Chapter 187 - The Hidden Scheme (3 in 1)
Chapter 187: The Hidden Scheme (3 in 1)
Underground in Sector R.
No matter how many times humans imagined what the underground looked like, when they first saw it with their own eyes, they realized that their imagination was heavily limited by their knowledge which was not enough for them to sketch out a whole new civilization.
At least, that was what Tang Ling thought.
What exactly was the Underground civilization? After jumping down from the bumpy crevice and shuttling along the tunnels and holes, Tang Ling got a rough definition of what it was—a cave civilization!
Correct, the Underground race seemed to be burrowing holes and digging caves persistently. It was not a simple one-way path leading straight to Sector R in the underground with many turns, holes, and intersecting tunnels all over the place. The underground black market would love a place like this.
The Underground race was not only persistent in digging holes and caves, but they were also skilled at what they did.
The tunnels and caves they dug were neat, and the ventilation was great. They used a certain method to ensure every cave that they dug had a little hole that would allow the light to shine through via the reflection of the sun from the surface.
In Tang Ling’s opinion, a simple light source could solve the problem of lighting in the cave such as an oil lamp or something similar. The Underground race should possess an abundance of oil for lamps, should they not? However, since they went through all the trouble to direct natural sunlight into the ground, Tang Ling viewed the action as a type of persistent towards life.
Other than that, they might also have the urge to express themselves. Many strange-looking patterns that seemed to function as decorations were carved on the wall of the caves and the carvings were found in almost every cave. Were they really decorations? It might be a totem of some sort or their language, narrating an ancient part of history.
Due to their Prosthetics, the caves were all built in a two-cave structure with a smaller cave connecting to a bigger one. They would probably move from the bigger cave to the smaller cave when they got out of their Prosthetics and vice versa when they had their Prosthetics equipped.
However, judging the structure from a human’s perspective, it would be a wasteful architecture. Why not just build all the caves bigger?
Therefore, when he saw all the two-caves structure intersecting with each other, making the path downwards even more complicated with their strange shape, Tang Ling assumed that the Underground race was persistent at digging caves.
After a hundred years of exploration, the maze-like paths were no longer a hindrance for the troops to venture downwards. There were special markings left behind by warriors before them, allowing them to move forward without delay.
Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct was running at full speed at the moment. He was memorizing all the complicated paths as quickly as possible in his mind as if he was building a 3D model mentally.
After all, since the only map of the underground was in Andrew’s hands, Tang Ling did not want to be on the passive side in this exploration.
The caves were very quiet, and they did not run into any Undergrounds along the way. According to what Aber said, the majority of the Underground troops were gathering, so the possibility of running into one along the way was nearly zero.
As they traveled through the caves, it rose their anticipation of the underground civilization. They eagerly wanted to know what kind of civilization existed under the surface.
“You can’t see it. Even if we reach Sector R, it isn’t a part of their true civilization.” Andrew’s voice came from in front of the troops. He was replying to a question of one of the members of the Summit Squad.
Sector R was obviously a residential area of the Underground race. Why would Yang Kong say that humans had yet to understand the real underground civilization?
“Why?” someone asked out of curiosity. The question was rather loud and it echoed throughout the caves, spreading further ahead.
“Quiet!” Andrew bellowed, but he eventually replied to the question, “Legend has it that the real civilization of the underground is only located in several major underground cities. That would be the origin of their civilization and it is rumored to hold the secret of this planet.”
“As for why Sector R or the bigger underground settlement doesn’t reflect their real civilization, you can view the places as military bases. Only the troops for the invasion lived in those places. Can you determine an entire civilization based on a mere military base?”
Tang Ling had to admit that Andrew was knowledgeable because these were not even written in the books back in the information room. What Andrew said deepened his understanding of this world.
“I’m just curious about what their city looks like,” someone said softly.
“It’s best for you to discard that thought. Just like what Instructor Yang Kong said before, no humans have ever entered their major cities, let alone their kingdom. Humans are much more powerful than you can imagine, yet we failed to venture downwards. Why is that?” Andrew used a question to refute the person’s ridiculous curiosity.
What else could it be? Humans were a kind of being that loved exploration into the unknown. Curiosity drove them forward as if it was branded in their instinct.
However, even with such motivation, humans knew almost nothing about the underground civilization, meaning that the place was dangerous, especially since many powerful men failed to return from their exploration.
Nevertheless, being able to see Sector R was good enough. Even though a military base was definitely an understatement to their true civilization, it would at least provide a hint or two about the bigger picture.
That was what Tang Ling had in mind, and the same opinion was shared by most of the New Moon Warriors of the First Reserved Camp. Only geniuses had the mood to clear up their curiosity before a life and death battle.
