Chapter 19: Secrets, Section 4

Indeed, at the deepest level of this dark prison, beneath the eyes of the formidable bone guards, there were two neatly arranged rows of mechs, packed tightly together—over fifty in total!
Unlike any mechs Black Hair had seen before, these mechs were clearly designed by a specific designer, with a highly distinctive style. Each mech featured a beautiful streamlined design, somewhat similar to the appearance of concept products from Earth in the past. Their ankles and backs were exaggeratedly designed, clearly indicating great potential for speed. Compared to their massive ankles, their waists appeared slender, but with Black Hair’s keen eyesight, he could tell it was the result of special optimization to maximize the mechs’ agility. It was no exaggeration to say that such a design concept surpassed the ordinary standards of this world and reached an artistic level. At least, Black Hair was deeply attracted at first glance.
With a standard humanoid appearance, arms of indeterminate type, and specially reinforced, giant reverse-bending bird-like joints—everything about these mechs highlighted their characteristics. With just a brief glance, Black Hair was certain they were all speed-based weapons, far surpassing ordinary speed mechs.
“What are these…” After a moment of hesitation, Black Hair finally spoke up.
“These are the masterpieces of our designer from Nemedia—Eagle Dove-class reconnaissance mechs. Mr. Black Hair, please follow me. This isn’t our destination,” replied the young man ahead, his smile filled with pride.
Seeing his expression, Black Hair could only keep his doubts to himself and continued walking in silence.
Another valve, another password lock. Behind it was yet another large space filled with neatly arranged mechs. But this time, Black Hair saw mechs of a different design style.
These mechs had square, regular geometric shapes, with a heavy appearance. Compared to the mechs before, these could be considered truly massive. Both their size and the design of their components far exceeded those of the previous ones. Their arms were astonishingly thick, their bodies solid, and their heads flat, almost completely retracted into their chests. All of this showed just how extreme their defensive capabilities were. Just by looking at the numerous protrusions on their surface due to the layered composite armor, Black Hair knew these were definitely frontline mechs designed to serve as shields on the battlefield.

Sure enough, this time, without waiting for Kurokami to speak, the young man in front turned around without looking and said with a smile, “These are the works of our Visar designers—heavy-duty mechs designed for battlefield defense, the Mammoth-class. Mr. Kurokami, please don’t stay. We still have a long way to go by land, and there are many more rooms like this ahead.”
What!? There are more!?
Kurokami was slightly shocked and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Damn, is this still a prison?! With the scale of these mechs and the advancement of their design concepts, even if Kurokami hadn’t piloted them himself, it was clear they were far beyond ordinary mechs from the outside world. In fact, they surpassed even the standards of this era—completely on a different level.
What kind of monsters are these prisoners in this hellish prison… Kurokami let out a low groan. With their weak bodies, they were still able to create such vast underground spaces and build so many reality-defying mechs right under the noses of those powerful Bone Guards. Their intelligence far exceeded Kurokami’s imagination. It was hard to believe that these elites among elites were trapped in such a dark place, destined to spend their lives there. Those nobles, those bureaucrats—they were literally stifling human progress!!
If these elites were his own subordinates, wouldn’t he treat them as the most precious treasures? Handling them carefully for fear of damaging them, or using them cautiously for fear of them being destroyed—such was Kurokami’s immediate thought.
Another valve, then another.
The slow progress continued as before, and even Kurokami began to feel lost. In just fifteen minutes, they had passed through five valves, each with its own separate password lock. Behind each valve was the same space, with two neat rows of mechs. Aside from the speed reconnaissance type and the heavy defense type seen at the beginning, there were also heavy artillery types for firepower, forced assault types for charging, and sniper types for long-range attacks—everything was represented. Although each type numbered around fifty, combined they formed nothing short of a small army!? And the most astonishing part was that every single mech was a masterpiece of a particular designer, each with its own unique features, far surpassing ordinary mechs. It could be said that the mechs quietly lined up behind Kurokami were not something ordinary people could use…
All of them were elite models for leaders at the captain level and above!!

