The ventilation duct was narrow and dark. Su Nuan led the way, with Fu Linyuan following closely behind. Even though he was injured, his movements remained swift and precise, making almost no sound.
Following the layout she remembered from the structural blueprints, Su Nuan guided them through the complicated network of ventilation ducts, avoiding the patrolling soldiers.
"Turn left ahead, then go down," she whispered. "That leads to the maintenance passage."
Fu Linyuan didn't answer, but Su Nuan could hear his heavy breathing. His injuries were clearly worse than he let on. She glanced back. Under the faint red emergency lights, his face was as pale as paper, beads of sweat covering his forehead, yet his eyes remained as sharp as blades.
"Do you need to rest?" she asked quietly.
Fu Linyuan shook his head. "Keep moving. Wang Zhengguo will realize soon that the deal was a decoy."
They crawled through the ducts for roughly twenty minutes before finally reaching the planned exit. Su Nuan carefully moved the ventilation cover aside and checked that no one was outside before jumping down first.
It was an abandoned maintenance room filled with tools and spare parts. A thick layer of dust covered everything, making it obvious that no one had been there for a long time.
Fu Linyuan stumbled when he landed. Su Nuan immediately caught him.
Up close, she could smell the heavy scent of blood. His wound had opened again.
"Let me see."
Without giving him a chance to object, she lifted his shirt. The bandages were already soaked through with blood.
"Damn it. You need to be bandaged again."
Fu Linyuan didn't protest. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
Su Nuan quickly pulled a medical kit from her backpack. With practiced movements, she replaced his bandages and injected him with painkillers and antibiotics.
"What's Han Lie's plan?" Fu Linyuan suddenly asked.
Su Nuan continued working without looking up.
"He's responsible for creating the chaos. I'm responsible for getting you out. We'll meet at the eastern dock, where a submarine is waiting for us."
"That's too risky." Fu Linyuan frowned. "Wang Zhengguo won't let us leave easily."
"Which is why we're not taking the usual route."
Su Nuan gave him a mysterious smile and pulled a small device from her backpack.
"An electromagnetic pulse bomb. Han Lie gave it to me. Once activated, it can disable the electronic equipment in the entire area for fifteen minutes."
Fu Linyuan took the device and examined it.
"Military grade… Where did Han Lie get this?"
"He said it came from the Watchers' stockpile."
Su Nuan helped him put on the stolen "Cleaner" uniform.
"It should be enough to get us through the final line of defense."
Fu Linyuan looked at her thoughtfully.
"You trust him? Han Lie?"
The question made Su Nuan pause.
Did she trust Han Lie?
The one-eyed captain radiated danger from every inch of his body. But he had saved her and provided the equipment and intelligence they needed to rescue Fu Linyuan.
"Not completely," she finally answered. "But we need him right now."
Fu Linyuan nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
He tried to straighten himself. His complexion had improved slightly.
"Let's go. While the medicine is still working."
Disguised as members of the "Cleaners," they walked boldly out of the maintenance room.
The entire base was in chaos. Soldiers rushed through the corridors, while the speakers continuously announced reports of abnormalities in different sectors.
"Is the energy core stable?"
"Intruders detected in Sector A3!"
"All units, attention! Fu Linyuan has escaped! Repeat, Fu Linyuan has escaped!"
Su Nuan nervously tightened her grip around the pistol hidden beneath her sleeve, but no one paid much attention to them.
In the chaos, two people wearing Cleaner uniforms were hardly noticeable.
They merged into a group of soldiers heading toward the eastern sector and successfully passed through three checkpoints.
"After that corner, the dock is right ahead," Su Nuan whispered, her heart pounding faster.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind them.
"Stop! You two!"
Xu Zheng.
Su Nuan's blood instantly ran cold.
She slowly turned around and saw Xu Zheng blocking their path with four soldiers.
The scientist had already removed his white coat and changed into a black combat uniform. In his hand was a strangely shaped pistol.
"Nice uniforms," Xu Zheng sneered. "But you forgot one detail."
"The Cleaners wear their insignia on the right arm, not the left."
Fu Linyuan reacted like lightning.
The instant Xu Zheng raised his gun, Fu Linyuan shoved Su Nuan aside and drew his own weapon, firing at Xu Zheng.
Xu Zheng dodged swiftly. The bullet only grazed his shoulder, while his counterattack struck Fu Linyuan in the thigh.
"Run!"
Fu Linyuan gritted his teeth and fired back, buying Su Nuan time.
"Follow the plan!"
Su Nuan knew it was the most rational choice.
Fu Linyuan was injured and couldn't run fast. She had a much better chance of escaping alone.
But rationality was one thing.
She couldn't leave him behind.
"No!"
She activated the electromagnetic pulse bomb and threw it toward Xu Zheng.
"We're leaving together!"
The bomb exploded without producing any flames.
Instead, a wave of blue energy spread outward.
Instantly, all the lights went out. Electronic equipment failed, including the smart weapon in Xu Zheng's hand.
In the darkness, Su Nuan grabbed Fu Linyuan by the arm and dragged him toward the dock.
