Chapter 987 Shelter No. 13
Chapter 987 Shelter No. 13
”We’re here.”
Somewhere in the Great Desert, the elevator leading to Shelter No. 13 finally stopped.
Based on the time and speed of the elevator’s descent, Zhuang Lan silently calculated that the area under her feet was at least one kilometer or even deeper from the surface.
Walking to the gate in front, the soldier wearing an exoskeleton put his arm on the operating table on the wall and completed the identity information verification.
”Buzz…”
Accompanied by a shaking shake, a crack appeared on the wall in front of the two people, and slowly expanded as the wall moved, eventually making way for a road more than ten meters wide.
Unbelievable.
The alloy wall turned out to be a tightly closed door!
It seems that a lot of things have happened to the Enlightenment Society during my absence…
Surprised by the changes in the old club in the past two years, Zhuang Lan was secretly alert in her heart, but she did not write the unexpected expression on her face.
After all, her identity at this moment is Lieutenant “Malik”, the captain of the Desert Scorpion Special Forces.
And before that, “he” had been here.
Obviously, he also tacitly agreed to this. The soldier did not mean to show off. After completing the identity verification, he turned to “Malik” and said.
”The Ministry of Internal Affairs just sent a message that they approved the information you submitted. However, they still have some details about your experience during the escape and the combat effectiveness of the regular army of the alliance. They will probably contact you for an inquiry meeting.”
”When?”
”Three days later.”
Malik looked at him expressionlessly and spread his hands.
”Why not now? Anyway, I have nothing to do.”
”We have to interrogate the guy you brought back from the alliance first and see what we can pry out of him.” After a pause, the soldier continued in a relaxed tone, “And you are a meritorious person. We have to settle you down first. We can’t let you be treated the same as the prisoners.”
It seems that “Malik” has regained the trust of the Enlightenment Society.
Zhuang Lan breathed a sigh of relief, but the expression on his face did not change at all. He said it in a serious manner, true to his character.
”I don’t deserve it. Although the intelligence system has to take half the blame, it is also true that I messed up… Many people paid the price of their lives for this.”
Looking at Malik who was a little depressed, the soldier standing at the door comforted him.
”Don’t blame yourself. We don’t judge heroes by success or failure. You have done a good job to capture a prisoner even when you were ambushed by the Alliance… Of course, I am sorry for what happened to your brothers.”
He was also the leader of a group of young men.
It was for this reason that he understood Malik’s feelings at the moment.
Just as the two were talking, a tall and thin man walked out from behind the open alloy door.
He was wearing a silver-gray dress, and the straight fabric was as smooth as silk, without a speck of dust.
Not only his clothes, but also his skin, which was as smooth and delicate as the alloy wall next to him, and his skin color was elegant and flawless.
Appearance was probably his least noteworthy advantage. His
decency and elegance in every move were like the butler in the noble manor in the classical period, as if no matter how trivial things were in his hands, they could be arranged in an orderly manner.
Although this person looked no different from a real person, Zhuang Lan could tell at a glance that he was not a real human being.
He was a bionic man.
Natural things must have flaws. Only man-made products can be so pure without any impurities.
Just as Zhuang Lan was observing him, the man standing at the door nodded slightly and spoke in a gentle tone.
”Hello, Mr. Malik. I am your guide and life assistant during your stay in the ‘Paradise’. You can call me the ‘Butler’.”
”Although you have been here before, our Paradise was not completed at that time, and many things have changed since then.”
”In order to help you adapt to life here as soon as possible, I will take you to get to know our home again.”
Zhuang Lan nodded, then said goodbye to the soldier who brought her here, and then followed the bionic man who called himself the “Butler”.
On the way to the shelter, the bionic man introduced the situation of the “Paradise” to him all the way, especially the changes in the past year.
According to the intelligence collected by the Watchers, Malik’s last visit to Paradise was exactly one year ago, and he stayed there for ten days.
In order to avoid revealing flaws, Zhuang Lan did not say anything extra, but only occasionally asked about unclear details.
After passing through a long corridor, the two came to a spacious underground space, and a huge gear-shaped gate came into her sight.
This gate is the same as the entrance of many shelters.
The only difference is that it is not embedded in the wall, but lies flat on the ground, like the lifting platform of a freight elevator.
When she found this, Zhuang Lan was slightly surprised.
It is hard to imagine how much energy is consumed by opening and closing this huge door at a time.
The energy reserves of the Enlightenment Society may exceed the expectations of the Watchers. It would be great if they could figure out their energy source.
Just as Zhuang Lan was silently calculating in her heart, the giant gears under the feet of the two began to slowly sink, and an arch shaped like a tunnel entrance also appeared from the concrete wall on the side shortly after the platform descended.
That was the last door to Shelter No. 13.
