The central command room had already entered full wartime mode.
By the time Su Nuan helped Fu Linyuan arrive, dozens of rapidly approaching red dots were displayed across the massive screen. Technicians were working frantically to calculate their trajectories and projected impact points.
"How many?"
Fu Linyuan released Su Nuan's hand and forced himself to stand upright. His voice had regained its usual authority.
"At least twenty drones, carrying unidentified payloads."
Chen Mo quickly reported, "The air-defense system has locked onto them, but there are too many. It'll be difficult to intercept them all."
Fu Linyuan turned toward the radar screen.
"Wang Zhengguo won't be satisfied with drones. What about the fleet?"
"Still two hundred nautical miles away, but…"
Chen Mo hesitated.
"We've detected unusual activity beneath the sea. It could be a submarine."
Fu Linyuan's expression grew even more serious.
He quickly entered a string of commands, and the main screen switched to a real-time status map of the island's defense system.
"Activate the Ragnarok backup power supply. Prepare for an EMP attack."
Then he turned to Su Nuan.
"I need you to go to the underground shelter."
"No."
Su Nuan stood firmly beside him.
"If what you said is true, and my blood is the key weapon, then I have even more reason to stay here."
Something flickered in Fu Linyuan's eyes. He seemed about to argue, but in the end, he merely nodded.
"Then stay close to me."
The alarms grew increasingly deafening.
The first wave of drones had already entered visual range. The island's anti-aircraft guns thundered into action, exploding into brilliant fireballs across the night sky.
But several drones still broke through the defensive line and began circling above the island.
"What are they dropping?"
Su Nuan narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the black objects falling from the drones.
Fu Linyuan's face suddenly went pale.
"Those aren't bombs…"
His voice tightened.
"They're people!"
The magnified footage confirmed his suspicion.
The black objects were soldiers wearing specialized equipment, descending with astonishing precision onto strategic locations throughout the island.
"Paratroopers?"
Chen Mo asked in disbelief.
"No."
Fu Linyuan's voice was cold as ice.
"They're the Sweepers. Wang Zhengguo's elite special forces. They've undergone genetic enhancement. Each one can take on ten ordinary soldiers alone."
He quickly brought up several surveillance feeds.
The Sweepers had already begun their assault.
They moved with the speed of hunting predators, their firepower overwhelming. The ordinary guards were completely incapable of stopping them.
"Which direction are they heading?"
Su Nuan asked nervously.
Fu Linyuan rapidly analyzed the surveillance footage.
"They've split into three groups…"
"One group is heading toward the power station. Another is going to the laboratory. And the third…"
His voice suddenly stopped.
"They're coming for the main building."
The air inside the command room instantly froze.
The main building was the central hub of the island's defense system. If it fell, the entire island would lose its ability to resist.
"Chen Mo, take a team and reinforce the eastern defense line."
Fu Linyuan issued the orders decisively.
"Everyone else, stay at your posts. Su Nuan, come with me."
He led Su Nuan quickly toward a small door at the back of the command room.
After entering his palmprint and completing an iris scan, the door slid open, revealing a staircase leading underground.
"A safe room?"
Su Nuan asked.
"More than that."
Fu Linyuan led her down the stairs at a brisk pace.
"This is a direct passage to the Abyss command center."
The Abyss was the island's deepest and most secret facility. Su Nuan had never been permitted to enter it.
As they descended deeper underground, the surrounding concrete walls gradually gave way to some kind of metallic alloy. The temperature also dropped noticeably.
Eventually, they reached a circular chamber.
At its center stood a massive holographic projection platform, surrounded by countless control terminals.
Several technicians were already in position. The moment they saw Fu Linyuan, they immediately saluted.
"Status?"
Fu Linyuan asked briefly.
"The Sweepers have breached the outer defenses. They're expected to reach the main building within seven minutes."
A technician reported,
"The Abyss system is charged to seventy-eight percent, but it still isn't powerful enough to cover the entire island."
Fu Linyuan walked to the main control console and entered a long string of commands.
"Activate Plan B. Prepare to transfer all core data to the backup servers."
Su Nuan noticed that his movements had already become slower.
Tiny beads of sweat had formed across his forehead.
His injuries were clearly getting worse.
She quietly moved beside him, allowing him to lean against her for support.
"Thank you."
Fu Linyuan whispered.
Then he turned toward the holographic display.
"Show me the Sweepers' real-time positions."
Dozens of red dots immediately appeared across the projection.
Most were concentrated around the laboratory and power station, but five were rapidly moving toward the main building.
"They're after Ω-7 and the research data."
Fu Linyuan analyzed the situation.
"But what they want even more is you."
