The brief conflict in Manila's slums spread like a stone dropped into a stagnant pond, its ripples spreading rapidly. The Gene Alliance, having lost a patrol, would not let this go. The air behind the abandoned church was thick with blood, the stench of blood mixed with the stench of sewage, irritating everyone's nerves.
"We can't stay here!" Danilo acted decisively, commanding his men to quickly clear the scene and hide the unconscious Gene Alliance soldier. "We must move immediately; Alliance reinforcements will arrive soon!"
Lin Xingyun and the other three agreed. Led by Danilo, they navigated the maze of slum alleyways until they reached the banks of a secluded tributary of the Pasig River, where several unmarked, shabby-looking small motorboats were tied up. "These are our 'ghost ships,'" Danilo said, leaping aboard one and starting the silenced engines. "They're the only ones that can evade the Alliance's surveillance network along the main waterways and get us to the island."
The boats glided silently into the murky waters, navigating the maze of waterways deeper into Manila Bay. The darkness provided their perfect cover, the distant lights of the city reflected in the inky water like the mottled scales of a dying beast. Aisha sat at the bow, her fingertips gently brushing the water, eyes closed, sensing the subtle shifts in the current and the unusual psychic fluctuations emanating from afar. Nguyen Thi Mai stood beside her, the hem of her aodai fluttering in the night breeze, the silver rings on her earlobes flickering softly, as if in silent communication with the vast expanse. "Three kilometers ahead, there's a wave of energy barriers," Aisha suddenly opened her eyes and whispered. "Very faint, like a detection network."
Danilo's face darkened. "Those are the sonar and psychic sensing buoys deployed by the Alliance. Forcing our way through will immediately trigger the alarm."
"Can we circumvent it?" Lin Xingyun asked.
"It's difficult. This area is completely covered," Danilo shook his head. "Unless... we go underwater. But our boats can't do that, and there might be patrolling devices underwater."
Nguyen Thi Mai, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up. "Maybe we don't need boats." She looked at Lin Xingyun and Aisha. "The water can be our passage, and it can also be our cover."
A bold plan quickly took shape in their minds.
They abandoned their boat on a deserted beach. Nguyen Thi Mai walked to the water's edge and slowly raised her hands, conducting a silent symphony. The surrounding river water began to respond to her call, silently converging around the four of them, forming four enormous, transparent "bubbles" composed entirely of water, each enveloping them. "These bubbles provide air, distort light to a certain extent, and block psychic detection," Nguyen Thi Mai explained, her face pale. Maintaining four such bubbles was clearly a tremendous drain. "But time is limited, so we must hurry."
Danilo stared at this miraculous scene, stunned, his conviction growing even stronger that these outsiders were the hope of salvation.
The four men sank underwater, guided by Nguyen Thi Mai like four silent mines, diving towards the target island. The bubbles blocked out all outside sound, save for the faint hiss of water flowing past. Through the shimmering water, small underwater robots with flashing red indicators could occasionally be seen patrolling, but Nguyen Thi Mai deftly manipulated the current to divert or avoid them.
Finally, they successfully passed through the security network and quietly landed on the edge of a mangrove-covered island, far from the dock. The bubbles quietly burst, and the four men stepped wetly onto solid ground.
The island's interior, unlike the impenetrable fortress imagined by outsiders, exuded a strange "order." With neatly manicured lawns, brightly lit modern buildings, and even streetlights that simulated daylight, it felt like an isolated scientific research park. But besides the salty smell of the sea breeze, the air lingered with a faint, unsettling odor, a mixture of disinfectant and some kind of biological tissue.
"According to sporadic accounts from brothers who were captured and then escaped, the main experimental area and where the Awakened are held are in the largest, white, circular building," Danilo pointed to a structure resembling a massive stadium in the distance. "But it's heavily guarded, with surveillance cameras and identification systems everywhere."
"A frontal breakthrough is impossible," Lin Xingyun observed. "We need to infiltrate." His gaze fell on a team of white-uniformed workers not far away, pushing a cart carrying supplies.
