"How about I treat you to dinner and get you a few new jackets from the company's latest collection?"
A young woman slowed her pace, coming up beside David and playfully patting his back.
"Thank you, Private Martinez!"
The young woman, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless top, had unusually pale skin with a slightly bluish hue. The skin visible outside her clothing had metallic seams, while her eyes displayed a unique mix of pink and yellow, clearly no longer natural organs. This woman, Rebecca, was also part of the Atlas experimental unit, just like David.
At the front walked another woman, who, unlike Rebecca, appeared somewhat more "normal." She had short, silver hair and favored tight-fitting tops and pants, her appearance unmistakably marking her as Lucy, the orphaned hacker from the "Cyberpunk 2077" universe, adopted and trained by Arasaka.
Even though these three had a somewhat unusual appearance, local residents and tourists barely spared them a second glance. Travelers on the bustling shopping street included not only humans but also tall, pointy-eared elves and Sangheili elites with split mandibles and gray-brown skin dressed in traditional Sangheili garb. While most locals didn't react much to the elves' presence, seeing the Sangheili did draw some surprised looks due to their alien appearance.
At this moment, David, Rebecca, and Lucy reached a crosswalk on the aerial pedestrian pathway. As the holographic signal turned red, they joined the waiting crowd. Across from them, another pedestrian bridge was separated from them by a steady flow of public and private hovercraft. Nearby, a large holographic display on a shopping center façade played live coverage from the New Akra News Channel.
On the left of the broadcast was the host, a woman with golden wavy hair in a V-neck outfit, who had apparently switched from the "Seattle Midday News" to the "New Akra City News Channel." This was Robin Meade. The central broadcast area appeared to be a vast square where giant statues stood. In the center was Samuel Young in his powered armor, his hand resting on the Sword of the Emperor, surrounded by twelve other Primarch statues, including Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion El'Jonson.
In front of the statues was an even larger monument engraved with the names of both the living and deceased who had contributed to Atlas and to humanity. And the most awe-inspiring sight was the grand palace at the rear of the square, although the numerous Hex-tech robots and hundreds of Forerunner sentinels and builders indicated that it was still under construction.
Robin Meade was reporting live: "Dear viewers! We are fortunate to have received permission from Atlas to enter the still-unfinished Imperial Square. Behind me is the legendary Imperial Palace! Located in the heart of the Komoe Forest, the palace is sprawling in size! The head of the Atlas engineering division has estimated that it will be completed by April of next year, just in time for the establishment of the human empire in our primary universe on April 14, 2004. By then, we will…"
Robin's report was interrupted by the sound of the pedestrian signal changing. A hard-light bridge connected the two sides, allowing pedestrians to cross freely above. As the light turned green, David, carrying bags from various stores, followed Lucy and Rebecca onto the semi-transparent hard-light bridge. The bridge had protective barriers on either side to prevent falls, and David could see the busy streets below through the transparent surface as various hovercraft moved along.
Upon reaching the other side, the bridge's generator raised the protective barrier again before fully retracting, allowing the hovercraft to resume their paths. They crossed to the other side and entered a restaurant named "The Best Handmade Dumplings in Akra!"
Inside, they were greeted by the enticing aroma of food and cool air conditioning. The restaurant was busy, and half the customers were elites from the Halo universe. David watched as one elite awkwardly used chopsticks to dip a dumpling in vinegar before placing it into its split mandible and chewing quickly, letting out a satisfied, species-specific sound, as if telling its companions that the restaurant truly lived up to its name.
"Hello, party of three?" a tall, elven waitress, around 1.87 or 1.88 meters, approached to confirm.
"Yes, three," Lucy replied with a nod.
"Alright, please follow me."
The elven waitress led them to a cozy corner by the window, providing a nice view of the outside. Once seated, Rebecca smiled and said to the waitress, "Four plates of boiled pork and cabbage dumplings, two plates of chive pan-fried dumplings, two side dishes of assorted vegetables, and some seaweed from China. As for drinks… I'll have a cold beer. What about you two?"
She glanced at Lucy beside her and David across the table. Based on her familiarity with the menu, it was clear Rebecca was a regular.
"I'll go with an iced orange juice," David decided.
"Ice water," Lucy replied briefly.
"Alright, please wait a moment." The waitress returned with their drinks soon after.
Meanwhile, the restaurant's large holographic screen continued to display the New Akra City News Channel, showing the date and time in the top right corner: 4/22/2003, 5:35 PM.
As the main universe approached the end of April 2003, it had been precisely 410 days since the ninth space gate leading to the Cyberpunk 2077 universe opened. Over these 410 days, the various Atlas departments from all universes continued to assist with the integration of the Halo universe. The integration of the Cyberpunk 2077 universe had already been completed by last August, under Dorn's leadership, as he led the main force from Universe 07's Terra to resolve matters. Megacorporations like Arasaka and Militech were either defeated or restructured.
Even so, the Cyberpunk universe still faced ongoing, small-scale conflicts with criminal gangs, mercenaries, and terrorist organizations. With that instability, Dorn would temporarily serve as the governor of Universe 09 until a suitable Primarch could take over. Meanwhile, the integration process in the Halo universe had progressed to about 40%, meaning that most colonies under the UEG and UNSC were now under Atlas control, pushing the company's total population across all universes to nearly 70 billion.
The increased population presented numerous benefits, such as greater productivity and recruitment potential, but also brought significant management and "reform" pressures. Fortunately, an AI council, formed by smart AIs, fully supported Atlas's reform projects. Many smart AIs once aligned with the UNSC or rebel forces had switched allegiances or "defected" at key moments, severely hindering their former allies' military capabilities. Without AI support, the UNSC and rebels were left metaphorically blind and deaf.
Facing mounting internal and external challenges, the remaining leadership of the UNSC and rebel factions ultimately surrendered to Atlas, allowing the Halo universe's humans to approach a semblance of peace for the first time since the interstellar colonization era. The Covenant, led by the Prophets and Brutes, continued to face defeat, with their fleets being decimated by the Atlas Elite alliance.
If not for its massive empire stretching across half the galaxy, the Covenant would have already collapsed within these 410 days. However, each new colony and star system Atlas occupied required stabilization forces and long-term deployments, making the timeline for the Halo universe's integration impossible to estimate in mere "days."
Atlas's current strategy focused on locating and decisively annihilating the Covenant's main fleet to hasten the Covenant's collapse from within. Additionally, Atlas scientists led by Halsey, supported by the AI Cortana, were tasked with studying the Ark and its advanced teleportation device, which could instantly transport massive objects across the galaxy.
The public awareness campaign also included the much-talked-about "Imperial Palace" and the "Empire's Founding" event. Last year on May 15, Atlas's PR and diplomatic teams released videos and images to the main universe's internet, revealing the existence of a relic base, inter-universal gates, and intelligent alien species like the Sangheili. Primarch Guilliman, temporarily overseeing main universe affairs, held a press conference explaining that Atlas had been exploring other parallel universes since the late 20th century, attributing the technology to his father, Samuel Young.
Following this, dwarves, elves, and other non-human races from Universe 07's Terra, as well as Sangheili elites, began gradually appearing on Earth in the main universe. Only employees of Atlas or their family members were permitted inter-universal travel, with prime living conditions in the main universe granted as a reward. The elf waitress serving David, Lucy, and Rebecca was among the first of these inter-universe immigrants.
David and his team's presence in the main universe was to prepare for the opening of the next gate.
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