"We're here."

Somewhere in the Great Desert, the elevator to Vault 13 finally stopped.

According to the time and speed of the elevator's descent, Zhuang Lan silently calculated that the position under her feet was at least a kilometer or even deeper from the surface.

Walking to the gate in front of him, the soldier wearing an exoskeleton pressed his arm to the console next to the wall and completed the verification of his identity.

"Buzz ......"

With the shaking of the mountain, a gap cracked open from the wall in front of the two of them, and slowly expanded as the wall moved, finally giving way to a road more than ten meters wide.

Unbelievable.

That alloy wall turned out to be a seamless door!

It seems that during his absence, a lot of things did happen in the Enlightenment Society......

Stunned by the changes in his old club in the past two years, Zhuang Lan was secretly alert in his heart, but he didn't write the surprised expression on his face.

After all, at this moment, her identity is Lieutenant "Marik", the captain of the Desert Scorpion Special Forces.

And before that, "he" had been here.

Apparently acquiescing to this, the soldier didn't mean to show off, and after completing the verification of his identity, he turned to face "Marik" and stood still.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs has just sent a message that they have approved your submission. However, they still have some details to know about what happened to you during your escape and the combat effectiveness of the Alliance's regular army, and 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, being idle is idle anyway."

"We're going to have to interrogate the guy you brought back from the Alliance first and see what we can pry out of his mouth." After a pause, the soldier continued in a relaxed tone, "And you are a hero, we must settle you first, and we must not let you and the prisoner be treated the same." ”

It seems that "Marik" has regained the trust of the Enlightenment.

Zhuang Lan breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but the expression on his face did not change at all, but he said loyally and calmly.

"Don't dare to be, although the intelligence system has to bear half of the blame, it's also a fact that I messed things up...... A lot of people have paid with their lives for this. ”

Looking at Malik, who was slightly depressed, the soldier standing at the door comforted him.

"Don't blame yourself, we don't judge heroes by success or failure, and you can capture one in the event of an ambush by the Alliance, you've done a good job...... Of course, I'm sorry for what happened to your brethren. ”

He's also the head of a bunch of lads.

It is precisely because of this that he understands Malik's feelings at the moment.

As the two of them spoke, a tall, thin man walked out from behind the open alloy door.

He wore a silver-gray gown, the crisp fabric was as smooth as silk, and there was not a single dust visible.

Not only his clothes, but also his skin, smooth and delicate like the alloy wall next to it, his complexion is elegant and flawless.

Looks are probably his least worthwhile virtue.

The decency and elegance of his gestures are like the butler in the aristocratic manor of the classical period, as if the most trivial things can be arranged in an orderly manner in his hands.

Although this person's appearance was no different from a real person, Zhuang Lan still could tell at a glance that he was not a real human.

It's androids.

What is natural must be flawed, and only man-made products can be pure to the extent that they are not mixed with a trace of impurities.

Just as Zhuang Lan was observing him, the man standing at the door bowed his head slightly and said in a gentle tone.

"Hello Mr. Malik, I am your guide and life assistant during your stay in Promised Land, you can call me 'Butler'."

"You've been here before, but our paradise wasn't finished at the time, and a lot has changed since then."

"In order to help you adjust to life here as soon as possible, I will take you to reacquaint yourself with our home."

Zhuang Lan nodded, then said goodbye to the soldier who had brought her here, and then followed behind the droid who called himself "Butler".

On the way to the Vault, the android has been briefing him on the Elysium, especially the changes in the last year.

According to information gathered by the Watchmen, Malik's last trip to Paradise was a year ago, and he stayed in Paradise for ten days.

In order to avoid revealing flaws, Zhuang Lan did not say superfluous words, and only occasionally interjected two sentences asking for unclear details.

After passing through a long corridor, the two of them came to a large underground space, where a large gear-shaped gate greeted her.

This gate is the same as the entrance to 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 this was discovered, Zhuang Lan was slightly surprised in his heart.

It's hard to imagine how much energy it takes to open and close this giant door at one time.

The Enlightenment's energy reserves may have exceeded the Watchmen's estimates, and it would be nice to know where their energy came from.

Just as Zhuang Lan was silently thinking in his heart, the giant gear under the feet of the two of them had begun to slowly sink, and an arch shaped like the entrance to the tunnel also appeared from the concrete wall on the side shortly after the platform descended.

That was the final door to Vault 13.

