The last thing Tom Howard remembered was the sound—a deep, tectonic roar that drowned out the teacher's voice and the panicked screams of his classmates. Then came the violent shudder of the floor, the ceiling of the high school buckling like paper, and a final, crushing darkness as the world collapsed on top of them. There was no pain, only the terrifying realization that it was over for everyone.
Tom opened his eyes to find himself staring at a canopy of gargantuan, gnarled trees. The air didn't smell of dust and pulverized concrete; it smelled of damp earth and ancient pines.
[System Initialization Complete] a clinical, feminine voice resonated within his skull. [Host: Tom Howard. Status: Reincarnated. Consciousness bound to Tiberium Forge Core.]
Tom sat up, his head spinning. As the mechanical voice faded, he looked at his hands, then at the strange, glowing white-and-blue bracer on his wrist. The memories of the earthquake—the screams, the falling masonry, the death of his entire school—flashed through his mind.
He let out a long breath and slowly raised a hand, planting his palm firmly against his face. "An earthquake... really? And now a voice in his head?" He muttered through his fingers. "I've been isekai'd. I'm actually in a light novel trope."
He sat there for a long minute, the weight of his situation sinking in. His world was gone. His friends were gone. He was alone in a forest that looked far too dangerous to be a local park. With a heavy, resigned sigh, he dropped his hand and looked at the blue holographic screen floating in front of him.
"Fine," he whispered. "If I'm stuck here, I might as well survive."
[Starter Pack Available: Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV). Would you like to deploy?]
"Yes," Tom said, his voice gaining a shred of resolve. "Accept."
[Initializing Design Parameter. Host preference detected: High-Contrast Azure. Materializing...]
The clearing in front of him erupted in a swirl of sapphire-blue nanites. They wove themselves out of the air, constructing a massive shape at a blinding speed. Instead of the blocky, olive-drab industrial look of the GDI MCV or the jagged, predatory crimson of Nod, the machine that solidified before him was a masterpiece of Tom's own taste.
It was a gargantuan, six-wheeled fortress of matte-white ceramic plating. Sleek, aerodynamic curves replaced the traditional military boxiness, and glowing blue energy veins pulsed along its hull like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant. It was clean, futuristic, and looked more like a starship than a construction vehicle.
[MCV Deployed. Awaiting orders, Commander.]
"System," Tom said, looking at the towering machine. "Status report. Where am I, and what are my resources?"
[Scanning... Local environment contains high concentrations of 'Chaos' energy. Hostile organic lifeforms detected within 1 kilometer. However, a primary resource has been identified.]
The blue HUD in Tom's vision flickered, highlighting a faint, emerald glow visible through the dense treeline about half a mile to the East.
[Detected: Tiberium Growth Field. Analysis: A seeding event occurred via meteor impact approximately 72 hours prior to Host arrival. The 'Green Menace' has begun its terraforming cycle on this planet.]
Tom stared at the distant green shimmer. He knew what that meant. Tiberium was the ultimate resource, but it was also a plague. If it was here, this world was already dying.
"So the earthquake took my world, and now a meteor is taking this one," Tom said, a grim smirk forming on his face. He looked back at his white-and-blue MCV. "I guess it's time to start harvesting. System, move the MCV toward the field. Let's set up our first Refinery."
Tom stood in the shadow of the gargantuan, white-and-blue fortress on wheels, feeling incredibly small. The realization that he had to actually design his structures instead of just clicking icons felt like a punch to the gut. He looked at the massive hull of the vehicle and realized he couldn't just stand in the dirt like a lost tourist.
"I need to get to the controls," Tom muttered. He walked toward the side of the vehicle. "Open hatch."
A seam appeared in the matte-white ceramic plating, hiss-clicking as it depressurized. A ramp descended with a smooth, mechanical whine, revealing an interior bathed in a soft, sapphire glow. Tom stepped inside, his sneakers squeaking on the pristine metallic floor. The bridge was a masterpiece of glass and light, centered around a command chair that overlooked a massive holographic table.
As he sat, the interface flickered to life. "Okay," Tom muttered, his fingers hovering over the terminal. "Unpack the MCV. Build a Power Plant."
[Request Denied. Schematic Implementation Required.] The MCV's onboard AI—a voice sounding more like a ship's computer—echoed through the bridge speakers.
Tom blinked at the console. "What? Why? I have the MCV right here!"
[This is reality, not a simulation,] the System voice spoke directly into his mind, cutting through his confusion. [In a physical world, structures require engineering logic and material science. The MCV provides the nanites, but you must provide the cognitive framework—the design—to guide them. You cannot build what you do not understand.]
Tom let out a long, heavy sigh and leaned back into the chair, staring at the ceiling. "I'm in an isekai... and it's the 'hard mode' version." He raised a hand and facepalmed. The realization that he had to be an engineer as well as a commander was enough to make his head spin. Real worlds meant real problems.
"Then how am I supposed to do anything? I'm a student, not a nuclear physicist!" Tom shouted at the empty bridge.
[System Store Accessible,] the System replied in his head. [Expertise and skills can be purchased with Points. Points are earned through completing missions, creating items, and inventing new technologies. These points are essential to gain new expertise.]
Tom's eyes moved to a secure, reinforced containment unit near the back of the bridge. Inside a specialized glass housing sat a glowing, golden data matrix—The Tacitus. It was a box of nearly infinite knowledge, but as he stared at it, the symbols were gibberish.
[Note: The Tacitus is currently stored within the MCV,] the System added. [However, you must gain basic expertise and scientific knowledge to understand the secrets of Tiberium and the technology related to it. Without the proper foundation, the Tacitus remains a mystery.]
Tom checked his interface and found that the system already had some starting points logged. He didn't hesitate. He looked at the distant green glow of the Tiberium Field through the bridge's viewscreen—the result of a seeding meteor that had arrived before he did—and knew he was running out of time.
"I need to understand what I'm looking at," Tom said. He scrolled through the Store and selected [Basic Tiberium Science] and [Structural Engineering: Vanguard-Pattern]. "System, exchange the points. Give me the knowledge I urgently need."
A flash of blue light erupted from his wrist-bracer. For a heartbeat, his brain felt like it was being re-wired with high-voltage cable. Suddenly, the blueprints for a world of white steel and blue fire didn't look like alien code anymore. He understood the molecular lattice of the green crystals and how to harness them into a Power Plant.
Tom leaned back in the command chair, his breathing heavy but his eyes glowing with newfound clarity. He finally understood the "how."
"MCV AI," Tom said, his voice steady. "Prepare to deploy. I'm uploading the first design."