Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

Under the escort of the Sharp Sword Squad, the Hope Star hospital ship, with its damaged hull, continued its journey towards the designated ambush zone number two at a reduced speed.

Oil slicks and debris floated on the sea, telling the story of the brutality of the brief but intense battle that had just taken place.

The ship's medical staff are doing their best to treat the wounded, while special forces soldiers are on high alert.

Clean up the battlefield and take prisoners.

At the Xuanwu Base command center, although a crucial victory had just been achieved, the atmosphere was not relaxed but rather more tense.

The battle is over, but the struggle for intelligence has only just begun.

The silver-gray heavy assault soldier, subdued by a specially made capture net and high-voltage electricity, was given the provisional codename "Butcher."

The Sharp Sword Squad and the professional interrogation team that arrived later by high-speed speedboat were secretly transferred back to the deepest isolation interrogation area of ​​the Xuanwu Base as quickly as possible through special channels.

Bai Yongxu, General Zhao, and Jiang Nian are standing behind the one-way glass at this moment.

He watched the situation in the interrogation room.

The butcher was strapped to a specially made alloy chair, his heavy armor removed to reveal his muscular body covered with reinforced muscle fibers.

He was equipped with multiple physiological signal monitoring probes, and his face was covered by a specially made helmet that concealed his features, which he had not yet removed.

Even without his armor, he still exuded a ferocious aura like a wild beast as he sat there.

The chief examiner was Colonel Li Guoming, the most experienced psychologist in the base.

He didn't rush to ask questions, but quietly watched the butcher, observing even the slightest fluctuations in his physiological reactions.

"Butcher, that's your code name."

Li Guoming's voice was steady, revealing no emotion.

“We know that you hold a high position within the organization, capable of commanding three Siren-class submarines and an elite commando team to execute key aspects of Operation Wind Hunt.”

The butcher's head, covered by his helmet, twitched slightly, letting out a muffled chuckle that came through the voice changer, tinged with disdain.

Li Guoming remained unmoved and continued, "Your goal is zero, or rather, what you call the key."

"But you failed. What was on Hope Star was just a bionic vessel, a decoy."

He paused, observing the butcher's heartbeat and breathing rate on the monitoring screen.

Upon hearing the bionic carrier and the bait, the butcher's physiological signals showed an extremely brief but noticeable fluctuation.

Although he quickly suppressed it, it had already been detected by sophisticated instruments.

"Your squad has been wiped out; the Siren ship has either been sunk or captured. You are now all alone."

Li Guoming's tone remained calm, "How would the organization view a commander who failed in a mission and fell into enemy hands?"

The butcher's body tensed up almost imperceptibly for a moment.

Li Guoming's words were like a cold dagger, precisely piercing the fear that might exist in his heart.

Organizational cleansing policy!
There is no mercy for losers, especially those who might leak secrets.

"I do not know what you're talking about."

The butcher finally spoke, his voice hoarse and cold, "Kill me if you want, stop talking nonsense."

"Killing you would be easy."

Li Guoming leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp, "But your value goes far beyond that."

“You understand the importance of the Ruins of Return, and you also understand the significance of the key. Tell us the exact location of the Ruins of Return, its internal structure, its defensive capabilities, and the truth behind the resonance between the key and the lock.”

"This is your only chance to fight for a different outcome."

Different endings?

The butcher sneered, "Become a traitor, and then be kept like a dog by you? Or be endlessly hunted down by the organization? Don't waste your energy."

"traitor?"

Li Guoming shook his head. "Your loyalty to the organization is based on their absolute control over you and their fear that they might abandon you at any time."

"Is this kind of loyalty worth risking your life to uphold?"

He switched the screen in the interrogation room, which displayed a manipulated photograph—a fragment of encrypted files recovered from the Butcher Armor's internal memory.

“Look at this, Butcher. In the organization’s eyes, you are no different from those Deep Ones and those test subjects. You are all disposable tools.”

The butcher suddenly raised his head, and despite wearing a helmet, the burst of violent energy he exuded almost shattered the glass.

The data on the monitoring instrument spiked instantly!

"What do you know?!"

