1000 meters underground.
The vertical passage to the ground has been replaced with a new elevator, which is suspended by tough graphene cables and leads vertically to the ground.
At this moment, Jiang Chen, who was wearing T-3 powered armor, was standing on the elevator platform, his eyes paying close attention to the holographic instruments in the helmet. Especially the declining oxygen content made Jiang Chen frown slightly.
As he expected, the shelter below should be uninhabitable.
Standing next to him was Lin Ling. The little girl was tightly wrapped in an orange chemical protective suit, and she was carrying an oxygen tank as thick as a thigh on her back. Although she is a cyborg, both her brain and some key organs are made of flesh and blood. Even though many parts have been replaced by machines, it is not wrong to say that she is a complete human being.
"Turn on the oxygen supply device." When he saw that the oxygen content fell below the threshold, Jiang Chen said in a deep voice.
"Yes!" Lin Ling obediently stretched her hand to her neck and pressed the oxygen supply switch.
It was already evening when they arrived at the temporary location in New Century Plaza. But at this moment, more than a thousand meters underground, there is no essential difference between night and day. At first, Cheng Weiguo sternly refused to let Jiang Chen go in person, but it was not until Jiang Chen moved out of his identity as marshal that he finally nodded and compromised.
It was nothing more than that he would be worried, after all, it was the base camp of hostile forces down there.
But Jiang Chen has nothing to worry about. He still has 100 cubic meters of storage space left, so he won't worry too much even if he encounters a few reptiles. What's more, there is Lin Ling standing next to him. The "harmony" creature hidden in this girl's body is a robot killer. Few electronic units can survive Crane particle rays.
Approaching the ground, Jiang Chen pulled out the tactical rifle from his waist and turned on the hanging flashlight.
Lin Ling, who was standing next to him, swallowed hard and shrank behind him in a hopeless manner, with a hint of timidity on her face.
[Let me do it instead.]A slightly mocking voice emerged from the bottom of my heart, and it was definitely Tingting without even thinking about it. Ever since she learned to "talk", she has become more and more unrestrained.
[Who, who said I was scared? ] Lin Ling blushed and immediately said in her heart.
[It’s not me anyway. ] Tingting said lightly.
"Just follow me." She seemed to be aware of Lin Ling's timidity. Jiang Chen put his hand on her shoulder.
"Huh?! Yeah!"
Lin Ling, who had been absent-minded, was startled by Jiang Chen's actions. After she realized what she was doing, a blush of embarrassment appeared on her face.
Jiang Chen looked at her suspiciously.
Is this really okay
The elevator slowly hit the bottom. The rifle held by Jiang Chen was locked directly on the escape door.
But as he expected, the door was locked.
After leading Lin Ling to the door, Jiang Chen put his hand on the door.
Storage space, to boot!
Nothing happens…
"Sure enough, the door and the wall are considered a whole?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly and said to himself.
Just when Jiang Chen was thinking about how to open the door. Lin Ling walked to Jiang Chen's side hesitantly, looked at him and suggested in a low voice.
"How about I just use rays to kill all the robots inside, and then we go back..."
"Kill them all? Well, let's keep this as an option. If possible, I want to get the things inside." Jiang Chen reached out and groped around on the giant gear-shaped door, trying to find some kind of switch. thing.
After all, it is the home base of the Supreme Camp. Since they can create "things" like Lin Chaoen, they must be superior in electronic technology. Compared with the harmonious camp's biological and genetic technologies, the compatibility between electronic technology and NAC is undoubtedly much higher.
Lin Ling seemed a little afraid of the darkness here. He was looking around uneasily.
[There seems to be something bad living inside. Can I shoot it? ] Tingting said.
[It’s better not to do it. If you damage everything inside, Jiang Chen will definitely be angry. ] Lin Ling said silently in her heart.
[Then there's no way.]After saying that, Tingting stopped speaking.
No switches were found, not even a communication data cable similar to that of Vault 27. Jiang Chen tried to take out the laser sword from the storage space and poked it at the thick door panel.
Ten minutes passed, and the energy of the laser sword was exhausted.
Jiang Chen raised his flashlight and took a look. There was only a brand mark the size of a fingernail on the door panel.
