Star Hunter.

Chapter 208 The Underground Base Sees the Light of Day Again

Chapter 208 The Underground Base Sees the Light of Day Again

Chapter 208 The Underground Base Sees the Light of Day Again

Xilin and Xiying followed the gray cat into the building.

There are lighting devices inside. The lights will automatically turn on in the areas that Xilin and his group pass through, and will turn off one by one after Xilin and his group have completely passed through.

It's clear that the original owner of this place was quite energy-efficient.

They walked in and soon saw an elevator. As they approached, the elevator doors opened automatically. Gray Cat went in first, and Xilin followed without thinking.

The elevator doors closed, and then it began to descend.

After Xilin and his group descended in the elevator, all the lights inside the building that had emerged from the ground went out, leaving only the illumination of a small, hill-like area outside. Aside from the sounds of the Sixth Fleet's aircraft and fighters, the only other sound was the soft rustling of the wind.

Shorten and the others were puzzled. If they hadn't seen those monsters before, they would have doubted whether there were any higher life forms here. They had searched so many places, but they hadn't even seen a trace of those monsters; it was as if they had evaporated.

"Could they have burrowed underground?" one of the technicians said.

"It's highly likely, but the detector can't detect what's underground. No matter how it detects, it won't match reality." Another technician looked at the detector's scan and seemed troubled.

"Since these instruments are unusable, we can only rely on sending people out to find them."

Shorten didn't send his team down yet, after all, there were unknown dangers below, and the environment of this planet was very harmful to the human body. People wearing protective suits had many difficulties moving around, and if those monsters suddenly came out to attack, it would be terrible. So Shorten couldn't take the risk and could only hope that Xilin could send a message as soon as possible.

Xilin followed the gray cat out of the elevator. There were several passageways in front of them, and the elevator was located at the intersection of these passageways.

Grey Cat had a clear goal. After getting off the elevator, he didn't hesitate or give Xilin much explanation. He just kept walking in one direction.

Looking at the construction of these passages, Xilin did not think they were advanced civilization buildings. In fact, although these passages were solid and reliable, in terms of technology alone, they were not more advanced than some of the bases in the Star Alliance.

Turning left and right, Xilin saw some individual rooms, conference rooms, a large restaurant, and a grand auditorium, but he didn't stop. The gray cat was running faster and faster, and it seemed to be in a better mood, shouting as it ran.

"Sigma! I'm here! Come out and greet me!"

  

Sigma?

Who is Sigma?

Xilin looked ahead. There were no people, and no animals.

"Hubielu, it's so nice to see you."

As an excited voice rang out, an opening suddenly appeared in the wall of the passage ahead, and a robot emerged from it.

If this robot were seen outside of Star Sector Z, on the streets of those bustling star sectors in Trade District 10, it would surely be ridiculed as an old relic, outdated, ugly, and obsolete. However, the robot that appeared here made Xilin feel something special.

Judging by its appearance alone, this robot has a retro feel, unlike robots from Xi'an Film Studio that lean towards a human appearance and fluid movements. This robot doesn't even have legs; beneath its cylindrical torso is a hemispherical object that can roll in any direction. The head is also a hemispherical object connected to the torso, with a blue bar of light sweeping back and forth—this blue bar is probably its "eye."

What's so special about this robot named Sigma, which has a head and feet that look almost the same and resembles a roly-poly toy?

The tone of voice, the gestures, and even the changes in the blue bar when speaking.

Its tone was very natural, exactly like a human's. When it said it was happy to see the gray cat, the blue light turned into a wave shape, which should mean something like a human's laughter. And... damn it, this thing waved its hands up and down as it came over, just like a fledgling bird flapping its wings as it ran!

The gray cat happily circled around Sigma, while Sigma just kept spinning in place, making Xilin a little dizzy.

"Hey, why don't you two take a break?" Xilin said.

Sigma looked up at Xilin and Xiying behind Xilin, then with a "whoosh," he swung his arms and spun around Xilin and Xiying several times.

"A fellow aura!" Sigma was so happy that the blue bar on his face turned into many large wavy lines.

Xilin's lips twitched. This robot seemed to have a personality similar to that of a child.

Clearly, the gray cat had been communicating with this robot all along.

After circling around Xilin and Xiying a few times, Sigma stopped in front of Xilin, and the blue beam of light turned into a question mark.

"You're human? But why do I sense the presence of someone like me?" Sigma asked.

The gray cat jumped onto Sigma's hemispherical head and stood firmly. It briefly introduced Xilin and Xiying and said, "Xilin is an oddball, but you just need to classify him as one of your own. Don't worry about it too much."

"Alright." Sigma categorized Gray Cat, Xilin, and Xiying as his own people, then said to Xilin, "The air composition and environment here have changed, so Xilin, you can take off your outer protective suit."

Hearing Sigma say this, west Ying did not object. She had already measured the current temperature, air pressure, humidity, and air composition, which were indeed in line with human survival standards, so there was no need to wear protective clothing anymore.