An opportunity soon arrived. Two lone workers walked towards a palm grove, seemingly to take a break and smoke. Buakaw and Danilo approached silently, like cheetahs. A moment later, they returned, wearing slightly tight white uniforms. "Alright, this suit is really uncomfortable," Buakaw muttered. "What now?"
Lin Xingyun pulled two thin, metallic-shimmering shadow puppets from his prop box—experiments he'd made in his spare time by infusing ordinary leather with psychic energy. "Ayesha, Nguyen Thi Mai, you and Danilo stay outside to coordinate. Buakaw, let's go in."
He placed one puppet against Buakaw's chest and the other against himself, muttering a mantra. The simple transfiguration patterns on the puppets activated, and the two figures' faces and figures blurred, quickly becoming identical to the two staff members! This was a rudimentary application of combining the "acting" concept of shadow puppetry with psychic illusions. Though crude and short-lived, it was sufficient for the time being.
The two men pushed the supply cart, lowered their heads, and mimicked the staff's gait as they approached the entrance to the white, circular building. The gate was secured by a strict card swipe and iris recognition system. Buakaw's heart tightened, but Lin Xingyun calmed him. As they approached, Lin Xingyun secretly activated the Shadow Snake Witch Mark. A tiny trace of shadow energy, like a tentacle, quietly infiltrated the internal wiring interface of the identifier along the ground, causing a momentary short circuit and misjudgment!
The indicator light flickered strangely several times, from red to green. With a beep, the airtight door slid open. The guard took a look, unsuspecting.
The two men successfully infiltrated the building. Inside was a cold metal corridor, the lights pale, and the strange smell in the air became even stronger. Following the signs, they pushed the cart towards the "storage area," secretly memorizing the route and the guard distribution. Around a corner, they overheard a conversation between two researchers in white lab coats:
"...The fusion stability of this batch of 'materials' is still too poor, with an energy dissipation rate exceeding 30%."
"It can't be helped. The genetic sequences of the native awakened individuals in Southeast Asia are too 'wild,' not as docile as the screened North American samples. But the higher-ups say they may have greater potential, especially those with ancient bloodline traits..."
"Hmph, no matter how great the potential is, it's useless if it can't be controlled. The 'Reaper' Project can't wait that long..."
"Reaper Project"? Lin Xingyun and Buakaw were startled. The name evoked an ominous aura.
They risked following the two researchers to a laboratory with a large observation window. Through the thick glass, they witnessed a horrifying scene: in the center of the laboratory, several cylindrical, transparent nutrient chambers filled with naked humans! These humans were connected to a dense web of tubes. Some glowed with unnatural energy beneath their skin, while others had strange limbs mutated. Their eyes were empty, as if their souls had been drained away! On the laboratory walls, complex gene sequence diagrams and energy flow models were projected, clearly indicating some kind of forced psychic energy and genetic fusion experiment!
"Damn it! These bastards!" Buakaw's eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched, and he was on the verge of charging in uncontrollably.
Lin Xingyun also felt a surge of rage rising to his head, but he forced himself to calm down and grabbed Buakaw. "Don't be impulsive! Saving people requires a plan!" He quickly used his memory puppet to record the laboratory's internal structure and security forces.
At that moment, the alarm lights in the laboratory suddenly and shrilly flashed without warning! A cold electronic voice echoed through the corridor: "Warning! Unauthorized psychic energy detected! Intruder alert! All areas locked down!"
Their whereabouts were exposed! It was likely that Buakaw had inadvertently leaked a trace of his presence in his excitement, or that Lin Xingyun's psychic energy, which maintained his physical form, had fluctuated!
"Hurry!" Lin Xingyun shouted, and the two men abandoned the cart and ran back the way they had come! Behind them, heavy isolation doors were closing one by one, and hurried footsteps and shouts echoed from all directions!
The tranquility of the island was completely shattered, and a fierce battle was inevitable.
(End of Chapter 12)