The young king worm's nest had already been seventy percent filled. A blade beast breeding room, several corpses of adult blade beasts as specimens, and clusters of... glowing stone fragments were deliberately preserved here.
"It's this stuff."
Zhou Zhengde, the only ordinary person in the team, wore a pressure suit equipped with an oxygen supply system and explained weakly:
"This stuff can't be collected. When it's on the ground, it looks a bit like crystal, but as soon as you pick it up, it shatters directly..."
"Our instruments can't detect the energy inside."
"Research institutions have conducted various analyses on the fragments, and the final conclusion is only that it's a kind of stone, with a composition close to natural crystal."
"But look at these blade beast corpses. As long as they are around these glowing stone fragments, the crystal cores in their bodies will gradually increase in spiritual energy."
"If there are no blade beasts and only crystal cores in various states are placed, the phenomenon of increased spiritual energy will not occur."
Wang Jixuan added, "There are many of these things in this young king worm's nest. It seems to allow blade beasts to gradually mature from larvae."
Zhou Zhengde continued, "These glowing stone fragments have not been found in the strata outside the blade beast nests. Moreover, when this nest was lost, those blade beasts consciously destroyed these stone fragments... This nest was the first time we quickly cleaned them up, allowing these stones to be preserved."
Zhou Zhengde pointed to Wang Jixuan:
"He did it."
Wang Jixuan shrugged, "I was on a roll."
Treant Beta exclaimed, "You single-handedly annihilated a nest!"
Shaman couldn't help but praise, "Such stamina... No, I mean, is your spiritual energy endurance that strong?"
"They were all just larvae," Wang Jixuan explained sheepishly.
He had cultivated diligently for many years and was relatively thin-skinned.
Shen Qionglin slowly squatted down, took out a pair of sterile gloves and goggles from her coat pocket, and carefully approached for observation.
She actually carried these things with her.
Shen Qionglin tried to pick up the broken stone fragments on the ground, but the fragments quickly collapsed into powder like delicate chocolate products.
She pondered carefully.
Wang Jixuan and the others waited quietly beside her.
Shaman suddenly reacted and asked, widening her eyes, "Eh? That's not right! Weren't you taking us to visit the interior ecology of the fortress? Why are we suddenly here, involved in important secrets?"
Wang Jixuan smiled without saying a word.
Zhou Zhengde hurriedly explained, "This is just a scientific discovery, not a military secret, so don't worry."
Suspicion filled Shaman's eyes.
Wang Jixuan sighed inwardly. Leaving this little girl behind was somewhat of a miscalculation. It would have been better to just leave Treant Beta, who was easier to fool...
But it couldn't be said to be fooling.
How could he, a dignified and upright cultivator, possibly fool a pure and kind young man?
It was just that they were closer to each other.
After about twenty minutes, Shen Qionglin collected some ash-like samples.
"I can't determine what this is, but I have some guesses."
"What guesses?"
"About the origin of the blade beasts."
Shen Qionglin took off her gloves, took out a bag she carried with her, folded the gloves and put them in, and said quickly:
"You may not be very clear, but blade beasts are actually creations of the Spirit Cultivator civilization."
Wang Jixuan and Zhou Zhengde exchanged a glance, reached a tacit understanding, and nodded very seriously, revealing slight shock and a strong desire for knowledge.
Shen Qionglin was very satisfied with the expressions of the two and said quickly:
"The basic information I use to study the Spirit Cultivator civilization was given by the Six Elders, so many places are certainly not comprehensive."
"They broke the complete intelligence into pieces and gave it to more than a dozen teams. I can only guess at a lot of the information."
"However, what I can be sure of is that the creators of the blade beasts were the Spirit Cultivator civilization, but the blade beasts went out of control, became a huge disaster in interstellar space, and defeated the Spirit Cultivator civilization."
"Now the Spirit Cultivator civilization should be looking for opportunities to be reborn by borrowing a shell."
"The blade beasts' attacks on humans may be to destroy us humans, this primitive civilization that can inherit the Spirit Cultivator civilization... This is my guess."
"Blade beasts were designed as war weapons and mining weapons to serve the Spirit Cultivator civilization."
"I have checked a lot of information and also obtained some relevant results from other teams studying the Spirit Cultivator civilization through some means such as stealing and exchanging information, but everyone has not been able to figure out one thing."
"What exactly are the blade beasts mining?"
"The Spirit Cultivators let the blade beasts mine, and spread them out in interstellar space to mine, giving the blade beasts the ability to move in interstellar space, which may have caused severe damage or even direct destruction to many primitive civilizations like ours."
"The discovery here may reveal this point—this may be some special ore that the blade beasts are mining."
Wang Jixuan pondered for a few moments, "As expected, there are no real discoveries."
Shen Qionglin pursed her lips slightly, a little unconvinced.
Wang Daolong smiled inwardly.
It seemed that he didn't need to manage the research and exploration of these glowing stone fragments in the future.
D5 had its own experts researching this!
"Let's go up first," Zhou Zhengde said with a pale face, "I can't hold on anymore."
"Ew," Shaman showed a look of disgust, "You're so weak."
