A group of people ascended the mountainside in a grand procession.
Gu Ya moved swiftly to the front, placing his hand on Gou Dan’s shoulder and instantly activating [Code Override].
The holographic parsing panel before him was blank.
He then summoned the consciousness projection helmet, but before he could place it on Gou Dan, a low growl from a mechanical wolf echoed from behind.
“Hei Yang,” Gu Ya stated coldly.
“Received~ Hehe,” Hei Yang replied cheerily, snapping his fingers.
Control of all the robots was instantly usurped by Hei Yang.
After placing the helmet on Gou Dan and a mere second of consciousness intrusion, Gu Ya withdrew.
The child’s mind held nothing but thoughts of food, play, and some knowledge of robots; no other wicked intentions were present.
As for the electricity cable he mentioned, only his grandfather knew its precise location.
Gu Ya felt a slight relief but remained vigilant.
Gou Dan led the way with practiced ease.
With him guiding, though the path twisted and turned, it remained relatively smooth.
Gou Dan would also warn the group of impending cliffs and sinkholes, though such warnings were of little use to Gu Ya and his companions.
As night approached, they had been walking for nearly two hours before reaching the mountainside.
“We’re almost at my house! Hahaha,” Gou Dan exclaimed.
Following Gou Dan’s pointed finger,
Gu Ya saw a colossal rock protruding from a cliff tens of meters high.
Upon this rock sat a small wooden cabin, its windows aglow with light.
It was hard to imagine how its inhabitants managed to reach it in their daily lives.
Gou Dan put his grubby hand in his mouth and let out a whistle, shouting, “Old Tin Can, come carry me!”
The robots remained motionless.
Gou Dan continued shouting, “Short Circuit! Wirehead? Quark Legs? Hmm? Strange, why aren’t they obeying?”
Gu Ya said calmly, “We’ll help you get up there.”
With that, he grabbed Gou Dan’s cloak, activated his leg propulsion,
Ye Ying, Bai Ying, and Gu Ya soared upwards with Gou Dan.
“Waa—Hahaha—! I’m flying!!!” Gou Dan yelled with excitement, his voice echoing through the valley.
After setting Gou Dan down,
Gou Dan immediately rushed into the small wooden cabin, shouting, “Grandpa! We have guests!”
Gu Ya glanced back. The entire rock face had been flattened with considerable effort.
Entering the cabin,
The interior was small, a single room.
Simple living utensils were arranged on the four walls.
An old man resembling a dwarf sat in a chair, smoking a pipe.
“You are…?” the old man asked warily, his free hand gripping a short-barreled gun, shielding Gou Dan behind him.
Gu Ya instantly teleported before the old man, disarmed him, and fitted the consciousness projection helmet.
Seconds later, he emerged from the old man’s consciousness, having obtained all the intelligence.
Indeed, an electricity cable leading into the mountains was located within the sheer cliff face below the large rock, extending into the mountain’s interior.
As for who placed the cable there and where the electricity flowed, the old man did not know.
Their family had resided there since his grandfather’s time, carving the rock and siphoning electricity to sustain their lives.
Gu Ya also found a mysterious message within the old man’s consciousness.
Following the mountain wall deep into the mountains,
After passing some inconspicuous landmarks, one would eventually find a cave entrance.
Since his grandfather’s generation, they had spoken of the cave’s immense importance.
What lay within the cave, however, they did not know.
It seemed that cave was highly likely to be one of the entrances to a secret base.
“Anything found?” Ye Ying asked softly.
Gu Ya nodded calmly but remained silent.
Seeing his only weapon gone, the old man offered no resistance, sighed, and said,
“I am old, and dying does not matter. Please spare my grandson’s life.”
“I found him in the mountains, just as my grandfather found me in the mountains.”
“No one knows who the child’s parents are.”
Gu Ya said nothing. He took out some food and dried meat from his [Void Pouch], placed it on the rough wooden table, and left the cabin with Ye Ying and Bai Ying.
“Are we leaving tonight?” Ye Ying asked softly.
Gu Ya looked at the clear starry sky and the vast expanse of dark mountains, replying, “We’ll rest tonight and depart tomorrow.”
He summoned the barracks, donned the camouflage netting, and after eating dinner, Gu Ya and the others retired for the night.
Hei Yang stood guard alone outside, watching the old man and his grandson.
At first light the next day,
Gu Ya and Ye Ying prepared to depart for the cave.
The short, stout old man emerged from the cabin and asked, “I know you are looking for the entrance to the underground base.”
Gu Ya remained silent. He had planned to kill the old man and Gou Dan before leaving, ensuring no one knew they had been there.
But unexpectedly, the old man knelt before Gu Ya and pleaded, “Please take Gou Dan with you.”
Seeing Gu Ya’s indifference,
The old man continued, “My grandfather once told me there was a city full of high technology within the mountains.”
“But the people in the city were forbidden from marrying and having children.”
“However, some employees would secretly meet and abandon the children they bore in the mountains.”
“Gou Dan might be the illegitimate son of an employee from the underground base.”
“If possible, please take Gou Dan back to the underground base. In return, I will give you something.”
Gu Ya asked coldly, “What is it?”
The old man looked into Gu Ya’s cold eyes and suddenly realized his time was short.
He tremblingly reached into his pocket, produced a piece of sheepskin, and handed it to Gu Ya, his eyes filled with tears. “My grandfather gave me this, saying it was very important. But I am illiterate.”
Gu Ya then remembered that the old man was illiterate, which explained why he hadn’t found any information about the sheepskin in his consciousness world.
Gu Ya took the sheepskin. It was crudely drawn with a map.
After careful examination, Gu Ya realized it was a map of the underground base!
The map outlined some functional areas and labeled them with Black Star script.
Gu Ya copied the map into [Star Construction Blueprint] and then tucked the map into his pocket.
He nodded and said to the old man, “I understand. I will take Gou Dan with me.”
The old man lowered his head, lost in thought.
A few seconds later, he stood up, pulled Gou Dan out from inside, and pushed him towards Gu Ya.
He then locked the door from the inside.
Shortly after, the sound of a stool falling over echoed from within.
Hei Yang whispered, “Master, he committed suicide.”
Even in death, he wished to die by his own hand; it was the old man’s final dignity.
Gu Ya summoned his exoskeleton armor, equipped with a flamethrower, and unleashed a torrent of fire at the wooden cabin.
Against the inferno, Gu Ya, carrying the sobbing Gou Dan, soared into the sky.
After two days of winding and stealthy travel,
The group finally arrived at the entrance of the mysterious cave.
“Hei Yang, go inside and scout,” Gu Ya instructed, staring at the pitch-black cave mouth.
Hei Yang entered the cave and emerged less than half an hour later,
Joyfully stating, “Found it! It’s definitely an entrance! There’s a rusted alloy gate at the end. Brute force should be able to open it!”
Bai Ying said calmly, “So, what use am I? You could have done this without me.”
“You are my daughter and Ye Ying’s daughter,” Gu Ya replied with a cold joke, leading the way into the cave.
Ye Ying chuckled softly, covering her mouth, and holding Bai Ying’s hand, followed Gu Ya into the cave.
Gou Dan lingered at the rear.
He glanced back at the vast, boundless mountains. A faint, mysterious smile suddenly appeared on his somber face.
Abruptly, Hei Yang’s large face appeared before Gou Dan’s.
Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart.
Hei Yang grinned, “Hehe,” and whispered softly, “Showing your true colors so soon, Hai Yang.”