They were still marching forward as a unit after all. After the question, the whole group went silent. Only the quick-paced footsteps echoed throughout the caves. Even with their current marching speed, it took them a full 15 minutes to shuttle through the complicated caves to reach their destination, Sector R.
Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct had been running the moment he stepped in. The caves might have seemed to be built on a parallel line, but they were actually spiraling downwards. It was just that the angle was too small to be noticed. It might have felt like 50 meters from the surface, but it was actually almost 100 meters if a straight line was drawn.
However, there was not much of a difference from the surface. The ventilation was excellent and it was not at all suffocating. There was natural light from the holes in the cave, but the entire Sector R was at an unusually high temperature of 62°C.
Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct provided that accurate number.
The humans of the old civilization could not even last an hour at such a temperature. The atmosphere in Sector R was not at all dry because there was an crooked underground river dividing the center of the sector. It provided the humidity in the air but the humans’ sweat could not evaporate properly due to the confined space.
Such temperature and atmosphere were not intolerable for the people in this era, or more precisely the duration was extended exponentially, even for normal people, let alone New Moon Warriors who were much stronger than the common person.
Other than feeling a little warm, they were fine. They did not even unbutton their battle uniforms due to the culture shock they were experiencing when they saw Sector R. Even though it was just a military base, approaching an entirely new civilization was overwhelming.
Tang Ling also felt the same way. He realized that labeling the underground civilization as the cave civilization was wrong. The more precise way to define them would be the subterranean heat civilization.
The entire Sector R was actually a gigantic cave. Other than a crooked river in the center, there was another cave that looked like a volcanic crater with endless magma flowing out from it. The cave was less than ten meters in diameter and there was a translucent cover over it that looked like it was made from impure raw diamonds.
On top of the cover were many complicated patterns that resembled those on the gene tester but were a lot cruder-looking. The patterns on the gene tester had thin lines that might look normal at first glance, but a closer look revealed countless finer lines inside.
Even so, Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct spotted that the intricacy level of lines on the cover were no fewer than the most advanced microchip, but the circuit structure was totally different. Small red rubies were embedded on the important nodes as if it was an extravagant watch that used rubies as its mechanical bearing.
However, Tang Ling had no idea whether the rubies were really functioning as mechanical bearings. All he knew was that the diamond cover looked beautiful and would qualify as an abstract art piece.
No one could take it away though because it was obviously a part of a bigger machine. There was a 3-meter long tube that was 20 mm wide connected on the top.
The solid tube was polished so delicately that it was reflecting the light. Many edges of different angles were ground on its surface as if it was a tubular diamond structure. The cover gathered all the heat energy from the magma, and through some unknown scientific theory, the heat energy was transferred into the tube, making it look like a burning pillar. The burning red tube connected the diamond cover and a machine hanging 3 meters above ground together.
The machine was also covered in diamonds while the working internal parts such as the gears and bearings were faintly visible through its translucent quality. Above the machine were countless more tubes connecting to the ceiling of the cave tightly. The tubes spread out into smaller holes across the ceiling and wall.
The holes were actually a part of the caves that the Underground race lived in. Even standing in the center of Sector R, one could feel that the small holes had ample ventilation and were at a constant temperature. There were also some eerie Prosthetics hanging outside the holes, blinking as they were also connected to a tube.
Were the tubes functioning as air-conditioners so that the internal temperature of the caves was maintained at a favorable 62°C? Tang Ling realized that the temperature was stable after he came into Sector R.
The tubes seemed to regulate the air and function as a fresh air system too, but the biggest application of the tubes seemed to be an energy source for the Prosthetics.
Tang Ling really could not come up with a specific deduction since he was not a scientist after all, but he knew where the energy that supported the underground civilization came from! It was the magma! Or more precisely, the subterranean heat!
Renewable energy was the base for a civilization to develop from the ground. One could never doubt how useful the energy would be.
Tang Ling felt slightly sour because the energy that the Underground race used seemed to be more environment-friendly than the fossil fuel that the old civilization used.
The Underground race used their racial advantage to mine for diamonds. The old civilization once speculated that the planet’s diamond reserve was actually very rich, but the mining technology of the old civilization failed to reach the diamonds buried deep in the underground. Judging from the hardness of diamonds, the material should last until the end of time, but its value might not last that long.
In conclusion, an energy generator that utilized subterranean heat to provide energy to the entire Sector R refreshed Tang Ling’s understanding of the Underground race, but this sole fact alone could barely represent the Underground race as a whole because Sector R felt very conflicting at first glance.
