Thirteenth month of death

Chapter 222 Appearance
The iron door slowly closed behind him, making a dull metallic friction sound.

Li Daosheng and his group walked down the narrow stairs. The surrounding walls were covered with fluorescent fungi, emitting a faint blue light, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching them in the darkness.

The air was filled with a damp, musty smell mixed with the scent of rusted metal, which made people feel depressed.

The stairs were not long, and soon they arrived at a spacious underground space.

The walls here are inlaid with old neon tubes, the lights flickering and casting a blurry light and shadow.

Various discarded mechanical parts are scattered on the ground, some of which have been corroded beyond recognition, while others still shine with a metallic luster.

Li Daosheng looked around and found that this place was not as noisy and chaotic as he had imagined the black market to be. Instead, it was unusually quiet.

There was a strange atmosphere in the air, as if danger might strike from the darkness at any time.

"Is this the black market?" Mo Shi asked in a low voice, with a hint of vigilance in his tone.

Ren Ou glanced around, as if looking for something.

"Be careful, the people here don't welcome outsiders." Ren Ou reminded in a low voice.

Just then, a light sound of footsteps came from a distance.

Li Daosheng and others immediately became alert, their eyes fixed on the direction where the sound came from.

A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows. It was a tall, thin man wearing a worn black windbreaker and a metal mask that revealed only a pair of cold eyes.

In his hand was a dagger that gleamed with cold light, with some blue liquid still remaining on the blade.

"Outsider?" The man's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of threat.

Li Daosheng did not answer, but silently clenched his fists, ready to respond to possible attacks at any time.

Mo Shi and Yang Tianyan also took fighting stances, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Ren Ou still stood there, looking at the man with indifference.

After a moment, he slowly said: "We are not enemies."

The man sneered and twirled the dagger in his hand slightly: "You don't have the final say on this."

Renou ignored his threat and continued, "We are here to find some information about Lan Base and the 'Mechanical Heart'."

When he heard the words "Lan Base" and "Mechanical Heart", the man's eyes flickered noticeably.

He was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice: "Who are you? Why are you looking for this information?"

Ren Ou did not answer directly, but asked: "Are you a android?"

The man was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "What do you think?"

Ren Ou's eyes remained calm. "If you were a android, you should know that the explosion at Lan Base was not an accident."

The man's expression became more complicated. He was silent for a moment, then slowly put down the dagger in his hand: "Come with me."

"only you."

Ren Ou shook his head: "No, they are my companions, if we want to go, we can go together."

The man's eyes swept over everyone and suddenly sneered: "Whatever you want."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the darkness.

Li Daosheng and others looked at each other, then immediately followed Ren Ou.

The man led them through several narrow passages and finally came to a heavy metal door.

There was an old electronic lock embedded in the door. After the man entered a password, the door slowly opened, revealing a spacious room.

The room is filled with various complex mechanical equipment and electronic instruments, and the walls are covered with display screens flashing various data and images.

In the center of the room stood a large metal table, piled high with various documents and parts.

The man walked over to a machine, retrieved a document, and projected it onto the large screen. "This is the final record of Lan Base."

Ren Ou and the others' eyes immediately fell on the big screen.

The document records in detail the various abnormal phenomena before the explosion of Lance Base, including fluctuations in the energy system, abnormal behavior of androids, and Dr. Lance's experimental log.

The most shocking thing is the text recorded on the last page:
"I know the experiment will be completed, but the energy of the 'mechanical heart' has exceeded the control range. If it continues, the base will not be able to withstand this energy and explosion is inevitable. I must make a choice..." Ren Ou's eyes stayed on the last line of words for a long time.

Li Daosheng noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly, as if he was suppressing some emotion.

"Dr. Lance...did he know there would be an explosion?" Li Daosheng asked in a low voice.

Ren Ou was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"Then why didn't he stop the experiment?" Mo Shi asked in confusion.

Ren Ou's eyes dimmed, and his voice deepened. "Because he trusts us, he believes that androids should have freedom."

"Even if the price is destruction, he is willing to bear it."

The room fell into silence.

Li Daosheng and others looked at Ren Ou, and a complex emotion arose in their hearts.

At this moment, the door of the room was suddenly pushed open, and a short man ran in hurriedly with a look of panic on his face.

"Lin, the sheriff is here."

The man's words instantly made the atmosphere in the room tense.

The man he called "Lin" was the owner of this black market data room, the man wearing a metal mask.

Li Daosheng and others immediately looked towards the door vigilantly.

But this mysterious man in the black market directly targeted them.

"As soon as you arrived, the dogs' noses picked up the scent."

He seemed to be doubting, but in fact he was definitely skeptical.

I suspect they were the ones who brought the sheriff here.

Li Daosheng and his companions were also confused.

It's unlikely. If this is not a coincidence, then they must have been followed.

Could it be that X-73 reported the secret?
There is no reason...

It has known the location of the black market for a long time, why did it choose to reveal it at this time?
"You guys go, I'll take care of the aftermath." Ren Ou said.

His idea was simple: since the trouble might have been caused by himself and others, he would be responsible for solving it.

The man wearing the metal mask looked at Ren Ou several times, then suddenly smiled:
"no need."

"The underground is our world. Even if they want to come down, they have to consider whether they can return."

"The existence and location of the underground black market, and even those of us hiding in dark corners, are no secrets to them."

"But... they need us to be there."

The metal-masked man laughed sarcastically. "A department dedicated to the long-term fight against illegal androids. If we wipe out all the android nests, they'll be out of a job..."

After that, he called up the screen and pressed two hidden buttons.

The entire underground black market space suddenly shook.

The "sparkling" underground butterflies fluttered their wings, and layers of blue light dots fell from their bodies.

The structure of the entire underground world... is changing rapidly.

Where there was a road, it became a wall.

The places I could have gone to are no longer accessible.

"The rule here is to give both parties a reasonable reason."

The man in the metal mask looked at the four people:
"You have passed. The ruins of Lan Base are now guarded by bionic surveyors."

"Are you sure you want to go?"

(End of this chapter)