After exiting the spaceport building and walking south for about ten kilometers, it was a world of ice and snow. After all, they were out of Green Arrow Base's control range, and there was no corresponding thermal energy system. The temperature of minus ten degrees Celsius caused the ground to be in a perpetual state of ice.
Sileman and Ding Meng's boots made crunching noises as they stepped on the snow. This sound was especially crisp in the silent night of snow and ice.
The night was still boundless. Ding Meng looked around, but there was nothing in front of him other than a small castle covered in snow. "Can people live in a place like this?"
In his mind, this place and Black Gold Base were polar opposites. Black Gold Base was too hot and stuffy. It was fine if it was hot, but it was still bearable. However, this place did not see sunlight all year round, and it was extremely cold. When it got cold, it was fatal. People had heard of people dying from the cold, but they had never heard of people dying from the heat.
Silman said, "People definitely can't live on the surface. Everyone lives underground."
Ding Meng was stunned. "Underground?"
Silman nodded. "You're not wrong to understand it that way."
The interior of the small castle was a cave. After the stone slab in the center of the cave was removed, a long flight of stairs led downwards. Ding Meng soon saw that it was indeed an underground chamber. Strictly speaking, it was an enhanced version of an underground chamber.
This underground chamber was like the command center of an interstellar battleship. It covered an area of at least a few thousand square meters. Not only was there light and heating, but there were also many people living here. It was like a cargo hold on a transport ship, but it was not a hibernation chamber. Instead, there were rows of neatly arranged bunk beds and various simple living facilities. It looked like a shelter.
Silman suddenly said, "I heard from Brother Xin Jie that you're a galactic refugee. You should be familiar with this place."
Ding Meng nodded. "The refugee camps on Planet Thorn are more or less like this."
Silman slowly walked down the stairs. "Even the refugee camps are better than this."
Ding Meng could not help but ask, "Why?"
Sileman sighed and muttered, "Fortunately, the vice commander obtained a man-made broken silver core many years ago. Only then did we have a base on the ground. Otherwise, there wouldn't even be a crystal lighting system or a heating system down here."
Ding Meng was stunned again. "This is neither a refugee camp nor an exile planet. Why is it like this?"
It was too late for Sleeman to answer him now, for as he came down the steps, people crowded around him from all sides, men and women, old and young, all with warm smiles on their faces.
There wasn't a trace of origin ability energy fluctuation in the basement. It was enough to show that these people were ordinary people, and it was also enough to show Sileman's position in the hearts of these ordinary people. Everyone was talking at the same time, and Sileman also changed into a happy smile and exchanged greetings with everyone.
Ding Meng quickly realized that most of the people in this place were the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children. The young men had probably all joined the Green Arrow Corps on the surface, accepting missions all over the world to earn rewards to support their loved ones underground.
"Captain, you're back, but why isn't my Xiao Yu back yet?"
The one who asked the question was a woman in tattered clothes. She looked to be in her early twenties, but her hair was yellow and her eyes were large because of her thin face. This was a classic case of malnutrition.
Ding Meng suddenly remembered what Lan Bing had said when she had threatened Sileman and Yu Liang.
"Captain Sileman, I also know that your run-down place hasn't had any supplies enter the port for the past month. Without this money, many people probably won't be able to survive …"
This place was deep in nebula KV3545, and it couldn't be any more remote. In addition to the planet's extremely cold weather, very few fleets would pass by, so it was very difficult to transport supplies. Thus, these people all looked sallow and malnourished. No wonder Sileman insisted on accepting Lan Bing's bounty mission. It wasn't that Sileman and the others couldn't wait, but that these people couldn't. Now, Ding Meng finally understood their predicament.
Unexpectedly, Sileman had a smile on his face. "Ah Qiao, don't worry. Xiao Yu and I have successfully completed the mission this time, and we've received the bounty. Xiao Yu and the others have accepted another mission and left. They won't be back for a while, so don't worry, everyone …"
This was obviously a lie, because Ding Meng could tell that this woman called Ah Qiao was probably Xiao Yu's family, and she was very worried about Xiao Yu's safety outside.
There was a five- or six-year-old child beside Ah Qiao. He pulled Ah Qiao's hand and kept shouting, "Mommy, mommy, I'm so hungry …"
The child had no clothes to wear, and he was so thin that he didn't look like a normal child at all. This was because the child's ribs were clearly visible, and it was obvious that he had been starving for a long time. He was even worse than the child laborers in the Black Gold Base.
At least the child laborers in the Black Gold Base had a way to go to the sinkhole for gold, and at least the base could exchange them for nutrient fluids. However, ordinary people had nowhere to go in this place, and there was no way to make a living. To put it bluntly, they were really waiting for death.
Ding Meng somewhat understood why Sileman was so upset just now. Xiao Yu was already dead, which meant that the people related to this place would die sooner or later.
