Chapter 987: Shelter No. 13

Chapter 987: Vault 13

"We're here."

Somewhere in the great desert, the elevator leading to Vault 13 finally came to a halt.

Based on the descent time and speed, Zhuang Lan silently calculated that the spot beneath her feet lay at least a kilometer or more below the surface.

Approaching the gate ahead, a soldier in an exoskeleton pressed his arm against the console by the wall, completing identity verification.

"Hmm..."

With a tremor that shook the earth, a crack split the wall before the two, widening slowly as the wall shifted, eventually revealing a path over ten meters wide.

Unbelievable.

That alloy wall was actually a seamless door!

It seemed that during her absence, the Enlightenment Society had undergone many changes...

Startled by the transformation of her former employer over the past two years, Zhuang Lan grew inwardly wary, but she did not let that surprise show on her face.

After all, her current identity was Lieutenant "Malik," captain of the Desert Scorpion special forces unit.

And before this, "he" had been here before.

Apparently acknowledging this as well, the soldier had no intention of showing off. After completing the identity verification, he turned to face "Malik" and stood still, speaking.

"The Internal Affairs Department just sent word—they've approved the materials you submitted. However, regarding your experiences during the escape and the combat effectiveness of the Alliance's regular forces, they have some details they'd like to clarify. They'll likely contact you to hold an inquiry."

"When?"

"Three days from now."

Malik stared at him expressionlessly, spreading his hands.

"Why not now? It's not like I have anything better to do."

"We need to interrogate the guy you brought back from the Alliance first, see what we can pry out of him." Pausing, the soldier continued in a relaxed tone, "Besides, you're a hero. We need to get you settled first—can't have you treated like a prisoner."

It seemed "Malik" had regained the Enlightenment Society's trust.

Zhuang Lan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, but her expression remained unchanged, staying true to her role as she spoke methodically.

"I don't deserve that. Though the intelligence system deserves half the blame, the fact is I messed things up... Many people paid with their lives for it."

Seeing Malik's slightly downcast mood, the soldier at the door offered comfort.

"Don't blame yourself. We don't judge heroes by success or failure. Capturing a prisoner despite an Alliance ambush—you did well enough... Of course, I'm sorry about what happened to your men."

He, too, was the leader of a group of young men.

And for that reason, he understood exactly how Malik felt.

Just as the two were speaking, a tall, lean man emerged from behind the wide-open alloy door.

He wore a silver-gray suit, its crisp fabric as smooth as silk, not a speck of dust in sight.

Not just his clothes—his skin was the same, smooth and delicate like the alloy wall beside him, his complexion pale and flawless.

His appearance was probably his least remarkable trait.

Every gesture and movement carried the poise and elegance of a butler from a classical-era noble estate, as if even the most trivial matters could be arranged flawlessly in his hands.

Though the man looked no different from a real human, Zhuang Lan could tell at a single glance that he was not truly human.

He was an android.

Anything naturally formed must have imperfections; only artificial creations could be so pure, without a trace of impurity.

As Zhuang Lan observed him, the man at the door gave a slight nod and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Hello, Mr. Malik. I am your guide and life assistant during your stay in 'Elysium.' You may call me 'Butler.'"

"Though you've been here before, our Elysium was not yet complete at that time, and many things have changed since."

"To help you adapt to life here as quickly as possible, I will reintroduce you to our home."

Zhuang Lan nodded, then bid farewell to the soldier who had brought her here, and followed the android who called himself "Butler."

On the way to the vault, the android continuously introduced her to the situation in "Elysium," especially the changes over the past year.

According to intelligence gathered by the Watchers, Malik's last visit to Elysium was exactly a year ago, and he had stayed there for ten days.

To avoid revealing any flaws, Zhuang Lan said nothing unnecessary, only occasionally interjecting with questions about unclear details.

After passing through a long corridor, the two arrived at a spacious underground chamber, where a massive gear-shaped gate came into view.

This gate was like the entrances to many vaults.

The only difference was that it was not set into the wall but lay flat on the ground, like the lift platform of a freight elevator.

Noticing this, Zhuang Lan felt a slight surprise.

It was hard to imagine how much energy it took to open and close such a massive door once.

The Enlightenment Society's energy reserves might exceed the Watchers' estimates—if only she could figure out their power source.

Just as Zhuang Lan was silently calculating, the giant gear beneath their feet began to descend slowly, and soon after the platform lowered, an archway resembling a tunnel entrance appeared from the concrete wall beside them.

That was the final door leading to Vault 13.

Suppressing her excitement, Zhuang Lan walked steadily behind the "Butler," following it into the deepest core of the Enlightenment Society's secrets—

This was the "handle" of the Torch!

