Chapter 25: The Fortresses
I think someone must have tampered with my time. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ο½iqugeγ ο½ο½fo
After the so-called "Special Operations Group" preparation meeting, I returned to the Psitron office, and while explaining the next situation to Yu Baiyuan, I tinkered with the newly shipped ion knife, which I remember very well so far, and then my memory is a little blurry. It seems that I received three "ion knives" at that time, and Yu Baiyuan also said that although this weapon is called a "knife", it looks like a bayonet sword, and I plan to use it as a sword. But as soon as I raised the sword, the blade began to fall with bits and pieces of powder, and the blade became thinner and thinner, and even began to lose shape, so I seemed to consult someone, but the next time was fast-forwarded to the present - I was standing in front of a strange group of beehives with all the members of the task force, fully armed, and I had no memory of when I had entered the sleeping pod. γ
Since the exact number and depth of the caves in the lower caves were not known in advance, the first team brought thousands of survey mini-aircraft down and put them into different openings to detect the depth, and the final number of caves surveyed was 666. That's not a good number for some.
At the moment when I had no choice but to improvise the instructions for the Ion Replenishment Knife, someone hit me in the stomach with an elbow.
"How are you feeling?"
It was Ning 08 who spoke, she had already put on the shiny black metal mask issued by the first team, if it weren't for her thin and tall voice, otherwise I might not dare to answer casually. This time, she wrapped herself tightly, wearing a tight black long-sleeved T-shirt and open-finger gloves, a pair of brown and green cargo pants full of pockets, and dark purple Martin boots with a red flying machine like a small rocket. In addition to this, she also had several pockets on her body, inside and out, and seemed to be hiding something. But the most conspicuous thing is that she has a big sword on her back, and the length of the sword far exceeds her height.
"Why did you get such a big sword?"
"It's romantic, you don't understand." She proudly took the sword off and held it with both hands.
I really don't understand what this has to do with romance, "Is this your 'ionized' weapon?" Weight doesn't matter? β
"Of course, and ionized weapons can be controlled and deformed according to their minds, so they won't be affected by the terrain."
I just read this paragraph, "It seems that only a small number of people have the ability to shapeshift, right?" How can you? β
"Nonsense, who am I?"
"Oh." I'm not very interested in her boasting.
"What about you? You should be familiar with the weapon, right? After all, it was the Van Xi Xing who personally trained you. β
"Van Xi Xingren training? I do not know...... I don't remember. "It seems that this memory I'm missing now is a moth from the M6 family, but why would they do it? Is this part of the training?
"You don't remember this?" After Ning 08 sighed, she didn't continue to ask, maybe she thought that what I just said was just a perfunctory statement.
I touched all the pockets on my body up and down again with a bit of luck, but there was nothing else except the three ion knives I wore on my waist.
The only consolation for me now is that when I pulled out the ion knife again today, it was in a stable shape and didn't shed any more chips.
"When can we get in?" I asked Ning 08.
"Wait for those planes to come back." The man in front of him who appeared here in a helmet and a t-shirt and shorts turned around and listened to the voice, it should be Tin 16.
"Originally, the function of the aircraft was to eliminate caves that were not deep enough and had no research value, but so far none of the aircraft have successfully turned back, which shows that every hole is very deep." The girl next to him, needless to say, must be Yun 09.
"I also think we've been here for too long. I always felt that it wasn't a flying machine that would come back from inside, but some kind of monster. I can't calm down. β
"Ning 08, where are your teammates in the group?" Cloud 09 turns to Ning 08.
"They were all from the first squad, and they didn't seem to pay much attention to me. Since they are so powerful, I plan to hide behind them for a while and be lazy and do nothing. β
"Hahaha, what about you, what about your team members?" Cloud 09 asked me again.
"The group? What group? "I was confused.
"It's the group that was assigned before entering the sleep pod."
"I don't remember." My memories have been since I landed on Earth.
