Chapter 313: Foundation Laying Ceremony for the Guanghan Base!

The 380,000-kilometer deep space journey, under the absolute silence and the impact of high-energy radiation, was like a long and oppressive torture.

When the coordinates on the holographic star map finally coincided, six dark blue plasma tails silently lit up in the darkness on the far side of the moon.

This is the edge of the permanent shadow zone of a lunar crater, perpetually exposed to extreme cold and darkness, temperatures below -170 degrees Celsius, and the piercing heat of cosmic rays. For millions of years, apart from the relentless bombardment of meteorites, no trace of civilization has ever lingered here.

until now.

The six "Gonggong-class" heavy-load transport pods, like six massive pieces of raw iron, brutally tore apart this ancient, deathly silence. Powerful anti-gravity runes operated at full power in reverse one kilometer above the lunar surface, spewing out jets of spiritual pressure that slammed into the grayish-white lunar surface, stirring up a silent lunar dust storm.

The special hydraulic buffer frame at the bottom of the cabin springs open like the claws of a giant beast, heavily chiseling into the hard basalt layer.

"Landing attitude locked, attitude engines shut down. External environment: absolute vacuum, surface temperature -173 degrees Celsius, gravity coefficient 0.16."

Inside the transport cabin, the only sound in the encrypted channel is the cold, mechanical female voice of the main AI.

"All units, disconnect the physical restraints. Execute the unloading procedure." The voice of Lao Liu, the captain of the first engineering squadron, rang out in the communication channel, without any fluctuation, like a piece of pig iron that had been quenched.

呲——

As the massive airlock doors of the six transport capsules slowly descended, three hundred spacefaring cultivators clad in the [Xuanwu-I] deep-space rune engineering armor, like three hundred lifeless steel demons, stepped onto this alien land in perfect unison.

The 300-kilogram armor became relatively light in the low gravity environment of the moon, but the enormous inertia caused by its mass still existed. Every time a leg was lifted or a step was taken, the hydraulic servo motor inside the armor needed to work in extremely precise coordination with the cultivator's micro-operations, otherwise it would tumble out of control in the low gravity.

They couldn't hear footsteps. The heavy blast helmets blocked all external perception, and the only things on the retinal HUD projection were the constantly fluctuating data streams and the green parameters of the life support system.

"Squadrons one through three, immediately construct the outer defensive line of the crater and deploy the miniature damping array!"

"Squadrons four through ten, begin unloading the 'Earth-Moon Gravitational Anchors.' Prepare for pile driving!"

Old Liu's instructions were crisp and efficient.

The massive abdominal armor of the transport capsule unfolded to the sides, and giant pneumatic robotic arms slowly extended, dragging out "Earth-Moon gravitational anchors" that were 100 meters long and 5 meters in diameter. These anchors were cast entirely from titanium-tungsten alloy, and their surfaces were densely etched with high-level array patterns used to anchor gravity and channel spiritual pressure. Each anchor weighed a terrifying several thousand tons.

"Four formations in position, anchor pile number one erected!"

Old Liu led the way forward. Ten engineering monks dressed in [Black Tortoise-I type] lined up on both sides of the anchor pile. Instead of using a traditional crane, they meticulously and neatly attached the armored mechanical arms to the surface of the anchor pile.

"True energy output, 60%! Anti-gravity rune, overload activated!"

Ten Foundation Establishment cultivators simultaneously circulated their dantian, their abundant true essence flowing through the energy tanks on the backs of their armors. Amplified by the array, this transformed into an extremely powerful lifting force. Under the combined effect of the low gravity and anti-gravity array, the hundred-meter-long metal pillar, as if grasped by an invisible giant hand, slowly rose into place in deep space, pointing straight at the basalt bedrock at the base of the crater.

"Ring-shaped heavy pile driver, in position! Array master, prepare to weld the array!"

A psionic pile driver, resembling a giant iron ring, was precisely fitted onto the top of the anchor pile by a robotic arm. This pile driver does not burn fuel oil; its core is a miniature psionic explosion chamber.

"Location locked, commence operations!"

boom!

