Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

"This ice ring contains basic navigation to Ark City, its code of conduct, and your temporary access privileges. Please keep it with you at all times; it serves as your identification and communication tool within the base," the guard's voice rang in Xiao Ce's ear.

Xiao Ce took it; it was slightly cool to the touch, with an excellent feel. The screen lit up, displaying the base's ring-shaped star map emblem, below which was his temporary ID code and a simple list of permissions. The operation was extremely intuitive.

As a modern person, operating this device is not difficult at all.

At that moment, the door to the lounge slid open again. It felt as if Nova, who had just gone out, had returned, and the robot carrier following behind was no longer the one with the "original owner's" face.

Instead, he was an elderly man with a gaunt face and sharp, hawk-like eyes, dressed in a silver-gray uniform similar to Nova's but with gold trim!

Xiao Ce was all too familiar with the old man's face...

He felt a chill run down his spine; the person who came was none other than Xiao Dingshan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

He was exactly the same as when he first arrived...

Seeing Xiao Ce standing there in a daze, the old man smiled at him: "Xiao Ce!"

Although I had seen him before, this is the first time I have seen Xiao Dingshan's true form.

"Uncle Emperor!"

Xiao Ce hadn't expected everything to happen so quickly, and he didn't know how he uploaded the data or anything like that...

Before Xiao Ce could speak, Xiao Dingshan asked him, "Are you alright?"

Xiao Ce smiled, then said to Xiao Dingshan, "It's alright, but the technology here far exceeds my expectations..."

Xiao Dingshan was clearly surprised to hear Xiao Ce say that...

Is it more advanced than the place you came from?

Xiao Ce nodded, then said, "That's right, at least that's how it seems for now..."

Xiao Dingshan nodded: "Alright, then I'll take you to see it... I'll show you my home."

Xiao Ce naturally nodded.

Xiao Dingshan glanced at Captain Nova.

Nova nodded: "Mr. Xiao Dingshan, Mr. Xiao Ce, please follow me..."

The two men nodded.

Xiao Ce then glanced at A Tie and the others to the side.

Xiao Dingshan immediately understood what Xiao Ce was thinking and said directly to him, "Xiao Ce, don't worry. They're safe here..."

Xiao Ce nodded. He knew that in such an advanced place, they really wanted to do something to him.

Xiao Ce will be completely powerless to resist...

It was still Xiao Ce's original thought: since we're already here...

Xiao Ce followed the robot's commands and then went up to it.

Leaving the lounge, Nova led them deeper into the passageway.

She stopped before a thicker, more imposing alloy door, engraved with intricate energy patterns. Nova placed her palm on a smooth sensor area on the side of the door, while her silver bracelet emitted a blue light that scanned her iris.

The heavy alloy doors slid silently open to both sides, revealing an interior space resembling an elevator car, but much more spacious, more like a small, mobile hall.

"A vertical rail shuttle leading to the core area of ​​'Ark City'," Captain Nova introduced, still without any emotion.

The three of them stepped inside.

This thing is similar to an elevator, but completely different. The interior space is simple and comfortable, with the same soft silver-white tone, smooth walls, and only a few floating seats and a small control panel.

After the door closes, there is almost no vibration to start it up; only a slight feeling of weightlessness is felt, indicating that the shuttle is descending at high speed.

The walls instantly became transparent, revealing a breathtaking sight!

They are descending at high speed along an enormous vertical ice well!

All around are layers of ice formed over millions of years, shimmering with a deep blue luster, with ancient rocks and air bubbles frozen within them, like time frozen in time.

The ice well is larger than imagined, stretching as far as the eye can see, as if one were in a boundless underground world made of ice.

Countless thick alloy pipes and energy cables, like the roots of a giant tree, meander and climb along the ice wall, flashing with various colored indicator lights, forming a vast and intricate energy network...

Even more astonishingly, as the shuttle descended, light began to appear deep within the ice well!

That didn't come from the shuttle itself, but from below!

A man-made space so vast it defies description, encased within the core of an iceberg!

Like glimpsing the outline of an underwater city from the depths of the sea, a magnificent and futuristic cityscape gradually comes into view!

Seeing this scene, Xiao Dingshan noticed Xiao Ce's expression and found it somewhat amusing.

Because he had always been the one to express surprise at some of the things Xiao Ce did...

Seeing Xiao Ce's astonishment, Xiao Dingshan was also seeing it for the first time...

Seeing this, Xiao Dingshan introduced it to Xiao Ce: "This is the core of the Genesis Base, Ark City!"

The first thing that catches the eye is the dome at the very top.

It was not rock or steel, but a huge energy barrier, radiating a soft white light, like an inverted giant bowl.

The light simulates natural daylight, and you can even see flowing, simulated cloud light and shadow.

Above the barrier, the immense pressure of the ice layer above could be faintly seen, but this light curtain was as solid as a rock, completely isolating the pressure of billions of tons of ice sheet from the outside.

Beneath the dome lies a dense yet orderly cluster of buildings.

After Xiao Dingshan finished speaking, he began to introduce the entire Ark City to Xiao Ce: "Xiao Ce, this entire Ark City..."

The entire city presents a clear hierarchical structure, connected by massive alloy pillars and sky bridges.

Xiao Dingshan pointed to the top floor and began to introduce it...

