Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

"Final confirmation before departure."

Inside the command center, Bai Yongxu's voice came through the loudspeaker, echoing between the metal walls.

Jiang Nian stood in front of the equipment platform, and Su Qing was helping him adjust the lining of his combat uniform.

Faint gold patterns can be faintly seen on the black, close-fitting fabric; these are the marrow mineral energy guiding fibers woven in by Qin Lao's team.

"Identity card." Old Qin handed over the black employee badge.

Jiang Nian took it, his fingers tracing its cool surface. A small biochip was embedded in the center of the badge, now flashing a faint green light.

"Personal information has been loaded." Dr. Fang stared at the control panel. "Jiang Dawei, 32 years old, Level 3 Technician in the Energy System, belonging to Group B of the Greenland 7 Platform. His work history, training records, and even canteen consumption data have all been forged."

Yang Zhan nodded, took a pair of short blades from the weapon rack, and handed them over: "New. High-frequency vibration blades, specifically designed to deal with reinforced armor. But remember, use them only when necessary."

"clear."

"Hailong No. 4 and No. 6 will provide support from the outside."

General Zhao pulled up the tactical map. "They're using modified commercial submersibles, disguised as research vessels. Once you send the signal, they'll be at the evacuation point within twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes is too long," Hailong No. 4's voice came through the communicator. "Once the platform explodes, the organization's underwater units will swarm around like sharks smelling blood."

"Then don't let them find out." Jiang Nian finished checking the last equipment clip. "Detonate it and run, leave no trace."

Bai Yongxu walked up to Jiang Nian and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Success is not the goal of this mission," he said slowly. "I want you to come back alive. The anchor point can be blown up again, but once a person is dead, that's it."

Jiang Nian nodded without saying anything.

He knew this was just a consolation. Once the Greenland anchor point was established, the organization's triangulation system would be half complete. At that point, attempting to sabotage it would be far more costly.

"Let's go." Bai Yongxu patted him on the shoulder.

……

Three hours later, at the edge of the Arctic Ocean.

The seawater was a deep, inky blue, with ice floes scattered across its surface like shattered mirrors. A biting wind howled, and the thermometer read minus fifteen degrees Celsius.

Jiang Nian sat in the cramped compartment of the attack submarine, and could see the icebergs slowly moving outside through the observation window.

"Fifty nautical miles from the target platform," the captain's voice came through the loudspeaker. "We can't get any closer; the organization's sonar array has a wide coverage area."

"Is the miniature underwater vehicle ready?" Jiang Nian asked.

"Ready to go." Hailong VI walked in from the next compartment, carrying two waterproof bags. "These are your equipment packs. Food, medicine, and spare oxygen, enough to last for forty-eight hours."

Jiang Nian took it and weighed it in his hand: "Where's the explosive?"

"Here it is." Number Six opened another silver box, inside which twelve gray plastic blocks were neatly arranged. "Nano explosives, remote detonation distance 500 meters. It is recommended to attach them to the six main support nodes of the platform for the best simultaneous detonation effect."

"Have you memorized the node locations?"

"It's etched in my mind." Jiang Nian tapped his temple.

The submarine began to surface.

As the hatch opened, a biting wind rushed in. Jiang Nian pulled her mask tighter and plunged into the icy sea.

The miniature submersible hovered nearby, its streamlined black hull almost blending into the seawater. He swam over, opened the hatch, and crawled inside.

The interior space is cramped, only enough for one person. The control panel glows with a ghostly blue light.

"Communication test." Jiang Nian pressed the headset button.

"Received, signal clear," Qin Lao's voice came through. "Your current depth is 120 meters, heading due north. Estimated travel time is one hour and forty minutes."

"clear."

The submersible started up and silently glided into the deep sea.

An hour later, abnormal signals began to appear on the sonar screen.

"Ten nautical miles ahead, there is a large metal structure," Qin reported. "That should be the platform. Note that there are six mobile signals around; they are patrol units."

"Can we go around it?"

"Yes, but we would need to dive to a depth of 300 meters and go through the trench. The water temperature there is even lower, which would reduce the effectiveness of sonar detection."

"Then let's dive down."

The submersible adjusted its angle and began to slowly descend.

The thermometer reading continued to drop.

Zero degrees, minus five degrees, minus ten degrees... Even with a constant temperature system, Jiang Nian could feel the biting cold seeping in through the cabin walls.

"We've arrived," said Old Qin. "Now sail eastward for three nautical miles along the trench, then surface. The bottom of the platform is right above us."

"Where are the patrol units?"

