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Chapter 878: Exploration 3
🕑 Added 2023-12-04 12:54:41 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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Beneath the surface of Mars lay an underground ice lake, discovered by a reconnaissance team dispatched by the Decepticons. More than one such lake had been found.
While there were no signs of past civilizations on this planet yet, the confirmation of life's existence in ancient times on Mars had been established by the Decepticon exploration team.
However, in a location suspected to be Liege Maximo's laboratory, the presence of a possible underground ice lake was anything but good news.
Even though Cybertronians had greater survival capabilities in extreme environments compared to Carbon-Based Life, it didn't mean they were immune to adverse effects.
Sun Cheng, for one, lacked confidence in enduring extreme conditions below minus 100 degrees.
Thus, he worried that the ancient elder of the Cybertronian civilization might use this unknown environment of the ice lake to conceal something dangerous.
"Stay alert!"
After giving the order, Sun Cheng's directive was understood by an advanced warrior.
He suddenly waved his hand, and two soldiers swiftly emerged behind him, quickly opening a massive alloy box they had brought along.
The moment the alloy box was opened, four sets of small reconnaissance devices shot out rapidly from the metal container.
Then, two beams of light instantly shot out from the eyes of one of the warriors, projecting images on the nearby walls from the four different fields of view captured by the devices.
The small reconnaissance devices didn't fly too fast; they were specially crafted reconnaissance equipment designed by Decepticon engineers within the Mars base for this exploration mission.
During flight, the four sets of small reconnaissance devices continuously emitted probing waves, mapping the terrain and providing feedback. Simultaneously, they conducted preliminary material analysis of everything they saw.
In the images on the screen, the terrain and material analyses scanned by the small reconnaissance devices rapidly flashed by.
Although all the data flashed by in an instant, for the Decepticons present, it was enough for them to record everything.
The reconnaissance range of the small devices was 10 kilometers. Beyond this distance, even the Decepticons would find it challenging to process the transmitted data.
"We're nearing the exploration limit!"
A senior Decepticon warrior suddenly reminded, and Sun Cheng nodded slightly.
He hadn't expected the space below to be so vast. It seemed that Liege Maximo, the former emperor, had indeed researched something remarkable here.
"Continue the search until we're out of range!"
Indifferent to it all, he issued the command. For Sun Cheng, who was now overseeing a growing family business, these four sets of small reconnaissance devices were no longer of much concern.
"Yes!"
With his command, the Decepticon responsible for remotely controlling the small reconnaissance devices did not hesitate as the devices quickly lost contact without anyone controlling them.
As the feedback data was cut off, all Decepticons turned their attention to Sun Cheng once again.
"Let's move out!"
Sun Cheng reached behind and gripped the heavy sword in his hand.
A group of Decepticons moved quickly, advancing along a tunnel that had been excavated who knows how many years ago.
Not long after, frost had started to form on the bodies of ordinary Decepticon warriors and engineers due to the low temperature.
"The temperature is approaching minus 40 degrees!"
While walking, Sun Cheng extended a finger, and droplets of water began to appear on the slightly heated fingertip.
"The air is gradually becoming more humid!"
The tunnel did not go straight forward or downward but twisted and turned.
He calculated in his mind that he and the other Decepticons had already covered several kilometers in just a short time. After passing a turn, they would soon reach the location where the small reconnaissance devices had disappeared from the last detection.
As they delved deeper underground, the temperature continued to drop.
"Commander-in-chief... they can't proceed any further!"
A high-ranking Decepticon warrior suddenly halted Sun Cheng with a shout.
Glancing back, he noticed that many engineers were already covered in ice, forced to expend internal energy to generate heat to maintain their mobility.
Frowning for a moment, Sun Cheng then relaxed.
Cybertronian beings weren't invincible. While their bodies were indeed more robust than those of Earth's carbon-based life, this strength only elevated the lower limit and extended the upper limit; ultimately, there were still limits.
"Stop here!"
He looked at the spacious passage. "Contact the Mars base. Send them the data from here and have them design vehicles capable of transporting engineers and equipment in polar ice field environments! Get them to manufacture and send them here as soon as possible!"
This laboratory of Liege Maximo, suspected to be located over or near an underground ice lake, might have temperatures reaching minus seventy to eighty degrees, or even lower.
For the majority of life, this place evidently had no development potential.
Extreme cold could be used to test some special materials and equipment. Additionally, if there truly was an ice lake nearby, it would be a significant discovery for the Mars base, which severely lacked industrial water.
"Yes!"
A communication soldier received the command and immediately withdrew to inform the Mars base.
Sun Cheng then glanced at the warriors who could still endure. "Leave a team to protect them. The rest, continue forward!"
Given the current design and manufacturing capabilities of the Mars base, vehicles suitable for use in polar ice field environments could likely be manufactured in just over ten hours.
"Yes!"
Leading the remaining Decepticon warriors, Sun Cheng and his team continued forward. After rounding another bend, everyone suddenly felt a brightness ahead.
At the end of the passage, a vast and spacious underground space appeared before all the Decepticons.
"There's light!"
A Decepticon advanced warrior immediately took out his weapon. "You few, follow me!"
Without waiting for Sun Cheng's command, this batch of warriors, who had undergone numerous battles on Earth, took the initiative and rushed toward the unknown underground space.
Sun Cheng didn't stop them, but he wasn't prepared to watch his subordinates fall into danger either.
In the rear of the vanguard, his weapon gripped tightly, he continuously flexed his fingers, preventing the ice crystals attempting to freeze his hands.
Sun Cheng didn't walk too slowly. Not long after his advanced warriors led a team of Decepticon soldiers into the underground space, he also emerged from the passage.
In an instant, what entered his field of view was a clearly artificially excavated massive underground space.
The underground space was enormous, estimated to be no less than several hundred thousand square meters, irregularly oval-shaped, with the highest point reaching about seventy-six meters and the lowest around forty to fifty meters.
The first team of Decepticons to enter was inspecting the nearest light source.
The light emanated from a five to six-meter-high block of ice, within which small points of light were constantly moving.
"It's amazing, these are luminescent microorganisms... even more astonishing, they can survive in temperatures below minus dozens of degrees, and their habitat is the ice layer!"
With a sweep of his eyes, Sun Cheng quickly grasped the general situation of the tiny organisms within the light source.
Just as he was about to further analyze the information about these luminescent microorganisms, a Decepticon warrior, who had autonomously dispersed to nearby for vigilance and inspection upon entering the underground space, exclaimed.
"Commander-in-chief, we've found something unusual here!"
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 879: Predacons
