Darkness.
That was the first thing Fu Linyuan felt when he regained consciousness.
Then came the pain—a searing agony spreading from his back throughout his entire body, as if every nerve had been set on fire.
He tried to move his fingers, only to discover that his wrists were secured to a chair with some kind of metal restraints.
"Awake?"
A familiar voice came from the darkness.
"I was worried that bullet might have hit something vital."
The lights suddenly came on, forcing Fu Linyuan to squint.
As his vision gradually cleared, he saw Lin Xiu's face, wearing an expression of fake concern.
The scientist was dressed in a brand-new white lab coat. A metal badge reading CHIEF SCIENTIST was pinned to his chest, while his eyes gleamed with the confidence of a victor behind his glasses.
"Not a bad reward for a traitor."
Fu Linyuan's voice was hoarse from thirst, but the sarcasm in it remained sharp.
"What did Wang Zhengguo promise you? A laboratory? Funding? Or…"
He paused.
"Special privileges to stay alive?"
Lin Xiu's expression stiffened for a moment before returning to calm.
"I chose the right side."
"The Purifiers will reshape this world, and I have the privilege of being part of it."
Fu Linyuan let out a cold laugh and used the opportunity to study his surroundings.
It was a standard interrogation room.
Three metal walls.
One wall made of one-way glass.
The wounds on his body had been treated roughly, but the bullet was clearly still lodged inside him.
Wang Zhengguo would not let him die so easily.
Not until they had extracted every piece of information from him.
"Where is Su Nuan?"
Lin Xiu suddenly asked.
Fu Linyuan raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you had already captured her."
"Stop pretending you don't know!"
Lin Xiu slammed his hand against the table.
"She jumped into the sea, but we completely sealed off the area. Yet she disappeared without a trace!"
"Who rescued her?"
The news made Fu Linyuan feel a brief sense of relief.
Su Nuan had escaped.
At least for now, she was safe.
He suppressed the thought and maintained a cold expression.
"Maybe a shark ate her."
"The ocean is dangerous."
"Especially for traitors."
Lin Xiu's face flushed red.
He was about to explode when the interrogation-room door opened.
General Wang Zhengguo strode inside, followed by two fully armed Sweepers.
Compared to the last time Fu Linyuan had seen him, the general looked even more imposing.
His military uniform was immaculate. There seemed to be more white at his temples, but the coldness in his eyes remained unchanged.
"Leave."
He gave Lin Xiu a brief command.
"I'll speak with Mr. Fu alone."
Lin Xiu glared at Fu Linyuan unwillingly before reluctantly leaving.
General Wang sat down opposite Fu Linyuan.
He took a silver cigarette case from his pocket and leisurely lit a cigarette.
"Do you remember the first time we met?"
he suddenly asked.
"At Lin Xue's laboratory."
Fu Linyuan's expression remained completely still, but his heart tightened.
A memory from twenty years ago surfaced.
At the time, Wang Zhengguo had still been a colonel, sent to inspect the Prometheus Project.
Back then, he had not yet become the ruthless man he was now.
He had even praised Lin Xue's research.
"I remember."
Fu Linyuan answered calmly.
"You said her work 'could change the future of humanity.'"
"How ironic."
"Looking at the world now, it certainly did change humanity."
"Just not in the direction you expected."
General Wang exhaled a ring of smoke.
"Lin Xue was too idealistic."
"The potential of genetic engineering goes far beyond treating disease."
"It can create stronger humans, eliminate the weak, and purify the human race."
"So you killed her."
Fu Linyuan's voice was cold as ice.
"An unfortunate accident."
General Wang spoke casually.
"Just like Su Mingyuan's car accident."
"Just like the fall of Ark Island."
"History is always written by the victors."
Fu Linyuan's knuckles turned white from the force of his clenched fists, but his expression remained calm.
"You didn't bring me here to reminisce."
"What do you want?"
"Cooperation."
General Wang looked directly into his eyes.
"You're a rare talent, Fu Linyuan."
"Intelligent. Decisive. Far-sighted."
"Join us."
"You can continue your research and have unlimited resources at your disposal."
