You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

“Yes, I’ll make arrangements when I get back to Qingwei Sect, and then I’ll personally take you there. Senior Gu Jinghui is there to oversee things, so it’s relatively safe, and the spiritual energy environment is also suitable for soul cultivation. If you’re together, you can look after each other.”

Chen Yang said earnestly.

The woman's remnant spirit had helped him a great deal, so naturally he wanted to find her a stable home.

The woman's remnant spirit bowed slightly, her voice softening.

"Then... thank you for the arrangement, sir. I do indeed wish to see what the other souls in this world are like."

Chen Yang waved his hand.

"You're welcome. You should go back and get some rest; you've taken a lot of energy this time."

The woman's remnant spirit nodded, her figure slowly fading as she returned to the Spirit Orb.

Silence returned to the makeshift hospital. Chen Yang lay on the bed, physically exhausted, but mentally excited by the successful operation, the strengthening of alliances, and plans for the future.

He stared at the ceiling, reviewing the night's battle in his mind, thinking about how to quickly convert the acquired equipment and potions... Gradually, weariness overcame him, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The morning sun pierced through the thin mist of the Gobi Desert and shone on the slightly messy camp at the Northwest Base of the Special Administration Bureau.

After a night of rest and celebration, the somber atmosphere has dissipated, replaced by the busy preparations for evacuation.

Chen Yang stepped out of the makeshift hospital and stretched his limbs. The fatigue in his body had mostly subsided thanks to the pills and his breathing exercises, and his wounds had largely healed, leaving only some faint marks.

He looked up and saw that Jiang He, Liu Yu, Huang Zhenren, Luanhuang and others had gathered in the open space in the center of the camp, surrounded by Special Administration soldiers who were busy loading supplies.

"Commander Chen, how was your rest?"

When Jiang He saw Chen Yang, he greeted him with a smile. He had changed into a civilian uniform, but the capable military bearing between his brows remained.

"Thank goodness. Minister Jiang, are you preparing to withdraw?"

Chen Yang walked over.

"Yes, this operation was a complete success and yielded great results. We must send these 'spoils of war' back to headquarters safely as soon as possible for research."

Jiang He pointed to several military trucks next to him that were already mostly loaded with supplies. They were covered with tarpaulins, and some distinctive shapes could be vaguely seen on them. These were clearly equipment, samples, and data that had been moved from the men in black's stronghold last night.

"We seized quite a few items this time, some of which are very sensitive. Transportation conditions here are limited, so we can only use trucks for land transport. Although it's slower, it's more reliable."

Liu Yu and Master Huang also came over.

Liu Yu changed back into an elegant dress, exuding a gentle aura, but her eyes were clear and firm.

Master Huang was still dressed in his Taoist robe, looking energetic and vigorous, but when he looked at the trucks, there seemed to be something hidden deep in his eyes.

Chen Yang nodded.

"understand.

These things are indeed valuable; we must be careful on the road. Since we're going the same way, we might as well travel together so we can look out for each other. We'll go our separate ways once we reach a safe area.”

Jiang He was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"That's great! With Master Chen and other experts traveling with us, our safety along the way will be much more guaranteed! To be honest, I'm a little worried about carrying all this stuff for such a long distance. I'm afraid those men in black won't give up and might cause some trouble along the way."

Qiuniu, standing to the side, responded in a muffled voice.

"What are you afraid of!
If they dare come, it's perfect timing for another massacre! We didn't have enough fun last night!

Luanfeng rolled her eyes at him.

"All you care about is fighting and killing. Getting the goods back safely is the real priority. With Sect Leader Chen and the others around, things are definitely much safer."

With the plan agreed upon, everyone acted without further delay. Soon, all the supplies were loaded, and a convoy consisting of five military trucks and three off-road vehicles slowly drove out of the base, heading southeast along the desolate Gobi Desert road.

Chen Yang, Huang Zhenren, and Liu Yu rode in an off-road vehicle driven by a Special Administration Bureau driver, following in the middle of the convoy.

The car drove along the bumpy road, and outside the window was a monotonous gray-yellow landscape that kept receding, with the occasional clump of tenacious camel thorns in sight.

After a moment of silence in the car, Master Huang suddenly rubbed his hands together, looked around, and lowered his voice to Chen Yang.

"Sect Leader, um... there's something I need to report to you."

Chen Yang had noticed that something was off about the old man; his eyes had been shifty since the morning assembly. Hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Elder Huang, I knew you were hiding something. Tell me, did you take advantage of the chaos last night to steal something 'good'?"

