"Besides Ke Lan, where are the others? Do you know where they are now?" the hound asked again.
Although Ke Lan told him that except for Sanshisan and Ze Luo, everyone else had been separated from him before entering the Tower of Babel, but since Valentina appeared in this area of ​​water, maybe Ivan and Asano Akira were also teleported to this place.
Christine’s answer to this question is “unknown”.
"Okay... I won't waste any more words with you. Where is the entrance to the Hive City No. 97 you mentioned?"
Before the Hound finished speaking, a three-dimensional projection of the underwater city appeared in front of everyone. In the ruins, a bright spot was marked.
"In addition, I can provide you with some support." Chi Hanfeng had just finished writing this sentence when the wall on one side dropped into the ground, revealing what was behind the wall.
There were more than a dozen equipment racks, hanging things on them including hot weapons like guns and small artillery, cold weapons like swords, spears, and halberds, and even whole sets of armor - judging from the joint structure and the energy backpacks mounted on the back, these armors should all be power armors, but compared with the power armors on the Ark, the style of these armors is closer to the ancient armors of the old era, and there are even gorgeous gilded patterns on the armor plates.
What surprised Hound and the others the most was that, whether it was weapons or armor, the size of these equipment was just right for the human body shape, and they did not feel awkward at all when using them.
"Strange... Aren't they said that the height and body shape of the Alphas are 1.5 to 2 times that of humans? Why do their armor seem to be just the right size for humans to wear?" Ghost Owl walked forward, gestured, and asked with some confusion.
"These equipments are not left over from the Alpha civilization, but from the Hive civilization of an earlier period," Christine replied.
"Hive civilization?" The Hound was startled. "Those hives you just mentioned, including the place we are going to next... weren't they built by the Alpha civilization?"
"no."
"Hiss... I think I understand something..." The hound looked at Zhuoligetu, "Remember the mysterious text we found on the Nino alloy scraps during the mission in the Molten Mine? Ke Lan said that it was not Alpha text."
"I remember..." Zhuoligetu nodded, "Combined with the origin of Nino alloy...um, Christine, was Yaguna Kator also built by this hive civilization?"
"Yes."
Christine's answers began to become shorter, not because her patience had run out, but because Chi Hanfeng, as an "information carrier", had reached his limit.
Sticky, dark red blood dripped from his nostrils, dripping onto the paper drop by drop. Veins bulged on his face and hands, his clenched teeth made a clattering sound, and even the pencil made of a high-density polymer that imitated wood was slightly deformed by him.
"Stop! I tell you to stop right now!" the hound roared at Christine.
Chi Hanfeng's body trembled violently for a few times as if he had been electrocuted, and then he became limp. The Hound rushed forward to support him and check on his condition immediately.
Chi Hanfeng's pulse and heartbeat were relatively stable. His skin was not hot but unusually cold. His eyes were closed and his lips moved slightly, as if he had something to tell the hound.
"Hello? Lao Chi? Lao Chi?! Can you hear my voice?" The hound put its ear close and patted Chi Hanfeng's back.
“Stop… stop shooting… cough… I’m not dead… but you… shot me to death…” The two grown men almost put their faces together, and only then could the Hound hear clearly what Chi Hanfeng said.
"Don't get into trouble, you bastard! If you get into trouble, Xiaona will drive the mecha over his head!" the hound shouted.
"I'm not dying... I just... I'm very sleepy and tired... and my head is buzzing." Chi Hanfeng said intermittently.
If Ke Lan were here, he would be able to tell at a glance that Chi Hanfeng's current symptoms were caused by an overdraft of mental energy. Although Chi Hanfeng's current overdraft would not leave any serious sequelae, there was also no specific medicine or corresponding treatment method, and he could only rely on rest to slowly recover.
"How about leaving Lao Chi here and taking these equipment with us into the nest?" Ghost Owl suggested, "Lao Chi is in this state now. Not only can he not be used as a combat force, but he will also become a burden. We will have to allocate extra manpower to look after and protect him... Don't think I'm being harsh, this is the truth... I'm considering this for everyone, and also for Lao Chi."
