Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

The searchlights on the dock illuminated Ling Wuwen's face, making it appear bloodless.

"What did you say?" Her voice was so soft it seemed to shatter in the wind.

Yang Zhenguo handed over the second photo.

The photo shows Zhou Wentao, Chen Guodong, and a middle-aged man toasting on a yacht. The latter's eyebrows and eyes are seven-tenths similar to Ling Wuwen's.

The back of the photo reads: Ling Jianguo, July 2019, Sanya Bay Yacht Club. Confirmed by Deep Blue.

"He passed away three years ago," Ling Wuwen said, his fingers almost crushing the edge of the photograph. "I cremated his body myself."

"That was a stand-in," Yang Zhenguo said calmly. "The real him was in the South China Sea five years ago."

Gu Xidong pressed down on her trembling shoulders and turned to Yang Zhenguo: "Why are you saying this now?"

"Because Wang Zhenhua's data has been unlocked in your mind." Yang Zhenguo pointed to his temple.

"You are not only a witness, but also the 'living hard drive' he selected. Eight years of coordinates, passwords, and lists are all in the chip."

The sound of an engine drew closer.

Yang Zhenguo signaled his men to be on guard: "Get on the ship, we'll talk on the way."

The cargo ship sailed into the dark sea. Inside the cabin, a mouse scanned Gu Xidong's brain activity.

"Nerve impulses are abnormally active; a large number of encrypted data packets are being decompressed." The mouse stares at the waveform graph.

"But a biological key is needed—a specific sequence of neural signals."

Gu Xidong closed his eyes and recalled.

The venue was dark, with emergency lights whirring.

He heard a conversation coming from backstage:

"The final result must be ensured; that kid is too unpredictable."

He peeked out and saw three figures.

Zhou Wentao nodded obsequiously, while Chen Guodong remained expressionless.

The third person had his back to him, and his profile was reflected in the mirror of the medal display case—Ling Jianguo.

"How's the implantation plan going?"

"Of the three test subjects, two failed, and one survived but had incomplete memory erasure."

Who survived?

"Gu Xidong. Surgery tomorrow night."

"If it fails, activate the 'White Whale Protocol' to make it a controllable asset."

The image is distorted; the scene changes.

2

Wang Zhenhua (Li Guozhong) is next to the operating table.

On the stage lay the unconscious Gu Xidong. He held two chip fragments in his hand:

"The black chip is the control chip, and the silver chip is the data chip. They are implanted together, with the outer shell being the control program and the core being the truth."

The scene cuts again.

Wang Zhenhua in the mental hospital facing a hidden camera:

"The data chip contains the coordinates of the South China Sea base, communication keys, and biometrics of all members. Activation method: Recall three things simultaneously—the feeling of stepping onto the ice for the first time, the key your father gave you, and the fall during the final."

Gu Xidong opened his eyes, his back soaked in cold sweat.

"I need to trigger motor memory, familial memory, and trauma memory simultaneously; the key is the convergence of these three brainwaves."

Ling Wuwen grabbed his hand: "It's too dangerous, the control program will retaliate."

"There's no choice." Yang Zhenguo glanced at his watch.

"There are still six hours until the live stream. We need to get the coordinates so we can act in sync with your public disclosure."

"How do we make it public?"

Yang Zhenguo opened his tablet: "After the live broadcast of the shooting, public opinion has portrayed you as a madman. Chen Guodong will appear tonight as a 'victim,' and at the peak of the ratings—you must go on stage and reverse everything."

He handed over a miniature earphone:

"Quantum encryption, impossible to interfere with. The moment you publish the coordinates, the South China Sea commando team will move in. But you must hold out for five minutes—from the moment the signal is cut off, we need five minutes to confirm the raid."

3

At 6 p.m., the cargo ship docked.

A black van took them to a location three kilometers away from the TV station.

At 7:30, Gu Xidong entered the building through the employee entrance.

The forged work permit possessed genuine authority—Yang Zhenguo had access to the National Security Bureau's backdoor.