"What kind of material is this made of?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but cursed and kicked the door.
The echo was very dull. Judging from the sound alone, the door panel is at least seven or eight meters thick. This can no longer be described as a door, it is simply a wall.
Do you have no choice but to give up
Jiang Chen sighed.
But just when he was about to let Lin Ling use Crane's particle ray on the door, there was a sudden noise on the door.
Jiang Chen was suddenly startled. He immediately pulled out the tactical rifle from his waist.
"ah!"
Lin Ling was so frightened that she screamed and quickly retreated behind Jiang Chen.
The gear-shaped door panel slowly moved forward, and bursts of dust fell from the covered rock formations. Jiang Chen led Lin Ling back slowly, keeping a certain distance from the door. The vibration lasted for about half a minute, and the gear-shaped door panel suddenly stagnated, and then began to roll sideways.
[8.1 meters thick. Hmm... I might not be able to wear it. ] Tingting thought in her heart.
[Is there anything else you can’t wear? ] Lin Ling couldn't help but ask.
[certainly. Although Crane particles can cause strong electromagnetic pulses, this does not mean that the penetrating power is unlimited. You are studying this area, but you still don’t know about this little problem?]
Although there was no sarcasm in Tingting's tone, Lin Ling couldn't help but blush. Just when she was about to refute something, Jiang Chen, who was standing in front of her, suddenly spoke.
"Lin Ling, prepare to fight, try to control the output power, and don't dismantle non-combat units."
"Okay, okay!" Lin Ling nodded quickly.
But at this moment, from the dark hole, a man suddenly walked out with his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.
When he saw the face clearly, Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes and the red dot sight was pointed at his face.
"Lin Chaoen."
"Yes, it's me." Lin Chaoen sighed and said in a teasing tone, "I didn't expect that we would meet again. In this way."
"You have repeatedly provoked me, you should have expected such a day." Jiang Chen said lightly, rubbing his finger on the trigger.
Lin Chaoen shrugged and looked at Jiang Chen.
"No matter what, you won. In the end, Father wants to see you."
After saying that, Lin Chaoen looked at Lin Ling who was hiding behind Jiang Chen, with a bright smile on his face.
"And you, my respected sister."
"Sister. Sister?" Jiang Chen looked at Lin Ling in surprise, and saw that she also had a blank look on her face.
"What?" Lin Ling looked at Lin Chaoen in confusion.
"You will know when you come in."
Smiling mysteriously at Lin Ling, Lin Chaoen turned around, turned his back to Jiang Chen and walked into the shelter.
Looking at the dark passage, Jiang Chen was a little unsure for a moment whether this was a trap or whether they chose to surrender as Lin Chaoen said.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Chen took out a signal rod. He tore off the fuse and threw it out.
A bright red light illuminated the space, and except for rows of dormant chambers, no weapons were visible in a room the size of a basketball court. Raising his rifle on alert, Jiang Chen led Lin Ling into the shelter.
"Lin Ling."
"Huh?" Lin Ling, who was huddled behind Jiang Chen, looked up nervously at his helmet.
"If they are going to close the door, fire the engine of that door." Jiang Chen said in a voice that Lin Chaoen could hear.
"Okay, okay!" Lin Ling almost bit her tongue because she was so nervous.
There was not much light in the room, and the only light source was the signal rod thrown by Jiang Chen. The whole room is filled with strong ozone, and that's why. The signal rod burned brightly.
In the center of the room sits a column-shaped computer, and the faintly flashing signal light indicates that it is running. In the center of the computer is a culture tank containing the brain, and at the bottom are densely packed pipelines connecting all the machinery in the room.
In addition to the computer, the entire room is a hibernation compartment. No life in sight.
Rather than saying this is a shelter, it is better to say that this is a mechanical city buried deep underground. The central computer is its brain and its heart, and the scattered pipelines are its blood vessels.
Lin Chaoen walked to the computer and stopped.
"Father, they are already here."
The electronic screen suddenly lit up. A middle-aged man's face appeared in the center of the screen. His hair is neatly parted, his eyebrows are thick and neat, his black eyes look steady yet sharp, and the glasses on the bridge of his nose add a bit of a bookish air to him.
Looking at the man, Lin Ling's pupils shrank suddenly and she took two steps forward.
