20 minutes:
15 shelters built.
The storm passed over them.
They kept moving.
Hour 10:
They found a broken bridge.
200 meter gap.
Over a canyon.
"Detour is 50km," Sara said.
"We don’t have 50km."
Ren Jr jumped off the Carrier.
"Then we build a bridge."
`[Skill: [Titan Bridge]]`
60 students worked.
1 hour.
200 meter bridge.
Made of scrap and steel.
They crossed.
The bridge held.
_Part 3: Night 1 - 1800 to 0600_
They camped in the desert.
No fires.
Too hot.
Ren Jr didn’t sleep.
He checked every Carrier.
Every forge.
Sara came to sit with him.
"You think we can do it?" she asked.
Ren Jr looked at the stars.
"My brother did worse with less."
"So yeah."
_Part 4: The Journey - Day 2_
`[Distance: 250km Remaining]`
Hour 18:
They passed through 3 villages.
All empty.
All evacuated.
In one village:
A child left behind.
Trapped under rubble.
Ren Jr lifted the house.
Alone.
Saved the kid.
The parents came running.
Crying.
"Thank you."
Ren Jr just nodded.
And kept moving.
Hour 24:
They saw the glow.
Orange.
In the distance.
Ironport.
_Part 5: Ironport - 0600 Day 3_
`[City Status: 50% UNDER MAGMA]`
`[Magma Flow: 1000 tons/hour]`
`[Evacuation: 30% Complete]`
`[Time Remaining: 66 Hours]`
Ironport was dying.
Rivers of magma flowed through the streets.
Houses melted.
Screams everywhere.
The city’s army was trying to hold it back with sand.
Useless.
The 15 Carriers stopped at the city gate.
A general ran to them.
"You the Academy?"
Ren Jr nodded.
"We’re losing. Fast."
Ren Jr looked at the city.
At the magma.
At the people.
"Then we build faster."
_Part 6: The Plan - 0615_
`[Team Split]`
`[Team A: 30 Students - Evacuation + Shelter]`
`[Leader: Sara]`
`[Objective: Move 140,000 people to safe zone]`
`[Team B: 30 Students - Dam Construction]`
`[Leader: Ren Jr]`
`[Objective: Build 5km Dam in 66 Hours]`
Sara saluted.
"Team A, move out."
Ren Jr turned to Team B.
"Team B. You ready to build a wall against hell?"
30 voices: "YES!"
_Part 7: Team B - The Dam - Hour 1-12_
`[Location: 2km Outside City]`
`[Project: The Great Dam - Phase 1: Foundation]`
The magma was coming.
Fast.
Ren Jr planted the first beam.
`[Skill: [Magma-Resistant Foundation]]`
The beam didn’t melt.
It cooled the ground around it.
30 students worked.
Building the base.
5km long.
In magma.
Hour 6:
The first wave hit.
`BOOM`
The foundation held.
Hour 12:
`[Phase 1: 100% COMPLETE]`
_Part 8: Team A - Evacuation - Hour 1-24_
Sara’s team ran through the city.
Building shelters.
Building bridges over magma.
Carrying people.
A building collapsed.
10 people trapped.
`[Skill: [Instant Support]]`
Sara held the building up.
Alone.
For 20 minutes.
While her team pulled people out.
Her arms were bleeding.
"Keep going," she said.
_Part 9: The Dam - Hour 13-36_
`[Phase 2: Wall Construction]`
The wall rose.
10 meters.
20 meters.
30 meters.
The magma rose too.
Hour 24:
Magma hit 30 meters.
The wall was at 35.
Hour 36:
`[Phase 2: 100% COMPLETE]`
`[Wall Height: 50m]`
_Part 10: Hour 37-60 - Reinforcement_
This was the hard part.
The magma was pushing.
1000 tons per hour.
The wall was shaking.
Ren Jr ran along the wall.
Channeling energy.
Reinforcing runes.
One section cracked.
"PATCH TEAM!" he shouted.
10 students ran.
Built a new layer in 5 minutes.
The wall held.
_Part 11: Hour 61-72 - The Final Push_
`[Time Remaining: 11 Hours]`
The magma was at 48 meters.
The wall was at 50.
2 meters left.
Team B was exhausted.
Hands bleeding.
No sleep for 3 days.
Ren Jr stood on top of the wall.
"Last push!" he shouted.
"For Kael!"
"FOR KAEL!"
They built.
Hour 71:
49 meters.
Hour 71:30:
49.5 meters.
Hour 71:59:
`[The Great Dam: COMPLETE]`
The magma hit 50 meters.
And stopped.
_Part 12: The Aftermath - Hour 73_
Silence.
Then cheering.
`[Casualties: 2,000]`
`[Saved: 198,000]`
`[City: 50% Saved]`
The Mayor came to Ren Jr.
On his knees.
"You saved us."
Ren Jr pulled him up.
"We build."
_Part 13: Return - Day 7_
`[Year 4 - Month 3 - Day 14 - 1800]`
The 15 Carriers came back.
55,000 students were waiting.
Lira was at the front.
Ren Jr got off.
Exhausted.
Bandaged.
"Mission complete," he said.
"198,000 saved."
Lira hugged him.
"You did good."
_Part 14: The New Era_
`[News: GLOBAL]`
`[THE TRASH GOD ACADEMY SAVED IRONPORT]`
`[FROM A MAGMA FLOOD]`
`[2 Weeks Later]`
20 cities requested help.
Floods. Earthquakes. Fires.
`[The Trash God Academy: Now a Global Disaster Response Force]`
_Part 15: The Signal_
`[Night: Academy]`
`[Location: Central Statue]`
As Team 2 celebrated...
The statue of Kael...
Glowed faintly.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: SIGNAL DETECTED]`
`[SOURCE: UNKNOWN]`
`[STRENGTH: 0.1%]`
Lira saw it.
Her heart stopped.
"Ren," she whispered.
"Is that..."
Ren looked.
And smiled.
"Maybe he’s not gone."
`[THE TRASH GOD ERA: CONTINUES]`
`[SIGNAL: DETECTED]`
`[GENERATION 2: RISING]`
To Be Continued...
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