"Two are two nautical miles to your port side, three are three nautical miles to your starboard side, and one is patrolling directly overhead. You have a ten-minute window."

"enough."

The submersible moved swiftly along the bottom of the trench. Searchlights illuminated the steep rock walls on either side, covered with thick ice, and occasionally strange deep-sea creatures could be seen flashing by in the light.

Three nautical miles later, Jiang Nian began to maneuver the submersible to surface.

"Stop!" Old Qin suddenly shouted, "The patrol unit directly above us has turned back! It's now a hundred meters above your head!"

Jiang Nian immediately stopped surfacing and turned off all external lights.

On the sonar screen, a red dot is slowly moving upwards, getting closer and closer.

The submersible hovered in the darkness, like a lifeless stone.

The red dot eventually passed at a depth of thirty meters and continued its patrol into the distance.

"They're gone." Old Qin breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, full speed ahead, ascend!"

The submersible's engines started up again, and it shot straight toward the surface of the sea.

A minute later, a huge shadow appeared overhead.

That's the bottom of the platform. A circular structure over two hundred meters in diameter, assembled from dozens of giant modules. The bottom is filled with pipes, cables, and thruster nozzles, like an inverted steel city.

"The maintenance entrance is in the northeast direction, numbered B-7." Old Qin pulled up the structural diagram. "The shift changes at four in the morning every day, and it's 3:55 now. You have five minutes left."

The submersible silently glided to its designated location.

Sure enough, there was a round, sealed door, about 1.5 meters in diameter. The control panel next to the door was lit with a dim blue standby light.

Jiang Nian maneuvered the underwater vehicle closer, extended its robotic arm, and affixed the forged identity card to the identification area.

“Ding—verification passed.”

The sealed door slid open slowly, revealing a bright passageway inside.

Jiang Nian quickly took off his diving suit and changed into the dark blue uniform of an organization technician. The uniform fit him well, with the words "Greenland Platform 7" and a small emblem embroidered on the left chest.

He slung his equipment bag over his shoulder, concealed the explosives on the inner layer of his tactical vest, and hid his short blade in a hidden pocket in his cuff.

"Identity switch complete," he whispered into his headset.

"Okay." Old Qin's voice was very soft. "Now enter the passage, walk forward fifty meters and turn left. You will see the changing room. The technicians on the early shift change clothes there. Sneak in."

Jiang Nian took a deep breath, emerged from the submersible, and swam into the tunnel.

The hatch closed behind us. The passageway was warm, and the air circulation system hummed softly.

The walls were made of a smooth alloy, and an energy-saving light bulb every few meters overhead cast a stark white glow.

He walked forward along the passage, his footsteps absorbed by his soft-soled shoes.

Push the door open and go in.

There were already more than a dozen people changing clothes inside. They were all wearing the same dark blue uniforms, both men and women, and all between thirty and forty years old. No one looked up at him; everyone was focused on doing their own thing.

Jiang Nian walked to an empty locker and began to change her clothes.

"New here?" A middle-aged man wearing glasses glanced at him.

“I was transferred here.” Jiang Nian mimicked the slightly tired tone of a technician. “The project at the South China Sea base was finished, so they dumped me here in this freezing cold.”

“Ha, we’re in the same boat.” The man laughed. “I was also transferred here from the Indian Ocean last week. This godforsaken place, it’s minus twenty degrees during the day and minus thirty at night. I really want to finish this job and go back as soon as possible.”

"How much longer?" Jiang Nian asked while buttoning his shirt.

"I heard it'll be soon." The man lowered his voice. "The main piles have been driven to the predetermined depth, and we've been testing the positioning system these past few days. If all goes well, it should be ready for trial operation by the end of the month."

"Let's go, time to get to work." The man patted him on the shoulder. "Which group are you in?"

"Group B, Energy Systems."

"What a coincidence, I'm also in Group B. My name is Engineer Chen, a Level 3 Technician. What about you?"

"Jiang Dawei is also at level three."

“That’s perfect, let’s work together today.” Engineer Chen was very enthusiastic. “Come on, I’ll take you to the control room.”

The two left the locker room together and walked forward along another passage.

The platform was larger than I had imagined. The passageways were crisscrossing, like a maze. Along the way, I could see all sorts of pipes and cables, and the air was filled with the smell of engine oil mixed with ozone.

"What is the main purpose of our platform?" Jiang Nian asked tentatively.

“Anchor points,” Chen said matter-of-factly. “Didn’t you look at the training materials?”

"I looked at it, but I don't quite understand it." Jiang Nian pretended to be confused. "It's said to be used for spatial positioning, but the specific principles..."

