An hour later, Lin Tuo realized he had seriously underestimated the scale of the Great Migration.
So many lives poured from every corner of the continent. Even excluding the smallest animals, the number was staggering.
And they did not all travel at the same speed. Some areas weren't even suitable for placing paper strips.
So it took him a long while to move each group westward in batches.
The process wasn't continuous. After ferrying some away, he had to wait for the rest to gather again.
During these intervals, he turned his attention to another matter.
"How to remove nuclear contamination?"
Opening his laptop and connecting to the internet, Lin Tuo typed the question into a search engine.
Whether or not the Tuck Continent was to be preserved, radiation pollution was something he had to solve.
The "Annihilation Bomb" probably worked differently from nuclear weapons, but Lin Tuo had no grasp of such technicalities. Even if he knew the principles, he wouldn't understand them. So he searched related terms for inspiration.
"Methods of nuclear decontamination: physical methods, chemical methods, electrochemical methods, combined methods, microbial remediation, incineration, super-compaction… soil removal, forest restoration…"
Staring at the screen, Lin Tuo fell into silence.
So… what was all this supposed to mean?
He couldn't understand a thing.
With some effort—reading closely, cross-checking—he finally pieced together the gist.
Simply put, the easiest method was to dig up the contaminated soil in the sand table, replace it with new soil, essentially recreating the land. That would completely remove radiation in a short time.
"But then… where would I put the waste?"
He calculated. Even scaled down, the sand table's waste could fill his wheelbarrow several times.
It was still irradiated material. He couldn't just dig a pit on the mountain and bury it.
What if it contaminated the environment?
"Better to be cautious… let time wear it away."
Closing the laptop, he made his decision.
The safest way was to let the sand table's plants slowly cleanse the wasteland, until it fully recovered.
Normally, that would take forever. But the sand table had time acceleration, which could solve the problem.
"Yes… that will do. But the acceleration depends on the complexity of the civilization. If I move the humans out, it may not be enough. I may also need to remove the wasteland's ruins and facilities… simplify the world."
"Besides, I told them their world would be destroyed. I should follow through."
With that in mind, Lin Tuo left the room. A short while later, he returned carrying two items.
The first was a bucket of water—his tool for cleansing the wasteland and making good on the prophecy of destruction.
It wasn't needed yet, so he set it aside.
The second was a large potted plant, about the size of a fish tank.
Yes—a bonsai.
It hadn't been his. It had belonged to his late grandfather, an ornament more refined than a simple flowerpot.
It had been left in the dojo courtyard, weathered and broken, until a few days ago when Lin Tuo had cleaned it, restored it, and brought it indoors as a planter.
Traditional bonsai were of two kinds: landscapes and miniature trees. His was the latter, featuring a pine-like tree with elegant, classical lines.
"I need a place to house the humans and animals before the new continent is ready. A temporary residence—a transfer station."
He set the bonsai on the desk and studied it carefully.
He planned to move the beings from the western mountains into this pot for now.
Of course, the surface area wasn't enough for an ecosystem, but it could hold them for a short while.
Especially since he could provide food—so they wouldn't need much land.
"Yes, but not like this. The soil granules are bigger than people. Dropping them in as-is won't do. I need to modify it.
The base can stay, but at least the surface needs to be finer."
"How to fix that? Lay paper? Plastic wrap?" He thought a moment, then his eyes lit up.
"Right! The sand from the backyard!"
When he created Sand Table No.1, he had emptied the Tuck Desert with a shovel, dumping the sand in his backyard.
Because of the Evolution Sand Table's rules, that sand became as fine as dust once removed. For the beings inside the table, it was the perfect size for gravel.
Ideal for layering over the bonsai soil.
So he fetched the remaining sand—much of it had blown away, but there was still enough.
He removed the coarse topsoil from the bonsai, replaced it with the fine sand, pressed it down, and created a new surface suitable for habitation.
As for the tree, he decided to leave it.
"Yes… but something's missing." He frowned. "Water. I can supply food, but water will be troublesome…"
The solution was simple.
He dug a shallow pit at the tree's base, buried a water bottle upside down with the cap exposed, then filled the cap with water. He added several more, preparing reservoirs.
"That should work."
Satisfied, he turned back to the sand table, moving the remaining migration groups into the western mountains.
Soon, no migrants remained on the plains. Looking west, he saw the snowy mountains now covered with humans and beasts.
The hypnotic effect still lingered, so they didn't fight.
So many lives clustered together that their combined body heat melted snow, warming the valleys.
The evolvers of the Burning Flame Company, Grey Mountain Group, and Doomsday Floaters had even begun organizing the refugees, separating them from beasts, claiming nearby peaks, awaiting divine instruction.
The clamor of so many beings rose into the sky, impossible to ignore.
"Looks like it's time for the next step."
Drawing a deep breath, Lin Tuo lifted the bucket of water and poured half of it into the sand table.
The land was too polluted. It needed a proper cleansing.
At that moment, in the western mountains, humans and beasts alike suddenly felt an indescribable pressure.
The eastern sky darkened. Clouds churned.
Then—the heavens tore open.
Endless "rain" poured down, like the Milky Way crashing upon the earth. Thunderous impacts shook the land.
The noisy mountains fell silent.
Every living being turned to stare eastward.
"Our world… is it really ending?"
(End of Chapter)