Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

Jiang Nian sat up, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

It wasn't fatigue, but rather the unpleasant feeling of being completely seen through from the inside out during the deep scan.

Behind the observation window, Bai Yongxu and several technical experts looked rather grim.

On the screen in front of them, the data stream had stopped scrolling and was replaced by a series of complex waveform comparison charts and gene sequence analysis results.

"Just tell me directly, what's going on?"

Jiang Nian accepted the water cup handed to her by the medical staff.

Bai Yongxu pressed the call button, and his voice, unusually somber, came through the speakerphone.

"Jiang Nian, come here first."

Jiang Nian stepped out of the scanning cabin, put on his coat, and went to the observation room.

"See for yourself."

Bai Yongxu pushed a tablet computer in front of him.

Two high-resolution brain function images are displayed side by side on the screen.

One is a record of Jiang's routine physical examination from years ago, and the other is the result of the recent scan.

In the color rendering representing areas of deep neural activity, the new image features several extremely subtle points of light.

“What are these blue dots?” Jiang Nian asked.

"We call it the dominant expression region of a gene marker."

The person who answered him was the base's chief biomedical expert, surnamed Qin, an elderly man with gray hair but sharp eyes.

He pointed to the gene sequence analysis diagram, "After you are subjected to that kind of blue light scan, the activity of that special gene harmonic feature is briefly but significantly enhanced."

"Raise it?"

"Yes, it's like using a tuning fork of a specific frequency to resonate a cup made of a similar material."

Old Qin explained, "That blue light is essentially a highly precise biophysical field pulse, and its frequency perfectly matches the special harmonics in your body."

"It didn't damage any structures, but it knocked on them, temporarily bringing them from a state of deep silence into an active state."

He switched the screen to display a dynamic simulation.

"Look, this is the model we reconstructed based on the scan data."

"The blue light pulse is like a key, inserted into the lock, and turned."

"Then, these gene markers, which were originally at a basal expression level, leave these visible imprints in specific areas of your nervous system when they are active."

Jiang Nian stared at the pale blue dots: "What will be the consequences? How will it affect me?"

"Currently, there appears to be no abnormality in physiological function."

He paused, somewhat incredulous.

"Data shows that your cell metabolic activity and the self-repair ability of some tissues are showing a slight upward trend."

"A promotion?" General Zhao interjected from the side. "Is that considered a benefit?"

"It's too early to draw a conclusion!" Old Qin immediately shook his head, his expression serious.

"General Zhao, this is definitely not a good thing!"

"This kind of exogenous forced activation completely violates the laws of nature and physiological rhythms."

He turned to Jiang Nian, his tone becoming more serious: "More importantly, these illuminated marked areas are now like lighthouses in the darkness."

"We speculate that if the other side has more powerful detection equipment, they may now be able to locate and identify you more easily than before!"

The room fell silent instantly, with only the slight hum of the equipment running.

Jiang Nian slowly put down the tablet.

"So, that thing isn't an offensive weapon; it's a scanner and an activator."

"At least this launch followed that pattern."

Bai Yongxu continued, his eyes cold, "Their purpose is very clear: to confirm your location, to confirm the authenticity and activity of the key's characteristics in your body, and even to make your key more conspicuous in preparation for possible future use."

"For later use?" Jiang Nian looked at him.

"Return to the Ruins. Cradle. Sleeper."

Bai Yongxu uttered these three words.

"All the clues point to the fact that they need an active key to start a process."

"Your current situation is very likely exactly the warm-up state they want."

"Then wouldn't we be helping them?"

General Zhao's face was grim.

“Not necessarily.” Jiang Nian suddenly spoke, looking again at the blue dots on the brain imaging images.

Now that the marker has been activated, will it become easier for us to observe and study it?

Old Qin's eyes lit up: "You mean..."

“They want to use me, and we can use this opportunity as well.”

Jiang Nian's thoughts became clearer: "They activated these markers, allowing us to observe their expression locations and activity patterns so clearly for the first time."

"Could we reverse engineer these tags to find their core control logic, or even find ways to mask or interfere with them?"

Old Qin slapped his thigh excitedly: "Theoretically feasible! Previously, these markers were in deep silence, and we were like groping in the dark, only able to infer through indirect comparisons of zero and you."

"Now that they've been illuminated, while it brings risks, it also gives us a window for direct observation and experimentation!"

He turned to Bai Yongxu, speaking faster: "Chief Bai, I request that a special research team be established immediately, based on Advisor Jiang's real-time monitoring data, to tackle this problem with all our might!"

