bioinnovel Chapter 313 is about to begin!
Chapter 313 is about to begin!
The sea-devouring shark cruised at a depth of 150 meters, its course pointing straight towards the Jinghai Sea.
Zhang Yan leaned back in his seat, his right hand resting on the edge of the control panel, his left hand holding the crumpled note—the one Nie Qingcheng had tucked into the insulated bag.
There was a crooked skull drawn on it, and next to it was written: "Don't die outside, there are still unwashed dishes at home."
He folded the note and put it back in his pocket.
The cockpit was so quiet that only the low-frequency hum of the thrusters could be heard.
Zhang Yan didn't look at the sonar, the depth gauge, or check the two-meter-long scratch on the left side of the mechanical shark.
He was thinking about something.
From destroying the core of the nest in the Golden Triangle, to tracking the energy trajectory in northern Myanmar, to retrieving fragments from the deep sea in the East China Sea, to annihilating the fused entity on an isolated island, and just now being chased by two A+ level monsters at a depth of 3,200 meters in the sea—
Every time, he was alone.
Qin Xiao guarded the rear, Nie Qingcheng handled logistics, and the Dragon Scale Squad provided support.
But when facing the Void itself and its high-ranking retinue, the only ones truly standing at the forefront were him and the mechs.
This is not a problem.
The problem is the countdown.
Seven months and twenty-five days.
The Heavenly Craftsmanship is 92% complete. The Azure Dragon's spatial folding module is in place, and the Four Spirits have gathered.
In theory, he already possesses the basic conditions for sealing the Ruins.
However, the concept of "theoretically" is worthless in actual combat.
He escaped from the depths of the ocean at 3,200 meters not because of the Four Spirits, but because of a newly unlocked purification pulse and the precise calculations of two torpedoes.
If the giant ray were 0.5 knots faster, if the gap were 3 meters narrower, if the range of the purification pulse were 150 meters instead of 200 meters...
He won't be coming back.
Nie Qingcheng's bowl of noodles was wasted.
Zhang Yan closed his eyes briefly.
He is not afraid of death.
People who grow up in orphanages don't have much of a romanticized fear of death.
But now he has something to fear.
The note in her pocket, the seventeen unread messages on her phone, the noodles she could never cook right in the villa's kitchen, and the circumference of her ring finger, which was 52 millimeters.
One person can't handle it.
It's not that we lack ability, it's that our tolerance for error is too low.
When the true form of the Void descends, it is impossible for him to control the Four Spirits, protect Jinghai, and guard against the variables on Ito's side at the same time.
He needs a force that truly knows what the enemy is, to hold the rear while he charges.
Qin Xiao is loyal enough, but the size of Tianji Security is not enough to support a national-level defense line.
Nie Qingcheng is smart enough, but she is a businesswoman, not a soldier.
He needs the military.
To be precise, he needs Qin Changfeng.
This idea didn't just come to me today.
When he saw the pollution network from the ruins spreading throughout Southeast Asia from northern Myanmar, he had pondered this matter repeatedly in his mind.
Telling Qin Changfeng means that the military is involved.
Military involvement means more resources, a wider intelligence network, and greater strategic depth.
But it also means the risk of things getting out of control.
What if the people above want the Heart of Heaven?
What if they want to dismantle the mech?
What if the news leaks and causes social panic?
Zhang Yan opened his eyes and looked at the metal ceiling above the cockpit.
He went through these questions in his mind and then came to a conclusion.
Qin Changfeng wouldn't.
It's not because Qin Changfeng is a good person.
Good people don't live long enough to reach the rank of lieutenant general in the power system.
It's because Qin Changfeng saw the Dragon Scale Type I exoskeleton save three lives in the Golden Triangle, saw the intelligence he provided that allowed the entire squad to return home with zero casualties, and saw him single-handedly destroy an entire Ruins Nest.
Qin Changfeng is a pragmatic soldier.
He wouldn't offend someone who could create these things just for the sake of technology.