Fu Linyuan almost laughed.
"And then what?"
"Help you create more monsters?"
"Stand by and watch humanity get 'purified'?"
"Humanity needs purification!"
General Wang suddenly raised his voice.
"Look at the world outside!"
"Pollution. War. Moral decay…"
"The weak and inferior genes are dragging the entire species down!"
"We have the opportunity to create a new world!"
"A utopia ruled by superior genes!"
Fu Linyuan calmly observed the general's emotional outburst.
This man had been completely brainwashed by the Purifiers' ideology.
Any attempt at rational debate would be pointless.
"Su Nuan is the key."
General Wang finally calmed down, returning to his usual cold tone.
"Her genetic sequence is the perfect template."
"Tell me where she is, and I can make you one of the architects of the new world."
Fu Linyuan smiled.
It was a smile completely devoid of warmth.
"Do you know why I named the island 'Ark'?"
"Because I believe in salvation, not destruction."
"Even if the world ends, there are still people who deserve to live."
"All of them."
"Not just those with what you call 'superior genes.'"
General Wang shook his head as though mourning a lost soul.
"Stubborn to the very end."
He stood.
"I'll give you twenty-four hours to think about it."
"Remember…"
"For every hour that passes, one survivor from Ark Island will be executed."
He paused.
"How about we start with Chen Mo?"
Fu Linyuan's pupils contracted slightly, but his expression quickly returned to normal.
"Chen Mo evacuated a long time ago."
"Your intelligence network needs an update."
General Wang narrowed his eyes.
"We'll see."
He turned to leave, then paused at the doorway.
"By the way…"
"Lin Xue mentioned you before she died."
"Do you know what her last words were?"
"'Tell Linyuan to remember his promise.'"
"Did you keep your promise, Fu Linyuan?"
"To protect her daughter?"
The door closed.
Fu Linyuan was left alone, turning those words over in his mind.
Lin Xue had mentioned him before she died?
Impossible.
At the time, he had been stationed at an overseas base. By the time he received the news, her body had already been cremated.
Unless…
General Wang was lying.
Or…
A terrifying possibility surfaced in his mind.
Fu Linyuan closed his eyes and forced himself to think calmly.
Two things mattered most right now:
Confirming Su Nuan's safety.
And finding a way out.
There were no windows in the interrogation room.
But by observing the frequency of the guards' shifts, Fu Linyuan estimated that approximately six hours had passed.
During that time, someone had brought him water and food.
He had managed to eat a little to preserve his strength.
The bullet wound in his back was agonizing, but that was not what concerned him most.
He was more worried about Su Nuan.
If she had truly been rescued by the Watchers, then she was safe for the moment.
Han Lie might be an old fox and a dangerous man, but he had once served under Lin Xue.
At least he would protect Su Nuan.
The real question was—
Would she be foolish enough to try to rescue him?
At the thought, Fu Linyuan felt both worried and strangely warm inside.
Su Nuan had inherited Lin Xue's kindness and stubbornness.
She had also inherited Su Mingyuan's courage.
If she had decided to act…
She was probably already on her way.
He needed to prepare.
When Lin Xiu appeared again, Fu Linyuan had already worked out a plan.
The scientist looked exhausted and irritated.
Clearly, the interrogation had gotten him nowhere.
"The general is losing patience."
Lin Xiu pushed his glasses up.
"The next group of survivors has already been transferred to Sector A3."
He paused.
"Including a girl named Xiaoyu."
Fu Linyuan's muscles instantly tightened.
Xiaoyu was the youngest orphan on the island.
She was only ten years old.
Wang Zhengguo was not even sparing children.
"What do you want?"
Fu Linyuan asked in a low voice.
Lin Xiu smiled triumphantly.
"Su Nuan's location."
"And…"
"The antibody activation code."
"We know it's hidden inside her brain, but it requires a specific method to activate."
So that was it.
Fu Linyuan sneered inwardly.
They did not merely want Su Nuan.
They wanted the complete solution.
Without the activation code, even if they obtained her blood, they would not be able to use it effectively against the Purifiers' mutated subjects.