He roared, his voice tinged with barely suppressed excitement, "Our Lord's great undertaking is for transcendence! For the beginning of a new era! You ants bound by the old age will never understand!"

"Transcendence? A new era?"

Jiang Nian listened to the butcher's words in the observation room, her eyes slightly cold.

This kind of fanaticism, which leads to the alienation of oneself into a tool, is often the most troublesome.

Faced with the butcher's agitation, Li Guoming became even calmer:
“We may not be able to understand what you call great achievements, but we know clearly that what you call transcendence is built on the sacrifice and suffering of countless people like you, and many more innocent people.”

“Those culture tanks under the Greenland ice sheet are evidence.”

He switched the screen again, playing a video clip of the experiment that had been pixelated but whose cruel nature was still evident.

The distorted figure struggled in the culture tank, the data coldly recording the demise of vital signs.

The butcher stared at the screen, his breathing noticeably heavier, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Look, the so-called new era you're pursuing can't even accommodate your own people."

Li Guoming's tone carried a hint of pity, "Tell me, where is Guixu? What exactly is that keyhole that needs a key to open?"

There was a long silence.

The butcher seemed to be struggling with something within himself.

The organization's brainwashing was profound, but Li Guoming's words and the evidence he presented were like wedges, trying to pry open his strong psychological defenses.

Inside the observation room, Bai Yongxu whispered:
"He's wavering. But it's not enough."

Jiang Nian nodded, then suddenly said to the communicator next to him, "Professor Li, ask him about the specific meaning of the keyhole and the resonance cycle."

"In particular, what exactly will Zero, as the key, trigger in a state of resonance?"

Li Guoming received Jiang Nian's suggestion and immediately changed his strategy, no longer focusing on the location of Guixu.

That was clearly top secret; the butcher might not know it, or he might have extremely strong psychological defenses.

They then turned their attack to another key point.

"Butcher, we know a key needs to be inserted into a lock. Zero is that key. But what is a lock? Is it some kind of device? Or a specific environment?"

"What happens when the key resonates with the keyhole? Does it open a door? Or activate some kind of device?" The butcher heard the keyhole and the resonance, and his body trembled almost imperceptibly again.

This seems to have touched upon a more core aspect of his understanding, perhaps one that is more difficult for him to comprehend, or even frightening.

"That is the realm of miracles."

The butcher's voice lowered, becoming almost a mumbled whisper: "Only the chosen can touch it."

His words began to become incoherent, interspersed with some unintelligible words.

"What miracle? What door? What has awakened?"

Li Guoming was in hot pursuit.

"Shut up!"

The butcher struggled violently, the specially made alloy chair creaking and groaning, his physiological signals fluctuating wildly. "I can't say!"

"That's forbidden! Offending the Sleepers means death for everyone!"

His reaction was unusually intense, driven by an instinctive fear, far surpassing his previous reactions to failure and the threat of death.

"The Sleeper?"

Jiang Nian noticed the new word and frowned.

What is this again?
A high-ranking code name within the organization?
Or something else?
Li Guoming realized this might have touched on some core taboo, so he softened his tone, trying to soothe him: "Butcher, calm down. Tell me, what is the Sleeper? Is it in the Ruins?"

But the butcher seemed to be in a state of confusion, ignoring Li Guoming's questions.

The interrogation has reached a temporary stalemate.

"It seems that the Sleepers are a more sensitive topic than the location of the Ruins."

General Zhao said in a deep voice, "This guy is subconsciously filled with fear of this thing."

"First, record the incoherent babbling of the Sleeper and the Butcher and hand it over to the analysis department."

Bai Yongxu ordered, "Continue the interrogation, try other approaches, such as their command chain for this operation, their communication methods, or his knowledge of other organizations' strongholds."

Following instructions, Li Guoming changed the direction of his inquiry.

After calming down slightly, the butcher either claimed ignorance of the details of the operation and other strongholds or provided information that was clearly false or outdated, and his resistance remained strong.

After several hours of intense interrogation, Li Guoming and his support team were exhausted.

Although the butcher was under tremendous physical and mental pressure, his willpower was stronger than anyone could imagine.

"It seems that conventional methods are unlikely to achieve significant breakthroughs in the short term."

