bioinnovel Chapter 439 People!
Chapter 439 People!
They have human-like features, but their skin is grayish-white with black lines that wriggle on the surface.
The eyes are pure black, with no whites.
False relatives.
It is much weaker than the three lamps buried in the underground water network of Jinghai, but also much stronger.
The two fake relatives moved at the same time.
The one on the left was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, it was in front of the white tiger, and its gray-white fist with black patterns came crashing down.
The white tiger sidestepped and slapped horizontally with its right paw.
It's a perfect shot.
The fake relatives were slapped away and crashed into a metal can, denting the can's wall.
But it didn't fall. Black lines spread rapidly across the point of impact, repairing the damage, and the grayish-white skin tightened again.
The one on the right flanks from the side, bringing his hands together to strike the white tiger's back.
Zhang Yan controlled the white tiger to pounce forward and dodge, then lashed out with its tail.
The metal tail tip struck the fake member's chest, sending him sliding seven or eight meters away, his feet carving two furrows in the ground.
No one was hurt.
Zhang Yan glanced at the system data.
Grade B.
It's two whole levels higher than the three in the Jinghai underground water network. The lighting cost a fortune.
However, it's only grade B.
Zhang Yan jumped off the white tiger's back.
With his right hand pressed against his chest, the Heart of Heavenly Craftsmanship shone brightly.
The fake relatives on the left rushed over.
Zhang Yan turned to the side, his Thousand Machine Arm unfolded, and his mechanical knuckles gripped the opponent's wrist.
The purification pulse from the Heart of Nature flowed in through the contact point.
The fake member's body trembled violently. The black patterns began to disintegrate from the point of contact, like ink being washed away by water.
It struggled for two seconds.
The grayish-white skin is cracked, revealing the ordinary rock texture underneath.
It's not a living organism. It's an artificial creation catalyzed by fragments of a hammer.
After purification, the false relatives turned into a pile of rubble scattered on the ground.
The one on the right turned and ran when he saw this.
The white tiger slapped its back with one paw and pressed it to the ground.
Zhang Yan walked over, squatted down, and placed the Heart of Heavenly Craftsmanship on it.
Four seconds.
The second pile of rubble.
Zhang Yan stood up and scanned the circular space.
Two metal cans. The symbols on the surface are the energy signature of a battering ram, used to store catalytic materials.
The jar is empty.
The light fixture took everything with it.
He walked around the metal can and went to the deepest part of the space.
A centrifuge.
An industrial-grade uranium enrichment centrifuge is in operation.
The tachometer needle vibrated in the high-speed range, and the motor emitted a low humming sound.
But there was no raw material in the centrifuge.
Idling.
Zhang Yan's gaze fell on the control panel next to the centrifuge.
A tablet computer, its screen lit up.
There is only one video file above.
The file name has four characters.
"For Zhang Yan."
Zhang Yan stared at the screen for two seconds.
Then click on it.
The lamplight illuminates the face in the frame.
He had short hair, a calm gaze, and a smile that Zhang Yan disliked.
"You've arrived," she said. "I guessed you'd come here first."
"The centrifuge is empty, don't worry. The real stuff isn't here."
She leaned back, the background showing a room Zhang Yan had never seen before.
"You locked the door. Very clever. Twenty months, a hundred years. You think time is on your side."
"But you forgot one thing."
The lamplighter raised his right hand.
He was holding a metal ball the size of a fist in his hand.
Zhang Yan recognized him.
Fragments of a door-breaking hammer.
"The door is locked, nothing from the outside can get in." Deng Yin's smile deepened. "But I'm inside."
"Twenty months. I have twenty months."
"Your celestial observation anchor is a physical device, requiring a physical base. Radiation can disrupt the crystal lattice structure. You know that."
"You will come looking for me. You will send out all your mechs to find me. You will be distracted, and you will be running around like crazy."
"Then you will make a mistake."