"Looks like you're too nervous? But it doesn't matter, I'll report it again when I go in later. By the way," Yun 09 pointed to the bag at my feet, "You might as well study the equipment that the first team issued just now, it should be of great use." β
"Wait a minute," Ning 08 shouted in surprise from the communication device, "these things are actually sent?" I thought someone was throwing it here and coming back to get it later! β
"That's how the first team was when they sent things......
"Oh my!" Ning 08 hurriedly squatted down and studied the bag, "Ah, I feel that this should be quite useful, 'Life Probe', the friendly is a green mark, the enemy is a red mark, the more obvious the opponent's attack intention, the stronger the red." Once installed, it will be displayed in the upper right corner of the inside view of the helmet and can monitor a distance range of 500 meters.
The "life detector" mentioned by Ning 08 is a display function on the screen inside the helmet, and the helmet provided by the first team simulates the presentation effect of a chip interface, but it is not as flexible as the interface of the chip, and it cannot control the appearance or disappearance of the interface at any time - these data are always there and beating. I glanced in the direction that Ning 08 said, and all I saw was green in my eyes.
"What are these little balls for?"
"It's like a whetstone like an ion knife, and it's said that the composition is similar." Yun 09 introduced, "When you hold it tightly with your hand, it will ignite a flame, and when you put the knife on it, it will look like new, and it can also be used as a bomb to attack the enemy." β
"Oh, I remember, they call this thing Litai."
"Well, I've prepared a pack of something like that as a modified weapon." Yun 09 took out a handful of white pebbles from her pocket and showed us that her departure was much smaller than the size of the first team.
"I also got some derivatives," Ning 08 lit up a few guns on his waist, "I was worried that this transformation would not go well, but I went to consult Xiao Ming Xiaohong, and with its help, I completed most of the weapon transformations." It may be flashy, but I've changed the material for this as well," she raised her hand, clenched her fist, the back of her hand outward, and four steel claws suddenly "jumped" out of her fingers, "Do you think I look super strong now?" β
"Yes, yes, yes." I nodded at her.
"Ahh If the location of the friendly team is out of range, you can't use the walkie-talkie to contact you. β
"We now speak through the communication function inside the helmet, and there may be no signal at a distance of more than 500 meters." Cloud 09 explained.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar face with a helmet mask carefully cut through the crowd and squeezed towards us.
"Please...... Excuse me, are you Ning 08? β
It's like a girl born for the word "sister", petite and cute, and the woman behind her is a completely different type, tall and short-haired, and a slightly stout, but full of health and vitality. The virtual chip in the helmet is now a heavily emasculated version of the sub-gap chip, so I can't get the names of these two people at this time.
"Yes...... You are ......" Ning 08 didn't react for a while.
"I didn't expect you to be really a girl, ah, I also often visit the interconnected interconnected chain space, I used to see you leave a message on it, and I was very impressed with you."
"Poof, you still have fans." Tin 16 really made a squirting sound.
"What is a connected interlocking space?" I looked at Ning 08 suspiciously.
"The inter-space is a forum-like place to pass the time."
"You have a lot of female fans, they all think you're a boy!"
"Really? Ha ha. Thanks thanks. Ning 08 smiled dryly, and seemed to be very bad at dealing with fans.
"What did you write?"
"I won't tell you."
"Haha, you guys really have a good relationship, may I ask who this is...... Boyfriend? The girl pointed at me.
Such a judgment is really delicate.
"Actually-" Ning 08 was about to explain, when suddenly a public announcement sounded in everyone's helmet.
"Attention, everyone, the expedition is about to begin, please stand still and wait for the group to report your name and prepare to enter the cave."
"Looks like we have to go," the girl shook her head regretfully, "By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Xiang 73, her name is Porcelain 64, and we used to be in a return inspection team." β
"Ahh Speaking of which, many years later, she is the same, and the number of female fans is far greater than that of men.
"Well, I hope we will have a chance to meet again when we enter the cave, I wish you all the best!" Pu 73 waved at us, then turned around with Porcelain 64 and disappeared into the sea of people.
"Ji 87 is here." Cloud 09 pointed to the right.
