The black sun hangs high

Chapter 455 Archives and Visitors 001
(My partner dragged me to Antarctica. I'll be writing some things along the way, but my internet connection will be bad, so please forgive me ORZ.)
Engineer Wang's name is very simple and unassuming.

The pass shows that his full name is "Wang Yang".

It's just one word away from the historical figure that Hugh knows.

As it turns out, the preparatory measures left by Engineer Wang in the distant past have proven to be quite reliable. At least so far, Hugh has not suffered any losses by following his advice and arrangements.

Hugh, clutching the activated pass, glanced twice at the location where Engineer Wang's body lay.

"It's truly a virtue to not cheat fellow villagers."

He muttered something under his breath, then walked in another direction from the hall. According to Engineer Wang's instructions, there was a hidden passage leading to the important archives of the continuation base.

The pass left by the engineer clearly possessed an extremely high level of access. Compared to other passes, the magical fluctuations emanating from it were much stronger and clearer. As Hugh walked around the hall holding it, the intricate circuits embedded in the walls and floor subtly responded and resonated.

Soon, Hugh arrived at the edge of the hall. He walked around the two corpses of soldiers leaning against the wall and then gently pressed the pass against the wall.

This operation does not require overly explicit instructions. As a spellcaster with sufficient knowledge of circuits and rituals, Hugh had already roughly understood the design principles and methods of this tool when he successfully awakened the pass in his hand.

Aside from the designs that are highly characteristic of electronic products, these so-called passes are actually "parts" that are separated from a large circuit. When both the parts and the main body are active, they will naturally be connected. In this case, as long as he increases the output and infusion of magic, he can naturally strengthen the connection between the two.

Hughes's attempt brought a response.

Just as when he first stepped into the hall, the smooth wall not far away seemed to come alive and began to fold and collapse inward spontaneously. In just a few seconds, a passage appeared.

The light inside the passage was very bright, with some of the straight lines engraved on the walls serving as illumination, emanating a faint glow that gave a sense of calm and coldness.

Having already laid the groundwork and experienced it before, Hugh was no longer surprised by this wondrous sight. He strode into it and walked deeper into the passage.

After turning two corners, he saw a sealed, heavy metal door. Next to the door was a machine that looked like some kind of old-fashioned "card reader".

Hugh had to admit that the thing's design evoked some subtle associations in him.

"It can't be used for attendance, can it?"

Hugh muttered to himself, but his hands kept moving. Relying on his knowledge and intuition, he held the pass and pressed it towards a square marking area on the machine next to the metal door.

The magic circuits here had been dry for a very long time, so when the magic from Hugh was injected into them, this part of the circuits experienced a momentary delay.

Fortunately, it was not subjected to any kind of impact or damage. So after a brief pause, Hugh heard a crisp notification sound, and then a clear magical projection appeared before his eyes.

This sealed secret archive was clearly very special. Through the constantly flashing and scrolling magical projections, Hugh discovered that the strict verification procedures that had been performed when he passed through the sealed door in the outside world had been completely repeated.

Soon, he saw his name again within this entire magic circuit system.

"Temporary Visitor 002".

It was at this moment that Hughes realized the subtlety of this title.

I am not "001", but "002".

Does this mean that there was already another verified "temporary visitor" before me?

"So it seems I'm not the first newcomer to visit the 'Continuation Base' after all?"

Hugh stared at the keys that kept rolling in front of him, his thoughts constantly shifting. However, when he carefully recalled what he had seen and heard in the hall, he felt something was amiss and strange. He was certain that the bodies in the hall had not been disturbed before his arrival, especially the items left by Engineer Wang and other important personnel, which showed no signs of being touched.

"If we want to explain this, then there are only a few possible answers..."

"In the first case, the so-called temporary visitor 001 does not have a specific target. In other words, the real visitor does not exist. The so-called '001' may be an empty code name, or an 'account record' that was used during the test but was not cleared."

"The second possibility is that a qualified 'visitor' did come here before me, but that visitor didn't know these items as well as I do, so he didn't truly realize the important information hidden in these passes and devices..."

"Or perhaps this visitor doesn't need to go through the trouble of gathering information like I do; he has his own methods?"

As Hughes stared at the words "Temporary Visitor 002" floating in front of him, several different guesses were already passing through his mind.

As he pondered, the tedious and rigorous identity verification process finally came to an end. With a hum, the long-closed metal door slid open slowly to both sides. In the deep darkness, the circuit lines, which had been given a light-emitting function, slowly lit up. The soft light quickly filled the entire space, presenting all the details to Hugh.

This "archives room" was very different from the one Hugh had imagined. In the soft light, Hugh saw rows of towering metal cabinets that reached all the way to the ceiling.

These metal cabinets look like pillars supporting the room, and next to them are rows of "check-in devices".

"It looks like a variant of the 'electronic archive'."

Hugh looked around for a moment, then stepped inside.

Using the bright light, Hugh found the labels fixed to the metal cabinet and the "instruments". After receiving the supply of magic, these special labels, which operate based on magic circuits and multiple detection procedures, have also revealed clear text.

