In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

Zhang Qian was practically pressed against the bulletproof glass, his nose almost touching it.

"Miss White Deer, continue the test."

The old professor's voice trembled as he placed his hands on the notepad.

"Trying to make it move just by imprinting its thoughts on you! Quickly!"

After Bai Lu nodded in acknowledgment, she spoke directly.

"Spread your wings."

Inside the isolation chamber, the snowy owl's deep blue eyes remained unchanged, and it obediently unfolded its enormous bone wings, which were over three meters long.

"Put it away. Bow your head." Bai Lu continued without hesitation.

The snowy owl did exactly as instructed, without any hesitation.

Zhang Qian's legs went weak, and he slumped into the swivel chair, rubbing his cheeks vigorously with both hands, his eyes red-rimmed.

"It's done...it's really done..."

His voice was hoarse, and he was on the verge of losing control of his emotions.

"The underlying logic is working perfectly! As long as the host's brain hardware meets the requirements, the mental imprint will take full effect!"

A long-suppressed cheer suddenly erupted in the laboratory.

Several assistant researchers, who had been working non-stop for half a month and were almost hallucinating from exhaustion, hugged each other excitedly, and some even covered their faces and cried on the spot.

Just as Bai Lu's tense shoulders were about to relax, her gaze swept over the control panel, and her pupils suddenly contracted!

The brainwave graph is fluctuating violently at an extremely strange frequency!

She stared intently into the snowy owl's deep blue eyes.

Deep within those previously dull pupils, a trace of crimson blood was surging upwards.

"Professor Zhang, something's not right."

Bai Lu's voice was sharp and high-pitched.

"The steel stamp I left... is being frantically eroded by its own consciousness! It's trying to regain control of the body!"

Before the words were even finished, something unexpected happened inside the isolation chamber!

Inside the isolation chamber, the snowy owl's deep blue eyes began to swell with bloodshot veins spreading along its pupils.

Its sharp beak began to frantically peck at the alloy chains binding it.

"Quick! Release the inert gas! Force hibernation!"

The assistant shouted and frantically pushed the injection plunger.

"Stop! Nobody move!"

Zhang Qian rushed to the control panel, grabbed his assistant's wrist, and his fingers flew across the keyboard, switching to a deep brain region analysis map.

The red warning bar flashed continuously on the screen, but the snowy owl's brain structure remained intact.

Zhang Qian roared, his face revealing a morbid fanaticism.

"It didn't explode!! Did you see that?! It didn't explode!!"

The old professor gripped the clipboard tightly, breathing heavily.

"The fact that it didn't explode is the biggest improvement! This shows that the hardware of a high-level creature completely withstood the backlash when the steel stamp was implanted!"

As for the issue of the ideological imprint being washed away, that's a matter of conflict of consciousness, which we can adjust gradually!

"The direction is right! Absolutely right!"

……

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Great Xia Awakeners.

Inside the command center, various data points flashed across the giant screen like a waterfall.

Su Ran sat in the main seat, flipping through battle reports from various regions.

There was no energy leaking from him; he seemed to have completely merged with the surrounding space.

But Mo Yun, standing to the side, felt as if he were facing a bottomless black hole.

The feeling was very strange, as if there was a bottomless black hole in front of me that could swallow all light.

"Brother Su, your aura..."

Mo Yun swallowed hard and couldn't help but speak.

"It's just a small breakthrough."

Su Ran didn't even look up, turning a page of the report, her eyes deep and sharp.

"How's the situation in Jiangcheng?"

When the topic turned to business, Mo Yun's expression immediately tightened. He suppressed the shock in his heart and his fingers tapped rapidly on the control panel.

"Brother Su, something strange has happened again in Jiangcheng."

Mo Yun connected the military tablet in his hand directly to the main screen.

"Data just came back from the front-line surveillance. The Wall of Flesh and Blood is showing unusual activity."

The main screen flickered for a moment, then switched to an aerial view of the ruins of the Jinmao Tower in Jiangcheng.

The giant fortress that was originally made of flesh and bones is now undergoing a strange transformation.

In the scene, more than a thousand second-tier hellhounds acting as guards on the perimeter frantically rushed towards the flesh and blood wall as if possessed.

Instead of tearing or biting, they embedded their bodies directly into the city wall, letting the dark red fleshy buds melt and absorb them.

"A collective sacrifice... interesting. It's making a final energy sprint."

Su Ran spoke thoughtfully.

"Besides this, there's also..."

Mo Yun switched an audio file to the main channel.

"The seismic wave detectors deployed by the Academy of Sciences in the surrounding area have captured a new set of frequencies."

A very low-frequency sound was played.

"Thump...thump...thump..."

Dull, powerful, with a strange resonance.

"It's a heartbeat."

Su Ran put down the report in her hand, slowly stood up, and her heart was no longer calm.