The was a very advanced technology to gather subterranean heat, yet the whole sector was burning, and beside the scattered fire were bones without a bit of flesh. There were also human bones among the bone pile. It was infuriating. Since both the Underground race and humans were of different species, eating humans might not burden the Underground race mentally, but from a human’s perspective, it was unacceptable.
Savages! There were also many crude-looking potteries, bone artifacts and even stone instruments that seemed like they were from the primordial civilizations or even from a time older than that. They reminded one of how life was back then.
What kind of culture shock was this? Tang Ling’s eyes were fixed on the numerous smaller holes on the huge cave wall.
The holes or caves were not as crude as the other objects. They were in many different forms and sizes, and although they were strange-looking, they were rich in information. Every single cave was like an abstract sculpture and there were traces of human civilizations in some of them.
Tang Ling saw one of the caves in the ancient Huaxia style. It tried to express the ancient style with tiles and bricks plus bamboos to bring out the tranquility of that time. However, the decorations failed miserably as the combination of all the elements made it look like an abomination.
So, this is the mental world of the Undergrounds? Every one of the Underground race was either a master sculptor or digger. Maybe they were depressed without direct sunlight in their lives and the environment forced them into their current form. All they had was mud and stones to play with underground.
Tang Ling was not sympathizing with them. Who would sympathize with a bunch of human-eating monsters? He did not even want to accept them because they tried to mimic the civilization of humans. The only feeling he had was the respect and humility towards an entirely new civilization.
It had been two minutes since they arrived in Sector R and Tang Ling was able to get all the information at first glance. While he was able to increase his shallow understanding of the Underground race, he was there on a mission, one to defend humankind.
Andrew also appropriately cleared his throat to gather attention before he said, “If you guys are here just to satisfy your curiosity, it would be my failure as your commanding officer. Thankfully, nothing has happened in the last two minutes. Now, spread out and get into position. Carry out your mission with vigilance!”
******
The Fierce Dragon Squad was in charge of the intersection point between the second and third tactical passages.
The defense point was around 500 meters in radius. It was near the underground river, and due to the bumpy terrain and irregular structures, a stone wall extended from both the south and north sides each, making the defense point a semi-contained area. Other than that, there was nothing special about the place.
After the Fierce Dragon Squad arrived at their destination, they started to get ready and seize the time to rest up. Things were peaceful for the moment, but a battle might happen any time, so maintaining their stamina at prime form was what a qualified warrior should do.
However, Tang Ling did not rest like the others. Instead, he circled around the area. He observed the defense point carefully, and the more he observed, the harder he frowned.
The two stone walls might provide a sense of safety, but if they received a reinforcement signal, it would be a hassle to go around the walls to engage in a fight after the reinforcement arrived.
It was not really a big problem since the walls were no longer than 100 meters each, and with their speed, it would only take them a few seconds for them to get out to join the fight, but…was it really so?
No!
Behind them was the big cave wall and they were sandwiched by the two stone walls, making their position a huge U-shape. If the enemies broke through the only entrance cum exit, the Fierce Dragon Squad would be hammered into a desperate situation.
Never hope for reinforcements. One should never put his or her life in other people’s hands, especially in battle.
So, was the defense point a part of the bigger scheme? No, it was not. It would be shallow if it was and it would be easy to see through.
Tang Ling tried to calm himself down and not overthink. He carefully observed the place and circled four points on the two stone walls. He told his squad, “Come over. Make a hole in these four spots. The holes should not be taller than 2 meters and wider than 1.5 meters.”
“What are you doing? It’s a waste of strength.” Orston was obviously not prepared if a fight happened because he was lying on the ground lazily. Maybe because the place was too quiet, there was not a sound from the Purple Moon Warriors fighting in the passages, thus the atmosphere would really put one at ease. The Purple Moon Warriors were fighting in the frontline and it provided a great sense of safety to the New Moon Warriors.
“Nothing special. Come on, make a hole in the wall.” Tang Ling was not in an explaining mood. The anxiety he felt was getting heavier and it started to torment him. He drew his grade C alloy longsword and started to slash the wall.
Thankfully, it was not a diamond wall. Otherwise, with its hardness, Tang Ling would have really slashed hard with his grade C alloy longsword.
Tang Ling’s action quickly infected the others. Because of their trust in him, even though they had doubts in their hearts, they helped him to create the holes in the wall. The trust and relationship between them had not been built overnight. If Tang Ling did not want to talk about it, no one would ask why.
The noise of swords slashing the wall filled the place. The other squadrons did not know what was happening due to the dim environment and the distance in between.
Everyone suppressed the questions in their heart and raise their alertness. None of them were allowed to leave their respective defense points after all.
