The plunder of the heavens begins with the Spirit Cage.

But what kind of environment does the little broken ball under its feet have?

It would be unreasonable not to colonize planets that can provide meat and vegetables as soon as possible.

Could it be that the Dark Bunker can keep opening wormholes indefinitely? How much power would that require?

The statement that those who can become air force pilots are mostly top students is pure nonsense!

The three of them shook their heads in skepticism.

"I think they must have found some cheap substance to clone."

Or perhaps it gives people hope to live! That was all Ban Zhenhai could think of.

The ever-spreading deathly atmosphere of Jingxu stands in stark contrast to Xingguang City.

"How about... we buy some to take back?" Although Li Che had his doubts, his heart was still pounding when he saw the other party's confident look.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

"Aren't there testing equipment on the transport ship?"

"Just let AI examine the gene sequences of those plants and animals, and we'll know if it's true or false."

“That’s right!” Bai Fuguang couldn’t help but admire his amazing thinking: “They can’t just create genes that don’t exist out of thin air.”

If you had that ability, it would be no different from creating life.

In his excitement, Ban Zhenhai coughed, "We don't have any money here!"

"Hehe, that's easy! You guys wait here for me." Bai Fuguang said, and then walked towards the three workers in the distance.

"Hey! Fellow villager..."

Before long, the two of them saw Bai Fuguang talking to the workers from a distance.

He then removed his wristband and made a credit point transaction with another person.

Upon entering the city, they all received a temporary identity card, which, in addition to identification, was used for all transactions.

"Damn it, what a loss!" Bai Fuguang walked over dejectedly, holding his temporary identity card and showing off the 650.8 credit points inside.

Of the three workers, he had the most money; the other two weren't planning to pool together a thousand to cover the cost.

“Anyway, the terminal can’t connect to the internet, so keeping so many credit points is useless. We’re not living here permanently.” Li Che patted his shoulder and comforted him.

The three of them quickly ran back to the supermarket and went on a shopping spree, buying different kinds of meat, fruits and vegetables they had never seen before... and even some sea and river shellfish that were half a meter long!

Are you sure it's not a genetically modified species?!

However, since it was a living creature, the three of them still sold the remaining two terminals and loaded them onto their vehicle to take back with them.

Upon returning, they went directly to the team leader and requested access to the laboratory.

"What do you need the lab for?" Li Wuji asked, slightly puzzled by the three men's excited and flushed faces.

"Captain, it's like this..." The three of them explained while holding the food they had bought.

Li Wuji realized the importance of the matter.

Regardless of whether the story is true or not, Dark Castle can indeed provide that much meat.

Both could solve the problems of food shortages and tense situation in the capital.

These ordinary soldiers had no idea about the higher-ups' escape plan.

If their food problem is solved, their lives will be better; it's that simple.

After gaining access, the four of them headed straight to the laboratory with the ingredients they had purchased.

Along the way, both the workers and soldiers could clearly see the items the group had entrusted to them.

The half-meter-long shell was particularly eye-catching, and curious people went up to ask about it.

Good heavens, this feels like listening to a sci-fi movie!

If they had space technology, they wouldn't be stuck in the solar system.

Many people believe that the food in front of them is genetically modified and cloned.

So when they arrived at the laboratory, word spread like wildfire, and a huge crowd gathered around them.

As several silver-gray precision instruments hummed and beams of light swept across meat, fruits, vegetables, and river and shellfish, AI automatically completed sampling, sequencing, and comparison in no more than half an hour.

The moment the test report popped up on the terminal screen, everyone's eyes widened, and the huge laboratory corridor fell silent instantly.

Gene sequence alignment results: No match found!

A line of striking red text leaps onto the screen, followed closely by dense sequencing data.

Each chain map is completely different from the records in the database of known species on Earth.

It contains neither traces of artificially edited gene fragments nor sequence deviations characteristic of cloning technology; it is entirely the original code of an unknown life form.

What's even more shocking is that in the nutritional analysis section, all the values ​​are ridiculously high.

The protein content is several times higher than that of beef.

No pathogens, no heavy metal residues, no risk of genetic contamination...

"This...this really isn't from Earth?" Someone broke the silence first, their voice trembling with disbelief.

Now, even those who initially scoffed at the idea had to believe the most outrageous guess—the bunker really had mastered space technology!

