Chapter 1008 - 564: Special Laboratory_2

"So... is this building now being used for... experiments?" Shi Wanyun pointed to the wall behind her that had just closed and asked.

Number 5 nodded: "Yes, it’s for experiments, but the details of the experiments cannot be disclosed to you for the time being."

"...Those are of the same species as the ’owner’ here, right?" Shi Wanyun ignored the lack of disclosure and asked again.

Number 5 smiled and shook her head: "Of course not. Do you think I have the right to experiment on a higher intelligence than humans?"

In that sense, indeed...

"Then they are..."

"If you want to know, complete this mission first." Number 5 didn’t reveal more information but started operating the console, the keys clicking rapidly under her hands.

Soon, there was a light sound from the other side of the room, and a hidden door slowly opened.

Shi Wanyun’s attention was drawn to it.

A hidden door?

Wasn’t there no door on that wall just now?

She looked inside the door.

Beyond the door was a space as large as a factory floor.

She exclaimed softly and walked over, finally seeing what was inside.

"That is..." she said in surprise.

"A teleportation device," Number 5 explained, "You can use it now."

"Teleportation... device?" Shi Wanyun examined the large apparatus closely, "Is it something similar to a Transmission Array?"

Inside the door, at the center of the factory-like space, stood a gigantic metallic pillar adorned with intricate patterns, made of segments of varying thickness. The thickest part was about two meters in diameter, and the thinnest about one and a half meters.

Just from the exterior, the metallic pillar exuded a strong sense of technology.

At first glance, she thought it might be some high-tech weapon from a giant humanoid machine.

"Yes. You’ve probably seen the Teleportation Array Pattern at the Transmission Array, right?" Number 5 asked from behind her.

"I have; the prerequisite for activating the Transmission Array is to activate the Teleportation Array Pattern."

"The teleportation device..." Number 5 explained the usage and function of the device to her.

"... Can be buried in the ground?" Shi Wanyun asked, "It doesn’t need to be powered?"

"As long as it’s near the treehouse, it can function with the treehouse."

"I see, the transport coordinates..."

Shi Wanyun wanted to take a closer look at the high-tech metal pillar and just as she was about to step through the door, Number 5 held her back.

"I have something to give you, don’t go in yet."

At the same time, Number 5 handed her a ring.

"This is..."

"If I tell you it’s a Space Ring, would you understand?" Number 5 returned to her seat.

"...I didn’t expect to actually get something you’d only see in novels..." Shi Wanyun marveled at the ring in her hand.

"This is something I’ve developed. It’s only available here," Number 5 smiled.

Shi Wanyun lifted the ring and examined it closely: "You made this? The material of the ring..."

The material of the ring seemed like stone, yet like metal, presenting a deep gray color, a material she had never encountered before.

[Space Ring (Blue): A ring with a small space for storage, usable only for storing specific items.]

Only for storing specific items?

"You’ve actually invented a Space Ring." Shi Wanyun looked up at her.

"I’m not that great," Number 5 waved her hand, "It’s just that others are uninclined to make this sort of thing."

"Uninclined? Why?" Shi Wanyun was puzzled.

A Space Ring like this is surely better than a backpack.

"Because the tools with spatial storage functions are made of this special material, and the more materials used, the storage space increases exponentially. A small piece can expand a cubic meter, two pieces ten cubic meters,"

Number 5 explained: "Given this, spatial storage tools are at least made large as bracelets to have practical use. A ring is too small, using too little material, so the expandable space is very, very small."

"Then this ring..."

Shi Wanyun lightly turned the ring.

She couldn’t control the ring to retrieve anything from it.

"Put it on first."

Shi Wanyun complied and put the ring on her finger, then gently turned it.

Her eyes immediately widened, quickly looking toward the open door, then back at the ring on her finger.

"That’s right, inside it is the teleportation device," Number 5 looked at the ring on Shi Wanyun’s hand, "The Owner instructed me to give it to you, to set it beside your own treehouse. It seems you will have some missions requiring travel in the future."

"I see... But the internal space of this ring isn’t small."

The teleportation device wasn’t small; even a big truck might not fit it.

"That’s because I’ve altered how space is utilized with my research and modifications. To expand the space, this ring was specialized to only store one item. The teleportation device’s size is already the limit the ring can hold; its practical value isn’t that high."

Number 5 chuckled with self-mockery: "But there’s no choice; I have limited materials, and even this kind of ring can’t be made more than ten times. If made normally, the total material used for making spatial storage tools wouldn’t even be enough for a box-sized space."

"Then you must be quite capable," Shi Wanyun said softly, somewhat unwilling to part with it, "At least, you can’t feel the weight of any internal item with this ring."

Even a violet-level backpack has a weight of 5%; without this ring, she couldn’t possibly bring such a large metal pillar back.

"Space storage tools, of course, have no weight—after all, they open up a space directly. Your backpacks are different and can’t really be considered space storage tools, more like space compression tools."

"I see..." Shi Wanyun turned the ring, her mind stirred.

This thing might be of use in the future too.

"Alright, I’ve said enough, take this,"

Shi Wanyun took the card Number 5 handed her, on which was drawn a...

Teleportation Array Pattern?

"In the future, if you want to teleport, you can always..." Number 5 explained the method of teleportation to her.

Shi Wanyun’s heart stirred with slight waves.

She could actually freely travel between her treehouse and the World Tree!

"When you return, you’ll appear in this room," Number 5 pointed to the room where the teleportation device was, "This room is sealed, but don’t worry; once the device is activated, I’ll notice and bring you out."

Which means that upon her return, Number 5 will be aware, and she’ll need Number 5’s permission to be let out from here.

It’s not a problem, but it does make her feel...

"Is there only this one teleportation device inside the World Tree?" Shi Wanyun asked tentatively.

"There’s one more, but you can’t use that one,"

Number 5 shook her head: "That one is in the most populated area under the World Tree, and anyone teleporting there would be noticed by everyone. That teleportation device is usually used to transport new members annually, and your mission is confidential and cannot be known by others."

Her mission... is confidential?

Only when Number 5 mentioned it did she realize.

Why was there such a laboratory and a deeply hidden transport device in Number 5’s residential area?

To maintain secrecy?

What is being hidden from whom?

Hiding it from the people below seems pointless, doesn’t it?

All this, wasn’t it the monster instructing Number 5 to do these things?

Could it be that the "Owner," that monster, is hiding something from other monsters...?

Forget it; it’s not something she needs to delve into.

Whatever the monster wants to do isn’t something she can think about now.

"Alright, that’s all I wanted to tell you. Now, you should head out; the crystal ball containing information will inform you of other matters."

Shi Wanyun nodded gently, hesitated no more, and stepped into the room where the teleportation device was located.

The door closed behind her as she stepped inside.

Immediately, the patterns on the teleportation device before her shone with a purple-black light!

Then her vision was swallowed in an instant, and when she opened her eyes again, she was already under her own treehouse.

Before she could celebrate, the crystal ball in her hand suddenly lit up.

Then she felt her body starting to weaken.

...?

What’s happening?