Base

On an uninhabited island nearly a hundred nautical miles south of the South Australian waters.

This place is far from major trade routes and ports, so practically no ships ever bother to visit such a godforsaken backwater.

There is a recessed area on the island, embraced by cliffs on both sides; unless a ship specifically approaches the island, it is impossible to discover this hidden sanctuary, and this is where Nie Yun and the new Sea Wolf are currently hiding.

Nie Yun stands on a coral reef by the shore, holding his forehead as he looks at the stranded Sea Wolf before him.

That's right, Nie Yun's new ride, the Sea Wolf, hadn't even been back in the light of day for 24 hours, and before it could show the world its majestic frame, it had gloriously run aground...

The Mechanical Insects are currently clearing away the reef that pierced the belly of the Sea Wolf, patching the large hole, and pumping out the seawater.

"Sigh, that's why they say you shouldn't be too reckless when sailing! You just had to go for a 'night march,' and look, it all fell apart, didn't it!" Nie Yun looks at the Sea Wolf with an expression that says it's all its fault.

Sea Wolf: "..." (I want to go back and lie down for another few hundred years...)

Stepping onto the new Sea Wolf, the debris on the surface of the hull has already been cleared, most of the area looks brand new, and the deck is polished to a shine.

In one corner, there is a pile of scrap wood and various trash collected by the Mechanical Insects; this is their raw material warehouse.

Nie Yun nods with satisfaction. He intends to repair and reinforce the Sea Wolf completely, and then gradually use the Mechanical Insects to replace parts, completing a full mechanical transformation.

After all, although the number of Mechanical Insects is not small, compared to the massive new Sea Wolf, they seem somewhat insignificant; I'm afraid that even if all the Mechanical Insects were poured into it, they wouldn't be able to fully replace the keel.

At the same time, doing this won't occupy too many Mechanical Insects for material construction, which can fully unleash the work efficiency of the Mechanical Insects.

Mechanical Insects: "..." (Vile capitalist!)

In addition to the Mechanical Insects working non-stop on the ship, dense swarms of Mechanical Insect spiders are distributed around this area of reefs, clearing the underwater rocks while collecting all usable materials from the seabed.

Ever since he invented the Mechanical Insect spider as a new method of exploration, Nie Yun has discovered that raw materials are no longer the main factor limiting the number of Mechanical Insects; the resources on the seabed far exceed everyone's imagination.

Humanity's countless years of development and ocean trade have left the entire ocean filled with man-made trash and waste, but to the Mechanical Insects, these things are inexpensive yet valuable raw materials.

Now, the factor restricting the development of the Mechanical Insects is, instead, the energy problem.

After all, the Mechanical Insects are not professional energy collectors. Even if they absorb solar energy, they cannot guarantee 24-hour uninterrupted operation and self-proliferation, so for now, the Mechanical Insects have to stop from time to time to recover energy.

Nie Yun feels a bit depressed. It's like a factory owner whose factory could produce mouth-watering profits every single moment, yet he can't have his workers run three shifts; this cruel reality makes him very distressed.

Mechanical Insects: "..." (We want insect rights!)

And this is just one of Nie Yun's worries. In addition to the energy problem, the issue of secrecy has also been put on the agenda.

Given Nie Yun's firm belief in large dimensions (ahem~), the Sea Wolf is bound to get bigger and bigger. When it was just a small fishing boat, there was naturally no need to worry, but at its current size of nearly a hundred meters, it's unlikely to go unnoticed—especially since this world has ubiquitous satellites.

If the current appearance of the new Sea Wolf were discovered, the front-page headline of tomorrow's news would surely be: "Ancient Spanish Warship Reappears in the World, Suspected Pirate Activity, Multiple Nations Mobilize to Exterminate!"

The secrets on the Sea Wolf are too shocking; Nie Yun must strengthen his security measures. He doesn't want to be captured and sliced open for study.

To solve this problem, it's actually quite simple—all he needs is a base!

As long as there is a secret base, the Mechanical Insects will have a fixed place for their daily work, shifting from guerrilla warfare to positional warfare, which can greatly improve efficiency.

If he needs to make an appearance, he can just have a portion of the Mechanical Insects assemble into the old version of the Sea Wolf fishing boat to go out, so he won't have to be so timid about many things.

In short, establishing a base and expanding the Mechanical Insect population is an unstoppable development trend! It is the inevitable choice for "creeping and growing in the shadows"!

Nie Yun is currently ordering the Mechanical Insects to clear the surrounding reefs, not only to clear a channel for the Sea Wolf to enter and exit, but also to attempt to build a secret base here.

"A secret base... just hearing that sounds so cool!" Nie Yun is somewhat excited.

Uh, having said all that, are you sure you aren't just doing this for fun?!

"Gurgle~" At this moment, Nie Yun's stomach "again" growls.

"Here we go again... Sigh! You guys work hard, but I don't have it easy either. How many times has this been today..." Nie Yun feels somewhat helpless.

As the number of Mechanical Insects continues to climb, the physical energy he consumes to control them also rises accordingly; solar energy is already insufficient to cover his needs.

Fortunately, he just discovered a magical way to recharge, otherwise, I'm afraid the food crisis would be the biggest problem Nie Yun has to face!

He walks over to a pile of roaring fire, where Mechanical Insects are constantly bringing collected dry wood to add as fuel. Now, this area is surrounded by silver-white Mechanical Insects; this is one of the energy replenishment sites for the Mechanical Insects. Although the method is a bit primitive, it's better than nothing.

Seeing their boss approach, the Mechanical Insects clear a path. Nie Yun doesn't hesitate to reach out and stick his hand directly into the burning flames.

A magical scene unfolds: the flames lick Nie Yun's palm, yet he seems completely unfazed, even showing a look of satisfied relief. Silver light flows through his palm in the fire, converting all the heat energy to replenish Nie Yun's physical strength.

This is a new skill Nie Yun discovered by accident. As for why he, a human, can also use heat energy to recharge, Nie Yun, who never even studied biology, would say that the probability of someone with an elementary school education level answering that question is infinitely close to zero...

"I'm really becoming more and more like the Mechanical Insects now. Usually, it's the son who takes after the father, but in my case, the father takes after the son—it's backwards! I wonder if drinking gasoline would have the same effect?" Nie Yun strokes his chin in thought.

But in the end, he shakes his head and quickly casts the thought of completing a "standard self-immolation maneuver" out of his mind.