The tires of the military off-road vehicle crushed the gravel at the base entrance, making a harsh friction sound that broke the silence in the twilight. Liam stood in the open space, his fingers clenched unconsciously, and the β-7 energy collar around his neck emitted a faint stinging pain—not from the suppression of the collar itself, but from the energy fluctuations of the two men in the car. One of them had energy fluctuations homologous to military standard equipment, while the other's fluctuations were extremely obscure, mixed with a strange frequency similar to Evan's, which did not belong to the team.
He looked up, his eyes sharp as an eagle, and firmly imprinted the two men's appearances in his mind: the man in military uniform was tall and straight, the insignia on his shoulder indicated that he was a specialist from the military's special R&D department, with a serious expression and an undeniable dignity between his eyebrows, holding a black encrypted USB flash drive tightly in his hand. Needless to say, it contained the password to the top-secret laboratory on the third basement floor; his accompanying assistant was dressed in black casual clothes, thin and ordinary-looking, seemingly docile and low-key, but the vigilance and coldness deep in his eyes could not escape Liam's notice—that was not the eyes of an ordinary assistant, but more like a spy who had been lurking in the dark for a long time and was good at disguising.
"Liam, this is Commissioner Maling from the military, responsible for delivering the laboratory password and assisting us in improving base security." Elena stepped forward quickly, greeting the military commissioner while whispering an introduction to Liam, with a deliberate sense of alienation in her tone, "The man beside Commissioner Maling is his assistant, Allen, responsible for assisting with daily liaison work." Elena slid her finger quickly on the tablet, quietly sending a hidden message to Liam: "The energy fluctuations of the two are abnormal, Allen's fluctuations are disguised, be vigilant." Obviously, as the chief geneticist, Elena's sensitivity to energy fluctuations was no less than Liam's, and she had already noticed that the two military personnel were unusual.
Commissioner Maling nodded slightly, his expression still serious, without unnecessary pleasantries, directly handing the encrypted USB flash drive in his hand to Elena: "The USB flash drive contains the only password to the laboratory on the third basement floor, which is only for core R&D personnel. The military will monitor the usage records of the USB flash drive in real time, and it is forbidden to copy or leak the password without permission, let alone enter the laboratory without authorization." His eyes swept over everyone present, and finally fell on Liam, with a hint of scrutiny and inquiry in his eyes: "This must be Liam, right? The military has received the report that your activation level has been suppressed. In the future, Dr. Gray must submit your physical monitoring data and activation level changes every day to ensure that the symbiote power is within a controllable range—the military application of the brain-computer interface cannot do without a stable experimental subject."
These words, seemingly concerned, were actually naked surveillance and control. Liam suppressed the displeasure in his heart, nodded slightly, and said in a flat tone: "I will cooperate with Dr. Gray to complete the monitoring, but the progress of the laboratory exploration and my physical condition should be independently controlled by our R&D team. The military only needs to provide necessary support, not excessive interference." He deliberately emphasized the words "independently controlled", not only to show his attitude, but also to test Commissioner Maling 's reaction—he wanted to see if this military commissioner was just a simple monitor or had other motives.
Commissioner Maling 's face darkened, and he was about to open his mouth to refute, but Allen stepped forward first, put on a docile smile, and smoothed things over: "Mr. Liam is right. Commissioner Maling is also performing his duties, worrying about the safety of the laboratory and Mr. Liam's physical condition. In the future, we will definitely cooperate with the R&D team's work and never interfere excessively. After all, it is beneficial to both of us to break through the brain-computer interface and symbiote technology as soon as possible." Allen's words were impeccable and his attitude was respectful, but Liam noticed that when he spoke, his eyes secretly glanced in Evan's direction, and the two exchanged glances quickly. Although it was only a moment, it was full of hidden tacit understanding—at that moment, the guess in Liam's heart was completely confirmed: Allen and Evan were in the same group, both were lurking spies. Allen disguised himself as a military assistant and infiltrated the base to cooperate with Evan, seize core data and laboratory passwords, and explore the secrets of the third basement floor.
Evan stood in the crowd, still maintaining a gentle and professional demeanor, seemingly sorting out experimental equipment, but in fact, he had been secretly observing the every move of Maling and Allen. When Allen's eyes swept over, he nodded slightly, his expression unchanged, but his fingers quietly tapped a few times on the terminal—that was the code agreed between him and Allen, meaning "everything is going well, take action when the time is right".
No one noticed that the hidden copying program in the background of his terminal started again, quietly copying the basic layout data related to the laboratory on Elena's tablet. All of this was accidentally seen by Wang not far away. Wang frowned, a trace of doubt arose in his heart, but he did not speak immediately—although he felt that Evan's behavior was a bit abnormal, he had no conclusive evidence, so he could only keep it in mind for the time being and pay attention secretly.