"I know what you said is true." The hound nodded with a straight face, "But I can't leave Lao Chi to this thing as a hostage... I still don't know how many of the words it just said are true and how many are false, and what other purpose it has in asking us to rescue Ke Lan... What if we turn against it in the future and it uses Lao Chi to threaten us, what should I do?"
"This..." The ghost owl was suddenly caught in a dilemma.
"Zhuoligetu, go pick out the equipment first. You will be responsible for carrying Lao Chi out later... Remember to help Lao Chi put on his diving suit after passing through the drainage tank." Hound said, "It should be no problem to stuff one more person into the cockpit of the Blasphemer mecha. There is no need for us to leave Lao Chi here."
"Okay." Zhuo Ligetu responded immediately, strode to the equipment rack and started to choose.
It took Zhuo Ligetu just over a minute to complete his arming - he chose a set of heavy power armor, plus a wall shield with a built-in energy shield generator that could also be used as a small laser cannon, and a heavy battle axe with its own jet thruster... This set of equipment was almost exactly the same as his usual weapon configuration, but the technological content and lethality were improved by more than one level.
Ghost Owl chose a set of armor with dozens of hidden jet ports, which was obviously a suit of armor specialized for mobility. As for weapons, since this set of armor had two ejection-type fist blades on the wrist, he did not choose a melee weapon, but a rapid-fire railgun and corresponding energy blocks and ammunition... In addition to these things, he also chose some throwing objects. Although he could not understand the words of the Hive Civilization, he could still understand the symbols printed on the throwing objects: explosion, burning, freezing, electrodes, etc.... Ghost Owl simply brought two of each type.
Hound was the last one to come out of the equipment warehouse. Although Layton was not there, Hound perfectly inherited Layton's fear of insufficient firepower - he chose a power armor with four controllable mechanical arms, and with his own hands, he could operate six weapons at the same time. In terms of firepower alone, he was undoubtedly the most powerful among the three.
The operating instructions of these equipment are very user-friendly. Most of them are simple and easy-to-understand logo patterns with very little text content. The UI design of the built-in display of the helmet is also very clean. Unlike the power armor on the Ark, all kinds of densely packed status parameters are eager to fill the entire screen, and sometimes even block the wearer's field of vision.
"Let's go. This time it's our turn to rescue that little bastard Ke Lan." The Hound patted the heavy gun in his hand. After upgrading his weapon to a cannon, he suddenly felt much more confident.
…
…
Noah's Ark, West Area 1, underground ice storage.
The dying Lin Qiming lay in the ruins, gasping for breath.
His chest had been pierced, and despite emergency treatment, blood continued to flow out of the wound. The bright red blood foam dyed the shattered combat uniform jacket dark brown. Some parts had become dry and hardened, and the surface showed fine cracks.
The bodies of his subordinates were lying not far to the left, but Lin Qiming couldn't even turn his head to take a look - his cervical vertebrae were fractured when he crashed into the rubble... Don't ask why he still broke his head despite having a neck guard on his combat uniform. If there was no neck guard, his entire head would have been separated from his body long ago.
Those mass-produced Fallen Angels didn't even make it to the end of the operation time before they were all dismembered - the hard outer shells of the machines were smashed and cut off, and the "living CPUs" inside were dragged out and torn into pieces... In front of that monster, this unit known as the "secret trump card" was like a wet deck of cards, so brittle that it shattered at the slightest tear.
"The remains of Seraph... shouldn't it take an hour to thaw... why, why..." Lin Qiming murmured in his heart. Blood kept pouring into his throat, but he couldn't even cough.
His eyes looked upwards. The top of the underground ice storage had been pierced. From here he could see the opened dome and the fleet that was staying on top of the dome and on standby.
A drop of water dripped down from above. It seemed to be formed by the melting of the ice in the ice storage...
"Thirty minutes...it should be here soon..."
"Pah." The water droplets hit Lin Qiming's face. He felt a little cold, but it seemed to be just an illusion - the cold feeling was not only on his face, but also at the ends of his limbs, and was gradually spreading towards the center of his torso.