Liu Yu also turned her head and looked at Master Huang with a half-smile.

"I knew it! Yesterday at the base, you lingered for so long in front of a room labeled 'Biological Sample Room,' and even secretly sent me a telepathic message asking me to cover for you, saying that someone was coming. Turns out you really weren't up to any good."

Feeling a little embarrassed by their stares, Master Huang coughed twice and carefully took out a palm-sized flat cube wrapped in special metal foil, along with several sealed glass tubes about the thickness of a finger, from the sleeves of his wide Taoist robe. Inside were samples of liquids or tissues of various colors.

"Sect Leader, you are wise. Elder Liu was right as well."

Master Huang placed the items on the small table in the middle and said in a low voice.

"Yesterday, taking advantage of the chaos, I slipped into one of their rooms, which seemed to be their core research area. There were many instruments and refrigerators inside."

I found this part of the original data about their use of various mutated animals, and even... suspected human volunteers, for gene drug adaptation and effect observation on a data terminal that wasn't the most encrypted, and I copied it as I went along.

These samples were also taken from the refrigerated cabinet next door. The labels said things like 'highly active mutant' and 'stabilizer type III'. I didn't really understand, but I felt they were important, so..."

Chen Yang picked up the data storage block wrapped in metal foil. It was cold to the touch and had some simple anti-leakage runes left on it, but Huang Zhenren had already cracked it by force.

He glanced at the sample tubes again, his eyes narrowing slightly.

These things undoubtedly touch upon the core area of ​​the Men in Black's genetic research, and their value is probably no less than the design blueprints that Luanhuang brought back, and in some aspects they are even more fundamental research significance.

"Elder Huang, your 'opportunistic theft' really hit the mark."

Chen Yang smiled and pushed the items back to Master Huang.

"Keep this safe. It's a hot potato right now, but it's also one of the bargaining chips for our Qingwei Sect's future."

Liu Yu seemed to be thinking about something, and then replied.

"Elder Huang's actions have reminded me. Sect Leader, don't you think that the Special Administration Bureau hasn't been entirely honest with us either?"

Chen Yang leaned back in his chair, looking out the window at the desolate plains rushing by, and said calmly.

"That's natural. Cooperation is cooperation, but so is their true strength. What we saw and came into contact with at the Yanjing Special Administration Bureau headquarters was probably only what they were willing to show us. The armor, weapons, and medicines they brought out last night far exceeded my expectations in terms of sophistication and power. This shows that their accumulation in related fields is much deeper and faster than we imagined. Their previous low-key approach was probably also an observation and assessment of us."

Master Huang carefully put the items away again, stroking his beard as he spoke.

"The sect leader is right. We must always be wary of others. Our Qingwei Sect has been passed down for thousands of years, so we can't place all our hopes on our allies. I secretly hid these things because I thought that if we had some valuable assets of our own, we could stand taller in the future, whether it's cooperation or something else."

Liu Yu nodded.

Elder Huang's consideration is correct.

However… we at Qingwei Sect are completely ignorant about these biological and genetic research data and samples. Without professional laboratories, researchers, and equipment, they're practically useless. Are we… going to hand them over to the Special Administration Bureau in exchange for other benefits?”

Chen Yang shook his head, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light.

"No, handing it over will at most bring temporary benefits and deeper entanglement. But the core technology must be in our own hands. Just because we don't have it doesn't mean we can't build it ourselves."

"Build it yourself?"

Master Huang was taken aback.

"Sect Leader, this is not as simple as building a pill-making room or a weapon-refining room!"

This requires enormous funding, top talent, advanced equipment, and corresponding management... Although our Qingwei School has some foundation, in this respect, we are starting almost from scratch.

Liu Yu's eyes lit up, as if she had thought of something.

"Does the sect leader mean... that we secretly establish our own research system? We don't lack funds; the wealth and spiritual resources we've accumulated over the years should be more than enough to support the initial investment in a laboratory. The key issues are personnel and equipment..."

Chen Yang looked at Liu Yu.

"Elder Liu, you mentioned before that Elder Xuan Shui has some connections abroad?"

Liu Yu immediately understood.

"As expected, the sect leader remembers. In his early years, True Monarch Xuan Shui traveled and stayed in some places overseas, where he came into contact with some non-official research institutions and even some groups of 'free scientists' who were detached from major countries."

