Chapter: 5129

As the container continued to move downward, Li Nianzong told Ye Chen, "Mr. Ye, all the safety equipment here is one-way, and only we can operate it from outside. After the container reaches the bottom, there will be another door that can only be opened from outside as well."

Ye Chen asked, "Is this the only way for the dead soldiers to come and go?"

"No," Li Nianzong nodded, "the dead soldiers have a lot of steel ventilation pipes in their base, but the inner diameter of even the thickest pipe is only 11 millimeters. It's impossible for people to escape through those pipes."

As he spoke, Li Nianzong added, "Of course, this has something to do with the deadly toxins inside them. Even if they managed to escape from here, without medication, it's inevitable that they would die within a week."

Ye Chen nodded thoughtfully, his heart filled with sympathy for the lives of the dead soldiers.

Down here, 600 meters underground, people have been living in darkness for years, and such a life is bound to be grueling.

It's just like what Five Four Seven said: many children born here grow up, from birth to age 20, without ever seeing sunlight.

Thinking about this place, how to resolve the lives of these dead soldiers and their families in the future became a relatively tricky problem.

Ye Chen naturally didn't want them to continue living 600 meters underground, but the copper mine outside is only visible at the surface as a few hundred people. If you were to bring these people up to the surface, the buildings above would not be able to support so many people.

By this time, the container had already reached the bottom.

After walking out of the container, it's an area of approximately 40-50 square meters, known as a transition zone. This transition zone connects to the back of the container and to the last big gate that leads to the imprisoned dead soldiers at the front.

Li Nianzong took out a key from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, and then underwent a pupil comparison before hearing the gate creak open.

As the iron gate opened, Ye Chen was startled by the sight in front of him.

What he saw was an underground plaza that covers at least tens of thousands of square meters. The height of the ceiling is at least 15 meters above, with every 10-odd meters having a thick support column. The lamp lights on top illuminate the entire plaza as bright as daylight!

The passage in front of Ye Chen was not at the bottom of the plaza but at its vertical midpoint.

As he took his first step out, he saw a circular platform that protrudes outward and is 7-8 meters away from both the ground and the ceiling.

When he stepped onto the platform, the plaza floor below him, which is 7-8 meters away, was already lined up with thousands of people standing in unison.

At this moment, thousands of people suddenly knelt down single-legged, their mouths chanting respectfully: "Welcome Special Envoy!"

At this moment, thousands of people suddenly knelt down on the ground, respectfully awaiting the Special Envoy's arrival, as well as their family members who had no idea what was happening. According to the regulations, all the loyal subjects and their families were required to assemble in advance at this massive hall, which covered tens of thousands square meters, and wait for the Special Envoy's arrival.

When they saw the man in a black robe standing before them, his imposing figure was suddenly filled with an air of ancient grandeur. The hall, equipped with giant supporting pillars and a bright overhead lighting that resembled daylight, seemed like an underground palace, evoking a sense of awe and reverence. When thousands of people knelt down simultaneously, their voices chanting the same phrase in unison, the reverberation shook the entire underground space.

Lei Chen gazed at these people, his brow furrowed in concern, shouting loudly: "Are they forcing you to kneel, or are you doing it voluntarily?"

One word sent shockwaves across all the loyal subjects' faces. This was their first time hearing the Special Envoy utter words that were not part of the predetermined script.

The so-called predetermined script was nothing but a repetition of clichés, such as expressing gratitude for the emperor's gift of medicine and urging everyone to work hard in loyalty to the emperor. Therefore, in their minds, the Special Envoy resembled a human tape recorder, with only two things to say each time he came: one, to supervise the distribution of medicine among loyal subjects, and another, to repeat empty words that nobody would take seriously or pay attention to.

But Lei Chen suddenly said something out of the blue, which indeed sent shivers down their spines. They were baffled by this Special Envoy's behavior, wondering what was wrong with him for daring to speak such words, even going so far as to utter "they".

Who are they? Are they not members of the Clear and Bright Association? JrNovels.com