Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Eighteen-Level Base (Please Save!)

The elevator opened at the edge of a mountain hollow. Looking inward, the entire massif had been gouged into a colossal abyss from the summit downward.

Liu Shaoyu was astonished, not because the mountain’s core had been hollowed out, but because of what lay within. The whole basin was covered in unknown metal plating, and at its center stood a conical structure. Around it, bands of light flickered and shimmered.

“That is the arena,” Long Ruyuan said, noticing Liu Shaoyu’s gaze fixed on the cone at the center.

“The arena?” Liu Shaoyu had assumed it was some emblematic structure, perhaps drawing attention simply because it stood in the middle.

“Yes. It is used for combat trials. The lights around it are energy suppression devices. They prevent the internal energy from becoming too violent and protect the entire base.”

“Combat trials?” Liu Shaoyu truly knew nothing about this place.

“Yes, combat trials. This is the training base for the reserve forces of the Pangu Organization. The place we are standing in now is the first level, called the Mud Hell. The entire basin you can see belongs to this first level. Once you cross that warning line ahead, you will feel a change in gravity. The gravity of the Mud Hell is twice normal Earth gravity.”

Long Ruyuan explained as he spoke. Following the direction of his finger, Liu Shaoyu saw a blue line glowing across the metal floor ahead.

“Mud Hell? That’s interesting. It has the same name as the first level of the Eighteen Hells. You just said this is the first level—does that mean the second is Knife Mountain?” Liu Shaoyu joked.

“See, I told you he knew,” Wang Weifu said from the side, effectively confirming Liu Shaoyu’s guess.

Long Ruyuan went straight on. “Yes. This base actually has another name: Hell. It is exactly like the legend. There are eighteen levels in total, arranged from bottom to top. Only one level is above ground, which is the one we are seeing now. Starting from the first level, gravity becomes twice normal Earth gravity. The second level is the square of the first, which is four times normal gravity. The third is six times, and so on.”

Liu Shaoyu silently did the arithmetic and found that the eighteenth level would have thirty-six times gravity.

“So the eighteenth level is thirty-six times?” he asked, somewhat shocked. To endure thirty-six times Earth gravity—normal people, after the current state of bodily enhancement, could already withstand forces of six times gravity. But thirty-six times was truly an intimidating figure.

“In fact, after the tenth level, the gravity is adjusted according to the individual, because no one except those with S-type genes related to physical enhancement can endure anything more. Above the tenth level, the conditions become harsher and more personalized, depending on each person’s ability,” Long Ruyuan continued.

By now, Liu Shaoyu understood. This so-called Eighteen Hells was really a training camp.

“As I said before, the outer organization of Pangu is called the Chinese Folk Martial Arts Alliance. Its role is to gather S-type gene holders from the civilian world. They are selected there, and personnel from the military are also selected and brought here. Only after identity verification and loyalty tests can they undergo centralized training here and qualify to enter Pangu.”

Since it was training, there had to be a passing standard. Liu Shaoyu had little interest in the rest, but he was very curious about this qualification, because his body contained many things he still did not understand. If he could use this standard, then perhaps he could make a systematic evaluation of his current abilities.

“So everyone here has to go through all eighteen levels before they can be considered trained?” After finding a point of entry, Liu Shaoyu began asking from there.

Hearing the question, Long Ruyuan looked a little amused—not mockingly, but at the thought of the perversity beyond the tenth level.

“Eighteen levels... Since this place was established, only three people have ever made it all the way through. Anyone who can reach the tenth level is already considered qualified and may choose a different system to begin serving China. From the eleventh level onward, each higher level is a contest between true elites.”

Liu Shaoyu had a general understanding now. He was not interested in who those three people were either. What he cared about was this: why had Wang Weifu brought him here?

“So what exactly is our purpose today?” Liu Shaoyu finally voiced the question that had been on his mind.

Wang Weifu and Long Ruyuan exchanged a smile.

“To throw you in,” they said in unison.

---

Wang Weifu sat in the car, looking back toward the mountain. Suddenly, the curtain of light flickered, and the enormous metal gate vanished, leaving behind only a graceful hill.

He let out a quiet sigh. I hope everything I’m doing is right, he thought.

“Connect me to Xin Yan.”

“Is it done?” As soon as the call connected, Xin Yan spoke first.

“Yes. I’ve handed him over to the Long family,” Wang Weifu replied.

“He didn’t have any questions?”

“None. It seems he’s more interested in how to get through there.”

“Ha, that part is very much like his father,” Xin Yan said suddenly, as if something had come to mind.

“Shouldn’t we really tell him about his background?” Wang Weifu asked when he heard Xin Yan mention it.

The old man on the other end pondered for a moment, his brow tightening slightly, then said, “Not yet. Rest assured, he is not only your friend, but also my granddaughter’s boyfriend. All of this is for his own good.”

Wang Weifu had already guessed as much before asking. Still, the feeling of keeping it from Liu Shaoyu left him uneasy.

“Focus on finishing those two plans. Don’t concern yourself with anything else. I’ll handle the rest,” Xin Yan said, studying Wang Weifu’s expression.

Wang Weifu nodded. “Understood.” Then, as though remembering something else, he went on, “And what about Master Wang’s side?”

Xin Yan knew exactly what he meant. “Hmph. The Wang family of today is no longer what it once was. With those old undying geezers from the Huang family watching them, they already have enough trouble. As for the Huang family... they’ve overreached a little this time. But... never mind. I’ll settle accounts with him later.”

After their business was done, the call ended.

As for the final matter, Wang Weifu also knew Xin Yan had his difficulties. After all, the colossal Xin family was not something even Xin Yan, nominally at the helm, could fully command.

And as for himself? Wang Weifu smiled. There were many things he could not decide either. He often wondered: what was the meaning of his existence? What exactly was he doing?

He remembered the first day he entered the research institute, when Old Master Mu had asked him what his greatest ideal was.

“For all humanity,” he had answered then.

Youthful, and full of fervor.

In his memory, everything remained so clear. That kindly old man had said to him with warmth:

“Then please remember: for all humanity.”

And now... he was still doing it for all humanity. Yet more and more things were making Wang Weifu begin to doubt the words he had spoken in childhood.

Humanity? Was a species so consumed by intrigue and scheming really worth such devotion? Wherever one looked, people were the same.

In the boundless universe, this species existed only as a single wisp of firelight. Perhaps, to the cosmos, humanity was but a fleeting instant, something that could be lost without consequence.

And yet humanity, this instant of existence, always longed for eternity.

Wang Weifu looked out at the scenery rushing backward past the window and drifted into thought...

Was it truly for humanity? Or for something else?

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