According to him, the place is a gathering place for many top talents who left government or large corporations due to differences in ideology or the pursuit of pure research, covering multiple cutting-edge fields such as biology, materials science, and energy physics.

If we secretly import a batch through his channels…

Master Huang was somewhat worried.

"Bringing people from abroad? Is that...reliable? What if a spy infiltrates, or someone with ill intentions? Wouldn't that be like inviting a wolf into the house?"

Chen Yang tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"For others, controlling a group of top-notch researchers with diverse minds might be difficult. But Elder Huang, have you forgotten what we do? What is the Qingwei Sect's legacy?"

Liu Yu smiled slightly and took over the conversation.

"Is Elder Huang worried about this? We have plenty of methods. Directly controlling souls to turn them into puppets would be against the natural order and would easily stifle their creativity."

However… it’s not difficult to plant hidden restrictions without their knowledge, ensuring they cannot betray us or leak core secrets. It could even be done more subtly, subtly linking the restrictions to their bloodline or soul essence; once triggered, the impact would extend far beyond just the individual.

Chen Yang nodded.

"Elder Liu is right. What we need are their minds and technology, not a bunch of walking corpses. We'll use the restriction as a final safety net."

Initially, you can select one or two "typical" individuals and let them "accidentally" trigger some insignificant warning mechanisms so that they understand the rules and consequences. Then, others will naturally know what to do.

"This matter will be entrusted to Elder Liu and Elder Huang, who will be responsible for the preparation and initial management."

Liu Yu solemnly replied.

"Yes, Sect Leader. After returning, I will contact True Monarch Xuan Shui and ask him to activate overseas channels."

At the same time, they began searching for and preparing a site for the laboratory.

Master Huang also straightened his back.

"Rest assured, Sect Leader, I will cooperate with Elder Liu to ensure that everything is in perfect order regarding management and control."

Chen Yang nodded in satisfaction and then posed another question.

"So, where should we build the laboratory? It's definitely not suitable on Qingwei Mountain; it's too conspicuous, and too many eyes are watching us."

Master Huang thought for a moment.

"How about... we find a secluded valley near our sect? That way it would be easier to keep an eye on things."

Liu Yu shook her head again.

"That's not appropriate. It's too close to the sect. If the laboratory is exposed, it could easily implicate the sect's foundation."

Moreover, many modern large-scale experimental facilities require stable energy, water, and internet access, which are difficult to provide in remote mountain forests. We need a place that is relatively secluded yet can meet our scientific research needs.

A knowing glint flashed in Chen Yang's eyes as he looked at Liu Yu.

"It seems Elder Liu already has an idea? Or rather, he's thinking the same thing as me?"

Liu Yu smiled slightly.

"The sect leader mentioned earlier that he had already considered the site selection issue, so he must have a plan in mind. I dare to guess that it might be related to some of the outer courtyards or properties that our Qingwei Sect established in its early years but were gradually abandoned due to the decline of spiritual energy? Some of them may seem to be in remote locations, but in fact, the transportation may not be inconvenient, and the property rights are clear, so they are not easy to attract attention."

Chen Yang laughed heartily.

"Elder Liu understands me best. Indeed, I have been considering this matter for a long time. The Qingwei Sect has a mountain estate in a certain province in Jiangnan that it purchased years ago. It is nominally an ecological agriculture research base, near a nature reserve. The environment is quiet and sparsely populated, but the infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and internet was unexpectedly perfected due to tourism development in the early years. Later, the development stopped, and the place was left idle."

Most importantly, it's far from the main ridge of Qingwei Mountain and has nothing to do with our publicly known sect's activity area. The ownership structure is layered, making it very difficult to directly trace back to the Qingwei faction.

Master Huang's eyes lit up as he listened, and he exclaimed in admiration.

"The sect leader is a man of profound wisdom and foresight!"
"This place is perfect! It's secluded and meets our needs! We'll secretly build the lab there, without anyone knowing!"

Chen Yang continued.

"With the site chosen, the next step is construction. The laboratory must meet high standards, no less than those of the Special Administration Bureau, and in some specialized fields, such as the combination of spiritual energy and biotechnology, we must strive to be a leader. Equipment procurement and factory construction all require professional personnel to handle."

Liu Yu volunteered.

"This matter can be entrusted to me, Sect Leader. I have a descendant of an old friend who now runs a multinational precision instrument trading company overseas. He has a good reputation, extensive channels, and also some connections with True Monarch Xuan Shui." (End of Chapter)