Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After taking the elevator to the first floor, Li Li smiled at Li Xue and said, "You can head back now. I have some matters to discuss with Old Chen."
Li Xue clung to Chen Rui's arm and huffed, "What business can't be discussed in front of me? Don't forget, I'm the largest shareholder of Dawn now! You don't even have as much equity as I do."
Li Li chuckled lightly, "Alright, alright, I understand. But this is a bit personal, so please go back."
Though somewhat reluctant, Li Xue obediently glanced at Chen Rui a couple of times before walking out of the company. After she left, Li Li exchanged a knowing look with Chen Rui and headed towards the stairs.
Chen Rui walked toward the nearby restroom and emerged about a minute later, making his way to the stairs.
As they entered the stairwell, Li Li sighed with a wry smile. "After all, this is Dawn Headquarters. Unverified surveillance and counter-surveillance equipment are basically useless here."
"Information leaks throughout history often start from within."
Li Li smiled again and led Chen Rui downstairs. Logically, the basement of the building should lead to the parking lot; however, this staircase seemed to connect instead to a storage room that resembled a temporary dormitory for security or sanitation personnel.
Once inside the storage room, Li Li didn't linger. She skillfully pulled aside a curtain that blocked the foot of a bed and continued walking deeper inside.
At the end of the room stood an ancient iron door with an equally old electronic lock above it. After inserting two keys into the keyholes, Li Li quickly turned the dial and confirmed the numbers before placing her hand on the doorknob.
With a sharp creak, the iron door opened, revealing how long it had been since it was last maintained.
"With double-tempered steel combined with titanium alloy, you'd need at least an anti-tank weapon to blast this door open," Li Li explained with a smile as she noticed Chen Rui staring intently at it. "Looks like you still haven't remembered."
Chen Rui nodded without hiding his thoughts. "Indeed. However, I've encountered some issues that I needed to discuss with you."
Li Li closed the door behind them and continued leading Chen Rui further inside.
"Even if you hadn't come looking for me, I would have sought you out because time is running short."
As they navigated through twists and turns, Chen Rui lost track of their direction but could still feel they were descending deeper; after all, the slope was quite noticeable. "How deep is this?"
Li Li looked at Chen Rui and smiled without saying a word, continuing to walk ahead. After a while, Chen Rui noticed that the slope had changed, or perhaps it had leveled off. Thinking they were almost there, he was startled by the scene before him.
In front of Chen Rui stood an elevator, a tall and imposing one. It was hard to imagine seeing such an elevator in this concrete construction.
Li Li took out a key, inserted it into the keyhole at the elevator door, turned it, and then stepped inside. Chen Rui hurriedly followed. Once they entered the elevator, it began to descend slowly.
"We were about twenty meters underground just now, and we're heading to three hundred meters underground! When this was built, you seemed to be busy wooing my sister!" Li Li said with a calm smile. "It was truly foresight to construct such an Underground City."
"Underground City?" Chen Rui was taken aback. If it were a command center, that would be one thing, but a city seemed a bit exaggerated.
"The total area down there is about four hundred square kilometers, with eight levels—each level around fifty square kilometers—boasting a complete independent ecosystem. As for energy, it's self-sufficient! The ideal population is about fifteen thousand people, with a saturation point around fifty-eight thousand."
Chen Rui asked in astonishment, "Even if you built this Underground City back then, how did you escape the government's notice? What kind of manpower could create such a large-scale Underground City? And even if there is an independent ecosystem, what does self-sufficiency in energy mean?"
Li Li chuckled and patted Chen Rui's shoulder. "You're just as surprised as you were the first time you came here. How did I escape the government's notice? Back then, I attracted their attention by entering the arms market. Now, the management of Dawn consists of people sent by the government; why can't my people be in high positions too? As for energy, it's simple: Nuclear Fusion!"
Suddenly, the elevator brightened up. It was only then that Chen Rui realized the entire elevator was made of glass; what he had seen before was merely the effect of tinted glass.
Through the glass of the elevator, Chen Rui clearly saw the entire layout of the Underground City's First Floor. Towering skyscrapers reached up high, and countless transparent elevator shafts stood between them; it was obvious what this First Floor was for.
The structure of the second floor was almost identical to that of the First Floor. However, if it were still meant for residential purposes, it would clearly be a waste.
