Chapter Three 104

Chongqing has always been a city of many mountains, with long, narrow, and parallel ridges stretching continuously from the Dabashan range all the way to Chongqing. Viewed from the sky, it looks as if a giant rake has swept across the earth, leaving behind a series of regular rises and valleys. Geographically, this area is known as the Eastern Sichuan Parallel Ridge and Valley, a notable part of the Eastern Sichuan fold terrain.

The 151 Support Base is located in the Nan’an District, designated as the third-level contact buffer zone. The third-level contact is part of a defensive concept against angel invasions, divided into three stages. The first-level contact refers to probe contact, determined by the deployment range of the Riemann probes, with distances ranging from 500 to 50 kilometers. The second-level contact is visual contact, between 50 and 20 kilometers, at which distance the naked eye may spot an angel. The third-level contact is physical contact, within 20 kilometers, which signifies armed engagement. If an angel approaches this close, they have no choice but to fight. The 151 Base is responsible for striking first and also serves as humanity’s last line of defense: beyond the line is a no-man’s land; inside lies the city of Chongqing.

For a long time, the 151 Base held this line.

But that wasn’t what it was originally prepared for.

The day after Shang Lu reported in, early in the morning, Old Ji arranged for someone to take him around to familiarize himself with the base. They visited the Base Construction History Memorial Hall, a modest single-story building. Upon entering, a row of glass display cases and a series of old photos hung on the walls greeted them. The command operations officer and tour guide explained that the 151 Base had been designed and planned since 2009, with construction breaking ground that same year. Initially, it was conceived as a reserve base, a part of the new millennium’s Third Front construction project. But no one expected the frontline to collapse so quickly. Before people could react, the battlefield had been pushed to their doorstep. The reserve base was forced to become the frontline, and the 151 Base had no choice but to stand firm.

And it has stood firm ever since.

“How many casualties?” Shang Lu asked.

The guide pointed to another wall in the memorial hall, densely covered with names—five or six dozen per row, four rows in total.

“Twenty percent died from angels, eighty percent from giant machinery,” the guide said.

Shang Lu was shocked. How could more people die from their own side than from the enemy?

“Giant machinery is just as deadly as angels,” the guide explained. “We’re five hundred kilometers from the angels, but only fifty meters from the giant machinery.”

He looked at Shang Lu with a hint of pity, perhaps thinking this was another reckless young man who had plunged in without understanding the situation. Such people often died the fastest. He earnestly advised Shang Lu to choose a post farther from the giant machinery, at least away from the tunnel depot. “There was once a test where a malfunction caused a pressure relief valve to stick open. Five hundred degrees Celsius of high-pressure steam leaked out and swept through an entire work face. Nine logistics personnel didn’t survive—some died instantly from head injuries, others struggled in the hospital for two weeks.”

“If you have the ability, go to the United Command Center at Guanyinqiao. Don’t come here.”

Shang Lu listened, but he had no idea that Old Ji was so pleased with him that he wouldn’t let him go even if he were to be executed.

After leaving the memorial hall, the guide took Shang Lu to see the dormitory.

Shang Lu’s lodging was arranged in a courtyard at the foot of the mountain. This was a combined office and dormitory location for the base headquarters, consisting of several gray-white two-story buildings. Some rooms housed the Surveying Department, Management Department, and Direct Engineering Department offices. There was also a small warehouse for the Combat Skills Department. The buildings faced the distant main urban area of Chongqing, with lush, verdant ridges at their backs. The courtyard had two jujube trees.

“This is the dormitory,” the guide said.

The dormitory’s conditions were about the same as the Automation Institute. Upon entering, Shang Lu almost thought he had returned to the institute—a ten-odd-square-meter double room, fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling, gray-white floor tiles, two single beds, and a long table between them. On the table sat a computer and a water cup, and beneath it were a washbasin and slippers. One bed was already occupied, but the occupant was nowhere to be seen. The green bedding was casually folded, and Shang Lu did not spot the infamous “tofu blocks” of overly rigid bedding. He thought to himself that the institute was indeed lax on discipline.

His personal luggage had arrived ahead of him—two large woven bags stacked against the wall.

“The person sharing the room with you is Staff Officer Chen Yu from the Headquarters Operations Department.”

Chen Yu.

