Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

A brief silence fell over the suite.

Zhao Qing's guess was like a piece of ice, smashing into everyone's heart.

Su Qing murmured, her face pale, "That child in the base?"

“Old Qin said that Zero’s genetic marker is the same as Consultant Jiang’s,” Li Su said slowly. “If the organization only needs the key itself, and not a specific person.”

"Then they might indeed choose to destroy Consultant Jiang and then do everything they can to seize Zero."

Wang Chuang finished the sentence.

Yang Zhan walked to the window and pulled back a corner of the curtain. The city lights were bright under the night sky, yet a chill permeated the air.

"Does Lao Bai know about this guess?"

He asked without turning his head.

“They should know.” Chen Meng operated the encrypted tablet. “The base’s intelligence analysis department isn’t just sitting around doing nothing. What we can think of, they definitely have thought of as well.”

"Does Qin Lao's team have the latest data?" he asked.

Su Qing immediately brought up her tablet: "It was just synced half an hour ago."

"Your marker activity has recovered to 62 percent of the baseline, and the newly emerged harmonic modes are stable. The data for Zero..." She paused, "Old Qin said that higher privileges are required to access it."

"Then there's a problem."

He walked to the whiteboard, erased the previous sketch, and redraw two circles side by side.

"Assuming that both Jiang Nian and Zero are complete keys, the organization needs at least one."

"Suppose that neither key is complete, and they need to be combined or complement each other."

“Let’s assume,” Yang Zhan drew a question mark in the third position, “that the key isn’t what they’re talking about at all.”

Li Su frowned: "Instructor, what do you mean?"

"I've been in the underworld for fifty years."

Yang Zhan threw his pen on the table. "I've seen too many pretentious tricks."

"Do you think the organization is lying?" Wang Chuang asked.

“It’s not necessarily an intentional lie,” Yang Zhan said. “They might not have fully understood it themselves.”

Jiang Nian suddenly spoke up: "Shen Qianshan said before he left that the master is waiting for me."

"What else did he say?"

“He said I had secrets they didn’t know,” Jiang Nian recalled.

The communicator in the room suddenly rang.

It's the base's encrypted channel.

Bai Yongxu's image appeared on the large screen in the living room.

"Everyone's here?" Bai Yongxu glanced around. "To make a long story short..."

"The heat source activity at the South China Sea base peaked half an hour ago and then suddenly declined. The technical department analyzed that they may have completed the charging or startup of some large equipment."

"We tracked the black van's final destination to the underground warehouse of the secondhand market in the west of the city. The commando team stormed in five minutes ago; the warehouse was empty, but we found this."

The scene changes to a close-up of a metal workbench.

Tools and parts were scattered on the table, the most conspicuous being fragments of several petri dishes, containing a pale blue gel-like substance.

"Biological sample?"

Old Qin's voice came from off-screen as he squeezed in front of the camera, "Zoom in! Yes, right there!"

The image focuses on the edge of the petri dish fragments, where there are several blurry markings.

“This is…” Old Qin leaned closer, “the organization’s internal numbering system.”

“They know the filming schedule for tomorrow,” Su Qing said, her voice trembling.

“They not only know,” Zhao Qing said coldly, “they are hinting, and may even already be making plans.”

Zhou Yan suddenly spoke up: "Could it be a trap? They deliberately let us overhear, and then deployed heavy troops on the rooftop?"

“Possibly,” Wang Chuang nodded. “But it could also be a bluff to get us to cancel the rooftop scene, disrupt the filming schedule, and create conflict between Consultant Jiang and the crew.”

"Director Zhang's project cannot be stopped."

Jiang Nian said, "There are hundreds of people in the crew. The loss from stopping work for one day is too great. Moreover, if the whole project is in trouble because of me, no one will dare to use me again in the future."

"Your safety is more important than any play!" Su Qing said urgently.

“My safety is inseparable from my normal social identity.” Jiang Nian looked at Bai Yongxu, “Chief Bai, what do you think?”

Bai Yongxu remained silent for a long time.

The lights in the command center cast deep shadows on his face.

"The film needs to be shot," he finally said, "but it can't be shot according to the original plan."

"What do you mean?" Yang Zhan asked.

“They’re playing along.” Bai Yongxu pulled up a 3D map of the film and television base. “The rooftop is on the roof of Building 7 in Zone C. It has a wide view, but the surrounding buildings are complex.”

"If the organization is going to take action, there are only three ways: long-range sniping, close-range raid, or infiltrating the film crew."