There was no sound, but the lunar surface trembled violently. The spirit stone powder inside the pile driver was instantly detonated, and the resulting high-pressure spiritual energy shockwave slammed into the top of the anchor pile.

The immense force pierced straight down the hundred-meter-long titanium-tungsten alloy column.

Crack! The lunar basalt, hardened for billions of years, shattered under this violent impact. The anchor pile was driven three meters deeper into the ground.

"Infuse the true essence! Don't let the pile break rigidly!" Old Liu shouted in the channel.

The engineering cultivators frantically extracted their inner essence, channeling spiritual power into the array patterns inside the anchor piles through the transmission interfaces of their armor, much like lubricant. Under the impact of a ten-million-ton hammer blow, the rigidity of the titanium-tungsten alloy reached its limit; if the physical stress were allowed to accumulate unchecked, the hundred-meter-long anchor pile would collapse midway.

Only the true essence of cultivators can lock the atomic structure of metal at this extremely microscopic level, giving it incredible toughness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The silent chiseling continued at a frantic pace of thirty strikes per minute. The terrifying heat generated by the friction could not be dissipated through air convection in the vacuum, and the rock layer at the bottom of the anchor pile was directly melted into dark red magma, which sprayed upwards along the cracks.

The molten magma, heated to several thousand degrees Celsius, landed on the [Black Tortoise-I] armor, instantly triggering the extreme cold defense array on the outer layer of the armor. It turned into wisps of white water vapor, which then condensed into black ice shards in the vacuum and at a background temperature of over one hundred degrees below zero, peeling off with a rustling sound.

"Fifty meters deep! Encountered high-density star rocks!"

"Increase the power of this level! Array Master, use your spirit fire to cut through the bedrock!"

Several array cultivators responsible for providing support rushed forward, carrying heavy psionic welding torches. These torches didn't spew ordinary flames, but rather plasma psionic fire, reaching temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees Celsius and highly compressed from true essence. The eerie blue pillars of fire slashed and cut through the vacuum, scorching huge gashes into the seemingly indestructible star rock.

One hundred meters... eighty meters... fifty meters...

One after another, hundreds of meters long gravity anchors were driven deep into the mantle of the lunar far side craters using this brute force method, regardless of cost.

A full thirty-two hours of high-intensity, uninterrupted work.

When the last anchor pile, the twelfth main control anchor pile located in the very center of the crater, was firmly locked into the rock strata, all the engineering monks collapsed onto the moon dust, which was covered with high-temperature crystals.

The surface of the three hundred [Xuanwu-I type] armored vehicles was riddled with holes, the dark gray anti-radiation coating had been peeled away by lava and gravel, the hydraulic lines groaned wearily, and the energy tank alarms of the life support system sounded incessantly on the internal channels.

But they did it.

Twelve 100-meter-long anchor piles form an extremely large, deep-seated hexagonal array base at the bottom of the crater. This is the most solid foundation ever laid by humankind on the moon.

"Base completed. Physical structure lock-in rate 100%. Spiritual pressure conduction circuit is unobstructed." Old Liu panted heavily, wiping away sweat that wasn't actually inside his goggles.

"Well done. You can step down now; leave the rest to us."

A cold, hard voice rang out across the entire channel.

Zhang Ji and two Golden Core sword cultivators leaped from the top of a transport pod like black phantoms.

For the past thirty-two hours, these three sword cultivators have not left the transport cabin. They sat cross-legged, neither eating nor drinking, forming a closed shield with their golden core essence to protect the storage bag at their waists.

Zhang Ji walked to the hexagonal pit in the very center of the twelve anchor piles and slowly took off the crimson storage bag locked with heavy runes from his waist.

"The lockdown has been lifted."

The three Golden Core sword cultivators simultaneously formed hand seals and forcibly broke the spatial chains on the storage bag.

With a flash of light, an extremely complex metal construct, radiating an immense spiritual pressure that sent chills down one's spine, silently floated in the vacuum.

This is the heart of the entire Taiyin Outpost—the [Array Disc Mother Crystal] and the core of three parallel liquid spirit stone micro-reactors. Its core is a single piece of top-grade starry sky raw material that has been tempered thousands of times by the Array Academy, surrounded by a dense network of superconducting spiritual pressure pipelines.

