Don’t panic if you get scammed, give him a Desert Eagle instead.

The camera continued its rapid descent, soon reaching the second level. However, what they saw was not the scene they had been told. Here, there was no sunlight, and the ground was covered in snow year-round, but the moonlight was unusually bright.

"Why is there moonlight? Logically speaking, even during the Ice Age, there should have been sunlight," Jiang Chuan asked, puzzled.

The biting winds here are so intense that the atmospheric climate can be directly simulated. Data shows that the current temperature is minus fifty degrees Celsius.

In such a cold place, it is unknown whether anyone lives there.

"Don't you think this place looks like a specially constructed well?" Jiang Chuan suddenly realized. This meant that there were indeed humans here whom they could never have predicted.

“We can only see the ecosystem of this place now; we still need to continue exploring,” Chen Tianfei said.

"it is good!"

The camera continued its descent, soon breaking through the clouds and entering an even more peculiar region. Here, the oxygen saturation was still rising.

Gradually, they discovered that this place was different from others. Sure enough, they saw some small houses they had never seen before.

They realized that the science and technology in this place might not be as simple as they had imagined. Most importantly, while various small houses appeared, they lacked any sense of technological sophistication.

It seems that humans have followed certain patterns in their survival and development here. But the problem is that the pressure here is much greater than on the surface.

However, when the camera began taking measurements, it was discovered that the pressure here was exactly the same as that on the ground.

"What's going on?" Jiang Chuan asked in surprise.

This clearly doesn't make scientific sense. First, this is the second level, and it's so cold. Logically, people wouldn't choose to live in such a place.

"Wait!"

Just then, a thought flashed through Chen Tianfei's mind, and he remembered something.

"I remember seeing the pressure balance theory in a paper before. Although I haven't been able to put it into practice yet, I do have the relevant theoretical data models."

Back then, he won a school award for this theory, and it even sparked widespread discussion globally. Unfortunately, he didn't gain much fame afterward, and the paper was eventually regarded as heresy by some.

However, if this theory holds true, it means that humans in this region have indeed utilized anti-gravity to achieve their current effects.

So he decided to observe it carefully here. Nanotechnology has no effect on gravity, but it can still detect it.

To ensure security, they also deployed nanosatellites in the area to enable communication via satellite in critical moments.

In fact, the local people lead a rather simple lifestyle. Because the area lacks various food crops, they don't seem to care much about food and drink.

However, at this moment, they discovered that although the place was dominated by moonlight all year round, people were able to build greenhouses for vegetables from house to house. Even more strangely, greenhouses could be built in these places.

However, these people also looked very strange. They were dressed in very heavy clothes and their appearance was different from that of humans on the surface.

They all had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and what was most strange was that they were not very tall, looking only about eight years old.

"Could this be the dwarf race that once existed in our human society?"

Although it cannot be confirmed at this time, if a new population does emerge, it will undoubtedly be a landmark breakthrough for future scientific research.

But why would these people choose to live underground?

To this day, it remains a huge mystery.

They quickly reviewed existing data and discovered that several ice ages had occurred, but one seemed to last exceptionally long, and human society discovered a problem: they appeared unable to live on the surface. Just then, they came across a startling statistic: an asteroid had struck Earth at that time.

"Look, this is a piece of history from our human society. I remember thinking about this when we were doing scientific research. After the Ice Age, the Earth was in this state. However, just when the self-renewal was about to be completed, an asteroid suddenly changed the entire ecological environment of the Earth."

Data shows that the asteroid impact on Earth was extremely powerful, killing all life on the surface and causing incalculable damage.

At the time, almost all the seawater evaporated, and all vegetation and trees on land died. The volcanic ash that blotted out the sky also caused a prolonged global nuclear winter.

However, this is only the currently accepted view among scientists. Whether these individuals knew about the asteroid impact data beforehand is still unclear.

"We haven't made contact with these people yet, so everything is just speculation. Boss, what do you think? Should we continue exploring the third level of the world?"

"Don't rush, don't bite off more than you can chew."

There's a reason they dare not directly seek out the third level. Many religions have a saying: the third level is the legendary hell. Anyone who dares to directly enter such a place will face serious trouble.

First of all, the fact that this place is unusually cold already tells a lot. We don't fully understand how the Earth was formed.

"Alright, how about this? Let's study this world first. If that doesn't work, should we try to establish communication with them?"

Chen Tianfei's question worried Jiang Chuan, because it was currently unknown which level within this subterranean world harbored the intention to destroy humanity.

However, based on Chen Tianfei's current understanding, the possibility of the second level destroying humanity is unlikely. Their own living environment is already extremely harsh. What's even stranger is that they are all dwarves, aware of the problems on the surface, and certainly wouldn't choose to return.

Actually, although it is winter here, there is a plant that can release a lot of oxygen, which is one of the reasons why humans can survive here.

"Then let's continue monitoring here."

"No!"

This time, Chen Tianfei decided to temporarily shut down the scientific institution, at least to temporarily stop all equipment.

"What?"

Jiang Chuan was filled with doubt upon hearing this.

"Think about it, what would happen if we left these instruments and data here? We have to evacuate now. If the data we obtained is quite important, I think this second-level guy might be very hostile to us."

"That's unlikely, isn't it?" "As the saying goes, you can't be too careful. Even though we're all good people, can you guarantee that the people in the second level of the inner world don't feel any disgust towards us? It's just that we haven't made contact with them yet."

