Chapter 2: Disaster is where fortune leans

  Receiving the command from the Tang Dynasty, the kitten first froze for a moment, and then all the screens on the cabin wall started scrolling frantically.

  "Boss, why not build the base according to Lord Ferr's design?" The little cat kept flashing its electronic eyes. "In fact, Lord Ferr's designed base is the most ideal and optimal solution in terms of concealment, defense, self-sufficiency and other factors."

  "We don't have a spaceship for space." Tang Dynasty sighed and explained patiently: "The base you built before can be considered a space base, but we can't use it now. Besides, I don't have the patience to build a base that took nearly a hundred years. I need to build a hidden, solid, and well-defended military fortress in the shortest time possible. Concealment is the first element, self-defense capability is the second. On the premise of having enough defensive power to protect ourselves, the base can produce various industrial equipment from Earth technology before 1930."

  The electronic eyes of the kitten continued to flicker, and the information on the screen flowed more quickly. About ten minutes later, all the characters on the screen cleared to zero, then converted into a complex, large-scale three-dimensional engineering drawing.

  "Boss, according to your requirements, the base is initially set up: the overall location is 300 meters underground, the first phase of the project is divided into three layers, with a building area of approximately one square kilometer. The first layer is for military management and living quarters, the second layer is for smelting, manufacturing, and storage; the third layer is for core control, taking into account our current technical equipment and engineering capabilities, the expected construction period is 976 days..."

  As the kitten unfolded and introduced sheet after sheet of engineering diagrams, Tang Dynasty felt his head getting bigger and bigger, because many things were beyond his comprehension.

  "Stop, stop, stop!" Tang Dynasty raised his hand to stop the kitten's continued fussing. "The overall project has you in charge, I only care about the results. As for the process, I'm not too concerned. What I want to know most now is that after the first phase of the base's construction is completed, if it's discovered by someone, what is the maximum tolerance level of the base against external invasion?"

  The kitten flipped through the 3D engineering diagram on the screen, and after a while, it brought up a military defense map. "Boss, according to your requirements, based on the principle of concealment as the first element, the outer structure of the base looks like a secret military research institution built in the mountains around 1930 with a technological level similar to that of Earth's. All machine gun bunkers and defensive fortifications are made of reinforced concrete structures, and the main weapons and equipment include caliber Markov heavy machine guns, caliber high-altitude machine guns, and 20MM caliber twin-mounted autocannons.

  Considering the need for remote defense, there are eight 203mm caliber fortress guns and seventy-two 150mm caliber howitzers on the outer periphery of the base. The difference is that all gun operations are automatically controlled by mechanical arms controlled by mechanical computers. According to the terrain and topography where the base is located, as well as the basic structure of the base after the completion of the first phase of construction, unless the enemy detonates a nuclear bomb with an explosive force of one million tons at a distance of three kilometers underground from the base, in theory, no country's army can break in.

  "Wow! So cool!" Tang Chao's mood was great as he praised: "Little cat, when can you let me see the real thing with those guns and cannons you described earlier?"

  "According to the engineering schedule, 295 days later, we can see the first Mark IV heavy machine gun roll off the assembly line. 438 days later, we can see the first 150mm caliber howitzer completed..."

  "Really, it's going to take that long?!" Tang Dynasty asked with a hint of gloominess: "Little Cat, before the weapon is manufactured, how will my safety issue be resolved?"

  "According to Mr. Fei's suggestion, boss, before the completion of the first phase of the project, you'd better stay in the repair cabin and not go anywhere else." Little Cat replied coldly: "After the base construction order is issued, the repair cabin will start its drilling function and dive into the ground. In other words, for almost three years from now on, boss, you'll have to live underground, and your living expenses can be solved through the nutrition cabin. Boss, you can use this period of time to seriously study the earth technology stored in the base and the basic technology of the second universe's secondary and tertiary civilizations."

  "I'm going to be a mouse for more than three years? This is too damn torturous!" Tang Chao's face turned into a bitter melon.

  "Boss, your physical structure is too weak." The little cat wasn't worried about Tang Dynasty being beaten up at all. "Although the mountain valley we are in now doesn't have any other humans, the wild beasts living in this basin are not only diverse but also numerous. With your current physical quality, you basically can't survive in the wilderness. Therefore, Little Cat suggests that Boss can strengthen his body and physical strength through high-intensity labor during the base construction process. Lord Fei has left a set of training methods for a third cosmic starship infantry soldier, which Boss can try to practice."

  Thinking that he would be separated from the world for three years, Tang Dynasty couldn't help but feel a burst of dizziness. Recalling his carefree days before crossing over, although he was just an ordinary aerospace power mechanical engineer, with no power in the unit, but with the attitude of being content and happy, Tang Dynasty's small life was not bad either.

