Above The Sky
Chapter 292 - 292 277 Brain-Eating Parasite Mother Worm Nest 33 w words update!_2

292: Chapter 277: Brain-Eating Parasite Mother Worm Nest (3/3, w words update!)_2 292: Chapter 277: Brain-Eating Parasite Mother Worm Nest (3/3, w words update!)_2 “Detailed self-check!”

Ian issued the command sternly, having been vexed by the words “no anomaly” — as a maintenance engineer, there was nothing more annoying than knowing there were a multitude of problems with the project itself, and then being told by the system’s self-check that everything was normal…

It was infuriating to some extent.

Yet, such situations occurred frequently!

However, Ian was well aware that this had to be the Great Elder’s doing…

He must have tampered with or damaged the system in some way; otherwise, such incongruous conclusions of no anomaly would not arise.

Soon, the results of the detailed self-check came out.

[Cooling system unable to link with the Furnace Core for heat dissipation — Warning — Cooling system unable to link with the Furnace Core for heat dissipation]

[Please grant forced connection authorization]

Such a stark red warning flashed before Ian’s eyes three times, but it made the youth breathe a sigh of relief: “As expected, I knew there was a problem.”

“Grant forced connection authorization, initiate core energy furnace cooling and heat dissipation process.”

After issuing this command, Ian waited a while.

And then, unsurprisingly.

[Connection anomaly — Unknown structure is blocking the interchange ports of the power units 11~15’s secondary and tertiary loop water-cooling layers!

Forced connection is not possible!]

“As I expected,” the youth sighed, “I knew it wouldn’t be that simple — if it were, the base’s autonomous control system would have taken care of it long ago.”

“The interchange ports of the water-cooling layer are blocked, leading to the inability to cool the solid and liquid casing layers as well as the other proliferating structures, only allowing the initiation of emergency forced heat dissipation, without going through the heat exchange process to generate electricity but directly exposing the heat to the vast sea…

This is the true cause of the Southern Sea mega storm.”

“In addition to that, since part of the Furnace Core has already dissolved, the coolant is contaminated, yet no one has gone to repair it, the system is jammed, neither able to start nor to shut down, nor even to cool!”

“In fact, for such a large unmanned base, the dissolution of a few cores doesn’t affect the continued operation of other power units, and the contaminated coolant can still cool the system, after all, there’s no one around…

but the process is stuck, leading to continuous accumulation of heat, even affecting other power units, causing anomalies.”

“This is the origin of the mega storm, the anomaly of the ruins!”

Ian, using the highest administrative authority, then checked the base’s work logs regarding the cooling system; indeed, he saw that Redwood Base had long ago started several emergency responses on its own, but was never able to operate successfully — the facilities and cameras at the interchanging ports were completely destroyed, not a trace of the situation was visible, nor could any treatments be performed.

It’s probable that the automated maintenance tools were also damaged, thus, unable to carry out self-repair.

And Ian, who had been a maintenance engineer in his past life, knew that this was why, despite the numerous assisting maintenance AIs present on the colony rockets back then, they still needed engineers of relatively low importance like himself.

Because some problems truly required human intervention to resolve.

But what exactly was blocking the water-cooling interchange port?

Slowly pondering his next move, Ian couldn’t help but think of one question: “The water in the cooling layer generally needs to be recycled for use, after all, seawater contains too many impurities, it can’t be used directly for electricity generation, the actual utilization of seawater must involve a distillation and purification process…”

“Wait a second…”

Ian suddenly thought of the artificial river that encircled the Sacrificial Ground…

and the River of Parasites he had seen when he entered the cavern area.

