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

Without hesitation, Chen Yang instantly retrieved the terminal, his figure retreating rapidly along the wall like a ghost, disappearing into the shadow of a pile of huge, twisted metal frames beside him.

The man in the baseball cap walked to the window, peered suspiciously through the crack a few times, and looked around several times. Finding nothing amiss, he muttered to himself and went back to the door to smoke.

The whispers in the cabin continued, but had turned into more trivial miscellaneous arrangements.

Chen Yang knew that staying any longer would greatly increase the risk, and the information he had obtained was enough to confirm his suspicions.

He didn't linger, like a fallen leaf in the night, silently leaving this perilous freight yard.

Back at the safe haven in Zhao Fabai's village, Chen Yang had barely entered the stone hut where they were temporarily resting when a specially encrypted satellite communication terminal he was carrying vibrated. The screen flashed Jiang He's name!
Chen Yang answered the call immediately.

"Old Jiang!"

Chen Yang lowered his voice.

"Yang-ge! How's the situation? Are you safe over there?"

Jiang He's voice was clearly hurried, and there seemed to be the clattering of keyboards in the background.

"We just located one of their outer contact points."

Chen Yang quickly recounted the events of the Basong conflict, the discovery of the gene drug's homology, the tracking to the cargo yard hut, and the hearing of the "Holy Envoy" codename and the discovery of a similar signature symbol.

"Dry!"

Jiang He cursed.

"After our team evacuated to safety last night, we started analyzing the encrypted data chain that was forcibly copied from the factory's core computer! Guess what we found by tracing a hidden flow of a large sum of money?"

"what?"

"A highly encrypted temporary communication network! We used all our computing power and just barely managed to break through! We discovered at least two nodes located in... Africa! Right near your area! Moreover, the last signature page that was erased from the encrypted document... has also been partially revealed! The analysis results of the signature trajectory have matched—"

Jiang He's voice carried a heavy weight, as if he had discovered a terrible truth.

"That signature trace, twisted like a bone claw, has a similarity of over 86% to the encrypted identifier of one of the encrypted information sources we intercepted! It's that damned 'Saint's Bone'!"
He signed the project authorization letter on the coastal side, and he also had the authority to operate at the node in Africa!
This is absolutely no coincidence!

As Chen Yang listened to Jiang He's report, and combined the "Holy Envoy" title he had overheard in the freight yard hut with the handwritten signature symbols he had seen, a bright flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind!

"Saint's Bone"... "Saint"... Same signature style... Connections between African and coastal financial networks... Homologous gene-based drugs are rampant among low-level thugs...

The clues have been completely closed!

"I understand! That factory in Binhai is indeed a project in which the Heavenly Dao Alliance is deeply involved!"

Chen Yang's voice was as cold as iron.

"This 'saint's bone' signed the permits in Binhai and was also in charge of receiving and even guiding projects here in Africa!"

Both sides are utterly in cahoots, working together in the same boat! The mastermind behind the gene factory is the Heavenly Dao Alliance!

"That's right! Brother Yang, you have to be very careful!"

Jiang He speaks very quickly.

"The other side used a specially designed psionic detection device on us in Binhai, which clearly indicates that they have grasped some of the characteristics of our group's abilities!"
They've been operating that 'Pandora' base in Africa for a long time; they definitely have special means to prevent intrusion! It's too dangerous for you to act alone!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Chen Yang's eyes were sharp.

"Go back to headquarters and report. Make sure this chain of evidence linking the two continents is nailed down!"

I'm going to personally confront this so-called 'Pandora' and see just how much nefarious poison it harbors!

After ending the communication, Chen Yang looked at the encrypted network node information that Jiang He had transmitted in a timely manner on the terminal, which was partially deciphered, and the image of the document that was enlarged and clearly showed the hideous "bone claw" signature strokes.

He also encrypted and preserved this crucial piece of evidence.

Pushing open the door of the stone house, Chen Yang reappeared in front of Wang Shengxiong, who was on guard inside.

"Brother Wang."

Chen Yang's voice carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

"Old Jianghe just sent word that the Heavenly Dao Alliance is involved in both sides, and there is a high-ranking figure in charge. Tonight's operation at the base is probably more dangerous than we anticipated."

His gaze swept across the night outside.

