Chapter 425

Chapter 425: Worry

These six-legged robots seemed to fall from the sky, appearing out of nowhere inside the training center, causing massive chaos. After searching, the guard battalion discovered several interference devices hidden within the walls of the training center and a temporarily excavated underground passage, as well as an abandoned tunneling machine.

If it were not for the underground space having a permanent super-thick layer of reinforced concrete and composite metal walls, and the high level of secrecy regarding its location, even the most advanced tunneling machines could not break through. Otherwise, these robots would have simply tunneled in from below.

Whenever there was action, there would be clues. That night, the Fifth Aerospace Training Center was flooded with top-notch crime-solving experts and international intelligence specialists from across the country. Except for the important military restricted areas, all places where battles occurred were kept brightly lit 24 hours a day. All professionals arriving here displayed their unique skills in gathering clues and analyzing intelligence.

Although the invaders meticulously designed and cleverly arranged their plans, there were still faint traces of evidence that emerged.

After identification, it was revealed that this attack might have been part of a plan that started two years ago. The subtle and silent invasion tactics rendered the center’s defense system unable to react immediately, leading to a complete paralysis under attack.

Fortunately, the main defense program could be replaced through human intervention. Concentrating all manpower and efforts allowed for rapid repair to regain control.

Even though there were only a few individuals on the entire planet capable of such actions, it was challenging to confront the enemy without solid evidence. However, politics often does not require proof.

The only option left was to repay in kind, practicing an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and blood for blood.

The chaos at the Fifth Aerospace Training Center would continue for quite some time, but it would not greatly affect the twenty-one candidates. Their training would proceed as normal, although the announcement of eliminated candidates would be postponed.

"Where the hell is that damned Gold Coin?"

Upon returning to his dormitory, Lin Mo immediately searched for the Giant Dragon but found only a watch placed on the table.

That was not Gold Coin’s piece; it was a real, physical watch, without any metallic life signals.

He rummaged through the desk, but not even the sneakily disguised "Fire Seed" component module was there.

Lin Mo searched every corner of the room, but he found nothing.

"This brat, who knows where he went to hunt for wild food. Can’t he stay away from temptation even for a moment?" Lin Mo knew that the commotion outside would definitely involve this mischievous guy, and taking advantage of chaos was surely this guy’s specialty.

He must have snuck out without saying a word while Lin Mo was away.

Just as Lin Mo put on the watch on his left wrist in frustration, he heard Meng Yinan shouting outside his dormitory.

"Boss, boss, so many people are outside! Planes are coming down like dumplings! Oh my gosh, even more than ten tanks rolled in! Are we going to war?!"

"What are you panicking about? What time is this? If Major General Sun sees you like this, you’ll probably lose all your points for your previous impressions," Lin Mo warned the baby-faced lieutenant with a frown. Although the list of the fourth round of eliminations had not been announced, one must not slacken as the end approached.

The opportunity to qualify for astronaut selection was exceedingly rare; if he lost that chance unnecessarily, it would be a lifelong regret.

"Oh! Oh! Boss, you’re right!"

Meng Yinan scratched his head awkwardly, realizing he had let his true self show despite constantly reminding himself in the training center.

"Stay put for the next few days. There was just a big fight here, and I estimate the anger from above won’t be small. Hmph, this world is about to get unpeaceful again."

Lin Mo recalled the afternoon’s attack; this country had never suffered such silent losses. The adversary had clearly plotted something, and until the end, not a single shadow had been revealed. They utilized program settings and remote control entirely, leaving all robots involved in the attack and destruction to be treated as disposable cannon fodder.

In business, whatever capital is invested must yield at least double the return. Such a grand act of using robots for an attack was no small plot.

Lin Mo’s mind raced quickly, and he realized the Fifth Aerospace Training Center must possess something unusual; otherwise, they wouldn’t have attracted such a sudden change.

Gold Coin might have noticed this too and ditched Lin Mo without a word, disappearing without a trace.

"Yes, yes! Boss is a hero! When are we going to eat? I’m starving."

Meng Yinan was somewhat frightened by the checkpoints every ten steps and the guards every five steps; he had to go through at least two interrogations just to reach Lin Mo’s room.

Lin Mo walked to the window and looked outside. Meng Yinan’s description was far from exaggeration; planes seemed to be taking off and landing continuously in the direction of the airport, and the number of soldiers at the training center had suddenly increased. It was uncertain where they all had come from.