Lin Qiming knew that he was going to die soon. The vanguard troops he led did not complete the mission - this was a completely expected outcome. However, what was unexpected was that the remains of the Seraph had been thawed and merged with the target long before they reached the bottom of the underground ice storage.
"As long as the fleet... can destroy... that thing... even if... we... win..."
Lin Qiming's consciousness has entered the last moments of his life.
He saw more water droplets dripping from above. These droplets were of different sizes, lengths, and shapes... The colors also varied greatly. Some were turquoise, some were iron gray, and some were actually as white as snow.
"strangeness……"
Like the last moments of life that often occur in dying people, Lin Qiming's eyes suddenly widened, and his gradually scattered mind focused again - he suddenly discovered that these "water drops" falling from the sky were not water drops at all, but falling warships one after another!
"The battleship... is falling?!"
He felt the air trembling, and the sky seemed to be burning. The flames burned from the sky to the ground, and the entire Ark was engulfed in the raging fire...
Lin Qiming didn't know whether this was the environment he saw before he died or a real scene, but his heart was now shrouded in endless despair... If even the fleet could not destroy the monster, there might be nothing on the Ark that could destroy it.
As a senior executive of the Crisis Management Department, Lin Qiming naturally knew that the undead crew would have a way to abandon ship and escape. However, after losing the Ark and Alpha, the only habitable planet discovered in the universe, could humans who once again entered interstellar drift still survive?
The answer is no - humans prepared for decades before embarking on the journey to find a new home, and still encountered dozens of crises on the journey that were enough to cause the extinction of all mankind. Now they are fleeing in a hurry, and the probability of survival is almost infinitely close to zero.
"Is it over? Is everything over..."
Lin Qiming thought somewhat unwillingly, but his vision was gradually enveloped by darkness, the sound of explosions in his ears kept moving away from him, and even the wounds on his body seemed to no longer hurt.
He suddenly wanted to take a nap. Perhaps if he fell asleep, he wouldn't have to think about these troublesome things anymore...
Extra Chapter: The Resistance on the Ark (Part 1)
May 15th, 114th year of the New Era.
Just yesterday, the last Earth-born crew member of Noah's Ark died.
The Ark's management had originally planned to hold a farewell ceremony for the deceased crew member, the last "native Earthling" on the Ark. However, before the ceremony site was set up, it was attacked by unidentified people.
The venue, which was half-deployed, was completely destroyed. Including construction workers, security guards and passers-by, 17 people were killed, 49 were seriously injured and 1,067 were slightly injured.
The explosive was an aerial bomb that had long exceeded its service life, but the on-site trace detection experts were unable to trace the origin of the bomb from the wreckage - logically, the bomb should have been abandoned long ago. On Earth, abandoned aerial bombs are usually used in live-fire training, or as targets, or directly destroyed. On the Ark, due to the shortage of supplies, abandoned weapons are generally dismantled and recycled, and the useful parts are reused.
It is for this reason that the traceability operation cannot be carried out at all.
The task of finding the attacker ultimately fell on the West Sixth District Branch of the Guard.
In the 114th year of the New Era, there were no garrisons or field corps. The only violent agency on the Ark was a "guard" with about 3,000 people. At that time, the total population of the Ark was about 3.7 million. If each member of the guard was responsible for more than 1,000 people, one person had to take care of them. One can imagine how poor the security situation was.
Apart from the dark period after Noah's Ark passed through the wormhole, this was the time when the order on the Ark was the most chaotic.
Civilian resistance organizations are roughly divided into two factions:
The first faction is a group of people who believe that the managers, with a very small number of people, have occupied the vast majority of the resources on the Ark, and that the gap between classes is too huge, so they are dissatisfied and thus come together.
At first, this group of people just complained and cursed on the Internet, but after the most radical ones were arrested, the rest turned to secret offline gatherings, and began to plan and implement various resistance actions...The goal of each of their actions was very clear, either to rob the official material transportation lines, or to assassinate officials at all levels representing the management level...The purpose of their doing so was also very clear: to make the management class compromise, amend the laws and regulations, or simply replace them themselves.