And also the heart of the Torch Project!

Dazzling light spilled across the end of the alloy corridor.

And when Zhuang Lan finally passed through the last tunnel, everything that met her eyes did not disappoint—it even stunned her into a momentary daze.

The view opened up!

The space expanded geometrically, making one involuntarily suspect they had crossed into another world or back to the surface.

Towering buildings stood like natural chasms on either side of the vast space; looking up, there was a cerulean sky; looking down, an abyss with no visible bottom.

But even the residents living at the lowest levels had no need to worry—the glowing strips embedded in the outer walls of the buildings carried warm light all the way down to the bottom of this "vault," sharing boundless prosperity equally with every inhabitant within.

Translucent pipes and bridges crisscrossed between the buildings, linking crystal-clear "orbs" in between.

They floated like soap bubbles among the structures, housing natural scenery that had nearly vanished from the planet, for people to admire and relax.

Elongated vehicles shuttled back and forth through thick tubes, either delivering passengers and cargo into those orbs suspended in the air or transporting them from one end of the vault to the other.

It was like a city built inside a volcanic crater.

Of course, it wasn't a real crater—at least the sky overhead was fake.

Zhuang Lan knew very well how long the elevator ride down had taken; the actual depth here was even more extreme than her conservative estimate.

Without a doubt, the sun radiating that brilliant light was artificial.

Including the clear blue that made it hard to look away, and the clouds as white as cotton... these sights were extremely rare on the wasteland.

It was no exaggeration to say that this world buried deep underground truly deserved the name "Elysium."

Any wastelander standing here would unhesitatingly call it paradise!

Looking at "Mr. Malick," who had halted in his tracks, the butler spoke in a gentle voice.

"We built this underground world to the standards of Dream City. Someone from that era like you must know exactly what I mean by Dream City."

Zhuang Lan nodded slightly.

She knew what it was.

Legend had it that in the distant age of prosperity, people feared their accumulated splendor would collapse overnight, so they built a second home in the eternal cosmos.

That was Dream City.

It was a space habitat with eternal spring, artificial day and night, and gravity—a utopia that would never wither even if the prosperous world on the surface completely decayed.

If Ideal City was the survivors' nostalgia for the good old days a century and a half ago, then Dream City embodied all the hopes and imaginations of the people of the prosperous era for future life.

Gazing at the nearest "soap bubble," Zhuang Lan, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, let out a long sigh.

"My brothers and I ate sand in the great desert, and here you are, already enjoying yourselves."

This was not just Malick's lament, but her own as well.

The butler smiled and said.

"Because the moment has come."

"The moment?"

"The moment to enter a new era."

The butler extended his index finger and touched the transparent glass. Ripples of clarity spread outward from his fingertip, and the entire glass wall seemed to turn into a magnifying glass, "dragging" the distant scenery directly before the two standing at the entrance of the shelter.

As the distant view enlarged, Zhuang Lan not only saw the people in the park clearly but even the smiles on their faces.

"...Thanks to the aid extended to us by the Celestials, the situation is more favorable than ever. The higher-ups have adjusted their strategy for the Wasteland. From now on, we need do nothing but wait patiently."

Zhuang Lan furrowed her brow slightly.

She had felt something odd from the start—no one had mentioned rebuilding the "Desert Scorpion" unit to her at all.

"Wait for what?"

"Divine punishment."

"...Divine punishment?" Zhuang Lan was taken aback.

"Exactly."

Meeting Lieutenant "Malick's" questioning gaze, the butler nodded slightly, then turned his eyes to the paradise not far away, speaking in a gentle tone words that sent chills down the spine.

"The flames of punishment will burn away everything of the old world, and we shall gain a land of rest and recovery in the new world... as our reward for assisting the Celestials in fulfilling their mission."

Saying this, the butler looked at "Malick" standing beside him and continued with a smile.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier—your mission is over."

Zhuang Lan asked.

"What does 'over' mean?"

The butler spoke in a mild tone.

"This is the decision of the higher-ups. As for which specific department, you'll have to ask someone in the know. In short, they wish me to convey that we currently have no plans to rebuild the 'Desert Scorpion.'"

"Though many soldiers are still on field missions at this moment, aside from those ongoing tasks, there will be no more new assignments. Those who complete their missions will gradually return to this shelter... Of course, we will calculate your merits based on your contributions and arrange for you to enjoy a better life in the new era."

Zhuang Lan stared at him in astonishment, and after a long pause, she nodded slowly.

"Sounds pretty good... though a bit regrettable."

The butler looked at her with confusion.

"Regret? I don't understand what you mean."

