Chapter 59: The Underground Secret Realm

Suddenly finding herself with a fan—and a Ph.D. in military-industrial development at that—Shakya felt somewhat flattered and overwhelmed.

"Thank you, Dr. Clark..."

Flustered by Dr. Clark's sudden commotion, Shakya felt a bit awkward, but she was not unhappy.

"Just call me Strey! Calling me Dr. Clark sounds way too formal, doesn't it?"

Having received the gratitude of his idol, the doctor was overjoyed. He neatly tucked away the small piece of cardboard bearing Shakya's autograph, sliding it carefully into the inner breast pocket of his coat.

"Ah... R-Right..."

Shakya was least accustomed to dealing with such intensely enthusiastic fellows, so she could only manage a smile that was both awkward and polite.

"Alright, Dr. Strey, we are almost there. We'll be accompanying you during the tour of the base, so we can talk more later."

Seeing Shakya completely dazed by the doctor's endless stream of admiration, Shion stepped in just in time to rescue her.

Regardless of whether this man was genuinely a fan of Shakya, a mecha enthusiast, or something else entirely, it was always wise to keep one's guard up in situations like this.

There was no telling if the United Nations had learned from past mistakes and intentionally sent a seemingly harmless, young scientist this time around.

Once he grew too familiar with the Traum pilots, classified intelligence would practically fall into his hands without a fight.

Shion exchanged a glance with the Director, and it was clear they shared the exact same thought.

The delegation this time was quite large. Representatives from the U.S. and domestic military forces, government officials, and a technical team formed an imposing motorcade.

After exiting the highway, the convoy drove deep into the mountainous region.

From afar, Clark noticed that the road ahead of them simply ended right in front of a sheer cliff face.

Yet, he felt nothing out of the ordinary, as many military facilities in the United States were concealed in the exact same manner.

Especially since checkpoints remained stationed along these narrow mountain roads—the very hallmark of military territory.

Sure enough, a section of the cliff face parted before the convoy. Entering through a secret mountain passage, the vehicles descended underground.

"Heh, it seems Dr. Clark is quite used to this sort of thing, having worked at Area 51 and all," the Director chuckled. Judging by Dr. Clark's personality, if he didn't make a fuss upon seeing this, it was safe to assume he had seen plenty of it before.

"Well, this is standard procedure. It looks like you've been there too, Director?"

The Director nodded. In his younger years, he had visited Area 51 several times, and certain designs of the Schwaiger underground headquarters had indeed drawn inspiration from America's Area 51.

The motorcade halted before the grand hall of the Schwaiger underground base.

Led by Schwaiger's senior executives, the representatives walked into the base's main hall one after another.

Along the way, these delegates were struck dumb with astonishment.

Although Schwaiger's headquarters was situated beneath New Chunqiu City, the interior had been rationally partitioned into several distinct zones, complete with appropriately supplemented lighting and ecological systems.

After the motorcade drove through a long tunnel, it was as if they had stepped into an entirely new world behind the willow trees and blooming flowers.

Was this truly underground?

There were forests, waterfalls, vegetation, lakes, and even small animals like birds.

Even Dr. Clark, who had previously felt so unfazed, dropped his jaw into a wide "O" shape.

"Have we reached the surface?"

However, the rock walls and steel frame structures overhead reminded him that everyone was still deep underground.

The rock faces were entirely covered with reflective, mirror-like materials, vividly simulating an open sky.

This underground cavern possessed an environment that paled in no way to the great outdoors!

Passing through the forest, Dr. Clark found that the convoy had arrived in front of a towering pyramid.

Furthermore, this pyramid was not constructed of piled stones.

The blinking lights upon its surface attested that this was a facility integrating high-precision, cutting-edge technology.

Most miraculous of all, light emanating from an unknown source within the underground cavern illuminated the entire facility area brightly.

This simulated sky was indistinguishable from the sky on the surface.

"This... this is nothing short of breathtaking craftsmanship..."

Scientists from various countries could not help exclaiming in wonder.

The Director, along with several base operatives who had emerged to greet them, provided the visitors with a preliminary introduction to the base's architecture.

They opened a large holographic display screen situated behind the reception desk in the main hall, which projected the overall layout of the base.

"Is everyone present? Let me first give you a brief overview of our situation. Afterward, you will have a moment to rest and proceed to the dining hall for a meal. Later on, I will guide you through the areas open to visitors," the Director announced to the delegates gathered in the hall.

"Certain sections involving technical secrets can only be accessed by expert members who have signed the sharing agreement; military and government representatives may tour other designated areas."

Upon hearing this, some of the military representatives wore expressions of disappointment.

Many of them were high-ranking officers in the U.S. military, but unfortunately, the United Nations agreements were written precisely this way. While their curiosity was understandable, rules were rules.

Unlike the subterranean spaces depicted in many science fiction movies where an entire city was hollowed out underneath, Schwaiger's underground headquarters did not feature massive, cavernous voids.

The various functional zones were scattered like stars across the expanse beneath New Chunqiu City, ensuring no structural impact on the city's foundations above.

At the center stood the pyramid-shaped command building, while radiating outward in all directions were the technology center, logistics department, intelligence department, weapon development division, operative living quarters, training grounds, and other specialized sectors.

Numerous secret passages connected these zones to the surface city, though their exact locations were known only to authorized Schwaiger personnel.

Moreover, the illumination within the underground base was not powered by electric lamps, but rather by clever optical refraction that channeled sunlight from the surface down below, giving the underground base its own distinct cycle of day and night.

Naturally, backup lighting was available for exceptional weather conditions.

Even rainwater from the surface was gathered by specialized collection systems; this accumulated water irrigated the internal plant life, while the underground lakes served as the base's routine reservoirs.

This underground base had been engineered from the inception to withstand at least a nuclear weapon strike, and the ventilation systems leading to the outside world could be sealed off when necessary. Internal air purification facilities guaranteed the continuous circulation of the underground city's atmosphere.

It was practically an environmentally friendly, green ecological simulation system.

"Ohh..."

Aside from Clark and the U.S. military representatives, scientists from every other nation wore looks of utter astonishment, repeatedly voicing their awe.

Right now, everyone was currently inside the pyramid-shaped command building.

Although Shakya knew the general layout of the underground base, she had never explored it in detail.

Normally, traveling between other areas meant either riding in the car driven by Shion or taking the public cable car system.

Once the Director finished his general introduction of the base, the schedule transitioned to mealtime.

Guests were free to form groups of no more than four people, with each group assigned an operative as a guide and host.

First, the operatives would lead everyone to the base cafeteria.

Among the operatives welcoming the guests, Shakya spotted familiar old friends K and J.

"Yo, long time no see! We heard you collapsed, and everyone was quite worried. You didn't reply to any messages, either."

Operative J jogged over to greet her.

"Oh... I was truly exhausted that time... Don't worry, aren't I back now?"

Shakya breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that apart from Shion and Shizuna, nobody knew about her getting blind drunk at home.

Otherwise, she would have died of sheer embarrassment.