The broken end of the cable was very neat, and it still had some residual heat to the touch, as if it had been cut by some kind of thermal knife. The metal fibers that served as the wrapping had undergone melting and solidification, and mixed with the carbon nano-tensile material inside, losing their original properties.
C-3 immediately checked the elevator's parameter reports. Finding no additional holding force data before the cable fell, he tentatively ruled out sabotage. The cable had snapped suddenly, transitioning from intact to transversely severed in less than six nanoseconds, faster than the computer's data recording speed. Therefore, the parameter records he saw contained no intermediate measurements.
At this point, the two explorers sent back new information: they had found A-7, the survivor of Group A. According to that unfortunate individual, Group A's landing point happened to be a structural weakness, and during the fall, they happened to collide with something. More precisely, something hit them, completely vaporizing the upper half of the lander, and losing the control of the anti-resistance cushioning system.
There was obviously something in the pipe, and A-7 suggested returning to the lunar surface immediately.
C-3 rejected this proposal and demanded A-7 obey his orders. Since Team A's captain was already dead, A-7 agreed. C-3 then ordered A-7 to assist the explorers in completing Team A's mission objectives by setting the torpedo detonators to a coordinated detonation mode, so that the torpedoes planted by Teams C and A would detonate simultaneously.
A-7 and his two companions met up with Group C two hours later and handed a palm-sized key to C-3.
During this time, C-3 had the other two people use the exoskeleton's rocket pack to carry the broken cable to the next level and try to reconnect. However, after they passed through the hole they had previously drilled, the signals from both sides disappeared at the same time, and the cable fell again. One team member was unable to dodge and was unfortunately hit, paralyzed in his lower limbs.
Since the elevator was still out of service and there were many wounded soldiers, C-3 chose to delegate authority after everyone was reunited.
The two explorers volunteered to go up and take another look, but out of caution, they did not enter the upper pipe directly like the previous two people. Instead, they fixed themselves to the rock wall of the hole and released the unmanned detector.
They saw nothing, including the half-length cable that should have been hanging naturally. A-7 wanted them to withdraw quickly, but curiosity drove them to continue exploring the uppermost layer. C-3 did not stop them, after all, it was in everyone's interest.
About three minutes later, the signals of the two people also disappeared.
The facts were clear and irrefutable. C-3 confirmed that the upper section was impassable, even though he couldn't find anything dangerous. The three and a half men immediately set off, fleeing northwest along the pipes beneath them. After some distance, the detonator signaled an unstable signal, so they returned and switched the remote control mode to timed mode.
The maximum timing of a torpedo is one cycle, which is determined by its timer structure. Everyone knew that they were in great danger this time.
The tunnel was so long that even with the exoskeleton's 50km/h maneuverability, it took them five hours to find a possible exit. It was a tunnel that went straight up, with the starry sky above and bottomless darkness below.
The tube wall was very smooth, so it was a pity. If C-3 had not asked the two explorers to continue exploring, they would have had a chance to get the wounded out.
A-7 gave him a quick death.
As they climbed, Group B's torpedoes exploded prematurely, shaking the entire moon. C-3 witnessed an incredible scene.
Above them, moondust cascaded down like a waterfall, turning the shaft gray and revealing two invisible beams of light that crossed it. These contained immense energy, acting like a kind of heater. Whenever dust approached, it instantly vaporized into rock vapor, expanding in all directions. Some of it produced a convection-like effect, blasting out from the top of the shaft.
C-3 guessed that the beam's operation followed some kind of rule. After informing the two, they calculated that the beam would appear every five minutes and last for about three minutes - at least temporarily - the interval was enough for them to pass through the beam's range of influence, but the time required for the return trip was almost insufficient.
Due to time constraints, they chose a more radical method - using a rocket backpack to continuously pass through two beams of light and reach the moon directly. . . . .
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