Chapter 98: Initial Actions of Defection

"How true or false is this information?" Su Wanqing frowned as she looked at the encrypted message that Xiao Ran had intercepted on the screen.

Xiao Ran walked to the table, lit a cigarette, and took a deep breath. "It's very vague. The other party used the emergency communication channel inside the base, but the coding method has been modified. The content roughly expressed the desire to cooperate and said that they were dissatisfied with the actions of the top leaders of the base, but did not explicitly say that they were willing to defect. They just hinted that they could provide some information in exchange for safety."

"Safety? What kind of safety?" Lu Zhao raised his head from the corner, his voice calm but scrutinizing.

"The promise of safety is itself a bait. Will the base let a traitor go so easily?"

"I think the problem is not whether the other party will be discovered by the base, but the other party's purpose."

Professor Yang pushed up his glasses. "What do they want from us? Information, supplies, or simply to escape?"

Su Wanqing walked to the map and pointed to an abandoned warehouse near the exit of the secret passage.

"If they want to cooperate, the best way is to contact them directly. We will use the transfer of materials as a cover and set up a transaction location near the exit of the secret passage. But be prepared, this may very well be a trap set by the base."

Lin Che stood aside, silent. The night occupied his body, and he did not express any opinion.

Su Wanqing knew that Ye had been observing and assessing the risks.

“Ye, what do you think?” Su Wanqing turned to Lin Che with a calm tone.

Lin Che's body trembled slightly, and a cold voice came out of his mouth.

"I suggest using their behavior to perform lie detection. The base's intelligence system is very complete, and they have data on everyone's behavior. I can analyze their words, actions, and even micro-expressions to determine whether they are telling the truth."

Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes. "Can you do this? This is not a simple psychological analysis. The other party is a veteran warrior, it is impossible for them to reveal their flaws easily."

"I'm not analyzing psychology, I'm analyzing data." Ye's voice was emotionless.

"I can find subtle changes in their behavior patterns that indicate lies. As long as they have access to the base's intelligence system, I can find the flaws."

Lu Zhao frowned. "This method is too risky. If Ye reveals his ability, it will cause unnecessary trouble. Our current goal is to obtain virus information, not to confront the intelligence department of the base."

"There are risks," Ye said without giving in. "But the benefits are equally huge. If we can determine the true intentions of the defecting fighters, we can avoid unnecessary losses. Moreover, the intelligence they hold may be of great help to us."

Su Wanqing thought for a moment and finally nodded. "I agree with Ye's proposal. Use the transfer of materials as a cover and make contact in the warehouse near the exit of the secret passage.

Ye will be responsible for analyzing the other party's behavior, Xiao Ran will be responsible for vigilance, Lu Zhao will be responsible for monitoring communications, and Professor Yang will be responsible for data analysis. I will lead the team myself."

"Understood." Everyone responded in unison.

The warehouse was dark and damp, and filled with a rotten smell. Su Wanqing stood in the corner of the warehouse, holding a pistol in her hand, looking around vigilantly.

Lin Che stood beside her, his face pale and his body trembling slightly.

"Relax." Su Wanqing whispered. "I need your eyes, not your fear."

Lin Che did not answer, but nodded silently. The night seemed to have completely controlled his body.

Xiao Ran and Lu Zhao were on guard at the two entrances of the warehouse respectively, while Professor Yang was secretly monitoring the communications.

Soon, footsteps were heard outside the warehouse door. Two soldiers in base uniforms walked in, their faces tense and their eyes darting around.

"Who are you?" Su Wanqing asked coldly.

"We are... from the fifth team." said one of the soldiers, his voice trembling slightly.

"We want to talk to you."

"What to talk about?" Su Wanqing asked.

"About...about the virus." Another soldier said. "We know you are investigating the truth about the virus, and we want to provide some information."

Ye suddenly spoke, his voice echoing in the warehouse. "What information do you have? Tell me, and I can consider providing you with some help."

The two soldiers were stunned for a moment, as if they did not expect Ye to suddenly interrupt.

"We...we know that the virus samples from the laboratory were secretly transferred to a location."

One of the warriors said, "We don't know the exact location, but we can provide some clues."

Ye sneered. "Clues? What kind of clues? Don't try to fool us with some irrelevant information."

"We know..." said another warrior after a moment's hesitation.

"The virus samples were divided into several parts and stored in different containers. One part was stored in a special freezer. The number of the freezer is... 327."

Ye's eyes narrowed slightly. "327? Very good. It seems that you do have some useful information. However, this is not enough."

He suddenly turned to Su Wanqing and said, "Captain, allow me to reveal some information to them."

Su Wanqing was a little confused. "What information?"

Ye did not answer, but looked at the two warriors and spoke in a mocking tone.

"Do you know? The virus sample is not just a weapon. It is a tool to transform humans. If we can master the technology to control the virus, we can create more powerful warriors and completely change the fate of mankind."

The two warriors' faces turned pale in an instant, and their eyes were filled with fear.

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"You...what did you say?" one of the soldiers asked tremblingly.

"I'm telling the truth," Ye replied. "Everything Zhou Licheng did was to achieve this goal. He believed that only through the transformation of the virus could humans evolve and survive in the apocalypse."

"This...this is crazy!" another warrior exclaimed.

"Viruses are the source of destruction, not the hope of evolution!"

Ye laughed loudly, with a hint of madness in his laughter. "Destruction and evolution often complement each other. Only after experiencing destruction can we usher in evolution. You humans always like to be afraid of change, but you must know that change is inevitable."

Su Wanqing frowned. She realized that Ye was using these defected soldiers to instill his own twisted ideas into them.

It's an extreme tactic, but a very effective one.

Lu Zhao sent a message through the communicator: "Captain, I detected a micro positioning device in the other party's communicator. They are likely being tracked by the base."

"I understand." Su Wanqing said in a low voice. "Xiao Ran, be alert. Prepare to fight."

Lu Zhao stood at the monitoring station outside the base, carefully analyzing the communication records coming from the warehouse.

He found that there was always a hint of hesitation and uncertainty in the words of the defectors.

"They haven't completely escaped the control of the base." Lu Zhao said to himself.

"They may just be sent to spy on us or create chaos."

Professor Yang came to Lu Zhao and handed him a data report.

"I analyzed the movements of the defectors and found that they had frequently entered and exited several sensitive areas of the base in recent months.

This shows that they are very familiar with the base’s situation and are likely to be in contact with the top brass at the base.”

Lu Zhao nodded. "My judgment is correct. We can't trust them easily. The cost of trust is too high at this stage."

"But we cannot completely deny their value," said Professor Yang.

"The clues they provide may help us find virus samples. Moreover, their understanding of the internal situation of the base will also be of great help to us."

"I think they are just waiting and watching," Professor Yang continued.

"They are biding their time to see how the conflict between us and the base will develop. They will choose the side that is most advantageous to them."

"Maybe." Lu Zhao sighed. "This apocalypse is full of deception and betrayal. No one is completely trustworthy."