The Mysterious Space Base

At two in the afternoon, Fang Yu and Xia Yao left the communal cafeteria and arrived at the base's Entry-Exit Inspection Passage No. 3. "So many people," Fang Yu remarked in surprise. At a glance, at least a hundred people were lined up before the checkpoint. All of them were martial artists in full combat gear, and quite a few looked like students. Yet many others were visibly older, their expressions cold and aloof, looking at the student martial artists with a faint hint of disdain. "There are quite a lot," Xia Yao said. "Iron Wall Base is the second space base the Blue Moon civilization established after Wangxiang Base," Xia Yao explained. "It's also the safest among the seven space bases." "Secondary Base No. 12 may primarily serve students from Xia Country's various martial arts universities for their field training," she continued, "but many civilian martial artists below Level 30 also choose to venture out here and hunt dire beasts. "After all, students like us still focus most of our energy on cultivation, with actual combat only twice a year. "If it relied solely on us, the base's utilization rate wouldn't be very high," Xia Yao noted. Fang Yu nodded in agreement. Students at martial arts universities were all in their Golden Age Bracket, concentrating their efforts on honing techniques and elevating their Life Level... The primary purpose of real combat was to temper them. Civilian martial artists were different. Most were over thirty, and quite a few had graduated from Martial Junior Colleges. Their progress in strength had slowed to a crawl; venturing and slaughtering on the Primordial Star was essentially just to make money. Licking blood from the blade's edge was perilous in the extreme. Yet the earning potential was astonishing... If an Intermediate Martial Artist stayed year-round on the Primordial Star, making two to three million Star Coins in a single year was quite easy. Of course, it was also exceptionally dangerous. Without immense financial pressure, most martial artists wouldn't risk their lives like this. Time slipped by. Under the watchful gaze of numerous firearm-bearing robots, and after undergoing layers of security checks, Fang Yu and Xia Yao stepped inside the hundred-meter-tall metallic wall of the base. Guided forward, the two boarded a small six-seater aircraft, which began flying along a metallic conduit toward the exterior of the base. "The inspection is so strict," Fang Yu couldn't help remarking. "A lot of people ahead of us in line seemed to be penalized." "Yeah, mostly rookie students," Xia Yao chuckled helplessly. "Many refuse to believe the warnings and try to bring tech equipment—especially cameras, mini drones, and things like that—hoping to take photos and videos..." Fang Yu nodded. Although he had brought a cell phone, he had left it behind in his room in the building. According to the rules, once one left the base, the Blue Star network could no longer be accessed; the only way to contact the space base was through the communication star ring. "Veteran martial artists wouldn't make that mistake," Xia Yao said. "A first offense only docks 1 point; a second docks 10 points, a third docks 100 points, and so on... "So that first time is very precious. "Those rookies just threw away their precious first time like that." Xia Yao grinned mischievously. "My own first time was lost in a total daze too." Fang Yu smiled wryly. He had already realized that his female teammate was quite bold and feisty, but on second thought, it made sense: among female martial artists who walked the edge of life and death year-round, how many could possibly be gentle little bunnies? Whoosh! The aircraft flew along the curved conduit. After traveling over a hundred meters, it broke free into the open. Everything widened dramatically before them, and a vast world unfolded in Fang Yu's sight. "The Safe Zone?" Fang Yu peered out. As for this so-called Safe Zone— What greeted Fang Yu's eyes was an endless expanse of rolling wasteland. Most of the trees were barely taller than bushes, surrounded by jagged rocks and overgrown weeds. Desolate beyond measure. "Fang Yu, there's nothing much to see ahead. Look back," Xia Yao said with a smile. Fang Yu turned around instinctively. How magnificent! "This is the space base?" Fang Yu caught his breath. Moving at high speed, the aircraft quickly put hundreds of meters between them, gradually allowing him to take in the full view of the space base. It was an unimaginably colossal iron-and-steel behemoth. The hundred-meter-tall steel walls stretched out in a line to either side for easily more than ten kilometers, bristling with dense arrays of mechanical gun emplacements. Suspended in the air above the base were massive warships, and he could even faintly discern giant battleships spanning over a thousand meters in length. Hovering motionless. It was breathtaking. This was a sight one could never see on Blue Star. "And this is only a secondary base—effectively a subsidiary outpost," Xia Yao chuckled. "When you get the chance to visit the main Iron Wall Base, you'll understand what a