“Brother Zhao doesn’t have enough men, and forcing our way in would result in too many casualties. I’m fast and a smaller target, making me more suitable for infiltration. I plan to go in alone, find out the situation, locate the kidnapped girl Lei Ting, and then, if necessary, destroy the core equipment. You and Brother Zhao’s men can meet me at the pre-arranged evacuation point on the perimeter.”

Although his tone was calm, it conveyed a sense of awe and dread as if he were venturing into a den of wolves.

Wang Shengxiong frowned, and the crisscrossing scars on his face seemed even more ferocious as he was the first to jump out and object.

"No way! Brother Yang, what are you saying?! When did I, Wang Shengxiong, become a coward who can only hide in the back and provide backup? That place is a den of dragons and tigers, not a garden! The more people there are, the more help we can provide!"

He strode up to Chen Yang, his eyes burning with intensity.

"I know you're capable! But even the most capable can be vulnerable to hidden attacks! Old Yama entrusted me to you in this plane so I could keep an eye on things! And now you're just leaving me waiting outside? What if something goes wrong inside? How can I, Wang Shengxiong, face my brother in the future?!"

The kerosene lamp in the stone house flickered, its light and shadow dancing on Wang Shengxiong's excited face.

Chen Yang looked at him calmly, his deep eyes showing no ripples, only an unwavering determination.

"Brother Wang, I have never doubted your combat prowess."

Chen Yang's voice was deep and powerful, carrying a strange sense of comfort and persuasion, clearly penetrating Wang Shengxiong's agitated emotions.

"But infiltration is not a direct assault. What I need is speed and stealth, to strike once and for all, and then escape unscathed."

With each additional person, the target becomes larger, and the risk of exposure increases exponentially. The enemy may have genetically modified soldiers, and more likely, detection devices targeting special abilities. The more people there are, the greater the chance of triggering an alarm.

His gaze shifted to the pitch-black night outside the window.

"You are strong, but your temperament is as tough as fire. The most suitable position for you is the rendezvous point! In case there is a big commotion inside and the warlords' heavy firepower comes to block you, someone will be needed to tear open a gap from the outside!"

That's the crucial moment to unleash your 'living Yama' abilities and rescue us all! I don't trust anyone else with my back to you!"

Chen Yang's last words, "I entrust my back to you," struck Wang Shengxiong like a heavy hammer.

He moved his lips a few times, looking at Chen Yang's unwavering gaze, then at Zhao Fabai and the others who were nodding with bitter faces, and thinking of the old Yama's desperate yet expectant face... all his anger and impulse finally turned into a heavy sigh of resentment but with no choice but to accept it.

He slammed his fist hard against the earthen wall beside him, sending up a flurry of dust.

"Damn it... I'll listen to you!" Wang Shengxiong squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, but his eyes were full of malice.

"But if even a single hair on your head is missing, I... I'll risk my life to turn that lousy base upside down! Then I'll go back to my brother and face my death!"

This was the biggest concession he could make, and it was also a pledge he made.

The night grew deeper, and the wind on the wasteland carried the rough texture of sand and gravel.

A camouflaged, dilapidated pickup truck with its lights off stopped several kilometers away from the base.

"Mr. Chen, we can't go any further."

Zhao Fabai's voice was very low, tinged with nervousness.

“From the beginning, they set up patrol teams and sentries on the perimeter. If you’re unlucky, you might even run into the genetically modified monsters that they’ve wandered out to.

Chen Yang pushed open the car door and jumped out; the dry, hot air instantly enveloped him.

He was dressed in a gray-green camouflage uniform similar to that of the base's lowest-ranking guards, and his face was covered with special mud paint to prevent infrared detection, making him seem to blend into the shadows of the desert.

"Wait here."

Chen Yang gave Wang Shengxiong and Zhao Fabai, who were in the car, his final instructions.

"No matter what happens inside, or how much commotion you see, as long as I don't give a specific signal, you should remain still."

Wait for me to come out and meet me.

"Brother Yang..."

Wang Shengxiong clenched his fists and uttered only one shout.

Chen Yang nodded and said no more.

With a flicker, it vanished silently into the vast night and the undulating desert ravines, like a ghost.

The journey was relatively smooth at first.

Chen Yang's divine sense spread out slowly like an invisible radar, covering an area of ​​several hundred meters in radius.

His figure moved nimbly through the shadows of rocks and low, withered trees, each step as light as a feather, barely disturbing even the sand.

However, it wasn't long before he keenly detected several extremely faint energy fluctuations with a mechanical, cold feel to them.

