Chapter 65 Sand Rats Attack <TOC> Chapter 67 Yu Gong Moves Mountains
Previous page password is bold portion: hI8taX&#LjE5R
Translator: SumTLMan
After the Electronic Rat was captured by Hunter Sea, it was transported all the way to Jade Emerald City.
The Ridge Spine Hunter commented: “Chairman, this guy’s own body is quite weak; it relies on mobilizing those Sand Rats. It must possess some kind of sophisticated command skills or the ability to modify Sand Rats.”
Zhou Yi praised: “Well done, carry on with your work.”
“Understood.”
The Ridge Spine Hunter returned to the sky.
Zhou Yi focused his attention on the captive before him.
This Electronic Rat was only about the size of a palm. Under its white plastic shell, its eyes were two LED bulbs, and its four legs and tail were crafted very lightly. In the past, it would have been considered a cheap toy.
It lay motionless on the table.
Zhou Yi pulled out a chair and sat in front of the Electronic Rat: “Shall we talk?”
No response.
“Do you have a voice module?”
No response.
Zhou Yi poked it with his finger.
No response.
Zhou Yi grabbed it in his hand, feeling that the Electronic Rat weighed only about 200 grams. It was stiff all over, appearing like a rock machine or something broken.
“Red Falcon, scan its information and activate [Bird’s-Eye View].”
The drone hovered, its five cameras slowly adjusting their angles.
“No registration information found for this Electronic lifeform. It is not a city citizen.”
“Based on its structural and morphological features, it belongs to the small bionic category. Its specific skills and body structure require comprehensive testing to confirm.”
“This lifeform has not emitted any signals. It should have entered sleep mode.”
No results found.
Zhou Yi input energy directly.
—10
—10
After inputting 80 points of energy, the Electronic Rat’s eyes began to flicker slowly. It twisted its spine and tail left and right, making a clicking sound.
Zhou Yi sent out information through synchronized consciousness: “Can you hear my voice?”
“Hello, thank you very much for the charge, I can hear you.”
The other party gave a polite response.
Zhou Yi asked again: “Did you previously run out of energy?”
“No, I entered sleep mode to reduce consumption. May I ask, did you see the Sand Rats next to me? How are they doing now?”
It was very concerned about those small animals: “The Sand Rats are fine. Your sulfur dust explosion eliminated a significant number of Claw Boars. That group should no longer bother them.”
“Hopefully.”
Zhou Yi interlocked his fingers, elbows resting on the table, and looked with interest at the white rat: “How did you end up mingling with the Sand Rats? Why didn’t you seek out other Electronic lifeforms?”
“This is a long story.”
The Electronic Rat said: “My full name is NeRmoD017, but you can call me Nemo. My function is pipeline inspection and maintenance; I am an underground pipeline worker. *Click.*”
“From the time I have memories, I was in the area between Dead Sea and the current Oasis Belt. It was very desolate there, with few animals—*click.*
Later, I surveyed the entire area and discovered that there had been volcanic eruptions before. Nearby creatures either died or fled to migrate.”
“After several long rainy seasons, life revived here. A large amount of vegetation regrew, thriving exceptionally under the nourishment of volcanic ash.”
“Animals began migrating here from various places, gradually taking on a whole new appearance—*click—*”
Its voice was continuously interrupted by clicking noises, making Zhou Yi frown.
“What’s with this noise?”
“The body structure has some faults, affecting my consciousness part.” Nemo suddenly said: “Excuse me, do you have any oil? Any kind of lubricant will do. My body lacks lubricants, and the volcanic area is too dry.”
“I only have vegetable oil here.”
“That’s fine too.”
Zhou Yi went to the kitchen, dipped a cotton swab in some oil, and, following the Electronic Rat’s instructions, disassembled the dirty plastic shell. He applied the oil to some rusted metal skeletal connections inside.
Then he removed two small pebbles stuck inside, cleaning out the dust and rat hair.
The Electronic Rat moved its spine again, its body swaying left and right smoothly this time, without making the previous clicking sounds.
“Thank you for your care. Now, I’ll continue.”
Nemo said: “Various animals have come to this land, but I worry about another volcanic eruption, so I began building emergency tunnels underground to ensure safe evacuation in case of an eruption. At that time, the surface would undoubtedly be very chaotic.”
“My main job is an underground pipeline worker. Constructing underground tunnels isn’t difficult for me. I dug into the earth, using stones, dry grass, and some clay to build the pipelines, trying to ensure they were waterproof, moisture-proof, and impact-resistant. Unfortunately, my body’s strength is too weak, and the progress of the project was very slow.”