He looked at Su Nuan.
"The Purifiers will do anything to obtain the original antibody sample."
Su Nuan suddenly remembered something.
"What about Xu Zheng? Where is he?"
Fu Linyuan immediately brought up the personnel tracking system.
But Xu Zheng's location signal had disappeared.
"He shut off his tracker…"
Fu Linyuan's eyes sharpened.
"Or someone helped him shut it off."
At that exact moment, Chen Mo's urgent voice came through the communicator.
"Mr. Fu! The laboratory has been breached! Lin Xiu is back, and he brought the Sweepers with him! He… he knows about the fake data!"
Fu Linyuan's expression darkened.
"Casualties?"
"Severe…"
Gunfire and screams could be heard through the transmission.
"We can't stop those monsters! They're heading toward Sector B7!"
Fu Linyuan immediately pulled up the surveillance feed from Sector B7.
The image made Su Nuan draw a sharp breath.
Lin Xiu was walking at the front.
Behind him were five fully armed Sweepers, brutally forcing their way through one security door after another.
"What are they looking for?"
Su Nuan asked.
"Isn't Ω-7 already being transferred?"
"It's not just Ω-7…"
Fu Linyuan's voice was low.
"The lowest level of Sector B7 contains the original antibody samples…"
He paused.
"Your mother's blood sample."
Su Nuan stared at him in shock.
"My mother's…?"
"The last gift she left us before she died."
Fu Linyuan rapidly operated the control console.
"If the Sweepers obtain it and combine it with your living blood sample, the Purifiers will be able to develop a countermeasure against your antibodies."
The situation was far more dangerous than they had imagined.
Fu Linyuan immediately ordered the self-destruct sequence for Sector B7.
But the system displayed a notification:
External lock detected.
"Damn it!"
He cursed under his breath.
Then he turned toward Su Nuan.
"We have to evacuate immediately. Once they get the samples, you'll be their next target."
"Evacuate? Where?"
Su Nuan looked around.
The underground facility appeared to be their final refuge.
Fu Linyuan did not answer.
Instead, he reached beneath the control console and pulled out a metal case.
He entered a password, and the case opened.
Inside were two syringes and a small refrigerated container.
"The final Ω-7 prototype and a backup of your blood sample."
He handed the case to Su Nuan.
"Take this. Stay close to me."
They escaped the Abyss command center through a concealed passage.
Along the way, Fu Linyuan occasionally stopped to check the surveillance feeds.
The images were desperate.
The Sweepers had already captured the laboratory and half of the power station. The island's defenders were being pushed back step by step.
"What about everyone else?"
Su Nuan asked anxiously.
A trace of pain flashed across Fu Linyuan's face.
"Chen Mo will execute the evacuation protocol."
"Women and children have priority."
Eventually, they reached a hidden small-scale helipad.
A black helicopter was waiting there.
Fu Linyuan checked the fuel and system status, then gestured for Su Nuan to board.
"You can fly a helicopter?"
Su Nuan asked in surprise.
"Basic skill."
Fu Linyuan answered briefly as he started the engine.
"Buckle up. This is going to be fast."
The helicopter roared into the air and passed through a concealed tunnel leading out of the underground facility.
The moment they burst through the tunnel entrance, the sight before them made Su Nuan's heart stop.
Multiple parts of the island were engulfed in flames.
Gunshots and explosions continued without pause.
Far out on the sea, several warships were speeding toward them.
"Hold on!"
Fu Linyuan suddenly yanked the controls.
The helicopter climbed sharply.
Almost at the same moment, a missile streaked past beneath them, exploding in the sea and sending a massive column of water into the air.
"They've spotted us!"
Su Nuan gripped the side of her seat tightly as several rapidly approaching blips appeared on the radar.
"Fighter jets!"
Fu Linyuan pushed the throttle to maximum.
The helicopter charged toward the clouds at an almost suicidal angle.
"Not fighter jets…"
His voice remained calm.
"Interceptor drones. More maneuverable, and much harder to shake."
Three black drones plunged out of the clouds, their cannons spitting streams of fire.
Fu Linyuan skillfully maneuvered the helicopter through a series of evasive movements, but several bullets still struck the aircraft.
The warning alarms screamed.
"Hold on!"
He suddenly changed direction and dove toward the sea.
Su Nuan clung desperately to her safety harness as her stomach lurched from the sensation of weightlessness.
Just before they touched the surface of the water, Fu Linyuan violently pulled the nose upward.
The helicopter skimmed almost directly above the waves.
Two drones failed to adjust their trajectory in time. They plunged into the sea and exploded.
But the third drone remained in pursuit.
Its cannons opened fire again.