"The physical body of the fourth-tier king-level mutant is almost fully formed."

Mo Yun immediately pulled up another holographic satellite radar image.

Outside the city, countless red dots are radiating outwards and converging towards the city center.

"The mother nest is not only undergoing internal changes, but it is also releasing some kind of invisible pulse signal to the outside world!"

The Chinese Academy of Sciences is currently attempting to analyze this biological wavelength!

His breathing quickened, and he spoke rapidly.

"The area around Jiangcheng, which we had previously cleaned up completely, has seen a surge in mutated creature incidents in the past two days."

Large numbers of Tier 1 and Tier 2 monsters desperately crawled towards the mother nest along the underground sewage pipes.

"Is the defense line under pressure?" Su Ran stared at the sand table.

"The current numbers are not yet at the level of a beast tide. The crystal core armored forces stationed around the mother nest are clearing it out relatively easily thanks to their heavy firepower network."

Mo Yun pushed up his glasses, his tone heavy.

"But... the garrison troops are on edge."

As if to confirm Mo Yun's worries, at this very moment, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

Jiangcheng Command Center.

"Sir, this is Jiangcheng Position Number One."

The anxious voices of the frontline defenders came through the communication channel.

"Our drone formation was subjected to strong magnetic interference, and thirty reconnaissance aircraft lost control and crashed in the edge of the mother nest area."

In addition, some soldiers at the forward observation posts experienced brief periods of dizziness and nausea, and some even claimed to have heard strange whispers.

"Immediately withdraw the affected soldiers from the first line of defense and replace them with reserves. Activate the backup anti-jamming communication channel."

The frontline officer gave the order decisively, then abruptly turned to look at the operations staff officer beside him.

"Report this to the Global Awakened Headquarters immediately!"

The message reached headquarters, and the red alarm in the lobby sounded shrilly without warning.

The voice of the frontline communications officer, tinged with anxiety, came through.

"Report! An anomaly has occurred at Jiangcheng Defense Line No. 1!"

Some soldiers in the Third and Fourth Companies experienced unexplained dizziness and auditory hallucinations!

Several drones we dispatched for close reconnaissance all suffered from strong electromagnetic interference and crashed within two kilometers of the mother nest!

The atmosphere in the entire hall plummeted to freezing point.

Su Ran braced her hands on the edge of the sand table, her eyes as cold as knives.

"The power of mental pollution has already begun to spill over."

He made a sharp and incisive assessment, his tone unusually grave.

"The speed of advancement is at least five days ahead of the absolute window of opportunity I expected."

Just then, the red dedicated line at the very center of the control panel, representing the highest military authority of the Great Xia, suddenly flashed a blinding red light without warning!

Communication is established.

Li Guodong's tired yet resolute face appeared on the screen.

There was no small talk.

"Xiao Su."

Li Guodong's voice conveyed an unquestionable decisiveness.

"Latest instructions from the Strategic Command."

The silo carrying three ultra-high yield thermobaric warheads has entered the final firing process.

The missile guidance system has locked onto the coordinates of the Jin Mao Tower.

In the command center, everyone's breath caught in their throats for a moment.

Li Guodong stared into Su Ran's eyes, his gaze filled with coldness.

"The country will not entrust the safety of 1.4 billion people to a monster that could go out of control at any time."

If you can't control it, then destroy it immediately!

"You don't have much time left."

"I see."

Su Ran looked directly at the screen, her tone calm.

Li Guodong paused, looking at the confidence and coldness in Su Ran's eyes, and tentatively asked,

"Xiao Su, when are you planning to take action?"

"Give us six hours."

Su Ran looked directly at the screen and gave the exact time.

Li Guodong remained silent for two seconds on the other end of the screen.

Behind him, in the command post, alarm lights flashed incessantly, and the shouts of the communications officer could be faintly heard.

The military leadership's patience with Jiangcheng, this ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment, has reached its limit.

They fear the possibility of failure more than the possibility of success.

"These six hours are the deadline."

A full five seconds passed before Li Guodong spoke again.

The missile guidance system has completely locked down the underlying structure of the Jin Mao Tower.

Once the six-hour time limit is exceeded, the system will automatically fire three high-yield thermobaric bombs without my order.

Xiao Su, you all need to manage your own evacuation time.

Six hours is enough.

Su Ran nodded emphatically.

Communication was lost. The screen went dark.

The operation of the state apparatus cannot tolerate any delays; the countdown has begun and is already hanging over everyone's heads.

Su Ran turned to look at Mo Yun beside her.

"Call Lao Ye and Jingye back from the overseas war zone. Use my authority to forcibly recall them."

Su Ran's tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable decisiveness.

"Tell them they must be standing in front of me, lively and energetic, within two hours."

Mo Yun nodded, "Understood, connect to the Pangu system for location tracking immediately."

