The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The rain poured down, and the black SUV, like a fish swimming in the deep sea, wound its way along the muddy mountain road. The windshield wipers swung wildly, but still couldn't clear the thick curtain of water from the windshield. The headlights could only penetrate a dozen meters of darkness ahead, illuminating the shadowy, withered trees on both sides, like countless ghostly hands pleading for help from the sky.

The car gradually slowed down, and finally the engine shut off two kilometers from the mountain pass behind a dense thicket of bushes. The world instantly returned to a deathly silence filled with howling wind and rain.

Li Haotian pushed open the car door, and the cold rain mixed with the unique humus smell of the mountains rushed towards him. He tightened his tactical vest, the equipment mounted on it making a slight clinking sound in the darkness. Behind him, Su Wan, Lin Mo, and Qin Yue got out of the car one by one, while Xiao Hei silently leaped onto Li Haotian's shoulder, its golden pupils glowing eerily in the night, seemingly more unsettling than the thunder and lightning that filled the sky.

"This is it." Qin Yue took out a tablet computer, the screen's glow illuminating her slightly pale face. She pointed to the dark silhouette faintly visible in the rain and mist ahead. "According to the signal source, the Divine Grace Trust's base is in a depression halfway up the mountain. However..."

She swiped her finger across the screen, bringing up a thermal image. The image was covered with dense red warning dots, making one's scalp tingle.

"They've turned this place into a fortress." Qin Yue's voice was tinged with seriousness. "There are three high-voltage electric fences around it, and an automated machine gun turret every fifty meters. Add to that the patrolling armed forces, and conventional methods won't even get you to the gate."

Su Wan glanced at the red spots, her brows furrowing. "This isn't archaeology; it's like guarding a nuclear missile silo. What's hidden in that 'octagonal underground palace' that's worth them investing so heavily?"

"No matter what they're hiding, we're going in tonight to find out." Li Haotian coldly interrupted everyone's speculations. He raised his binoculars and observed the base in the distance through the rain.

By the occasional flashes of lightning that pierced the sky, one could see that the once desolate mountainside had been extensively excavated, with reinforced concrete walls stretching across its slopes like a scar. Searchlight beams wove together in the rainy night, forming a dense web of death; any creature attempting to approach would be instantly riddled with holes.

"A direct assault is impossible. We lack heavy firepower, and we can't afford to linger here too long." Li Haotian lowered his binoculars, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on the black cat perched on his shoulder. "We need to find a way to lure these watchdogs away."

Lin Mo stood to the side, hands in his trench coat pockets, his eyes silvery-white, seemingly oblivious to the torrential rain. He spoke calmly, "Are you trying to use a feint?"

"Not entirely." Li Haotian's lips curled into a cold smile. "Qin Yue, can you hack into their surveillance system?"

"Sure, but their system is physically isolated. I need time to bypass the firewall, about three minutes," Qin Yue nodded confidently.

"That's enough." Li Haotian took out a small black device, no bigger than a thumb, from his backpack and gently fastened it to Xiao Hei's collar. "Xiao Hei, it's up to you now."

Little Black seemed to understand his meaning, letting out a soft cry before disappearing into the rainy night in a flash. Its speed was astonishing; it left not a single footprint on the muddy ground, like a ghost truly blending into the darkness.

"Listen carefully." Li Haotian turned around, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's. "Xiao Hei will create a disturbance on the south wall to distract most of the guards and machine gun turrets. While that's happening, Qin Yue will cut off the electric fence and surveillance. Su Wan, Lin Mo, and I will storm in from the north and strike right at the heart of the enemy."

"The plan is risky. If the power grid isn't cut off, we'll be sitting ducks." Su Wan gripped the pistol tightly, her palms slightly sweaty.

"In this world, not taking risks is tantamount to waiting to die." Li Haotian pulled back the bolt, the crisp, pleasant sound of a bullet being chambered ringing out. "Ready?"

The crowd nodded in silence, their fear replaced by resolve.

……

Two minutes later. Outside the south wall of the base.

The quiet rainy night was suddenly ripped apart by a piercing alarm. Xiao Hei's agile figure moved nimbly across the wall, its small black device emitting a high-frequency sound wave. To humans, this was merely faint noise, but to the modified military dogs and highly sensitive sensors within the base, it was like countless needles pricking their nerves.

"roar--!"

Several huge Dobermans charged madly toward the wall, barking incessantly. The searchlights on the wall instantly shone down on the south side, and in the white beams of light, a black shadow leaped ghostly across the top of the wall, sometimes revealing itself, sometimes disappearing into blind spots, as if deliberately toying with the fully armed guards.

"There's something going on over there! Quick! Fire!"

Several guards in black combat uniforms raised their guns and opened fire wildly at the top of the wall. Bullets struck the wall, sending sparks flying.

"Sector One has been invaded! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!" came an urgent shout over the walkie-talkie. Alarms blared throughout the base, and guards who had been stationed in other areas swarmed south like a disturbed hornet's nest. Even the two armored vehicles parked at the entrance started their engines, their cannons slowly turning towards the south wall.

It's now!

Qin Yue, lurking in the northern jungle, typed rapidly on the keyboard, and the code on the screen flowed down like a waterfall.