Behind them came Xu Zheng's furious shouting and the chaotic footsteps of soldiers, but the darkness and confusion gave them cover.
After turning the final corner, the dock appeared before them—a semicircular platform stretching out into the pitch-black sea.
"Han Lie!" Su Nuan called softly. "We're here!"
There was no response.
The dock was completely empty, with only several small patrol boats moored nearby.
Su Nuan's heart sank.
Had Han Lie broken his promise?
Or had something happened to him?
"Look over there."
Fu Linyuan pointed toward the distant sea.
A faint green light was blinking rhythmically beneath the surface.
A submarine signal.
But it was more than a hundred meters away—too far for them to swim to, especially with Fu Linyuan injured.
"Use that."
Fu Linyuan pointed toward the nearest speedboat.
"The EMP should have disabled its tracking system too."
Su Nuan quickly untied the rope and helped Fu Linyuan aboard.
The speedboat still had a mechanical ignition system, which continued to function.
The engine roared to life.
Just as they were about to leave the dock, flashlight beams suddenly appeared behind them.
Xu Zheng and his men had caught up.
"Stop!" Xu Zheng roared. "You're not getting away!"
Bullets whistled past their ears.
Su Nuan lowered herself and pushed the throttle to its maximum.
The speedboat shot across the dark sea like an arrow, quickly leaving the dock behind.
"Get down!"
Fu Linyuan suddenly lunged toward her.
A tremendous explosion shook the boat.
Su Nuan looked back.
A missile launcher had risen from the dock.
The EMP's effects were beginning to wear off, and some of the defensive systems had regained power.
"They need thirty seconds to reload!" Fu Linyuan gritted out. "Turn toward that buoy!"
Su Nuan violently turned the wheel.
The speedboat carved a sharp arc across the water.
Almost simultaneously, the second missile screamed through the air and exploded nearby, sending an enormous column of water into the sky.
The shockwave rocked the speedboat violently, nearly capsizing it.
"How much farther?"
She gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her fingers had gone white.
Fu Linyuan pointed ahead.
"Right there! Dive!"
Su Nuan saw the green light beneath the water getting closer and closer.
But the third missile had already been launched.
At the critical moment, the sea suddenly parted.
A massive black shape emerged from beneath the waves.
The submarine Sea Serpent.
Its hatch stood open, and Han Lie was standing at the entrance, waving them toward him.
The speedboat shot through the submarine's open hatch.
At that exact moment, the missile struck the spot where they had been moments earlier.
The explosion's shockwave flipped the speedboat.
Su Nuan felt herself thrown into the air before plunging into the freezing seawater.
Darkness.
Salty seawater rushed into her nose.
She struggled desperately to reach the surface, but her heavy combat uniform dragged her downward.
Just as her consciousness began to fade, a powerful arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her toward the light.
"Breathe!"
Fu Linyuan's voice seemed to come from very far away.
Su Nuan coughed violently, vomiting seawater.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the submarine's deck.
Fu Linyuan was kneeling beside her, his face even paler than paper. Blood continued to pour from the wound in his right leg.
Han Lie and several crew members were busy closing the hatch. The submarine had already begun its descent.
"You… saved me…"
Su Nuan gasped for breath.
The corners of Fu Linyuan's mouth lifted slightly.
"Now we're even."
Then his eyes closed.
His body pitched forward and collapsed heavily onto Su Nuan.
Only then did she see the wound on his back.
It wasn't an ordinary bullet wound.
It was a burn caused by some kind of energy weapon, the damage so severe that the wound was deep enough to expose bone.
"Fu Linyuan!"
Su Nuan cried out in horror.
But the man had already lost consciousness.
Han Lie immediately ordered the crew to carry Fu Linyuan into the medical bay.
Su Nuan stumbled after them.
The inside of the submarine was far more spacious than she had imagined. Various instruments and pipes lined both sides of the corridors. The crew members each performed their duties with calm efficiency, as though the terrifying escape they had just experienced were nothing more than a routine drill.
Inside the medical bay, Doctor Lu had already prepared the surgical equipment.
When she saw Fu Linyuan's injuries, her expression became extremely serious.
"Energy-weapon damage… Wang Zhengguo actually used experimental equipment."
She quickly checked his vital signs.
"His condition is critical. The bullet is still inside his body, and on top of the blood loss, there's contamination from seawater…"
"Save him."
Su Nuan grabbed the doctor's arm, her voice trembling.
"Please."
Doctor Lu patted her hand.
"I'll do everything I can. But right now, you need to go to the command room. Han Lie has important information."
Su Nuan hesitated, staring at the unconscious Fu Linyuan. She didn't want to leave him.
Doctor Lu understood.
"He's stable for the moment. Go. Once you understand what's happening, you'll be in a better position to help him."
In the command room, Han Lie was studying the radar screen.
When he saw Su Nuan enter, he pointed at a blinking red dot.
"General Wang's fleet. Twenty nautical miles away. They're searching this area."
"Can we lose them?"
"Of course."
Han Lie grinned.
"The Sea Serpent is faster than they could ever imagine."
Then his expression became serious.
"But the question is… where do we go?"
