The call was from Che Zhen.
Jiang Ye answered, and before he could ask anything, Che Zhen's shout came through.
"Commander! Something's happened at the No. 22 geothermal power plant construction site! There's a creature 10 kilometers underground! It bit a lot of workers! I'm rushing there with troops!"
"A creature?" Jiang Ye was shocked. "What kind of creature?"
"Don't know! Please authorize me to stop the other construction sites!" Che Zhen said. "I'm afraid if other sites dig up animals too, we won't be able to control it!"
Sweat beaded on Jiang Ye's forehead. He quickly ordered all geothermal power plants to cease operations.
He jumped out of bed and rushed to his study, quickly opening the satellite observation.
The No. 22 geothermal power plant was already out of control. The anti-gravity excavator was still working, spewing out a dark brown waterfall non-stop, like a volcanic eruption. It was a pillar of sand and dust three kilometers high, erupting from a depth of ten kilometers underground.
Mixed within the rolling sand and dust were countless golden specks of light, splashing into the construction area like sparks, their brightness truly dazzling.
Zooming in, he could see the situation on the ground. The so-called golden sparks were actually moving, crawling everywhere like insects. Machine workers were charging forward, crushing the golden bugs, while human workers fled. But there were already bodies on the ground, covered in gold.
Jiang Ye checked the troops' movements. Bombers had taken off and would reach the site in 30 seconds.
"Destroy the excavator," Jiang Ye ordered the bombers.
"Received, destroy the excavator," the reply immediately popped up.
Jiang Ye clicked into the bombers' status. It was a mixed manual and AI piloting system. The pilot was Shan Xinran, the captain responsible for guarding the bomber base this month. Jiang Ye didn't recognize this female pilot, but reaching the captain position meant she was likely no ordinary person. He could only hope her skills were top-notch.
The 30 seconds passed in an instant.
The bombers' bomb bays opened wide. Thirty small incendiary bombs dropped first, followed by an 800-kilogram high-explosive bomb to finish. The entire bombing run was completed in an instant. This precise operation was not done manually but by the aircraft's onboard weapon intelligence.
Jiang Ye quickly switched to the satellite overhead view.
The dark brown sand and dust waterfall suddenly lit up. The incendiary bombs enveloped the entire waterfall, and all the flying golden specks of light were submerged by the brighter flames. Dense explosions scattered across the night sky. All the golden specks of light acted like explosives, bursting into flames as soon as they were hit by the fire.
Then came a small mushroom cloud. The multi-billion dollar anti-gravity excavator was blown into pieces scattered across the sky.
The erupting waterfall vanished instantly, leaving only a cloud of dust. Soon, a huge black pit was revealed, like a dark, gaping volcanic crater.
The second wave to arrive was the ornithopter unit, a total of 1,000 aircraft, with the nearest military base deploying all its forces.
The ornithopters circled the construction site like flocks of birds, scattering countless small robots.
There were three models of robots deployed: dmzd-008481, dmzd-01023, and tdzd-6277. Their official names were too difficult to remember and too awkward to say, so the troops internally nicknamed them "Little Dog," "Little Bomb," and "Little Sparrow."
Little Dog was only fist-sized, with two serrated wheels, capable of rapid maneuvering and charging. Upon finding a target, it would perform a cutting action. Each cost only 8,000 yuan.
The satellite clearly showed thousands of Little Dogs landing and immediately scurrying, fiercely cutting at the golden specks on the ground. Their combat effectiveness was formidable. A large area of gold quickly dimmed, and the darkened zones expanded at a visible rate. It was like unburnt ashes being doused with water.
Little Bomb was a self-detonating robot used for containment. Upon landing, it would start digging, squatting in the earth like a mole with only its sensor head exposed. When it detected golden specks crawling nearby, it would leap up and explode. The explosion was powerful, comparable to a mortar barrage. Many Little Dogs were accidentally injured, blown into scattered parts.
Little Sparrow was a small drone that flew erratically at ground level, shooting at the specks. Its photon bullets would explode upon impact, acting as miniature air support.
After deploying the robots, the ornithopters collectively landed near the work sheds. Soldiers disembarked in squads, carrying stretchers to rescue the injured workers.
Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief. At least the situation was under control.
Cen Yemeng stood barefoot at the doorway, looking anxious. "What happened?"
"You go back to sleep. I have to go out. There was a construction site accident; many people must have died," Jiang Ye said.
...
Jiang Ye rushed to the scene to command, then visited the injured at the hospital. He was busy all night and only managed to doze off in his car at six in the morning.
As of six o'clock, the accident had caused a total of 87 worker deaths, 112 severe injuries, and 278 minor injuries. Direct equipment losses amounted to 3.7 billion yuan.
After sleeping for forty minutes, Jiang Ye took a car to a nearby military base.
In the base's underground chemical warfare laboratory, the captured underground creature samples were already being studied.
Jiang Ye saw a live specimen of the creature through the surveillance feed.
It was indeed insectoid in form, somewhat resembling a sea snail but without a shell. The larger ones weighed three pounds, while the smaller ones were only 50 grams. There were bubble-like specks of light inside their bodies.
"When they were first captured, their brightness was forty times what it is now. We had to wear goggles," a staff member said. "Now they are getting dimmer and might die soon. We don't know how to keep these things alive. Please approve slice research."
"Proceed," Jiang Ye nodded.
A robotic arm grabbed one and began to cut.
Intense flames erupted, actually heating the mechanical blade red-hot. The entire insect rapidly shriveled, like a deflating balloon.
The laboratory alarm sounded, detecting temperatures of over a thousand degrees Celsius!
The staff present were all stunned. Could the creature's body store flames internally, or did it have a fire-breathing function, like the legendary fire-breathing dragons?
"How many live specimens of these insects did you capture?" Jiang Ye asked.
"There are 120 in the warehouse. These are all the live specimens found at the site."
"Research them as quickly as possible. You can try burying some in the soil; these things survive underground, so they might live in the dirt. I'll have the troops dig up some of the deep soil that erupted from underground," Jiang Ye said. "Have you compared them to the Galactic Empire's species database?"
"We've already compared them. There are no similar species. After extracting the genes, we'll check their kinship."
"Alright, be careful. These things are like bombs. Don't cut them together," Jiang Ye nodded.
After giving his instructions, he decisively made his exit.
120 fire-breathing insects – they might explode. If they did, who knew how powerful the blast would be? The entire laboratory could turn to dust, which was extremely dangerous.
The research couldn't stop; it concerned the lives of people across the planet. But he, as the commander, could leave first to stay safe.
The construction site accident had been reported to Li Nannan. Just as Jiang Ye left the base, his phone vibrated, and a reply came.
"Slice analysis is underway. Send me the data; I have a few scientist friends who can help with remote research," Li Nannan said.
"Slice analysis is already in progress. I'll send you the data as soon as it's available," Jiang Ye replied. "Commander, you are very knowledgeable. Do you know anything about these creatures?"