Dr. Gray stepped forward quickly, holding Liam's latest physical monitoring report, and handed it to Commissioner Maling : "Commissioner Maling , this is Liam's physical data for the past three days. His activation level is stable at 18%, and the adaptation index between symbiote genes and neurotransmitters has slight fluctuations.
Long-term suppression may cause gene disorders. I suggest that the military allow us to speed up the cracking of the β-7 crystal spectrum and remove the collar suppression as soon as possible, otherwise it will affect the progress of subsequent brain development and cross-species gene fusion R&D." Dr. Gray's tone was sincere, and his eyes were full of worry. He always put Liam's physical safety first, and he knew better that Liam's physical condition directly determined the progress of R&D.
Commissioner Maling took the report, glanced at it quickly, and said in a cold tone: "Dr. Gray, the military has its own arrangements. The progress of cracking the β-7 crystal must be carried out in accordance with military regulations, and it is forbidden to speed up without authorization—the existence of the collar is to control Liam's power, prevent the symbiote power from getting out of control, and cause irreversible consequences.
As for the physical monitoring data, you can submit it on time every day, no need to elaborate too much." There was no room for negotiation in his words. Obviously, the military did not care about Liam's physical condition at all, but only cared about whether the symbiote power could be controlled, and whether the military application of the brain-computer interface and the mass production of symbiote soldiers could be realized as soon as possible.
Kane stepped forward, standing in front of Dr. Gray and Liam, looking at Commissioner Maling sharply: "Commissioner Maling , Liam is the core of our team and the key to fighting the Reapers. If his physical condition goes wrong, it will not only delay the R&D progress, but also affect the subsequent combat deployment against the Reapers.
Since the military cooperates with us, it should trust our R&D team instead of blindly monitoring and restricting." Kane's tone was firm, with a hint of deterrence. As the combat captain, he would never allow anyone to hurt his comrades, let alone allow excessive military interference to affect the team's combat and R&D plans.
The atmosphere between the two sides suddenly became tense, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere. Commissioner Maling 's face became more and more gloomy, and his hand unconsciously pressed on the energy weapon at his waist, obviously angered by Kane's attitude; Allen quietly took a step back, watching the surrounding environment vigilantly, and at the same time quietly took out the miniature communicator hidden in his cuff, seemingly passing a message to the force behind him; Evan took the opportunity to step forward, pretending to mediate: "Commissioner Maling , Captain Kane, everyone is for the smooth progress of R&D and combat, there is no need to hurt each other. Dr. Gray is also worried about Liam's body, and Commissioner Maling is also performing his duties.
Why don't we take a step back? Dr. Gray continues to submit monitoring data on time, and we speed up the cracking of the β-7 crystal, but we will report the progress to the military in a timely manner. This way, we not only do not violate military regulations, but also ensure Liam's physical safety and take into account the R&D progress."
Evan's words seemed fair, but in fact, he had ulterior motives—he couldn't wait for the team to speed up the cracking progress of the β-7 crystal, so that he could get the core parameters of the crystal faster. At the same time, he took the initiative to propose reporting the progress to the military to curry favor with Commissioner Maling , reduce his vigilance, and facilitate subsequent cooperation with Allen to seize the laboratory password and core data. Commissioner Maling fell silent for a moment, weighed the pros and cons, and slowly let go of his hand on the weapon, his tone still cold: "Yes, do as Evan said, but you must strictly abide by military regulations, prohibit concealing R&D progress without authorization, and prohibit entering the underground laboratory without authorization."
A crisis was temporarily resolved, but everyone's expression was still solemn. Elena took the encrypted USB flash drive, her fingers trembling slightly—this was the key to opening the top-secret laboratory on the third basement floor, and also their hope to break the collar and promote R&D. But she knew that behind this USB flash drive, there was not only military monitoring, but also the covetousness of Evan and Allen. It would be by no means easy to explore the laboratory smoothly. She quickly connected the USB flash drive to her tablet and tried to read the password inside, but found that the USB flash drive had multiple encryptions. In addition to the basic permissions provided by the military, it also required Commissioner Maling 's fingerprint verification to unlock—the military's vigilance was much higher than they imagined.
"The USB flash drive has double encryption, and your fingerprint verification is required to unlock the password." Elena looked up at Commissioner Maling , her tone calm, "In addition, I need to confirm whether the military has relevant data on the internal layout and equipment of the third basement floor? We need to plan the exploration plan in advance and do a good job in safety protection to avoid accidents during the exploration and damage to the equipment and data in the laboratory." Elena's question was reasonable, which not only reflected the rigor of the laboratory exploration, but also secretly tested the military's understanding of the laboratory—she suspected that the military had long known the secret of the laboratory, but deliberately concealed it from them.
