137: Search

"Is the reserve of ink crystal very large?" Li Xiao asked. If the reserves were small and difficult to mine, perhaps it wouldn't be enough to qualitatively improve the Black Hawk Empire's strength in the short term.

"It is extremely vast. Under the permafrost where the ink crystal was first discovered, an area hundreds of meters deep and over a hundred kilometers wide is almost entirely ink crystal mines."

Hiss...

Li Xiao gasped. Hundreds of meters deep and over a hundred kilometers in diameter—what a terrifying amount of mineral reserves that must be.

"How many research bases like this one does the Black Hawk Empire have?"

"A great many, but they are only responsible for developing various launchers. However, I am the only one who possesses the processing technology for ink crystal. Without my process formula, ink crystal is nothing more than a pile of pebbles in their hands."

"Mr. Mavis, what kind of facilities are on the three levels below?"

While Li Xiao was still ruminating on Mavis's words, Ling Chao, very worried about their retreat route, hurriedly asked.

"The fourth underground level is the living quarters for research staff, and the fifth underground level is the material storage area, which also serves as the storage area for the ink crystal mines. The sixth underground level is a tunnel that connects directly to Hailan Port, fifty kilometers away."

"They use freight trains to transport the ink crystal mines in from there, and then ship the finished products out, including the base's personnel and logistical supplies."

"So there's actually a railway underground!"

Li Xiao suddenly understood. No wonder he couldn't see any roads in the canyon on the satellite imagery, yet infantry fighting vehicles were able to appear within the canyon.

"Mr. Mavis, the Black Hawk Empire cruelly oppresses civilians and rules the world with an iron fist; there is no need for you to continue working for them. Why not let me take you away from here and provide you with a brand new, safe, and stable base to continue your research?"

Mavis smiled faintly: "Whether it's the Black Hawk Empire or you Outlanders, in the end, you all just want to use the weapons I create to slaughter the whole world."

Li Xiao did not deny it and spoke bluntly: "Yes, I don't deny our purpose, but at least we won't oppress civilians or exploit their wealth and labor."

"You don't need to explain. I have actually been prepared to destroy the ink crystal data for a long time. Even if you forcibly abduct me, it will be of no use."

"So you intend to give up on your wife and daughter?" Li Xiao suddenly changed the subject.

Sure enough, after hearing Li Xiao's words, Mavis immediately fell silent, his expression becoming agonizingly painful.

"Them... I haven't seen my wife and daughter for five years. I don't know if they are still doing well..."

Mavis choked up, large tears rolling down his cheeks.

Li Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his guess was correct: the Black Hawk Empire must have kidnapped his wife and daughter to use as leverage to force Mavis to work.

This was perhaps the only weak spot of this weapon research expert.

"Mr. Mavis—or perhaps I should call you Dr. Ma—if you are willing to take all the data and come with me, I swear I will rescue your wife and daughter."

"Go with you? Why should I trust you? You don't even know where my wife and child are being imprisoned!"

Li Xiao thought for a moment and said, "I think the reason you have worked for the Black Hawk Empire for so long is surely because they allow you to see your wife and daughter frequently, although it is most likely just through video calls."

Mavis nodded: "Young man, you are very smart! But what does that matter?"

"Have you ever saved the videos of your calls with them? I think perhaps we could find some clues from them."

"I have some, but once I leave here, the Black Hawk Empire will kill them without mercy. No matter what, I will not take that risk!"

Mavis refused sternly. Li Xiao felt a bit depressed; having fought his way here, if he couldn't take this weapons expert with him, then this trip would have been almost for nothing.

With no other choice, Li Xiao had to use his ultimate move.

"Mr. Mavis, Dr. Ma, if you continue to stay here and help the Black Hawk Empire manufacture these highly destructive weapons, then thousands upon thousands of civilians in the Tianyu Republic and your hometown, the Gama Empire, will die under the guns and artillery you developed."

"To save your wife and daughter, you are unwilling to risk attempting a rescue, yet you are willing to sacrifice the blood of thousands of your compatriots just to ensure your own small family survives!"

"Does a person like that still deserve to be a scientist respected by the people?"

"But... this...!!!"

Upon hearing Li Xiao speak to him like this, Mavis was instantly rendered speechless and unable to say anything.

That's right, what Li Xiao had deployed was exactly the tactic of moral blackmail. Although Li Xiao hated such behavior, and he was doing it for his own benefit, it was his only forced choice.

"Dr. Ma, I guarantee that if we get out and I cannot rescue your wife and daughter, then I will let you do whatever you want with me!"

Li Xiao felt he could not drag this out any longer. With the main gate blocked, they would likely enter this tunnel from Hailan Port to flank them.

"Humph! Let me do whatever I want with you? Do you really expect me to kill you?"

"Why not? As long as it can stop the Black Hawk Empire's conspiracy, my life is a small matter. Even if you hold a machine gun and riddle me with holes, that would be fine."

Mavis sighed and said helplessly: "Fine, I will go with you, but I need ten minutes to destroy all the data and materials left here."

"That's no problem!"

Ten minutes later, Li Xiao waited for Mavis at the fourth-level elevator entrance. He had changed into a suit and was carrying a briefcase with a combination lock.

"Now let's go to the fifth level; there is a batch of supplies there that needs to be destroyed!"

Mavis entered the elevator with ease, and Li Xiao and his group followed immediately.

When the elevator door on the fifth level opened, what came into view was a warehouse of over a thousand square meters, more than half of which was filled with long aluminum alloy boxes.

"Inside these long boxes is the pulverized ink crystal. There are still a full two million points worth of quantity here, enough to manufacture six million rounds of ink crystal rifle ammunition."

"So much!"

Li Xiao walked over. He had previously been thinking that these ink crystals would still need to be mined from the North Pole, and even if he brought Mavis back, without raw materials, he would be of little value.

Now, at least for a period of time, he wouldn't need to worry.

So, with a wave of Li Xiao's hand, the two million points of ink crystal went into his backpack.

Then Mavis walked to the other side. This time, without needing an introduction, Li Xiao knew these were ink crystal bullets, because he had already seen the packaging for ink crystal bullets on the second level earlier.

"Here are 1.5 million rounds of ink crystal bullets. The original plan was to load them onto trucks and send them away tomorrow, but now they are yours for the taking. Of course, there are also two thousand Destroyer Crystal Energy Guns."

"Fantastic! With just this haul, I've made a huge profit."

Now Li Xiao knew why the system had set no upper limit for individual items in the backpack. If it were like those online games on Blue Star where there were only a few hundred slots at most, there would be no point in playing.

Apart from these things, the rest were some steel Rare Ore for manufacturing guns, amounting to several hundred thousand, which Li Xiao accepted in their entirety.