It was dark again.
Compared to the eternally dazzling world outside, the main mining area had regained its original color.
Half of the hall had turned into a spiral crater in the darkness. Almost all the facilities had been destroyed in the explosion.
If it weren't for Bamboo Pole's position near the exit, the energy bomb would have turned the entire hall into a cave.
On the other side of the hall, the debris from the explosion had piled up into a small mountain, almost blocking the exit.
After an unknown amount of time, a person emerged from the ruins. Julie's hair was disheveled as she scanned the surroundings. The bamboo pole was obviously gone. If one was in the center of the explosion, it would definitely be crushed into powder.
Julie's situation wasn't any better. Although she had dodged quickly, part of the explosion's shockwaves had still affected her. However, for an Origin Ability user with cultivation, it wouldn't cause too much damage to their body.
After looking around, Julie couldn't help but smile. She saw that Vader was still alive at the entrance of the passage.
This guy was quite lucky. The explosion had sent him flying along with the power armor. The armor had helped him block the fatal energy beam, but the huge shockwave had sent him crashing into the wall behind the entrance.
Vader lay on the ground in a bloody mess, holding a healing gun in his hand. He was trembling as he tried to inject himself.
Julie didn't stop him. She needed Vader to be alive, or rather, Vader's current state was exactly what she wanted to see. Not everyone could be like Bamboo Pole, who didn't fear death. When she thought of Bamboo Pole, she actually admired him. There weren't many people like him who would rather die than reveal secrets.
"Officer Vader, it seems that you're quite lucky." Julie walked over.
Vader had already injected healing energy into his arm. The external wounds were slowly healing, but the broken bones and internal injuries would take time to heal.
"What do you want to know?" Vader asked weakly.
Julie sighed. "I kind of understand why you were able to stay in this base for five years. You're really a smart person. You know what others need."
Vader gasped for breath. "They forced … forced me …"
Julie asked, "Which company?
Which faction?
I just want to know the name. "
Vader said, "I … I don't know."
Julie's face darkened again. "It seems that smart people like to do stupid things sometimes."
She squatted down beside Vader and plucked out the bayonet from his thigh. She played with it in her hand. "To be honest, Officer Vader, I don't want you to die either. Your contract will expire in a few months. When that time comes, you'll be able to receive a generous commission and happily return to your hometown, reunite with your wife, and enjoy life. But if you're missing some parts of your body now, you won't be able to experience some of the joys of being a man in the future. Living like that would be better than dying …"
Vader's teeth were actually trembling. He couldn't help but grit his teeth.
He was indeed a smart man, so smart that he was a little too smart. He could tell that Julie was not a soft-hearted person. But then again, how many people in this base would take other people's lives seriously?
Sometimes, even he himself was no exception.
It was precisely because he understood this that he knew that if he told the truth, he would only die faster.
"I don't know. I only know that they asked me to take care of Bamboo Pole," Vader replied.
"I don't like this way of talking."
Julie poked the gleaming bayonet at the waist of his trousers. The mercenary soft armor at that area had already been cut open. She only needed to exert a little force, and the bayonet could easily pierce a person's pelvis.
Vader looked at her with a nervous expression. "That person's name is Julio. I met him in Mingcheng City."
Julie didn't answer, but her expression turned even colder.
Vader suddenly shouted, "Miss Julie, I promise that I'm telling the truth. I'm not lying to you."
Julie still didn't answer. She just stood up with an expressionless face and slowly turned around. Her gaze fell on the exit on the opposite side.
Even though she had already seen Ding Meng's information in the database, she still couldn't help but carefully size him up when she saw Ding Meng in this place.
After a period of survival and cultivation, Ding Meng's originally coarse laborer's uniform couldn't be any more tattered. Like many of the laborers in the plaza, he was practically naked except for the tattered bundle at his waist.
Julie scanned Ding Meng's body from head to toe. It was as if she was examining her first love. Her greedy gaze refused to let go of any part of his body, even the most private parts. In her eyes, Ding Meng was like a priceless work of art that deserved to be slowly appreciated.
Her attitude immediately excited Little Rascal. "Wow, Ding Meng, look! It's a woman! A real woman, and a very good one at that. Look at that business attire. Tsk, tsk. Ding Meng, didn't you say that there were no women in the base?
How come there's one here? What do you think?
Why don't we get her … "
Ding Meng couldn't hear Little Rascal's words at all. Right now, all of his attention was focused on Julie.
It wasn't that he hadn't seen women before, but in his world, there was no concept of men and women. There were only two kinds of people: danger and safety. This woman in front of him, who he didn't even know, gave him a strong sense of danger.
This was because when his telekinetic vision swept over Julie, it seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find anything on Julie. Clearly, this woman's strength wasn't below his own.
Julie clearly sensed that the other party was checking her out. Not only was she not angry, she even smiled and walked up to him. "Ding Meng, I'm very happy that you're still alive."
Little Rascal also sensed that something was off. "Be careful. There's something strange about this woman."
Ding Meng held his breath. "Who are you?"
Julie smiled happily. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Julie, the current person in charge of Black Gold Base. I've been waiting for you for a long time, Ding Meng."
"What are you waiting for me for?" Ding Meng stared at her.
Julie's tone was very gentle. "I plan to take you away from here and return to your hometown. I'll let you enjoy the life that belongs to you and not suffer anymore."
There was nothing wrong with this statement. It was as if she was making a promise to her first love. Her expression was also very sincere, without the slightest hint of pretense. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that this was Black Gold Base's underground mining area. Any normal person's words would be interpreted as abnormal by others.
Ding Meng suddenly calmed down. "How did you know?"
Julie was stunned. "Know what?"
Ding Meng said coldly, "A memory chip?"
Julie smiled again. This time, it was a happy and proud smile. "Under normal circumstances, a normal person can only live for three days at most if they don't have enough supplies."
Ding Meng listened quietly.
Julie said, "I know that you exchanged 20 vials of nutrient fluid from Vader. Theoretically, you should be able to last for a week. But almost a month has passed, and you're still alive."
Ding Meng said, "So what?"
Julie's eyes lit up. "Not only are you alive, but you've also killed Leopard, Wolf, Machine Gun, Sadler, and a whole bunch of other people. You think you can do all this with those cheap vials of nutrient fluid?"
Of course not. Even Ding Meng couldn't deny this.
Julie smiled. "Do you know why I sealed off PC35?"
Ding Meng glanced at Vader in the distance and said, "You deliberately let Bamboo Pole in?"
Julie said proudly, "Of course, I can't rule out the possibility that you got some supplies from him. But with that little bit of nutrient fluid, how could you survive in such high temperatures for so many days?
I gave you half a month's time just to see if you could survive. In the end, you really did survive. "
Ding Meng said, "What does this prove?"
Julie sighed softly. "I finally understand now. So the function of a memory chip is to allow a normal person to sense Origin Energy without the help of a sensory pod. It can even allow them to directly become an Origin Ability user."
Ding Meng sneered. He asked the same question as Bamboo Pole, "How did you know that I was an Origin Ability user?"