Holding back the excitement in his heart, Zhuang Lan followed the "butler" with steady steps, and followed it into the deepest part of the core secret of the Enlightenment Society-

This is the "handle" of the torch!

At the same time, it is also the heart of the Torch Project!

A dazzling glow shines at the end of the alloy corridor.

And when Zhuang Lan finally passed through the last tunnel, everything that came into her pupils really did not disappoint her, and even shocked her on the spot.

The scenery suddenly opens up!

The space is magnified exponentially, so much so that one can't help but suspect that one has traveled to another world or to the ground.

I saw the towering buildings standing on both sides of the vast space like a moat, looking up at the blue sky, and looking down at the bottomless abyss.

However, even the residents living at the lowest level do not need to worry, the luminous strips embedded in the outer wall of the building will transmit the warm light all the way to the bottom of this "shelter", and the infinite prosperity will be shared equally with everyone living in this shelter.

Translucent pipes and bridges crisscross the buildings, with crystal balls connected in between.

They float like soap bubbles between buildings, sheltering the planet's almost extinct nature for people to see and relax.

Long strips of vehicles weave back and forth in thick pipes, transporting passengers and goods into crystal balls embedded in the air, or transporting them from one end of the shelter to the other.

It's like a city built in a caldera.

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 estimates.

There is no doubt that the dazzling sun is man-made.

Including the blue that is so clear that people can't take their eyes off it, including the white cotton-like clouds...... These landscapes are extremely rare in the wasteland.

It is no exaggeration to say that this buried world is indeed worthy of the title of "Promised Land".

Any wastelander standing here will not hesitate to call this place paradise!

Looking at Mr. "Malik", who paused, the butler said in a gentle voice.

"We built this underground world according to the standards of Dream City, and you from that era must know what I mean by Dream City."

Zhuang Lan nodded slightly.

She knew what it was.

Legend has it that in the distant Age of Prosperity, people feared that their years of prosperity would collapse overnight, and they established a second home in the eternal universe.

That's Dream City.

It is a space dwelling with artificial day and night and gravity, a utopia that will not wither even if the prosperous world on the surface completely declines.

If the Ideal City is a nostalgia for the good old days of the survivors of a century and a half ago, then the Dream City embodies all the visions and imaginations of the people of the era of prosperity for the future life.

Looking at the nearest "soap bubble", Zhuang Lanliang, who was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, let out a sigh of emotion.

"My brother and I ate sand on the desert, but I didn't expect you to enjoy it."

This is not only Malik's emotion, but also her own.

The butler said with a smile.

"Because the time has come."

"Opportunity?"

"An opportunity to enter a new era."

The butler stretched out his index finger and pointed at the transparent glass, and circles of transparent ripples spread outward from its fingertips, and the entire glass wall seemed to be turned into 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 could not only see the people in the park clearly, but even clearly see the smiling faces on their faces.

“…… Thanks to the help extended to us by the celestials, the situation has never been more favorable to us. The higher-ups have adjusted their strategy towards the wasteland, and from now on we don't need to do anything, just be patient. ”

Zhuang Lan frowned slightly.

She had felt a little strange from just now, and no one had ever mentioned to her about rebuilding the "Desert Scorpion" formation.

"Waiting for what?"

"Heavenly punishment."

“…… Heavenly punishment? Zhuang Lan was stunned for a moment.

"That's right."

Responding to Lieutenant Marik's inquiring gaze, the butler nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the paradise not far away, and said chilling words in a gentle tone.

"The flames of punishment will consume all that is in the old world, and we will have a place of respite in the new world...... As a reward for our assistance to the Celestial Man in accomplishing its mission. ”

As he said this, the butler looked at "Malik" standing beside him, smiled and continued.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you just now that your mission is over."

Zhuang Lan asked.

"What do you mean it's over?"

The butler said softly.

"This is what the top means, and you have to ask the insider about which department. Anyway, they want me to convey to you that we have no plans to rebuild the Desert Scorpion for the time being. ”

"Although there are still many soldiers on field duty at this moment, there will be no new missions in addition to the ones they are currently performing, and they will return to this shelter one after another...... Of course, we will calculate your merits based on your merits 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.

"Sounds pretty good...... Although there are some regrets. ”

The butler looked at him in bewilderment.

"Regret? I don't understand what you mean. ”

Zhuang Lan was silent for a while, then looked back at the corridor behind him that led to the outside world.

"My brother...... I promised them that I would avenge them. ”

A sudden expression appeared on the butler's face, and then he smiled lightly and said in a gentle tone.

