Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

This mission turned out to be unexpectedly simple.

Apart from the interference of a few sandworms, the whole process went smoothly.

Even those four sandworms delivering vegetables, it's hard to say whether they came to help or to cause trouble...

Bai E and his team successfully restarted the base station.

The entire base station was divided into two levels, the upper level being the main body of the base station with crystal columns at its core, as seen by Bai E, while the lower level contained a small nuclear reactor.

The decision to disconnect from the network, made during the Golden Age, was orderly and composed, and the shutdown of these base stations was also under well-managed conditions, with almost all facility functions perfectly preserved.

As long as one had the secret key left from those times, restarting it was a simple matter.

[Current exploration degree of the ruins: 100%. Ruins authorization expanded, you can leave your identity information in the ruins backend to obtain the highest authority, ensuring that you can always transmit messages through this base station in the future.]

[Hint: Ancient "ruins" available for exploration discovered. Current exploration degree: 20.1%...]

"..."

Ancient ruins?

The unexpected popup message surprised Bai E.

He had simply restarted a small base station; how could it be linked to ancient ruins?

Was there more to this place than meets the eye?

But the fact that it started with a 20.1% exploration degree indicated that these ancient ruins weren't very large. Did a small base station occupy one-fifth of it?

Or was it that... the root server explored last time was also included in it?

This seemed like a more reasonable explanation.

Bai E's thoughts were nimble, instantly linking together potentially related content.

However, no matter what, it didn't have much to do with the current situation.

Stones' exclamation of surprise came to his ears, "Wow! So beautiful."

Yes, beautiful.

As the power turned on, rings of flowing lights gradually illuminated, and the soft lighting brought the over four hundred-year-old ruins to life.

Not at all... In fact, it looked much more high-end than all the modern technology Bai E had seen.

The metal with high-tech soft corners and the central crystal column emitting a faint blue light painted a picture of the future.

This was a scene rarely seen in this era.

Even You, whose eyes were usually clear and alert since the team's reformation, had sparkling, crystal-clear light in her large eyes as they swept over the various facilities here.

The four members of the team looked around but didn't dare to overstep, facing those exquisitely intricate objects, they hadn't the courage to reach out and touch them.

"They're not that precious."

The technology of the Golden Age was outstanding for its reliability and practicality, which was what Bai E had learned from Minister Likok these days.

Furthermore, the moment the ruins exploration degree was fully unlocked, Bai E also saw from the panel's transformation how to obtain the highest authority of this base station.

While speaking, Bai E came up behind Rose, wrapped his right arm around her waist from behind, and lifted her right hand to press it against the crystal column in front of them.

The crystal column emitting a faint blue glow fluctuated the moment the two pressed their hands against it, projecting their rotating headshots in the changing light.

[Current highest authority holders: 2. Authority reset channel has been closed.]

"What's this?" Rose asked, tilting her head to look back at Bai E with questioning eyes as her sticky lips parted slightly to ask in a low voice.

Bai E, who was very close to her, gave her a mysterious smile, "Shh~ don't make a fuss."

The two lowered their hands, and the technician, who had finished his testing, looked up excitedly, "Captain Bai, it's done."

After restarting the base station, he had tried to use it to transmit a simple message to the base and almost instantly received a response.

To prevent interception by the "Bug Nest Domain," they had deliberately devised a dynamic message interface that varied, and the result was precise and accurate.

It proved that the information base stations established around the world could effectively eliminate the influence of the "Bug Nest Domain" and continue to perform their intended functions.

The mission was a great success!

Bai E smiled reservedly, "Good that it was successful."

The technicians stayed behind.

No matter how sophisticated any high-tech creation was, it could always suffer damage; despite the reliable technology of the Golden Age, it could never exist independently of human beings.

And now, without the aid of artificial intelligence, the system wouldn't repair itself if a problem arose.

Without human intervention, a tiny BUG could directly crash the entire system; the presence of maintenance personnel was necessary.

Luckily, the small base station had a complete life support system to accommodate up to five maintenance personnel, providing water, air—all the essentials.

Only food was not supplied.

However, the three off-road vehicles that had come were mostly loaded with food, which was also prepared for this purpose.

Leaving enough supplies for three squads to use on the way back to the city, the vehicles were almost completely emptied, and the freed space could now also accommodate some sandworm flesh—killing two birds with one stone.

Swift and decisive.