More importantly, Zhang Yan trusted him.
This trust didn't come out of thin air. From the first time Qin Changfeng called to ask him to build an exoskeleton, to the phrase "You must come back alive" in every subsequent call, this man's bottom line was very clear.
He can tell Qin Changfeng about the ruins.
But I can't talk about things related to the system.
The system is the source of all his abilities; it is the core tool for analyzing mecha blueprints, creating the Heart of the Celestial Craft, and detecting the energy of the Ruins.
Once this thing is exposed, he is no longer a "collaborator" but a "subject of research".
Therefore, he needs a plausible story.
Zhang Yan began to mentally craft his words.
The existence of the Ruins can be described.
The terrifying creature that drove the Mohists away 30,000 years ago is awakening and drawing energy from humans by polluting them.
These are evidenced by the corpses of monsters, pupil data of polluters, and satellite images of entire villages disappearing in northern Myanmar.
The origin of the mecha lies in the relics of the Mohist school.
He discovered advanced technological legacies left by the Mohist ancestors in Changbai Mountain, the East China Sea, and Siberia, including blueprints and materials.
This claim is plausible because Qin Changfeng has seen the actual Dragon Scale Type I and knows that these technologies far surpass those of the present day.
The Heart of Heavenly Craftsmanship... the core energy device of the Mohist school, has a natural restraining effect on the energy of the Void.
92% completeness.
This is his most crucial trump card; we can only reveal its function, not how to obtain it.
As for the system, it does not exist.
He was a gifted young man who, through a series of coincidences, inherited the Mohist tradition.
It's that simple.
The sea-devouring shark glides silently underwater.
Zhang Yan took out his phone and sent a message to Nie Qingcheng.
"I'll be there tomorrow, what do you want to eat tonight?"
Reply in three seconds.
"you."
Zhang Yan stared at the screen for two seconds, and his lips twitched slightly.
Another message popped up.
"Just kidding, braised pork ribs, winter melon soup, and handmade wontons. I want all three."
"OK."
"Also, put on that apron from last time."
Zhang Yan did not reply to this message.
He switched to Qin Changfeng's contact information, looked at it for a few seconds, and finally logged out.
This is something you can't say over the phone.
It must be done face to face.
……
At 10:07 a.m. the following morning, the sea shark surfaced in the waters off the coast of Beijing.
The black Maybach was parked on the dock.
When Zhang Yan jumped off the shark's back, Nie Qingcheng was already standing on the breakwater.
The wind ruffled her hair, and she held her skirt with one hand while the other was in her coat pocket.
His expression was very calm.
He tapped his toes on the ground three times.
Zhang Yan walked over, and she reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him closer to examine his face closely.
"No injuries."
"I said no."
She loosened her collar and instead took his hand.
My fingers are cold, and I'm gripping them tightly.
"Let's go. Let's go home."
On the bus, Nie Qingcheng didn't ask about the deep sea.
She leaned on his shoulder, her eyes closed, her voice muffled.
"I had the pork ribs delivered to my house last night. I also have winter melon. The wonton wrappers are on the second shelf of the refrigerator."
"You haven't been eating instant noodles for two days in a row, have you?"
There was a three-second silence.
"...plain congee."
Zhang Yan didn't say anything more, and used one hand to ruffle her hair.
Nie Qingcheng snuggled closer to him.
"Zhang Yan".
"Um."
"During the few hours you were out of contact underwater, I broke one of my phones in my grip."
Zhang Yan glanced down at her right hand.
There was a very shallow scratch on my fingertip, which had already scabbed over.
He took her hand and gently touched it to his lips.
Nie Qingcheng didn't open her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned up.
"Go back and cook first," she said sleepily. "Then you have something to tell me."
"What is it?"
"What are you planning to do after you come back this time? Don't try to fool me, I can tell you're thinking about something."
Zhang Yan did not deny it.
"We'll talk about it when we get home."
……