[The Principality of San Solara - The Royal Palace Balcony]
The night air was humid and smelled of old fish. San Solara was a ruin. The streets were dirt tracks. The houses were crumbling brick shacks with tin roofs. The "National Power Grid" was a diesel generator that died every six hours.
Alex stood on the balcony of the palace, looking down at his new kingdom. He wore a hard hat made of solid platinum.
"It's ugly," Alex stated flatly.
"It is... rustic, Your Majesty," Prince Marco (now Citizen Marco) said nervously. "We have history."
"History doesn't flush the toilet," Alex tapped his earpiece. "Dawn. Prepare Protocol: Genesis."
"Protocol Genesis ready, Administrator," Dawn's voice echoed from the drone hovering above them. "Budget allocation?"
"Unlimited," Alex smiled. "Open the System Store. Category: Future Infrastructure."
A massive holographic menu appeared in the sky, visible only to Alex.
Item: Modular Nanocarbon Skyscraper (100 Floors). Price: $50 Million.
Item: Fusion Power Core (Infinite Clean Energy). Price: $2 Billion.
Item: Maglev Transit System (Island-Wide). Price: $500 Million.
Item: Atmospheric Weather Dome (Climate Control). Price: $1 Billion.
"Add to cart," Alex muttered, tapping the air rapidly. "Add to cart. Add to cart. Give me fifty skyscrapers. Give me the Fusion Core. And pave the roads with Solar-Glass."
[Transaction Processing...] [Total Expenditure: $150,000,000,000.] [Status: Paid in Full.]
"Dawn," Alex pointed at the slums. "Delete it."
"Executing."
[The Transformation]
It began with a low hum that shook the ocean. From the water surrounding the island, massive shapes rose. They were Construction Leviathans—autonomous building drones the size of cruise ships.
ZAP.
Blue laser beams swept across the island. The old brick shacks didn't explode; they were deconstructed. The atoms were vaporized and recycled instantly.
The citizens of San Solara ran into the streets, screaming. "The aliens are attacking!" an old fisherman yelled, clutching his rosary.
"Not aliens," Alex's voice boomed over the city speakers. "Renovations."
Minute 1: The dirt roads dissolved. In their place, Solar-Glass Asphalt was laid down by swift drones. The roads glowed with a soft neon blue light.
Minute 5: Massive prefabricated sections of Nanocarbon Steel dropped from the sky. The drones assembled them like Lego blocks. One floor. Ten floors. Fifty floors. In minutes, a gleaming white skyscraper pierced the clouds. Then another. And another.
Minute 10: The diesel generator exploded (controlled demolition). In the center of the island, a spire of pure crystal rose up. HUMMMM. The Fusion Core activated. A beam of pure blue energy shot into the sky, powering the entire grid instantly.
The lights in the city didn't just turn on; they blazed with the brightness of a star.
[The Aftermath]
Thirty minutes later, the dust settled. San Solara was gone. In its place stood a city of white curves, floating gardens, and neon lights. It looked like something from the year 3000.
The old fisherman looked at his new home. It was a waterfront villa with smart-glass windows and a robotic butler waiting at the door. He fell to his knees. "Santa Maria... is this heaven?"
Alex looked at the holographic readout. [City Status: Utopia.] [Happiness: 100%.] [Technology Level: S-Rank.]
"We need a new name," Alex said, taking off his platinum hard hat. "San Solara sounds weak."
"What shall we call it, Sir?" Marco asked, his jaw on the floor.
Alex looked at the glowing city in the middle of the dark ocean.
"Call it Neo-Atlantis," Alex announced.
"Sir," Emily ran onto the balcony, holding a tablet. "The internet... I just ran a speed test." "And?" "10 Terabytes per second. It's the fastest connection in the galaxy. And the water... it's purified instantly. No one will ever get sick here."
Alex nodded. "Dawn. Send a global broadcast."
"Recording."
Alex looked into the drone camera. "Citizens of the World," Alex said calmly. "Your governments tax you. They spy on you. They let you starve."
He gestured to the neon paradise behind him.
"Welcome to Neo-Atlantis. We have no taxes. We have free energy. And we have room for 5 million people."
Alex smiled a cold, tycoon smile.
"Pack your bags. The borders are open."