Leaving the main military tent, Dan Nan, as the project leader, would now accompany Dr. Sim to visit the esper base in the White Elephant Kingdom. As everyone was unaware of the location, Dan Nan and Liu Xiaoxiao accepted Dr. Sim's warm invitation to ride with him, while Han Lang and the others continued in their original vehicle, following behind.
Along the way, Dan Nan, posing as a general of the White Elephant Kingdom, engaged in pleasant conversation with Dr. Sim. During their discussion, Dan Nan successfully extracted detailed information from Dr. Sim regarding the purpose of setting up the esper base within the White Elephant Kingdom. This included plans to modify the total number of espers and how to open a battlefield with the Xia Kingdom after the modifications were complete.
Throughout this, Dr. Sim harbored no suspicion about Dan Nan's identity. Instead, he consistently disparaged the Xia Kingdom, stating that their cultivators were nothing special and that once his esper research achieved greater advancements, they would openly invade the Xia Kingdom from the front, inevitably capturing all their cultivators. Hearing this, Dan Nan felt naturally uncomfortable but, given his current guise, could only endure it, responding with forced laughter and agreement.
As they spoke, the vehicle arrived at a desolate sandy area. A few scattered teams of White Elephant Kingdom soldiers stood guard lazily on the sand. However, when Dr. Sim took out a communication device resembling a walkie-talkie from his pocket and spoke a few words into it, a rumbling sound began to emanate from a certain spot on the sand.
Soon, a massive underground passage was revealed before them. Han Lang and the others were astonished. Judging by the width of the passage, it was at least three times the width of a normal road. This suggested that the scale of this esper base was significantly larger than the ones they had destroyed in Lecheng previously.
As the host, Dr. Sim was naturally accustomed to such sights. He directly signaled the driver to drive inside, and Han Lang and his group quickly followed suit, accelerating their vehicle. However, upon entering, the scene inside further astonished everyone. It was not just a base; it was a veritable underground castle. A vast parking lot housed not only conventional tanks and armored vehicles but also two fighter jets.
After alighting from the vehicles, the group followed Dr. Sim through a long corridor and entered the base. The internal structure appeared relatively simple. In the center was a massive research platform, laden with various equipment for modifying espers and monitoring data. Dr. Sim walked over and began to elaborate enthusiastically.
"After years of research, we have now mastered the modification technology for S-class and SS-class espers quite proficiently. As long as the modification data is input into these devices, the modification factory over there can automatically modify ordinary people, and the success rate has also greatly increased!"
Dan Nan and Liu Xiaoxiao were shocked by this revelation. Although S-class and SS-class espers posed no threat to those present, the vast majority of soldiers in the special forces operated within this power range. If the equipment before them could mass-produce espers of such caliber, then the Xia Kingdom's special forces would inevitably be at a disadvantage on the battlefield in the future.
With this thought, Dan Nan deliberately expressed his admiration. "Wow, Doctor, you are truly amazing! You can achieve such a level of human modification. In the future, countries worldwide will have to follow your lead!"
Hearing such flattery, Dr. Sim couldn't help but feel proud. He replied with feigned humility, "That's an exaggeration! At least we are allies now. Once we eliminate the cultivators of the Xia Kingdom, the overlords of this world will naturally be you and me!"
Dan Nan sneered inwardly, surprised by Dr. Sim's ambition. He continued, his expression unchanged, "Then I have a question! With our current technological capabilities, many countries' missiles can already achieve precision strikes. What if this base is bombed? Can we continue with the modifications afterward?"
Dr. Sim answered without hesitation, "That's why the esper modification project needs to be in conjunction with the military! Don't be fooled by the few scattered soldiers on the surface; they are merely a cover. Around the base, the commander has secretly deployed various defensive facilities, such as anti-missile systems, anti-radar devices, and so on, all fully equipped. Most importantly, our base is built underground, so ordinary satellites or other detection devices simply cannot locate us!"
Hearing this, Dan Nan basically understood. The modification of espers, in essence, was just cutting-edge biotechnology. Since it was technology, it heavily relied on devices like computers. Therefore, as long as the equipment was destroyed, the base's operations would naturally cease. With this realization, he chuckled heartily and continued, "That's true! While the Xia Kingdom's military strength is slightly stronger than our White Elephant Kingdom's, we are not to be trifled with. Even if they want to attack, they will have to carefully consider the international situation. Besides, as long as you, Doctor, are here, even if these devices are destroyed, we can build another one, right? I don't need to worry about that, do I?"
Dr. Sim laughed along with him. "Naturally! Not just me; there are several others like me within the esper ranks! In any case, as long as we are here, the Xia Kingdom will never be able to completely eradicate the espers!"
Hearing this, Dan Nan's expression turned serious. After years of development, espers had indeed become a malignant tumor in the Xia Kingdom's cultivator community. Although their researched esper forces would never exceed the Nascent Soul stage, as their research pathway originated from a Nascent Soul stage predecessor. However, the problem was that the spiritual energy on Planet Blue was gradually depleting, and there were currently no cultivators exceeding the Nascent Soul stage in the Xia Kingdom's cultivator community! If this continued, the number of X-class espers on the esper side would only increase, while the number of Nascent Soul cultivators in the Xia Kingdom would decrease. In the end, the Xia Kingdom might also slowly fall into a disadvantage!
Thinking of the future of his homeland, Dan Nan couldn't help but tremble. However, his current mission was not yet complete, and he dared not be careless. While continuing to flatter Dr. Sim and visit other places, he gestured to Liu Xiaoxiao, Han Lang, and the others behind him. The gestures conveyed the message: "Be sure to completely destroy the esper equipment here and kill Dr. Sim with all your might."
Upon receiving the orders, Han Lang and Liu Xiaoxiao quietly instructed Tang Geng and Ma Long to stay put, while the rest of the group continued their tour with Dr. Sim. The next location was relatively spacious, with rows upon rows of storage units piled along the walls, approximately thirty to forty in number. Each storage unit was connected to a bundle of wires, the size of water pipes, with the other end leading to an exquisite display screen.
Arriving here, Dr. Sim's face was filled with pride. He repeatedly pointed to these storage units and said to Dan Nan, "Do you see these storage units? These are the essence of esper modification!"
Dan Nan feigned shock. "Oh? How so?"