"I need to see Wang Zhengguo."
Fu Linyuan said calmly.
"Alone."
Lin Xiu hesitated for a moment before finally nodding and leaving.
Half an hour later, General Wang returned alone.
He motioned for the guards to shut down all surveillance equipment.
"Changed your mind?"
Fu Linyuan looked directly into his eyes.
"Let's make a deal."
"I'll tell you where Su Nuan may be hiding."
"In exchange, you release all the survivors and guarantee their safe departure."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because of this."
Fu Linyuan spoke calmly.
"32°14′ N, 124°17′ E."
"The coordinates of Lin Xue's secret laboratory."
"There's something inside that you've been desperately searching for."
General Wang's expression changed.
A trace of greed flashed through his eyes.
"How do you know this?"
"Lin Xue told me before she died."
Fu Linyuan lied without changing expression.
"But I'm the only one who knows how to enter safely."
"Send your fleet there."
"And release the survivors."
"Once I confirm they're safe, I'll tell you how to get inside."
General Wang thought for a moment.
Then he suddenly smiled.
"You always manage to surprise me, Fu Linyuan."
"For a few insignificant people, you're willing to surrender your final bargaining chip?"
"Isn't that what a deal is?"
Fu Linyuan countered.
"You want something."
"I want people."
"Deal."
General Wang stood.
"But remember…"
"If you try anything clever, I'll make you watch those survivors die one by one."
"Starting with the youngest."
After he left, Fu Linyuan finally allowed himself to show a trace of exhaustion.
The wound in his back burned unbearably.
Blood loss made his head spin.
But the plan was already in motion.
The coordinates were real.
But they did not lead to Lin Xue's laboratory.
They led to one of the Watchers' outposts.
If Han Lie was alert enough, he would receive the warning and prepare an ambush.
More importantly, the deal had bought Fu Linyuan time.
The survivors would be released.
And Su Nuan…
He could only hope she was smart enough not to rush in recklessly.
But Fu Linyuan had underestimated Su Nuan's determination.
Just as he was thinking about his next move, a deafening alarm suddenly erupted throughout the entire base.
Red warning lights began flashing.
"Energy core malfunction!"
"All personnel, take your positions!"
Urgent commands echoed through the speakers.
Fu Linyuan raised an eyebrow.
An energy-core malfunction?
What a coincidence.
Unless…
The guards outside suddenly collapsed.
A familiar figure appeared in the doorway.
Su Nuan.
She was wearing a Sweeper uniform and holding an electromagnetic pulse rifle.
Her face was filled with determination.
"I came to get you."
She said simply.
She quickly unlocked his restraints.
"Can you walk?"
Fu Linyuan wanted to scold her for being reckless.
He wanted to demand an explanation for why she had taken such an enormous risk.
But in the end, he simply took the weapon she handed him.
"Yeah."
Under the cover of the alarms, they rushed out of the interrogation room and followed the escape route Su Nuan had planned.
Fu Linyuan forced himself to ignore the pain and remained intensely alert.
Every step could be a trap.
Yet at that moment, fighting side by side with Su Nuan gave him a strange sense of calm.
"How did you find me?"
He asked quietly as they crawled through a ventilation shaft.
"Han Lie's intelligence."
Su Nuan answered briefly.
"He said you were in Sector B7."
Fu Linyuan frowned.
"Han Lie let you come alone?"
"No."
"He had another mission."
Su Nuan suddenly stopped and turned toward him.
"Fu Linyuan…"
"I saw a holographic recording of my mother."
"She said…"
"You know how to activate the antibody code."
Fu Linyuan's expression instantly became complicated.
Under the flashing red emergency lights, Su Nuan saw an emotion flicker through his eyes that she could not understand.
Pain?
Hesitation?
Or…
Fear?
"Yes."
He finally admitted it.
"I know the method."
"But this isn't the time to discuss it."
"Let's get out of here first."
They continued forward.
But Fu Linyuan knew that the real test had only just begun.
The method for activating the code…
The method he had promised Lin Xue he would never use unless absolutely necessary.
And now…
The moment when it would become absolutely necessary might have finally arrived.