Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

"What do you want to do?" Yang Zhan's voice came through the communicator after hearing Jiang Nian's words.

"The mothership is still down there."

Jiang Nian quickly donned the equipment, "It won't give up easily."

"So you're going down again?" Wang Chuang roared, his eyes red. "Li Su just risked his life to send you up here!"

"That's why I can't run away."

Jiang Nian fastened the last buckle, and the jammer indicator light lit up with a pale blue light.

"Old Qin, what's the synchronization rate now?"

"Eighteen percent, and it's still slowly rising." Old Qin's voice was urgent. "The jammer is effective, but your body has reached its limit!"

"How long can I last?"

"Ten minutes at most! After ten minutes, either the synchronization rate will exceed the critical value or your organs will fail!"

Jiang Nian nodded and took the blue syringe out of the box.

"Teacher Jiang!" Su Qing grabbed his hand. "You can't use this right now! It will cause cardiac arrest!"

"It's better than being controlled."

Jiang Nian pushed her hand away and pressed the needle tip against the side of her neck.

"and many more."

Bai Yongxu's voice cut in.

"Sonar indicates that the mothership has stopped surfacing."

Everyone looked at the screen.

Sure enough, the light spot stopped at a depth of forty meters.

A few seconds later, the light spot began to slowly descend.

"It's going to withdraw?" Chief Zhao frowned.

"Something's not right." Yang Zhan stared at the screen. "It's releasing something."

On the sonar image, several tiny points of light appeared around the mothership, spreading in all directions.

“It’s a reconnaissance unit.” Old Qin analyzed the sonar characteristics. “Miniature underwater detectors, each only the size of a fist, but there are at least thirty of them.”

"They are setting up a net."

Jiang Nian understood.

“Yes,” Bai Yongxu said. “The organization knows that a direct assault would be difficult, so they’ve switched to reconnaissance and surveillance. These detectors will be lurking in the nearby waters, ready to report your movements at any time.”

"Can it be removed?" Yang Zhan asked.

"It's too difficult." Chief Zhao shook his head. "There are many of them, they are small in size, and they are scattered over a wide area. By the time we find them one by one, the mothership will have long since disappeared."

A brief silence fell over the speedboat.

The only sounds were the low rumble of the engine and the waves crashing against the hull.

"So they won't attack for now?" Wang Chuang wiped the water off his face.

“Not for now,” Old Qin said, “but your location has been exposed. These detectors will stick to you like glue, and the organization will know wherever you go.”

Jiang Nian looked at the syringe in his hand and slowly put it down.

"Go back to base."

He concluded, "They can't get in inside the base's defensive perimeter."

"That's the only way." Bai Yongxu ordered, "Captain Zheng, Explorer II escort, speedboats return at full speed, be aware that there may be lurking units underwater."

"understand!"

The speedboat engine roared, leaving a white trail on the sea.

Explorer 2 followed closely behind, its sonar fully activated, vigilantly scanning the surrounding sea.

Jiang Nian leaned against the ship's side, and Su Qing was giving him emergency treatment.

"His ribs may be fractured."

She carefully pressed on Jiang Nian's left rib. "His lung sounds are a bit mixed; he needs to go back and get an X-ray."

"What about internal bleeding?" Jiang Nian asked.

"There are no obvious symptoms at the moment, but a thorough examination is necessary."

Su Qing's eyes reddened again, "Teacher Jiang, you really..."

"I know."

Yang Zhan's voice broke in: "Old Qin, what about those detectors? Is there any way to interfere with them?"

"As soon as Jiang Nian leaves the base, the detectors will sound an alarm. Then they can decide whether to arrest him or continue surveillance, depending on the situation."

Wang Chuang slammed his fist on the gunwale: "Then we're like turtles in a jar?"

"For now, yes," Chief Zhao said, "but the base doesn't only have one exit, the main gate."

Everyone looked at him.

"Underground passage."

Yang Zhan understood, "The base has an emergency passage leading to the other side of the mountain, and the exit is in the valley 30 kilometers away."

“Yes.” Bai Yongxu nodded. “If necessary, we can use that passage to move. Once it’s used, the location of the base may be exposed.”

The speedboat sped across the sea for forty minutes, and the outline of the coastline ahead gradually became clear.

"We've entered the nearshore waters."

Captain Zheng reported, "The sonar indicates that the probes did not follow. They stopped about 20 nautical miles away."

“Draw a warning line.”

Bai Yongxu said, "Notify the Coast Guard to strengthen patrols in this area. Any unidentified underwater targets must be reported."

"Yes!"

