"No matter what purpose this place originally served, the structures built by the ancients have now become our burden."
"As far as I know, there are ancient self-destruct mechanisms embedded within the metal above and around the passage."
Klein crouched on the ground, tracing his finger along the diagram he had sketched.
"These self-destruct mechanisms are not sophisticated contraptions, but they are sufficiently reliable and effective."
"In essence, they are bombs concealed within the metallic walls, connected to a self-repairing detonation button."
"Once the button is pressed, the bombs within the walls will explode, and the colossal metal fragments that break away will be enough to seal off the passage. More perilously, there exists a second layer of bombs within the wall, akin to a thermal fusion gun."
"First, the metal fragments will cascade down, followed by a torrent of molten metal filling every crevice, effectively transforming these fragments into a solid mass that blocks the entire nine-hundred-kilometer corridor."
"By the Emperor, I can scarcely fathom what the designer of this was thinking."
Having finished speaking, Klein handed the diagram over to Anriada.
"You seem quite knowledgeable about this passage's self-destruction mechanism?" Qin Mo inquired, astonished.
"Indeed! My family is the oldest lineage of engineers on this planet," Klein replied, pride unmistakable on his face. "The story of my family's rise is intertwined with these self-destruct mechanisms."
"Approximately seventeen hundred years ago, my ancestors undertook a secret project devised by the then-governor, spending thirty years to extract a thermal bomb from the walls."
"At that time, the Tyron Abyss was engulfed in war, embroiled in fierce battles against rebel forces organized by an unknown cult."
"Just when everyone assumed that the governor would use the bomb for military purposes, he detonated it in the vicinity of another noble family, reducing numerous buildings to molten iron."
Upon hearing Klein's tale, Qin Mo remarked, "It seems this has become a skill passed down through generations of governors."
"Their family's inherited skills extend far beyond mere explosives," Klein countered.
The three stood together, gazing at the obstruction within the passage.
Once their idle chatter ceased, Qin Mo raised his hand, attempting to use his abilities to swiftly clear the way.
Klein, however, harbored little hope; after all, he had witnessed Qin Mo's struggles when constructing the fortress, where the outer walls were mere segments attached together—insignificant compared to the obstacle obstructing the entire passage.
Yet one must always try.
As Qin Mo concentrated, channeling the power of the celestial being, the metal before them began to flow, cascading down the incline like a liquid, then adhering to the walls of the passage under his control.
The massive wall composed of solidified metal fragments began to rapidly restore itself.
In that moment, Qin Mo recalled what the entity had said, realizing that his strength was indeed gradually returning.
Had he been constructing a fortress instead of carving out this gigantic passage, it would take but a second to raise it from the ground.
Half an hour later, Qin Mo conceded, "This is futile; it feels as if I'm trying to fill an ocean with a thimble."
Anriada was unaware of what an ocean was, but Klein understood, grasping the essence of Qin Mo's words.
"Are these obstacles perfectly fitted together?" Qin Mo pondered aloud. "If we could somehow enter the interior of the obstruction and plant thermal bombs in the gaps..."
With that thought, Qin Mo approached the barrier, distorting the physical laws in a broad area around him, allowing the metal to be traversed as if it were air.
Klein and Anriada watched in growing familiarity as Qin Mo penetrated the wall.
After ten minutes, he returned to inform them, "The interior is packed tightly with molten iron; it's hopeless."
"What if we refrain from digging?" Klein suggested. "Similar to how you entered the metal, others could traverse around you and also enter the metal, excavating a large hole for rest every kilometer. Would that work?"
"You don't expect me to be readily available like him, do you? How would you enter without me?" Qin Mo gestured towards Anriada.
"That's a valid point..." Klein found himself at a loss.
Qin Mo fell into contemplation regarding how to excavate the passage.
The solution was rather straightforward: construct engineering machinery for the excavation, develop small-scale machinery and efficient metal-excavation devices, or create colossal machinery equipped with energy beams to gradually melt through the metal blocking the passage.
However, just as he began to ponder what kind of machinery to create, an entirely new idea struck him.
Since the aim was to devise a form of interstellar travel that did not rely on subspace, why not start the research now?
Commencing with relevant technologies, he could initially develop some foundational elements until he expanded an entire technological tree and became proficient in its application.
What this technology would ultimately be, Qin Mo was uncertain, but he felt that this passage was akin to the distances between galaxies—there must always be a way to traverse it.
Qin Mo turned to Klein and declared, "This obstructed passage will not only remain unexcavated by me; I shall fortify it, rendering it impervious to breach and destruction."
"Are we to remain in the Abyss indefinitely?" Klein suddenly sensed an ominous foreboding.
"No, we will still have the means to enter and exit, just not through this passage," Qin Mo stated as he walked towards the train. "Others should not waste their time on this corridor. If various regiments cannot locate insurgents to attack, they should focus on training and drills."
Upon returning to the fortress, Qin Mo resolved to embark on an extended research endeavor. However, before doing so, he needed to settle all affairs.
If, as the entity had suggested, there was a larger conspiracy at play on this planet that was in the process of eroding, then preparations must be made for a prolonged stay in the Abyss, rather than everyone leaving together never to return.
The establishment of New Carto City was pressing.
Qin Mo instructed the central intelligence to mobilize logistical machinery to construct a new city, designed to resemble the fortress itself, ensuring that electricity and water would reach every corner of the city, along with numerous armories and artillery emplacements.
Civilians would reside beneath various artillery platforms within the city, working as laborers in the armories during peacetime, while during conflicts, they would operate the artillery as families for defense.
At the city's center, there would be a shelter, serving as a refuge for children during wartime but functioning as a school during peaceful times.
This school would not teach physical education or art, for those would be deemed too extravagant; instead, students would learn to discern enemies and how to combat them.
Qin Mo did not entertain the delusion of establishing a utopian city, but he would ensure that the city's inhabitants could easily acquire what they would otherwise have to pay a price for: sustenance and fresh water.
Once everything was arranged, Qin Mo dedicated himself wholeheartedly to his research, quickly identifying the direction his studies should take.
That direction was to create traversable shortcuts within alternating spaces and dimensions—the human application of the Voidwalker Phase Transfer Technology utilized by the Space Wraiths.