Chapter 92 His Achilles' Heel! Use your despair to get my answer!
The enormous explosion was filtered by the thick hull of the submarine and the cold seawater, ultimately turning into only a muffled thud.
That steel fortress is heading towards destruction.
Inside the small underwater vehicle, there was a deathly silence.
The flickering light from the dashboard illuminated two faces stained with the smoke of gunpowder.
Su Wanqing hugged Lu Zhanting tightly, burying her face deeply in his firm, hot chest.
She could clearly hear his strong, powerful heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
This is the most beautiful requiem in the world, soothing all her fears and anxieties.
She greedily inhaled his familiar scent, the one she cherished so dearly, as if trying to completely dispel all the fear and anxiety of the past few days.
Lu Zhanting controlled the underwater vehicle with one hand, while his other arm held her tightly in his arms like an iron hoop.
The force was immense, as if it wanted to crush her and embed her into its own bones and blood, never to be separated again.
He remained silent.
He simply lowered his head and stroked the top of her head with his stubble-covered chin over and over again.
The movements were very light, yet they were accompanied by an uncontrollable tremor.
Only he knew that the moment he found her, his world, which had long since turned gray, regained its color.
During the days and nights he rushed to that fortress, the worst possible outcome was rehearsed countless times in his mind.
The fear that had shattered his soul was gradually dispelled only now, when the warm, soft body in his arms was truly tangible.
"I'm late."
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse as if scorched by fire, each word filled with endless self-reproach.
Su Wanqing shook her head in his arms.
She lifted her face, stained with gunpowder and tears, yet still breathtakingly beautiful.
"It's not too late."
She gazed at him, her eyes filled with unwavering tenderness and absolute trust.
"I knew you would come."
She reached out, her fingertips carrying a cool spiritual energy, and gently touched his bloodshot eyes.
"You've lost weight." Her voice was full of unconcealed heartache.
Lu Zhanting grabbed her hand that was roaming his face, brought it to his lips, and planted a burning kiss on it.
“It’s alright.” He stared into her eyes, emphasizing each word, “From now on, I will never let you leave my side again, not even for a moment.”
Su Wanqing nodded emphatically, tears streaming down her face once more.
This time, it was joy and peace of mind.
Their eyes were locked, each wanting to etch the other's image deep into their soul.
"drop--"
The soft sound from the submersible broke the moment of tenderness.
That was a communication request that Lu Zhanting had set up with the receiving ship.
He glanced at Noah, who was tightly bound in the corner and had already passed out, and the tenderness in his eyes was instantly swallowed up by cold killing intent.
He connected the call.
"Wolf King is calling 'Sea Dragon'. Coordinates have been sent. Requesting retrieval."
"Hailong received. Welcome home, Wolf King." A steady voice came through the headset.
Half an hour later, a giant ship disguised as an ocean freighter appeared on the horizon.
The submersible was silently retracted into the internal dock by a mechanical arm extending from the hull.
Stepping onto the solid deck and breathing in the fresh, salty air, Su Wanqing finally felt a real sense of rebirth.
A naval officer strode forward and gave Lu Zhanting a standard military salute.
"Commander Lu, welcome back. Your room and medical staff are ready."
Lu Zhanting nodded, his gaze falling on Noah, who was being pulled out of the submarine by two soldiers.
"Lock him in the highest level of confinement, guard him 24 hours a day, and don't give him any chance to harm himself," he coldly ordered. "No one is allowed to contact him without my permission."
"yes!"
After dealing with the prisoners, Lu Zhanting ignored the good-natured laughter of the surrounding soldiers, picked up Su Wanqing in his arms, and strode towards the cabin prepared for them.
The moment the door closed, all his facade of strength crumbled.
He gently placed her on the large bed, then knelt on one knee and carefully examined her body.
From head to toe, leaving no inch of skin untouched.
His movements suddenly froze when his fingertips touched the deep, bone-revealing red marks on her wrists and ankles, where the shackles had worn away.
A terrifying killing intent exploded from his body, and the air in the entire cabin became icy cold.
"They...deserve to die!"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word imbued with a thick killing intent.