Restraining the excitement in her heart, Zhuang Lan followed the “housekeeper” steadily and followed it into the deepest part of the core secrets of the Enlightenment Society –
here is the “handle” of the torch! It is
also the core of the Torch Plan!
The dazzling light sprinkled at the end of the alloy corridor.
When Zhuang Lan finally passed through the last tunnel, everything that entered her pupils did not disappoint her, and she was even shocked and stunned on the spot.
The scenery suddenly became clear!
The space was magnified geometrically, so that people could not help but suspect that they had traveled to another world or the ground.
The towering buildings stood on both sides of the vast space like a natural moat. Looking up was the blue sky, and looking down was the bottomless abyss.
However, even the residents living at the bottom don’t have to worry. The light strips embedded in the outer wall of the building will transmit the warm light to the bottom of this “shelter”, and share the infinite prosperity equally with every resident living in this shelter.
Translucent pipes and bridges crisscross between the buildings, with crystal clear “crystal balls” connected in between.
They float between the buildings like soap bubbles, accommodating the natural scenery that has almost disappeared on this planet for people to watch and relax.
Long strips of transportation shuttle back and forth in thick pipes, or send passengers and goods into the crystal balls embedded in the air, or transport them from one end of the shelter to the other.
It’s like a city built on the crater of a volcano.
Of course, this is not a real crater, at least the sky above is fake.
Zhuang Lan knew very well how long she had been in the elevator when she came down, and the actual depth here would only be more exaggerated than her conservative estimate.
There is no doubt that the sun emitting dazzling light is artificial.
Including the clear blue that makes people unable to take their eyes away, including the white clouds like cotton… These scenes are extremely rare in the wasteland.
It is no exaggeration to say that this world buried deep underground is indeed worthy of the title of “paradise”.
Any wastelander standing here will call it paradise without hesitation!
Looking at Mr. “Malik” who stopped, the butler said in a gentle voice.
”We built this underground world according to the standards of Dream City. You, who came from that era, must know what Dream City I’m talking about.”
Zhuang Lan nodded gently.
She knew what it was.
Legend has it that in the distant prosperous era, people were worried that the prosperity they had accumulated over the years would collapse overnight, so they built a second home in the eternal universe.
That was Dream City.
It was a space residence with four seasons like spring, artificial day and night, and gravity. It was a utopia that would not wither even if the prosperous world on the surface completely declined.
If Ideal City is the nostalgia of the survivors of a century and a half ago for the good old days, then Dream City embodies all the longings and imaginations of the people of the prosperous era for future life.
Looking at the nearest “soap bubble”, Zhuang Lan, standing in front of the French window, sighed for a long time.
”My brothers and I ate sand in the desert, but I didn’t expect you to enjoy it.”
This was not only Malik’s sigh, but also her own.
The housekeeper said with a smile.
”Because the opportunity has arrived.”
”Opportunity?”
”The opportunity to enter a new era.”
The butler extended his index finger and pointed at the transparent glass. Circles of transparent ripples spread outward from his fingertips. The entire glass wall seemed to have become a magnifying glass, “dragging” the distant scenery directly in front of the two people standing at the entrance of the shelter.
As the distant scenery was magnified, Zhuang Lan not only saw the people in the park clearly, but also clearly saw the smiles on their faces.
”…Thanks to the help extended to us by the gods, the situation is more favorable than ever before. The top management has adjusted the strategy for the wasteland. From now on, we don’t need to do anything, just wait patiently.”
Zhuang Lan frowned slightly.
She felt a little strange from just now. From beginning to end, no one mentioned to her about rebuilding the “Desert Scorpion” organization.
”Waiting for what?”
”Heavenly punishment.”
”…Heavenly punishment?” Zhuang Lan was stunned.
”That’s right.”
Facing Lieutenant “Malik”‘s inquiring gaze, the butler nodded slightly, then cast his eyes towards the paradise not far away, and said something chilling in a gentle tone.
”The flames of punishment will burn everything in the old world, and we will get a paradise for recuperation in the new world… as a reward for our assistance to the gods in completing their mission.”
When he said this, the butler looked at “Malik” standing beside him and continued with a smile.
”By the way, I forgot to tell you just now that your mission has ended.”
Zhuang Lan asked.
”What do you mean by ended?”
The butler said in a gentle tone.
”This is what the top leaders meant. You need to ask someone who knows the details of which department. Anyway, they want me to tell you that we have no plans to rebuild the ‘Desert Scorpion’ for the time being.”
”Although there are still many soldiers performing field missions at this moment, there will be no more new missions in the future except for the ones they are currently performing. They will return to this shelter one after another after completing their missions… Of course, we will calculate your merits based on your contributions, and then arrange for you to live a better life in the new era.”
Zhuang Lan looked at it in astonishment, and nodded slowly after a long time.
”It sounds good… although it’s a bit regrettable.”
The butler looked at him in confusion.
”Regret? I don’t understand what you mean.”
