The morning sun completely pierced the mist in the mountains, dyeing the outline of the abandoned military base golden. The mess in the laboratory had been initially cleaned up, the warning lights on the console were completely off, and only the fluctuating regeneration factor data on the screen quietly recounted the fierce battle last night. Wang rubbed his sleepy eyes, his fingers sliding quickly across the touchscreen. The AI global information system was synchronously receiving the real-time location of Elliott's team—less than twenty minutes away from the base.
"AI has completed equipment self-inspection, and the adaptation test cabin is ready to start at any time." Wang yawned, turned to look at Elena who was moving her arm, "How's your wound? Dr. Gray said the dark energy has been completely cleared, and there should be no sequelae, right?"
Elena raised her arm, a relaxed smile appearing on her face. The bandage on the wound was clean and neat, and the stinging pain from last night was gone: "It's okay, it doesn't affect my actions. When Elliott's team arrives, we'll finalize the laboratory location and equipment purchase list, then immediately start Liam's regeneration factor adaptation test. We can't afford to delay any longer." Her gaze turned to the test cabin in the corner of the laboratory, her tone tinged with solemnity, "Last night's sneak attack has reminded us that the remaining Shadow forces won't give us much time. Liam's strengthening speed must keep up with the progress of their conspiracy."
Kane stood on the watchtower at the base entrance, his binoculars fixed on the mountain road in the distance. The security personnel behind him were fully alert, and drones hovered in the air, forming a tight warning network. "Elliott's motorcade is here, five cars in total, three off-road vehicles and two supply vehicles, which is consistent with what he said last night." Kane said in a deep voice into the communicator, his gaze never relaxing, "However, there's an unlicensed black car following the motorcade, far away. AI can't lock the occupants or the signal inside the car, and it's suspected of following us."
When everyone in the laboratory heard this, their expressions instantly turned solemn. Liam stood up, and the symbiotic energy in his body surged slightly. The red light on the collar flickered faintly. After last night's battle, he could clearly feel that the fusion degree of his brain and symbiotic energy had increased a little, but the suppression of the collar still existed. "Could it be the remaining Shadow forces? They failed in the sneak attack last night, and maybe they want to take this opportunity to mix into Elliott's team and seize the original gene and regeneration factor again."
"It's hard to say." Elena quickly switched to the AI monitoring interface. The screen displayed a blurry image of the unlicensed black car, which was covered by a weak signal shielding layer that AI couldn't penetrate. "Let's welcome Elliott's team as planned first. Kane, arrange two security personnel to quietly follow that black car. Once any abnormality is found, immediately send a warning. Don't act rashly to avoid alerting the enemy."
"Received." Kane's voice came from the communicator, followed by a burst of hurried footsteps. Two security personnel quickly concealed themselves and quietly sneaked towards the direction of the black car.
Twenty minutes later, Elliott's motorcade slowly drove into the base. The off-road vehicles stopped, and several capable-looking staff in black suits got out of the cars first, quickly surrounding the motorcade to guard. Then, Elliott got out of the seat next to the driver's seat, still in his elegant black suit, with a gentle smile on his face, holding a tablet in his hand with the fund and equipment list.
"Good morning, everyone." Elliott walked quickly towards the laboratory door, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and finally falling on Elena's arm, his tone filled with a hint of concern, "Dr. Elena, how is your wound recovering? I already learned about last night's incident through AI, and I'm glad you're all okay."
"Thank you for your concern, it's already okay." Elena nodded, reaching out to invite Elliott into the laboratory, "Mr. Elliott, please come in. Let's first discuss the specific details of the cooperation, as well as the laboratory location and equipment purchase. In addition, we found that your motorcade is being followed by an unlicensed black car, suspected to be the remaining Shadow forces. We have arranged people to track and investigate."
Elliott's smile paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then he regained his composure: "I didn't expect the remaining Shadow forces to be so rampant that they dare to follow my motorcade in broad daylight. But don't worry, everyone. My security team is professional, and with your defense, they can't make any trouble." He paused, handing the tablet to Elena, "This is the fund certificate and equipment list. The funds are ready and can arrive at any time. The equipment is the most high-precision in the world and can all be delivered within a week. As for the locations of the three alternative laboratories, I have selected five places, and we can discuss together to finalize the most suitable three."
Elena took the tablet, and Wang leaned over to check the list with her. The equipment on the list was everything they needed: brain scanning cabin, regeneration factor purification equipment, AI chip R&D equipment, and even special defense equipment to resist brain signal interference, which was more complete than they had expected. "The list is fine, the equipment and funds are all in place." Elena looked up at Elliott, "We can discuss the location later. Now, we want to start Liam's regeneration factor adaptation test first. After all, this is the core of our R&D and the key to resisting the remaining Shadow forces."