"The second floor is a comprehensive office area; research, education, and command centers are all located here," Li Li explained with a smile upon noticing Chen Rui's confusion.
As they entered the third floor, its appearance did not differ much from the previous two levels. However, those buildings were noticeably larger. Through these oddly shaped skyscrapers, Chen Rui realized that this First Floor was industrial; these buildings housed factories and similar facilities.
Going further down, the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors were agricultural layers where rare wild beauty could be easily seen. The clarity of the artificial lake left Chen Rui in disbelief.
The seventh floor was quite different; there wasn't a hint of life to be found in its vast expanse—no sign of any person at all.
"This First Floor has its own purpose, which you will understand later. Don't bother looking at the eighth floor; that's the power zone, where all the energy for the Underground City is supplied. Now, let's go to the integrated area; I have something to discuss with you."
Chen Rui forced a smile. "If you want me to sleep, just say it directly. No need to be so roundabout."
Li Li smiled lightly. "Since you already know, I won't hide it anymore. Not many people are aware of this Underground City right now; apart from the original construction crew, only a few dozen people know about it. Currently, there are only a few dozen staff members working here, most of whom are distributed between the eighth and second floors. The agricultural area isn't fully operational yet; think of it as a wildlife park for now."
Amid their banter, the elevator arrived at the second floor—the integrated office area. Li Li smiled as he led Chen Rui into the nearest building to their elevator and took another elevator to the top floor.
At the pinnacle of this 'world,' Chen Rui smiled at Li Li. "You still enjoy this view, huh? By the way, how many elevators are there? Do you have one in every building?"
"How could that be? Only three buildings have private elevators; the rest are designed with shared elevators for convenience. Currently, there are one hundred sixty installed floor elevators, with another two hundred forty yet to be installed..."
"Knock knock knock..." A rapid knocking sound came from the door. After Li Li called out "Come in," a familiar figure pushed the door open.
Though surprised, Chen Rui remained calm and quietly observed Zhang Jun as he entered and reported to Li Li, "Mr. Li, everything is ready."
Li Li patted Chen Rui on the back and said with a smile, "Let's go."
Zhang Jun led Li Li and Chen Rui into a room on the same floor. Upon entering, they saw Li Xue sleeping soundly on the bed. Chen Rui was not surprised to find Li Xue here; instead, he was astonished by the complete Dream World Monitoring System present in this place. After all, this system was mass-produced with strict quality control at every step from production to decommissioning. It was no easy feat to acquire such equipment without anyone noticing.
He recalled Li Li's earlier sarcastic laughter: "If they can place personnel within Dawn's management team, why can't I place personnel within the government’s upper echelons?"
Zhang Jun sat down at the main control console and addressed Li Li, "We can begin now."
"Go ahead."
Zhang Jun activated the system...
In fact, a mature Dream World system does not require external activation; it only needs the Dreamer to wear a Connector and then activate it themselves.
Trial Group focused on collecting data and monitoring the neural responses of each Dreamer. They needed so many lives because, essentially, they were gathering research material, which is why everything was so elaborate.
"Which year are you planning to send her back to?" Chen Rui asked, looking at the peacefully sleeping Li Xue, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"Let's go with university; after all, that's when you two first met."
"Sounds good." Glancing at the life support system beside Li Xue, Chen Rui couldn't help but ask, "If she sleeps for so long, won't her nutrition be lacking? And what about her muscle condition?"
Li Li chuckled, "Looks like you've remembered something! Don't worry; if you can think of it, I definitely have too. After all, she's my little sister. I've already arranged for someone to take care of it. Now come with me."
Li Li led Chen Rui to a room diagonally opposite. The setup was nearly identical to the previous one, but instead of Zhang Jun, another familiar face was seated at the control panel.
After a sigh, Chen Rui lay down on the bed and joked, "You better be quick; I really don't want to rely on glucose to get by."
Liang Yu covered her mouth and laughed lightly. "Don't worry; if possible, I'll shove some food into your mouth—if you can swallow it."
Upon hearing this, Chen Rui rolled his eyes at Liang Yu. "Forget it; I think you're just trying to choke me."
Li Li smiled calmly. "Don't worry; you'll definitely be faster than my sister. After all, you're you."
Chen Rui put on the Connector, pressed the activation button near his ear, and sighed with a wry smile, "I hope so..."
Comment 0 Comment Count