There were no hidden enemies or predators.
Just like the surrounding area, this place was so desolate that it seemed that even hell's creatures could not survive here.
Other than them, there were no other living creatures.
Behind the door, the hall with the collapsed ceiling was silent. The schedule hanging on the wall had already turned yellow and was in pieces. The table was also in pieces. No one picked up the ballpoint pen that had rolled on the ground and hid it in the crevices of the stone.
"How nostalgic."
Anton stopped in front of the wall and stared at the wooden frame that had no traces of its original state. He knocked on the middle and turned to Huai Shi. "In the past, my name was hanging here."
Huai Shi was slightly stunned.
He followed behind him and went inside.
They passed through the dilapidated corridor, the empty laboratory, and the messy rooms that had long been covered in dust.
The walls and ceiling were full of cracks.
There were no mottled bloodstains or tragic scenes. Seventy years was enough for everything to disappear in time.
Even the ruins had become gentle.
It was as quiet as a tomb.
Finally, the old man stopped in the courtyard and looked at the remains of a bench.
After a long time, he patted the back of the chair, bent down, and took out an iron box hidden in the crack below. After opening the box, the cigarette ash inside scattered out.
Anton immediately beamed.
"Ha, it's still here …"
He sat on the bench, the old seat that used to belong to him, and looked at Huai Shi. "Do you have a cigarette?"
"I didn't bring it."
Huai Shi patted his trouser pocket and replied awkwardly, "After becoming a teacher, I always felt that it was a bad influence on the students, so I decided to quit."
"It's good to quit."
Anton smiled in an unconcerned manner. He pulled out a small crumpled bag from the inner pocket of his protective suit. Pinching out his last cigarette, he sniffed it but did not light it up. Instead, he simply hung it by his lips.
"In the past, my teacher also advised me to do this, but I didn't care. Later on, when I became a teacher and a parent, I realized that when children see me doing bad things, they really feel uneasy and ashamed. "
He hugged the box of the past and whispered with nostalgia, "Back then, I followed my teacher here for an internship … Although it sounded nice, in reality, I only did some electrical work and odd jobs every day.
Even if everyone was working towards a great goal, someone had to be responsible for some trivial matters. My day's work revolved around circuits and gates. Most of my work was to wrestle with screws and nails.
The only entertainment was a glass of wine during the weekend dinner, so occasionally, everyone would secretly play cards behind the supervisor's back. After all, the salary isn't much and there isn't much money to lose. All I can do is read books. Life is pretty boring … "
When he said this, he suddenly fell silent for a long time.
He lowered his head.
He stared at the ashes in the box.
"People are never satisfied, right?" Anton said softly, "They never know how happy they are …"
Huai Shi didn't say anything.
He remained silent.
Sometimes, people would only realize how precious the peaceful life of the past was after losing everything they were used to.
The biggest illusion of people was to think that everything could continue and never change.
But change always came so quickly.
It caught people off guard.
The deeper they went, the more they could feel the changes brought about by time.
The former third communication center no longer existed. Everything was changed beyond recognition in the war. Some were destroyed by hell creatures, and some were destroyed by humans.
The engine room, warehouse, control center … There weren't many intact things. But the silver lining was that many things inside could be dismantled and repaired before continuing to be used. Even if it was just these, it was enough to temporarily fill the huge gap in the Sun Ship.
They didn't make a wasted trip.
But Huai Shi couldn't feel happy at all.
Because from the beginning to the end, he could only find traces of destruction and struggle, but he couldn't find any bones … The scattered Crows searched again and again, but to no avail.
All the remains had disappeared.
Along with the violent destruction, there were no remnants left.
"… Maybe, everyone has retreated to other places." Huai Shi forced a smile, trying to comfort Anton.
"Maybe."
Professor Anton calmly walked in front and said, "It's also possible that it was deliberately destroyed."
If they had retreated to other places, it was impossible to leave such traces of fierce struggle. Moreover, the list of all the survivors in the great retreat was in the database of the Ivory Tower. It was impossible for there to be no news for so many years.
Regarding this, he had long since been mentally prepared.
"After all, Celestial genealogy has such a bad reputation in hell, and there are so many deep grudges. It's not surprising that someone would do such a thing.
It's just that there are no bones left. As early as when the development agreement was signed, everyone was mentally prepared for this. "
As he spoke, he lowered his head and counted the remaining equipment and supplies in the warehouse. His expression was as usual, and there was no change in his expression.