Ji 87 waved at us, but his eyes kept wandering away.
"Who are you looking for?" Ning 08 asked.
"I used to hear that there were 19 core members of the first team, and I always wanted to see them all, but I couldn't recognize them when I dressed like this."
"Why nineteen? Generally speaking, in this case, aren't they all four heavenly kings, six strong men, ten people, twelve constellations, eighteen bronze men, and so on? Nineteen isn't even an even number. As soon as Ning 08 heard this topic, he became interested.
"It is said that because the number 'nineteen' is in line with the aesthetics of Xiao 339."
"But you're a member of the first team, and you can't even recognize all the core members?" I interjected.
"No way, a lot of the time they don't all attend, plus there are all kinds of hidden members...... It doesn't mean much to me to know who these people really are, but the more mysterious people are, the more curious they become. β
"You really don't have a place in this organization." Ning 08 seemed to be very satisfied with his conclusion, and nodded several times after he finished speaking.
"Oh, you're still so ruthless in your speech, don't always expose the facts so cruelly."
"What are these things on the ground here?" KC66 interrupted their conversation, gesturing at what was scattered beneath their feet like a pile of dust.
"I don't understand, it's like a fish that has been dried and has accumulated dust?"
The overhead light on the helmet is set to be unusable until entering the cave, so the only light source that can be useful here is the name code on each person's helmet that glows with night light, and it doesn't illuminate anything at all.
At the very front, near the cave, a tall figure with Akatsuki 339 on his helmet walked to the center and raised his hand to everyone. Everyone in the room fell silent and listened to the instructions from the public line in the helmet. For a group of people who had been summoned on the fly, with no organizational discipline at all, it was already very orderly.
"First of all, I would like to announce a piece of news to you. None of the aircraft we've released have made it to the end of the cavern, and based on the feedback we've received, the underground caverns are far larger than we imagined, and there is even the possibility of going elsewhere, which is far from enough with our current number of personnel. Therefore, we will change the original intention of this operation, and start with the bottom caves, and each team only needs to find the location of the end of a cave and make a report, and then return to the sub-chasm. In the cave, you can use the flying machine on your shoes to increase your movement speed. Next, please assemble according to the number of the squads, and Squad-1 will enter the cave on the far left first. After the team entered the cave, Team 2 followed, thusβ"
In the blink of an eye, the light in the cave dimmed, and there was a scream above the ground, but even more terrifying than this scream was the sharp roar of another creature that accompanied the scream. Something seemed to block the light source, and only a dark shadow could be seen writhing violently where the light entered.
"It seems to be the PU11 of the first squad." I don't know who came up with a sentence.
Everyone's attention was now focused on the top, only Xiao 339 still didn't care.
"Everyone speed up and keep up, don't worry about that side, the next team." Xiao 339 took out a gun as he ordered, and sure enough, he had also modified the weapon. "The most important thing now is efficiency, and we won't let anyone get trapped by alien creatures and get hurt by the progress of the expedition. Remember, if you're trapped by your mistakes, you'll have to stay there until our mission is complete, and any damage you'll take during that time will be repaired back to the sub-gap. Don't be nosy if you see someone stranded, our number one goal is to find the end of the cave and debrief. β
The sound from above has not stopped, and no one has gone up to the rescue. The members of the first squad did not say anything about their own internal members, and the second group of immigrants obviously did not want to meddle with it. What people are talking more about is, why is this person on it?
"Squad 10!"
"Stay safe." Ji 87 said goodbye to us and flew into the cave with the two ordinary members of the Returnee.
I still don't know what team I belong to, but since I'm not the only one who doesn't know about this, I'll just follow if there's a group that doesn't have enough people. Theoretically, I should carefully observe whether every team that is called up now is short of people, but it is still difficult to restrain myself from looking at the movement on the top.