Shang Lu memorized the name and silently hoped his new roommate wouldn’t suffer from constipation, teeth grinding, sleepwalking, foot odor, snoring, or an interest in men.

“After checking the dormitory, I’ll take you into the tunnel depot. The chief engineer asked me to bring you to him before eleven o’clock. He wants to familiarize you with the maintenance workshop and take you for a meal.”

“Is the giant machinery in the workshop?”

“Yes, you’ll see it when you get there.”

The 151 Support Base’s headquarters, rear logistics, and staff dormitories were scattered among the mountains, connected by winding, twisting paths. Though they seemed isolated—one part here, another part there—they were actually the visible tips of a giant subterranean beast’s sprawling tendrils.

What the outside world saw with the naked eye was only a fraction of its true form.

The 151 Base was equipped with massive special giant machinery for anti-angel operations. It was the largest tunnel complex in the world, primarily buried deep within the mountains of Nanshan. It was an incredible colossal construction project. Over three years, workers almost hollowed out the entire Nanshan Mountain, filling it with a labyrinth of tunnels like an anthill, eleven layers from top to bottom. The core of 151 consisted of three giant machinery maintenance workshops and a nuclear reactor. Each workshop was as tall as thirty stories.

The guide said there were twenty-three entrances and exits to 151. Some were large enough for trucks to pass side by side; others only allowed a single person through.

One such entrance lay just behind the courtyard, hidden quietly among waist-high weeds and shrubs, very concealed—barely over a person’s height, resembling an air raid shelter. Unaware visitors would not detect it until they were mere steps away. But upon entering, one could feel its depth—a dark hole leading to unknown destinations.

“How deep is it inside?” Shang Lu looked up, noticing small red lights dotting the ceiling, vanishing into the distance.

“Are you asking about this branch tunnel or the total length?”

“Both.”

“The branch tunnel is four hundred meters, the total length thirty-seven kilometers.”

Feeling the cold, rough cement walls in the dim light, Shang Lu noticed that although it was over thirty degrees Celsius outside, the tunnel was cool and drafty. A gust of wind roared past him, and he felt a chill.

“This is also a very sturdy nuclear shelter, capable of withstanding a hundred-megaton nuclear explosion overhead. But it’s useless now,” the guide said as he led the way, his voice echoing layer upon layer through the tunnel. “Nuclear weapons are completely ineffective against monsters like angels. Nowadays, nuclear bombs are just kindling.”

The guide clearly knew the tunnel environment intimately, moving quickly in the dim light while Shang Lu jogged to keep up.

The deeper they went, the colder it became. Shang Lu heard water dripping beneath his feet and touched the walls, feeling trickling moisture.

“The 151 Support Base is a division-level organization, including headquarters, rear logistics, various direct teams, direct workstations, guard companies, service companies, and fire brigades. There are around fifteen hundred personnel in total, most working inside the tunnels daily,” the guide continued. “Also, there’s a monitoring station on one tree, and a motorized company is stationed in the botanical garden…”

Suddenly, the echo of his voice grew hollow. Shang Lu looked up and saw the red lights above had risen.

“The tunnel is getting larger,” Shang Lu remarked.

“It gets even bigger ahead. 151 is the world’s largest tunnel project, even bigger than the 153 Base in the Western Theater Command. During construction, 2.7 million cubic meters of earth and rock were excavated. If piled into a stone wall one meter high and one meter thick, it would stretch 2,700 kilometers—long enough to reach from Chongqing all the way to Changchun,” the guide said. “We’re here.”

At the end of the branch tunnel was a low, narrow iron door. Beyond it came the noise of people and roaring engines.

“This is the 104 Main Tunnel. Beyond here is the giant machinery maintenance workshop. The chief engineer is waiting for you.”

Shang Lu followed through and was immediately struck by the sight. Under dazzling bright lights, people in various uniforms bustled about. Rows of materials, tools, vehicles, and even excavators were stacked against the walls. Tracks were laid on the ground, and trailers sounded their horns as they moved along the rails. Behind the people, the gray-white concrete walls stretched upward, soon disappearing from Shang Lu’s view and forcing him to look up. His gaze traced the vertical walls climbing until dozens of meters above, where they met to form a magnificent vaulted ceiling.

“Like a temple,” Shang Lu murmured.

Later, Shang Lu gave the 104 Main Tunnel a nickname: the 104 Temple.