"I came back mainly to obtain a piece of technology," Yuzhou said without further preamble.
"The technology that converts stone into energy."
"Of course, I won't take it for nothing," he continued.
"I have something here that can allow humanity to return to living on the surface."
As he spoke, Yuzhou raised his hand and brought it down.
With a heavy thud, a prototype Plasma Spark Tower was driven into the ground.
Before the assembled officials, the Plasma Spark was as tall as a skyscraper. Everyone instinctively raised their heads, staring at the radiant structure emitting a soft yet overwhelming glow.
"T-This… what is this?!"
The moment they realized that this casually deployed device was anything but ordinary, shock spread across every face.
"A prototype Plasma Spark," Yuzhou explained calmly.
"It contains virtually limitless light energy. It can provide illumination and heat for the entire planet."
At that moment, the Plasma Spark began to release energy.
Warmth spread outward in waves. The frozen ground beneath their feet reacted immediately—ice and snow melted away, not into flowing water, but evaporated cleanly into mist.
Yuzhou showed little surprise at the sight.
When the Land of Light had been thawed in the past, no meltwater had appeared either.
For Earth, this outcome was ideal.
If all this ice had melted into liquid water, it would have caused catastrophic flooding. Evaporation was the best possible result.
As the ice vanished, light and warmth returned to the land. Beneath the glow of the Plasma Spark, long-buried cities emerged from their frozen shells.
The Joint High Command was left utterly speechless.
Once they recovered from their shock, several senior officials hurriedly contacted the scientific teams. A complete copy of the stone-to-energy conversion technology was prepared and handed to Yuzhou.
"With an artificial sun," one official said excitedly, "humanity can truly return to life on the surface!"
As they looked at the cities reappearing under the light, plans immediately began forming in their minds.
Vegetables and fruits could be planted again.
Flowers and trees could be cultivated once more.
Seeds had been preserved long before the Wandering Earth Project began—saved specifically for future generations.
Now, except for species that had already gone extinct, nearly everything could be restored.
Of course, the Plasma Spark's coverage did not yet span the entire planet.
At present, only about a quarter of Earth had been freed from ice and restored to a liveable temperature.
To achieve global recovery, additional towers would need to be constructed and deployed.
Yuzhou naturally reminded the Joint High Command of this fact. After that, the rest was no longer his concern.
...
Across the northern hemisphere, in regions where surface movement had just become possible, people stopped what they were doing.
They stared in disbelief at the sudden light above them—and the vanishing ice beneath their feet.
Then, cheers erupted.
What astonished them even more was that, as the ice retreated and soil was exposed, patches of greenery began to emerge.
Seeds long buried in frozen earth reacted to the light energy of the Plasma Spark, rapidly sprouting and taking root.
Even as a prototype, the Plasma Spark's energy was far from trivial.
The news spread like wildfire.
Across underground cities worldwide, broadcasts began reporting the same headline:
Humanity Can Return to the Surface.
Of course, the transition would take time.
The Joint High Command still needed to rebuild the surface infrastructure before people could safely relocate.
Buildings buried under centuries of ice were no longer usable and would have to be demolished.
...
Floating high above the sky, Yuzhou looked down at the land—now tinged with green—and nodded in satisfaction.
Soon after, a spatial vortex appeared and carried him away from this world.
...
Back on his own Earth, Yuzhou could not help but sigh.
Compared to this, their own apocalyptic reality was far better.
Although monsters appeared constantly, there were Ultramen to deal with them.
In the Wandering Earth world, humanity could not even remain in the Solar System—let alone live on the surface.
"I should see what progress the Huaxia leadership has made over the past month," Yuzhou thought.
A month earlier, he had already handed over several technologies.
By now, there should be tangible results.
Entering the city, he took a casual look around.
Indeed, transport robots were already in operation. Construction robots were repairing roads and erecting new buildings.
The production cost of these machines was low, yet their efficiency was extremely high.
For urban reconstruction, they were ideal.
At this pace, with a steady influx of robots, people would be able to move into new homes as early as next month.
Constructing residential areas in just one month—this was the true power of construction robotics.
...
"You're back."
When Yuzhou opened the door to the base, Camearra's familiar fragrance greeted him, stirring his heart.
Every time he returned from another world, he would first spend time with her.
After all, journeys to other worlds often lasted a very long time for him.
Though only an hour passed in the real world, for Yuzhou, far more time flowed by.
This trip to the Wandering Earth world, however, had taken less than a full day—remarkably fast.
That was why he had first gone to inspect the reconstruction.
"I'm back," Yuzhou smiled, lifting Camearra into his arms.
"Just gone for a short while, and you already missed me that much?"
"Yes," Camearra replied with a warm smile.
"But for you, that wasn't just an hour."
Yuzhou paused, surprised by how well she understood him.
"Once I fully figure things out," he said softly,
"I'll take you with me next time."
"All right," Camearra replied, her lips curving upward.
"I'll wait."
"I'm exhausted," Yuzhou said with a chuckle.
"Let's get some rest."
"Keep it down," Camearra teased.
"Have some shame~"
...
Early the next morning, refreshed and energized, Yuzhou contacted the Huaxia leadership.
For the time being, he did not hand over the stone-to-energy technology.
Instead, he gave MOSS's core chip to Xu Weimin.
With an artificial intelligence of MOSS's level, coordinating and managing large numbers of robots would become far easier, dramatically accelerating national reconstruction.
Back in the village, Yuzhou used his own abilities to rebuild homes for the residents.
He deployed several construction robots to assist.
Now that the authorities were already aware of his identity, there was no need to hide anything.
Buildings rose one after another. Roads were paved. People eagerly looked forward to returning to apartment living.
When Yuzhou's parents learned that all of this was his doing, they were utterly shocked.
"Son… do you have some kind of special identity?" his father asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," his mother added.
"I heard only cities get robots for construction. How did they end up in such a remote village?"
"Uh…" Yuzhou coughed lightly.
"Well… I happened to meet a friend who works in construction. He's responsible for robotic projects."
"So," he said with a grin, "you know how it is."