The most likely scenario was that nearby garrison troops had been mobilized. Judging by the formation, at least a division was on site. Now, the Fifth Aerospace Training Center had truly turned into a fortress where not even a fly could enter.

“Don’t bother. I have concentrated energy bars here. Let’s just eat these.”

Lin Mo was quite shocked by the level of security outside; the higher-ups were clearly agitated, and a retaliatory action seemed likely to follow soon.

Energy bars?!

Meng Yinan’s face fell immediately. To Lin Mo, those were treasures, but to him, snacks were not proper snacks, and staples were not real food.

Though they didn’t taste too bad, due to their highly concentrated synthetic food content, you could only take a bite – about the size of a jujube – at most two bites before you had to drink a lot of water. After that, your stomach felt completely confused, and it hardly gave the feeling of having a meal.

While the nutrition was comprehensive and balanced, as emergency battlefield rations for special fields like aerospace, their application scope was quite narrow. Even if they could serve as meal replacements, no one wanted to ruin their love for food by eating these. Moreover, food holds a significant place in Chinese culture.

But eating these things posed certain dangers.

If one carelessly ate a few more bites and washed them down with water, it could lead to serious bloating! Even if you stubbornly avoided drinking water, you wouldn’t be able to eat anything for at least a day or two; it felt like having downed two kilograms of thick yogurt on an empty stomach. You would be hungry but simply unable to eat.

Meng Yinan did not take the energy bar Lin Mo handed to him. Trying a little was fine, but he greatly preferred fragrant white rice, especially with some bright red and glossy Chairman Mao’s braised pork, which was simply delicious. He wouldn’t choose to nibble on these dry energy bars.

Outside, the soldiers grew increasingly dense, and the ground began to clear. Every robot fragment, regardless of friend or foe, was collected and sorted.

It was unclear what role the missing Gold Coin played in this sudden incident.

For the first time, Lin Mo felt concern for the gold giant dragon.

This unruly creature, known for high attack and defense, claimed to be unbreakable and invulnerable, had never worried Lin Mo before.

However, in this world, humans utilized metal far more than in another realm, and correspondingly developed a variety of high-tech weapons specifically targeting metals. These weapons were not deliberately crafted to counter the gold giant dragon, but they posed a real and deadly threat to it; even becoming part of the metal wouldn’t be a solution.

Knock, knock, knock!

A knocking sound interrupted Lin Mo’s thoughts.

“Come in!”

Lin Mo replied, noticing Meng Yinan showed no interest in the energy bars, so he returned them to where they belonged, inside a cardboard box.

Next to his desk, a cardboard box held plenty of these stick-shaped specialty foods, and there were seven or eight more boxes like it in Lin Mo’s room, almost all of the training center’s stock.

“Number one, number eighteen, are you two in here?”

“Number four, why are you here?”

Wei Yuni walked into the room with a worried look on her face. Seeing Lin Mo and Meng Yinan there, it seemed they had completely adopted each other’s code names as their names.

“I don’t know how the training center will arrange us. Today’s events were too sudden.”

Wei Yuni was filled with concerns. The unexpected situation today unsettled her greatly. This was not just a mass public incident; it was something that could even spark a war. Though the higher-ups were trying to contain it, fire couldn’t be hidden by paper, and that made her very anxious.

“What are you worried about?” Lin Mo noticed Wei Yuni’s state and understood her purpose for coming.

This straightforward woman probably wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep unless she expressed her true feelings.

“I’m just afraid today’s events will affect the selection. I never imagined war was so close. The gunfire and explosions felt like they were right beside me. It’s as if I’ve died once. I worry the higher-ups might suspend the selection and send us all back.”

As one of the few women chosen to be here, Wei Yuni carried the hopes of many people on her shoulders.

She was also concerned that the chaos would affect her chances. Now that trouble had arisen, as part of the ‘collateral damage,’ her strong personality made it hard for her to accept missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime dream of space.

Lin Mo smiled, reaching for the cardboard box again. He pulled out an energy bar, looked at it, then tossed it back in. He selected one with a char siu flavor, expertly opened the packaging, took a small bite, and then said, “We are neither spies nor agents. Getting to participate in this selection is not a joke. They probably even checked the backgrounds of our ancestors for ten generations; each one is more reputable than the last. With political reviews, psychological assessments, and loyalty tests, it’s not just you and me. Anyone would go through similar hardships. If we aren’t reliable, then I doubt there is anyone trustworthy in the entire nation.”