Bai Yongxu rubbed his temples. "Let him rest first. Our people also need rest. The technical department should step up its efforts to decipher the data on his armor and personal belongings."

Just then, the head of the technical department rushed over, his face beaming with excitement.

"Commander! We've made a major discovery! We've extracted a very special isotope marker from the energy core fragments of the Butcher's damaged high-frequency vibrating cutting axe!"

"This isotopic labeling is extremely rare, and its decay characteristics are highly consistent with the anomalous isotopic residues in deep-sea sediment samples we collected near a specific coordinate point within the target area of ​​the Mariana Trench!"

Everyone perked up!
"Are you sure?" Bai Yongxu asked urgently.

"Confirmed! Match rate exceeds 99%!"

"Although we cannot pinpoint the exact location to the meter level, it is enough to narrow down the possible range of the Ruins of Return from a radius of 500 kilometers to an area with this coordinate point as the center and a radius of no more than 50 kilometers!"

The technical lead gave an excited report.

A radius of fifty kilometers!

While this is still quite large in the vast deep sea, it is a huge breakthrough compared to before!

This is enough to allow subsequent reconnaissance forces to act with a clear objective!

"Immediately synchronize this intelligence with the marine monitoring and satellite departments, and conduct 24-hour continuous focused reconnaissance of the area!"

General Zhao immediately gave the order.

“In addition,” the technical lead continued, “we conducted material analysis on the inner lining of the Butcher Armor and discovered a new type of biopolymer material with excellent pressure adaptability and corrosion resistance.”

"Its molecular structure is similar to the materials we have at our Greenland base, but its performance is superior."

"This further confirms the speculation that Guixu is located in the deep sea and that its construction technology is more advanced than that of the Greenland base."

Clues are gradually converging, and the outline of Guixu is becoming clearer.

Jiang Nian stared intently at the butcher being led away from the interrogation room.

The butcher didn't directly reveal the location of Guixu, but the equipment he carried became the most direct guiding light.

"The next step is to get close to and confirm the specific targets within this 50-kilometer radius."

Jiang Nian said slowly, "The organization must have set up a tight defense there. A direct attack is not advisable."

"We need more precise intelligence, and it would be best if we had a pair of eyes to see for us."

Bai Yongxu pondered for a moment and said, "Our latest unmanned underwater vehicle can try to infiltrate the area for reconnaissance."

"Its quietness and diving depth are both world-class."

"But the risks remain significant."

General Zhao cautioned, "The organization's anti-submarine and detection technologies should not be underestimated. Once Hai Tong is discovered, it will not only alert the enemy but may also expose the fact that we have already locked onto the area."

"Perhaps we can take a two-pronged approach."

Jiang Nian suddenly spoke up, "Let's use Mermaid No. 1 to put on another show."

"Oh?" Bai Yongxu and General Zhao looked at him.

"The organization suffered heavy losses in the Wind Chaser operation and also lost a senior member."

"What they want to know most right now, besides our movements, is probably the Butcher's situation, and whether we have obtained any information about the Ruins from the Butcher."

Jiang Nian analyzed, "We can deliberately release some ambiguous information, such as the butcher having a mental breakdown under severe interrogation and revealing some fragmented information, but we cannot fully decipher it and are mobilizing resources to verify it."

"At the same time, activate Mermaid One again to simulate some kind of unstable resonance precursor."

"You mean to lure them out of their hole, let them move on their own, and thus expose more weaknesses?"

"Even to make them mistakenly believe that we have obtained key information, forcing them to take more extreme measures, such as relocating ahead of schedule or activating the Ruins?" Bai Yongxu immediately understood Jiang Nian's intention.

“That’s right.” Jiang Nian nodded. “The bigger the commotion, the more opportunities we will have to see.”

"Moreover, if they are truly worried that the key will fall into our hands and begin to resonate, they might not be able to resist striking again to try to take it back or destroy it. This would be another opportunity for us to ambush them."

A bolder and more adventurous plan began to take shape in Jiang Nian's mind.

By exploiting information asymmetry and psychological warfare, the organization is constantly mobilized, causing them to gradually reveal fatal flaws amidst anxiety and misjudgment.

"This plan is ingenious, but also extremely dangerous." (End of Chapter)