Zhou Zhengde: ...
He was an ordinary person!
Treant Beta stepped forward to support Zhou Zhengde. Wang Jixuan stared at the clusters of glowing stones for a few more glances, smiled freely, and turned to leave.
This thing was likely unrelated to cultivation, so it was not an important matter.
The group discussed where to go next.
Zhou Zhengde strongly requested that Wang Jixuan have a video call with Fu Jian. Wang Jixuan readily agreed, only saying that he would call back when he returned.
Fu Jian and the others were far more excited than Wang Jixuan had anticipated.
It seemed that he had to focus on refining pills for a few days.
It was just that Treant Beta would suffer; he might have to drink several tons of nutrient solution.
As they drove uphill, they once again saw the living conditions of the residents on the forty-seventh and forty-eighth floors.
Zhou Zhengde said casually:
"Recently, I've been researching a plan to move the residents of the lower city of Fortress 76 to Fortress 82. It's vacant now and has many facilities left behind."
"After the Red Serpent moved here, there were no blade beast raids there. We can turn it into an agricultural fortress that doesn't require too many high-tech employees."
"In this way, we can resettle the lower-city residents of the four nearby fortresses."
Shaman muttered, "There are so many fortresses in the human world. What's the use of just four?"
Treant Beta quickly corrected, "Being able to try to change the status quo is already very strong! Shaman, don't discourage Captain Zhou's enthusiasm!"
Shen Qionglin said, "Even so, in ten or twenty years, the lower city of Fortress 76 will still be filled with this kind of situation again."
"Why?" Treant Beta asked blankly.
Shen Qionglin calmly explained, "Because of human nature. If there is no lower class, where will the middle and upper classes find their sense of superiority? Human society will inevitably produce classes, classes will inevitably produce a sense of superiority, and a sense of superiority will create class inertia."
Zhou Zhengde shook his head, "This is a fallacy, or rather, it applies to the Spirit Energy Capital. The top priority of each war zone is the survival of the human race."
Shen Qionglin didn't say much, turned her head to look at Treant Beta, and asked softly:
"You're a bit special. Would you like to be my experimental subject? I can try to awaken your spiritual energy."
Beta looked at Wang Jixuan for help.
Wang Daolong was really a little conflicted in his heart.
If Beta could awaken, he would inevitably produce better and more spiritual medicine.
But...
One can't be too demonic in cultivation;
Complete utilitarianism would be unethical.
"This is up to you to decide," Wang Jixuan said gently, "Or, you can discuss it with your captain."
"Ah," Beta nodded honestly, gave Shen Qionglin an apologetic smile, and then moved his butt to the side.
He was a little afraid of this woman.
As the six-seater sightseeing car drove out of the oppressive forty-seventh floor, Shaman said excitedly:
"Alright, alright, everyone, don't be so down. Cherish the moment! Maybe tomorrow an asteroid will fall from the sky and wipe out the blade beasts like it wiped out the dinosaurs!"
"So... can we go to the bar over there to dance? I haven't experienced it yet!"
Zhou Zhengde snapped his fingers, "I'll arrange it! However, Teacher Wang should hurry up and make medicine. This matter is really urgent!"
Wang Jixuan frowned and pondered. He didn't have any spiritual medicine to refine pills now, and he also wanted to broaden his horizons.
Refining the heart in the mortal world, one must experience everything.
...
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
A certain local war zone in the eastern part of the D5 Comprehensive War Zone, near the border of human influence.
Fu Jian quickly stepped off the transport plane and walked straight towards the elevator in front. Under the welcome and embrace of several generals, he entered this military fortress.
He held a Crane Essence Pill in his hand.
This was one of the three Crane Essence Pills that Wang Jixuan had refined in the morning. It had already been sent to Fu Jian, and Mudan had explained the method of use in detail.
The Crane Essence Pill could restore the health of the aging Demi-Human mecha brain.
Moreover, because the number of living elderly Demi-Human mecha body organs was small, the effect of this pill was many times stronger than normal.
Wang Jixuan's original intention was to let Fu Jian use one himself and then let Fu Jian 'reward' the other second-generation Demi-Human mecha with one.
However, after confirming that he was fine in the near future, Fu Jian did not give priority to using it himself. He took one for the second-generation mecha that was about to collapse, and the last one was held in his hand and sent to this place.
The elevator went all the way down and reached the middle level of the military fortress.
This was a military research institute.
Everywhere were researchers who flocked over and paid attention to the commander-in-chief.
Fu Jian nodded slightly in response, his mechanical face somewhat cold and hard. Without stopping, he rushed to the deepest room in the research institute and found a semi-human mech completely submerged in a nutrient tank.
It was a white-haired woman whose body had been more than ninety percent modified, leaving only her face, brain, and a small number of organs.
She seemed to be in a deep sleep.
Fu Jian handed the Crane Origin Pill to a mechanical body beside him.
“Operate strictly according to the usage method.”
— Compared to humans, mechanical bodies operate more precisely.
“Yes,” the mechanical body responded softly, draining half of the liquid from the nutrient tank, opening the tank door, and slowly and steadily bringing the pill close to the forehead of the old semi-human mech, adjusting the direction of the pill's pattern, and gently tapping the pill.
