Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

"Teacher Jiang, are you awake?"

Su Qing's hushed voice came from outside the door.

"She's awake," Jiang Nian replied.

The door was gently pushed open, and Su Qing walked in carrying a tray with warm water, pills, and a simple breakfast.

Today she changed into a beige knit sweater and jeans, looking fresh and capable.

"Good morning." She placed the tray on the small table with swift movements.

"Qin's team sent today's monitoring recommendations early this morning. These two tablets are new types of nerve stabilizers that can help smooth out minor fluctuations in activated labeled areas and reduce the risk of being detected remotely."

Jiang Nian took the water glass and pills, asked no questions, and swallowed them. The pills tasted slightly bitter but dissolved quickly.

"Director Zhang just messaged the production team, asking if you're in good condition to film today."

Su Qing continued her report, "I replied according to the plan, saying that you have basically recovered and can resume filming normally, but I suggest avoiding high-intensity or emotionally intense scenes."

"Hmm, handled well." Jiang Nian got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom.

Su Qing followed to the door, lowering her voice even further: "Chen Meng conducted the third patrol around the hotel at three in the morning and found nothing unusual. The two team members on the perimeter are positioned at the parking lot and the high point of the building opposite, respectively, covering all entrances and exits."

"In addition," she paused, "from the base, Chief Bai hopes to conduct a short remote data synchronization test during your break today. It will take about ten minutes, and you need to remain as still as possible during the test."

Jiang Nian was washing her face when she heard this. She looked up and glanced at her through the mirror: "Time?"

“Around three o’clock in the afternoon, you should have a break between your two scenes then,” Su Qing replied quickly. “I will arrange the venue in advance and ensure privacy.”

"can."

After washing up, Jiang Nian changed into a dark gray tracksuit and began her daily morning exercise.

The movements were not fast, but every stretch and breath was extremely precise. Internal energy flowed slowly through the body with the movements, gently nourishing those subtle, hidden injuries that even sophisticated instruments might not be able to fully detect.

Su Qing quietly stood guard in a corner of the room, holding a tablet computer in her hand. She appeared to be dealing with work emails, but in reality, the screen displayed real-time monitoring footage of the room and the encrypted data stream transmitted from the base in a split-screen format.

At seven o'clock sharp, Chen Meng knocked on the door.

"Teacher Jiang, the car is ready."

The three of them went downstairs and encountered several crew members who were also staying at the same hotel in the elevator.

"Good morning, Teacher Jiang. Are you feeling better?" a lighting technician asked with concern.

"Much better, thank you." Jiang Nian responded with a smile, a gentle smile that carried just the right amount of distance.

Su Qing naturally positioned herself half a step to Jiang Nian's side, subtly blocking his path while perfectly preventing any potential close contact.

At the hotel entrance, the black van was already running. Chen Meng opened the back door, quickly scanned both sides of the street, and only after confirming it was safe did he signal Jiang Nian to get in.

The car drove smoothly toward the film and television base.

Inside the carriage, Su Qing turned around from the front row and handed over a tablet: "Teacher Jiang, this is today's shooting schedule and script revision notes. Director Zhang has adjusted the order of some scenes. Your rooftop night scene with Teacher Lin Wan has been moved to tomorrow. Today, we will mainly focus on shooting the daytime scenes inside the hospital."

Jiang Nian took the tablet and quickly browsed through it. His script page already had detailed analysis marked with different colors, even highlighting the emphasis of the lines and possible emotional turning points.

"Did you ask Xiaomin to organize these before?" he asked.

“Most of the time, I updated it last night based on the new shooting schedule,” Su Qing replied. “In addition, Teacher Lin Wan sent me a message this morning, wanting to schedule a time to go over the lines with you. She has some details she would like to ask you about regarding the doctor-patient communication scene this afternoon.”

"It's lunch break time," Jiang Nian said.

"Okay, I'll arrange it."

The car drove into the film studio and stopped in the designated parking area for the film "Lifeline". Chen Meng got out of the car first, looked around, and then opened the car door for Jiang Nian.

The film set was already bustling with activity. The props team was moving medical equipment models, the lighting technicians were adjusting the equipment, and several extras were rehearsing their positions under the direction of the assistant director.

"Teacher Jiang!" Director Zhang Yi looked up from behind the monitor and waved.

Jiang Nian walked over.

Zhang Yi looked him up and down and nodded: "You look better than yesterday. Can you really film? Don't force yourself."

“No problem, director,” Jiang Nian said confidently.

