Chapter 2953: Track Transmission

Inside the temporary Federation base, Vionne had been watching Fang Heng for several nights, so tired that he couldn’t stop yawning.

During this time, there had been no movement on Fang Heng’s side.

The more nothing happened, the more uneasy he felt.

Just as he was about to go rest, he suddenly saw movement on the surveillance monitors.

What was that?

He saw Wayne’s squad pushing 1.5-meter-long levitating cubes, piling them up on the loose sand outside, laying them out in a full layer.

Vionne’s eyelids twitched. He didn’t understand what he was seeing.

Were they laying a floor?

No, that wasn’t right!

Why weren’t those stones sinking?

The gravity in this world was higher, and the loose sand meant that normal stones placed on it would quickly sink like quicksand.

“Captain, you haven’t rested in three days. Do you want to take a break? We’ll keep watch here, and if anything happens…”

“No need.”

Vionne’s bloodshot eyes stayed fixed on the area outside the ship, a cold chill creeping into his heart.

For three full hours!

Vionne sat in the main control room, watching as Zaka and the players laid one cement block after another onto the sand.

An area the size of a football field!

Good grief!

Were they altering the terrain?

Where did they even get that many anti-gravity stones?

As the anti-gravity stones continued to be laid out, mutant worm creatures began moving back and forth, spitting the ores they had gathered to the edge of the field.

Zaka split off a group of players to gather the ores and transport them back underground.

What the hell!

Who said the underground space was just a decoy?

They had built an underground base!

Vionne turned and said, “Notify the leader immediately. I have reason to believe Fang Heng has already established an underground base!”

“Understood!”

His subordinate rushed out and returned five minutes later with a report: “Captain, the leader and the Presidential Palace have discussed the matter. They want us to avoid any conflict with Fang Heng for now and continue monitoring.”

Still monitoring?

What kind of crap monitoring was this?

Seeing that Vionne was on the verge of erupting, the subordinate quickly added, “The transition passage is only upgraded to Level 3 without battleships. Even if Fang Heng trades ores with the spawns through the transition system, the amount is still limited.”

“The leader believes that without our help, Fang Heng won’t be able to leave this place. No matter how many ores they gather, they’ll be useless. Fang Heng will eventually come begging for negotiations. We should just keep watching.”

Vionne was at a loss for words. Thinking carefully, he scratched his head in frustration.

The logic did make sense.

But…

Why did he still feel so uneasy?

Wait a minute!

What was that?

Some kind of special device?!

He saw on the screen that Zaka and his men had emerged from the cavern again, this time carrying thick stacks of iron sheets.

Huh?

What was this now?

Vionne squinted and leaned closer to the surveillance monitors to get a better look.

He saw Zaka crouch down and carefully install the iron sheets onto the anti-gravity stones.

“Ka, ka ka ka…”

Each anti-gravity stone had pre-made slots that perfectly matched the iron sheets.

What the hell? Alloy track devices?

Once installed, the tracks began moving forward, carrying the stones along and transporting them into the underground passage.

The soldiers in the main control room all swallowed hard at the sight.

Something felt increasingly wrong about the situation.

The base’s modifications had expanded from the underground domain to the surface.

It felt like Mr. Fang was playing a much bigger game.

“Leader, calm down…”

Nearby, a subordinate saw the veins bulging on Vionne’s forehead and quietly tried to reassure him, “Maybe Fang Heng really developed something. Sure, the ore mining efficiency is a bit higher, but they can’t maintain it, right? Without high-level transition passages, no matter how much ore they dig, they can’t transport it out. They still rely on us.”

That was true.

Level 3 transition efficiency was already the limit. No matter how fast they were at mining, transporting, filtering, sorting, and refining…

The ore would still pile up in the underground base, stuck there.

“Leader, we should be happy. The faster Fang Heng mines, the more ore we’ll eventually receive, right?”

“Let’s hope so.”

Vionne took a deep breath and tried to comfort himself.

“Report!”

“What is it?”

“Detected a strong electromagnetic ripple, possibly from an electromagnetic storm carried by a sandstorm. Our communication with Federation headquarters may be severely disrupted for the next few days.”

“Report! The headquarters has contacted us. We’re to keep a close eye on Fang Heng’s activities and not let our guard down.”

…

Three days later.

Vionne was still in the main control room, watching the outside through the surveillance monitors.

Outside the ship, a large area had already been cleared and covered with anti-gravity stones.

As predicted, the sandstorm descended.

But it had almost no effect on the base.

Fang Heng and his people had used the energy circulating within the anti-gravity stones to create an external barrier around the entire base area, including the Federation’s temporary base.

Anti-gravity stone paths extended in all directions into the sandstorm, with ores being transported along conveyor belts on the stones into the underground passages.

Vionne watched in disbelief as tons of ore were transported underground every hour, just by visual estimation. He itched with curiosity, wanting badly to see what Fang Heng’s underground base looked like.

Compared to him, Colette from the military department was far more composed.

At some point, Colette appeared next to Vionne, stretching and glancing sideways at the monitor. He asked, “What? Another sleepless night?”

“Colette, do you really think this is all normal?”

From the underground base to the surface anti-gravity paths, and now the giant defensive barrier that covered the whole region…

This kind of large-scale barrier and material transport system would consume an enormous amount of energy.

Where did Fang Heng get it all?

“That’s not something we need to worry about. The Federation already issued an evaluation report. We’re to wait for reinforcements quietly, and until we get further orders, I’m not doing anything with you.”

Colette shrugged and walked out of the control hall. He said, “With you watching here, I feel at ease. I’ll head out first.”

Vionne watched him leave with that indifferent attitude, grinding his teeth in frustration.