Zhang Ji, with his hands outstretched and without any mechanical assistance, relied solely on the true essence of his golden core to steadily support the core, which weighed tens of tons, and precisely wedged it into the connecting groove in the center of the twelve anchor piles.

"Core in position. Reactor ignition." Zhang Ji gave the final command.

Om-!

This time, it was no longer a silent tremor.

The three sets of miniature liquid spirit stone reactors instantly unleashed terrifying energy, which was completely absorbed and transformed by the array disk mother crystal.

A blinding pure white halo swept out from the center of the mother crystal, skimming across the lunar surface!

The halo struck the twelve gravity anchors, each a hundred meters deep, instantly illuminating the etched patterns on their surfaces, like twelve colossal pillars piercing the deep sky. Then, these lights rose and intertwined, forming an enormous, translucent dome above the crater, displaying a perfect hexagonal grid.

The moment the dome closed, a miraculous physical change began.

The barrier not only completely blocked out the deadly high-energy cosmic rays and solar storms, but also began to forcibly reverse the physical laws within.

Accompanied by the roar of the large-scale dimensional energy array, extremely compressed liquid air mixed with purified spiritual energy began to be released wildly inside the barrier.

"The air pressure is rapidly increasing... 10%... 50%... 100%. Standard Earth's atmospheric pressure established."

"The twelve gravity anchors are reconstructing the internal gravity field... 0.5G... 0.8G... Standard 1G Earth gravity, anchoring complete."

"The constant temperature array output is normal, and the internal ambient temperature is 22 degrees Celsius."

As the last system notification finished, Lao Liu, his hand trembling, pressed the release button on the airtight lock of the armor's neck.

呲——

The heavy blast helmet was slowly removed.

Old Liu took a deep breath. The slightly cool air, with a hint of metallic harshness, yet rich in oxygen and vitality, instantly filled his alveoli.

He heard a sound.

I heard the heavy breathing of my brother beside me, the hydraulic hissing of the robotic arm in the distance, and the deep, powerful heartbeat of the reactor. For the first time, on this gray planet ruled by deathly silence for billions of years, the clamor of civilization resounded.

thump.

After the standard Earth gravity was restored, the several engineering monks, who were already exhausted, could no longer support the 300-kilogram armor and collapsed heavily to the ground, but their faces showed extremely fanatical smiles.

"Old Liu, get the flag!" Zhang Ji leaned against an anchor pile and said in a cold voice.

Old Liu pulled out a three-meter-long special alloy pole. This wasn't a flag made of cloth; in the lunar environment, any cloth would age and tear quickly.

This is a high-level holographic array projection rod.

Old Liu carried the long pole step by step towards the highest point of the crater, in its very center. He gripped the pole with both hands, unleashing a burst of true energy that drove it firmly into the hard basalt.

Click. The crystal at the tip of the rod is activated.

A colossal crimson holographic battle banner, constructed from pure hard light and array patterns, unfurled with a thunderous roar in the space on the far side of the moon! Even from high orbit hundreds of kilometers away, this red light curtain fluttering in the darkness could be clearly seen.

The battle flag's signal, following the pre-existing gravity array link, traveled across 380,000 kilometers of deep space with extremely low latency and was transmitted back to Earth with remarkable stability.

Kyoto Joint Control Room.

On the large screen, the crimson battle flag with its array patterns stood silently atop the gray-white crater mountain. Inside the barrier, three hundred pioneers had not yet removed their armor; the burn marks, cracks, and moon dust on their armor were still clearly visible.

Wang Mingyuan looked at it for a long time before picking up the communicator and switching the signal to the secure channel of the command headquarters, the high-orbit forward base, and the lunar advance team.

"This is the joint control room."

"Battle flag signal confirmed: the core area of ​​Phase I of Guanghan Base is operating stably."

"From this moment on, the main base on the far side of the moon, No. 1, is officially incorporated into the Deep Space Engineering System of the Cultivation Alliance."

"The foundation stone for the Guanghan Base has been laid."