This first faction calls itself the "Reformists," and its core members are basically people from the lower classes of society and retired veterans of the Guard. However, according to gossip, there are many famous scholars who are secretly members of the "Reformists."
As for the other faction, it was called the "Returning Faction". Just as their name suggests, they were a group of people who wanted to return to the solar system. In their view, the idea of ​​the sun expanding and swallowing the earth was just a huge scam and sensational. After all, until the day the Ark set sail, the ecological environment on Earth had not changed at all, except that the temperature had risen by half a degree compared to previous years.
The "regressionists" believe that rising temperatures do not mean that the sun is aging faster. The global temperature rise caused by the El Nino warm current was much more obvious than this time, but in the end, nothing happened. As for the phenomena observed by astronomers, they cannot be used as ironclad evidence of the impending destruction of the solar system... But all of this was used by conspirators to fabricate such a low-brow lie as "the sun is aging faster and the earth is about to be swallowed up", which is too exaggerated even for science fiction novels.
The lifespan of the sun is 10 billion years, and less than half of it is now over. It is still in its prime, so how could it suddenly and rapidly begin to age without any basis?
This statement is like a young man in his thirties who wakes up and turns into a white-haired, dying old man... This kind of plot is quite common in fantasy novels.
But this is neither a fantasy world nor does it have those female fairies that suck essence... What's more, the sun is a star. If a star undergoes such drastic changes, is it possible for humans on Earth to escape?
Since everything is fine now, it means that there will be no problem in the next 100 million years, 200 million years... or many billion years.
The solar system and the Earth are the homeland of mankind. Even if something really happens, mankind should coexist and perish with their hometown instead of fleeing in panic - this is one of the most commonly used slogans of the "return faction" during the march.
Compared with the "reformists" who advocate violence and terrorist attacks, the "returnists" are much more moderate. Although they also hold rallies, they usually inform the guards in advance before holding rallies. There are very few violent conflicts in activities such as marches, demonstrations, and sit-in protests.
Compared to that group of crazy "reformists", the guards prefer to deal with the "returnees".
In addition to being easy to talk to and not advocating violence, the "return faction" has one biggest "advantage", which is that they are rich.
There are many large families and financial groups that are openly or covertly funding the "Returnists" because the ideas promoted by the "Returnists" can invisibly elevate the sentimental value of concepts such as "Earth", "Sun" and "Homeland Tradition" in the hearts of the people, and this sentimental value will naturally be converted into commercial value by these elites with developed business minds.
To give a very simple example, a bowl of ordinary vegetarian noodles can only be sold for 5 credit points at most in an ordinary street noodle shop. In years of poor harvests, the price may rise to 8-10 credit points, but if the price is higher, no one will be willing to pay for it.
But if it is labeled as "retro ramen that perfectly replicates the taste of the Earth era", the price can soar to thirty credit points or even higher. Although the sales volume will be much lower, the profit can soar more than ten times!
Moreover, this kind of noodles can be sold together with ordinary noodles, as long as there is a slight difference in taste and texture... and people who spend money to buy this kind of noodles will not jump out and say that this bowl of noodles is not worth the money at all - in the past, this behavior was called "paying IQ tax" and "being brainwashed by consumerism", but now, it is called "paying for feelings."
Of course, cutting leeks does not mean cutting ordinary people. For a bowl of noodles, the flour should be made of soil-grown wheat that is closest to the crops on Earth, and all the seasonings should be real. Then a ramen chef should be trained... Oh, and the tableware should also be made of bone china bowls fired with traditional Earth craftsmanship... The cost of such a bowl of noodles may be hundreds of times that of ordinary plain noodles, but the selling price... may be more than a thousand times.
For those capitalists, the greatest value of the "Returnists" is to constantly spread the word to the residents of the Ark about how beautiful the Earth was in the old era and how terrible life is now...
Although the "Reformists" and the "Returnists" belong to the same resistance organization, their relationship is not harmonious. Instead, they often clash due to some ideological deviations. Especially for the "Returnists", the "Reformists" are even more disgusting to them than the management of the authorities... Because this group of people is really determined to find a second planet in the universe that can be their home...
Ark, the headquarters of the West Sixth District Guard.