The studio was being tested. Chen Guodong calmly drank tea in the lounge.

At 7:50, the audience entered. Ling Wuwen sat in the second row, holding a stun gun.

At 8 o'clock sharp, the music started.

Chen Guodong stepped onto the stage, his expression grave: "Over the past few days, my family and I have endured unimaginable suffering. An athlete who retired due to his own problems has used fabricated evidence to defame me, even inciting violence..."

The audience was silent. Some sympathized, some sobbed.

Gu Xidong stood behind the lighting control panel, and Yang Zhenguo's voice came through his earpiece:

"Let him act it out. The more sympathy he receives, the more powerful the reversal will be."

Chen Guodong spoke for ten minutes, showing the diagnosis report and photos of his family being harassed, and then shed tears.

In the control room, the director shouted:

"Switch screen!" But the mouse had already been hacked into the system.

"Right now," Yang Zhenguo said.

Gu Xidong took off his electrician's hat and walked onto the stage. Security guards stepped forward to stop him, but he showed them his National Security Bureau special investigator badge.

Chen Guodong turned his head, his pupils suddenly contracting.

"Three years ago, on November 23rd, the night before the National Championships finals..."

Gu Xidong's voice came through the collar microphone, cold and clear, "Tell Master Zhang: 'Tomorrow, Gu Xidong's ice skates will have a 0.5-second delay in lighting.'"

"Nonsense!" Chen Guodong stood up, his voice trembling slightly.

The large screen switches to a blurry surveillance video showing background conversations.

Chen Guodong: "Are the ice skates ready?"

Mr. Zhang: "It's been replaced, but won't it be too obvious?"

Chen Guodong: "It doesn't need to be obvious; the problem occurs the moment of landing. The lighting is delayed by 0.5 seconds, so the audience can't see it clearly."

The scene was deathly silent.

Chen Guodong's face turned deathly pale: "AI forgery! You're using technical means—"

"What about this one?" Gu Xidong raised his hand.

Second video clip: Cash being counted in a hotel room. Audio recording: "Prepayment, three times the amount after the deal is done."

The third paragraph: Signing a consent form to agree to the implantation of a neural control module into "Experiment Subject No. 3".

Chaos erupted in the audience. Security guards tried to rush onto the stage but were stopped by plainclothes officers.

Chen Guodong suddenly laughed, turning his menacing expression toward the camera:

"Even if it's true, so what? A drug addict slandering a decorated coach! Do you believe him or me?"

He said to the camera, "Besides, there are many people in this industry who are dirtier than me! Some of them are in positions you wouldn't even dare to dream of!"

Gu Xidong knew he was stalling for time.

"For example, the underwater base 'Kunpeng' located 15 nautical miles southeast of Yongchang Reef in the South China Sea?"

Chen Guodong's smile froze.

"For example, the 'White Whale Protocol'? For example, what if, 47 hours later, 80 athletes worldwide with implanted chips simultaneously went out of control, framed foreign forces, and destroyed evidence?"

With each sentence he spoke, Chen Guodong's face paled a little more.

"How...how could you...?"

"Wang Zhenhua hid everything here." Gu Xidong tapped his temple.

"The South China Sea commando team should have reached the coordinates by now. And the activation command for the 'White Whale Protocol' has been altered by us to use a countermeasure frequency."

Yang Zhenguo's voice came through the earpiece: "Assault team confirmed contact! The base does exist! Withdraw now—"

The sound was cut off. Not due to interference, but forcibly shut down.

Chen Guodong's expression changed from fear to an eerie calm.

He straightened his tie, smiled at the camera, and said, "You think you've won?"

He pressed the button on the side of the watch.

4

A sharper buzzing sounded in Gu Xidong's mind—19.2kHz, the backup frequency.

"Wang Zhenhua's countermeasures can only cover 18.7kHz," Chen Guodong said softly. "The backup frequency is designed specifically for traitors."

Gu Xidong knelt down, his vision blurred. Chen Guodong shouted, "Security! He's gone mad! He's going to hurt someone!"