"That doesn't matter anymore, your enemies will be wiped out in the final heavenly punishment, and will be reduced to insignificant radioactive fallout...... The hatred of the past is left in the past, which helps us to go further. ”

Zhuang Lan nodded and set his eyes on the giant egg in the distance.

Gardening robots have neatly trimmed the lawn, people in blue coats are walking along the park's paths, and some are walking their dogs.

Vending machines serve unlimited ice cream to children, and good-looking androids hand out balloons that are presumably free.

The family sitting on the bench had a lot of laughter and a lot of talk...... They may be chatting about the new era.

It was as beautiful as a dream, but for some reason there was always an unreal feeling in Zhuang Lan's heart.

It's not that the images are fake, or that the holograms are simulated.

She could tell that those people were undoubtedly real people...... At least it's much more real than the android standing next to him.

At this time, she suddenly remembered her first impression when she first met this "housekeeper".

What is natural must be flawed, and only man-made products can be pure to the extent that they are not mixed with a trace of impurities.

The Dome is a similar existence.

Or -

This is true throughout Promised Land.

The people here don't live here, it's more like they're being kept in captivity by something high up in them, encased in transparent crystal bubbles.

A shuddering feeling crept up into Zhuang Lan's heart, but she still nodded at the smiling gaze in her eyes.

"It's good."

……

On the other side, somewhere on the ground above Vault 13, a medical miracle lying on the operating table was forcibly attached to a memory retriever and subjected to a round of "electrotherapy".

The Enlightenment Society didn't seem to intend to buy him with a beauty trick at all, and it was arranged for a big punishment as soon as it came up, and this also made the long-awaited medical miracle somewhat disappointed.

Let's give him a chance to "correct and return to evil"!

However, his disappointment did not last long, and soon his eyes were disconnected.

In the room of the special interrogation room, a doctor in a white lab coat stood next to the operating table, looking at the error message on the control panel and puzzled, scratching his head and underestimating.

"It's weird."

Seeing the result, the officer standing on the side hurriedly asked.

"What's weird?"

The doctor worked on the control screen for a while, then withdrew his index finger from the touch screen and looked at the officer standing next to him with a puzzled expression.

"The memory retrieval device was activated, but the subject did not respond to the external stimuli input from the device...... Whether it's a visual signal or an auditory signal. It's like ......"

He pondered his words for a moment, and after a long pause, he spoke 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 can someone have an empty brain?

He had never seen such a strange situation!

The survivors they usually caught from the outside, regardless of which Vault was the manager or the most powerful wasteland in the area, could squeeze their brains clean in minutes, and they had never been unable to read their memories.

Looking at the puzzled doctor, the officer couldn't help but say.

"Do you want to try again?"

The doctor shook his head.

"Let's wait two days and try again, this guy's brain has been hit hard, and it is estimated that he will not wake up for a while. I'm worried about turning him into a madman, and while you may not care, it's not worth the cost for us. ”

To be honest, he's weird too.

It stands to reason that even if the dog is on the operating table, it will not be unable to read anything, at most the things that can be read are more abstract.

As an expert in the field of neuroscience, he suddenly became a little interested in this hard-mouthed guy.

Could it be that the Coalition has a way to counter the memory retrieval device?

This might be a good material for experimentation.

The officer standing aside hesitated for a moment, but finally reluctantly nodded and accepted the offer.

"Okay......"

Even if he didn't, he couldn't think of a better way.

At this moment, the two of them didn't know that the guy lying on the operating table next to them had actually woken up, but he didn't open his eyes.

When I put on the memory retrieval device before, the medical miracle was expecting to see some interesting images, but my eyes went black and the line fell off.

Seeing that he was about to miss the important plot, of course the medical miracle that finally blended into the main line couldn't bear it, and suddenly hurriedly put on his helmet and reconnected.

Hard work pays off.

After almost half an hour of perseverance, 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's not crazy, he's fine.

However, thinking that this might be an opportunity to break into the Enlightenment Society, he finally resisted the urge to open his eyes and scare the two of them, and silently disconnected and returned to the offline.

His instincts told him that the opportunity to become the next pangolin was just around the corner!

It didn't take long for an outrageous post to appear on the official website forum -

"Brothers, how do you pretend to be crazy? (embarrassing)"

"Wait online, it's in a hurry."

-

(Hand crippled.,The plot over there hasn't been written.,I'll send it tomorrow.) (End of chapter)