"So, you think this attack was initiated by the 'reformists'?" The commander, who held his chin with one hand and played with a stylus with the other, asked with a playful smile.
"That's right. The returnists regard the Earth as a 'holy land' and have great respect and yearning for everything related to the Earth. It's hard for me to imagine that they would plan an attack on the funeral of the last Earth crew member." A fully armed sergeant at the bottom of the seat, holding a helmet in one hand and a PDW in the other, said, "On the contrary, the reformists, this attack is completely in line with their usual style, and they also have sufficient motivation."
"Sufficient motivation? Tell me."
"The reformists have always believed that the Ark's top brass is extravagant and wasteful. This farewell ceremony for the remains will most likely be considered an unnecessary waste by the reformists. Therefore, launching an attack is also a warning to the people..."
"Ahem." The commander suddenly interrupted the sergeant's speech with a cough, "Sergeant Zhan, pay attention to your position and the appropriateness of your words."
"Ah, sorry. What I meant is that the reformists might be dissatisfied with this incident and try to sabotage it." Sergeant Zhan said, "Also, this attack was planned very carefully and the action was carried out without any delay. The six guards responsible for the outer perimeter were killed by the other side without making any sound. There should be people with military experience among the attackers, and there are quite a few of them."
"I thought so at first." The commander nodded, but changed the subject the next second. "But, just now, I received a message: the identity of one of the attackers has been confirmed. This person is a core member of the 'Return Faction' and has appeared in many demonstrations organized by the Return Faction. The DNA information of the body also matches the number."
"A core member of the Return Party? How is that possible?" Sergeant Zhan was stunned for a moment. "Sir, have you confirmed that the man is the attacker? Could he just be a passerby who was affected by the explosion?"
"You have also seen that body. He is suspect number one." The commander said slowly.
At the crime scene, the guard team found six bodies that were suspected to be suspects, but their faces were burnt and unrecognizable, so they had to be sent to the forensic department. However, they did not expect to confirm the identity of one of them so quickly.
If we were to say who was the most suspicious of the six, it would definitely be the number one suspect. When his body was found, his legs and waist were wrapped with self-made ammunition belts, and under him was a modified musket made from a discarded military submachine gun. The only video footage from the scene also showed a figure with ammunition belts wrapped around his body and holding a musket jumping into the construction site and firing at the workers... Fortunately, the musket was not very accurate, otherwise the number of casualties in this attack might have increased further.
"What is the true identity of suspect number one?" Sergeant Zhan couldn't help but ask.
"Galius Aidan, former captain of the First Action Squadron of the West Sixth District Guard, retired six years ago and became a security guard for a private company. He was fired four years ago for alcoholism and became a vagrant. He has been living on the minimum security supplies until he joined the 'Return Faction' a year ago." The commander said, "There is one more thing I almost forgot to mention. Galius was your immediate superior when you first joined the Guard. He also saved your life, right?"
“…”
"Logically speaking, Galius should be a very important person to you. How come you didn't show a trace of sadness when you heard the news of his death, Sergeant Zhan? Aren't you too cold-blooded?"
Sergeant Zhan stood still without moving, because behind him, the muzzles of two assault rifles were pointed at his waist and back. If there was any movement, the two gunmen would pull the trigger without hesitation.
"When did you get the news?" Sergeant Zhan said through gritted teeth, "The DNA comparison report of the corpse... shouldn't have come out just now, right?"
"The DNA comparison report did just come out, but there are some things I already knew several days in advance." The commander shrugged, picked up the coffee that had long gone cold on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.
"You knew it several days ago? Then why didn't you stop the attack?" Sergeant Zhan asked.
"The returnists want the reformists to take the blame, so they planned this action, but...what if the blame is not successfully shifted?"
Extra Chapter: The Resistance on the Ark (Part 2)
"You...ah!" Sergeant Zhan subconsciously wanted to raise his gun, but a colleague who was staring at him from behind immediately put the stun gun on his lower back and pressed the switch.
Perhaps worried that normal power would not be enough to subdue Sergeant Zhan immediately, the guard adjusted the power of the stun gun to maximum. Sergeant Zhan immediately fell to the ground twitching, with stomach acid mixed with saliva flowing uncontrollably from the corners of his crooked mouth.
