After some discussion, most of them didn't support the island plan. A fixed location carried too many risks. An island could be found, surrounded, attacked from every direction. It wasn't nearly as defensible or hidden as underground bunkers.
In the end, the majority agreed that it would be safer to search for another concealed bunker or an isolated location that wouldn't draw attention.
Still, Charles didn't want to dismiss Luke outright.
So he compromised.
He agreed to let Luke try.
As for the island itself, Charles already owned one. Given his resources, having a private island wasn't surprising. It was remote, uninhabited, and far from major shipping routes—good enough for a test.
A small team was assigned to go with Luke.
Jean, carrying a detailed list of facilities and infrastructure they would need if the island was to become livable.
Clarice, whose teleportation ability made scouting and transport infinitely easier.
And Esdeath.
No official reason. She simply decided she was coming.
The four of them appeared in front of a large residential community in California.
It was abandoned.
The place sat in the middle of nowhere, far from any major city. It had been planned as a wealthy gated community—meant for retirees, executives, and people looking for a quiet, expensive escape. But the project never took off.
Rows of houses stood half-finished. Some buildings were fully completed, others left empty and silent. Streets were laid out, streetlights installed. Power lines ran overhead. Water facilities were already in place.
"This is Hope Community," Jean explained. "It was supposed to be a major success, but six months before its launch date, a major earthquake hit. Investors pulled out. People backed off."
"So it was abandoned," Luke said, looking around.
"Yeah," Clarice replied, her eyes scanning the houses. "Everything's here—power grid, water systems, infrastructure. None of it works anymore, but it was all installed."
Luke nodded once.
"Then let's take it."
He raised one hand.
And then… he just stood there.
Jean frowned. "What is he doing?"
Clarice glanced at her, equally confused. Don't ask me.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then—
The ground vanished.
Not cracked. Not lifted.
Gone.
The entire community—houses, roads, foundations—dropped away in an instant. Earth folded downward like it had been erased from existence. The four of them were left standing in midair, staring down into a massive, clean-cut pit where the land had been.
Buildings, streets—everything—had disappeared.
Jean's breath caught.
Clarice stared, speechless.
Below them was nothing but open space.
Luke lowered his hand.
"W-what just happened?" Jean asked, staring down into the empty void where an entire community had stood moments ago.
Luke lowered his hand casually. "Nothing dramatic. I just stashed the whole place into subspace."
"Subspace?" Clarice echoed, blinking.
"An independent, infinite storage space," Luke explained. "You can put anything in it—except living things."
Jean stayed quiet, brows knit. She didn't fully understand it—but she understood enough to know this was far beyond anything she had ever seen.
Then warmth pressed in from behind.
Esdeath slid close, looping her arms around Luke's neck, her body flush against his back. She rested her chin on his shoulder comfortably, as if she owned the place—and him.
"That's why I like you," she said, voice amused. "You can do so many things. Why waste it on hiding?"
Her eyes gleamed. "Why not conquer this planet instead? It's much simpler than coexistence."
For her, it was better to wage war against all of humanity and force them to submit than to keep playing this pointless game of hide-and-seek.
"How many times do I have to say it?" Luke said flatly. "I don't have time to entertain your global wars."
He already had one problem on his hands—finding his actual mission target. The last thing he wanted was another mess added to his plate.
Esdeath tilted her head, looking genuinely disappointed.
"Then why don't we fight?" she said lightly. "It's been a long time since I've fought without holding back."
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "These quiet, repetitive days are starting to bore me."
"It's been two weeks," Luke corrected.
"But I'm bored," she replied instantly, chin still resting on his shoulder.
Clarice and Jean both looked at Esdeath.
This woman is a little crazy. That was the unspoken consensus they'd reached. She talked about murder, domination, war, and killing like it was normal—and they'd only met her yesterday. Up until now, she hadn't said a single thing that sounded even remotely normal.
And she didn't seem to care that there were two other people standing right there as she openly showed affection.
Which, unfortunately, meant forcing them to witness couple behavior in real time—
while both of them were very, painfully single.
"You don't need to worry about her," Luke said, then paused. "She talks like that, but she won't actually do anything excessive."
He hesitated. "…Probably."
After that, Luke got to work.
Across the country, government storage sites quietly vanished. Warehouses stocked with daily necessities.
Water purification facilities. Emergency food reserves. Power generators—both conventional and solar arrays. Even parts of unused industrial infrastructure.
One by one, they disappeared.
No alarms. No explosions. No witnesses—just empty lots where entire facilities had been moments before.
To the outside world, it was chaos.
Reports flooded in of "missing assets." Satellite images showed gaps that shouldn't exist. Entire supply depots erased as if reality had been edited.
Analysts argued. Officials panicked. No one could explain how structures weighing thousands of tons had simply ceased to be.
To Luke, it was simple.
Everything was being transferred into subspace—sorted, organized, preserved. A complete logistical backbone for a city that didn't yet exist.
By the end of the day, the foundation was ready.
And while governments scrambled to understand how their resources had vanished into thin air, Luke stood calmly, already planning the next step—turning absence into shelter.
Evening settled in as the sun dipped toward the horizon, painting the island in warm shades of orange and gold.
Clarice and Jean stood on the island, eyes fixed on Luke.
He stood in front of them, hands slowly moving through the air.
At his gesture, buildings weighing thousands of tons lifted and drifted across the island as if gravity had forgotten them.
Concrete, steel, entire structures moved smoothly, effortlessly—like toys being rearranged by a careless god. They slid into place, aligned perfectly, then lowered into the ground as foundations formed beneath them.
It looked less like construction and more like the island itself obeying him.
*****
A/N: If you'd like to read chapters ahead of the Webnovel release schedule, you can join my Patreon!
The Patreon version is already updated up to Chapter 217.
👉 patreon.com/Universal_Peace