He zoomed in on several locations around the rooftop: "Yang Zhan, I need you to redeploy the defenses. The rooftop scenes will proceed as scheduled, but all actors and crew members must undergo triple identity verification."

"Clear all non-essential personnel from within a 100-meter radius of the filming area."

"Where's the sniping spot?" Li Su asked.

"The six surrounding high-rise buildings have all been secured by our people in advance." Bai Yongxu marked six red dots. "General Zhao has coordinated with the local special police to begin sealing off these buildings at 7:00 AM tomorrow and conducting a floor-by-floor search."

How are crew members verified?

Wang Chuang raised a key issue: "There will be at least fifty people on site tomorrow, and checking them one by one will be too slow."

“Use this.” Old Qin squeezed back in front of the camera and held up a palm-sized silver device. “Rapid Biometric Screening Device.”

Yang Zhan's eyes lit up: "How many of these are there?"

"Twenty units."

Mr. Qin said, "It's enough. But we need to train the operators in advance."

"Li Su, Wang Chuang, you two go to the base now."

Yang Zhan ordered, "Learn how to use it from Elder Qin's men, and return before dawn."

"Yes!" The two immediately stood up.

Bai Yongxu's voice was as cold as ice, "Remember, it's better to kill the innocent than to let the guilty go free."

"Commander!" Su Qing exclaimed.

"This is war."

Bai Yongxu looked at her, his eyes showing no wavering.

"The organization has already targeted our sentries. Two brothers are now missing, their fate unknown. To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to our own people."

Jiang Nian gripped the armrests of the wheelchair tightly.

He knew Bai Yongxu was right.

But this decision still weighs heavily on people's minds.

"And another one." Bai Yongxu switched the view to a blurry satellite photo. "This was taken two hours ago, outside the South China Sea base. Look here."

He circled an area.

When the photo is enlarged, several small black dots can be vaguely seen entering and exiting from the bottom entrance of the hemispherical structure.

“At least six underwater transport vehicles. And,” Bai Yongxu circled another area, “we’re observing the temperature changes in this sea area.”

"Their discharge of high-temperature coolant indicates that the base's internal energy system is operating at full capacity."

"For what?" Yang Zhan asked.

"do not know."

Bai Yongxu shook his head, "But it's definitely not for soaking in hot springs. The technical department speculates that they might be preparing for the trial operation of some large-scale equipment, or..."

He paused. "What are they incubating?" "Thermal imaging shows that there are multiple independent heat source zones inside the base, which is consistent with a biological culture environment." Bai Yongxu pulled up the data chart. "Moreover, the energy consumption pattern shows that the power consumption in these areas has increased by 300% in the past 24 hours."

Bai Yongxu took a deep breath: "So tomorrow's rooftop show could be bait, or it could be a real trap."

"They might want to use Jiang Nian's death as a test."

"test?"

Su Qing was puzzled.

"Testing how those genetic markers would react when Jiang died."

Old Qin's voice trembled slightly.

Jiang Nian felt a chill down his back.

"I have a question."

Zhou Yan suddenly spoke up. He rarely spoke, but when he did, he always got straight to the point: "If the organization is really training a key, why go to all the trouble of arresting Consultant Jiang? Wouldn't it be better to just wait until the training is complete?"

“Because Jiang Nian is the most special one,” Elder Qin replied quickly. “He is a naturally awakened individual, not a product of a laboratory. His genetic markers are deeply integrated with his internal energy cultivation, producing changes that we cannot understand.”

“So they want a living Jiang Nian as a sample,” Zhao Qing continued, “but if they can’t catch a living one, they’ll take a dead one too, at least to study the data from when he died?”

"I'm afraid so."

Bai Yongxu turned off the satellite imagery. "Yang Zhan, your mission tomorrow is clear: protect Jiang Nian at all costs. If the situation gets out of control, I authorize you to use the highest-level emergency response plan."

The highest standard.

These four words made the temperature in the room drop a few degrees.

That means that, in a last resort, everything around you can be sacrificed.

Including the innocent!
Solely to ensure the safety of the target.

Alternatively, ensure that the target does not fall into enemy hands.

"Understood," Yang Zhan replied in a deep voice.

Communication ends.

The screen went dark, leaving only the sound of breathing and the low hum of the equipment in the room.

"Let's all get ready."

Yang Zhan waved his hand, "Li Suwang is going to the base, Zhao Qing and Zhou Yan are going to check the vehicles and equipment, and Lin Wei and Chen Lu are preparing medical kits and emergency supplies for tomorrow."