"I completely agree." Elliott nodded, his gaze turning to Liam, with a hint of admiration in his eyes, "Mr. Liam, your courage and perseverance are admirable. I have asked my medical team to prepare to assist Dr. Gray in completing the test to ensure that the test process is foolproof." With that, he waved his hand behind him, and two medical personnel in white coats walked over, pushing a medical cart with various precision medical equipment on it.
Dr. Gray nodded, signaling Liam to enter the test cabin: "Liam, get ready. During the test, you may feel slight discomfort. Once you feel brain energy disorder or severe physical pain, tell me immediately, and we will pause the test. AI will monitor your brain energy, symbiotic energy and physical state in real time, and record data synchronously to ensure the adaptation process goes smoothly."
Liam took a deep breath and walked into the test cabin. The door of the test cabin slowly closed, and a light blue light enveloped his body. Dr. Gray and Elliott's medical team quickly operated the equipment, while Elena, Wang, Kane and Elliott stood in front of the console, closely watching the data on the screen. On the screen, Liam's brain energy, symbiotic energy, and various physical indicators kept jumping. The regeneration factor was injected into his body, spreading to all parts of his body along the blood. The red light on the collar gradually dimmed, and the golden light at the crack became more and more obvious.
"The adaptation is going well. The resonance between the regeneration factor and brain energy has reached 90%. The body is slowly strengthening, and the skin toughness and bone density are both improving." Wang said excitedly, his fingers quickly operating on the touchscreen to record each set of data, "AI monitoring shows that the brain energy is not disordered, the symbiotic energy is also stable, and the suppression of the collar is gradually weakening. At this speed, the initial adaptation can be completed in at most an hour, and Liam's body can achieve the first synchronous strengthening."
A relieved smile appeared on everyone's face, and Elliott also nodded, his tone filled with emotion: "Great, as long as Liam can complete the adaptation and achieve synchronous strengthening of the brain and body, we will have enough confidence to resist the remaining Shadow forces, promote subsequent R&D, and find star-patterned ore and spiritual energy crystals more smoothly."
At that moment, the screen of the console suddenly flickered violently, the red warning light turned on again, and a sharp alarm broke the peace of the laboratory. "No! AI signal is being interfered with!" Wang's face turned pale, his fingers quickly operating the equipment to try to regain control of AI, "It's a high-intensity brain signal interference, stronger than last night's, and the interference signal is coming from inside the base!"
Everyone's expressions instantly turned pale. Elena suddenly turned her head to look at Elliott's team: "The interference signal is coming from inside, which means that the spy of the remaining Shadow forces has mixed into your team!"
Elliott's face also darkened, his eyes becoming sharp: "Impossible! My team is personally selected by me, and they have followed me for many years. There can't be a spy!"
"Now is not the time to argue about this!" Dr. Gray's voice came, with a hint of urgency, "Liam in the test cabin is abnormal. His brain energy is disordered, his symbiotic energy is soaring, and the red light of the collar suddenly becomes dazzling. If this continues, his brain will be seriously damaged, and he may even die from energy explosion!"
Everyone turned their heads to look at the test cabin. Inside, Liam was tense, his brows furrowed tightly, and a painful expression appeared on his face. The golden symbiotic energy in his body surged wildly. The crack on the collar became bigger and bigger, and the red light almost illuminated the entire test cabin. The data on the screen was completely out of control. The values of brain energy and symbiotic energy soared, and the adaptation degree of the regeneration factor dropped sharply from 90% to 50%, still falling.
"Quick, close the test cabin and stop injecting the regeneration factor!" Elena shouted, reaching out to press the button on the console. At that moment, a black shadow suddenly rushed out of the crowd, grabbed her wrist, and stopped her movement. The black shadow was wearing a black suit of Elliott's team, a mask on his face, only revealing a pair of cold eyes, and exuding a faint dark energy.
"Spy!" Kane shouted, his energy rifle instantly aiming at the black shadow, ready to shoot.
"Don't move!" The black shadow sneered, pulling out an energy dagger from his waist with his other hand and pressing it against Elena's neck, "Whoever moves, I'll kill her! I don't want you, but Liam in the test cabin, as well as the original gene and regeneration factor in the laboratory!"
Elliott's face completely darkened, his eyes filled with anger and guilt: "I didn't expect that I would lead a wolf into the house. I'm sorry, everyone." He shouted to his team, "Surround him, don't hurt Dr. Elena, and make sure to save her!"
