Yang Shiyun said, "You mean to eliminate them both as soon as possible?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I have this idea, but I don't have enough energy, and it's difficult to deal with two at the same time."
Yang Shiyun said, "That's easy, just lure one out first, right?"
With a whoosh, a robot guarding the door immediately stretched out its arms and legs, instantly transforming from a lump of iron into a walking robot. It quickly walked on the rocks, alerted by the earlier noise, and came to investigate.
The robot's eyes scanned its surroundings, but there seemed to be nothing behind the large rocks. After completing its scan, it sent back a message that it was safe. Suddenly, a soft sound rang out, and an explosion came from the robot's head. Its main control chip inexplicably exploded, and the entire robot instantly became paralyzed.
Another robot waited for several minutes without its companion returning. Finally, it received an order from headquarters to go and check. However, it encountered the same situation as the first robot. After sending out a safety signal, its chip exploded, turning it into a pile of scrap metal on the ground.
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun, dressed in metallic suits and disguised as the robots from before, arrived at the main gate. Without hesitation, Zhao Qiang immediately disassembled an entrance, and the two crawled inside. They were certain that their appearance had temporarily fooled the surveillance at the gate, but returning without orders would certainly raise suspicion. However, by the time the robots arrived, the two might have already found and destroyed the jamming device, so they couldn't miss the opportunity.
Behind the metal door was a large, empty corridor. Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiqi randomly chose a direction and walked in. The further they walked, the higher the temperature felt, especially since they were wrapped in a layer of metal. Sweat poured down their faces like water.
There was no way forward. Zhao Qiang dismantled the wall, only to find it was rock behind him. Yang Shiyun was somewhat surprised: "No way, there's just an empty space here. Could it be an abandoned warehouse?"
Zhao Qiang was also puzzled, but since the forward direction was blocked, they could try going down. Zhao Qiang disassembled the metal ground beneath his feet, and what he saw was not rock, but a new space. The two of them widened the opening and jumped in. It was quiet inside. It seemed that the robots had not encountered humans here for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, so their defenses were not strong.
"There seems to be nothing here either. What's going on?" Yang Shiyun wondered.
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't know either. Haven't you thought of any information about this place?"
Yang Shiyun shook her head: "No, I'm unfamiliar with this place."
Zhao Qiang said, "Perhaps we haven't gone deep enough, so let's continue." This time, Zhao Qiang didn't move around much in the space below. He simply dug a hole under his feet, and sure enough, there was more space below. The two continued to crawl in.
They had already descended six floors without seeing anything unusual. Even Zhao Qiang was about to give up, as constantly using energy to break down the metal floor was no easy task. Furthermore, he even wondered if they had lost their way, and that this path might never end. However, when Zhao Qiang broke down another floor, something finally appeared below.
The space below looks different from the one above. The temperature seems to be higher, but it is still bearable. The area of the space is many times larger, and it seems to have no boundaries to the naked eye. There are many buildings inside, just like a city. Robots walk among the buildings, each busy with their own tasks.
The entrance wasn't large, and the robots weren't looking up, so Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun were safe for the time being. However, how to sneak in under the robots' noses was a problem. The two dared not make any rash moves, knowing that there were many robots below, and even if they squeezed in, they could crush Zhao Qiang and the others to death.
Just as the two were thinking, they suddenly felt a soft, unsettling movement beneath their feet. Zhao Qiang grabbed Yang Shiyun and they moved towards the wall. They saw the metal floor beneath their feet disappearing rapidly, and the empty space was about to become a large hole. Yang Shiyun panicked: "We're going to fall in!"
Zhao Qiang said, "I didn't do this. I don't have enough control energy to disintegrate the entire floor at the same time."
Yang Shiyun asked, "Did they discover us?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It shouldn't be. Let's hide first." Zhao Qiang disassembled the wall behind him. Inside was rock, but there was still a gap between the rock and the wall. Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun hid inside, leaving only two inconspicuous small holes in the metal wall so they could continue to observe the situation outside.