Zhuang Lan was silent for a moment, then turned back to look at the corridor leading to the outside world.

"My brothers... I promised them I would avenge them."

A look of realization crossed the butler's face, followed by a soft chuckle. He spoke in a gentle tone.

"Such things no longer matter. Your enemies will be annihilated in the final divine punishment, scattered as insignificant radioactive dust... Let the hatred of the past stay in the past. It will help us move forward."

Zhuang Lan nodded and turned her gaze to the distant egg-shaped dome.

Gardening robots had trimmed the lawn neatly. People in blue jackets strolled along the park paths, some walking dogs.

Vending machines supplied unlimited ice cream to children, and beautiful androids distributed balloons, presumably for free.

A family sat on a bench, chatting and laughing about everything under the sun... They might have been discussing the new era.

It all seemed as beautiful as a dream, yet somehow, Zhuang Lan felt a sense of unreality in her heart.

Not that the scenes were fake or simulated by holograms.

As someone in intelligence, she could tell—those people were undoubtedly real... at least more real than the android standing beside her.

At that moment, she recalled her first impression of this "butler."

Something truly natural must have flaws; only man-made creations could be so pure, untainted by any impurity.

That egg-shaped dome was one such creation.

Or rather—

The entire paradise was like that.

The people here weren't living; they were more like being kept by some lofty entity, displayed within transparent crystal bubbles.

A chill crept up Zhuang Lan's spine, but meeting the butler's eyes, which held a hint of a smile, she still nodded.

"It's fine."

...

Elsewhere, in a small room on the surface above Vault 13, the medical miracle lying on the operating table was forcibly fitted with a memory extractor and subjected to a round of "electrotherapy."

The Enlightened Society apparently had no intention of using seduction to win him over; they went straight to torture from the start, which disappointed the medical miracle, who had been expecting something else.

At least give him a chance to "turn from the path of righteousness"!

But his disappointment didn't last long. Soon, his vision went black, and the connection was severed.

In the special interrogation room, a doctor in a white coat stood by the operating table, staring at the error messages on the control panel, utterly baffled. He scratched his head and muttered.

"How strange."

The officer standing nearby, seeing that there was a result, quickly pressed.

"What's strange?"

The doctor fiddled with the control interface for a while, then withdrew his finger from the touchscreen, looking at the officer with a puzzled expression.

"The memory extraction device did activate, but the experimental subject showed no response to the external stimuli input by the equipment... neither visual nor auditory signals. It felt like..."

He searched for the right words, and after a long pause, said in an uncertain tone.

"As if this guy's brain was empty."

"Empty?!"

The officer standing beside the operating table was stunned.

How could anyone have an empty brain?

He had never seen such a strange situation!

Usually, the survivors they caught from outside—whether they were managers of some shelter or wastelanders who ruled a region—could have their brains drained in minutes, and they had never encountered a case where memories couldn't be read.

Watching the utterly baffled doctor, the officer couldn't help but speak.

"Want to try again?"

The doctor shook his head.

"Let's try again in two days. This guy's brain has suffered severe trauma; he probably won't wake up for a while. If we continue the experiment, I'm afraid we'll drive him mad. Though you might not care, it would be a loss for us."

To be honest, he was also puzzled.

Logically, even if you tied a dog to the operating table, you'd still read something—at worst, the data would be abstract.

As a neuroscience expert, he suddenly found this stubborn fellow a bit interesting.

Could the Alliance have found a way to counter the memory extraction device?

This might become a valuable experimental subject.

The officer standing nearby hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded in acceptance.

"Fine..."

Even if it didn't work, he couldn't think of a better plan.

At that moment, neither of them knew that the guy lying on the operating table beside them was actually awake, just with his eyes closed.

Earlier, when the memory extraction device was put on, Medical Miracle had expected to see something interesting, but his vision went black and he disconnected.

Seeing that he was about to miss crucial plot, having finally worked his way into the main storyline, Medical Miracle couldn't stand it—he hurriedly put on his helmet and reconnected.

Persistence paid off.

After he had tried relentlessly for nearly half an hour, a faint glimmer of light finally slipped through his eyelids and landed on his game character's retina.

Then he heard that quack doctor say he was insane and needed further observation.

Medical Miracle sneered inwardly.

He wasn't crazy; he was perfectly fine.

But thinking this might be an opportunity to infiltrate the Enlightened, he suppressed the urge to open his eyes and startle them, silently disconnected, and returned to the real world.

His gut told him that the chance to become the next pangolin was right before him!

Not long after, a bizarre post appeared on the official forum—

"Guys, how do I pretend to be crazy? (Awkward)"

"Waiting online, pretty urgent."