On the eastern side of the Kola Peninsula.
A towering, monument-shaped building rose beneath the sky. The slightly westering sun bathed it in gold, like a giant sword thrust into the earth.
The surroundings were empty, with guards carrying shotguns patrolling back and forth.
A deep mechanical rumble came from within the building. It seemed to turn slowly, yet with immense force.
Inside the building was a scene of bustling activity.
A massive drilling rig stood in the center. Its steel components were all solid, with even the smallest measuring over ten centimeters in diameter. Its strength far exceeded that of oil drilling equipment.
After all, oil was only found two to three and a half thousand meters underground!
At least a hundred local workers, dressed in ragged clothes and covered in grease, were hard at work, each performing their own duties.
Yet that tiny borehole alone had raised the temperature inside the building to an extraordinary level, nearly forty degrees Celsius.
More than thirty Group A workers, drenched in sweat, continuously added drill pipe sections according to the drill bit's descent speed.
No drill bit in the world could withstand drilling to such depths. The only option was to keep extending it during the descent.
Meanwhile, over a dozen Group B workers on the other side took a break amid their work.
They were responsible for replacing the drill bits. Compared to the drill pipes, drill bits were consumables. Beyond a depth of eight thousand meters, the temperature was extreme and the rock was hard. One small mistake, and the drill bit would be scrapped.
They had just spent over an hour replacing it with a brand-new drill bit, allowing it to descend again and the drilling to resume.
Nearby, a group of people in white lab coats, who