"Done! The power grid is off, and I've replaced the surveillance footage with a loop recording from five minutes ago." Qin Yue said in a low voice, giving an "OK" sign.

"Walk!"

At Li Haotian's command, he led the charge out of the bushes.

The north wall was deserted, with only the sound of rain pattering against the electrified barbed wire. Although the power grid was off, the sharp barbs remained an obstacle. Li Haotian took a grappling hook from his backpack, firmly secured it to the top of the wall, tested its stability, and then, gripping the ropes with both hands, began to climb upwards using both hands and feet.

Su Wan followed closely behind, while Lin Mo appeared even more bizarre. He didn't even use a rope; he simply gripped the brick seam with both hands and silently slid up like a gecko, his movements so light that one doubted his weight.

They scaled the wall and landed silently.

The situation inside the base was more complex than it appeared from the outside. Several massive gray-white buildings stood in the rain, with a half-excavated mountain in the center, covered by huge black canvas, through which one could vaguely see some massive metal supports below.

"Be careful to stay hidden, there are patrols too." Li Haotian lowered his voice and advanced under the cover of the shipping container.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from around the corner.

"Damn it, what's all that noise over there? Could it be the Dragon Shields breaking in?" Two patrolling soldiers, guns in hand, complained as they ran, completely oblivious to the Grim Reaper lurking in the darkness.

Li Haotian's eyes turned cold. Before the other party could react, he pounced like a cheetah. His left hand covered one person's mouth, while his right hand stabbed the tactical dagger precisely into the other person's carotid artery, and blood gushed out instantly.

Just as another soldier was about to raise his gun, Lin Mo, who was standing next to him, moved.

His movements were so fast that they even left afterimages. A flash of silver light appeared, and before the soldier could even see how Lin Mo made his move, a line of blood appeared on his throat. He clutched his neck and fell into a pool of blood, making a "whoosh" sound as the blood was cut through the air.

Lin Mo withdrew the slender silver knife that had appeared in his hand at some point, wiped the blood off the still convulsing corpse of the soldier, his face still expressionless, as if he had just casually snapped off a tree branch.

"Efficient." Li Haotian glanced at him, his wariness deepening, but he still offered a brief compliment.

"The core area is in that covered cave." Su Wan glanced at the life detector in her hand. "Inside... the life reaction is very strong, and very abnormal."

"Whatever it is, it's waiting for us there." Li Haotian dragged the two corpses into the shadows, replaced the silencer on his pistol, and said, "Stay close to me."

The three men moved like ghosts through the gaps in the buildings. Gunfire grew increasingly intense from the south, punctuated by the booming sounds of explosions. Xiao Hei had clearly created enough chaos that no one had noticed the core of this headquarters had been infiltrated.

Just as they were about to approach the huge cave covered by canvas, an insurmountable obstacle suddenly appeared on the road ahead.

It was a heavy troop carrier parked by the roadside, with the rotary machine gunner on the roof looking around idly, blocking the only way to the cave entrance.

"Force our way in?" Su Wan asked in a low voice, her finger tightening on the trigger.

"It's too late." Li Haotian glanced at the chaos in the distance, where the guards were retreating. "If we don't want to be surrounded, we have to break through this barrier now."

He took a deep breath and pulled a stun grenade from his waist.

"Lin Mo, left flank. Su Wan, cover. I'm going straight in."

Before he finished speaking, Li Haotian had already pulled the pin and accurately threw the stun grenade at the bottom of the troop carrier.

"Bang!"

A blinding white light exploded in the rainy night, followed by a deafening roar. The machine gunner was instantly blinded by the bright light, clutching his eyes and screaming as he tumbled off the roof of the vehicle.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Haotian sprang from the shadows, his two pistols spitting fire. The dense barrage of bullets instantly shattered the windshield of the troop carrier, pinning the driver and the armed personnel in the passenger seat to their seats.

"Da da da—"

Gunshots finally broke the deathly silence of the desolate mountain area, marking the official end of their infiltration phase.

"Warning! Warning! The core area has been invaded! Repeat, the core area has been invaded!"

The piercing red lights instantly illuminated all parts of the base, and the guards who had been drawn to the south side, like headless flies, finally discovered the real threat.

"Run!" Li Haotian roared, kicking aside the wreckage of the troop transport vehicle and pulling Su Wan towards the dark cave entrance.

Behind them, countless beams of flashlight beams pierced the rain like swords, and a dense sound of footsteps accompanied by shouts and curses surged from all directions.

But at the deeper entrance to darkness, Lin Mo stopped. He turned around, his silvery-white eyes appearing eerily bright in the red light. He slowly raised his hand and made a grasping motion towards the pursuers behind him.

In the darkness, several faint black tentacles seemed to emerge from the void, rapidly traversing the wet ground and heading straight for the guards at the forefront.

"Hurry up and go in!" Li Haotian grabbed Lin Mo by the collar and dragged him into the cave.

"Boom!"

The instant they disappeared into the cave, a rocket exploded where they had just stood, the blast wave carrying debris that completely sealed half of the cave entrance.

Amidst the swirling dust, Li Haotian wiped the mud off his face, gazing at the long, dark metal tunnel leading deep underground, and at the faint, low-frequency humming that seemed to emanate from another world at the end of the tunnel.

"Welcome to hell," he whispered, raising the gun in his hand once more, pointing it at the endless darkness.