Elliott's security team immediately surrounded them, their weapons aiming at the black shadow, forming a encirclement, but they did not dare to act rashly for fear that the black shadow would hurt Elena. Wang quietly mobilized AI to try to crack the interference signal and restart the control system of the test cabin, but found that the interference signal was too strong for AI to break through. He could only watch the data on the screen continue to deteriorate and Liam's pain become more and more obvious.
"What benefits did the Shadow Organization give you to make you betray me?" Elliott asked, his gaze fixed on the black shadow, trying to delay time to find an opportunity to fight back.
The black shadow sneered, took off his mask, revealing an unfamiliar face with cold eyes full of disdain: "Betray you? I was never your man. I was originally a member of the Shadow Organization, but I lurked beside you, waiting for today's opportunity. Although the Shadow Leader is dead, the dark energy is eternal. We will definitely get the original gene and regeneration factor, develop the dark brain chip, and control all humanity. And Liam will be our first experimental subject!"
At that moment, the test cabin suddenly made a loud noise, the cabin shook violently, the light blue light went out instantly, and the red light erupted from inside. Everyone's faces changed drastically. They saw the door of the test cabin being broken open by a powerful energy, and Liam walked out of the cabin. His hair was messy, his eyes were red, and the golden symbiotic energy and black dark energy in his body were intertwined. The collar had split into a huge gap, with red and golden light intertwined, emitting a strong energy fluctuation.
"Liam, how are you?" Elena shouted anxiously, trying to break free from the black shadow's restraint.
Liam did not speak, his cold eyes fixed on the black shadow, and the energy in his body surged wildly. The signal interference and abnormal injection of regeneration factor just now, although made him suffer great pain, unexpectedly broke part of the collar's suppression. The brain energy and symbiotic energy forced to fuse, and even absorbed part of the dark energy in the interference signal, making his strength soar instantly, and his body also completed the initial strengthening.
Seeing this, the black shadow's face changed drastically, his eyes filled with shock: "Impossible! How could you break the suppression of the collar? How could you absorb dark energy?"
Liam sneered, his figure flashed, rushing towards the black shadow like a ghost, so fast that no one could see the trajectory. Before the black shadow could react, Liam grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard. The energy dagger fell to the ground with a "clang", and a crisp fracture sound came from the wrist. The black shadow let out a shrill scream, and was thrown heavily to the ground by Liam, hitting the console and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.
Kane took the opportunity to rush over, stepping on the black shadow's chest with one foot, his energy rifle aiming at his head: "Don't move! Tell us the stronghold of the Shadow Organization, the R&D progress of the dark brain chip, and the whereabouts of the spiritual energy crystal!"
The black shadow lay on the ground, a strange smile curving on his lips, his eyes full of madness: "You will never know. The Shadow Organization has strongholds all over the world. The dark brain chip will be developed soon. Only our leader knows the clue of the spiritual energy crystal. You will never find it!" With that, he suddenly closed his mouth, and a trace of black venom flowed from the corner of his mouth, and he lost his breath instantly—he actually committed suicide by taking poison.
After the black shadow died, the interference signal disappeared instantly, and AI returned to normal. The screen of the console lit up again. Dr. Gray immediately rushed over to check Liam's condition, and the medical terminal in his hand quickly scanned his physical data: "Fortunately, there is no life danger. Although the brain energy is still a little disordered, it has gradually stabilized. The symbiotic energy and dark energy are intertwined in the body, but they do not repel each other, but form a new energy balance. The physical strengthening is also very successful. The skin toughness and bone density have both doubled, and the suppression of the collar has been broken by more than half."
Liam took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly calmed the energy in his body. His red eyes gradually returned to normal, and the red light on the collar also dimmed, leaving only a huge gap, from which golden light emanated, emitting a stable energy fluctuation. "I'm okay. The feeling just now was very strange. Although the dark energy is evil, I can feel that it can fuse with symbiotic energy and brain energy, making my strength stronger."
Elena walked to Liam's side, a relieved smile on her face mixed with a hint of worry: "It's good that you're okay. However, dark energy is too evil. Although it can fuse with other energies now, in the long run, it may affect your mind. We must find a way as soon as possible to remove the dark energy from your body or completely control it."