  I have never been short of small money, although I am still unmarried and have not started a family, I have had several girlfriends, even if the final outcome was always good riddance, in any case, Tang Dynasty is not a introverted otaku.

  In the 21st century, the internet was flooded with stories of traversing through time and space. Tang had never imagined that such a thing would happen to him, and he rarely browsed similar websites. It could be said that Tang was quite satisfied with his current life, having both a family and a career. Who would have thought that "traversing" - this supernatural phenomenon - would actually occur to him?

  Alas! What we encountered was the reversal of time and space, not parallel universe traversal. Calculating it, there's no need to worry that our parents would be worried sick about their son's sudden disappearance.

  Forget it, being able to survive in this chaotic world is the most important thing!

  Having made up his mind, Tang Dynasty's entire demeanor became resolute and decisive. After taking two deep breaths, he gazed at the small cat on the central display screen and said firmly: "Little Cat, from now on, the base will be under your full command, and my training plan will also be formulated by you."

  "Yes! Boss."

  As the kitten controlled the repair cabin sinking into the ground, Tang Dynasty also began a "hell" life that lasted for nearly a thousand days.

  There is no sun or moon underground, and the Tang Dynasty didn't have the mood to judge how days were calculated and spent. With a firm belief in surviving this chaotic world, every day except for four hours of deep sleep in the nutrition cabin was filled with learning various subjects and intense physical training.

  Considering the current Republic of China was on the eve of the founding of New China, all parties' forces took military strength as the first criterion. The Tang Dynasty did not spend too much energy learning advanced alien technology foundation knowledge, but instead let Xiao Mao sort out all the military subjects and related study materials that could be collected, and the Tang Dynasty followed suit, from basic military terminology to military map surveying, trajectory calculation, tactical command and other disciplines, swallowing them whole, forcing themselves to cram various military knowledge into their brains. Regardless of whether they could understand or grasp it, they first memorized it firmly before doing anything else.

  It's worth mentioning that the little cat once mentioned a set of third cosmic starship infantry soldier training methods, which he described lightly at the time. It wasn't until Tang Dynasty came into contact with this unprecedented and unheard-of training method that he realized it was not just a military training for the starship infantry, but a precious physical training secret technique for all cosmic civilizations below level 4.

  This body technique training is based on the harsh environment faced by advanced carbon-based intelligent life forms during interstellar travel and combat, and must enable each intelligent life form's physical quality to reach a certain intensity in order to safely adapt and survive.

  The set of physical training methods left to the Tang Dynasty by Fei Er is a combination of the human body structure on Earth after nearly a hundred years of living on Earth, and it has been improved. It's just that Fei Er didn't find anyone to experiment with before, and the Tang Dynasty was the first to experience this special physical training method.

  At this time, Tang Dynasty was completely unaware of it, and the little cat didn't remind Tang Dynasty that practicing this set of physical skills had certain dangers.

  It wasn't until a year and a half later that Tang Dynasty had fully mastered the first layer of thirty-six movements of the Body Technique, and his physical indicators had reached the standard of a third-level cosmic physique. Only then did Little Cat tell Tang Dynasty about the risks involved in practicing this set of body techniques.

  The Tang Dynasty scolded the kitten after learning about it, and also asked for all the female ancestors of this alien Fer eight generations.

  Afterwards, Tang Dynasty began to study medical knowledge on his own and tried to find out what was wrong with Fei's improved body training method through his understanding of this set of body training and his physical condition.

  Thanks to that string of heavenly pearls protecting the Tang Dynasty while surviving in the turbulent flow of time and space, it also strengthened the body of the Tang Dynasty to a certain extent. Otherwise, if according to the previous physical condition of the Tang Dynasty, this set of exercises would have been practiced at most eighteen moves out of thirty-six, which would have left people crippled.

  The first 24 movements of this set are like the sixth set of radio exercises we practiced in our youth, a method of strengthening and physical fitness that is popular among all people in the third cosmic galaxy. From the 25th to the 36th style, it is the most basic military training for the armies of various countries in the third cosmic galaxy.

  After completing the first layer of physical strengthening, if you want to continue practicing, you need to combine some precious medicinal materials for assistance. These rare and precious medicinal materials that grow in the star systems outside the domain are like sacred herbs and spiritual medicines to the Tang Dynasty, which can neither be identified nor found.

  Naturally, the practice of this technique was discontinued. In the following days, Tang Dynasty could only combine the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine on Earth to try to improve these 36 body techniques.

  To the aliens in the third universe, this is just a basic exercise, but Tang Dynasty, who has practiced to become a first-class physique in the third universe, can be called a super warrior on Earth now.