"Seriously, is something like this really going to be made public like this?" someone raised concerns, feeling there was a hint of conspiracy.

Li Wuji didn't care about other people's speculations at this moment.

He clutched the report and relayed the information up the chain of command, finally managing to get Captain Ouyang to summon him.

In the captain's cabin, Ouyang Lingfeng finished reading the report and the explanations from Li Che and others with a blank expression, then waved his hand.

"I understand. You may all leave now. We will report this matter to higher authorities."

Li Che and the others were overjoyed; they had earned merit now!

Li Wuji thought for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Captain, I'd like to ask for leave..."

Ouyang Lingfeng glanced at Li Wuji, who looked uneasy, and his deep eyes instantly saw through his thoughts.

Even if he didn't say it was him, he actually had a sweet tooth himself.

After a moment's hesitation, he declined, saying, "There's no need to approve the leave."

Li Wuji's heart sank suddenly, thinking that his request was inappropriate.

But then Ouyang Lingfeng changed the subject, saying, "There's still plenty of space in the transport ship's warehouse."

Go and assemble a temporary procurement team, contact their mayor, and exchange any unused instruments and spare parts from the ship with them.

Li Wuji was taken aback at first, then his face broke into undisguised elation. He slapped his chest and saluted, "I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Chapter 45 Food

Once the captain's cabin was empty, Ouyang Lingfeng picked up the report again and read it through.

"Space technology, huh?"

Although reason told him that it was impossible, their civilization was not a purely technological world.

Space technology may have been discovered by researchers at the Dark Fortress from space-age individuals.

Or perhaps the space-age ability user made a significant breakthrough with the assistance of the researchers.

Whether it's an accident or a miracle... in any case, it's not impossible that the absurdity has become a reality.

As for whether the situation was true... Ouyang Lingfeng looked at the bunker through the ship's window.

Fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables can be supplied to the wasteland.

Dong Mingxi and the others, being in Fenghuo City, should have been even more aware of the problem; there was no need for him to even mention reporting it.

And indeed, after Lu Qianwei warmly accepted the invitation, Dong Mingxi arrived in Fenghuo City with several captains and guards, where they were given a warm welcome.

It's the kind of banquet that's called a state banquet, a Manchu Han Imperial Feast, with delicacies from land and sea... This is completely different from the last one, which was frugal and thrifty with only four dishes and one soup.

Dong Mingxi couldn't see the purpose behind Lu Qianwei's dramatic change.

But you can tell that the ingredients on the table come from different creatures.

There were over a hundred dishes on the table, and the texture, color, and even the unique aroma of each ingredient after cooking were completely different from anything I had ever eaten before.

It is by no means a product that can be nurtured by a single ecological environment.

How many different living environments would the Dark Fortress need to simulate to support so many distinct species at the same time?

Temperature control, humidity, soil composition, light cycle... each of these is a bottomless pit of money and resources in the apocalypse.

In recent years, the fact that the aristocratic alliance group could do such a thing, as evidenced by the broadcast warnings to Lu Qianwei, suggests that it is unlikely that he would do it.

Not to mention, the freshness of these somewhat 'strange' ingredients is not at all like they have been stored for a long time.

Dong Mingxi looked up at the smiling Lu Qianwei and tentatively asked, "General Lu, I remember you saying last time you came that food was scarce."

"These ingredients...you must have built dozens of ecological cultivation chambers."

"Hehehe, if I had this ability before, I could have become a farmer and made a fortune."

"Before? So you can do it now?" Dong Mingxi pressed, seizing the key point.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qianwei simply smiled faintly and did not rush to answer.

He was the first to pick up his chopsticks, took a piece of glossy meat jerky, and slowly put it into his mouth.

"Everyone must be hungry, why don't you try the dishes on the table and see if they suit your taste?"

Smelling the aroma and looking at the vibrant food on the table, the captains who had taken their seats simply swallowed hard and didn't touch their chopsticks.

It's no wonder they were careless; it was a transaction involving tens of thousands of tons of fuel. If they had been double-crossed, they would have been dead.

In the quiet atmosphere, Dong Mingxi had no choice but to step forward and speak out.

"Since General Lu has extended such a generous invitation, I certainly must try it and see how it tastes."

Although the ingredients were unrecognizable, there was no need to use such obviously strangely colored food to poison them.

Of course, that's what they say.