Metal-Based Lifeforms require high heat…

the Brain-Eating Parasites need flowing water to reproduce in large numbers…

Redwood Base was originally an extraterrestrial ecological research facility primarily focused on Metal-Based Lifeforms…

the prototype of the Brain-Eating Parasite was a symbiotic Brain Slug artificially retro-engineered by the Redwood Great Elder into a Spirit Energy life form, capable of communicating and eroding most living beings through neural signals and Spirit Energy…

And the Thunderhunter Jellyfish, which have the strongest neural signals, were also one of the research outcomes of Redwood Base…

If one were to say, the Redwood Great Elder, in order to allow the Brain-Eating Parasites to have independent survival capabilities and maintain his own immortality at the lowest possible cost, used Redwood Base’s technology to modify the life form of the Brain-Eating Parasites…

“Yes…”

As all the information came together, Ian murmured to himself: “I know what’s blocking the water exchange port…”

He looked up, his eyes flickering with realization: “It’s a Worm Nest!”

“It’s the maternal Worm Nest of the Brain-Eating Parasites!”

“Base map!” Without the slightest hesitation, Ian immediately called up the base map from the base system.

Sixteen hundred years had passed, and many corridors and areas had undergone changes, but as long as the original map existed, Ian could compare it with the parts of the ancient ruins map he had already recorded to determine where he could go and where he could not.

Soon, Ian, who had recorded all the maps using the Silver Chip, found his current location “Central Control Room” as well as the location where Yisen and Master Gossay had been before, “Rapid Transit Passage.”

And the original name of the Sacrificial Ground, “Temporary Transit Center,” was also visible to Ian’s eyes.

Essentially, the main control center of Redwood Base still held the system of the entire ruins complex.

Ian even saw some sensing devices still existed, but the areas that had been invaded by Magical Beasts were marked as “Level Three Biochemical Contamination.”

However…

Ian also noticed a special red mark.

[Scout has detected an unidentified intruder.]

Ian focused his spirit, manipulated the information, and observed the situation, then realized, “It’s the exploration team from Fiery Flame Land.”

The exploration team from Fiery Flame Land had been retreating all the way after they failed to chase Ian and the others in the Giant Fungus Cavern—they had lost several soldiers and a monk from the Spiritual Tool Church, and now they seemed in a quite pitiful state.

But overall, the Sublimators who were the main force had not suffered much damage, thus their core combat power was still intact.

At the moment, this group was slowly advancing towards the central district square, and the two layers below there were one of the main thoroughfares leading directly to the Sacrificial Ground.

After some thought, Ian decided to guide them down a path.

“Seal off passage B-32, open the H-17 entrance and exit, drain the accumulated water from the H-55 underwater passage, and let the pipes surface.”

With such orders, Ian had no pity in his heart, “Prepare them a direct route to the water cooling interchange mouth area—since they’ve come to investigate the ruins and even declared they would destroy them if they can’t have them…

give them a chance to destroy the ruins’ worm nest.”

“I hope you don’t die too quickly and have the strength to fulfill your bold claims.”

Ian rarely felt such intense animosity toward a group of people, and it was quite a novel experience.

At the entrance of the Crystal Path, Andor patiently waited for a long time.

Until Ian rose and pulled the data cable from the back of his neck.

The boy’s eyes, filled with an immense data stream, used the Silver Chip to record most of the valuable information in Redwood Base.

Ian closed his eyes and remained silent for a while, seemingly savoring the sensation of a vast amount of information converging.

Then, he opened his eyes and spoke calmly, “Let’s go, find Shasha, my mission is complete.”

“Now it’s time to go back and solve all the problems thoroughly.”

The Pirate Captain naturally nodded in agreement, and Ian was also ready to leave the control room.

But before leaving, the young man turned his head and looked back at the five Elder skeletons behind him.

As centuries flew by, regardless of how great the tumults this place had once witnessed, and how many people had passionately sacrificed themselves to fight against an unprecedented enemy, this relic ultimately returned to silence, just as the tide ebbs and flows.

And now, it was simply a gear in the wheel of era transitions, happening to fall upon him.

“I will take care of everything.”

Ian spoke calmly, addressing the phantoms of a millennium ago as well as himself, “Not for you, nor for myself.”

“But simply because, I too believe in the future.”

Having said that, the boy turned his head away, his silhouette disappearing into the light of the Crystal Corridor, while the door of the control room behind him slowly closed.

He stepped towards a new journey.