"Hey, why should we at this level know so much?" Engineer Chen waved his hand. "Anyway, it's just about driving that big pile into the seabed, starting the equipment, and locking the coordinates. Let the senior engineers worry about the rest."

As they spoke, the two arrived at a heavy alloy door.

There was a biometric panel by the door. Mr. Chen pressed his right hand on it, the panel scanned his iris, and a green light came on a few seconds later.

The control room is very large, at least 200 square meters.

The front features a full-length curved screen displaying various platform data and 3D models. Below are dozens of control consoles, each occupied by a technician.

"That's the main control panel," Engineer Chen pointed to the center. "Only senior engineers can touch it. Our work area is over there, responsible for monitoring the stability of the energy system's output."

He led Jiang Nian to a control panel in the corner: "You'll use this. It's very simple. Just keep an eye on these curves and make sure the fluctuations don't exceed the threshold. If they do, press this red button to sound an alarm."

Jiang Nian sat down and looked at the screen.

The display shows six energy output curves, corresponding to the platform's six main energy nodes. The data is very stable, with minimal fluctuations.

“Nothing much usually happens.” Engineer Chen sat down next to him. “As long as the pile foundation isn’t being drilled, the energy load is very low. You can look at the training materials or take a nap, just don’t let the supervisor see you.”

"Who is the supervisor?"

"That bald guy over there," Engineer Chen gestured with his eyes, "his surname is Wang. He has a bad temper, but his skills are really impressive. Try not to mess with him."

Jiang Nian followed his gaze.

At the other end of the control room, a man in his fifties stood in front of the main control console, frowning as he looked at the data. He was indeed balding on top, wore thick glasses, and had a serious expression.

Seemingly sensing the gaze, Manager Wang suddenly turned his head and looked at Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian immediately lowered her head, pretending to look at the screen.

Footsteps sounded, and Manager Wang walked over.

"New here?" he asked, his voice cold.

"Yes, I just reported for duty today." Jiang Nian stood up.

"what is it call?"

"Jiang Dawei."

"Which base were you at before?"

"Nanhai No. 7"

Supervisor Wang stared at him for a few seconds: "Didn't the Nanhai No. 7 have an accident last month? The reactor leaked and three people died."

Jiang Nian's heart tightened, but his expression remained unchanged: "Yes, I was in the external maintenance team at the time, and luckily nothing happened."

"Then you're in luck." Supervisor Wang pushed up his glasses. "Now that you've been transferred here, do a good job. This place isn't like the South China Sea; if there's even the slightest mistake, the entire platform could sink into the icy sea."

"clear."

Manager Wang glanced at him again, then turned and left.

Engineer Chen breathed a sigh of relief: "You scared me to death. I thought he was going to test your professional knowledge."

"Does he do this often?"

“That’s how they treat newcomers,” Engineer Chen said in a low voice. “I heard he used to work at headquarters, but he made a mistake and was demoted here. He’s resentful and looks down on everyone.”

Jiang Nian sat down again, his gaze sweeping across the control room.

There are at least thirty or forty technicians here, divided into different groups.
His gaze finally settled on the large screen on the control panel.

The platform's complete 3D model and the real-time depth of the pile foundations are displayed there.

"How deep should the piles be driven?" he asked Engineer Chen.

"The design depth is three thousand meters," Engineer Chen said. "After reaching the designated location, the anchoring device will be released to secure it to the seabed. Then, the core equipment will be activated to establish a spatial resonance field."

"Resonance field?"

"Yes, I heard it uses fluctuations at a special frequency to lock onto the target's coordinates." Engineer Chen scratched his head. "I don't know the specifics; that's the job of the positioning team."

Jiang Nian silently noted down this information.

Time passed by minute by minute.

The control room was quiet, save for the sounds of typing and hushed conversations. Jiang Nian stared at the energy curve on the screen, his mind racing.

He needed to find an opportunity to place explosives at the six key support points.

However, those nodes are distributed in different areas of the platform, some of which are in the core area and require advanced privileges to access.

"Engineer Chen," he suddenly spoke up, "can we go to the site and take a look? Just looking at the data isn't very reassuring."

"The site?" Engineer Chen was taken aback. "You want to go to the pile foundation area?"

"Yes, I want to see it with my own eyes."

"It's not impossible," Engineer Chen thought for a moment. "You can apply during your lunch break. But it needs to be approved by your supervisor, and a safety officer has to be with you."

"Never mind, it's too much trouble."

Jiang Nian didn't bring up the topic again, but she had already made up her mind. (End of Chapter)