In the darkness, consciousness was blurred.
In his final moments, Su Mo had a dream.
He dreamt of going back to the day he completed all achievements in the game "Dawn" and was crazily chatting with players in the group.
He then dreamed of lying in a cold place, surrounded by eerie beeping and the familiar sound of someone crying nearby.
Finally, the dream faded away, and the void slowly receded, allowing him to regain consciousness.
He barely tried to move but found himself utterly powerless, the extreme weakness left him unable to move even slightly, and just the simple act of lifting a finger drained nearly all his energy.
In his daze, he vaguely felt a delicate warmth on his face, as if pressed against someone's skin.
Cool liquid occasionally seeped in from the corner of his lips, bringing a sensation of renewed warmth, making him instinctively suck on it.
Intense fatigue caused him to drift in and out of sleep repeatedly.
He lingered on the edge of consciousness and unconsciousness, uncertain of how long this state continued, but he felt his body becoming more tangible.
Focusing his mind, his previously dark vision began to flicker, innumerable noise particles swayed like snowflakes before his eyes until finally, all his senses returned.
Su Mo opened his eyes. After a moment of focusing, he saw a worn-out ceiling above him.
He looked around with difficulty and found himself in a dim room, lying in bed covered with a warm blanket, while several empty water bottles were placed on the bedside table.
Nuobai was sitting at a nearby table working on the computer. She had just showered, dressed in casual attire, and her still-wet hair clung to her back.
Hearing a sound, Nuobai walked over. She no longer wore a mask, with water droplets at the tips of her hair falling on her delicate face, creating a hazy beauty under the desk lamp.
She gently lifted Su Mo's head, resting it on her lap, then took out her phone to type.
[Feeling any better?]
[You've been unconscious for quite a while]
At the moment, Nuobai was wearing shorts; her long legs were soft and springy, like a comfortable pillow.
Su Mo instinctively adjusted his position, letting his head rest between Nuobai's legs. The warm sensation against his face and her delicate skin made him drowsy, almost falling back to sleep.
He fought against the drowsiness, half-opening his eyes, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is this?"
Nuobai continued typing:
[This is one of my hideouts]
[It's very safe here, you can rest assured]
The room was sealed off with no windows, presumably in a basement, and had basic living facilities. Boxes of drinking water and packaged food were stacked in the corner, enough to survive here for half a year.
It's said that a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and mercenaries are the same.
Mercenaries easily make contacts but also enemies, so having multiple hideouts is like having multiple lives.
Given Nuobai's cautious nature, the safety of her hideout was certainly not a concern, so Su Mo didn't ask further.
At that moment, Su Mo heard the sound from the video on the computer, vaguely mentioning the words "Windy Plains".
His heart tightened again.
Even though he had escaped Razor's pursuit and reached Nuobai's safe house, the sense of crisis within him remained.
After all, he had taken over Dr. Chen's body during this crossing, whose biological information couldn't be altered.
If the company continued to hunt him, he could only hide for so long, not forever.
He struggled to prop himself up and said, "I want to see the video on the computer."
[Sit tight, I'll get it]
Nuobai brought over the laptop, which was playing a news video.
The camera focused on a stern man with a full beard, dressed in a uniform with the Hegemony Company's double helix logo, and surrounded by many reporters with microphones, clearly a press conference.
A reporter asked, "Mr. Lato, as the highest authority in the Windy Plains region, can you disclose any information on the recent attack on Research Base 101?"
Lato said quietly, "First, I must admit that the company has suffered some unfortunate losses. The Windy Plains Research Base No. 101 was completely destroyed, and no survivors were found on site."
Su Mo quickly asked Nuobai, "Is what he said true?"
Nuobai typed:
[It should be true]
[Walt insisted on killing all armed guards that day, and other researchers were locked in the chamber by him]
[The complete self-destruction of Research Base 101 means no one could survive]
Su Mo nodded, feeling a little relieved inside.
Reporter: "Were any company members taken by the enemy during this attack?"
Lato: "As far as I know, no one was taken, it was just a sabotage act targeting the research base."
Su Mo couldn't help but chuckle.
As the highest authority in the Windy Plains, Lato certainly knew someone was kidnapped from Base 101.
But such matters are usually not publicly acknowledged.
Partly because of confidentiality.
Also, it would be too embarrassing to admit.
Reporter: "What countermeasures has your side taken against this attack?"
Lato: "Just yesterday, the company responded forcefully to this hostile act. We pinpointed the attackers' location and launched a Charger II missile at that spot. I have ample reason to believe the enemy has been reduced to ashes in the flames."
Reporter: "Has your side identified the mastermind behind this attack?"
Lato: "We've mostly uncovered it, but specifics can't be disclosed. Yet, I can assure you that we will initiate reciprocal measures immediately."
"..."
The questions and answers in the news continued, but the subsequent ones were of no concern to Su Mo.
The matters he cared about had been answered, and his nerves gradually relaxed.
As a walking "Dawn Encyclopedia," Su Mo was well-versed in Hegemony Company's various rules and regulations.
Researchers like "Dr. Chen," involved in blood code research, had their household registrations canceled and documentation retained only at their workplace.
The self-destruction of Base 101 meant all data related to "Dr. Chen" was lost.
No other survivors from the base meant all colleagues who knew "Dr. Chen" were dead.
Plus, the Razor Squad responsible for pursuit was completely wiped out by Nuobai.
All clues targeting "Dr. Chen" were gone.
Even if the company wished to investigate, they had no leads to follow up on.
The most they knew was that a researcher had been kidnapped, their fate unknown.
As for his name, appearance, height, weight... all that information was lost, with no one knowing.
Moreover, since the Charger II missile hit the target location yesterday, the company surely believes the matter is settled and won't pay further attention to it.
Thus, he effectively became a "transparent person," with no one aside from Nuobai knowing his true identity, without concern of being targeted.
He was finally free from danger.