The mining area under the Sacred Tree was completely different from the mining area in the Black Gold Base. The Black Gold Base was dark, damp, and gloomy, but this mining area was like an interconnected passage inside a starship. All the excavated spaces were installed with alloy steel plates and intelligent light sources, and countless robots were shuttling back and forth.
These passages were also very particular. They did not damage the roots and branches of the tree at all. Wherever the roots and branches passed through, the passages would wrap around them in the form of rooms, which played a very good role in fixing the roots and branches, so that the trees on the ground would not lose their support and collapse during the excavation process.
Ding Meng's method of entering the mining area was very simple. He directly rode the drilling robot's fan-shaped plane and swaggered through the passages of the mining area.
Along the way, many soldiers saw Ding Meng, but these people did not take any action because everyone felt that Ding Meng looked very familiar, but they just could not remember who he was. Just as these people were racking their brains to recall, Ding Meng passed by them.
This was another psychological effect of the Assimilation Art. By interfering with the minds of the people around him through telekinetic waves, the moment the other party saw him, they would have a short selective amnesia, thus ignoring his existence. Compared to sneaking in, this method was much safer.
After all, this place was not the Black Gold Base. It was almost impossible to perfectly avoid the sight of all the soldiers with origin ability. The advantage of this "psychological effect" compared to Terminator was that it did not consume a lot of telekinesis like Terminator, and the area it needed to cover was relatively small. This kind of narrow passage was most suitable for use, and ordinary origin ability users would not be able to detect it at all.
However, Ding Meng was now acting based on the map that he had peeked from the first floor of the palace. He was not sure whether the two high priests were underground. If they were, it was very likely that the two high priests would sense his telekinesis spreading over a large area. The telekinesis of the two high priests was not weak either. Although they were of different types, telekinesis was, after all, a "space string". Once they met, even the slightest movement of the wind and grass would inevitably alert the other party.
The excavation speed of the Sacred War Alliance was extremely fast. At the forefront, there were intelligent probes drilling holes, transporting ores, spraying metal mixtures, installing alloy steel plates, and quickly condensing passages.
The more he went down, the more the terrain slowly changed. There were fewer passages, but more and more metal halls appeared one after another. These halls were a bit like material warehouses. Each hall was divided into several floors, separated by simple steel frames. The ores and tools were piled up on the steel frames, waiting for the soldiers behind to transport or replace them.
Xiao Ai sighed, "The Alliance really came prepared. These tools are really complete."
Ding Meng thought for a moment. It was a bit inappropriate to swagger through the city like this. While there was no one around, he simply took out the Thousand Shadow Foil and stuck it on his face, casually changing into the appearance of a soldier of the Sacred War Alliance, and then continued to go down.
Ding Meng was definitely an authoritative expert in the knowledge of the mining area. After going down for a long time, as he expected, a central hall full of technological aura finally appeared. In the east, west, and north of the hall, there were identical giant passages. Conveyor belts were installed in the passages, constantly transporting mud and waste. They must have dug to the bottom. They could no longer use probes to drill brainlessly. They had to dig manually.
In this hall, there were not only human soldiers in uniforms, but also Tree-Men with professional tools. This situation was a bit like the mining area on Cypress Ancient Star, where people and snakes mixed together and were extremely noisy.
There was a five-story building in the center of the hall, which could be said to be a hall within a hall.
Ding Meng also knew that there was a great risk in using telekinesis at this time and place, but he had no choice but to use it. After releasing dozens of micro dots, the situation inside the five-story building was panoramic.
The hall on the fifth floor was the real-time command center. A large group of people were discussing the map model generated by the photon computer.
According to Kadiga's description, Ding Meng could be 100% sure that this group of people was Zhi Yan and his group of direct subordinates. However, he still did not find the king and the priest. Fortunately, the two priests were not here, otherwise, the possibility of being exposed would be very high.
Kadiga had also repeatedly warned him not to underestimate Zhi Yan's group of people. Their combat power could not be underestimated.
Ding Meng still decided to go to the north passage. The scene of humans and Tree-Men mining together was not only strange, but also spectacular. Tens of thousands of people were going side by side from countless branching passages. There was no doubt that they were looking for something.
Ding Meng's strategy this time was not to work with tools or to join a team. He slowly walked in the depths of the cave, controlling his telekinesis vision within the cave. Thousands of telekinesis micro dots were constantly scanning the crowd like reconnaissance aircraft.
Under normal circumstances, miners were more focused on their work. They would either dig with their excavators or stop to rest when they were tired. Those who had worked in the mining area for a long time would have a unique vision. As long as they looked at the place, they would be able to tell whether or not the people here were working seriously.
Were the mining efficiency high?