This change began when Sigma categorized Shilin as "one of their own," and the composition of the environment changed rapidly, completely altering itself in just a few seconds.

Xilin took off his protective suit, took a breath of air, and found that the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide were good, in a very standard ratio.

"Come here, come here, I'll show you around this base!" Sigma waved his hand and started walking forward—no, he started rolling.

Xilin was curious about how it rolled, but when he watched it climb a flight of stairs, the exposed hemisphere representing its feet turned into a tooth-like shape similar to the stairs, and then climbed up step by step, he understood that the hemisphere representing its feet could change state.

The underground base is huge. I had heard Gray Cat mention it before, but unlike other bases, it is fully equipped, like a complete underground world, and even has a large artificial lake.

"Sigma, have you always been here alone?" Sirin asked.

Sigma's voice suddenly filled with sadness, "Yes, it's so boring. I can only enter a hibernation period, and I won't wake up unless an outsider comes here."

"What about those strange... inhuman creatures outside? We saw them before we came."

"Oh, you mean Lovag and the others? They are the guardian beasts, protecting this base. When there are no outsiders on the planet, they enter a dormant state. Once outsiders invade, they will wake up and attack the intruders."

"Lovag?" Xilin asked, puzzled. He had never heard of this word before and had no idea what it meant.

"Lovag means 'knight,' and the master created them so that they could guard this base like knights."

"Which star sector's language is it?" Xilin asked.

"It's not from here, it's the language of my hometown," Sigma said, his voice growing even more sorrowful.

"You're not a member of the Covenant... a robot?"

"no."

"Where is your master? Not him either?"

"Master, it was you who brought me here. Later, you and the others left, leaving me here to guard this place," Sigma's blue beams turned into two lines of teardrops as he said, his voice trembling with tears. "I was left behind by Miss and the others. I really miss them. Master said that I can only leave the base to find them once the 'shortcut' opens..."

"shortcut"!

Olliro's Cage, a "Shortcut" to Rebirth! It's the same type of star map fragment that Sirin has.

As expected, Sigma's master was the one who left Olliro behind.

Sigma is like an unguarded child. It answers whatever Xilin asks, mainly because it knows how to be a cat. It considers Xilin and the others as "one of its own," which is why it answers almost every question.

Before long, Xilin had learned almost all the information he wanted to know.

"Sirin, Sigma said we can use this base!" Gray Cat said smugly, jumping onto Sirin's shoulder.

"Really?" Xilin looked at Sigma.

"Yes, Master said that anyone I approve of can use this base, and I approve of you!"

Judging from Sigma's tone, it sounded more like the excitement of finding a playmate in the future.

"Aren't your masters and the others coming?"

"I'm not coming back. Even if I did, I wouldn't use this place again. This was originally the owner's old base, but it was later relocated."

According to Sigma, the location of its master's relocated base is the same large planet that the military is now guarding.

"Do you want the base? Do you want it?"

Sigma's blue beam of light instantly transformed into two large circles, gazing at Sigma with anticipation.

Absolutely! This abandoned base will save the Sixth Fleet so much energy and resources! And according to Sigma, this base has been in a state of stagnation and abandonment.

"There's one downside: the environment on this planet isn't good. We can't stay underground forever, can we?" Xilin said with some regret after thinking for a moment.

"It's alright!" Sigma circled around Sirin, holding up one finger. "First, this base was originally on the ground, but later I went into slumber, so I had the base sink underground."

"So, when your master built the base, it was on the ground, and then you single-handedly 'sunk' it down? How did you manage such a massive project?"

"Because I'm bored, and I'm just killing time anyway," Sigma said.

Xilin's words sounded truly melancholic. A robot left behind in loneliness, an old base—it's a story brimming with inspiration.

The blue bars on Sigma's face turned wavy again, his voice filled with pleasure, and he extended another finger: "The second question is that this planet has been transformed over a long period of time, and its environment can be adjusted. One reason why the base was built with such a wide coverage area is to allow it to influence the environment and air composition of the entire planet."

"It can be changed?" Xilin asked in surprise.

"Of course, within an hour, it's possible to modify the atmosphere, the composition of the air, and the air pressure. It's always been like this. Before the master left, everyone was free to run around outside." The blue light on Sigma's face drifted diagonally upwards, as if he were reminiscing.

Xilin stroked his chin and beckoned to Sigma with his finger.

"What? What's your decision?" Sigma immediately leaned closer.

Xilin discussed some things with Sigma, asking him not to reveal the "shortcut" for the time being, to reconcile their statements, and only after everything was ready did Xilin allow Sigma to begin adjusting the base.

Beyond the ground.

Inside the spacecraft, Shorten stared at the scene on the planet's surface displayed on the screen.

It was desolate, devoid of any human presence. The planet had water and some primitive plants and animals, but these added little vitality and were few in number, making it appear lonely and forlorn.

