Three years later, the Underground shelter is finally completed.
With the collective effort of millions of people, most of the infrastructure needed for the underground shelter is in place.
As for the heat, it has become so unbearable that protective clothing is necessary when going outside.
The rising temperatures have even caused the sea to slowly recede as it evaporates.
Inside the Promised Land Shelter, the entire shadow group has gathered.
"We have finally achieved our goal," they sighed in relief.
To reach this point, they faced countless hardships.
From resource struggles, examinees' disputes, the relentless heat, all of this took a toll on their mortal bodies.
"Right, we can finally rest," Max sighed, his skin already darkened from years of mining, making him appear the oldest among their group.
"Not quite, we've only completed the structure of the shelter; the interior is still empty," Liam pointed out.
"Furthermore, we have only a few million people, and we need to encourage reproduction."
"Hey, brother, you're a real workaholic. We should take a break today," Sam said, patting Liam on the back.
"That's right! I'm so tired that I need at least a few months of rest," Luke chimed in.
As a mechanic, their workload was the heaviest.
They even considered inviting other examinees to join their group but eventually rejected the idea due to the associated risks.
Competition among examinee groups had grown fiercer over the years, as the solar stone on the world was limited.
With tens of thousands of examinees in groups working independently, the distribution of resources had become uneven.
Those with weaker strength had already perished in the chaos, while others continued to fight for survival.
"A few months of rest might be impossible, at most, we can afford a week," Liam compromised, observing the exhaustion on their faces.
His sisters and Amara, who was busy with alchemy, Sam, and Luke, who were occupied with constructing new technology.
And the others defending the base all welcomed the idea of a week of rest.
Of course, even during their break, they still remained vigilant.
They couldn't afford to falter now that they were on the verge of success.
As a result, a week of banquets and celebrations ensued within the base.
Millions of people knowing that they had a week of rest, vented their stress and enjoyed themselves.
This week of rest was later named the "Promised Week" in recognition of the completion of the Promised Land Shelter and the much-needed break.
From that point onward, every year at this time, this week would be celebrated as a holiday dedicated to rest and celebration.
After their rest, people energetically returned to their tasks.
Sam and Luke pondered how to create the shelter barriers using solar stone.
By now, they had already collected tens of thousands of tons of Solar Stones.
In the coming hundreds of years, they would have no problem with energy.
Their only problem was the heat.
Although their shelter had heat-resistant materials, it wasn't sufficient.
In the coming years, the heat would become exponentially hotter, melting even the toughest metals.
Unfortunately, it was not an easy task, as other examinees were also working to develop new technology to protect themselves from the sun.
As for the three alchemists, Lily, Lydia, and Amara, they were creating a water-producing plant.
Water is made from only oxygen and hydrogen, so creating a water-producing plant should be straightforward.
The only challenge was the energy conversion.
If plants needed to produce water, they also required a large amount of water.
That would be redundant, therefore, they aimed to create a plant that could use the energy of the solar stone to produce water.
This was a groundbreaking project that, if successful, would eliminate their worries about water.
As for condensing water, it was too difficult.
With the hot weather, the need for cold or pressure to condense water was enormous, requiring constant development of new technology.
Hence, their solution was to create water directly.
Many also had different solutions to this problem.
Such as developing synthesizing devices, supercooling equipment, and even considering digging deep to preserve water.
While they were creating a heat barrier and water-producing plants.
Liam was meticulously managing the base, as every aspect of its structure required his deep consideration.
He had so little time that he sometimes forgot to eat for days.
At times, he wondered how his father managed such a vast empire while still finding time for his family and training.
If Maximus knew of his son's struggles, he would likely respond, "Son, all you need is enough money, and everything will run smoothly for you."
With money, Maximus never truly worried about his empire; if a problem arose, he could simply solve it with more money.
However, the situation in the shelter was different, as they lacked sufficient resources.
Even if Liam knew the method of his father, he couldn't do so under these circumstances.
As he worked on various resource allocations within the base, his office's door opened.
"Liam~" Yorticia entered, carrying a tray of food.
Since Yorticia had killed their partner, the Sylveras family had aligned themselves with the Shadow Group.
They had even become subordinates at Yorticia's insistence.
This was a common fate for many influential individuals in this world; they often became subordinates of examinee groups.
Of course, there were also powerful figures who had examinees at their beck and call.
After all, even in this backward world, there were still geniuses who could not be defeated by time.
With Yorticia's overwhelming strength, the Sylveras family could have been one of those people.
However, Yorticia's fascination with Liam, made them otherwise.
"Liam, I heard you haven't eaten for a few days again," Yorticia complained as she placed the tray of food on his table.
"I forgot," Liam answered emotionlessly.
Amara had already accepted Yorticia's presence.
Seeing that Liam couldn't be tempted by the witch's actions, Amara wasn't concerned about anything.
On the other hand, Liam had grown somewhat accustomed to Yorticia's presence.
Meeting Yorticia every few days, their interactions were more frequent than those he had with Amara.
"Hehe, then let me feed you~," Yorticia suggested playfully.
"No, I can handle it," Liam said as he snatched the food and quickly ate it.
"Tsk, boring," Yorticia muttered, but upon seeing that Liam ate the food she had prepared, she nodded in satisfaction.
"Go, I still have work to do," Liam said, his tone slightly softer.
"Then I will come back later~" Yorticia replied before leaving.
The world had turned into a blazing inferno.
The once fertile ground had become a desolate wasteland.
Rocks and dirt dominated the landscape throughout the whole world.
In the underground world, life had become either a living nightmare or the last paradise.
Due to a lack of planning and resource depletion, riots frequently erupted in the underground shelters.
Even the examinees were overwhelmed by various conspiracies.
This had become a graveyard for the weak and a throne for the powerful.
At this point, less than half of the examinees remained.
The aboriginal people, who had once cooperated with the outsiders to survive, were now determined to expel them.
They no longer wanted to be exploited, believing that what was done was done.
However, what most people didn't know was that the dark hand behind the scenes was the same nobles who had frequently exploited their labor.
After seizing control of the shelter, things had become somewhat peaceful.
With many people having perished, the resource shortage had been somewhat alleviated.
In Paradise Land Underground Shelter:
It was still the same, filled with liveliness and hope.
The riots in other bases didn't affect them.
Liam's meticulous management left no room for any ambitious individuals to gain an upper hand.
In terms of resources, under the care of three natural alchemists—Lily, Lydia, and Amara—there was an abundance of them.
They had long created the water-producing plants as per plan.
Furthermore, they also cultivated multiple other crops, ensuring a variety of food supply.
The base also implemented a population expansion plan, providing benefits for those who gave birth to the next generation.
Now, the base truly resembled a promised land, with a ratio of one adult to every three children.
For every adult, there were at least four to five children under their care.
Due to this, the Promised Land had transformed into a nurturing haven filled with innocence and hope.
In Liam and Amara's Bedroom:
The two lovebirds hugged each other as they reminisced about the past.
Their life here had been so long that they sometimes forgot it was just a virtual world
"I can't really have a baby," Amara sighed, rubbing her stomach.
Originally, they had intended to demonstrate reproduction, but despite all the years, there had been no results.
This was also their only reminder that they were in a virtual world, not a real one.
"It's better; I don't want my children to be locked in this world," Liam reassured Amara.