Elliott walked to the black shadow's body, his face full of guilt and anger: "It's all my negligence for not noticing a spy around me, almost causing a big mistake. I'm sorry, everyone." He turned to look at Elena and Liam, his tone firm, "I will immediately investigate my team thoroughly, eliminate all latent Shadow members, and at the same time increase security to ensure the safety of the base and laboratory. In addition, I will use global resources to track the strongholds of the Shadow Organization, find the R&D base of the dark brain chip as soon as possible, and stop their conspiracy."
Elena shook her head: "It's not your fault. The Shadow Organization is too cunning, and the spy is hidden too deeply. No one expected it. Now that the spy has been solved, although Liam's adaptation test had an accident, it also accidentally broke the suppression of the collar, which can be regarded as a blessing in disguise." She paused, turning her gaze to Wang, "Wang, immediately use AI to check the black shadow's body to see if you can find any clues, such as a communicator or encrypted files. Maybe you can find clues about the spiritual energy crystal and the Shadow stronghold."
"Received." Wang nodded, immediately scanning the black shadow's body with AI. Soon, the screen displayed a small communicator and an encrypted file hidden inside the black shadow's suit. "Found it, there's a micro-communicator and an encrypted file. AI is cracking the file password. There are some undeleted communication records in the communicator, which seem to be the contact records between the black shadow and the Shadow Organization."
Everyone gathered around, closely watching the communication records on the screen. The content above was very brief, mostly the black shadow reporting the base's situation, Liam's state, and the details of cooperation with Elliott. Among them, one communication record attracted everyone's attention: "The spiritual energy crystal is located under the glacier in the extremely cold zone. Personnel have been arranged to go for exploration. We must bring the spiritual energy crystal back to the base before Elliott's team finds it, for the R&D of the dark brain chip. The mass production of star-patterned ore is nearly completed and will be put into use soon."
"Under the glacier in the extremely cold zone!" A hint of surprise flashed in Elena's eyes, "Finally, there's a clue about the spiritual energy crystal! As long as we can find the spiritual energy crystal first, we can strengthen Liam's brain and body, completely break the suppression of the collar, and prevent the Shadow Organization from using it to develop the dark brain chip."
Elliott nodded, his tone firm: "I will immediately arrange an exploration team and a security team to go to the extremely cold zone with high-precision exploration equipment to find the spiritual energy crystal. At the same time, I will accelerate the exploration of star-patterned ore producing areas to prevent the Shadow Organization from mass-producing brain interference weapons. In addition, we will finalize the locations of the three alternative laboratories as soon as possible, complete the construction within a week, and transfer the original gene and regeneration factor to a safe laboratory to avoid accidents again."
Liam looked at the clues on the screen, his eyes full of determination: "I'll go with the exploration team. My body has completed the initial strengthening, and I can also perceive the breath of dark energy. If we encounter the exploration team of the Shadow Organization, I can deal with them, protect the safety of the exploration team, and find the spiritual energy crystal faster."
Elena hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Okay, but you must be careful. Dr. Gray will go with you to monitor your physical state at any time. Once energy disorder occurs, stop acting immediately. Kane, arrange enough security personnel to follow the exploration team to ensure everything is safe. Wang, stay at the base to continue optimizing the AI system and crack the encrypted file to see if you can find more clues about the Shadow Organization and the specific location of the spiritual energy crystal."
"Received!" Everyone said in unison, their faces showing firm expressions. After the crisis just now, they became more united and more determined to promote R&D and fight against the Shadow Organization.
At that moment, Wang's screen suddenly lit up again, and AI issued a slight alarm. The screen displayed a new communication record, cracked from the black shadow's communicator. The sender was unknown, and the tone was cold and weird: "Spy failed, plan unchanged. The spiritual energy crystal must be contested. Liam's power will eventually be swallowed by darkness. All your efforts are in vain. The good show has just begun."
Everyone's expressions turned solemn again. This communication record was like a cold warning, reminding them that the Shadow Organization's conspiracy was far more complicated than they thought. The spy was just one of their moves, and there would be more severe challenges waiting for them next. Liam clenched his fists, the energy in his body surging slightly, his eyes full of determination: "No matter what conspiracy the Shadow Organization has, I will not let them succeed. We will find the spiritual energy crystal first, we will stop the dark brain chip, and we will protect the future of humanity!"
The morning sun rose higher and higher, and the warm light filled the laboratory, illuminating the firm faces of everyone. Although the crisis was not over and the suspense remained, they already had a clear goal, sufficient support, and partners fighting side by side. The exploration team was about to set off to find the spiritual energy crystal in the extremely cold zone. The conspiracy of the Shadow Organization was gradually being uncovered. A game about genes, energy, AI and the future of humanity was about to enter a new stage of intense heat.