"Get him out of here. Also, let me have a look at the report documents after you have them sorted out." The commander said to his subordinates, "By the way, before reporting this matter to the headquarters, find a way to leak it to those who want to know the 'truth'...especially the reporters and editors of the major media. Do you understand?"
"clear!"
…
…
On the second day after the attack, major media outlets published "exclusive revelations" related to the attack on their headlines. Although the content of the revelations varied to some extent, one thing was the same: in each revelation, the instigator pointed the finger at the "return faction."
Although many people did not believe why the returnees, who had always acted in a "gentle" style, would choose such radical and violent means this time, and targeted the funeral of the last Earth crew member...but in the face of such strong evidence, the voices of doubt quickly died down and eventually disappeared completely on social networks.
"The attack was planned by the returnists, and those who participated in the action were the core members of the returnists. As for those who provided weapons and explosives to these people, they were the capital that secretly funded the returnists on weekdays" - this statement was quickly accepted by the majority. As for the motives of the returnists, no one cares about their motives. People in the upper class care more about whether their wealth and power will be affected, while people at the bottom care more about whether they can get enough rationed materials tomorrow... The spectators only want to see excitement, and they don't care whose blood is dyed red on the ground.
But for some people, life suddenly became not so good...
Since the Returnists rarely resorted to violence, many of their members' identities were actually public, and they were all recorded in the guards' files... This was actually nothing, as long as they didn't do anything illegal, the guards generally wouldn't cause trouble for them even if they knew they were members of the Returnists.
But when the attack was determined to be planned by the returnees, everything changed.
A large number of members of the Return Party were arrested, and some who attempted to resist were shot dead on the spot... "Coincidentally", in the homes of these killed members of the Return Party, some draft attack plans were "searched" out, some of which were aimed at transportation hubs such as railway stations, and some were aimed at material exchange points, residential areas and other areas... The selection of these attack locations had several characteristics: large flow of people, complex surrounding environment and many places that could be used to hide people and weapons - if the value and significance of the attack targets were not considered, these selected locations would be perfect attack targets.
In these draft plans, the following slogan appeared many times: "We must let the foolish people know that only the earth is our eternal home. If we sail into the unknown universe, only destruction awaits us!"
The targeting of ordinary people instantly ignited public anger. No matter how radical the reformists were, their targets were always the guards, official staff or officials. Even if the attacks resulted in the death of civilians, they only hurt innocent people. However, the returnists actually chose to target unarmed civilians from the beginning. This was completely different.
Even the most shameless American in the old era had to find a cheap excuse like "we are fighting terrorists hiding in civilian areas" to bomb civilian areas. Even they did not dare to kill civilians directly - anyone who dared to do so would almost always become the target of public criticism.
Thirty-nine-year-old Ishikawa Teru is a professor of linguistics and a senior member of the return faction. He lives in a staff apartment only three kilometers away from his workplace. He has no wife, but does have a young girlfriend with whom he lives.
Ishikawa Teru's girlfriend is sixteen years younger than him. The two met at a parade of the restorationists... But just five minutes ago, Ishikawa Teru received a message from his girlfriend who was out shopping. The content of the message was very short, with only two words: "Run!"
Ishikawa Teru immediately called back, but no one answered the call. Just as Ishikawa Teru was walking around the living room anxiously, the news about yesterday's attack was broadcast on TV.
Ishikawa Teru didn't listen to what the people on TV were saying at all. His mind was full of thoughts about what had happened to his girlfriend, whether she had been robbed or kidnapped, and whether he should call the police. But as the news report went on further, his attention was gradually drawn to the content on TV.
After watching for about ten minutes, Ishikawa Teru slammed the table - he suddenly understood why his girlfriend sent him that message!
Although it was not explicitly mentioned in the news, the guards must be searching for members of the "Return Faction"... She might have been arrested!
“Damn it!”
Ishikawa Teru suddenly jumped up from the ground, rushed directly to the study and turned on the computer. Only then did he realize that the communication group of those return-oriented members was filled with wailing. Many people had been arrested by the guards who broke into their homes. Some of them were severely beaten or even shot for just a little resistance.
