New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 265 [Underground Laboratory]

Led by their senior, Yuan Zhu and Nie Yin followed closely and soon left the construction area of ​​the Frog Factory, heading towards another construction site further away.

Judging by the distance, it was about 200 meters. Yuan Zhu couldn't help but wonder, "Is that where the [Laboratory] is located? Why isn't it built together with the [Frog Farm] and the [Greenhouse]?"

Without turning her head, the senior student said, "The frog-raising area and the greenhouse for growing dangerous plants are ordinary buildings. They need to be large in scale, but their strength only needs to meet the standards. The [Advanced Laboratory] is different. It has extremely high requirements for building materials, protection levels, pollution shielding, etc., and needs to be built independently."

"Besides that, I have even more privacy features and special requirements for our [laboratory]... You see!"

At this moment, the senior student led Yuan Zhu to a huge pit, pointed to a 'giant drilling machine' at the bottom of the pit that was hard to describe, and reminded her in a slightly boastful tone.

Candle looked down and was shocked by what he saw in the deep pit: "This is..."

At this moment, "One," or rather, a large, old, rugged, mud- and rust-covered yet still mechanically beautiful metal behemoth, like a steel dragon, is coiled in the center of the deep pit, twisting its body wildly and frantically drilling into the hard rock beneath the soil.

The mechanical behemoth resembles a cylindrical 'mechanical worm/earthworm' with a diameter of 6 meters and an exposed body length of at least 20 meters, capable of twisting and turning as flexibly as a worm or earthworm.

Its head is a sharp, suction cup-shaped rotating mouthpart resembling a 'mechanical lamprey', and the cavity inside is equipped with a huge mechanical drill bit, much like Earth's 'tunnel boring machine', but much more flexible.

Although it appears to be a classic steampunk device assembled from 'purely mechanical structures', the shock and 'retro-tech feel' it gives is even higher and more shocking than Earth's technology.

The interior of this massive drilling machine emanated strong alchemical elemental fluctuations, clearly indicating it wasn't a purely physical machine; it also possessed the added benefit of extraordinary contamination. This made the giant machine appear more like a living entity.

With a series of sharp, ear-splitting scraping sounds, the mechanical behemoth plunged into the pit once more, opened its massive mechanical maw, and began to devour the rock strata. It used its drill bit to destroy the rock structure, crushing the stone and scattering a series of sparks. It then swallowed the pulverized stone chips and ejected them from its 'tail' protruding from the ground not far away.

Soon, construction teams arrived in large trucks and excavators to collect the crushed 'stone particles (mechanical behemoth poop)' and transport them to Project Area 1 as materials for building the [Frog Farm, Greenhouse].

It's just using local ingredients, like using the original soup and excrement.

Yuan Zhu stared at the enormous pit before him. While not exactly unfathomably deep, its depth of over ten meters was still quite astonishing: "What is this thing? Why did you dig such a huge 'pit'? Didn't you say you were going to build a 'laboratory'?"

At this moment, Zhu Zi was completely bewildered.

The senior student curled her lips and said excitedly, "Of course, we should build an underground laboratory! It's safe and hidden. Look at these thick rock layers. We can build an indestructible laboratory underground, easy to defend and difficult to attack, enough to suppress any 'dangerous test subject' and prevent its escape!"

"???"

Yuan Zhu's ideal laboratory: a small, explosion-proof concrete building, with low requirements, two or three stories would suffice.

The senior student's supervised [laboratory]: A mechanical alchemy behemoth frantically devours the rock strata, digging a sinkhole more than ten meters deep, and then pours water to fill it in? Is this the construction of a direct-lineage nuclear facility?

Listening to his senior's description, and realizing that he also had a share in this 'underground laboratory,' he was naturally inexplicably excited. But this excitement was quickly replaced by financial pain: "How much...how much will this cost?"

This is too extravagant and wasteful! His expectations for the "frog farm" are still at the level of the frog-raising sheds featured in CCTV's agricultural channel's "Getting Rich in the Countryside" program. What kind of underground honeycomb structure are you trying to create for me, like something out of a biohazard movie?

Isn't that a bit too much?

The senior student waved her hand: "Don't worry, it's not expensive. This is a professional drilling team that I asked my uncle to arrange. He promised to build me a six-story underground laboratory. There are also three floors above ground to cover our tracks. In addition, they will use this [earth-burrowing worm] to build multiple unconnected secret passages on each floor of the underground structure, leading to different exits, to facilitate concealed cargo transport and safe escape."

"It's a pity I don't have the money, otherwise I could even connect the 'secret passage' to the complex underground cave network of the Misty Mountains; or lead all the way to the underground transportation network of Running City. However, the price is too high, and I can't afford it. Our 'underground secret passage' cannot exceed 1 kilometer in length, and the exits are built in several hidden locations nearby, so that we can do some shady things."