Zhuang Lan was silent for a while, and looked back at the corridor behind him that led to the outside world.
”My brothers… I promised them that I would avenge them.”
The butler’s face showed an expression of realization, and then he smiled gently and said in a gentle tone.
”That kind of thing is no longer important. Your enemies will be wiped out in the final punishment from heaven, and will become insignificant radioactive dust drifting away… Let the hatred of the past stay in the past, which will help us go further.”
Zhuang Lan nodded and cast her eyes on the dome in the distance.
The gardening robot trimmed the lawn neatly, people in blue coats were walking along the paths in the park, and some were walking their dogs.
Vending machines provided unlimited ice cream to children, and good-looking bionic people distributed balloons, which were probably free.
The family sitting on the bench was talking and laughing… They might be talking about the new era.
It was obviously as beautiful as a dream, but for some reason Zhuang Lan always felt unreal in her heart.
It’s not that those pictures were fake, or simulated by holographic images.
She, who works in intelligence, can tell that those people are undoubtedly real people… at least much more real than the bionic people standing next to him.
At this time, she suddenly remembered her first impression of this “butler” when she first met him.
Things that are made by nature will definitely have flaws. Only man-made products can be so pure without any impurities.
The dome is a similar existence.
Or rather,
the whole paradise is like this.
The people here do not live here, but are more like being kept in captivity by something high above, lined up in transparent crystal bubbles.
A chill crept into Zhuang Lan’s heart, but when she met those smiling eyes, she nodded.
”Very good.”
…
On the other side, in a small room somewhere on the surface above Shelter 13, the medical miracle lying on the operating table was forcibly put on the memory extractor and received a round of “electrical therapy”.
The Enlightenment Society did not seem to intend to bribe him with the beauty trap at all, and arranged for him to be tortured right from the start, which made the medical miracle who had been waiting for a long time somewhat disappointed.
At least give him a chance to “reform and return to evil”!
However, his disappointment did not last long, and soon his eyes went black and the connection was disconnected.
In the special interrogation room, the doctor in a white coat stood next to the operating table, looking at the error message on the control panel, scratching his head and laughing.
”Strange.”
The officer standing next to him asked hurriedly when he saw the result.
”What’s strange?”
The doctor operated on the control interface for a long time, then retracted his index finger on the touch screen, looked at the officer standing next to him with a puzzled look and said.
”The memory extraction device was indeed activated, but the experimental target had no response to the external stimuli input by the experimental equipment… Whether it was visual or auditory signals. This feeling was like…”
He considered the wording for a while, and after a long time, he said in an uncertain tone.
”It’s like this guy’s brain is empty.”
”Empty?!”
The officer standing next to the operating table was stunned.
How could someone’s brain be empty?
He had never seen such a strange situation!
In the past, the survivors they caught from outside, no matter which shelter manager or which area’s powerful wastelander, could squeeze out the brains in minutes, and they had never encountered a situation where they could not read the memory.
Looking at the puzzled doctor, the officer couldn’t help but say.
”Why don’t we try again?”
The doctor shook his head.
”Wait two days and try again. This guy’s brain has been severely damaged. I guess he won’t wake up for a while. I’m worried that if I continue the experiment, he will become crazy. Although you may not care, it will not be worth it for us.”
To be honest, he was also very strange.
Logically speaking, even if a dog is tied to the operating table, it is not impossible to read anything. At most, the things read out are more abstract.
As an expert in the field of neuroscience, he suddenly became a little interested in this stubborn guy.
Could it be that the Alliance has mastered a way to counter the memory extraction device?
This may be a good experimental material.
The officer standing next to him hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded reluctantly to accept the proposal.
”Okay…”
Even if it doesn’t work, he can’t think of a better way.
At this moment, the two people didn’t know that the guy lying on the operating table next to them was actually awake, but he didn’t open his eyes.
When he put on the memory extraction device, Medical Miracle was expecting to see some interesting pictures, but his eyes went black and he was disconnected.
Seeing that he was about to miss an important plot, Medical Miracle, who had finally sneaked into the main line, certainly couldn’t bear it, and immediately put on the helmet in a hurry to reconnect.
Hard work pays off.
Just after he persevered for nearly half an hour, a faint light finally penetrated his eyes and imprinted on the retina of his game character.
Then he heard the quack doctor say that he was crazy and needed to be observed.
The medical miracle sneered in his heart.
He was not crazy, he was fine.
But thinking that this might be an opportunity to infiltrate the Enlightenment Society, he finally resisted the urge to open his eyes and scare the two of them, and silently disconnected and went back offline.
His intuition told him that the opportunity to become the next Pangolin was right in front of him!
Not long after, an outrageous post appeared on the official website forum——
”Brothers, how to pretend to be crazy? (Awkward)”
”Waiting online, very urgent.”
–
(My hand is clumsy, the plot in space is not finished, I will post it tomorrow.)
(End of this chapter)