The top floor, known as the Dome Garden, is the area closest to the energy dome and receives the most sunlight. It features vast, multi-layered ecological planting areas. Here you can see lush crops grown using artificial light and hydroponics, and even small simulated forests and water bodies, providing oxygen and some food supplies for this underground city.

The residential units are arranged in a staggered pattern, with smooth architectural lines and mostly cool colors such as silver-white and light blue, featuring rounded curves to reduce the feeling of oppression. Small automated maintenance drones float in the air, like busy worker bees. On some open platforms, people in casual clothes can be seen moving around or resting under simulated "sunlight".

The entire area is teeming with life, creating a stark contrast to the desolate and lifeless ice plains outside.

Before Xiao Ce could continue, Xiao Dingshan continued, "The middle level is the core of Ark City, the research and industrial area..."

According to Xiao Dingshan, the central part of the city is the largest and most complex area.

Countless buildings of various shapes are connected together like a giant honeycomb and building blocks.

The surfaces of these buildings are covered with energy pipe interfaces, heat dissipation fins, and large observation windows.

You can see various colors of light flashing inside some buildings, including the blue-violet light of the laboratory's signature spectrometer, as well as the stable white light of large equipment in operation.

Giant robotic arms moved between buildings, and unmanned transport vehicles shuttled at high speed along pre-set tracks. Most striking was a massive ring-shaped building located at the core of the middle layer, its top a semi-transparent, dome-like structure resembling a giant lens, with stars seemingly slowly rotating within—this was their research institute! Surrounding the institute were other core institutions with different functions: an energy control center, an equipment research and development center, a biotechnology laboratory, and so on...

Xiao Ce listened to Xiao Dingshan's introduction with a lot of questions in his mind.

However, Xiao Ce did not interrupt Xiao Dingshan's enthusiastic explanation...

Xiao Dingshan continued, "This lower level is a core area for energy and defense, seemingly the core that sustains the entire Ark City... Of course, I don't know exactly what's inside... I've never been there. There are people specifically in charge there. It's also a place where unauthorized personnel are not allowed..."

Between the different levels of the city, in addition to vertical rail shuttle passages, there is a crisscrossing aerial rail network, through which various suspended vehicles of different sizes shuttle quickly and silently. On the city's central axis, a wide central avenue that runs through three levels is particularly eye-catching, with functional public buildings distributed on both sides of the avenue: information centers, medical centers, education centers, material distribution stations, etc.

The entire city is enveloped in an atmosphere of efficiency, order, technological sophistication, yet also a touch of loneliness.

The lights were dazzling, and the machines were running, but there was not much noise from people; only a low background hum and the sound of air circulation could be heard.

Everyone was wearing uniforms with different colored trims.

Listening to Xiao Dingshan's introduction, ordinary staff were gray, researchers were blue-edged, engineers were yellow, security personnel were red, and management were gold; they were all hurrying about, their goals clear. This was a highly organized society driven by survival and mission.

Xiao Ce looked at Xiao Dingshan's gold-trimmed work uniform with some surprise: "So, you're a manager?"

Xiao Dingshan smiled at Xiao Ce's words and then said, "I wouldn't say that. They're just giving me too much credit..."

Because of the presence of outsiders, Xiao Ce, despite having many questions, kept quiet...

Xiao Dingshan naturally noticed that Xiao Ce seemed to have a problem, but he didn't speak. He simply said to Xiao Ce again, "Welcome to the 'Creation Base'."

After listening to Xiao Dingshan's words, Xiao Ce looked outside and was deeply shocked by the scene before him, remaining silent for a long time.

He came from modern society and had seen skyscrapers and bustling cities, but he had never seen such a magnificent, advanced, and solitary ark hidden deep in the coldest part of the earth.

The strength and determination of this al-Qaeda organization far exceeded anything he had previously imagined.

That bizarre energy cannon, that mysterious Celestial Star Chart—compared to this city of miracles, those things are utterly insignificant...

However, upon seeing the advanced technology here, Xiao Ce's doubts deepened...

The facilities here are so advanced, they probably only use one percent of them...

不 ...

One-thousandth, or even one-ten-thousandth, of the power is enough to unify the outside world.

Xiao Ce suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness...

The shuttle slowly decelerated and finally came to a smooth stop on a suspended platform beside the central avenue. The door slid open silently, letting in warm, fresh air. The platform connected to a spacious hall, where people moved about in an orderly fashion. In the center of the hall, a huge, slowly rotating holographic projection of the base's insignia emitted a soft blue light.

Director Nova stepped out of the shuttle first and gestured to Xiao Dingshan and Xiao Ce: "Mr. Xiao Dingshan, Mr. Xiao Ce, welcome to the core area of ​​Ark City. As arranged, we will first take you to the designated accommodation area for rest. The formal meeting arrangements will be notified separately by the Council Secretariat."

Her gaze swept over the "Ice Ring" terminal in Xiao Ce's hand. "Your temporary access has been granted to enter the residential area. Please be sure to comply with all the rules of conduct listed in the terminal."

Xiao Dingshan smiled and said, "Captain Nova, you've worked hard. I'll take care of everything... I'll arrange everything..."

Xiao Ce nodded slightly, glancing around at his surroundings... a mix of emotions welled up inside him...