The light golden Crane Origin Pill revealed fine lines, and the pill began to melt rapidly, with some golden light flying into the brain of the female semi-human mech.
The area was silent.
Fu Jian stared at the data on the panel beside him.
A few minutes later, several data points changed from red to light yellow, and two suppressed exclamations of admiration came from behind Fu Jian.
“It really works!”
“What's the principle behind this?”
Half an hour later, two data points turned green, and the old semi-human mech's fingers twitched slightly, her eyelids trembling slightly.
“Chief!”
“Yes, I see it.”
Fu Jian said in a deep voice, still expressionless, but his voice inevitably carried a hint of bubbling.
“Send those few to Wang Zheng.”
Fu Jian clenched his mechanical fist forcefully, then slowly released it, and said slowly to the trusted military officer behind him:
“Put the mechanical body legion into a state of full combat readiness.
“Use my personal name to issue a request to the three commanders of the space fortress: for the next half month, if a large number of Blade Beasts gather around the outer perimeter of D5, please do not hesitate to use nuclear weapons.
“This period of time is crucial for us; it is related to the number of Terror Mech pilots.”
“Yes!”
“What is Wang Zheng doing?”
“Commander, Scholar Wang Zheng is taking Shen Qionglin and two psionicists on a tour of Fortress 76, presumably to recruit them. The last message we received was that they entered the underground area to study the mysterious glowing crystals left behind by the Blade Beast nest. The latest news is… uh, they're doing karaoke?”
“Huh?” Fu Jian turned his head and glared at the middle-aged man behind him. “We're in such a tense state, what is he doing? Be specific!”
The military officer said weakly: “They are using projection screens to play some songs and videos, and the participants are holding microphones and roaring or singing… illegal entertainment activities.”
Fu Jian closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
For a moment, he felt a little dizzy.
This kid!
Really!
But in other words, he didn't take this strange pill seriously at all?
Fu Jian raised his eyebrows slightly, turned around and continued to stare at his old partner, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
“The Spirit Cultivator civilization seems…”
Fu Jian swallowed the second half of that sentence.
They seem… not that advanced after all.
…
Amidst the intense drumbeats, Shaman, who had drunk a little wine, and Wei Na, who had just arrived not long ago, were moderately going crazy on the small dance floor in the private room.
These two couldn't be called dancers; they were mainly just bouncing around.
On a row of sofas in the back.
Shen Qionglin was holding an electronic screen, carefully reading a research report, only feeling that it was a bit noisy here;
Wang Jixuan was looking up at the ceiling, emptying his mind.
The Daoist priest was a little regretful. If he wanted to appreciate music, wouldn't listening to .'s single collection be enough? Why did he have to come here to suffer…
Zhou Zhengde and Tree Person Beta were holding two sand balls, mechanically shaking them to cheer for the two unrestrained older sisters.
Wang Jixuan covered his mouth and yawned.
Zhou Zhengde leaned over and whispered: “They're urging us again. Hurry up and make that kind of pill, Brother Wang, Uncle Wang, Grandpa Wang, I owe you a hundred favors.”
“Is there such a rush?”
Wang Jixuan muttered softly:
“Didn't I already take out three? Your grandfather likes to pay in installments. I learned it from him.”
“Whether they are retired or serving second-generation or third-generation mechs, most of them are not very stable, and there are some old veterans who may collapse at any time. If we can cure them, we can directly increase a batch of combat power comparable to S-level psionicists on the current level!”
Zhou Zhengde couldn't hide his excitement:
“More importantly, they can pilot Terror Mechs when overloaded!”
“That's the most important thing!”
Wang Jixuan smiled: “I will refine them, don't worry. The raw materials still need to be found from Beta. Beta was just fleeced by me this morning… cough, was just harvested by me once. At least we have to wait until evening before it can be induced again.”
Zhou Zhengde looked at the tree person with burning eyes.
Wang Jixuan slowly took a sip of tea: “There's no need to rush.”
“How can we not rush? This matter is too important.”
“By the way, last time I asked you to re-investigate the matter about Yezi in the fortress. What were the results?”
“No results. We didn't find anything. The people in the lower city who could be found and who knew Yezi all said she was a cute and quiet little girl… That's the problem.”
“Well, no need to investigate anymore. It's a waste of manpower. I'll just get rid of her with a sword when I see her later.”
Wang Jixuan casually grabbed a bottle of industrial ice beer.
Shen Qionglin had always disliked academic toasting.
But at this moment, she quickly put down the electronic book in her hand, picked up the beer and waited aside, with a somewhat stiff smile on her face, and took a sip of the beer with Wang Jixuan.
She was too embarrassed to directly clink glasses.
Suddenly, the communicator in Wang Jixuan's arms and the communicator on Zhou Zhengde's wrist vibrated at the same time, and two communication requests popped up together.
Wang Jixuan's side was Ling Tong, while Zhou Zhengde's side…
He was struck by lightning and raised his hand to slap himself in the face.
“Ah? No! It's my great-grandmother!?”