Bai Yongxu didn't hesitate at all: "Approved! Elder Qin, whatever resources you need, the base will provide full support!"

"General Zhao, coordinate security and confidentiality, raise the research level to the highest level!"

"Yes!" General Zhao replied, standing at attention.

Bai Yongxu pondered for a moment: "You can't delay the film crew any longer."

“A sudden migraine can be explained in a day or two, but if it lasts too long, it will arouse suspicion. Especially now that the controversy about Zhou Yuxuan on the Internet has just subsided, many eyes are still on the ‘Lifeline’ crew.”

“I’ll go back tomorrow,” Jiang Nian said.

"Your security level needs to be upgraded."

Bai Yongxu looked at General Zhao, "Arrange for the Shadow Team to replace A-Jie and Xiao-Min who are currently in the open. They will go into hiding to provide support. Jiang Nian needs more professional people around him who are better able to handle extreme situations."

“Shadow is already on standby.” General Zhao nodded. “They are skilled in close protection and environmental control, and their backgrounds are completely clean, with no prior experience in the film and television industry. They can be integrated into the crew at any time.”

"Okay," Bai Yongxu said to Jiang Nian finally.

"After returning to the film set, everything is as usual. Filming and daily life, don't show any abnormalities."

"The research team will remotely monitor your vital signs 24 hours a day. If there are any emergencies, or if we detect any abnormal signals approaching, we will immediately activate the emergency plan."

Jiang Nian nodded, her eyes calm: "I know what to do."

……

The next morning, at the film and television base hotel, there was a knock on Jiang Nian's room door.

Xiaomin opened the door, and two strangers were standing outside.

One male and one female.

The man looked to be in his early thirties, with an ordinary appearance—the kind of person you'd easily lose in a crowd—but he stood with a steady posture, and his gentle eyes revealed an indescribable focus.

The woman was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with short, ear-length hair, looking capable and refreshing, and wearing a smile that easily made people feel good.

"Hello, Ms. Jiang. I am Su Qing, the new personal assistant assigned by the company."

The woman smiled and handed over a business card and a document. "Brother Wu Ming said that your previous assistant had a family emergency and was transferred back. I will be taking over Xiaomin's work for the time being. This is the transfer letter and my information."

The man bowed slightly: "Teacher Jiang, I am Chen Meng, the new driver and safety assistant. I am responsible for your travel and daily safety."

Xiaomin took the document, quickly glanced at it, and nodded to Jiang Nian: "Teacher Jiang, the paperwork is complete; it's an arrangement from the company."

As she spoke, she began to naturally tidy up her personal belongings.

Jiang Nian sized up the two of them.

This Chen Meng concealed his aura extremely well, but with Jiang Nian's keen eye, he could tell that Chen Meng's steps were very steady and that the lines of his shoulders and back contained explosive power, making him an absolute top-notch fighter.

Su Qing appeared casual, but her eyes were quick and precise in observing the room's environment, and there were fine calluses on her finger joints.

"Thank you for your hard work." Jiang Nian said in his usual tone, "Xiao Min, you've worked hard too. Go back and take care of things at home."

"Thank you, Teacher Jiang."

Xiaomin picked up her bag, smiled at Su Qing and Chen Meng, and said, "I've compiled Teacher Jiang's habits and schedule and sent them to her work email. Feel free to ask me anything you don't understand."

After saying that, she left the room decisively without any hesitation.

After the door closed, Chen Meng and Su Qing's professional smiles faded slightly, replaced by a more solemn expression.

Chen Meng said in a low voice, "Advisor Jiang, Chen Meng and Su Qing are reporting for duty. There are two more team members on the perimeter responsible for deployment and maneuverability."

"Your absolute safety is our top priority while you are on set."

Su Qing added, "We will perfectly play the roles of assistant and driver, without arousing any suspicion."

"Your daily monitoring data will be encrypted and transmitted back to the base via the special equipment I carry. We have a four-level contingency plan in case of any anomalies."

Jiang Nian nodded: "Thank you for your help. The film crew environment is relatively open, so please be mindful of your behavior and avoid revealing anything unless absolutely necessary."

"Understood," the two replied in unison.

Half an hour later, Jiang Nian appeared on the set of "Lifeline" accompanied by Su Qing and Chen Meng.

"Teacher Jiang! You're here!" The assistant director was the first to see her and rushed over to greet her. "Are you feeling better?"