Commissioner Maling 's eyes flickered, and his tone was a bit stiff: "The laboratory has been closed all year round, and the military has no relevant internal layout and equipment data. You can only explore it yourself, but you must note that it is forbidden to damage any equipment and data in the laboratory, and all exploration processes must be reported to the military in real time." There was a trace of imperceptible panic in his words, obviously, he was hiding something—Liam keenly captured this point, and the doubts in his heart became stronger and stronger: what was the military hiding? What secrets were hidden in the laboratory? Why did the military not provide relevant data, but required them to report the exploration progress in real time?
At this moment, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded outside the base, breaking the silence of the base. Wang's voice came from the terminal, a bit urgent: "Captain, Mr. Liam, unknown armed men have been found outside the base, about ten people, carrying heavy energy weapons, are breaking through the base's barbed wire defense line, and their target is unknown!" As soon as Wang's voice fell, dense gunfire and energy weapon explosions came from outside the base, flames shot into the sky, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air instantly—a sudden attack broke out without warning.
"No, it's the force behind Evan! They came so fast!" Kane's face changed, and he immediately issued a combat order: "Wang, immediately activate the base's defense system, close all entrances, and monitor the movement of the armed men; team members, assemble immediately, put on combat equipment, and follow me to the peripheral defense line to stop the armed men from breaking through; Dr. Gray, immediately go to the medical area to prepare for first aid; Elena, protect the core R&D data and β-7 crystals, stay in the temporary R&D area, and do not go out easily; Liam, you are responsible for assisting me in the battle, pay attention to controlling your power, and do not be affected by the suppression of the collar; Commissioner Maling , Mr. Allen, please stay in a safe area temporarily and do not get in the way." Kane's orders were clear and decisive, and he stabilized the situation in an instant.
Everyone took action immediately. The team members quickly assembled, put on combat equipment, and followed Kane to the base's peripheral defense line; Wang operated quickly in front of the terminal, activated the base's defense system, closed all entrances, and the screen displayed the movement of the armed men. They were all skillful and well-equipped, obviously well-trained mercenaries; Dr. Gray quickly went to the medical area, sorted out first aid equipment and medicines, and prepared for first aid; Elena quickly put away the core R&D data and β-7 crystal fragments, locked them in an encrypted safe, and held the encrypted USB flash drive tightly in her hand—she knew that this USB flash drive was their hope and must not fall into the hands of the armed men.
Liam quickly gathered the symbiotic energy in his body, and a faint white light appeared at his fingertips. The collar around his neck emitted a sharp stinging pain, and the energy was forcibly suppressed at 18%, but he did not flinch at all. He followed Kane to the peripheral defense line with firm eyes. He knew that this attack was no accident. It must be Evan and Allen who sent a message to let the force behind them know that they had arrived at the new base in advance, and took the opportunity to launch an attack. Their target was probably the core R&D data, β-7 crystals, and the laboratory password in the encrypted USB flash drive.
Evan stood in the corner of the temporary R&D area, seemingly assisting Elena in sorting out data, but in fact, he quietly took out the miniature communicator hidden on his body and quickly sent a message: "Armed men have launched an attack, entangled the main force of the team. I will take the opportunity to seize the core data and laboratory password. Allen is responsible for cooperating with me, containing Commissioner Maling , and seizing the fingerprint verification authority when the time is right." After sending, he deleted all records, and his face regained a gentle look, saying to Elena: "Elena, don't worry, I will protect the core data and not let it fall into the hands of the armed men." But the greed and eagerness in his eyes exposed his true intentions.
Allen took advantage of the chaos to quietly approach Commissioner Maling , put on a docile smile, and said: "Commissioner Maling , it's too dangerous here. Let me take you to a safe area to avoid being accidentally injured by the armed men." Commissioner Maling did not think much, nodded, and followed Allen to the safe area—he did not notice at all that he was stepping into the trap set by Allen step by step. Allen's goal was not only to contain him, but also to obtain his fingerprint and unlock the laboratory password in the encrypted USB flash drive.
Liam followed Kane to the base's peripheral defense line. The armed men had already broken through the barbed wire defense line and were engaged in fierce firefights with the team members. The explosions of energy weapons came one after another, and the flames dyed half of the sky red. A mercenary raised a heavy energy gun, aimed at Kane, and pulled the trigger without hesitation. Liam's eyes condensed, and he immediately gathered the symbiotic energy in his body to stand in front of Kane. The energy formed a faint protective barrier. With a "bang", the energy bullet hit the protective barrier, and the barrier shattered instantly. Liam was shocked by the shock wave and took a few steps back, with a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. The stinging pain of the collar around his neck intensified, and a dull pain came from his temples—the 18% activation level was still too weak, and it was still a bit difficult to resist the attack of heavy energy weapons.