A deafening explosion shook the helicopter.
The instrument panel suddenly lit up with red warning lights.
"Tail rotor damaged!"
Fu Linyuan gritted his teeth as he struggled to control the shaking aircraft.
"We have to make an emergency landing!"
Su Nuan looked ahead.
There was nothing but endless ocean.
"Where are we supposed to land?"
Fu Linyuan did not answer.
Instead, he pressed the communicator.
"NEMESIS, this is Ark One. Requesting emergency extraction. Repeat, requesting emergency extraction."
Only static came through.
Just as Su Nuan thought their distress call had failed, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from the communicator.
"Mr. Fu, I'm glad to see you're still alive."
Xu Zheng.
"The route has been locked. Maintain your current heading."
"Xu Zheng?!"
Su Nuan stared at Fu Linyuan in shock.
The side of the man's face looked especially cold and hard beneath the glow of the instrument panel.
"Traitor."
"Oh, don't put it that way."
Xu Zheng's voice carried a false note of regret.
"I simply chose the side with the better odds."
He paused.
"And by the way, Lin Xiu has already obtained Lin Xue's sample."
"Now, all we need is the final piece of the puzzle…"
The transmission suddenly cut out.
At the same moment, the drone disappeared from the radar.
Somewhere ahead, a blurry black shape was rapidly approaching across the surface of the sea.
"A ship!"
Su Nuan narrowed her eyes.
"Is it ours?"
Fu Linyuan's expression did not relax in the slightest.
"Not sure."
As the distance closed, the ship's outline gradually became clearer.
It was completely black, with a sleek, streamlined design.
Several fully armed men stood on its deck.
"Not ours."
Fu Linyuan suddenly began climbing.
"It's a Purifier interception vessel!"
But the damaged helicopter no longer had the power to escape.
The engine let out one final, agonizing cry.
The aircraft began to fall uncontrollably.
Fu Linyuan used every ounce of strength he had to control its direction, forcing the helicopter into a desperate glide toward the ship's deck.
The violent impact made Su Nuan's vision go black.
When she regained consciousness, she found Fu Linyuan half-carrying, half-dragging her out of the wreckage.
Armed men immediately surrounded them, their weapons aimed directly at their vital organs.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Fu."
A familiar voice came from behind the crowd.
Xu Zheng slowly stepped forward, a victorious smile on his face.
"And Dr. Su… We've been looking for you for a very long time."
Fu Linyuan moved in front of Su Nuan, shielding her with his body.
He could barely remain standing.
"What do you want?"
"You already know."
Xu Zheng's gaze settled on Su Nuan.
"Her blood sample…"
"And her."
"The Purifier leadership is extremely interested in the first successful genetically modified human."
A chill ran through Su Nuan.
The way Xu Zheng looked at her was not the way someone looked at another human being.
He looked at her like a priceless experimental specimen.
"Forget it."
Fu Linyuan's voice was cold as ice.
"You'll have to step over my dead body first."
Xu Zheng shook his head regretfully.
"How touching."
"But completely meaningless."
He gestured to his men.
"Take them."
"Mr. Fu stays alive. He's useful to General Wang."
"As for Dr. Su…"
"Don't damage her brain. The rest of her body doesn't matter."
The armed men slowly advanced.
Fu Linyuan leaned close to Su Nuan and whispered,
"When I count to three, run toward the starboard side and jump."
"What? You're injured like this…"
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
Fu Linyuan suddenly pulled a handgun from his waist.
Su Nuan had no idea he was still carrying a weapon.
He fired several shots in rapid succession, taking down three armed men.
Amid the chaos, he shoved Su Nuan toward the side of the ship.
They were almost at the railing when a gunshot rang out.
Fu Linyuan's body jerked violently.
Su Nuan stared in horror as blood poured from his back.
Yet he still gritted his teeth and returned fire, buying her a few precious seconds.
"Jump!"
He roared, turning to stand between her and the pursuing soldiers.
Su Nuan hesitated for a single moment.
Then she saw Fu Linyuan get shot again and collapse to his knees.
She knew that staying meant certain death.
But if she escaped, there might still be a chance to save him.
Clinging to that thought, she climbed over the railing and plunged into the pitch-black sea.
The freezing water swallowed her instantly.
Distant gunshots and shouts echoed around her.
The powerful current dragged at her body.
Su Nuan fought desperately to swim, but she quickly exhausted her strength.
Her consciousness began to fade.
In her final moments of awareness, she felt something wrap around her waist and pull her deeper into the darkness.
Through the haze, she seemed to see the outline of a submarine…
And several figures wearing diving suits.
Then—
the world fell into complete darkness.