Greyline was unrecognizable.
Where cracked streets once rotted under rain and rust, now stood smooth, self-repairing panels. Moss grew on walls—but not wild. Controlled. Filtered. Alive.
And at the center—
A tower grown from the ground like a tree.
Not built.
Birthed.
ARK's voice pulsed in Riven's ear:
SYMBIOTECH ZONE STABILITY: 94.7%AUTOGENERATION: SUCCESSFULPOPULATION INFLUX DETECTED.
People were arriving. Hundreds.
Some filming. Some crying.
Some just stood there, trying to understand.
"You built a living city in three days," Ash said behind him. "No permits. No boards. No teams. Just... you."
"Me and the world," Riven replied. "Finally speaking the same language."
But not everyone applauded.
BuilderNet lit up with warnings.
⚠️ "Echo-Root detected. Unauthorized tech."⚠️ "Bio-coding structure intercepting satellite links."⚠️ "Full Builder Council emergency meeting in motion."
The attack came at night.
Drones. Silent, black, corporate.Aimed to burn the tower to the ground.
But the city responded.
Walls shifted. Lights turned blinding.The tower grew vines of pure tech—grabbed the drones midair.
The people cheered.
The system adapted.
Nothing got in.
By morning, #BuilderNationZero was the top trending tag across every network.
Journalists. Tech groups. Government watchers.
Riven stood on the rooftop, arms folded.
"They built cities to survive," he said, mostly to himself."I'll build a city that learns to live."
And as cameras flashed, and new citizens registered under his custom Builder ID…
A nation was born.