In the Eagle's Nest, deep in the night, everyone had gone to sleep. Daechir stood at the entrance to Tunnel Number Sixteen. Every year, on the last day, she would enter this tunnel once.
This tunnel was different from the others. After walking six kilometers, three paths appeared before her. She chose the left one and continued for another five hundred meters before stopping, as the path ended there.
She crouched down and lightly pressed the tunnel wall at hand height three times. A palm-shaped pattern appeared above. Daechir placed her hand on it, and a moment later, the spot where she stood sank with a loud "clang," revealing a narrow entrance in the floor.
She bent down and slid along a rope, taking about five minutes to reach the ground. Everything around her was pitch black. She took out a prepared light source. This wasn't a tunnel but more like a cave, with a damp floor. The sound of flowing water could be heard nearby.
She walked carefully, afraid of getting her shoes wet. After about thirty steps, the sound of flowing water became clearer. She found a rock to sit on, removed her shoes, and continued barefoot. Soon, a small stream appeared. Following the direction of the water, she walked for another ten minutes until she reached a lake.
She removed her clothes, pants, and shoes, placing them on a clean rock. Approaching the lake's edge, she plunged in. Being a robot, she didn't need to hold her breath. In the water, she moved like a mermaid, extremely fast. The waterproof light was tied to her head as she swam forward.
This lake was the famous "Lake Turkana," with depths reaching over 800 meters. After more than an hour, a massive crystal glass sphere appeared before her. Daechir swam toward its bottom. Upon arrival, she gently pressed a button. After about five minutes, a small circular door opened two meters away.
She propelled herself through, and the small door automatically closed behind her. After swimming another ten meters, she reached another waterproof door. Only after the water between the two doors had been pumped out did this door open.
Daechir could now stand and walk in. After just a few steps, a woman who appeared to be in her thirties smiled and said, "Time flies. Another year has passed."
"Vega, where is your aunt?"
"She hasn't been feeling well lately and went to bed early. It must be almost dawn by now."
"Let's go see her."
The two walked through a corridor. The first thing that came into view was a tranquil forest. To the right was a path covered in moss. After walking about two hundred meters to the end of the path, a stone house appeared with six steps leading to its entrance. Daechir followed Vega to the door, where a parrot called out, "Someone's here! Someone's here!"
Daechir asked with a smile, "Is this the Watson parrot that was sent in last year?"
"Yes!"
"It's grown so big."
"It eats a lot, so naturally it grows quickly."
Vega pushed open the door. The interior was simply furnished, with two rooms and a bathroom. On the left, against the wall, was a sofa. On the other side, a table held two books and a photo frame.
Daechir walked over and picked up the frame. "It's been almost fifty years since Father left me. I really miss those days."
A voice behind her sighed, "Yes, I wish I could see him again."
Daechir turned around in surprise. "Alice! Did I wake you?"
Alice was Ronnie's sister. Years ago, Ronnie had built a time machine to resurrect her, but he hadn't succeeded. When he came to this era looking for Amandine, his time machine was accidentally taken by a boy, forcing him to build another one. Before leaving, he created the Daechir robot and informed her that the misappropriated time machine would reappear in two years. He ordered Daechir to find it and rescue his sister from the future.
Fearing history might be rewritten, Ronnie instructed Daechir to take the rescued Alice to a secret, uninhabited location and build a base there, which later became the Eagle's Nest.
Alice now appeared to be in her fifties, with wrinkles on her face, though her hair remained black, and she still retained her charm. She smiled, "I'm sorry, I got the time wrong. I thought you were coming tomorrow."
"Vega mentioned you weren't feeling well?" Daechir asked with concern.
"It's been over forty years. The rejuvenation fluid is all gone, so naturally, my body is aging and becoming ill."
"I heard Father say he gave the 'Telomere Rejuvenation Liquid' formula to Amandine, but I've never been able to find him."
"It's alright. Growing old this way isn't so bad," Alice said with a smile.
Vega interjected, "Aunt, I'd like to live a few more years. Let her go find it so we can become young again."
"There's just the two of us here. Who would you be young for?"
"At least we wouldn't get sick and could live on."
"Amandine's son is in the Eagle's Nest. I'll find an opportunity to ask if he knows anything," Daechir said.
Vega was delighted. "That's wonderful! It seems I'm not destined to die yet." A moment later, she sighed, "If only we could go outside."
Daechir immediately refused. "That's absolutely out of the question. Father specifically instructed against it."
"Vega, don't put Daechir in a difficult position. We're fortunate to be alive. Don't be greedy," Alice said.
Vega lowered her head. "I understand."
Daechir returned to the Eagle's Nest the following morning. The potato robot saw her and asked, "Where have you been sneaking off to?"
"It's none of your business," Daechir gave him a sidelong glance and walked away.
"Did you go to Tunnel Sixteen?" the potato robot persisted, following behind her.
"Don't make wild guesses. Is Afastin up yet?" Daechir asked.
"Why are you looking for him?" the potato robot countered.
Daechir didn't answer, regretting having asked the question. She went directly to find Afastin, but he wasn't up yet, so she had to wait outside his door. Two hours passed before the door opened.
"You sure sleep for a long time," Daechir said with a smile.
"Did you need something?" Afastin asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Yes, come with me. I have something important to ask you."
The two went to a corner. "What is it?"
Daechir looked around, and after making sure no one was nearby, she asked quietly, "Did your father give you a blue notebook?"
Afastin's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about that?"
Hearing this, Daechir was overjoyed and anxiously asked, "Where did you put it? Give it to me quickly."
"That's impossible. It's not with me."
"Then who has it?" After a pause, she guessed, "Could it be De Silva?"
Afastin nodded. "I didn't tell you this. You figured it out yourself."
Daechir now wondered how to find De Silva. Since the Courage Alliance had left the Eagle's Nest, they had lost contact. She consulted with the potato robot about reopening Tunnel One. Unsurprisingly, the potato robot strongly opposed the idea, with Afastin and Eve taking his side. But Shalu and the other two supported Daechir.
"Those three are Illuminati people. They have no right to vote," the potato robot refused to recognize Shalu and the others' voting rights.