  Enduring the bitterest of hardships, one becomes a superior being. After nearly a year and a half of living as a monk in the Tang Dynasty, his physical quality is now almost three times stronger than that of the strongest special forces in the 21st century.

  Whether it's speed, agility, or physical strength, Tang has grown into a qualified warrior king!

  No sooner had his body reached the standard than Tang Dynasty, disregarding Xiaomiao's dissuasion, walked out of the base to the surface world. In the mountains and forests, he found an adult wild boar and, armed with a single-handed combat tactical knife, relied solely on his physical strength to end this life-and-death struggle in less than thirty seconds.

  The Tang Dynasty bid farewell to the tasteless and odorless nutrient solution, and finally was able to eat meat with rich oil, water, and fragrance on its own.

  From that day on, the mountain valley basin where the base was located became a scene of chaos, and all wild beasts, whether carnivores or herbivores, became targets for hunting by the Tang Dynasty.

  Through this hunting, the Tang Dynasty on the one hand used it to train its own bare-handed combat skills and jungle, mountain survival ability, on the other hand began to explore the entire basin.

  According to Xiao Mao's description, this basin is a cursed death zone in the minds of residents around Robo Lake.

  This basin is connected to the outside world by a winding gorge that is nearly three kilometers long and less than thirty meters wide. This gorge, known as the "Soul-Taking Gorge", has a notorious reputation in both southern and northern Xinjiang.

  Many people know that inside the Soul-Breaking Gorge, there is a vast and fertile grassland bestowed by the heavens. However, for over two thousand years, no one has been able to become the master of this land. All those who have entered the gorge and witnessed the breathtaking scenery of green grass and lakes within the basin have not lived past thirty-six hours.

  Throughout the ages, there have been many heroes and great men who did not believe in evil, but none of them were able to break the curse of Duanhun Gorge. On the contrary, countless people lost their lives because of it. As time passed and more people died, rumors began to circulate that inside Duanhun Gorge was a paradise where gods and immortals lived, and ordinary mortals did not have the good fortune to enjoy the nourishment of the immortal energy.

  The Tang Dynasty naturally did not believe in the so-called curse theory, and it was only after Xiaomao's explanation that they understood what the so-called curse actually referred to high-intensity nuclear radiation.

  The mountains on both sides of the Valley of the Broken Soul have two high-grade uranium deposits, and there are five places in the valley with extremely concentrated radiation. These five places are the most concentrated sources of uranium radiation due to their unique terrain, and over thousands of years, the intensity of these five radiation sources is not inferior to the residual nuclear radiation produced by a 100-kiloton atomic bomb explosion.

  According to the kitten, this basin was designated as a military restricted area after China successfully tested atomic and hydrogen bombs in Lop Nur in the 1960s. A secret uranium mining and processing factory was built there. Due to excessive exploitation and pollution, this grassland basin, known as the "Fairy Paradise" by local legend, could not withstand human extravagance and became a lifeless desert and salt marsh by the early 1980s. The uranium processing plant naturally had to be relocated and abandoned, leaving only the alien Fei Er witnessing in the depths of the basin another "crime" committed by humans against Mother Earth.

  Xiao Mao's description of the Soul-Taking Gorge was so frightening that Tang Dynasty, despite knowing his own robust physical condition, didn't dare to approach the gorge and risk his life.

  This basin is about 120 kilometers long from north to south and about 30 kilometers wide from east to west, with a relatively regular terrain. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and adjacent to the Lop Nur Lake on one side, with a total area of approximately 4,000 square kilometers. The forest is dense and the grass is lush, making it a rare natural pasture in China's northwestern provinces.

  With such a vast territory waiting to be explored, Tang Dynasty would certainly not idle away and go adventuring in the treacherous Duanxun Gorge.

  The kitten said that after the completion of the first phase of the base project in Duanhun Gorge, there are several ways to deal with nuclear radiation, and it's not urgent even for the Tang Dynasty.

  Anyway, sooner or later, I will walk out of the Valley of Despair and integrate into society. What needs to be considered now is how to turn this unique natural pasture into the first foothold for my future in this chaotic world.

  Such good land, if not well utilized, the Tang Dynasty will probably despise itself.

  Almost four thousand square kilometers of land, the old heaven, known as Asia's largest city, Shanghai is only six thousand three hundred and more square kilometers, this basin is almost enough for two-thirds of Shanghai!

  We have a good foundation, sufficient resources and strong technical reserves. However, without people, all of this is just empty talk!

  Such a large site, relying solely on Tang Dynasty alone, plus the engineering robots in the base, if you want to build a city that can be inhabited, I'm afraid it will take 20 or 30 years or even longer to make it possible to initially build.

  However, even if you build this basin into a modern city with complete basic supporting facilities, it's still useless if no one moves in!