Detailed species information, categorized artworks, historical records organized by country, region, or civilization...

As Hughes walked, he read through the intricate labels. He noticed that the metal cabinets also contained sophisticated circuits, and the magic flowing within them connected these massive "pillars" to the entire archive.

Hugh tentatively probed his senses into the circuits, and then he discovered that the magic within these circuits was connected to the outer hall—they were interconnected with the heavy base, or rather, the ever-functioning "Continuity Beacon".

"It seems this is more than just an archive room for preserving traces of civilization..."

Hugh recalled what Engineer Wang had said in the video: "'Continuation Beacon' is essentially a 'cannon,' a 'cannon' that sends a large amount of energy-laden messages toward a predetermined coordinate... Judging from the current situation, this hidden secret archive can actually be considered, to some extent, the ammunition depot of that 'Continuation Beacon.'"

As Hughes pondered, he ventured into the strange metallic forest. Although he was deeply interested in this complex knowledge and eager to know the wondrous development his homeland had undergone, he had a higher priority: the "operation manual related to the continuation base and beacons," as Engineer Wang had mentioned.

"These important user manuals shouldn't be sent out mixed with other messages... They should be stored more securely?"

With that thought in mind, Hugh walked toward the terminal closest to him.

The terminal was not complicated to operate. With his past experience, Hugh quickly found the search and guidance functions. After he set the search target to "Continuation of base and beacon operation", the corresponding indicator lines on the floor lit up quickly.

They extend clearly into the deeper parts of the archives.

Hugh didn't rush off, but instead tentatively asked a question to the terminal.

Do I have permission to view past visitor records?

The terminal quickly responded: "Detection shows that temporary visitor 002 has the appropriate permissions. Do you want to retrieve the information immediately?"

After Hugh gave an affirmative answer, the stagnant text began to scroll again, and the circuit lines connected to the surrounding metal cabinets also began to flash at this moment. They were responding to the instructions issued by the terminal, and the long-silent information flow was revived under the powerful mobilization of the magic circuit.

The flickering lights and constant buzzing made Hugh feel like an insect that had accidentally fallen inside an electronic device.

Soon, the flashing stopped, and the retrieval of data and records also came to an end.

The words, devoid of any emotion, were revealed.

"Record retrieval complete."

Below this prompt, dense text unfolded, and Hughes saw various types of record lists such as "Regular Visitor List" and "Staff List".

However, these lists are now all locked in red. When Hugh tried to read the contents, he was told by the terminal that all the members on these lists had "deregistered," which would result in their access being closed and their past activity records being archived and locked.

Hughes asked, "Does 'cancellation' mean 'death'?"

The terminal did not respond to this.

Left with no other choice, Hughes had to start scrolling through the locked list of records. After scrolling to the very bottom, he finally saw his target.

"This is the list and records of temporary visitors."

With Hugh's command, the record was successfully opened, and it contained very few subclasses, with only two numbers.

That is, "001" and "002".

"Really?"

Upon seeing this, Hugh couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He was filled with curiosity about the pioneer who had gone before him, so he opened the "001" subcategory without hesitation.

A mental shock traveled along the magic circuit within the terminal, like a probe piercing straight into the depths of Hugh's mind. Then, with a slight stinging sensation, a vast amount of information poured in from within this "probe".

The metal disk accelerated slightly.

An incredibly clear video recording was thus revealed.

……

"New visitor detected. Initiating the access review process."

"Please wait."

The first thing that appeared was a blurry image outside the metal gate. Hugh saw that there was a figure standing in front of the gate. Because of the light, the figure was somewhat blurry, and only a slightly slender outline could be barely made out.

Within the video recording, the tedious verification process that Hugh had previously gone through was underway.

"A type of verification procedure has been activated... Species verification has been passed, and the list comparison is now being conducted."

"The comparison of one category of lists has been completed, and no matching objects were found."

"..."

This "temporary visitor 001" had a similar experience to Hugh. Faced with the base's detailed testing procedures, he also failed to pass the tests on the regular list, which indicated that the life characteristics he exhibited were not within the normal range.

Soon, all tests on the regular lists failed completely.

The words indicating the inspection process had turned into a red warning, and on the surface of the gate, countless gear lines, the same as those on the metal disc, emerged. Within these rolling gears, a chilling aura of destruction was about to erupt.

Clearly, the "Visitor 001" in the records has reached the edge of the program used to deal with unauthorized visitors.

Hugh had assumed that the other party would pass the test by relying on a "key" hidden deep within their body, just like him. However, strangely, the corresponding words never appeared. He only saw the red light symbolizing the warning growing brighter and brighter, and the magic circuit filled with the aura of destruction had begun to operate at full power. If this continued, this ignorant stranger was destined to be completely annihilated and erased.

But in the next instant, a strange fluctuation spread through the image, and an orderly, regular sound rang in Hugh's mind. It was the sound of gears turning slowly, a wonderful melody played by countless complex structures in orderly operation.

Hugh was somewhat stunned.

He could barely distinguish whether the sound originated from his own metal disc or from the slender figure in the image...

(End of this chapter)