In the short time it took for the two to enter the crevice in the rock, the floor behind them had disappeared. The space that was not very large before had now vanished, leaving a large circular hole. The robots below were busy moving things and clearing away debris from under the hole. Finally, all the robots walked away from under the large hole. Looking up, the several levels of space that Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun had descended from had disappeared, forming a large cylindrical cavity. Above it was actually the surface of the underground world, as a special light could be seen there. It seemed that this was the real entrance to the base, but Zhao Qiang's energy was not enough to break it down. Now it had opened automatically.
"What are they trying to do?" Yang Shiyun asked Zhao Qiang, not understanding the situation.
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't know either. Are they going to go up there and conduct a large-scale search?"
Yang Shiyun said, "No way, nothing has happened these past two days."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's take another look."
In fact, the entire space here is composed of that kind of matter. As long as Zhao Qiang has enough energy, he can move around freely. However, Zhao Qiang's energy is insufficient right now, so he dares not act rashly.
"What's down there?" Zhao Qiang didn't quite understand. The robot had already left, and the area directly below the exit was now empty. However, the floor was also disintegrating, gradually revealing the interior.
"Is it a flying saucer?" Yang Shiyun noticed something first.
Sure enough, the whole thing came into view in no time. It was a disc-shaped flying saucer, but it was much smaller than the crashed transport saucer outside. Just a few dozen seconds later, the flying saucer started moving, seemingly about to take off. The passage was the same hole that Zhao Qiang had come down through.
The UFO shook a few times and then rose into the air. It hovered for several tens of seconds without moving, seemingly waiting for something. Suddenly, the UFO rose vertically and disappeared into the exit, passing right in front of Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun. The two could even hear the roar of the UFO's propulsion system. Zhao Qiang asked Yang Shiyun, "Does your UFO make this sound when it's running?"
Yang Shiyun said, "No way, although the one outside hasn't been repaired, its power system definitely won't make any noise. Even if it does, it will be automatically absorbed and shielded by the outer shell, so it will never be heard from the outside."
Zhao Qiang said, "Could it be that you and these people below are not on the same page?"
Yang Shiyun said, "I don't know either. Don't forget I'm just transporting the flying saucer; I don't have much information."
Zhao Qiang said, "Anyway, the fact that they can build this kind of vertical take-off and landing aircraft is already very advanced technology. I shouldn't be nitpicking." As soon as Zhao Qiang finished speaking, the flying saucer that had only been airborne for a few seconds suddenly returned, startling Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun, who thought their hiding place had been discovered.
“Something’s not right,” Zhao Qiang said. “Why is it wobbling?” Sure enough, the returning UFO was moving very slowly and wobbled in front of the two of them, as if it was trying to fly up, but a force below was pulling it down unwillingly.
Yang Shiyun was somewhat surprised: "No way, is it going to crash?"
Seemingly to prove Yang Shiyun's words, the UFO completely stopped struggling and plummeted down with a whoosh. Then, the two heard a loud bang as the UFO crashed into the space where it had taken off. The space was still open, and the UFO, propelled by inertia, crashed into it, smashing a large hole in the bottom of the cabin. Something seemed to have been crushed and exploded, sending a blast into the sky. Heat blasts passed right in front of Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun. If it weren't for the metal walls protecting them, they would have been seriously injured.
Countless robots emerged from the surrounding area, all surprised and at a loss. Zhao Qiang pulled Yang Shiyun aside, dismantling the wall, and the two jumped down the exit in the chaos. Even if robots passed by them, they wouldn't notice anything unusual for a while, as they were all rushing towards the accident site. Only Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun, using the debris on the ground as cover, went down the escalator deeper underground.
The surroundings became quiet again, a stark contrast to the noise on the ground. Zhao Qiang asked Yang Shiyun, "How come your alien technology is like this? Even if they wanted to deliberately smash this flying saucer, they didn't need to ruin themselves."
Yang Shiyun was even more confused: "That's not right, it couldn't have crashed on its own, the UFO must have malfunctioned."
Zhao Qiang said, "The failure rate is so high. One of them has already crashed. In that case, we really don't dare to use alien products. What if we get stuck in the rocks halfway through the journey? That would be a tragedy."
Yang Shiyun glared at Zhao Qiang: "You jinx! This was just an accident. I think there must be some reason."
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun had gone quite far when they came to a three-way intersection. There were signs on the wall at the intersection, one indicating "Power Room", another "Control Room", and the third "Warehouse".
