Entering the Bridgehead

A few days later, Peng Dahai called Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao had bought two bankrupt factories. Mifeng had handled the purchases on behalf of the company, offering a hefty price right off the bat. After all, Mifeng wasn't a real person, and his grasp of human nature was a little off. The factories could have been bought for much less, but Mifeng had money to burn and wanted them as quickly as possible, so he offered a very high price. That naturally drew the attention of certain people.

Lei Tong was a forty-one-year-old man from Ning City. In his youth, he had served in the military as a company commander, but after an incident involving lost firearms, he was forced to retire. He returned to Ning City, gathered a group of people, and started specializing in reselling goods. They dealt in things like gravel and earthwork, as well as coal and steel. It wasn't exactly legitimate business, but it wasn't quite underworld business either. More accurately, he operated in the gray area.

He had supplied the steel for the original machinery factory, and there had been plenty of shady dealings involved. When the factory went bankrupt, he tried to continue working with Wuliang Machinery Factory—the new machinery factory—but he couldn't even get hold of anyone. So he had people keep an eye on the factory, and that was when they uncovered a secret.

The factory only had trucks bringing goods in. None ever left with goods. The factory was registered under Qiao Toubao Company, and Lei Tong grew curious. He started asking around about Qiao Toubao Company, which in turn caught the attention of others.

Peng Dahai worked in real estate and had business dealings with Lei Tong, so Lei Tong naturally went to him to ask about Qiao Toubao Company. Peng Dahai was a very shrewd man, and it immediately piqued his interest. He hadn't expected that one drinking session would get him a little excited and make him let something slip. As a result, Zhang Hao took control of him.

Mifeng gave Zhang Hao three words:

Control him!

Whatever Lei Tong was planning, they could deal with it after taking control of him.

Nano-machines were practically heaven-defying. Fortunately, Mifeng had no interest in the modern world. He was only using its resources to build what he needed. Nothing else mattered.

These past few days, Zhang Hao had been meeting people constantly, wining and dining with all sorts of folks. Lei Tong was among them.

They had only shaken hands and chatted once, yet Lei Tong never asked about the company or the factory again.

Every potential problem was snuffed out before it could take root. Anyone who coveted Qiao Toubao Company was brought under control immediately.

Nano-machines were so useful that Zhang Hao hoped Mifeng would give him more.

According to Mifeng, these nano-machines were left over from the past. Their materials were extremely unusual, so once the existing stock ran out, it would be difficult to obtain more. And these nano-machines were essential for certain purposes. Being able to take out that many was already no small feat.

Soon, eleven days had passed, and Zhang Hao went down into the villa's basement.

This time, he went straight down to the seventeenth underground level, then continued down a staircase to a tiny platform. There was actually an underground passage here, and what left him most dumbfounded was that it even had a fully enclosed vehicle.

Zhang Hao stared in disbelief. "Where is this supposed to take me?"

It'll take you into the heart of Yuan Mountain!

That's where I exist!

Those two sentences left Zhang Hao speechless.

Get in!

The vehicle was shaped like a barrel, with two seats arranged one behind the other. Zhang Hao had no choice but to squeeze inside and sit down. The space was incredibly cramped, forcing him to curl up. As soon as he settled in, the door slid shut, and the vehicle started moving. He couldn't see a thing inside.

Yuan Mountain Villa stood not far from the foot of Yuan Mountain. The mountain was really close. After about three minutes, the barrel-shaped vehicle came to a stop.

The door slid open, revealing another small platform.

Zhang Hao crawled out of the vehicle and complained, "Couldn't you make it any bigger?"

No!

There was an elevator beside him, which was quite convenient. Zhang Hao realized he was already deep underground.

The elevator had only three levels, with the platform on the first. Zhang Hao couldn't control it; Mifeng, the great one, was in charge. When Zhang Hao stepped out, he found himself in another passage, about two meters high and one and a half meters wide. At six feet tall, he still felt cramped in there. Fortunately, the lighting was bright, so it didn't make him feel claustrophobic.

Then he saw a golden wall blocking the way.

Zhang Hao stared at the golden wall in surprise. White light shone on it, making it glimmer brilliantly. The surrounding walls were silver-white, while the wall blocking the way in front of him looked as though it were made of gold.

Don't doubt it. It is made of gold!

Mifeng's words startled Zhang Hao. "How much gold did that take?"

Not much! Only ten kilograms!

Zhang Hao shook his head repeatedly. Gold was measured by the gram, while Mifeng measured it by the kilogram. He was extravagantly rich!

"I can't get through!"

You really are strange. Just push it! How are you supposed to get in if you don't even touch it? Idiot!

Zhang Hao had no comeback. He'd been overly cautious. He reached out and gave it a push. The surface felt cold, and the moment his palm touched the golden wall, a faint blue light flashed across it.

Pick up the little box by the entrance!

Zhang Hao obediently picked up a tiny box from a recess by the entrance.

Go in!

Zhang Hao took a step forward without thinking. At that moment, he suddenly felt as if his body had gone weightless, and he passed right through the wall.

He turned around and saw a doorway shimmering with blue light. There wasn't a trace of the golden wall in sight. Zhang Hao stared in amazement. "Great one... I, I just passed through? That's incredible!"

Don't make such a fuss! This is just the most primitive form of short-range teleportation gate!

Zhang Hao blurted out, "Short-range teleportation..." This is some seriously advanced technology!

"How short is short-range?"

Strictly speaking, it has nothing to do with distance. Don't ask. You wouldn't understand even if I told you.

Zhang Hao's eyes widened. So this was underground. He asked, "Where am I now? Underground? Or aboveground?"

What's so strange about that? You're ignorant!

"Then where is this?" Fine, he'd ask something simple.

The bridgehead!

Put it in terms you can understand: it's a space-time bridgehead! Well, you could also call it a Space-Time Beacon. You could say it's outside Blue Star's dimension... Forget it. You probably wouldn't understand anyway!

Zhang Hao could understand the words; he just couldn't grasp what they truly meant. Of course, he had no intention of figuring it all out. As long as he could use it, that was enough. There was one thing he still needed to understand, though. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel at ease.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Put the box in your hand on the ground.

Zhang Hao set the little box he was holding on the floor. Then he watched as it sank into the ground and quickly disappeared.

He looked around curiously. The space revealed by this so-called bridgehead was a perfect hexagon, and it was enormous—by his estimate, it covered well over a thousand square meters.

There was a door at each of the six corners, each shimmering with blue light. Six corners, six doors. Only the one he had entered through was different: its blue glow shone brightly, while the other five doors looked relatively dim.

The walls of the enormous space were all white and glowed faintly. Everything was clearly visible. Zhang Hao asked curiously, "There's nothing here."

What did you expect to find? What would you know about it?

Zhang Hao was at a loss for words. He really didn't understand. He didn't even have a clear idea of what a bridgehead was.

After a long pause, Zhang Hao said, "I just don't understand..." He had the strange feeling that Mifeng seemed a little excited.

Mifeng always spoke that way. He wasn't trying to pick a fight; he simply said whatever he thought without holding back. It sounded like he was picking a fight, but to him, he was just telling the truth.