"Dad, dad..."
"Don't go there." Jiang Chen put his hand on her shoulder.
"No! That's my dad! Let me go, let go-" Lin Ling struggled hard, trying to break free from Jiang Chen's hand and run forward.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but be shocked.
He didn't expect this to happen at all. At this moment, his right hand was still holding the rifle levelly, and he stretched out his left hand to grasp Lin Ling's shoulder tightly.
"Lin Ling! Your father has already boarded the colony ship, that's just a video!"
He almost said "God", but Jiang Chen changed his words midway.
"Dad, Dad! You came back to pick up your daughter, right?" Lin Ling said with wavering eyes, her tone almost made her cry.
Jiang Chen stared at the middle-aged man, and he raised his gun and aimed at the screen.
"If you pretend to be Lin Ling's father again, I will shoot you in the head!"
"No!" Lin Ling exclaimed.
"I'm not pretending to be anyone." The middle-aged man on the screen closed his eyes and pointed downward, "I'm right here, you should be able to see my brain."
The room fell silent.
Lin Ling looked at him blankly, her eyes flashing with disbelief, "Brain? Dad, you..."
Jiang Chen's eyes also flashed with surprise. He slightly adjusted the window he was looking at the display screen and turned to the culture tank.
Seeing Jiang Chen's little actions, the middle-aged man couldn't help but smile.
"Is this how you treat your father-in-law?"
father in law
Jiang Chen was stunned.
Lin Ling blushed and waved her hands quickly, "No, no, Dad, you misunderstood, he is not that..."
But when she said this, her tone was obviously insincere.
"Ahem." The middle-aged man coughed slightly, interrupted his daughter's words, and turned to look at Jiang Chen seriously.
Jiang Chen looked at him wordlessly, the gun in his hand still pointing directly at his body - his brain.
"If this can bring you a sense of security, just point it out. But I have to remind you that the glass of my culture tank can withstand the fire of an anti-material sniper rifle."
[This old man emitting ozone, can I shoot him? ] Tingting made no secret of her dislike for machinery.
[Can't! He is my father!]Suppressing Tingting, who was about to move, Lin Ling anxiously muttered in her heart.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen grinned and lowered his gun.
"You let me in, are you ready to surrender?"
"I just want to see my daughter." The middle-aged man said with a kind smile.
Looking at the middle-aged man, Jiang Chen's eyes couldn't help but flicker. He never expected that in the end, things would turn into a reunion between father and daughter
"Dad, you, where are you now, colonial ship-"
"I didn't board the colonial ship." The middle-aged man looked at Lin Ling and said softly.
Lin Ling's eyes widened, and she didn't react for a while. She couldn't tell what she was feeling at the moment, shocked? happy? sad? It doesn't seem to be the same, but there seems to be a little bit of it.
It took a long time before she squeezed out a few words from the gap between her lips.
"Why?"
"Because there is no need to go. The universe is so dark, it doesn't matter which direction you go." The middle-aged man said slowly.
After saying this, he looked at Jiang Chen.
"I'm very confused. You seem to have incredible abilities. My intuition tells me that this is the main reason for my failure."
"I don't deny your point of view." Jiang Chen said noncommittally.
Nonsense, if there were no time travel and storage space, I would have died countless times, and you don’t even need to tell me.
The middle-aged man stared into Jiang Chen's eyes, and after a long time, he sighed.
"Really? Although I hope that I am defeated for some deeper reason."
After speaking, he looked at Lin Ling, his daughter.
"I am an unfit father. On the road to the top, if there is anything I have regretted, it is probably you."
Lin Ling's eyes flashed with tears, "No, Dad, you gave me life, you gave me the opportunity to—"
The middle-aged man interrupted her.
"You know what? The reason why you get muscular dystrophy."
Lin Ling was stunned, "It's not because of congenital-"
"No," the middle-aged man shook his head, "I did it."
Lin Ling fell into a daze, with tears frozen on her face. Her little mouth murmured, "Why?"
"The story is a bit long. If you have the patience, just read it slowly."
A trace of nostalgia appeared on the middle-aged man's face, and gradually disappeared from the screen.
The picture on the screen changed, like an old yellowed film scrolling, revealing a page of history. (.)
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