true space base looks like. The wall alone rises over a thousand meters, and the area it covers is immense beyond belief." A metallic wall over a thousand meters high? That was somewhat beyond Fang Yu's imagination. "With the space base being so high-tech—robots handling guidance, deliveries, and inspections, all armed with firearms—why are we martial artists forbidden from using technological items?" Fang Yu couldn't help asking. "We can't even use a cell phone." "No idea. "Actually, you're not the only one; plenty of martial artists have wondered about it," Xia Yao said, shaking her head. "It's not just the martial artists of our Blue Moon civilization who are banned from tech items. Even the alien powerhouses we run into wear the exact same communication star rings... yet none of them carry other high-tech gear either. "And as far as I know, those alien civilizations have established space bases on the Primordial Star as well. "Rumor has it that the space bases built by all the various civilizations share similar designs..." Xia Yao whispered. Fang Yu listened in astonishment. "In short, there's definitely a secret behind it, but it's not something we can meddle in. That's for Star-Sky Martial Artists and the Alliance's highest echelons to worry about." Xia Yao threw up her hands. "All we can do is hunt dire beasts and strengthen ourselves within the Alliance's rules. "If the sky falls, it's not our job to hold it up." Fang Yu gave a slight nod. Back when he was still at the junior college, he hadn't thought deeply about it... but coming to the Primordial Star this time, with the stargates, the space bases, and all these inexplicable rules, it was impossible not to harbor countless speculations. ... "The Primordial Star's environment is remarkably similar to Blue Star's. Gravity is 1.2 times Earth's, and the oxygen content in the air is slightly higher... The flora, fauna, and topography are similar too... "However, there is no night on the Primordial Star—only two seasons: Polar Day and Polar Dark! "By Blue Star time, the first half of each year is Polar Dark, when the entire sky turns a murky gray and visibility drops, similar to dusk on Blue Star... The second half is Polar Day. Right now, for instance, it's Polar Day, so it will be continuous daylight." ... "Within a hundred-kilometer radius of the space base lies the Safe Zone, where dire beasts are generally below Level 15 and never exceed Level 20. Civilization Warriors of Level 20 or higher can summon an aircraft from anywhere in the Safe Zone via their communication wristband to travel quickly. "Beyond a hundred kilometers is the Wilderness Zone. "In the Wilderness Zone, the concentration of star force is extremely high, which is why the Primordial Star breeds countless dire beasts... Most dire beasts don't need to eat much; they can thrive simply by absorbing star force..." Xia Yao's explanations, paired with what he saw along the way, gave Fang Yu a far more tangible understanding of the Primordial Star. ... "You're very strong, so there's no need to start testing yourself against Level 12 or 13 beasts—there's no challenge in that," Xia Yao said. "Let's head straight to the outer edge of the Safe Zone." "Alright." Fang Yu gazed outward. Along the way, he could see numerous martial artists who looked like students fighting and clashing with dire beasts in the canyons and badlands, tempering themselves. Occasionally, he also caught sight of numerous dire beast carcasses, and even human skulls, shattered weapons, and rotting combat suits... Clearly, even in this so-called Safe Zone, many trainee martial artists had met their ends. "The mortality rate for martial artists is very high. "The mortality rate for martial arts university students is just as high. "Take our year," Xia Yao murmured. "If you scroll to the very bottom of the rankings, you'll see that even after adding the two-hundred-plus new transfers from the junior colleges, there are barely over five thousand people." "That many have died?" Fang Yu's pupils contracted slightly; he hadn't noticed that before. A casualty rate like that had already reached three percent. Keep in mind, they had only just entered their senior year, and most of what they had participated in before should have been mere combat drills—yet so many had died? Once they became professional martial artists in the future, how many more would fall? Immediately, Fang Yu's heart sank, and he couldn't help thinking of his mother... Back then, she had graduated from Huguang Martial University and ventured into the Primordial Star after graduation, only to go missing. 'Missing' was just a euphemism. When fighting dire beasts in the vast Wilderness Zone, once someone died, leaving behind a corpse was rare. In the Blue Moon Alliance's records, they were naturally classified as 'missing.' The aircraft pressed forward. Even the immense space base dwindled until it became a line on the horizon. "Fang Yu. "There's a flame cat up ahead," Xia Yao suddenly said, pointing not far off. "Judging by its size, it should be between Level 16 and Level 18. It's a great fit for your first opponent."