At this moment, Yuan Zhu somewhat understood why this 'mechanical alchemy device' called the 'Drilling Worm' had appeared in his 'Frog Factory'. Digging pits was secondary; its more important task was to drill multiple independent 'escape + cargo transport' safe passages for the 'underground laboratory'.

What exactly is this senior student trying to do?!

Yuan Zhu now strongly suspected that the other party was using him as a cover. They seemed to be supporting his 'frog-raising business,' but in reality, they were secretly conducting other 'illegal research,' and had even dug underground smuggling routes.

If something goes wrong, they'll obviously have to take the blame. How terrifying!

Overwhelmed with mixed emotions, Yuan Zhu hesitated for a moment, unsure how to ask what to say. After stammering for a while, she finally asked, "What does your uncle do? Such a grand gesture!"

The senior student responded calmly: "He's not some big shot, just a small business owner in the gem mining industry. [Running] used to be a well-known 'old industrial town' on the West Coast. The nearby mountains contain rich metal and gem minerals... and there are many caves and fissures underground."

"Therefore, Running's mining, drilling and excavation engineering are extremely advanced. The strongest subjects at [Yuyuan] are [Geology] and [Large-scale Mechanical Engineering]. This old and outdated [Drilling Worm] is an underground drilling and gold refining device designed by [Yuyuan] a hundred years ago."

“Nowadays, Running’s industry is backward and its production capacity is declining. The original ‘metal mines’ have been exhausted, and Taixi has discovered new mining areas in other regions. Only the ‘gemstone processing’ industry still maintains its competitiveness. My uncle has business in a mining area near Running and is familiar with the drilling team, so he borrowed this ‘burrowing worm’ to dig a hole for us.”

According to the senior student's introduction, Running City is surrounded by mountains and has a limited surface area. However, it boasts exceptional industrial capabilities and drilling and excavation technology.

Running began constructing a complex underground transportation system over a century ago, including a subway system. Further down lies a sophisticated and luxurious drainage system. Continuing downwards, numerous naturally formed underground fissures exist.

Abandoned old subway tunnels, collapsed underground passages, and privately excavated underground spaces have ultimately interwoven to form a filthy 'underground city.' This is why goblins are so rampant in Running. The warm, humid underground network becomes a breeding ground for goblins. The city hall needs numerous [cleaning companies] to hunt down and eliminate the goblin menace, frequently flooding unknown underground spaces with toxic gas and then detonating it with open flames for efficient eradication.

Meanwhile, drilling, excavating hidden passages, and building underground chambers have long since evolved into a unique local culture. As a time traveler, Yuan Zhu couldn't quite understand his senior's excitement.

Building their own 'secret underground laboratory', along with multiple 'hidden passages', is a dream that every Runing child has had since childhood!

Snake translated it in the way Yuan Zhu understood: "Batman's Batcave + Raccoon City's Hive + EVA ejection tunnels in Tokyo-3..."

Yuan Zhu: "That felt so good!"

At this time, the Alchemy.Drill Worm was still in the foundation-digging stage, and the construction team had not yet entered the site to pour the bottom layer of the Laboratory.

So the group didn't linger. Instead, the senior student pulled them to a nearby temporary base, pulled out stacks of design drawings, and proudly introduced them to Zhu Zi.
-
The six-story underground laboratory has two floors: the top two floors are experimental areas, the -3 floor is an isolation observation area, and the bottom three floors are more like dungeons, secret rooms, and prisons of different levels, used to store, imprison, confine, and seal dangerous experimental works.

During the construction of each floor, she would hire a professional team to set up multiple 'magic arrays and alchemy arrays'.

In short, Yuan Zhu only vaguely understood what he was hearing, but he knew the security level must be very high. There were three layers of prison, with the confinement increasing as you went down. Even if things went wrong, this underground structure, with its absolutely top-notch security, wouldn't be able to prevent it.

...

According to the senior student, the Rain Academy deals with high-risk experimental waste and out-of-control experimental materials. They often venture deep into the Misty Mountains to find an abandoned mine and use a professional geological team to drill a secret tunnel of unknown depth leading underground.

Then use [Construction Powder] to create a sufficiently safe enclosed space, throw the 'Sealed Item' inside, and continue filling and irrigating... and then everything will be fine.

Even the Security Bureau, when dealing with troublesome 'contaminants,' likes to use this self-deceptive tactic. Taixi even sent a large amount of 'taboo contaminants' to Running and then buried them deep underground, much like how Earth's home planet handles nuclear waste.