  The human heart is separated by a thin skin, the human heart is sinister, the human heart is complicated!

  Every time he thinks about having to interact with people of this era, make connections, and even build a loyal team through various means to start his own business, Tang Dynasty can't help but feel dizzy and numb.

  Having seen too many people's mutual calculations, betrayals and deception towards each other, the Tang Dynasty seems to have a kind of subconscious resistance to contacting and interacting with strangers.

  Even if he had a super high-tech incubator base in his hands, Tang didn't think he could shake off his humble demeanor and attract followers from all directions.

  Personal charm is not something everyone has.

  As for his emotional intelligence, Tang Chao knew it was quite low. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up being ostracized everywhere in the unit and finally relegated to being an administrator in the data room.

  It was precisely because of this that the Tang Dynasty had a lot of time to travel alone with a backpack, footprints all over the country, traveling and playing in the mountains and rivers, seeking seclusion and exploring secrets.

  The Tang Dynasty did not know that what is called personal charm is quietly formed as a person's self-confidence increases.

  Confidence comes from a correct understanding of one's own strength.

  In the mountains, time stands still, and days go by one after another. The first phase of the base's construction is also being completed step by step according to Xiao Mao's plan.

  During this period of the Tang Dynasty, he basically strolled through the entire basin, and his figure had appeared in every corner.

  The more he knew about this fertile natural pasture, the more excited Tang Chao became.

  Whoever guards such a large piece of fertile land, but is distressed by the inability to share with others, day and night, either facing cold machines or dealing with various beasts, will absolutely go crazy and collapse mentally if their nerves are not strong enough.

  Tang Dynasty had never learned architectural design, nor urban planning, facing this piece of four thousand square kilometers of fertile land, like a dog biting a hedgehog, did not know where to start.

  The little cat's central brain had already mapped out the entire basin in detail, and the little cat had also told Tang about it, but Tang was so bored every day that he just used exploring to pass the time.

  In order to facilitate the inspection of this private territory, Tang Dynasty specially requested that the kitten shrink a Zeppelin airship by one-third in proportion according to the mature technology of this era. Although it is said to be a replica, many improvements have been made on the basis of the original Zeppelin airship, and the biggest difference is that the kitten replaced hydrogen with helium, ensuring the safety performance of the airship.

  Although this small airship is only one-third the size of the Zeppelin prototype, the total length of the envelope will be nearly 40 meters and the takeoff weight will reach 30 tons, still a behemoth.

  As a professional in the field of aviation power machinery, Tang Dynasty had no interest in the wooden biplanes of this era, and even the metal-winged planes of the 1940s were filled with doubts about their safety. Before being able to manufacture an aircraft that met Tang Dynasty's safety requirements, he could only carefully build a high-performance airship to satisfy his cravings.

  Although the airship named "Base One" by Tang Dynasty has a maximum altitude of 3,500 meters and an airborne cruising speed of 240 kilometers per hour, due to safety considerations for the base, Tang Dynasty did not dare to drive the airship out of the valley in broad daylight, but instead chose to take the airship to see the outside world on a bright moonlit night.

  Of course, the Tang Dynasty did not spend every day carrying surveying equipment to measure terrain. The Tang Dynasty spent a large part of its time on the domestication of the several large herds of wild horses, wild sheep and wild cattle that lived on this vast grassland.

  Thanks to the countless wild horses, cattle and sheep living on this natural pasture, the lonely, desolate and bitter life of the Tang Dynasty was added a little vitality.

  The Tang Dynasty didn't understand what taming techniques were, relying solely on their own strong physical quality and endurance to go head-to-head with the leaders of these wild horses, wild oxen, and wild goats in a brutal and unyielding manner.

  Before the completion of the first phase of the base project, Tang Dynasty had tamed three groups of more than 2,400 wild horses. These horses were basically all Dawan horses and Don River horses, which are absolutely rare fine breeds in China.

  Apart from these two thousand plus fierce horses, the Tang Dynasty also had over 1,400 heads of domesticated wild cattle, and over 5,800 heads of domesticated wild sheep. Anyway, this pasture currently belongs to the Tang Dynasty alone, so the Tang Dynasty didn't bother building any livestock enclosures, they were all free-range grazing.

  Considering the living environment of these domesticated horses, cattle and sheep, the Tang Dynasty intentionally left a few groups of wild horses, wild cattle and wild goats untouched, allowing domesticated and wild herds to coexist, which is absolutely beneficial for the health and quality of livestock.

  From the local law of the Republic of China, the Tang Dynasty is not the owner of this nearly 4,000 square kilometers basin, but the Tang Dynasty doesn't care about so much, the Tang Dynasty has already branded every corner of this land with the "Tang" character, whoever comes is useless, my life in the Republic of China starts from being a big landlord and a big rancher.