Chapter 13: Secret Base (Part 1)

Lin Fan sighed. Although his quantum phone had been swiped, he felt a bit comforted; at least the explorer shuttle was still there.

Thinking of this, he immediately quickened his pace, worried that further delay might allow the explorer shuttle to be remotely taken away, which would be a significant loss.

"The explorer shuttle should still be above Black Wind Ridge. When I fought Left Sword Envoy Yun Che earlier, I used the optical stealth shield to hide it," Lin Fan muttered to himself while thinking rapidly.

The mist above Black Wind Ridge was thick; even if the explorer shuttle was still in the sky, the dual coverage of the optical stealth shield and the mist made it almost impossible to detect.

Now that he was at the Golden Core cultivation level, flying was a breeze for him.

He rose into the air, his figure cutting through the pervasive black mist like the wind as he headed straight for the location where he remembered hiding the explorer shuttle.

Lin Fan soon arrived at the remembered location. Although the black mist was thick, he relied on his powerful spiritual sense to keenly detect a faint, abnormal fluctuation in the air.

Just as he had guessed, although the explorer shuttle was in an optical stealth state, the surrounding air had formed a subtle vacuum zone due to its presence.

"It's a good thing this black mist is thick enough, otherwise it would have been truly hard to detect," he muttered softly. His body paused slightly, then he reached forward. In an instant, his palm touched a cold and solid object—it was the hull of the explorer shuttle.

As he touched it, the explorer shuttle began to operate automatically, and the light curtain of the stealth shield rippled before him.

The hatch gradually appeared, and accompanied by a slight humming sound, the explorer shuttle activated its identity verification System.

"Identity verification in progress…" A mechanized voice sounded, followed by a pale blue scanning beam that quickly swept over Lin Fan from head to toe.

A moment later, the voice sounded again: "Identity verification complete. Welcome back, Lin Fan."

Hearing this familiar prompt, Lin Fan let out a sigh of relief.

The hatch slowly opened, and bright light spilled out from within, illuminating his face.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped into the explorer shuttle. The hatch closed quietly behind him, sealing off the black mist outside.

After entering the cockpit, Lin Fan quickly sat down in front of the console, his fingers skillfully operating the control interface.

Data flowed across the interface, the explorer shuttle's System was fully activated, and various status information jumped on the display screen.

"Start engines, deactivate stealth shield," he commanded in a low voice. The indicator light on the screen instantly turned green.

The explorer shuttle's engines roared deeply, and the entire cabin began to vibrate slightly. Lin Fan gripped the control stick tightly, a glimmer of sharpness flashing in his eyes.

His goal was clear—to head to the Firefly Forest beneath the Black Wind Abyss.

The Firefly Forest was the core of his secret plan. It was rich in resources, especially some rare minerals and nano Materials, which were crucial to him.

He had previously dispatched engineering robots to that area to collect resources and secretly build a military base.

Now, it should be time to reap the rewards.

"The engineering robots should have already completed the Early Stage collection tasks, and the nano Materials reserves should be about ready," Lin Fan muttered to himself.

He had long planned to make the Firefly Forest the core of his base, serving as a foothold for future operations.

He quickly tapped on the console and entered the destination coordinates.

A 3D holographic map of the Firefly Forest immediately popped up on the screen, with terrain details clearly visible and energy fluctuations marked clearly on the map.

The Firefly Forest contained abundant resources beneath it, and the robots he had previously deployed were working there silently, following his instructions to collect resources and build infrastructure.

"Let the base officially operate; it's about time to establish a defense System." A cold smile appeared on the corner of Lin Fan's mouth. The Firefly Forest was his secret weapon; once the base construction was complete, he would have an absolute advantage in this perilous world.

The explorer shuttle lightly broke free from the black mist above Black Wind Ridge, its speed suddenly increasing as it flew toward the target location.

As the explorer shuttle moved at full speed, the external scenery flashed by rapidly. The outline of the Black Wind Abyss gradually appeared in front, and beneath the dark rift valley, a strange light faintly glowed—it was the iconic scene of the Firefly Forest.

"If the nano Materials reserves are sufficient, the next step can be to start weapon manufacturing," Lin Fan calculated in his heart. He needed to not only ensure the secrecy of the base but also possess powerful combat capabilities.

As he approached the destination, Lin Fan's mood became increasingly resolute.

The Firefly Forest, that land burying countless possibilities, was about to become his stronghold.

The explorer shuttle gradually lowered its altitude. Lin Fan looked through the porthole at the Firefly Forest below; pale green light spots flickered among the trees, like countless fireflies dancing gracefully in the darkness.

The explorer shuttle landed steadily on the base's landing pad. Lin Fan stepped out of the hatch, the air mixed with a hint of fresh mineral scent.

The entire base was already quite different from his initial conception. After these days of efficient operation, the base had already taken shape.

The few lonely engineering robots from before had now expanded to over a hundred. They were busy in an orderly fashion, with the sounds of mechanical operation echoing everywhere.

"Identity verification in progress… Welcome, Lin Fan." The voice of the base's main System sounded, indicating that Lin Fan's authority was still at the highest priority.

He looked around, a satisfied glint flashing in his eyes.

The original single collection vehicle had now expanded to a full ten, each methodically carrying out mineral collection in different areas.

Lin Fan walked into the warehouse area. Three huge warehouses were neatly arranged, several times larger than the single warehouse he had previously preset.

The warehouse doors opened automatically, revealing the neatly stacked nano Materials inside. Each piece of Material shimmered under the lights, perfectly reflecting the light.

He reached out and lightly touched those nano Materials; the cold and hard sensation made his heart race with excitement.

"What a bountiful harvest," Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The warehouse was filled with mountains of stacked nano Materials; these Materials were enough to take his plan a step further.

"It expanded better than I expected." He looked around, his heart filled with satisfaction.

Ten collection vehicles, a group of efficiently operating robots, and three huge warehouses—the Firefly Forest base had become his stronghold, an impregnable secret fortress.

"Next, it is time to proceed with the next step of the plan." Lin Fan's eyes became increasingly resolute, and he already had a new blueprint in his mind.

This base was not only to become his backing but also to become his future Operation Center.

Lin Fan walked to the center of the warehouse. He raised his wrist, and the nano cube slowly floated out from his palm.

This cube was one of his proudest Divine Artifacts. It could not only quickly absorb nano Materials but also optimize the performance of the Materials through autonomous calculation.

Lin Fan activated the cube, and a pale blue light flowed across its surface. The surrounding nano Materials were immediately attracted by a powerful suction force, floating up one by one and being absorbed into the cube.

"Begin absorption," he commanded in a low voice. The nano cube began to operate with almost no hesitation.

The nano Materials in the warehouse were rapidly absorbed and efficiently refined and processed inside the cube.