Security guards rushed over. Gu Xidong's hand rose uncontrollably, and a low growl escaped his throat.

Ling Wuwen broke free of the obstruction and rushed onto the stage. Just as his fingers were about to touch Chen Guodong—

A frail, aged voice came from the studio's sound system:

「频率19.2kHz的反制代码：7-15-22-8-19-5-12。」

The buzzing sound shattered. Gu Xidong collapsed, panting.

Everyone looked at the big screen—Wang Zhenhua was sitting on a bed in a mental hospital:

"I knew they would use the backup frequency. The second layer of key is the voice key. When my apprentice said 'Project Deep Dive,' the recording was automatically uploaded."

He coughed a few times: "Chen Guodong, the game is over. The data in Gu Xidong's mind has been synchronized with the National Security Bureau's cloud platform. The coordinates of the South China Sea, the White Whale Agreement, and all the lists are now in the open."

He looked at the camera: "Son, if you're watching... I'm sorry. But what Dad did was right."

The video ends.

Chen Guodong suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he bent over and cried.

"You think this is the end of it?" He pointed to the stands. "Do you know who the club's biggest protector is?"

The camera follows. There sits Zhang Weiguo.

He slowly stood up, took off his hat, and his expression was completely different from when he was in the park during the day.

"Because from beginning to end," he began, his voice carrying throughout the room via a hidden microphone.

"The real controller of the club is not Ling Jianguo, nor Zhou Wentao. It is the sports system itself."

He walked onto the stage: "It's a shadow alliance made up of those within the system who believe 'gold medals are worth any price.' We have only one goal: to put Chinese sports at the top of the world. As for the means..."

He smiled and said, "History only remembers the champions."

Gu Xidong struggled to his feet: "So all those athletes who died were 'necessary sacrifices'?"

"A necessary price to pay," Zhang Weiguo said calmly.

"You could have been a hero. The most successful 'controlled champion'—winning a gold medal, bringing glory to your country, and then 'unexpectedly retiring.' But now, you've chosen a different path."

He raised his hand, and more than ten men in black emerged, well-equipped.

"Then you will become a teaching material—about the fate of traitors."

Ling Wuwen rushed onto the stage and stood in front of Gu Xidong.

Old Gun and Mouse were stopped by more men in black.

Zhang Weiguo looked at the camera and said, "This live broadcast has ended."

He drew his gun and pointed it at Gu Xidong. The scene cuts off.

But the darkness only lasted for three seconds.

The signal was restored, and the image showed the South China Sea.

Ships on the sea surrounded the "Kunpeng" base, which was half-submerged in the water, and gunfire flashed.

Yang Zhenguo stood on the command ship: "The raid is underway. The 'White Whale Protocol' has been permanently nullified."

He paused. "As for Zhang Weiguo—do you really think we don't know who you are?"

Inside the studio, Zhang Weiguo's watch beeped. He looked down, his expression changing.

Yang Zhenguo's voice came from the watch:

"Zhang Weiguo, codename 'Fisherman,' is the club's highest-ranking inside man and a double agent for the National Security Bureau—you've been on the surveillance list ever since Wang Zhenhua's sacrifice three years ago. Your performance today was all part of the plan."

Now, turn around and look behind you.

Zhang Weiguo turned around. Special police officers were in position at the exit, a red dot landing on his chest.

"The game is over," Yang Zhenguo said. "Put down your weapons."

Zhang Weiguo released his grip, the gun fell to the ground, but his laughter didn't stop. He pointed at the camera:

"You think arresting me is the end of it? The club isn't just a few people, it's a mindset. As long as the mindset of 'winning at all costs' remains, even if I fall today, thousands more of me will rise tomorrow."

He looked at Gu Xidong one last time: "See you in hell."

The special police handcuffed him and took him away.

Gu Xidong looked down and saw Ling Wuwen holding his hand tightly.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, but her gaze was resolute.

The night outside the window was deep, but the east was already showing the first light of dawn.

It's almost dawn.

But the real darkness may have only just begun.