The journey to Inferno was very different from what they had expected at the beginning.
An ordinary-looking, small-displacement private car was moving quickly and silently on the grassy field. The wind that was stirred up by the car left a faint layer of ripples on the grass behind it. The world was so vast that the small car seemed as inconspicuous as a bug as it sped on the prairie. If it were not for the occasional black rock formation in the clouds, no one would have imagined that there was another layer of crust hanging in the sky.
The car slowly stopped in front of a black 'mountain'. This was another 'Heaven's Pillar' that supported the dome. It was like a huge tree trunk that stood straight on the ground like a cliff. The lower part of it was a mountain that was nearly a thousand meters high, and the upper part disappeared into the depths of the clouds. Hao Ren pushed the door open and got out of the car. He took out some equipment that looked like a measuring rack from his Dimensional Pocket and assembled it on the spot.
The MDT connected itself to the equipment, and then projected a rough cross-section of the planet above it. A few small, silver cicada-like machines flew out of the cylindrical container below the equipment. These small machines flew to the 'Heaven's Pillar' and quickly drilled into the rock-hard black bark of the tree. A moment later, the data was transmitted back. On the MDT's scan, the holographic image of the Heaven's Pillar in front of them appeared cold blue.
"The third tree, which is also a dead individual, has completely stopped its vital signs," the MDT reported calmly as it displayed the data. "Wood fibers can still be found in the deeper layer, but the outer skin is basically petrified. It's a kind of mixed mineral, probably the hardening of the tree trunk's secretions over the years. These 'petrified' parts provide the hollow cylinder with unimaginable strength … almost as hard as the armor plate of a starship. "
"So they can support the world above," Hao Ren looked up at the lower crust hidden by the clouds. "These tree trunks are evenly distributed?"
"Yes, evenly distributed, and large in number," the MDT replied. Its image showed the distribution of the 'Heaven's Pillar' between the first and second layer of Inferno. The data from the probe was not very detailed, but it was enough for a rough analysis. From the image, it could be seen that the first layer of Inferno was completely suspended more than ten kilometers above the planet's crust. There was no geological connection between the two. The large number of Heaven's Pillars was the only thing that maintained this two-layer structure. These giant trees were evenly distributed under the crust, one every 100 kilometers: far more than the entrances to Inferno on the surface.
"Not all giant trees are hollow. In fact, most of them are solid. They are stronger," the MDT explained. "And those hollow trunks are like chimneys that connect the surface world and the underworld, and they become the so-called 'entrance to the second level of Inferno'."
Lily asked curiously, "This hollow structure is … a lesion?"
"No, it should be intentional," the MDT gave a negative answer. "The hollow giant trees are evenly distributed. On average, one out of every 100 Heaven's Pillars is hollow, and the entire atmospheric activity in the underground space is also cooperating with these 'chimneys'. According to my analysis, this hollow special trunk should be something like a breathing tube, used to exchange atmosphere with the surface world. At the same time, it should also have the function of a sensor. I have detected a strong surge of electrical signals under the hollow giant tree. If I'm not mistaken, it should be —"
"It's the nerves of the First Born," Hao Ren interrupted before the MDT could finish. "These trees are evolved from the tentacles of the First Born, right?"
Hao Ren was no longer a rookie who relied solely on equipment analysis to make judgments. Based on the environment of this underground world and the landscape he saw on the surface, it was easy for him to infer that only the First Born could create such a miracle. The 'Heaven's Pillars' that supported the upper crust were undoubtedly part of the First Born. The only problem was that this part had evolved so much that it was almost impossible to see the shape of the First Born's tentacles, and even its internal physiological structure was very different from that of the First Born.
The MDT did not answer directly. Instead, it projected a set of holograms. It was the structure of the underground part of the Heaven's Pillar that had just been scanned by the deep radar. Everyone could clearly see that there was a much larger and more complex world under the giant tree. Countless roots that looked like cranial nerves grew entangled in the depths of the earth. The deeper they went, the less they looked like normal tree roots. At the bottom, the roots had completely turned into tentacles and extended deeper into the earth. That was a place that even the radar could not detect. At least, the low-power sensors that Hao Ren carried with him could not scan that deep.
"The tentacles of the First Born evolved into these giant trees, but from the analysis of physiological structure alone, these trees have completely broken away from the life form of the First Born." The MDT sounded a little confused. "They are real wood, wrapped in a layer of petrified shell that is stronger than superalloy, which is very different from tentacles. It gives people the feeling that a titanium alloy has grown out of a body of flesh and blood, and it's not grafted on. "
"It is understandable. The First Born is the source of life. If the situation requires, it can transform part of its limbs into other species. If it can do it with the lifeblood, there is no reason why its tentacles can't do it. "Hao Ren was not surprised." We can confirm these things with Zorm later. Now the key is whether the First Born is alive or dead. You said it has nerve impulses, but these giant trees are obviously dead. "
"There is no way to judge. For creatures like the First Born, it is difficult to define its life and death by the standard of conventional species. Its body and soul, every organ and even every piece of its body may have an independent definition of life and death. Part of it is obviously withered, but these withered parts support the whole world, and there is still some signal coming from deep inside, but only a little electrical signal."
Lily thought for a moment and came up with a word. "Vegetative state?"
Hao Ren looked at Lily with a strange expression. He thought that there should be no more incongruous description in the world than this, but these three words were really suitable for the current situation!
"If … if I'm not mistaken, the layer above should not be the crust," Vivian looked up for a long time and suddenly said thoughtfully. "This planet can't grow a new layer of crust out of thin air. There can only be one thing at the top of the trunk … "
The MDT immediately switched the image and showed the results of a further scan of the outermost layer of crust of Inferno. It was the desolate and vast place full of poisonous hot springs and monsters that they had seen when they first arrived here. It looked like a solid and integrated rock shell, but after a detailed scan by the probe, the hidden veins finally appeared.
"You're right, it's the canopy. The first layer of crust of Inferno is the petrified canopy. "
The treetops were continuous and seamless, completely covering the planet below. The Heaven's Pillar's unique 'petrification' process was not only reflected on the trunk, but also on the treetops. After an unknown number of years, the once vegetative treetops had turned into a rock layer that was several kilometers thick, and above the rock layer was a world that could be called Purgatory.
And in the process of this series of transformation, all the Heaven's Pillars died. No one knew whether it was the First Born's plan or something happened midway. In short, these "black mountains" that they saw now were just the remains of dead plants, pillars left behind after the First Born's tentacles withered. They were fossils, holding up the also fossilized canopy crust.
Nangong Sanba scratched his chin thoughtfully. "That is to say, the place where we are standing now is the real 'original surface' of Inferno?"
"Yes, at least it is the original land before these giant trees completely closed off the sky." Hao Ren nodded, his eyes looking up the magnificent black trunk. "I think this is some kind of protection measure, built to ensure the survival of the ecosystem on the original land. Coupled with the outermost cloud top, the planet has layers of protection, so it can survive until today without the sun. "
At this time, the MDT suddenly received an emergency communication from a probe. It suddenly shouted, "Hey! Stop studying the tree, the probe has found something! "
Vivian immediately ran over. "Is it Baptiste's whereabouts?"
"No, it's the traces of other man-made things." The MDT's projection showed a picture from afar. On the vast prairie, a large ruin covered by plants and mud was clearly visible. "A city! A city built by intelligent creatures! "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