Were those people really tired?
With just a glance, they had an idea.
Ding Meng wandered around the cave. He was not in a hurry. There were many things that could not be rushed. He had to wait patiently.
After fourteen batches of miners went in and out, Ding Meng's eyes locked onto a Tree-Man. This Tree-Man was not very conspicuous, but the aura on his body was unusual. In Ding Meng's perception, this aura was faintly discernible, just like how a person breathed. When he inhaled, it was normal. He looked like an ordinary Tree-Man. However, when he exhaled, it contained a kind of agile and changeable energy. Moreover, he exhaled very carefully, afraid of disturbing the people around him. This person was obviously trying his best to hide his aura.
Only Ding Meng, who had a deep foundation and an experienced eye, could tell that there was something wrong with this person. If it were anyone else, they would not have been able to tell.
The Tree-Man walked into the crowd. He seemed to be greeting his companions, but after a few rounds, he disappeared.
Ding Meng narrowed his telekinesis vision again and followed him. He found a crack in the wall in front of him. Without any hesitation, he immediately went into it.
Inside the crack was a narrow passage that had been artificially excavated. The mud, sand, soil, and stones had not been moved away in time. However, from the analysis of the residue, it was mostly hard and coarse rocks. It created an illusion that nothing could be excavated from this path.
Thinking back to when Ding Meng and Little Four discovered the underground warship of the Black Gold Base, they had explored in this kind of environment. Sometimes, the more you thought it was impossible, the more likely it was to be a path.
The passageway was completely irregular and twisted, and it slowly extended underground. This distance was also quite long, but as they walked, a spherical boulder completely blocked the passageway. This was a typical dead end.
Ding Meng looked at the five-meter-tall boulder and could not help but smile. He took a few steps back, slowly raised his right hand, opened his palm, and gently pulled. The boulder immediately rolled out like a rubber ball, revealing a dark hole inside. After Ding Meng went in, he used the same method to pull the boulder back. The entire passage looked as good as it had been before.
This kind of obstacle could only stop ordinary people for a while. It was impossible to fool experts.
As they continued forward, the passage gradually became wider, and the terrain gradually widened. Soon, a huge pool appeared in front of them. There was indeed something wrong with this underground place.
Ding Meng did not think too much and jumped into the pool. The underwater world was truly a different world. When he dove into the water, he immediately realized that the underwater world was so vast that it was beyond his imagination. It felt like a huge underground building, but this building had been submerged by water. He was now moving inside this building. The space was so big, there were so many passages, so many walls, and so many branches. It was like a huge maze.
Ding Meng believed that the Tree Man in front of him must have also dived down. The Green Tree Tribe was good at moving underwater.
Xiao Ai said, "The water contains strong toxins and is very corrosive. Even alloy made with 98 yuan can't resist it for a long time. The surrounding walls seem to be made of wood. The strange thing is that there are no gaps between the walls. It's like a huge piece of wood was carved from the inside."
In fact, Ding Meng had also noticed that the walls were indeed made of wood. He approached a corner, raised his wrist, and waved the detector at the wall.
After two crisp beeps, the watch displayed a super high score of "098". This was probably the best wood of the Green Tree Tribe.
Xiao Ai said, "I'm thinking that we've probably entered the core of the Green Tree Tribe."
Ding Meng said, "The thing that the Alliance really wants is probably this kind of wood. But what can it be used for?"
Xiao Ai's tone became cold. "In here, I'm afraid that technological signals will be blocked. The toxins will surge violently and form a natural enclosed space. If I'm not wrong, I'm afraid that even your Catoptric Deflection won't be able to pierce through this wood."
"Oh?" Ding Meng did not believe that there was something that couldn't be pierced through with kryptonite.
There was a flash of light under the water. The Catoptric Deflection automatically detached from his belt and turned into a sharp spike. Driven by telekinesis, it stabbed into the wall with a thud.
A jaw-dropping scene happened. The wall was not pierced through. It only left a slight dent, but the dent recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ding Meng was shocked. "What kind of material is this?"
Xiao Ai said, "There's no comparison sample in the database, but Zeng Kang will probably go crazy if he sees this kind of wood. If he uses this material to make a bone armor, it will be truly invulnerable to fire and water."
Ding Meng recalled the Catoptric Deflection and continued to sneak forward. When they reached a depth of 200 meters, Xiao Ai finally reported, "There's an unknown unit 800 meters ahead. It looks like a human, but it doesn't look like a human."
Without another word, Ding Meng rushed forward with all his might. Soon, the two of them saw clearly that in the middle of a crossroad, there was a tall person staring at them coldly. No matter how much they thought about it, they would never have thought that this person was actually — the monarch!