Zhao Qiang asked Yang Shiyun, "Which way to?"
Yang Shiyun said, "Control room!"
Volume Two [753] The So-Called Advanced Civilization
The control room should be the most important core location for these aliens, and it should be heavily guarded. However, Zhao Qiang never expected that the control room would be in such a state. The door was wide open, and there were no heavy guards at the door. Even the inside of the control room was covered in dust, and there wasn't a single ghost in sight. Was this a military stronghold?
Yang Shiyun also looked surprised: "What's going on? Did we misread the text? This isn't the control room?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Impossible. Neither you nor I are ordinary humans. How could our eyes be wrong, unless they mislabeled them themselves."
Yang Shiyun said, "Yes, but what's going on here? It seems like no one has been here for many years."
Zhao Qiang said, "Could it be that this place has been abandoned for many years? The real control room might not be here."
Yang Shiyun said, "In that case, we can't possibly find the source of the interference signal here."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then let's turn back. Perhaps we can find something in the power room."
Yang Shiyun agreed, but as she turned to leave, she added curiously, "There's text on the control panel. Maybe it's some supplementary information to help us understand these aliens. Why don't we take a look? Anyway, things are still commotion outside, and it'll take some time for them to finish cleaning up that spaceship."
Zhao Qiang withdrew his foot that he had already taken: "That's fine too. This is an opportunity to learn about alien technology. Maybe it will inspire you and help you repair your crashed UFO."
Yang Shiyun stepped forward and blew away the dust from the nearest control panel. It was clear that this place was nothing like the interior of the flying saucer. That place had probably been untouched for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, yet it was spotless, with all the equipment gleaming. This place, on the other hand, looked like a junkyard, dilapidated and lacking any sense of high-tech civilization. Fortunately, the metal materials did not rust, otherwise it would have been even more unsightly.
The lighting here was dim, and the text on the control panel was faintly visible. Zhao Qiang read it aloud: "Middle layer B area turret control." Yang Shiyun continued cleaning the dust, and Zhao Qiang continued reading, "Upper layer A area turret control, B area turret control, C area, D area, lower layer... What is this? The firepower configuration of this base? It's divided into three layers, it seems too big."
Yang Shiyun was also confused by Zhao Qiang's question. She now had a deep understanding of her flying saucer, but had no recollection of anything else. "I don't know, maybe. How about we press a few buttons and try them out?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Be careful until we find the source of the interference signal, lest we be discovered by aliens and lose the opportunity to destroy the interference device."
Yang Shiyun said, "Then let's focus on the other text. Look, these indicator lights are still on. It's obvious that even though there's a lot of dust here, they're still working. It's not a good idea to touch them rashly."
"Unmanned combat aircraft control consoles in the east, south, west, and north zones?" Zhao Qiang was somewhat surprised. "There are unmanned combat aircraft? They must be piloted by humans. And they're divided into four zones. How many of them must there be? What would happen if they attacked humans on the ground?"
Yang Shiyun said, "I don't think so. First of all, the fact that there's so much dust in this control center means no one has been here before. Secondly, the humans on the surface have lived safely for thousands of years. If they wanted to attack, would they have waited until now?"
Zhao Qiang said, "That's the only way to think about it. What are these things for?... Separation and merging with the mothership. Note: This operation requires caution."
Yang Shiyun asked, "Does this mean that this base can also fly? Otherwise, what does it mean by separating from and merging with the mothership?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It probably refers to the spaceship launched from here."
Yang Shiyun said, "Is that what we just saw? Can they be called separation and merger? That's giving it too much credit."
Zhao Qiang chuckled and said, "I don't know. Let's take another look down there: the protective shield, the interference layer control panel..."
Yang Shiyun exclaimed in surprise, "Interference layer? Is this the one we encountered?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Perhaps there might be some connection. What a coincidence! But whether this place has been abandoned or not, if we can't control it here, then we'll be disappointed."
Yang Shiyun said, "There's only one way. We'll know once we try."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's right. Since this place is marked with an interference layer description, we have to take this risk. Otherwise, if we miss it, there will be no turning back. What's that called? Better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free." The two of them were full of resentment because of the equipment failure and naturally wanted to find a place to vent their anger.