"Su Qing and Chen Meng, you two come with me. We need to replan our route for tomorrow."

The crowd dispersed, each returning to their assigned duties.

Jiang Nian was pushed back to the bedroom, and Su Qing helped him adjust the angle of his wheelchair.

“Teacher Jiang,” she knelt down, her eyes red, “were you scared?”

Jiang Nian looked at the young girl and recalled her awkward appearance when she first became his assistant.

She is now proficient in handling encrypted communications, inspecting surveillance equipment, and even participating in tactical discussions.

"I'm afraid," he said honestly, "but being afraid is useless."

“I can ask to go up to the rooftop with you.” Su Qing bit her lip. “The more people there are, the more we can take care of each other.”

“No.” Jiang Nian shook his head. “Your location is in the monitoring vehicle. Coordinating information is more important than being by my side.”

"But……"

“Su Qing,” Jiang Nian interrupted her, “We all have our own place. Your place isn’t on the front lines, but in the rear. Safeguarding the rear is the greatest help you can give us.”

Su Qing lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

“Go help Instructor Yang,” he said. “I’ll rest for a bit.”

After Su Qing left, Jiang Nian was left alone in the room.

Internal energy circulates in the meridians, intertwining with the activity of markers to form a peculiar symbiosis.

Jiang Nian tried to guide them.

It's not an outburst, not an attack, but the simplest form of perception.

He focused his attention on his right hand.

That's where the wound is deepest, and the pain is most intense.

It was difficult at first, like wading through mud.

But gradually, he found his rhythm.

The labeled activity, like a tamed stream, begins to slowly and steadily converge on the right.

He could feel the cells at the wound site dividing rapidly, new granulation tissue growing, and the pain lessening.

It doesn't cure, but rather accelerates the natural healing process.

The price is exhaustion.

In just three minutes, he felt dizzy, as if he had been working all night.

He stopped guiding, and the labeled activity quickly returned, restoring the previous distribution state.

Sweat had soaked through his back.

But Jiang Nian's eyes lit up.

If he can precisely control this ability, he can not only unleash it at crucial moments but also accelerate his recovery during normal times. This means his combat endurance will far exceed that of ordinary people.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Yang Zhan pushed the door open and came in, holding a tablet in his hand.

"Did I disturb your rest?"

"No." Jiang Nian wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Is something wrong?"

"Li Su and the others are back from the base." Yang Zhan handed over the tablet. "They've learned how to operate the screening device. Also, Old Qin asked me to pass on a message to you."

"What?"

“He said that the harmonic characteristics generated by the combination of your marking activity and internal force are learning your combat patterns.” Yang Zhan read the message sent by Elder Qin. “It’s like the training process of artificial intelligence. The more you use it, the more it adapts to your style.”

Jiang Nian frowned: "What does this mean?"

"It means that while you are getting stronger, it is also getting stronger." Yang Zhan stared at him. "Old Qin is worried that if this 'learning' gets out of control, it may in turn affect your consciousness."

"Possession?" Jiang Nian thought of this term.

“It’s not that mysterious, but it’s similar.” Yang Zhan sat down on the edge of the bed. “The reason the organization uses petri dishes to make keys is probably to avoid this situation. Naturally awakened individuals are too uncontrollable, while laboratory products are more obedient.”

"But they still want me."

"Because within your uncontrollable aspects lies what they desire."

Yang Zhan said, "If a fight really breaks out tomorrow, remember one thing: don't rely on the power of the markers. Use your own skills, use what I taught you. That's what you can truly control."

Jiang Nian nodded.

"And this too." Yang Zhan took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and poured out three silver needles.

The needle was very thin, not much thicker than a human hair, and about two inches long.

"This is……"

"Sealing needles." Yang Zhan picked one up and examined it under the light. "These are life-saving items from our sect. If the situation really gets out of control tomorrow, insert these three needles into the three major acupoints: Tanzhong, Mingmen, and Baihui."

Jiang Nian's eyes narrowed: "Sealing internal energy?"

“More than that.” Yang Zhan shook his head. “It will temporarily cut off all channels through which your life energy leaks out. Your activity level, internal strength, and even some vital signs will enter a state of suspended animation. It will last for about ten minutes.”

What about in ten minutes?

"Ten minutes later, either the rescue team will arrive, or..." Yang Zhan didn't finish his sentence, "but at the very least, the organization won't get you alive, nor will it get the data on when you died."

Jiang Nian took the three needles. (End of Chapter)