"I'm much better now. I'm sorry for causing everyone trouble." Jiang Nian said apologetically.

Director Zhang Yi also came over and carefully examined Jiang Nian's expression.

"Are you really alright? Don't push yourself if you can't handle it."

"It's really nothing, Director. It's an old ailment, it comes on quickly and goes away quickly." Jiang Nian smiled. "I'll catch up on the lost time as soon as possible."

"Your health is important."

Zhang Yi patted him on the shoulder, "This morning we'll film the dialogue scenes where you and Lin Wan are making rounds in the ward. It's not too intense, so get into character."

"it is good."

Lin Wan saw Jiang Nian and walked over with concern: "Teacher Jiang, you really scared us. Does your head still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore, thank you for your concern." Jiang Nian took the thermos cup that Su Qing handed her at the right time and took a sip.

Chen Xiao also came over and respectfully greeted, "Teacher Jiang."

"Well, how are the preparations going?" Jiang Nian asked.

"I've thought about it a few more times, just like you said last time, and it feels much better now," Chen Xiao replied earnestly.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the filming began.

Jiang Nian quickly adopted Lu Chenxi's mindset.

The performance was as stable and precise as ever.

Su Qing stood near the monitor, seemingly observing and learning attentively, but in reality, she had miniature earphones in her ears and was subtly scanning every corner of the set out with the corner of her eye, especially the positions of people entering and leaving and the placement of props.

The tablet in her hand displayed what appeared to be a script note interface, but in reality, it was running an environmental monitoring program at the bottom.

Chen Meng stood by the van outside the film set, checking the vehicle and chatting casually with other drivers or staff who occasionally passed by, his demeanor relaxed.

But all the muscles in the body are in a state where they can explode at any time.

During a break in filming, Jiang Nian sat on a folding chair to rest.

Su Qing handed over some warm water and quickly reported in a low voice: "The monitoring data is stable, and no abnormal biological signals have been detected. The crew members' behavior patterns are normal."

Jiang Nian nodded slightly.

Everything seemed to be back on track.

The filming was intense yet well-organized, the actors engaged in professional exchanges, and the crew was busy and bustling every day.

However, the atmosphere was completely different in the deep laboratory of the Xuanwu Base, far away from the film and television base.

Professor Qin's research team has already begun working around the clock.

"The frequency spectrum analysis of the blue light pulse has been completed!"

A young researcher excitedly reported, "It's very complex, but the core frequency bands are concentrated in three narrow intervals, and the key harmonic characteristics we simulated earlier match up to 94%!"

"Modeling of marker activity decay curve completed!"

Another researcher exclaimed, "According to the data after Consultant Jiang returned, the prominence of the markers is slowly decreasing exponentially."

"Five to six days." Old Qin stared at the screen. "In other words, if the other party really wants to use this preheated key, the window of opportunity is likely to be within these few days."

He switched communication channels: "Chief Bai, the preliminary analysis results are in."

"Consultant Jiang's current state is like a marked living beacon, whose visibility will remain high for the next five days. This is dangerous, but it is also an opportunity."

In the command center, Bai Yongxu looked at the data transmitted simultaneously: "Specific plan?"

"We need a reason that is reasonable enough to allow Advisor Jiang to be relatively close to the South China Sea, and that makes it easy for us to control and support him."

Old Qin quickly said, "At the same time, we need to prepare fishing nets and develop equipment that can capture or even interfere with the other side's detection signals."

Bai Yongxu remained silent, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

This is a risky move.

It is a deliberate act to place Jiang Nian in potential danger, but if this leads to the capture of key units within the organization and the acquisition of more intelligence about Guixu and its technology, the value would be immense.

"A risk assessment of the plan?" he asked.

A nearby operations staff officer immediately replied, "According to current intelligence, the size of the organization's permanent forces in the South China Sea is unknown, but it shouldn't be too large, otherwise it would be easily detected by conventional marine surveillance. Its underwater vehicles are technologically advanced."

"But if we take the initiative to ambush them, we can mobilize the latest anti-submarine aircraft and attack submarines of the South China Sea Fleet, in conjunction with the special deep-sea submersibles at our base. We are 70% confident that we can make contact or intercept them before they can escape."

"What is Jiang Nian's personal safety level?"

"If the plan is meticulous, the response is swift, and Advisor Jiang avoids entering the enemy's likely heavy fire range, the safety level can be maintained at a high level." (End of Chapter)