Communication groups and gathering groups were disbanded one after another, and those that were not disbanded gradually became quiet, as if someone was lurking in the dark, spying on something...
Ishikawa Teru was startled and hurriedly quit every group chat he joined, then began to organize the documents and materials on the desk.
He didn't know when the guards' rubber-soled combat boots would kick down his door...but before that, he had to run.
He had not planned any violent actions, nor had he ever violated any Ark laws during the gatherings of the Returnists. He believed that most of the arrested Returnists would be acquitted in the end, and that his girlfriend would be able to return safely in the end...
But he couldn't be caught by the guards... Not only that, the study full of research materials couldn't fall into the hands of the guards.
These things are...too sensitive.
Ishikawa Teru searched out all the papers, chips and storage devices from every corner of the desk and stuffed them all into the trash can. Then he went back to the restaurant to get a bottle of freshly opened, half-drunk liquor and poured it all over these things.
He never lets his girlfriend enter the study. If that girl were here now, she would be surprised to find that although Ishikawa Teru is a linguistics professor, his manuscripts are filled with dense molecular formulas and calculation formulas...
Ishikawa Teru took out a lighter from his jacket pocket and lit the contents of the trash can. Then, he used his fingerprint to open a safe embedded in the secret compartment of the bookcase, took out a matte metal box, and carefully put it into the inside pocket of his coat.
After buttoning his shirt, Ishikawa Teru tapped his pockets a few times. After making sure that there was no problem with the box, he took a wide-brimmed hat from the coat rack and put it on his head, pulling the front brim down very low... After doing all this, he quickly walked out of the house.
Ishikawa Teru's residence is located in the East Third District, an area where upper-class people gather. Even if the guards want to search, they will need to go through a series of complicated licensing procedures, which buys him a lot of time.
As soon as he walked out of the door, Ishikawa Teru saw his neighbor coming back with a big bag of hot bread and waved to him: "Professor Ishikawa, where are you going?"
"Eh? I... I have an impromptu academic meeting..." Ishikawa Teru said casually, "Oh, by the way, can you sell me this bag of bread? I forgot to prepare breakfast today, and the meeting will probably last until the afternoon..."
"Ah?" The neighbor was obviously a little confused. "But, but this bag of bread is enough for my family of three for a week. Isn't it a bit too much for you? If you need it, I can give you two loaves for free. We are neighbors after all. We will see each other sooner or later..."
"Well...well, I just received a call. Many people at the meeting didn't have time to prepare lunch...after all, it was an impromptu meeting and it was rather rushed. They asked me to purchase a batch of food, but time is tight right now and I don't have time to go to the store..." Ishikawa Teru said somewhat forcedly.
"In that case... OK, fine, I'll just go buy it again later. You can take this bag of bread first. If you need jam or butter, I'll go get it for you in the house..."
"No, no, thank you... I'll transfer the money to you when I come back." Ishikawa Teru took the bag and held it to his chest, and his pace suddenly quickened.
He covered his face with a large bread bag and walked on the street. According to his original plan, he was going to the slums of East District 10. If there was any place on the Ark that was best for hiding people, it would naturally be the slums where all kinds of people lived. Moreover, it was difficult for the guards to reach there. In such a gray area, many semi-legal or even illegal things would become "legal"... As long as you were capable enough and did things cleanly, there would be no problem.
Ishikawa Teru suddenly bought this big bag of bread from his neighbor, firstly to use the bag to cover his face, and secondly to solve the food problem after arriving in the slums - supplies are scarce in the slums, and many times transactions cannot be paid with credit points... What's more, once Ishikawa Teru's name is included in the wanted list, his virtual account will definitely be frozen.
For a moment, Ishikawa Teru regretted that he had not prepared more "hard currency" for bartering: such as watches, pens, and some electronic gadgets that do not require an internet connection. These small technological products are very popular in the black market in the slums and it is almost impossible to sell them.
"And there's a gun... I have to find a way to get a gun to protect myself." Ishikawa Teru said to himself.
