A live stream of someone hand-making a giant white robot attracted the attention of the government,

Looking at Bai Che's "Are you kidding me?" expression, Li Jianguo not only didn't explain, but instead smiled mysteriously.

"Keep up, Comrade Bai Che."

He stepped aside, and two heavily armed soldiers in desert camouflage walked out of the cabin, stood silently on either side, and made a "please" gesture.

Bai Che pursed his lips and followed Li Jianguo down the gangway.

A military off-road vehicle without any markings, painted in a color that blends in with the sand, is parked quietly not far away.

Once inside the car, the engine roared low, kicking up a cloud of dust as we drove deeper into the Gobi Desert.

The car was deathly silent, save for the monotonous sound of tires crunching over gravel. Bai Che leaned against the window, gazing at the unchanging desolation outside, inwardly grumbling.

Goodness, this is quite a show of force! Are they really trying to get me to come to the Northwest to plant saxaul trees and contribute to the afforestation effort? It's not that I can't do it, it's just that my major isn't really relevant…

The off-road vehicle traveled for nearly half an hour through bumpy roads before finally stopping in front of a huge, reddish-brown rock wall.

This place looks no different from any other mountainside in the Gobi Desert, with weathered rocks, sparse shrubs, and not even a bird's nest to be found.

"We've arrived." Li Jianguo got out of the car first.

Bai Che followed and looked around, but couldn't see anything special about the place.

Li Jianguo walked up to the smooth rock face, where an inconspicuous device glowed with a faint green light. He brought his face close to it.

"Identity confirmed, Li Jianguo, access privileges: Alpha."

"Iris matching."

"Voiceprint matching".

"Permissions confirmed".

A series of emotionless, synthesized electronic sounds began.

The next second, under Bai Che's slightly astonished gaze, the huge rock wall that looked like it was growing out of the mountain actually... slid off from the middle in an eerie way to both sides!

There was no earth-shattering noise, only the fine meshing of gears.

A bottomless, vertically massive well suddenly appeared before our eyes.

The tunnel was brightly lit, with countless cold white beams of light stretching endlessly downwards, as if leading to an abyss at the Earth's core. A stream of finely filtered, metallic-smelling cold air rushed out from the abyss.

"Let's go, our new home is downstairs." Li Jianguo gestured for them to come.

Standing on the edge of the abyss, Bai Che, for the first time, showed a genuine shock on his usually lazy face.

Alright, the base is built in the mountains, this script finally feels right.

They transferred to a giant elevator platform the size of a basketball court, and as a ring of warning lights lit up around the edge of the platform, it began to descend steadily into the depths of the earth.

The feeling of weightlessness is fleeting.

Bai Che walked to the glass railing of the platform and looked down.

Then, he froze completely.

Good heavens! This isn't an underground tunnel at all!

Just below them, on the first floor, was a terrifyingly large automated factory! Countless giant robotic arms swung, sparks flew, yet it was as quiet as if they were operating in space!

The platform continues to expand into lower-tier markets.

The second floor was a brightly lit research area! Countless doctors in white coats moved about, and the garbled symbols scrolling on the giant holographic screen made even him dizzy!

The third layer is a simulated ecosystem! It's lush and green, a completely different world from the steel jungle outside!

The fourth floor is the living area! It has dormitories, a cafeteria, and even an indoor basketball court!

Countless people work, study, and live inside this hollowed-out mountain.

They are passing through a base.

This is a vertical steel city that was forcibly carved out of the mountain and hidden underground!

For the first time, Bai Che's brain experienced the impact of pure "engineering".

The system provided him with theories and blueprints that were ahead of their time.

The nation, with its terrifying execution capabilities, turned fantasy into reality. This goes beyond the description of "infrastructure maniac"; it's a force on par with planetary terraforming.

He suddenly realized that his previous small goal of "fifty meters underground" seemed ridiculously naive in the face of this vertical base.

Ultimately, the vision is too narrow!

Just as he was in shock, the elevator slowly slowed down and finally came to a steady stop on a platform level numbered "Geng-7".

The hatch slid open.

Outside the platform, a woman in a crisp general's uniform was waiting quietly with a group of equally imposing officers.

The woman was tall and slender, with neat short hair and exquisitely beautiful features, yet together they exuded a coldness that kept people at a distance. A shining star of military command rested on her shoulder.

Major general.

Bai Che's eyelids twitched. Such a young major general? He's either a nepotism hire or a ruthless individual.

Judging from their aura, they're almost certainly the latter.

Ugh, this is getting increasingly troublesome.

"General Qin, I've kept you waiting." Li Jianguo stepped forward quickly.

The woman merely nodded slightly, without shaking his hand. Her gaze passed over Li Jianguo and landed directly on the listless-looking young man behind him.

"Representative Li, who is this?"

Li Jianguo immediately introduced them: "General Qin, this is Bai Che, the chief designer of the 'Ark' project that I mentioned to you."

He turned his head and spoke to Bai Che again.

"Bai Che, this is Major General Qin Bing, the head of the 'Kunlun' base."

Qin Bing's gaze was so sharp it seemed to pierce through people's hearts.

She scrutinized Bai Che from head to toe. He was wearing a loose T-shirt, casual pants, and sneakers. His face still showed signs of sleepiness. He looked slouchy and lacked the rigor expected of a researcher, let alone the awe one would show in front of a general.

This young upstart prompted the highest levels to issue three orders, even suspending two A-level projects in Kunlun, just to make way for his seemingly fantastical "Ark."

In her opinion, this was no genius at all; he was just someone who got lucky, spoiled by his superiors, and sent to her for a prestigious position!

A little tyrant who requires her to allocate precious strategic resources to "serve"!

Thinking of this, Qin Bing's already cold face cooled down even further.

Li Jianguo keenly sensed the subtle change in the atmosphere and was about to speak up to ease the tension.

Qin Bing spoke first, her voice as cold and hard as she was, devoid of any emotion.

She stared at Bai Che as if examining a piece of merchandise, and asked her first question since arriving here, word by word.

"You're Bai Che?"

"I heard you're going to build a sun?"