He immediately ducked low, concealing himself behind a massive, wind-eroded rock. His sharp gaze, like that of a hawk, swept towards the source of the disturbance.

On the top of a sand dune not far away, hidden in the crevices of several seemingly ordinary rocks were tiny, spherical objects that gleamed with a metallic sheen!
They are cleverly disguised as ambient colors and are almost undetectable when the function is not enabled.

"Miniature dynamic thermal sensing monitoring?"

Chen Yang's eyes narrowed.

These devices have a detection frequency and sensitivity far exceeding ordinary security equipment, clearly made by high-end military or secret research institutions. They are extremely difficult for ordinary people or even well-trained special forces to avoid.

But that's not enough in front of Chen Yang.

With a slight shift of his spiritual energy, he instantly suppressed and locked away all the heat and life force emanating from himself.

His figure became like a stone found anywhere in the desert, devoid of warmth and life.

At the same time, his movements became more elusive and subtle, with each step precisely timed to the moment when the camera theoretically briefly switched views or created a tiny blind spot in its coverage area.

The breeze stirred up by his figure had barely touched the ground before it vanished without a trace.

On several occasions, he used this method of perfect control over timing and his own strength, like a shadow moving along the edge of interwoven light, to perfectly avoid the surveillance network laid out along the way.

After an unknown amount of time, a hideous, enormous shadow finally loomed before them.

The so-called "Pandora" base was built on an abandoned sulfur mine.

Huge piles of ore lay like mountains, their surface gleaming an eerie yellowish-brown in the moonlight. The mine entrance had been reinforced with steel, transformed into an incredibly heavy alloy gate, covered with cameras, machine gun barrels, and warning signs.

Outside the gate, along the barbed wire fence surrounding the mine, several guard towers made from recycled shipping containers can be seen, their searchlight beams sweeping across the wasteland and the mining area like giant swords.

Between the barbed wire fences, there are fully armed patrol teams, carrying guns and with fierce eyes.

They were either in groups of three or in teams of five, wearing uniform khaki military uniforms and gas masks. Their weapons included not only common AK rifles, but also rocket launchers, squad automatic weapons, and other heavy firepower.

What's even more striking is that among a few small teams, there are a few individuals with unusually large builds, heavy gaits, and a wildness in their vacant eyes.

Their bare arm muscles had an unnatural bluish-black tinge, and each heavy breath sounded like a broken bellows. Without a doubt, these were "combat tools" forcibly modified with gene-editing agents, loyal only to orders.

The base was larger than expected and heavily guarded, like an iron barrel.

Chen Yang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he did not hesitate for a moment.

As a searchlight swept across a large area of ​​wasteland, creating a brief period of intense light, he darted like a cat along the ground towards the edge of the barbed wire fence.

That was not a traditional power grid, but a composite defense network filled with vibration sensors and infrared detectors.

He needs to observe more closely and find a suitable... lone "tongue".

The opportunity will soon arise.

A patrolman assigned to "keep watch" outside the barbed wire fence, near a pile of rocks, grumbled as he unzipped his pants, seemingly to take care of some personal business, and moved slightly out of the light-filled area of ​​the main route.

This person happened to have his back to Chen Yang.

Chen Yang moved. Without making a sound, not even a speck of dust was disturbed.

His speed was so fast that he left only a blurry afterimage in the moonlight. In an instant, he appeared behind the guard. The moment the guard's nerves caught the goosebumps on his back, Chen Yang's iron hand had already gripped his throat like lightning, while his other hand pressed precisely on an acupoint on the back of his head!

The guard didn't even utter a sound; his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp. He had controlled his strength perfectly, only fainting but not dying.

Chen Yang quickly dragged him into the deep shadows of the pile of rocks.

A dozen seconds later, a "patrol guard" wearing the same khaki military uniform, helmet, and dust mask that covered most of his face came out and stuffed the unfortunate man's weapons and belongings into his storage ring.

He skillfully hoisted the other man's sidearm, mimicking his slightly casual gait, and nonchalantly walked toward the tail of another small team that had just changed shifts and were preparing to enter the alloy gate.

The gate guard glanced at the person following behind, confirmed that the uniform number seemed correct, and since his teammates in front hadn't reacted, he impatiently waved for him to catch up.

The heavy alloy gate slowly rose with the clatter of pulleys, releasing a pungent odor that was a mixture of disinfectant, sulfur, and an indescribable acrid smell—a blend of stale blood and fermenting chemicals. (End of Chapter)