"Liam!" Kane's face changed, he immediately turned around to support Liam, and at the same time raised his energy weapon, aimed at the mercenary, pulled the trigger, and knocked him down, "How are you? Can you hold on? If not, go back to the temporary R&D area first, leave this to us!"
Liam shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were still firm: "I'm fine, I can still hold on. The target of these mercenaries is the core data and laboratory password. We can't let them succeed." He took a deep breath and gathered the symbiotic energy in his body again. This time, he deliberately controlled the flow of energy, cooperating with the breathing method taught by Dr. Gray before, to minimize energy consumption. Although the activation level was still limited to 18%, the stability of the energy was improved a lot—he knew that to win this battle, to protect his comrades and core data, he must exert his maximum strength within the limits.
At this moment, a hurried cry for help suddenly came from the temporary R&D area, which was Elena's voice: "Help! Evan, what are you doing?!" Liam and Kane's faces changed, and a bad premonition arose in their hearts—Evan, finally made a move!
"Kane, you continue to command the battle and contain the armed men. I'll go to the temporary R&D area to have a look!" After saying that, Liam, regardless of his injuries, immediately turned around and ran to the temporary R&D area. The symbiotic energy at his fingertips glowed white again, speeding up his running speed. There was only one thought in his mind: he must protect Elena, protect the core data and encrypted USB flash drive, and never let Evan succeed.
Running to the door of the temporary R&D area, Liam saw a scene that made him furious: Evan was holding Elena's wrist tightly, trying to snatch the encrypted USB flash drive in her hand. The tablet fell to the ground, the screen was broken, and the core R&D data was exposed on the screen; Elena struggled desperately, with firm eyes, holding the USB flash drive tightly and refusing to let go. The corner of her mouth had been injured by Evan, oozing a trace of blood. "Evan, you traitor! I was blind to recruit you!" Elena's voice was full of anger and unwillingness. She never thought that the AI algorithm genius she carefully recruited was actually a lurking spy.
The gentle smile on Evan's face disappeared completely, replaced by a trace of viciousness and eagerness: "Elena, be sensible and hand over the USB flash drive and core data. I can spare your life! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!" His tone was cold, and his eyes were full of greed, "The password to the third basement floor, the core parameters of the β-7 crystal, the algorithm of the brain-computer interface—these things never belonged to you. Instead of being taken away by the military, it's better to hand them over to the force behind me. At least, they can play a greater value."
"Dream on! These are the efforts of our team and the hope to fight the Reapers. I will never hand them over to a traitor like you!" Elena struggled desperately, trying to break free from Evan's control, but she was too weak to be Evan's opponent. Her wrist was held red by Evan, and she was in great pain.
Liam clenched his fists, and the symbiotic energy in his body surged wildly. The collar around his neck emitted a sharp stinging pain, almost tearing his nerves, but he did not care at all. He roared and rushed towards Evan: "Evan, let her go!"
Evan noticed the movement behind him, suddenly turned around, showed a vicious smile on his face, let go of Elena's wrist, picked up the energy dagger beside him casually, aimed at Liam, and said in a cold tone: "Liam, you came just in time, saving me the trouble of finding you! Your symbiote genes, 18% activation level, and that encrypted USB flash drive—I will take them all today!"
Just as the two were about to fight, the door of the temporary R&D area was suddenly pushed open. Allen pushed Commissioner Maling in. Commissioner Maling 's hands were tied, his face was full of anger and unwillingness. Allen held a fingerprint collector in his hand, and a proud smile appeared on his face: "Evan, it's done. I have collected Commissioner Maling 's fingerprint. As long as we get the USB flash drive, we can unlock the laboratory password and obtain all core data!"
The double spies were completely exposed, the armed men were attacking frantically outside the door, the laboratory password was within reach, Liam was injured, his activation level was limited, Elena was injured, and Commissioner Maling was controlled—in the desperate situation, a firmer flame ignited in Liam's eyes. He clenched his fists, and the symbiotic energy at his fingertips glowed white again. Even in the desperate situation, he would never give up, never let Evan and Allen's conspiracy succeed, and never let the core data fall into the hands of the enemy. But what he didn't know was that behind this seemingly sudden attack, there was an even more terrible conspiracy. The military's concealment, the secrets of the laboratory, and the true identity of the force behind Evan were gradually emerging. And the β-7 collar around his neck actually produced a strange resonance with the energy fluctuation of the third basement floor—was this resonance hope or a deeper trap?