After confirming the success of the operation, the three special squads returned to base, traveling both day and night.

...

The next day, around noon, the convoy arrived back at the camp.

As per the original plan, once the action to reboot those information relay stations had been confirmed successful, the Scientific Research Institute concurrently advanced its demands to the military.

Within the city's radiative reach, numerous abandoned stations awaited revival, thus bringing a spring to the special joint squads.

Tasks were endless.

"Rest up, we set off again early in the morning," Bai E casually instructed his team members upon return to the camp and immediately stepped away.

It was noon, a good time to meet with players to update a quest.

Watching Bai E's departing figure, Stone touched the back of his head somewhat naively, "Why is our captain in such a hurry?"

"Isn't it normal to want to contribute more to the military district?" Ever since Bai E saved him from beneath the blade-arm of a praying mantis bug, Zero had regarded Bai E as his War God.

A god's actions are always seen with a halo of beautification.

"Maybe it's for military merits?" Rose's gaze flickered as she watched Bai E walking away.

Military merits? Or perhaps rank?

In the eyes of the higher-ups, Bai E's identity was that of a completely natural human, and a natural human with outstanding achievements and sufficient military merits could rise smoothly through the ranks within the military.

Through regular interaction, she had gradually realized that Bai E's inner self was far from the inflexible persona he presented to others.

This man had his ambitions.

Whether it was the hidden Spiritual Energy or the electronic prompt voice she heard yesterday when touching that pale blue crystal column during the mission, both elements confirmed this.

Mysterious and dangerous.

The thrill of these realizations excited Rose and she became entranced. She wanted to follow Bai E to see what plans this man really harbored in his heart.

As for reporting him…

As time passed, every artificial person formed their own understanding of the world and their distinct personalities.

The essence of her being still flowed with dedication to humanity; this had never changed. However, exposing a comrade's secrets to the so-called military or even city's higher-ups did not equate to contributing to humanity.

Bai E trusted her, and she would never betray his expectations.

...

Construction of the underground warehouse was complete. Bai E hadn't yet decided on the next construction project, so construction work paused.

Yet in their free time, a few players still gathered here to rest and socialize; it was their territory.

Only in this concealed corner could they feel utterly at ease.

And making it a habit to meet here every noon had become their routine.

Upon seeing Bai E's arrival, the players who were working on crafting proficiency stood up in unison, "My lord."

"Hmm…" Bai E nodded, "How has Black Street been these past two days?"

Two days had passed since the betrayal incident.

Bai E had no time to observe personally and could only listen to the players' narratives.

"Not bad, they've shown a clear change in attitude, and these past two days, they've become... quite enthusiastic."

"My lord…" Xu Ruoguang, mingled among the players, suddenly raised his hand like a student, "I wanted to ask when we could arrange for a large bathhouse? Or at least some cleaning facilities. Some people... have a strong odor."

Dai Lian glanced at him, thinking the kid was acting a bit like a brown-noser.

Just today, the mature lady Gu Lan coughed twice from being too close to a resident with a pungent body odour, and right away, this kid took note and even directly brought it up with the lord.

A child who could be taught…

"Fine," Bai E nodded, physical cleanliness and mental purity were equally important, and maintaining good hygiene was key to remaining healthy and strong.

Moreover, the body and will were often interlinked; most people's willpower weakened when they felt physically weak, which also needed attention.

"I will discuss it with Gilder later."
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"Anything else special?"

"Nothing else…" Dai Lian touched his chin as if pondering, but he had a plan in mind for things that needed to be reported to the lord—if there was nothing, then there was nothing.

Seeing this, Bai E smiled, "Well, I do have something here. Let's see who's available."

[Your jurisdiction has now established its first guard team native to the territory. You need to select a captain with sufficient experience and strength to ensure the guard team can perform its duties effectively. You may choose either a "native" or a "non-native" for this responsibility. If the target accepts your invitation, their relationship with you and their abilities will directly affect the functional attributes of the guard team. Please choose carefully: …]

This was the panel message he received while leaving Blackwater City to carry out the mission, most likely triggered by those veterans officially registering and beginning their duties under Gilder.

The choice of targets was limited; it was basically a few players, as well as Gilder, the Rat People, Rose and You of the team members, Morphie, Kiro Lan, and other natives with whom he had somewhat closer relations.

There was even Yue Ying…

Of course, whether she'd accept was another matter entirely.