Unfortunately, they lacked substantial funds in the early stages of their business. Otherwise, they could have easily dug the underground tunnels all the way into the complex underground mines of the Misty Mountains, leaving behind trash at will, making it impossible to trace or hold them accountable.

When Yuan Zhu thought about the future underground laboratory and the secret and secure cargo transport route, he thought of the two siblings on whom he had placed high hopes.

Yuan Tang and Yuan Tiao should adapt well to this environment, right? They just emerged from the cave in the [Feathered World], and now they're about to descend into Run Ning's underground. What a coincidence!

After admiring the underground laboratory blueprints designed by the senior student, and learning that she built the underground structure using family connections (her uncle), the cost was not high.

Zhu Zi gave it a perfect score, praising his senior as truly deserving of the title! If he were to entrust the work of the Frog Farm to Nie Yin, with his own financial resources, he could at most build a rural frog-raising shed of the "Path to Wealth" level.

Then, relying on their [Holy Light] skills (Holy Ash), they subsidize the frog farm, earning a living from the hard work of raising frogs. Day by day, they gradually improve the [farm]. In Running, where connections are scarce, how many years of hard work would it take to build a [laboratory] like the one built by Senior Sister?

Here, he couldn't help but exclaim: What a wicked bunch of rich kids!
Leaving their temporary accommodation, the group headed back to the construction sites of the Frog Factory and the Greenhouse. Watching the workers bustling about, he couldn't help but ask, "With so many people involved in the construction, aren't you worried that with so many eyes and ears, someone might leak information about the 'underground experimental facility'?"

According to the senior's plan, both the underground laboratory and the several independent safety passages are classified. When outsiders come to the Frog Factory to purchase goods, they can only see the two-story "experimental building" above ground, which is used to deal with external security checks.

But with such a huge pit and such a long "burrowing worm," there's no secret at all. The construction site in Zone B is less than 200 meters from Zone A, and they're constantly transporting "crushed stone" here; nothing can be hidden.

The senior student patted him on the shoulder, calmly reassuring him: "Don't worry, everyone here has signed the [Lawful Confidentiality Agreement]. Once it's done, the [Lawful Confidentiality Agreement] will automatically trigger and erase their relevant memories. They're all professional engineering teams with complete procedures; everything you can think of is written in the contract."

Yuan Zhu then thought of Runing's unique "underground culture," these kinds of "private, illegal bunkers" were something every wealthy family would build. So, a professional construction team would obviously have accumulated a wealth of "secret construction experience."

Having the [Pale Law] directly erase memories is more reliable than any oath or guarantee.

Yuan Zhu praised, "The laws and regulations are truly convenient."

Senior: "That's right. The construction team didn't spend much money; they relied on personal connections and relationships. But I paid for the [Anti-Law Confidentiality Agreement] myself; it cost a lot of money to get it done."

Yuan Zhu flattered her, "Senior, your family is really rich! When you recommended 'Superb Enhancement' to me, you even charged me a consultation fee."

The senior student humbly replied, "My family really isn't wealthy; we're just an ordinary family, one of those poor relatives on the fringes of a large clan. My uncle's branch inherited the family's 'gemstone mine,' but compared to the big gemstone merchants in Running, it's just a small business. The jewelry industry hasn't been doing well these days. My family sent me to [Rain Academy] to meet some geniuses, expand my network, and find new business opportunities. Our collaboration is just a small trial. I have faith in you; I'll personally invest in you, and my family will provide assistance."

Yuan Zhu countered, "Does your family also want to get involved in the 'pharmaceutical industry'?"

His initial intention in opening the Frog Factory was to steal the pollution enhancement techniques from the Power Path and learn how to make local 'magic potions'; he also wanted to use the blueprints from the Rain Academy to build a 'laboratory' so that he could replicate Earth's veterinary medicines.

Let me earn a meager living under my public identity, launder my money, and live a life of luxury and pleasure. I, Yuan Zhu, have achieved the pinnacle of [Holy Light], so I'll use it to raise frogs, earn money to buy cars and houses, live in a big mansion, and enjoy lavish meals every day. Is that not allowed? I risked my life for this! (Ignite life, release holy light.)
Upon hearing Yuan Zhu's question, the senior student nodded: "I do have that idea."

"I study the Dangerous Botany School. Besides following my mentor to study and decipher the mysteries of the 'Immortals', I also deal with a lot of ancient medicine prescriptions from the Xi Dynasty of the Old Continent (the [Gen Continent]). If I can explore and restore and improve a few [elixir prescriptions] by studying 'extraordinary medicinal materials', or cultivate 'extraordinary medicinal materials' that can be stably propagated, it would be a way to open up a new business for the family."

(End of this chapter)