Su Nuan remembered the coordinates her mother had left behind.
"32°14′ north latitude, 124°17′ east longitude."
"My mother said the key to ending everything is there."
Han Lie's one eye suddenly widened.
"Lin Xue gave you those coordinates? When?"
"Her holographic recording," Su Nuan explained.
"She said Fu Linyuan knows how to activate it… What is the method? Why did she only tell him?"
Han Lie's expression became strange.
"Because that was the final safeguard…"
He walked toward the navigation table and marked the coordinates.
"A method Lin Xue hoped she would never have to use."
He stared at the map.
"We'll go there first. When Fu Linyuan wakes up, let him explain it himself."
Su Nuan was about to ask another question when the communicator suddenly crackled.
Doctor Lu's voice came through.
"Han Lie, you need to come here. Something's wrong with Fu Linyuan."
Inside the medical bay, Fu Linyuan was connected to numerous monitoring devices.
His face was still pale, but his expression was unusually painful, as though he were suffering through some invisible torment.
The strangest thing was that a faint blue glow had begun to appear around his wounds.
"What is that?"
Su Nuan stared in shock.
Doctor Lu examined the readings.
"An abnormal antibody has appeared in his blood…"
She looked at Su Nuan.
"It's similar to yours, but the concentration is much lower."
"Impossible."
Han Lie frowned.
"Unless…"
"Unless what?"
Su Nuan pressed.
Han Lie and Doctor Lu exchanged a glance.
Finally, Doctor Lu sighed.
"Unless Fu Linyuan also underwent genetic modification."
"But it wasn't completely successful."
She paused.
"He was one of the participants in Lin Xue's early experiments."
The revelation hit Su Nuan like a hammer.
Fu Linyuan was an experimental subject too?
His connection to her mother was far more complicated than she had ever imagined…
"Will he be okay?"
Su Nuan asked softly, her fingers unconsciously brushing against Fu Linyuan's burning forehead.
"For now, all we can do is wait."
Doctor Lu handed her a wet towel.
"Wipe your face. You look terrible."
Only then did Su Nuan notice her own condition.
She was soaked from head to toe, her face covered in seawater and blood, and her hands were trembling uncontrollably from tension.
She took the towel.
Suddenly, the world began to spin.
The exhaustion she had accumulated over the past several days came crashing down over her like a tidal wave.
"Get some rest."
Han Lie's voice was unusually gentle.
"We'll monitor Fu Linyuan and General Wang's movements. We'll notify you immediately if anything changes."
Su Nuan wanted to refuse.
But her body had already reached its limit.
She reluctantly nodded and was led to a small cabin.
Lying on the narrow bed, she thought her worry would keep her awake.
Instead, the moment she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.
In her dream, she saw Fu Linyuan standing in the distance with his back toward her.
Beside him stood a blurred female figure.
Was it her mother?
She tried to run toward them, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move.
Just as she was about to reach them, a piercing alarm jolted her awake.
"All personnel, attention! Depth-charge attack! Prepare for emergency evasive maneuvers!"
Su Nuan stumbled out of the cabin and nearly collided with a crew member rushing past.
The submarine shook violently.
She grabbed the wall to keep herself from falling.
"What's happening?" she shouted.
"General Wang's fleet found us!" the crew member replied.
"They're dropping depth charges!"
Su Nuan's heart sank.
They had escaped Penglai Base, but they still hadn't escaped danger.
And now, Fu Linyuan was unconscious, while Han Lie was busy commanding the submarine.
She had to do something…
A bold idea suddenly occurred to her.
Her mother had said that Fu Linyuan knew how to activate the system.
What if…
What if she could somehow trigger it?
Maybe it could help them escape.
With that thought in mind, Su Nuan returned to the medical bay.
Fu Linyuan was still unconscious, but his expression had become even more painful, as though he were struggling inside a nightmare.
She gently took his hand.
To her surprise, his skin was frighteningly hot.
"Fu Linyuan…"
she whispered.
"I need your help. We're being tracked. We need… we need that password."
There was no response.
Su Nuan took a deep breath.
She leaned down and whispered into his ear.
"Uncle Linyuan… save me."
The childhood name seemed to possess some kind of magic.
Fu Linyuan's body suddenly jolted.
His eyelids trembled violently.
Even more astonishingly, the blue glow around his wounds suddenly intensified, illuminating the entire medical bay.
At the same time, Su Nuan felt a strange current of electricity pass through the point of contact and travel up her arm into her brain.
Images flashed before her eyes.
Her mother's smiling face.
Laboratory equipment.
A younger version of Fu Linyuan holding a crying little girl in his arms…
Then a string of numbers and symbols appeared, burning themselves into her consciousness like a brand.
This was the activation code.
Her mother had hidden it inside Fu Linyuan's genetic memory.
Only through this special contact could it be triggered.
"Su Nuan!"
Han Lie rushed into the medical bay, stunned by the sight before him.
"What are you doing?"
Su Nuan looked up.
Blue light flickered in her eyes—the same blue glow that surrounded Fu Linyuan's wounds.
"I know the password…"
Her voice was trembling with disbelief.
"I know how to end all of this."