Yang Shiyun flipped all the buttons on the control panel that were originally facing a certain direction, and then Zhao Qiang bombarded it with energy, shattering the entire control panel. Even if the aliens discovered it, they wouldn't be able to repair it in a short time.
"Any reaction?" the two asked each other after venting their frustrations. There seemed to be no response, let alone any voice prompts. Even the control panel didn't have any warning lights. This was completely different from the operation of the crashed UFO outside. Could this really be an abandoned control room? It seems we still need to keep searching.
"Keep smashing," Zhao Qiang thought, deciding to go all the way and destroy all the turrets, drone control consoles, and other equipment. However, such a commotion did not attract the robots, and there was not a single response from the control room.
Yang Shiyun looked dejected, but Zhao Qiang comforted her, saying, "Don't give up. Look, we smashed up this place and the aliens didn't even know, so this definitely isn't the real control room. Let's keep looking."
Yang Shiyun followed behind Zhao Qiang, and the two returned along the same route. When they reached the fork in the road, they chose the warehouse this time. The aliens would definitely need supplies, and if their warehouse was destroyed, they would be overwhelmed and have a better chance of escaping. They would also be able to find the jamming equipment more easily.
The two walked on with hope, but the further they went, the more garbage there was, as if the place had been looted. The dust was also very thick, as if no one had been here for hundreds or thousands of years. Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun were both surprised. What was going on? The robot on the top layer did not seem to be fake, but why did the one below look completely different from what they had imagined?
Yang Shiyun said, "Zhao Qiang, it seems we are going to be disappointed."
Zhao Qiang said, "I had the same feeling."
Sure enough, the two eventually arrived at the so-called warehouse. There was no one guarding it, and the door was wide open. The inside was even dirtier and messier than a garbage dump. Fortunately, the ground was covered with a thick layer of dust, so it wasn't too glaring. Zhao Qiang picked up a small weapon from the ground. Yang Shiyun said, "I know, this is a laser gun. To aliens, it's equivalent to a pistol carried by an Earthling. It's a short-range self-defense weapon."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Can you tell if it's still usable?"
Yang Shiyun quickly disassembled it and examined it: "The parts seem to work, but there's no power."
Zhao Qiang asked, "How is this energy supplied?"
Yang Shiyun said, "Look at this, it should work on a similar principle to our super battery, storing and compressing energy, but with a larger storage capacity. However, the energy inside it has long been depleted, so this gun can't be used."
Zhao Qiang took a few more steps forward to observe. There were many abandoned weapons, but after observing them, he realized that they were all out of power. Some had even had their batteries removed. There were many other supplies, but no food.
Zhao Qiang said, "Why is that? It seems those aliens are in trouble."
Yang Shiyun said, "Should we look in another place? This place is definitely not where the jamming signal transmitter is located."
Zhao Qiang waved his hand: "Go to the power room."
The two returned to the three-way intersection and chose to walk towards the power room. This time, they didn't have to go far before a more spacious, dilapidated hall appeared before them. In the middle of it, there was a large, transparent pillar extending downwards, and looking down, they couldn't see the end.
Zhao Qiang asked, puzzled, "What is this?"
Yang Shiyun said, "It should be an alien reactor, but it's stopped working."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Then where does the energy here come from?"
Yang Shiyun shook her head: "I don't know. There is definitely something strange about this place. Judging from the thickness of the dust, it seems like no one has touched it for a long time."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's go back up and check on the robots. It feels like no one has been here for ages. It's the complete opposite of the bustling scene up here."
Yang Shiyun agreed: "Okay, let's go up and take a look. Since they're launching flying saucers, why are they abandoning these things down here? Is it just because they don't have energy? But how do they manufacture flying saucers without energy?"
These were indeed a few perplexing issues. Since they couldn't find anything of value, the two of them secretly went up. They encountered no obstacles during the entire process, as if the aliens were completely unprepared.
As Yang Shiyun and Zhao Qiang lay behind a pile of debris observing the robot busily working on the crashed spaceship, Zhao Qiang suddenly thought of a question: "Do you think it's possible that the aliens simply don't possess an advanced civilization?"