His research work was not independent, but he and his "superior" had a completely single-line communication mode. If his superior did not look for him, he would not be able to contact the other party... Moreover, his superior had repeatedly emphasized to him that if he got into trouble, he should not expect the superior to provide him with any convenience. The best way to deal with it was to erase all evidence and then play dumb.
But Ishikawa Teru was unwilling to accept that the results of more than ten years of research would go to waste... He always wanted to give it a try, maybe things would take a turn for the better.
"The nearest train to East District 10 is in 35 minutes... No, it takes too long, and things might get out of hand if we're late... If I choose to drive myself, I won't be able to pass the checkpoints between districts, and private vehicles are easily locked by the surveillance system... Right! Trucks, maybe I can find a way to take a freight train!"
Ishikawa Teru walked around the station for a while, then turned and headed towards the cargo transfer station. On the way, he saw a large screen hanging high up broadcasting the scene of the guards arresting people. In the residence of a member of the return faction who "fought desperately", several guards found a blood-stained plan and showed it to the camera.
"We must let the foolish people know that only the Earth is our eternal home. If we sail into the unknown universe, only destruction awaits us!"
"Framed... This must be a frame-up!" Ishikawa Teru looked at the screen and said to himself, "We hope that more people will join the return party... How could we choose to attack the people? Damn it, doesn't anyone see that there are big problems with this plan?"
If it were in court, Ishikawa Teru would definitely choose to argue his case, but now, the thing he held in his arms was much more troublesome than the forged plan that was obviously used to frame someone.
If this thing were to be made public, it would definitely cause an earthquake in society... As for Ishikawa Teru himself, even he himself was unsure of what kind of treatment he would face.
But he firmly believed that as long as this research could be completed, everyone's views on it would change 180 degrees, but the prerequisite was that it had to be completed.
Ishikawa Teru finally reached the cargo transfer station. Several workers wearing engineering exoskeletons were unloading the train. He slowly approached and asked, "Is there a bus going to East District 10? I want to take a ride. The price is negotiable."
"East District 10? Hitchhiking?" A worker stopped and turned to look at the middle-aged man. Although he had covered his face, judging from his clothes, he should be from a well-off family. A man like him would take a freight train to East District 10? The worker was confused.
Extra Chapter: The Resistance on the Ark (Part 2)
"Sir?" the porter asked again, "Are you sure you want to go to East District 10?"
"Yes, yes, that's right." Ishikawa Teru nodded repeatedly, "There is a small matter... that I need to go... handle personally."
"Then why don't you take the light rail? It's much cleaner than a freight train, and more comfortable." The porter showed a hint of doubt on his face. "You don't look like someone who can't afford the fare."
"I was in a hurry. The light rail just left the station and I missed it. I have to wait for more than half an hour for the next train." What Ishikawa Teru said was true, but at the same time he felt a little scared - it was a good thing he missed the light rail. You know, the light rail will record the information of every passenger. As long as he purchased the ticket through formal channels, the passenger's identity, departure station and destination station will be uploaded to the public network, and it is impossible to escape the eyes of the guards.
"I see..." The porter nodded doubtfully, "It's not impossible for you to hitchhike, but this carriage is full of goods..."
"It's okay to be a little crowded, as long as there is an empty space for me to stay. I'm really in a hurry." Ishikawa Teru emphasized again and again.
"Okay, come with me." The porter put down the things in his hands and walked inside with Ishikawa Teru.
The two of them walked all the way to the fifth carriage before stopping. The porter turned to Ishikawa Teru and said, "There is only room on the fifth carriage. If you don't mind, stay here for a while."
Ishikawa Teru looked inside through the half-open door of the carriage, and saw a gap of about 30 centimeters wide between two rows of large plastic boxes, barely enough for a person to squeeze in... As for how comfortable the journey would be, it goes without saying that this would definitely be a torturous one.
"Okay... okay." With such a big deal at hand, Ishikawa Teru had no choice but to ask, "How much?"
"It's just a ride. I'll give you a discount of five hundred," said the porter.
"What?" After hearing this number, Ishikawa Teru almost thought he had heard it wrong.