“Okay.” Zhang Yi opened the shooting schedule. “We’ll shoot the scene with Chen Xiao in the doctor’s office this morning, and the scenes with Lin Wan in the ward this afternoon. The intensity isn’t too high. If you feel uncomfortable in the middle of the shoot, just let me know.”

"it is good."

In the dressing room, the makeup artist chatted casually while applying makeup to Jiang Nian: "Teacher Jiang, everyone was so worried when you didn't come yesterday. The Zhou Yuxuan incident has just passed, and now the crew is counting on you as their anchor."

"Thank you all for your hard work." Jiang Nian closed her eyes, letting the makeup brush gently sweep across her face.

“But to be honest,” the makeup artist lowered her voice, “you seem to have a different aura since you came back this time. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but… you seem more serious? Like you’re carrying some heavy burden.”

Jiang Nian's eyelashes twitched slightly, but she didn't reply.

After his makeup was done, he changed into a white lab coat and headed to the film set.

Chen Xiao was already waiting there, clutching the script tightly in his hand. When he saw Jiang Nian, he immediately stood up straight and said, "Teacher Jiang."

"Relax." Jiang Nian walked to her position. "In this scene, Lu Chenxi discovers that Chen Yang secretly changed the medication dosage, right?"

“Yes.” Chen Xiao nodded. “Chen Yang felt he had found a better solution and wanted to prove himself, but he overlooked the individual differences among patients.”

“Remember, Lu Chenxi’s anger is not directed at Chen Yang as a person, but at this behavior of not following procedures and risking the patient’s life.” Jiang Nian looked at Chen Xiao. “So his tone will be cold, but his eyes should show heartache, because he sees his younger self in Chen Yang—driven, but also prone to making mistakes.”

Chen Xiao seemed to be deep in thought.

"All departments, get ready!" the script supervisor's voice rang out.

The camera zooms in.

"Cut!" Zhang Yi called out, a satisfied smile on his face. "Good! That take is good! Jiang Nian, that gesture of pressing your temples was well done; it instantly brought out the character's depth."

Jiang Nian stood up and nodded slightly.

Su Qing handed over a water glass at the right moment, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Base communication, connecting in three seconds."

Jiang Nian took the water glass and walked towards the rest area. As soon as she sat down, a faint electrical buzzing came from the miniature communicator in her ear, followed by Bai Yongxu's voice, encrypted and slightly distorted:

"Jiang Nian, can you hear me?"

“Clear.” Jiang Nian responded by speaking through his throat without moving his lips. “Old Qin’s team has made initial progress.” Bai Yongxu spoke quickly, “They conducted an in-depth analysis of the frequency of the blue light pulses and discovered that three extremely special coding sequences are embedded within them.”

"Yes. The specific content is still being deciphered, but one segment of the sequence has a high degree of homology with the sequence we extracted."

On the film set, the assistant director was calling for preparations for the next scene.

Jiang Nian stood up and walked towards the filming area, asking in a low voice, "What's Qin Lao's team's response?"

Bai Yongxu quickly said, "Based on the real-time data marked in your body, we will develop reverse interference technology. But it will take at least seventy-two hours."

"According to the label activity decay model, the next three days are the period when you are at the highest risk of being remotely detected."

Bai Yongxu's voice was deep, "Therefore, the entrapment plan must be launched within this period. General Zhao's operations staff is already developing a detailed plan, which will be sent to you tonight."

"clear."

Communications cut off.

Jiang Nian walked to the filming area, where Lin Wan was already waiting with a script in her hand. When she saw him, she smiled and waved, "Teacher Jiang, that scene was really good. I was completely engrossed in watching it."

"Thank you." Jiang Nian sat down opposite her, opened the script, and asked, "What are your thoughts on the scene this afternoon?"

The two began discussing the characters and performance details, as if their previous conversation about genetic coding and deep-sea traps had never happened.

……

At the same time, at the Xuanwu Base, in the deep biological laboratory.

On the huge circular screen, a complex and dizzying stream of data and three-dimensional molecular models scrolled.

Old Qin stood in front of the main control console, his glasses reflecting the blue light from the screen. Seven or eight researchers surrounded him, each with at least three monitors in front of them.

"Is the base pairing for the third coding sequence complete?" Old Qin asked, his voice hoarse. He had been working continuously for eighteen hours.

"It's done, Professor Qin!" A young researcher looked up, his eyes dark but his gaze excited. "The alignment results are in! This sequence has an 89% overlap with the key region gene fragment we extracted from sample zero! Moreover, its embedding location is exactly upstream of several key regulatory elements!"