It was quiet other than the slashing noise that raised depression in everyone’s heart followed by an increase in anxiety. Tang Ling dug faster and faster with his long sword, and as debris splashed upon impact, he sensed an obvious flaw in this show that reeked of conspiracy.
What exactly did he sense? Tang Ling furrowed his brows as he pondered. He was digging a single point by himself and he was faster than the others who either dug in pairs or groups.
Bang!
Tang Ling kicked through the last layer of the wall. Right after the minor crumbling subsided, the battle could be faintly heard from the third tactical passage.
It was not loud at first, but in less than a minute, the battle got louder, and everyone in Sector R heard it clearly. The clarity was like a sign that started the battle. The battles at the first and second passages were also heard after that.
The muddled noises exploded in an instant. Together with a slight tremble, one could imagine how the battle started and turned fierce all of a sudden as if it reached the climax without any buffering.
Orston’s palms started to sweat. What the hell is wrong with this damned stone wall?
The walls might not be the toughest, but they were still very sturdy to the point that it irritated Orston. Every piece that he chipped from the wall consumed a portion of his stamina.
Therefore, when the battle noises got clearer in all three of the tactical passages, Orston could not help but ask, “Tang Ling, are we going to continue? We might have to engage in a fight anytime now.”
Tang Ling did not say anything. After he chipped the hole at his side of the wall into the required size, he ran to Orston and helped him and Christina dig their side of the wall.
“Tang Ling is right. Let’s seize the time,” Yu said loudly. The Yufeng family was known for its merits on the battlefield, and the education and training that Yu received since he was young did not only train him in combat, but there were also war tactics and deployment on the battlefield. Therefore, Yu saw the problem.
“Yeah, let’s hurry up.” Tang Ling chipped the wall faster. He could no longer care about being quiet anymore as he attacked the wall with all his might.
“Are you a monster?” Orston still did not understand the situation, but the sudden tension infected him. He dared not hold back and potentially ruin the operation.
Tang Ling’s sweat covered his forehead. It was not because of exhaustion but the anxiety in him rose to its peak.
“Charge!”
A loud and clear order was heard from the third tactical passage because it was the closest to the intersection between the second and third passages. The word sounded like it exploded right beside their ears.
Tang Ling’s hand trembled. He had a strong feeling that things had gone south, but he could not exactly pinpoint it yet!
Time! Give me two more seconds! I need to think! Think!
Tang Ling plunged the long sword into the stone wall. He stopped chipping at the wall and forced himself to calm down.
Key point! What’s the key point!?
Tang Ling looked around as the battle noises started to fill his ears. What is the key point of all this?! The magma cave back there? Or the overwhelming machine that harvests the subterranean heat?! The empty caves?! Or the blinking Prosthetics that are hanging outside the caves?! Or is it information conveyed in the battle noises?!
One second…
A drop of sweat rolled down Tang Ling’s cheeks.
Two seconds later, he clenched his fist.
Three seconds, four seconds…
With a loud roar from Orston and a little help from Tang Ling, the second hole was made.
Clank!
The longsword that Tang Ling plunged into the wall fell on the ground. Orston looked at Tang Ling with his lips opened as he wanted to question what Tang Ling was doing.
It was at that moment that Tang Ling looked up suddenly. He left his longsword behind, and under Orston’s overwhelmed gaze, the Wolf Crunch appeared in his hand while he jumped up, stabbing the dagger deep into the wall. He used the dagger as a support and pushed himself higher up the wall.
“What are you doing?!” Orston could not understand how Tang Ling jumped so high.
At the same time, more battle cries and noises came from the first and third passages, followed by the heavy clank of swords and shots from different firearms.
“Go help the others!” Tang Ling did not have the time to explain. He climbed up the wall quickly and right after his voice subsided, he was 15 meters high, almost nearing the cave wall.
It’s still not high enough! No scheme? Hmph! It’s just hidden too deep from sight! If this is targeting me, what should I do now? What choice should I make?
All sorts of thoughts flashed in Tang Ling’s mind. There was no better solution at the moment. All he could do was compensate for the loss. However, even God could not figure out the scheme brewing in the dark with limited information.
Tang Ling’s heart started to hurt, and he had a feeling that he might be gone at the next second. He might not even have the chance to say goodbye.
He was 20 meters high up on the wall. He latched onto a slightly bulging rock and used the Wolf Crunch to carve a 3 mm little hole with a hook within. He hooked the buckle of the tactical movement disk inside.
Before he could catch a breath, he quickly carved the second hook, the third and the fourth…
Hanging over the wall, Tang Ling shouted at his squad members, “Throw your disks to me now!”
Meanwhile on the quieter side of the wall, where the many little caves were located, a Prosthetic suddenly stopped blinking.