She put the metal ball down.
"You're strong, Zhang Yan. But you're just a person."
"I have time."
The image froze.
Zhang Yan turned off the video.
He stood there, watching the centrifuge spinning idly.
The lamp is not here.
She might not be at any of the six outposts.
She was waiting for Zhang Yan to arrive, but he missed her.
My phone vibrated.
Nie Qingcheng.
"The headquarters has been cleared out, but the lamp is gone," Zhang Yan said.
"I know." Nie Qingcheng's voice was cold. "She bought a plane ticket three hours ago using a one-time account."
"Where to?"
"A private island in the Pacific Ocean."
Zhang Yan recalled the source of that communication signal.
Central Pacific.
"I checked the ownership change records of that island," Nie Qingcheng said. "It was bought by a shell company three years ago, and the funds ultimately went to—TFC remnants."
"What's on the island?"
"The satellites can't see it. The entire island's thermal signals are blocked."
Zhang Yan's gaze turned cold.
"She's hiding there."
"She's not hiding," Nie Qingcheng said. "She's building something there."
"Brother Yan," Qin Xiao's voice switched into the channel, "I've finished clearing out Siberia and seized a batch of documents. Lamplight has built an underground factory on that island in the Pacific."
"What are you building?"
"I'm not sure. But the document mentioned one word."
Qin Xiao paused for a moment.
"'Alternative key'."
Zhang Yan's fingers tightened.
My heart skipped a beat.
"She is creating a second Heavenly Heart," Zhang Yan said.
The communication channel was silent for three seconds.
Nie Qingcheng spoke.
"Are the other five strongholds still cleared?"
"Clear," Zhang Yan said, "but the priority has changed."
He looked at the centrifuge spinning idly.
The light is not running.
She's making a key.
If she succeeds, she won't need to destroy the Sky Anchor.
She can open the door directly.
"Give me the coordinates of that island in the Pacific," Zhang Yan said.
Nie Qingcheng sent it over.
"I'll go with you."
"no."
"Zhang Yan".
"You stay in Jinghai." Zhang Yan's tone left no room for negotiation. "Deng Yin said she has twenty months. She won't just set up her scheme in one place. Jinghai is her primary target. If you leave, her people will take advantage of the situation."
Nie Qingcheng remained silent for five seconds.
"Twelve hours."
"What?"
"You have twelve hours. If you don't come back by then, I'll come looking for you myself."
Zhang Yan's lips twitched slightly.
That's enough.
He turned and walked out of the third basement level.
The white tiger followed behind, its metal claws making a heavy, steady sound as they stomped on the ground.
Chen Hu was waiting outside.
"Brother Yan, what's the situation inside?"
"All cleared out. Everyone's under control. We're waiting for Qin Xiao's men to take over." Zhang Yan tossed him the tablet. "Send this back to your sister-in-law in Jinghai."
Where are you going?
Zhang Yan looked up at the sky.
The sun had already set, leaving only a sliver of light in the valley.
"Pacific Ocean."
He rode the white tiger.
The white tiger's eyes lit up in the twilight, with an amber light.
Zhang Yan dialed Qin Xiao's number.
"You and Stargazer will split the remaining five strongholds."
"Received, Brother Yan, you..."
"I'll go find the lamplighter."
Qin Xiao didn't say anything more.
Zhang Yan hung up the phone.
The white tiger carried him towards the airport.
My phone vibrated again.
News about Nie Qingcheng.
Only two words.
"careful."
Zhang Yan replied with a single word.
"Um."
Then put the phone away.
The plane took off forty minutes later.
Destination, central Pacific.
An unnamed island blocked from receiving signals.
The lamplight was there waiting for him.
Or rather, make a key there that can open all doors.
Zhang Yan leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
My right hand has stopped shaking.
The light of the Heavenly Craftsmanship shone through the gap in the collar, a dark blue hue that flickered on and off.
Like a heartbeat.