Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

He paused, his tone softening as if to reassure Song Mingzhang: "Don't worry, all the defenses will be in place in advance. From the moment they step onto the outskirts of the manor, every step will be under our surveillance."

"I will personally lead Blackstone International's elite forces to guard the secret room. If they dare to come in, they won't be able to leave."

Song Mingzhang remained silent for a few seconds before finally nodding.

He knew Zhong Lin was right: you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. If he wanted to lure these two avengers into a trap, he, as the bait, had to be realistic enough.

"Next is the core modification, which will be divided into two parts, targeting the abilities of the two individuals respectively." Zhong Lin reached out and brought up a 3D topographical map of Yunyin Manor, his finger sliding across the screen to mark one area after another that needed modification. "First, targeting the plant-type ability user, the goal is simple: blind him."

"Leave some native vegetation around the perimeter, don't touch it, so he thinks he can see it and get information normally. But in the core area of ​​the villa, that is, within a 500-meter radius of the main building, clear away all the native vegetation and replace it with ornamental grass species with shallow roots and weak vitality. They can only take in ten centimeters of roots at most, so they cannot be deeply manipulated and cannot transmit much effective information."

Zhong Lin's fingers traced the green belt surrounding the main building. "The core areas, such as the underground garage, corridors, and secret rooms, have all been recast with high-strength concrete. All drainage ditches, cracks, and pipe gaps have been filled in, leaving not a single bit of soil for seeds to take root. If he dares to come in, he will lose all plant support and become a toothless tiger."

Meng Zhaowen's ability to awaken the earth spirit is highly dependent on the soil and plant roots. If his connection with the land and vegetation is severed, his ability will be at least 70% useless. Not to mention growing vines to build a shield, he won't even be able to do the most basic listening and reconnaissance.

"Then it's aimed at Liu Zhen, who has electric abilities. The goal is clear: to make sure he has no electricity to borrow."

Zhong Lin's finger landed on the location of the villa's power distribution room. "The entire building has been completely disconnected from the mains power supply and is now powered by four independent diesel generators. The generators are installed in the explosion-proof machine room at the deepest part of the main building's basement, and are guarded by dedicated personnel 24 hours a day. If any abnormality is detected, the power will be cut off immediately."

"The power distribution room is sealed off, and all the internal wiring is buried in metal pipes and grounded. Even if Liu Zhen can find the wiring, the current will be conducted along the grounded metal pipes, so he won't be able to get any power."

"And your usual office study and underground secret room, the inner walls are all fitted with three layers of copper mesh, forming a Faraday cage, which can not only isolate external electric current attacks, but also shield his bioelectric field coupling. If he chases him to the deepest part, he will find that his abilities are completely locked, and he can't even make a light bulb flicker."

Wang Hongyuan nodded. Zhong Lin's modification plan was highly targeted, and it almost completely neutralized the advantages of Liu Zhen and Meng Zhaowen's abilities.

Liu Zhen's greatest advantage is that he can use the power of the power grid. As long as the external power is cut off, he can only rely on his own physical strength to convert electrical energy, which is not enough to support high-intensity combat.

Meng Zhaowen's greatest advantage is his ubiquitous plant scouting and vine support. As long as there is no soil or vegetation in the core area, he is like a snake with its teeth pulled, posing no threat whatsoever.

"Regarding the force deployment," Zhong Lin continued, "we've transferred twenty of Blackstone International's most elite mercenaries, divided into three groups on rotation, on standby 24 hours a day."

"The equipment is all configured to be appropriate for the situation: all personnel wear the highest level of insulated combat suits to prevent being hit by Liu Zhen's direct discharge; each squad is equipped with two flamethrowers, specifically for burning Meng Zhaowen's vines; and five high-power electromagnetic jammers are also provided, tuned to the resonant frequency band of human nerve electrical signals, specifically to disrupt the generation of Liu Zhen's coupling electric field."

Zhong Lin's plan was meticulously executed, with virtually no loopholes.

From observing the exhaustion from the outside, to surrounding and driving them away in the main building, and then to closing in on them in the basement, the tactics were progressively more aggressive, blocking all of Liu Zhen and Meng Zhaowen's escape routes.

"You are the bait, Song Mingzhang." Zhong Lin looked at Song Mingzhang and said solemnly, "For the next three days, you will move around in Yunyin Manor as usual, receive guests as usual, go to get off work as usual, attend the meetings that need to be attended, and see the people that need to be seen. Do not show any abnormalities."

"Once the plant-based department has seen enough of you, and they're familiar with you, they'll think you're just an unsuspecting ordinary official. By the time they make their move, they'll find their escape route is already blocked."

Song Mingzhang took a deep breath and nodded: "I understand. I will cooperate."

"Remember these three tactical principles: First, break up the two opponents. Without the support of the electric grid, the plant-type opponent loses their peripheral vision; each will be crippled, making them much easier to deal with."

Zhong Lin held up one finger. "Second, concentrate our efforts on the electric type first. Activate the electromagnetic jammer to disrupt his bioelectric field resonance, then have the melee team attack together, using non-lethal weapons to wear him down until he's exhausted. Third, once the electric type is defeated, the plant type will be trapped. Use the flamethrower to force him out; capturing him alive won't be difficult."

"Finally, this is the bottom line." Zhong Lin's eyes turned cold. "Capture them alive if possible. A live specimen is ten times more valuable than a dead one, whether for research or recruitment. But if you really can't capture them alive—"

He paused, then made a throat-slitting gesture. "Then disappear completely, without a trace. Find a reasonable explanation to suppress it, and don't let the officials find any leverage against us."

Wang Hongyuan and Song Mingzhang both nodded.

The secret room fell silent again. The image on the screen froze on the backs of Liu Zhen and Meng Zhaowen as they walked out of Jingyuan Villa. The two thin figures looked particularly frail in the night, yet they carried an almost tragic resilience.

Zhong Lin leaned back in his chair, looking at the two figures on the screen, a cold smile playing on his lips.

He wanted to see if these two avengers, driven by hatred, could escape the inescapable trap he had laid.

You either become the sharpest knife in his hand, or you become a sliced ​​specimen in the laboratory; there is no third option.

Wang Hongyuan lit the cigar in his hand—the ventilation system outside the sealed room was already turned on, and the smoke slowly drifted out of the window along the exhaust fan.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled a smoke ring, the smoke blurring his face and the image on the screen.

He had seen too many self-righteous avengers who ultimately died in the traps set by power.

Liu Zhen and Meng Zhaowen will be no exception.

Song Mingzhang took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with the corner of his clothes, his fingers trembling slightly.

He lacked Zhong Lin's unwavering confidence and Wang Hongyuan's detached composure; he was bait, the target standing at the forefront.

If the trap goes wrong in any way, he will be the first to die.

But he had no other choice; from the day he boarded this ship, there was no turning back.

Three people with their own agendas, in the cold light of an underground chamber, completed their plan to hunt down the Avengers.