Ding Meng suddenly took off the buckled backpack on his back and shouted, "The captain is right. Xiao Yu bought a batch of supplies before we set off, and specifically asked me to deliver them to everyone. Come, come, everyone, come to me. Everyone has a share …"
The backpack was filled with the super polymerized nutrient supply produced by Anvil, which had a capacity of 5000 + decals. Ding Meng was now many times stronger than before, so he almost didn't use it along the way. Meanwhile, 50 nutrient fluids were enough to sustain these ordinary people for a long time.
Seeing Ding Meng distributing the nutrient fluids to everyone, Sileman couldn't help but give him a grateful look.
Ding Meng smiled. He had always been a serious person, but this time, it wasn't because of Sileman's look, but because of the child — Ah Qiao had only fed the child two drops of nutrient fluids, and in less than half a minute, the child was full of energy. He was jumping around on the ground happily, looking very energetic.
After running for a while, the child came back with a wide and flat metal box. He said seriously, "Uncle, Mommy asked me to give this to you."
Ding Meng took the box. The logo on the box was a little old, but Ding Meng could tell what it was. It was clearly wine.
Ding Meng looked up and saw Ah Qiao standing in the distance, nodding and smiling at him.
"Why don't you keep this for yourselves?" Ding Meng lowered his head and asked the child.
The child looked very happy. "Mommy said that it's useless for us to keep it. You must have had a hard time delivering supplies to us from so far away. This is a small gift, you must accept it."
Ding Meng smiled again and didn't say anything else. He just gently patted the child's head, and the child ran away happily.
Seeing how happy everyone was, Ding Meng simply sat down by the steps. Sileman also sat down beside him, but this time, Sileman's face was no longer smiling.
Ding Meng couldn't help but say, "I've often heard people say that Green Arrow's hunters are very good and often help refugees. I didn't believe it in the past, but now I do."
A bitter smile appeared on Sileman's face. "You're wrong again. This place wasn't like this in the past. There was a crystal mine north of the base, and the reserves were quite plentiful. Everyone could still survive, but the space pirates often fought here. Later, it gradually became like this."
Ding Meng turned to look at him and said seriously, "But you stayed."
Sileman was silent for a moment, then he pointed at his eyes. "At that time, I was only able to sense Origin Energy. I wasn't an Origin Energy Warrior yet. My eyes were shot twice by the pirate leader, and I basically couldn't keep them. It was Xiao Yu's parents who risked their lives to save me."
Ding Meng was also silent. He said, "So you stayed here all this time?"
Sileman shook his head. "No, after I saved my eyes, I went back. At that time, I had already been admitted to a very good school in the Federation. My family had high expectations of me, and my hometown wasn't here in the first place."
Ding Meng said, "But later on, you still came back here."
Sileman nodded with a heavy expression. "That was a few years later. I was already an intermediate Origin Energy Cultivator. I originally wanted to come back and visit the two elders, but unfortunately, they had already died in the chaos of war. Most of the people here have also died."
Ding Meng sighed and said, "I can imagine that you must have given up on your bright future to stay and help these people."
Sileman laughed bitterly. "I'm nothing. The vice captain stayed here a few years before me. He could have returned to the main base for a promotion, but he gave up on many opportunities over the years. If it weren't for him, the sub-base above ground wouldn't have been built, and the tens of thousands of ordinary people underground would have frozen to death long ago. Even though life isn't easy right now, at least the pirates won't dare to come here …"
Ding Meng nodded, his eyes filled with admiration. "There are many things that you have done that I can't do."
Sileman laughed bitterly. "How could I be as great as you think?
In any case, becoming a beginner Origin Energy Warrior is the limit of my life. I might as well do something that I like. "
Ding Meng looked at him. "Do you like this kind of life?"
Sileman sighed and said, "If I say that I like it, that would definitely be a lie. But no matter where I go, I can't stop worrying about this place. When I was still cultivating in the academy, my teacher often taught me one thing."
Ding Meng said, "What thing?"
Sileman said word by word, "The mission of us Origin Energy Cultivators isn't to pursue fame and fortune, but to fight for those who can't fight."
Ding Meng silently savored these words, his gaze somewhat lost in thought. After a long time, he raised his head and said, "Both you and the commanding officer are worthy of my respect."
Sileman laughed softly. "You flatter me. We're nothing. Actually, the Federation has many great Origin Energy Cultivators, and they are silently protecting even more people. Not every Origin Energy Cultivator is like Lan Bing and the others, who don't treat others as people. Forget it, let's not talk about these unhappy things. At least you've helped me a lot this time. Look at those people in the distance, they're so happy right now. Without you, it would have been very difficult for them to get through this month."
Ding Meng laughed. "At least we've passed this hurdle, right?"
Sileman laughed. "Of course. Even though Xiao Yu and the others unfortunately met with misfortune, their families were saved. This can be considered a fortune amidst misfortune."
Ding Meng tossed the metal wine box in his hand. "Do you want to drink?
I'll treat you. I don't have anything else to offer you except this. "
Sileman's eyes suddenly lit up. "Speaking of which, I really can't refuse you. I haven't tasted wine for almost a year."