CH 104

Chapter 104 – Their Legacy

They wrapped the bones of Liszt and several other soldiers in cloth.

Time was tight and space was limited, so the bones could only be placed in the corner of the communication center first.

They also found out why robot 0293 never answered:

The instrument that received the signal was damaged, and it was completely broken: a lot of scrap metal was piled on the top floor, and the wires were exposed. 0293 was obviously not dedicated to communications, it was more like…Liszt’s private robot, it was the only one left, and it could only be called to guard in the communication center.

A private robot that was supposed to do housework, of course, was unaware of the malfunction of the instrument.

Even if it realized it, it was impossible to repair it.

These days, 0293 had been shouting at instruments that couldn’t receive signals.

The robot 0293 turned around cheerfully and invited them, “Guests, would you like to visit the city?”

Lu Tinghan nodded and said, “Take us there.”

They followed 0293 out of the communication center and walked on the street. The indicator lights on the side of 0293’s screen flashed, and the lights lit up overhead and on both sides of the street. Everywhere was bright. The mole people stretched out their hands to cover the light, but they couldn’t help being curious and looked out quietly.

——They had heard Di Wen and Gerald talk about Elton many times.

They were almost all new generations of mole people, who had lived in the dark “lair” for as long as they could remember, seeing the ruins of the city and longing for the legendary prosperous city. Now they finally arrived, and the endless long streets, the gorgeous streetlights, and the towering buildings that they had dreamed of were all close at hand.

A mole man stretched out his hand and opened a dark blue door. Inside was a home with an old sofa, TV, vase, coffee table, stools, dining table, and bookshelf… Everything was strange and familiar. His eyes widened. Although he had never seen such a scene before, a warm feeling reverberated in his heart, and he knew that he originally belonged here.

0293 introduced as it walked: “Now the energy is back to normal, including the underground farm, which is also in operation. If you go over, you can see the newly grown wheat.”

Lu Tinghan: “If there is an underground farm, how can there still be famine?”

“This is a complicated issue, I need to check the information.” The indicator light of 0293 flashed yellow frantically, and it replied a few seconds later, “Before the city’s energy shortage, the generator was damaged, the energy core was insufficient, and solar and wind energy could not be used, resulting in the paralysis of farms, hospitals, command centers, and other buildings.”

Shi Yuan suddenly thought of the main city.

After the fall of Fengyang City, the main city was also tight on resources and often had power outages. But because of the energy core rescued by Lu Tinghan, at least the military and the hospital could still work, which was a blessing among misfortunes.

But Liszt and the others were not so lucky.

The Gamma Abyss and the Delta Abyss rioted together, “breeding frenzy” and “thunderstorm” combined, they were already tired of defending the city, so it was impossible to go out and find other supplies. It was not the monsters that killed them in the end, it was this long-drawn-out war of attrition.

0293 continued: “Elton’s energy system was broken. All five senior engineers in Liszt’s army were killed in the line of duty, and because of the lack of materials and technology, their repairs didn’t go well. I fell into a deep sleep 17 years ago, as did other machines, and I only woke up 2 years ago.”

Two years ago, it was almost the time when the Alliance heard the Empire’s communication.

No wonder the Empire didn’t respond at first. 0293 woke up later and received an “echo” signal as soon as it woke up.

No wonder the “Blazing Sun” had not appeared from the ground before, and its energy had only recently recovered.

Lu Tinghan said, “But they finally fixed the energy.”

“Yes, otherwise, I won’t wake up,” 0293 said as it walked, “I read the previous data and learned about General Liszt’s experience. At the same time, Liszt told me before I fell asleep that if I could still wake up, if Elton was still safe at that time, I would broadcast Elton’s coordinates to the outside world. He said, ‘As long as there is energy, this place will be the most ideal place to live’.”

Di Wen asked hoarsely: “Why did they still die after the energy was repaired?”

0293 replied: “According to my information, it takes time to accumulate energy. 13 years ago, they repaired part of the energy system, but the energy pool was empty, and they didn’t wait for the system to run again.”

Shi Yuan calculated, 0293 woke up 2 years ago, and the energy buildup was longer than expected.

They couldn’t hold on until the system was restored.

While talking, they arrived in front of a white, greenhouse-like building.

0293 led them in, and the light was so dazzling that the mole people cowered in the doorway, not daring to enter.

Artificial sunlight fell from the sky with plenty of heat, the turquoise wheat was growing vigorously, and the color was so vibrant that it made people’s eyes shine.

Shi Yuan thought of the wheat fields in Gleaning City.

The Empire naturally thought of the problem of food when they built the underground city. As long as there was energy, Elton could achieve self-sufficiency.

0293 also saw the reluctance of the mole people, standing at the door of the greenhouse, and said: “The initial energy accumulation was very slow. I read the records of the energy pool. In the first eight years, there was almost no progress in energy, only 5% was accumulated, and then 5% of the energy was sent to power plants, windmills, and other buildings. When they started to operate, we had a large amount of energy to start a virtuous cycle. Now, our energy pool is at 30% savings and can keep the most basic buildings running.”