What an exaggerated level of military equipment… Initially, Black Hair had been surprised by these prisoners’ willingness to resist the Bone Guards, but now he felt nothing at all. Thinking about how elite mechs, reserved only for leaders outside, were now common here, it was hard to imagine what kind of feeling that must be. If such combat power appeared in space, there’s no doubt they could face enemies many times their number without fear. Those who possessed them would become the second-strongest force after interstellar fleets!

Fortunately… fortunately I encountered them. Black Hair sneered inwardly. If I hadn’t gotten my hands on you guys, I’d have ended up in the Black Prison again.

Even a slow tour eventually comes to an end. After passing the last mech warehouse, Black Hair saw a valve completely different from the ones before. The young guide entered five passwords, followed by retinal and fingerprint authentication, before the valve finally opened to reveal an elevator behind it.

Seeing this, Black Hair grew puzzled once again.

Could it be that what Kaqiu told him about the mysterious tenth floor of the Black Prison wasn’t the ultimate base? Was there another layer hidden beneath?

As if sensing Black Hair’s confusion, the young man suddenly smiled and nodded. “Mr. Black Hair, please follow me. Our leader has been waiting down there for a long time. But before entering, I want you to know that this is our most critical area, with extensive security measures in place. Please forgive my directness, but if you show any hostile behavior, these measures won’t hesitate to act. Believe me, that’s definitely not what we want.”

“I understand,” Black Hair replied coldly, nodding as he followed the young man into the elevator.

The elevator moved swiftly. In less than thirty seconds, the iron doors opened again, revealing a vast, endless space beyond.

Clearly, this space was newly created—the surrounding walls still retained their original rock and soil appearance, with only a layer of iron plates covering the ground. It was as simple as it got. Yet when Black Hair stepped inside, he was speechless.

Because what he saw this time wasn’t a mech at all, but a giant warship!!

Although he had already known from Kaqiu that these prisoners possessed an airship, it wasn’t until he saw it with his own eyes that Black Hair realized how secretive that guy really was.

How could this still be considered an ordinary small airship? It’s clearly a giant warship even larger than the Li Feng!! Its thick armor, dual-tube design, and the rows of densely packed firepower points visible to the naked eye all demonstrate the terrifying nature of this warship. Although its capabilities are still unclear, just from its appearance, Hei Fa can tell at a glance that even if its firepower isn’t on par with that of the Li Feng, it’s certainly not far behind. Moreover, the warship’s rear features as many as forty-eight giant engine nozzles! One can only imagine its speed!!

“This… is it already finished?” Hei Fa frowned and asked in a low voice.

But this time he received no reply. The young man in front of him simply smiled slightly before leading the way toward the warship. There, a group of people in tattered clothes were busy working around some randomly placed machinery. Upon seeing the young man approaching, they immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to look his way. Then, as the crowd parted, a can-like machine stepped forward.

“Kid, where’s the person Dan Lei mentioned?” Before the young man could speak, a dry voice suddenly came from the can-like machine. Hei Fa immediately realized it was a life support device. Presumably, their leader was lying inside.

Hearing the machine’s question, the young man gave a faint wry smile, stepped aside, and pointed at Hei Fa behind him.

“Respected Leader Madaro. This is him.”

At the same time, Hei Fa also walked up to the can-like machine and stood still, staring coldly at it and the group of people around it with an indifferent gaze.

Without exception, all of these men were elderly with white hair, unknown to how long they had lived beneath this dark prison. Each of them was extremely frail, seemingly capable of being knocked over by a breeze. Yet, their gazes were unusually sharp, like blades, filled with suspicion as they looked at Hei Fa.

The atmosphere became awkward. Neither side spoke, merely staring coldly at each other. After a long while, Leader Madaro finally let out a series of creaking laughs.

“Very good… very good… It’s been a long time since I’ve met such an interesting young man. Just like when I was young. What an aggressive gaze. How nostalgic! Kid, I admire you!”

The hostile looks around immediately softened. Many of the elders even nodded at Hei Fa before turning back to their work.

Seeing the other party’s reaction, Black Hair also smiled gently. He bowed slightly.
“Thank you for your appreciation, Chief Madaro. I’m Black Hair. Perhaps we can start working together?”
“Of course!! Young man!! Believe me, this will definitely be the most perfect partnership ever!” Chief Madaro waved his mechanical arm and laughed loudly.
“I believe it.”