Just as Shorten was thinking about something, he reconnected with Sirin.

"How is it?" Shorten asked.

"You'll see soon enough, Captain. Now, have everyone ascend to high altitudes. Leave no one near the ground. I'll show you the spoils of this mission in two minutes."

Xilin spoke with certainty, and although Shorton was puzzled, he temporarily suppressed his doubts and had everyone ascend to high altitude. Once everything was ready, everyone stared intently at the situation below, while those on the starship outside also watched the images displayed on the screens without blinking.

The glowing hills on the planet's surface grew brighter and brighter, and then the ground began to tremble again, even more violently than before, tearing away the surface rocks and sand.

Then, the base, which had been left behind for over a thousand years and hidden underground for hundreds of years, finally saw the light of day again.

Looking at the magnificent, seemingly endless building that had appeared, everyone in the Sixth Fleet was stunned.

The emerging base gradually rose higher, and the near-ground area was completely covered by sand. However, above the sand, the base's high-rise buildings resembled a leader, guiding the underground parts to rise upwards.

An hour later, as the sand layer gradually dissipated, illuminated by the light that rose like a hill, everyone finally saw this underground behemoth, like an earthen dragon emerging from the ground, a fortress as solemn as a military base.

"west...Xilin..." Xiaodun's voice was somewhat hoarse. He seemed to understand what was about to happen, and his heart rate involuntarily increased. He had not yet regained his composure.

"Wait a minute, Captain, we'll talk about it later."

What else?!

Shorten and the others held their breath, staring intently at the situation on the ground.

One minute, nothing.

Five minutes passed, and still nothing happened.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes...

"Xilin, what's going on? There's been no movement." Shorten finally couldn't help but ask, it was rare for the captain of the Sixth Fleet to be so impatient.

Before Xilin could answer, some technicians on the starship excitedly told Shorten, "Captain, the planet's atmosphere has thickened! According to monitoring data sent back by the probes, this planet is transitioning from Class C habitability to Class B habitability!"

In other words, this colossal object emerging from the ground could make the planet either a B-level or a C-level habitable state.

Who has such a large budget?

Thump, thump...

Shorten could hear his own heartbeat and feel the warm blood flowing through him.

Finally, Shorten heard Xilin's voice.

"Captain, transformation complete. We don't need to wear protective suits anymore." With Xilin's voice, a flat landing area appeared at the base, which was practically a temporary airport.

"well!"

Shorten landed the aircraft and was the first to step out, without wearing a protective suit.

The base's purification process has calmed the sandstorm, and now the proportions of all components in the air are in the standard ratios. Moreover, the temperature is only slightly colder, which is perfectly normal for hunters like Shorton and his crew.

Xilin was already waiting at one of the entrances to the landing field. After meeting Shorten, he briefly explained the situation of the base and then gave a grand introduction to Sigma.

After listening to Sirin's explanation, the first thing Shorten said to Sigma was, "Would you like to join our Sixth Fleet?"

Then came a series of child-kidnapping claims, which made the blue bars on Sigma's face turn into hazy circles.

Sigma wasn't sure what the right decision was, so it asked its most trusted gray cat, "Hubielu, are you also a member of the Vanguard Sixth Squadron?"

"Of course, I'm still a core fighting force!" Gray Cat said, standing on Xilin's shoulder and looking up.

"Core combat power my ass!" Kari scoffed from a distance.

However, the reactions of Kari and the others were clearly not within Sigma's considerations; it only adopted the opinions of "its own people." Little did it know, Grey Cat had also been lured by Sirin.

Looking at this fortress that covered one-fifth of the entire planet, everyone in the Sixth Fleet went crazy.

Who knows, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise!

The main fleet allows each squadron to act, make decisions, and play freely, building their own temporary bases. This is also a test of each squadron's capabilities. Every so often, members of the main fleet will go to each squadron's temporary bases to inspect them.

Shorten is now looking forward to the arrival of the home team. I wonder what kind of expression the home team will have when they see this magnificent sight.

Sigma was extremely happy to have the people from the Sixth Fleet move over, but the first thing to solve was the compatibility issue.

Lovag is a group of guardian beasts with chips implanted in their bodies, so Sigma needs to modify the information on these chips to ensure harmonious coexistence between the two groups.

Previously, when the base was underground, their food consisted of stored nutrient solution provided within the underground base. Since the nutrient solution was limited, they would burrow underground and enter a dormant state whenever no one was around. Now that there are people around, the members of the Sixth Fleet are willing to provide a large amount of food to help them coexist better with these guardian beasts.

Having decided to establish a temporary base on this planet, the first task is to build a satellite array defense network.

However, none of those things mattered to Gray Cat. Gray Cat was currently conflicted. It noticed something: Xilin, Xiying, and Sigma all started with "Xi"—wasn't that making it feel ostracized? No, it couldn't be too different. But should it change it to Xihubielu? That sounded awful!! (To see the latest updated chapters, please visit Xia Ke or enter directly)

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