Twenty minutes later, the speedboat entered a secluded military dock.

The ambulance is already waiting.

When Jiang Nian was lifted onto the stretcher, Yang Zhan held his hand down.

"I'll handle Li Su's matter."

The old instructor said in a deep voice, "Focus on recovering from your injury."

Jiang Nian looked at him and nodded.

The medical vehicle sped towards the base.

In the examination room, Dr. Xu and his team conducted a full set of examinations on Jiang Nian.

When Jiang Nian was wheeled into the ward, Old Qin was already waiting for him.

"Two pieces of news, one good and one bad."

Old Qin got straight to the point, "The good news is that we intercepted the communication protocols of the probes released by the mothership."

"Can it be cracked?"

"It will take time, but it's theoretically feasible." Old Qin pulled up a piece of code.

"What about the bad news?"

Old Qin remained silent for a few seconds before switching the screen.

A satellite photo appeared on the screen, taken two hours earlier.

“This is…” Jiang Nian sat up straight.

“The third one.” Old Qin’s voice was dry. “Judging from its outline, it is over two hundred meters long, and it is half again as big as the mothership.”

Enlarge the photo.

The details of the shadows gradually become clear.

“This is not a spacecraft,” Jiang Nian murmured.

“Yes.” Old Qin nodded. “This is a drilling platform, or rather, deep-sea mining equipment.”

He pulled up another set of data: "Looking at the thermal imaging, its energy system power is more than three times that of the mothership."

Old Qin paused for a moment: "We detected a high concentration of marrow element on its outer shell."

The air in the room froze.

"Ice marrow?" Jiang Nian thought of the blue ice beneath Greenland.

"Similar composition, but higher purity," Qin said. "The organization may have discovered a larger-scale mineral vein beneath the base."

Bai Yongxu's image then appeared on the screen.

"We just received the analysis from the intelligence department."

His expression was grave. "In the past 48 hours, the organization has mobilized at least 300 technical personnel from around the world, who have entered the region through various channels."

Jiang Nian felt a chill down his back.

"So they need to mine a lot. And the base is their forward mining site."

“We have to stop them,” Yang Zhan interrupted Jiang Nian, “but we can’t force our way in. You’ve already seen the base’s defenses; a direct assault would be suicide.”

"Then what should we do?" "From within," Bai Yongxu said. "Organizing transportation and mining requires personnel rotation and resupply. As long as they are operating, there will be loopholes."

He looked at Jiang Nian: "But the most important thing right now is your recovery. Until you can get back into the fight, we can only defend."

After the communication ended, the ward fell silent.

Old Qin packed up the documents, preparing to leave.

"Old Qin," Jiang Nian called out to him.

"Anything else?"

"Can Li Su's remains be found?"

Old Qin paused, then slowly shook his head: "A deep-sea underwater explosion, and with that kind of yield... it's very difficult. But the base will erect a cenotaph for him and treat him as a martyr."

Jiang Nian closed her eyes.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "His family..."

“The base will take care of everything.” Yang Zhan walked in from outside. “The pension, the children’s education, and the parents’ retirement will all be arranged.”

The old instructor sat down by the bed and looked at Jiang Nian: "What you need to do now is not blame yourself, but recover from your injuries and then avenge him."

The door closed softly.

Jiang Nian leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling.

After a long time, he pressed the call button.

Su Qing quickly came in: "Teacher Jiang, is there anything you need?"

"Help me contact Elder Qin," Jiang Nian said. "I need the latest human meridian chart and the distribution map of marked nodes, the more detailed the better."

"Now?"

"Now."

Late at night, the ward was transformed into a makeshift research lab.

Mr. Qin arrived with the documents, and Dr. Fang also came, bringing a portable scanner.

"This is a node chart updated based on your combat data today."

Mr. Qin brought up the 3D model on the tablet.

"Look here." Old Qin zoomed in on the liver area. "A new energy channel has appeared around the deep nodes."

On the model, several thin gold lines extend from the liver nodes, connecting to the surrounding meridians.

"This is the result of your internal energy guidance."

Dr. Fang explained, "You have forcibly changed its energy output path, and now some of its energy will naturally flow into the liver meridian to nourish the liver itself."

“Is this a good thing?”

"Great news!" Old Qin exclaimed excitedly. "This means that deep nodes are no longer just a burden; they can actually strengthen your internal organs!"

He pulled up another set of data: "The test shows that your liver's metabolic efficiency is 50 percent higher than that of an average person. Although it's currently due to a high metabolic state, theoretically, if you can maintain stable control, you can keep this enhancement indefinitely."