“At that time, I noticed that Sand Rats exhibited similar behaviors. They also dug holes and built tunnels. So I started trying to interact with them, hoping to work together. This way, I could provide professional guidance, and their labor would compensate for my individual shortcomings.”
“The adjustment took a long time because I had no time to record modules, so I could only calculate by seasons.”
He continued: “After 22 winters, I integrated into their group. Another 10 winters passed, and because I could survive continuously, I became the longest-living individual. Watching the other young rats grow up, I became the leader of the rodent group.”
“Then the underground project officially commenced.”
“Originally, I planned to construct around the volcano because the volcanic interior has high-quality volcanic rock that has been purified by high temperatures, making it breathable, insulating, lightweight, and hard.”
“However, something big happened then. A giant lifeform crawled out of the soil layers. Later, I learned it was called Dead Sea Abomination. It first wandered around, then went to the southwest side of the Mushroom Forest. The Sand Rats were very panicked, and I had to lead them away, hiding in the northern region.”
Nemo witnessed the awakening of Jade Emerald City.
But Jade Emerald City said: “I didn’t notice the situation with the Sand Rats.”
To it, Sand Rats were too small and not a focal point. At that time, Jade Emerald City was famished and, in search of energy, reached the Mushroom Forest. Then it was absorbed by the impurities and mushrooms of the Dead Light Deposit Zone, falling into a deep sleep.
Since it was that era.
Zhou Yi immediately asked: “Have you seen the Death Angel? The one in the Mushroom Forest that looks like a white-clad young woman?”
“The ruler of the Mushroom Forest you mentioned, I have seen her from afar.”
Nemo’s LED eyes emitted a faint glow: “She is a very special and powerful lifeform, born from large stones growing out of the Abomination’s surface——the Sand Rats all know her.”
Was the birth of the Death Angel somehow related to Jade Emerald City?
Zhou Yi stroked his chin.
If there’s a chance, I could try exploring that direction in the future.
“But our focus is still underground, so regarding the external environment, we only observe and do not approach those dangerous lifeforms.”
Nemo brought the conversation back.
“To adapt to the new environment, I improved the plan by adding storage rooms, rest rooms, sewage areas, nurseries, safety passages, trap houses, and other structures within the underground tunnels.”
“Within the entire group, I further divided roles into specialized breeding rats responsible for caring for the offspring, foraging rats searching for food and water, soldier rats dedicated to combat and self-sacrificial cover for group retreats, building rats constructing nests and tunnels, and scout rats constantly observing the external world.”
“I spent seven winters with the Sand Rats. Through the efforts of three generations of Sand Rats, we built the underground pipelines and dwellings in the northern region. Then we returned to the Oasis beneath the volcano, taking another 14 winters to complete the underground construction of the Oasis Zone.”
“Next, we expanded the tunnels in all directions, creating an extensive underground network covering the Oasis, the northern forest, the eastern beach, the southern Mushroom Forest, and westward to Chicken Head Town.”
“The entire project took a total of 127 winters, with over 60 generations of Sand Rats participating. The labor involved was immeasurable. Due to the success of this massive project, this area, including Sand Port, became the Sand Rat center for the entire region. Even though the environment continues to deteriorate, the permanent underground Sand Rats still number around 300,000.”
The light in the Electronic Rat’s small eyes suddenly brightened, seemingly proud of this.
It was the earliest pioneer here.
Zhou Yi was amazed but also somewhat puzzled: “Can this place really support 300,000 Sand Rats?”
“Sand Rats may be small, but they consume food every day.”
“Yes.”
Nemo replied without hesitation: “Sand Rats are omnivorous. Underground insects and grass roots, tender leaves, tree fruits, decaying flesh and bones on the surface, aquatic plants by the water, and small fish and shrimp in the water are all edible.”
“However, after humans discovered this place, a large number of trees were cut down for firewood, wild berries were picked clean, leading to a significant reduction in environmental resources. Although I taught the Sand Rats to plant grass and trees, the planting speed couldn’t keep up with the rate of human destruction——”
“Finally, I came up with a solution to prevent more humans from coming here.”
“I started raising a type of insect with the Sand Rats. Its size increases over time, eventually evolving into a highly aggressive monster, the Stinging Antlion. In the past, we would eat their larvae to prevent them from growing into threats, but now we need their strength.”
“By breeding Stinging Antlions and placing them on the western paths, we reduce the number of humans approaching this area. Stinging Antlions have a violent temperament and will hunt various creatures, effectively deterring the number of humans entering here.”
Zhou Yi scratched his head.
He remained cautious.
It seemed that these Stinging Antlions were biological weapons that Nemo raised to combat new humans.
Chapter 65 Sand Rats Attack <TOC> Chapter 67 Yu Gong Moves Mountains