Indeed, many things are unpredictable these days. Therefore, they had no choice but to temporarily remove all data, erase all data from the machines, and even take the hard drives with them.

What's left there is just an empty computer shell; if they want to use it, they can reassemble it immediately.

Upon returning home, they immediately began their final data analysis. The conclusion was that another world did indeed exist on the second level, and humans had been discovered there. However, these humans were different from those currently inhabiting the surface; they were true dwarves.

However, there is no reasonable explanation yet for why these dwarves exist underground.

"If you ask me, let's not jump to conclusions. I feel like something's not quite right. We need to observe further to find out exactly what happened."

In fact, Jiang Chuan was well aware of the situation. After the matter was over, he immediately went to his superior's office and recounted the entire incident in detail.

"Are you looking to apply for additional investment, or are you planning to contact them directly?"

“I’m not sure about that either, so I need to hear your advice. After all, we’re facing a completely new territory this time, unlike the situations we’ve faced before. As you know, we’ve already fought a war against the lizardmen. If we were to go to war with these people from the inner world again, we would be in an even more passive position.”

"Ok!"

After listening, the superior nodded thoughtfully. He was well aware that rash action would disrupt the existing peace and tranquility of humanity.

The problem is, if they don't break out of the current situation and continue living on the surface, they won't feel at ease. After all, the doomsday prophecy persists, and they currently have no idea who can help them.

"I think we can wait and see. At least we've made some new breakthroughs. If it really doesn't work out, we can just drop this matter and continue exploring the third level of the world."

“We can’t bite off more than we can chew, but this matter has too much impact. I think I need to think about it carefully after you told me. Here’s what we’ll do: you go back and wait for news. In the meantime, you and Chen Tianfei will prepare a feasibility report on communicating with the second-level world.”

"it is good!"

And so, both sides began to take action. After hearing the statement made by his superiors at the Financial Festival (the original text may be incorrect here; it should be a relevant meeting or occasion), Chen Tianfei nodded temporarily.

"By the way, this means he's working hard to solve the problem. And if I'm not mistaken, he should know that this matter is actually quite complex, and we have to be extremely careful with everything we do now."

"But we can't just let this go on. You've seen for yourself, what a huge impact it would have if humanity continued like this?"

"That still has to be done according to the rules. I'll say it again, it's absolutely not going to work if we humans act rashly. The feasible solution I'm talking about does exist, but we must make contact in the most low-key way possible, since we can't tell them the true situation on the surface right now."

"it is good!"

So they devised a relatively feasible plan. The gist of it was to temporarily transmit a seemingly low-level ripple using the existing cameras, observe the local situation using this ripple, and then determine whether to initiate contact.

After reviewing the feasibility report, the superiors nodded. Perhaps this is the best solution at present.

"We need to prepare for two scenarios. First, we need to start covering the entrance to the hole. This is not a simple scientific workstation; we need a very large organization. This must be done in cooperation with Ralph."

"it is good!"

The higher-ups called Ralph directly.

"It would be wonderful to get this kind of help. Now is a time to race against time, and I will absolutely not give up on any of this."

By this time, Ralph was mentally prepared. He knew very well that only by doing this could absolute safety be guaranteed. Moreover, they had already paid a heavy price.

Immediately afterwards, everyone threw themselves into their intense efforts. This incident also deeply shocked Xu Jiajia at home.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" she asked.

“I’m sure, and the higher-ups have already started cooperating with Ralph’s side. As you know, this is a secret collaboration between two countries.”

"it is good!"

Xu Jiajia was no longer content to wait as before.

“Listen to me, I will go with you this time. I can’t just stay at home taking care of the kids. Before I leave, I will bring all the notes I’ve compiled. Don’t worry about these things; it’s my responsibility that I’ve always felt obligated to do.”

How many secrets Xu Jiajia is hiding remains unknown. But in reality, this woman is primarily driven by curiosity, and she was once a member of an environmental organization. Given the current situation, she will undoubtedly do everything in her power to protect the Earth's safety.

And so, the couple joined forces once again. When they arrived at the site, they discovered that Chen Tianfei had become the chief scientist of the area, and a massive base had already been erected.

"Alright, now our task is to make contact. What should we do? What should we say as our first words? Or should we just get straight to the point?"

"Let's get straight to the point and tell them that we are humans from the surface of the earth, and that we are happy to be here through technology to communicate with them."

"it is good!"

Once everyone was ready, they immediately used the camera to reach the second level again. On the screen, it looked exactly the same as before.

"Start releasing ripple signals immediately."

As the ten-second countdown ended, the ripple signal began playing. A long wait ensued. Then, that evening, the ripple signal suddenly received a response.

Interpreting the ripple signal reveals only two words: "Go back".

"What does this mean?" Everyone was shocked.

"Then let's be even more enthusiastic and say that it's a pleasure to meet you and that we humans on the surface hope to become your friends."

"it is good!"

The next day, they followed the plan, but the response they received was still the same two words.

What exactly is going on? Is something wrong?
For several days in a row, no matter what they said, they received the same response. Everyone was getting increasingly anxious; what could be causing this?
To achieve a breakthrough, technical means alone are clearly insufficient. Xu Jiajia suddenly remembered the materials she had previously consulted, so she immediately returned to her room to search for her notes. (End of Chapter)