Jiang Nian stared at the golden threads: "What about the other deeper nodes?"

"The transformation of the spleen and kidneys is not yet complete."

Mr. Qin said, "Your guidance today is mainly focused on the liver."

"Next, I want you to gradually modify all the deep nodes."

Yang Zhan's voice came from the doorway.

The old instructor changed into a training uniform and carried a small incense burner in his hand.

He lit the incense burner, and a faint medicinal fragrance filled the air.

"This is calming incense; it will help stabilize your mind." Yang Zhan sat cross-legged by the bedside. "Now, close your eyes and feel your liver nodes."

Jiang Nian did as instructed.

Amidst the aroma of herbs, he quickly got into the zone.

The location of the liver node was very clear, and the faint pulsation felt like a call.

Jiang Nian guided his internal energy.

Initially, the nodes resisted somewhat, and the pulsation frequency increased.

A few minutes later, the node began to relax.

The throbbing became gentle and rhythmic.

"Alright," Yang Zhan said. "Now try to coordinate it with your breathing. When you inhale, let it contract slightly; when you exhale, let it expand slowly."

Jiang Nian adjusted her breathing.

Inhale and exhale.

The pulsation of the nodes gradually synchronized with breathing.

"Very good." Yang Zhan nodded. "Remember this feeling."

The training lasted until 3 a.m.

Jiang Nian is already able to skillfully guide the liver nodes to rise and fall with her breathing.

Although it was only initially under control, he could feel obvious changes.

The dull pain in the liver area disappeared, replaced by a warm and comfortable sensation.

The flow of internal energy was also smoother than before.

"That's all for today." Yang Zhan extinguished the incense burner. "We'll continue tomorrow. The goal is to tame the liver node within a week and achieve initial control of all deep nodes within a month."

Old Qin recorded the data: "If this can really be done, Jiang Nian's physical burden can be reduced by at least forty percent."

“Not enough.” Yang Zhan shook his head. “To completely solve the problem, we need more than 80% control.”

"How long will that take?"

"It depends on his comprehension," Yang Zhan said, looking at Jiang Nian. "And also on how much time the organization gives us."

The next morning, while Jiang Nian continued her cultivation in the ward, Bai Yongxu arrived.

They brought an intelligence briefing.

"That drilling platform has started working." Bai Yongxu pulled up the satellite image.

The footage shows the drill bit structure at the head of the platform slowly rotating as it penetrates deeper into the seabed.

"How deep are they mining?" Jiang Nian asked.

"Currently it's at 1,200 meters, but it's still getting deeper," Bai Yongxu said. "The technical department analyzes that at this rate, it can reach a depth of 2,000 meters within three days."

He switched the screen to display a blurry sonar image.

“We analyzed the base’s personnel entry and exit records and discovered a pattern.”

He circled a few time points: "Every Tuesday and Friday, a supply ship will depart from the small port and head to the base. In addition to supplies, there are also rotating technical personnel on board."

"You want to sneak in?"

“Yes,” Bai Yongxu said, “but it will take time to prepare. Forging identities, planting accomplices, and developing detailed infiltration and evacuation plans will take at least two weeks.”

He looked at Jiang Nian: "Your task for the next two weeks is to restore and control the marking system. Only when you can stably suppress external signal interference can we take action."

"What if the mining is completed within two weeks?"

“Then we’ll sabotage their supply lines,” Bai Yongxu said coldly.

After the meeting, Jiang Nian continued his cultivation.

But this time, he felt an even stronger sense of urgency.

Two weeks.

He must complete the initial control of the deep nodes within two weeks.

Otherwise, not only would the risk of the infiltration operation increase significantly, but he himself could also become a burden.

"Instructor Yang." He called out to Yang Zhan, who was about to leave.

"how?"

"Extra training," Jiang Nian said. "Eight hours a day, no, ten hours. As long as you don't die from overtraining, train like crazy."

Yang Zhan stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.

"That's true."

The intensity was so high that even Su Qing couldn't bear to watch anymore.

“Teacher Jiang, your health will collapse if you continue like this,” she couldn’t help but say on the morning of the seventh day.

Jiang Nian was doing breathing synchronization training, her eyes still closed: "It won't collapse."

"But Dr. Xu said that your wound healing speed has begun to slow down, which is a sign that your body is overtaxed."

"Then increase the dosage."

"Jiang Nian".

Yang Zhan pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bag of medicinal herbs instead of an incense burner.

"Su Qing is right, you've hit a bottleneck."

He handed the medicinal herbs to Su Qing: "Go and decoct them. Boil three bowls of water down to one bowl." (End of Chapter)