"Help me remove the back cover here." He pointed to the huge rusty equipment.
"Okay."
Huai Shi reached out and touched it slightly. After sensing the internal structure and the thickness of the shell, he cut off the bolts with a clean cut.
The heavy cover that was more than a person's height fell off from the main body.
Anton opened the tool bag and carefully removed a crystal plate that was covered with all kinds of chips. He blew off the dust on it, and after confirming the model number again, he put it in the storage box for precision parts. Only then did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"It seems that I didn't remember wrong. When we built this place, because the technical department was lazy, in order to clear out the previous inventory, they gave the main control center's positioning system in the design. They directly used the components of the previous generation's phased array radar.
At the time, it was very troublesome to maintain. Who knows how many times everyone scolded it. In the end, we didn't expect that it would be convenient for us. Now, the origin substance tracking system for the fire control equipment can be completed. "
Huai Shi followed behind and was responsible for carrying the precious items in the boxes.
Together with Anton, they searched the entire base.
They were like scavengers, carefully picking out any precision instruments and equipment that had not been completely damaged.
If they could carry it away, they would carry it. If they couldn't, they would take it apart and send it into the Sun Ship's workshop.
When they passed by the dilapidated dormitory, Anton looked at it for a long time, lost in thought. He pointed at his original room to Huai Shi.
"At that time, the first batch of people to retreat was given. Everyone gave me the spot in the maintenance department. It wasn't because I was the most important, but because I was the least important … …
You see, if the personnel needs to be reduced, then the plumbers and electricians have to be eliminated first. That's how I luckily survived. "
He laughed self-deprecatingly. "When we left, everyone was so busy that they didn't even have time to say goodbye. They only urged me to make more reports after returning to the Present Realm and send more supplies over.
Everyone thought that the retreat was temporary and that they would return one day, including me.
Therefore, when we said goodbye, we didn't think that we wouldn't be able to meet again. "
The old man sighed softly. "There are still too many things that haven't been done … … What a pity … …"
Huai Shi thought for a moment and answered seriously, "A friend once told me that meeting and parting are always common. As long as everyone has laughed to their heart's content when they meet, there is no need to regret after parting.
Although every time I think of him, I can't help but feel sad. But I feel that if I have to say goodbye to someone one day, I will definitely be like him, giving my parting friends expectations and wishes. "
After Anton heard this, he was silent for a long time. Then he laughed softly. "My teacher might scold people. His temper isn't that good, and he never says anything gentle … … However, I'm a little stronger than him now. He should be able to calm down and have a good rest."
After he finished speaking, he shook his head and said to Huai Shi, "Let your group take care of the rest. Just follow the markings on this blueprint.
The infrastructure hasn't been destroyed too much. After dismantling it, there are still many things that can be used. "
On the blueprint he handed over, the dismantling parts were already indicated. They were densely packed and didn't leave anything behind.
Huai Shi hesitated for a moment. "This is the place where they fought for the last time. Is it okay to destroy it all?"
Professor Anton looked at him strangely. "If it's useful, they would have helped you chop and burn these things when they were alive.
Besides, they're already dead, so there's no need to care about this. Just take it that they've already agreed. "
When making such a decision, the old man didn't have the slightest bit of nostalgia or reluctance.
He just looked around at the place where so many people had lived and protected together, as if he wanted to imprint everything in his mind.
"In the past, my teacher told me that we can't choose how to come and leave this world, but we can choose what to live for. Everyone chose to join the Republic because of this reason.
Therefore, sacrifice and death are always common. It's not surprising.
"What the dead couldn't do, the living have to continue doing. What the ancestors couldn't do, the juniors have to do.
If someone stops us, then we have to be enemies with them. If the predecessors pass away, then we have to turn their deaths into daggers and stab them into the enemy's heart — "
It was as if they were responding to his words.
A gentle wind blew from the distant mist, causing his white hair to flutter slightly.
A crisp sound came from the window.
It was a necklace left behind by the deceased. A rusty iron plate hung on the broken chain, and the words on it could no longer be distinguished.
In the silence, Anton quietly stared at the nameplate that swayed in the wind and couldn't help but smile. He reached out, gently picked it up, and hung it around his neck, together with his own.
"My dear friends, let us reignite the furnace and forge everything."
He lowered his head and promised softly, "I promise that everything that disappears in the rain will be reborn in the flames."
No one responded.
Only the sound of iron pieces colliding with each other could be heard.
It was like the laughter of the past.
Long time no see, everyone.
I'm back.
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