“Upstream…” Old Qin pondered the word, his fingers rapidly tapping on the console, bringing up a diagram illustrating gene expression regulation. “In other words, once this code is successfully written or activated, it may directly affect the expression patterns of multiple downstream genes?”

“That’s the theory!” another researcher chimed in. “We did some preliminary simulations using an artificial cell model. When this code was stimulated by pulses of a specific frequency, the mitochondrial activity and protein synthesis rate in the cell increased by 30% in a short period of time!”

A low gasp filled the laboratory.

He turned around abruptly: "Contact Chief Bai immediately!"

"Yes!"

"And another thing," Old Qin called to the researcher who was about to leave, "what about the progress of reverse jamming technology?"

The scientist in charge of this area is a woman in her forties named Fang. She adjusted her glasses and pulled up another set of data: "We are trying to synthesize an anti-phase resonant wave. The principle is to use an artificial field with the same frequency as the core frequency of the blue light pulse but opposite phase to cancel out its effect. Small-scale laboratory tests show that it can reduce the intensity of the marker activation by about 60%."

"Sixty percent is not enough," Old Qin shook his head. "It must reach over ninety percent to effectively block remote detection."

“We are optimizing the waveform parameters,” Dr. Fang said. “The synchronous test this afternoon is crucial.”

Old Qin checked the time: "What time does the test start?"

"3:05 PM, lasting for ten minutes."

The assistant replied, "At that time, Consultant Jiang will be in a relatively still state, minimizing interference with data collection."

"Alright." Old Qin took a deep breath. "Notify all relevant personnel to enter the highest state of readiness at 3:00 PM sharp. In this synchronous test, we will not only collect data, but also attempt the first remote reverse interference experiment to test the inhibition effect on the marker in Consultant Jiang's body using the lowest power."

The assistant's expression changed: "Mr. Qin, isn't this too risky?"

"The risks are manageable," Old Qin said firmly. "The power we're using is only one-thousandth of the theoretical value. Even if there are side effects, they will be negligible."

He looked around at everyone in the laboratory: "Gentlemen, this may be our only chance. The organization won't give us much time."

Everyone looked solemn and nodded emphatically.

……

2:50 PM, on the set of "Lifeline".

Jiang Nian had just finished filming a scene where she was talking to a patient's family member and was taking a short break in the rest area.

Su Qing handed over a specially made electrolyte drink and said in a low voice, "Teacher Jiang, I've already arranged the venue for the 3:05 test. There's no rehearsal in Studio B next door today, so I borrowed their lounge under the pretext that you need a quiet environment to study the script for tomorrow's important play. Chen Meng will be waiting outside."

"Mm." Jiang Nian took the drink and took a sip.

The beverage contains a specially formulated stabilizer to help him maintain a stable physiological state during testing.

“What do I need to do during the testing period?” he asked.

"Try to stay seated, relax, and breathe normally," Su Qing said. "The base will collect data synchronously through the sensors on your watch and the communicator in your ear. You won't feel anything during the whole process. If you experience slight dizziness or tinnitus, it's a normal reaction and won't last more than ten seconds."

Jiang Nian nodded.

At 2:58, he got up and, accompanied by Su Qing, went to the adjacent B shed.

The place was indeed empty, except for a few folding chairs and an old table. Chen Meng was already standing at the door. Seeing them approach, he nodded slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

Inside the lounge, Su Qing quickly checked to make sure there were no hidden cameras or listening devices. Then she took out a palm-sized silver device from her bag and attached it to the inner wall of the room.

"This is a local signal booster, which ensures stable data transmission," she explained.

Jiang Nian sat down in the chair, adjusted her breathing, and relaxed her body.

Su Qing retreated to the doorway, forming a double perimeter with Chen Meng, one inside and one outside.

Qin Lao's voice came through the communicator in his ear: "Advisor Jiang, test begins. Please maintain the current state."

"Understood," Jiang Nian replied in a low voice.

He could hear his own steady breathing and feel the slight touch of the watch sensor on his wrist.

There was no discomfort; on the contrary, there was a strange sense of clarity.

"Advisor Jiang, please describe how you are feeling right now," came Old Qin's voice.

"I felt a slight tingling sensation in my spine and a cool sensation in the marked area. It was very mild and I felt no discomfort."

Jiang Nian reported the facts truthfully. (End of Chapter)