Far away in the wasteland war zone of Latin America.

When Ye Xiao received the forced recall order, he was standing on the skull of a third-tier mutated beast.

Ye Xiao cursed as he sheathed his sword, grabbed Zhu Jingye, and jumped directly onto the Xuan Nu fighter jet hovering in mid-air.

After issuing the recall order, Su Ran pushed open the door without looking back and strode straight to the special biological isolation laboratory on the third basement floor.

……

Three underground floors house a special biological isolation laboratory.

The mutated snowy owl lay quietly on the alloy testing table.

Its deep blue eyes had lost their earlier frenzy, revealing a dullness of absolute obedience.

Behind the explosion-proof glass, Zhang Qian stared intently at the steady brainwave curve on the screen, his hands gripping the control panel, his eyes red-rimmed.

"It's stable...it's really stable!"

Zhang Qian's voice was hoarse as he turned to look at Bai Lu, who was slumped in a chair beside him.

"Miss White Deer, in the sixth test, the spiritual imprint was not washed away by its own consciousness!"

How long did it last this time?

Bai Lu raised her hand and touched her forehead, swallowing a mouthful of dryness.

"Seven hours have passed since the stamp was inserted. So far, there has been no rejection reaction."

Although her voice was weak, her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Professor Zhang, I can clearly feel that my mental energy has formed something like an imprint deep in its mind."

As long as this thing doesn't dissipate, it will remain absolutely obedient to me.

"A spiritual anchor!"

Zhang Qian strode to the record board, tapped the recorded data, and his eyes gleamed with fervor.

He found a piece of white paper and drew a circle heavily on it.

"Current physical and biological theories are insufficient to fully explain the structure of mental consciousness."

But once we can establish a stable anchor point, we'll have essentially found the physical switch to control higher-level mutated creatures!

Zhang Qian pushed up his slipped reading glasses and took out a densely packed data model.

"We monitored that at 8 hours and 45 minutes after the stamp was applied, the activity of the target's cerebral cortex would rebound in a parabolic manner."

That is the tipping point at which its own consciousness attempts to regain control.

If we inject mental energy just before this critical point, we can nip its resistance in the bud.

He put down his pen, exhaled a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"A minimum of eight hours of guaranteed duration."

Bai Lu opened her eyes, her tone revealing the relief of finally seeing a way out.

If this process can be replicated on the Jiangcheng Mother Nest, Great Xia will be able to acquire its first Tier 4 battle beast.

Just then!

"laugh!"

The pneumatic door slides open.

Su Ran pushed open the door and walked in, her footsteps heavy.

"Advisor Su!"

Zhang Qian stepped forward, his tone filled with excitement.

"We succeeded! With at least eight hours of secure control, Miss White Deer has found her mental anchor!"

"Su Ran, I did it!"

Bai Lu also stood up from the swivel chair, a hint of anticipation appearing on her face.

"This snowy owl is completely under my control. Even if I made it self-destruct right now, it wouldn't resist. We..."

"There's no time to test it."

Su Ran spoke, directly interrupting Bai Lu.

The joyful atmosphere in the laboratory froze instantly.

Zhang Qian's smile froze, and Bai Lu stood there stunned, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"The mother nest is about to break through to the next level ahead of schedule."

Su Ran glanced at the two of them and dropped this bombshell.

"What?"

Zhang Qian's pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing became erratic.

The white deer opened its mouth, but the words it was about to say were stuck in its throat.

She had barely touched the threshold of eight-hour control, and before she could even catch her breath, the real-world experience hit her right in the face.

"How far in advance?"

Zhang Qian's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat; he was also the first to react.

"Didn't we originally estimate that the window of opportunity would still have five days left?"

"The evolution of mutated organisms is always fraught with uncertainty."

Su Ran calmly looked at the two of them.

"A large area of ​​the front line in Jiangcheng has been affected by the wave of consciousness pollution, and the defending troops have even experienced auditory hallucinations."

In less than 24 hours, that fourth-tier intelligent mutant will be fully awakened.

He stepped forward, his gaze passing over the bulletproof glass to take a look at the snowy owl that was now completely under control.

"The military's thermobaric weapons have already locked onto the Jin Mao Tower."

If control fails, or if no results are obtained within the allotted time, these three missiles will raze the entire city center of Jiangcheng, along with the mother nest, to the ground.

Bai Lu gripped the table tightly with her fingers, her joy from the previous second shattered by those words.

"understood."

Bai Lu's voice was extremely soft, yet exceptionally firm.

"If I can control this near-fourth-tier snow owl, I can control the mother owl that has just hatched."

She turned around nimbly, pulled open the refrigerator next to her, grabbed a dozen tubes of high-purity crystal core extract, and roughly stuffed them all into her tactical backpack.

"Let's go."