Man in the Ark: Revitalizing Kazdel

In a desert more than 30 kilometers from Trimont, off-road vehicles bearing the Rhine Life logo were parked in front of the entrance to a cave opened up by heavy machinery. Miner's lamps laid along the cave walls illuminated the deep, dark interior. All the personnel who had completed their excavation work had evacuated and were waiting at the camp for the investors to inspect the work.

Kristen and Saria walked side by side into the cave entrance. Their tactical boots made a soft rustling sound as they stepped on the sandy soil, which was particularly clear in the silent cave.

"Kristen, when did Rhine Lab invest in an archaeological excavation project around Trimont? I haven't received any funding applications..." Saria had just finished her daily training session and received Kristen's message. She casually threw on a coat and went out. It wasn't until she arrived at the location that she realized it was an archaeological excavation site, and one that hadn't even received funding approval.

"This was my personal decision, so I didn't go through the normal approval process," Christensen, who was walking ahead, replied calmly, her eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation. She had been searching for this relic that was emitting unknown signals over a long period of time, and had finally pinpointed its location.

“What’s inside this ruin that deserves your special attention?” Saria knows best how busy Christen is. If it’s worth putting aside her research to go there personally, then this ruin must hold something.

“To be honest, I don’t know either, so I wanted to invite you to come in and take a look.” A twisted and deformed alloy door came into view. Christensen’s lips curled slightly as she said calmly, “I think we’ve arrived.”

"I understand. I'll protect you if anything goes wrong." Saria activated her calcification ability, covering her fists with a layer of hard enamel, giving her a strong sense of security.

"I'll treat you to afternoon tea when we get back." For two extremely busy people, the time it takes to drink afternoon tea is a rare moment of leisure.

“Let’s invite Muirsay; it’s been a long time since we got together.”

“Okay, I can spare three hours this afternoon.” Christen reorganized her schedule for the day. If it were just having afternoon tea with Seria, it wouldn’t take half an hour. But Muirsey liked to chat while having tea, so three hours might not be enough.

“Go in.” Saria took the lead, bending down to enter through the narrow gap in the twisted alloy door, with Christen following closely behind, her powerful flashlight illuminating the space beneath her feet.

What came into view was an endless array of stone coffins, with indicator lights on the coffin lids, representing their operation, twinkling like starlight in the night sky. The swirling orange-red spherical electron clouds on the central platform were the stars in this vast expanse of space.

The intrusion of the two uninvited guests immediately caught the attention of the Preservator, Friston. A dazzling red light swept across Christensen and Seria, and a hoarse electronic voice sounded.

"Oh... I completely forgot to have Roy seal up the damaged door. Looks like I've been awake for too long and become a bit forgetful..."

"Intruders, you can choose to leave or be expelled by me." Two high-energy weapons extended from the fortress ceiling, their beams aimed at Saria and Kristen between the eyebrows.

"Your Excellency, please wait a moment. We mean no harm." Saria conjured an enamel shield and stood in front of Kristen, feeling a deadly danger as she was targeted by that strange weapon.

"Whatever your intentions, please leave now." The targeting beam left between the two men's eyebrows, but the two high-energy weapons remained in a state of readiness to fire.

"The Roy you mentioned, is he the one from Kazdel? If so, perhaps we could try to talk to him. He's an excellent collaborator." Even in this crisis, Christensen maintained her calm and sharp thinking, instantly grasping the key points for the conversation.

“I know you, Christen Wright, head of Rhine Lab, and Seria, head of the security department. Since you are partners with Roy, I can answer some questions.”