CHAPTER 1859: CHAPTER 1852: WANG DAPAO’S FEAR OF HEIGHTS

As the two ventured deeper underground, the temperature started to rise rapidly due to the lack of temperature control. The air became hot and humid, and the enormous drilling machine continued its incessant operation. According to Brother Wang, the machine had been running non-stop for over fifty days and nights since the construction began, not taking a single break!

With such high-intensity operation, the machine’s axle would heat up. Although someone would periodically add water for cooling, it only managed to keep the axle temperature within a controllable range. The temperature of the rotating axle remained consistently high, radiating heat all around, causing the temperature at the eleventh level relay station to maintain at least seventy degrees!

It’s not uncommon for it to even break past a hundred degrees Celsius!

For ordinary people, working in such an environment is a death wish; it wouldn’t take long for a series of heat-related symptoms to appear. Thus, those who worked here were generally Level 4 to Level 6 New Humans. However, in terms of heat resistance, New Humans were actually not better than ordinary people; they were just physically stronger, able to withstand the heat damage to their bodies.

In just this short period, Tang Ye had already seen over a dozen Level 4 New Humans, all drenched in sweat. As they passed by, the masks on their faces failed to muffle their heavy breathing. Even Wang Dapao, a Level 7 New Human, had beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"It’s nothing, thanks," Wang Dapao hurriedly shook his head at Tang Ye’s concern, expressing his gratitude. He glanced to the side, where a mud-spattered wooden table had a sealed plastic bag on top, filled with new masks. He quickly ran over, opened the bag, wiped his hand on his uniform, and took out two masks, handing one to Tang Ye.

"Sir, here you go."

Tang Ye looked at the mask in his hand and accepted it without hesitation, putting it on right away.

There were quite a few people watching them, but unlike on the surface, many workers here were resting in front of Wang Dapao, not fearing any outburst from him.

Even the immensely strong New Humans couldn’t last long in such a sustained high-temperature work environment and had to be divided into three groups to rest in turns.

The first group just came down, and the newly ascended second group was exhausted within minutes. Their sweat was pouring down in an exaggerated manner; some even rolled up the cuffs of their shorts and squeezed them, wringing out sweat that could fill a bucket!

When drinking water, the scene was even more dramatic; they would grab a ten-liter jug of water with one hand and gulp it down, emptying half the jug in half a minute.

The atmosphere here was a bit stifling; Tang Ye kept silent. Behind him, Wang Dapao wiped the sweat from his forehead, casting a curious glance at Tang Ye. He couldn’t understand how the Grand Marshal seemed unaffected under such conditions?

It’s a joke, Tang Ye wasn’t a New Human; he was a zombie!

New Humans feared heat, but zombies were insensitive to high temperatures; external environmental factors didn’t stimulate their nerves.

With a slightly powerless shake of his head, Wang Dapao stopped his idle thoughts and finally said, "Sir, let me take you to check out the proposed site for the Dried Leaves Sanctuary."

"Let’s go," Tang Ye nodded, signaling Wang Dapao to lead the way. They hadn’t gone far before entering another large space within the eleventh level relay station.

Upon entering, Tang Ye glanced up; tracks were designed across the ceiling. Not far away on the ground was a neatly circular pit, roughly five meters in diameter, connected by a steel cable as thick as his arm to the ceiling. The marks of the large drilling equipment’s relocation were still visible nearby.

"Sir, it’s right ahead," Wang Dapao said, pointing downward near the circular pit but avoiding looking down. Continuing to address Tang Ye, he said, "If you’re interested, take a look."

The words piqued Tang Ye’s curiosity, and he looked down the pit, only to see an abyss with no visible end!

The drilling went very deep; besides darkness, there was little to be seen except some faint lights at the very bottom, but the distance was too great. The lights were so faint they resembled particles.

Where the dim lights below illuminated should be the preliminary construction of the Dried Leaves Sanctuary.

At that moment, the steel cable within the circular pit began to move rapidly. Seeing this, Tang Ye looked up and back down the pit; the lights disappeared, leaving only darkness. Something was coming up?

Soon, a "pan" perfectly fitting into the pit appeared before Tang Ye, filled with the black soil and soft rock fragments cleared from below.

He watched as the "pan," large enough to hold an entire army, was hoisted up by the steel cable, hung on the ceiling, and transported along the tracks to other spaces in the relay station.

"What’s wrong with you?" At that moment, Tang Ye finally noticed Wang Dapao’s strange behavior, seeing that he had been standing with his back turned since arriving at the pit.

Tang Ye’s question made Wang Dapao awkwardly stroke the stubble on his chin, giving an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I’m a bit afraid of heights..."

"You’re afraid of heights?" Wang Dapao’s response surprised Tang Ye; how could someone with such a powerful physique, especially a Level 7 New Human like Wang Dapao, capable of jumping over ten meters or even gliding shortly through the air, be afraid of heights?

The stronger the New Humans, the more they resembled the superheroes from before the Apocalypse movies. They said all fear stems from insufficient firepower; surely this "firepower" was enough to crush any fear of heights?

The world is vast and full of wonders; everyone has their own secrets, so there’s no need to dwell on it.

"Never mind, it’s not a big deal."

"So...? Do you want to go down for a look?"

"No need," Tang Ye shook his head. Seeing Wang Dapao’s relief as he said those three words.

"I now have something for you to do," Tang Ye continued.

"As you command," Wang Dapao’s face regained its seriousness.

"Gather all the workers here and ask if they’re willing to transfer jobs. Those who agree, transfer them all to other locations. Only twenty-three spots are available; understand?"

"This is... alright, I got it." Tang Ye’s request left Wang Dapao puzzled; instinctively, he wanted to ask why, but he held back, agreeing firmly in the end.

"Once you pick out twenty-three people here, you can ascend. Also, please gather everyone from the tenth to first level above ground."

"Understood!"

"I’ll head up first, then," Tang Ye said.

Seeing Wang Dapao quickly agree, Tang Ye didn’t waste more words, turning to leave for the lift platform while Wang Dapao watched his back with furrowed brows, unable to fathom Tang Ye’s intentions. This kind of work was only suited for New Humans; there was no one on the surface who could do it!

But he eventually let it go, figuring that whatever the supervisor demanded, he’d do. After all, no matter what happened in the end, it would be up to this "god" to handle it.