In the face of the current situation, there are also people who are surprisingly calm. For example, LL9. She was one of the few people present who did not wear either the uniform of the First Squad or the helmet of identification. She was wearing a pink lace dress today, so soft that her blonde hair was parted into dozens of slender braids from the roots, almost hanging down to the ground. Looking at her relaxed appearance, it looks like she has come for an outing. Since then, she has been pacing around us, counting the number of people, and if you turn on her voice channel, you can still hear her humming a little song leisurely.
As if noticing that I was observing her, she jumped up and down in front of me.
"Big brother, which team are you?" She asked me on a public channel in a typical innocent voice.
"I don't know."
Although I feel that I should use a softer voice to speak to children, I am not in this situation at the moment.
"Was it too nervous to forget? I'll check it out~ Wow, it's PU11 and ZD71. β
"Oh, I don't know them, where are they?"
"It should be up there~" She smiled and pointed to the place where the screams were still continuing, "These two guys have to come by themselves because they are late for the gathering, and it seems that they are entangled in something." β
I was amazed that she could say such things so casually, and I didn't know how to answer for a moment.
"You're just leaving it alone? Didn't anyone go up to save them? They're members of your first squad, right? β
"So what, Xiao 339 said that they couldn't be late, they asked for it."
I felt like the mud was falling from above, and the screams didn't stop or abate, but I couldn't tell if it was a man's scream or a woman's.
"It doesn't matter, we can't die, the armor of the sub-gap can protect us from any damage, you know that very well."
"But ......"
"Are you going to save the members of your team who haven't made a living?" She tilted her head to me and smiled cutely, like a children's commercial.
"Team 27!"
In the distance, Ning 08 glanced back at me, and started the flying machine on his shoes with some hesitation. I felt the urge to go in with her.
"Oh, my mother also went in, isn't she in a hurry?"
She stood on her tiptoes and spun around in circles.
"Why don't you speak? Intimidated? β
"Nope."
"Give me some other reactions, it's boring!"
"Now I'm the only one left in the team, and I'm applying to be merged into the other team."
"Huh? Did you abandon your teammates so quickly? Aya 17, it's so cruel! β
She stamped her feet vigorously in place, but I ignored them.
"If it's okay, I'll choose my own team." Anyway, I'm going to head towards the caves.
"Hey, hey, stop, stop! Of course there's a problem! LL9 dragged me from behind, "You can't act without my permission, I'm the head of the detection team!" β
"Oh? So? I don't know. I pretended.
"It's unbelievable how a guy like you got in." She let go of her hand, "Believe it or not, I'm going to call someone over and grab you and throw you on it to share the weal and blight with your teammates?" β
I looked up at the entrance of the cave, where the shaking seemed to be getting more intense.
If this continues, soon those "things" will come down, and at that time, it may be an opportunity.
"Do you want me to go into the cave alone? I'm very timid, I don't dare to walk in it without anyone to accompany me, you will be equal to a team of white factions. β
"It's okay, just come to my team." She winked at me slyly.
"How many people are on your team?"
"Four."
"The number of people is enough, the other groups are all three people."
"So what?"
"Wouldn't it be nice for you to put me in another team?"
"No, I'm a child, so I need more bodyguards." She was bouncing around me.
I sighed helplessly, "If you were really a 'child', you wouldn't be here." β
"You know very well, you pretended not to know me just now." She stopped behind me, jumped on top of me, and grabbed me by the neck, making me almost breathless. Her strength was much greater than I had expected, and it took me a lot of effort to break her hand open.
"Ahem, ahem, stay away from me," I took a few steps away from the cave, and the "time" for those "things" to come down was about to come out of the corner of my eye, so I reached for the disengagement button of the flying device on the side of my leg, "I'll follow Xiao 339 to apply to join another team temporarily when everyone is in the cave." β
"It's useless, he's very obedient to me."
As soon as she finished speaking, two things happened at the same time. Nearly ten gray-black shadows were entangled with two humans, accompanied by a pile of clods of dirt falling from above, while on the other side, unrecognizable cries could be heard from the cave complex, as if they had been heard by a megaphone, echoing throughout the cave complex.
Before the people present could react, I immediately activated the flying device and jumped straight into the hole that Ning 08 had entered just now.