It showed an electronic smile: “After that, the energy buildup will only get faster! General Liszt told me that when the time comes that they can’t hold on and they can’t fight anymore, he will order the soldiers to kill themselves. As long as there are no living people, the monsters will not find this place easily, and the city will still be kept.”

It spun around happily: “So congratulations! You have a safe and stable city!”

Di Wen blocked the artificial sunlight with her hands.

She looked at the wheat field fixedly, which were green with a touch of soft yellow and vibrant.

She said: “This is his… legacy to them.”

She just looked at it steadily and asked 0293: “Did, did General Liszt ever mention a name called ‘Alicia’?”

“Please wait a moment, the search record is being searched.” The screen of 0293 flashed, “…The recorded conversations have been queried, and there is no record of ‘Alicia’.”

He kept the gold pocket watch before he died, but not once did he ever mention her name.

It seemed that Liszt was still the dull and taciturn officer, standing in front of her, hiding a secret, and never telling it.

“…” Di Wen smiled.

They left the greenhouse and went to every corner of Elton again.

Everywhere 0293 went, small lights would light up along the road. It said it had been patrolling a lot in the past two years, like the city’s butler, doing its best to ensure that every place was normal.

Shi Yuan saw the roaring power plants, and countless machines he had never seen before were running, delivering electricity to the city. Geothermal power plants, thermal power plants, and wind power plants were working, with the wind coming from undamaged windmills on the ground, and the fire being supplied by robots that mined oil and coal – they were also back in action.

He saw several large greenhouses with cabbage, radishes, and potatoes. The picking robots picked off the mature plants and sent them to the food processing plant. Only a quarter of the area of the food processing plant was in operation, processing vegetables into canned food and stacking them in warehouses. When they went to the warehouse, canned goods filled two large shelves, which were the results of the past two years.

He also saw the dark automated turrets, the fearsome laser weapons, just as he had seen on the walls of the main city, the military facilities with their high energy priority, which were in operation all the time, defending the city. The hospital wasn’t lit up, but the basic instruments could be used if they wanted to.

The mole people looked around.

Just like when Shi Yuan first entered the city, they were full of curiosity about everything, and from time to time, they got into the houses and shops on the side of the road to take a peek and making exclamations.

“Di Wen!” They shouted, “The city is exactly the same as you said!”

They also said, “Can we live here forever in the future?!”

“I like it here! This is much better than the lair!”

“Teacher Gerald didn’t lie to us. The houses in the city are hard everywhere. It’s a very good place! I want to stay!”

“What is this, is this the ‘bakery’ you mentioned? Is that a ‘coffee shop’ over there!”

“And what is this, what is this? I think I picked up a camera… I think it’s called a camera, it’s the kind of machine that leaves a person’s appearance behind, I’ve read about it in books.”

They had endless questions, and Di Wen smiled and answered them one by one.

Elton was too big, and it took them five full days to take a look at the city.

Lu Tinghan confirmed that Elton’s defense was intact and indeed suitable for the “Deep Dive” plan.

On the evening of the fifth day, everyone gathered in the small square of Elton. The ground was very cold in the middle of the night, and the heating system was too extravagant and unnecessary. They had been lighting bonfires to keep warm these days.

The fire leaped brightly. Shi Yuan was wrapped in Lu Tinghan’s coat and sat by the campfire, with a white mist rising from his mouth.

The mole people were still afraid of the light and huddled together a little further away. They talked excitedly about where they went today, about the beautiful churches and marble statues, and the beds in the room that were so soft that they could sleep with peace of mind until dawn.

And Chi Yongge found good news: Bruno, the mole man who voluntarily injected inhibitors, was no longer afraid of light.

Bruno walked towards the bonfire step by step until the light of the fire fell in his eyes. Looking closely, the black fur on his arm faintly showed signs of falling off, and his back no longer seemed to be so curved.

He stared blankly at the fire.

It jumped, it was warm, it was orange and red, and it scalded a hole in the infinite darkness.

It was a small round of sun underground.

His eyes filled with tears.

Lu Tinghan told the Alliance the news that Elton was safe and livable.

There were cheers in the command center, and people stood up excitedly, screaming, cheering, and hugging each other. At this moment, tens of millions of kilometers apart, they shared the same joy.

“Di Wen!” The mole man still shouted, “Can we really live here?”

“Hmm.” Di Wen held a cup of hot water, “We’ll stay for now, and when the Alliance can mimic the signal of the abyss, we can stay forever.”

The mole people cheered.

They said, “We’re home!”

“That’s right,” Di Wen said.

When Shi Yuan looked over, he didn’t know if it was because the fire was too bright, or the white mist filled with hot water was too hazy, he felt that there was something shining in Di Wen’s eyes.

She smiled and said, “Yes, we are home.”