Su Wanqing, however, grasped his trembling hand in anger and said softly, "I'm fine, it's just superficial injuries, don't worry."
She sat up, cupped his face in her hands, and forced him to look into her eyes.
“Zhan Ting, look at me.” Her voice carried a comforting power. “We won. We’re all alive. And we’re together.”
Lu Zhanting looked into her clear eyes, which held no fear, only heartache and love for him.
The bloodthirsty beast within him was gradually soothed by that gentle gaze.
He leaned down and kissed her passionately.
This kiss had nothing to do with lust, but only with the relief of surviving a disaster and the frantic possessiveness of regaining what was lost.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Their foreheads touched, calming each other's heavy breathing.
"You rest first." Lu Zhanting pulled the blanket over her. "I'll interrogate that bastard. I guarantee he'll spill every single word he knows."
“I’ll go with you.” Su Wanqing grabbed his arm.
"No, you're too tired."
“No.” Su Wanqing shook her head, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. “Your method is too slow to deal with that kind of madman. I have some… special methods.”
Lu Zhanting looked at the icy hardness in her eyes, which was not typical of a weak woman, and was slightly taken aback. Then he understood what she meant.
He nodded and stopped objecting.
His daughter was never a hothouse flower.
She is a resilient cedar tree that can stand shoulder to shoulder with him, proudly atop the snow-covered peak.
The solitary confinement room was dimly lit.
Noah was tied to a metal chair, and a basin of cold water was poured over him to wake him up.
He opened his eyes and saw Lu Zhanting and Su Wanqing in front of him. Instead of the fear of a prisoner, his eyes revealed a sickly sneer.
"Primitive violence, it really suits the aesthetics of your inferior civilization." He flicked his wrist and spoke arrogantly, "You think you've won just because you've captured me? How naive. The destruction of the 'Ark' is just the beginning. You have no idea what a magnificent being you are facing."
Lu Zhanting remained expressionless as he drew a military dagger from his waist and slowly wiped it with a white cloth.
The chilling glint of the blade reflected on his icy face.
"Who built the Ark of Life?" he asked, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.
"It is I." Noah raised his chin, full of pride. "I am Noah of the New Age, the chosen one of God, the messenger to guide the evolution of mankind!"
Who is sponsoring you?
Noah scoffed: “No one can fund me; people only look up to me. Those foolish mortals are happy to exchange their filthy wealth for a ticket to the new world.”
Lu Zhanting stopped wiping and walked step by step toward Noah.
The murderous intent in the air made Noah instinctively pause in his breathing.
"It seems you're not planning on speaking properly."
"What's the point of talking to an ant that's about to be crushed?" Noah met his gaze with a blustering but weak expression.
Lu Zhanting's hand was already raised.
Just then, Su Wanqing gently pressed down on his arm.
“I’ll do it,” she said.
She walked up to Noah and took out a silver needle as thin as a cow's hair from her medicine bag.
Noah looked at the needle and sneered, "What? You want to use your ridiculous witchcraft against me? My body has undergone the most perfect genetic optimization, and my pain tolerance is thirty times that of an ordinary person."
Su Wanqing ignored him.
She simply held the silver needle up to the light, examining it closely, speaking softly as if introducing a work of art.
"This injection is called 'tasteless'."
"It won't hurt you, it will just slowly make you lose your sense of taste, smell, and touch... You will no longer be able to taste the deliciousness of food, smell the fragrance of flowers, or feel the warmth of the sun. All the ideals you cherish will turn into meaningless dust, and the whole world will be nothing but black and white in your eyes."
Noah's smile froze.
Su Wanqing picked up a second needle.
"This injection is called 'Dream Startle.' It stimulates your brain and amplifies your deepest fears ten thousand times. You will witness your most fearful things happening again and again, endlessly."
Noah's face began to turn pale.
“And this needle…” Su Wanqing picked up the third needle, the end of which had a faint golden hue.
"It will make you forget who you are."
She held the golden needle and slowly brought it close to Noah's temple, her voice so gentle it was chilling.
"You will become an idiot who can't even remember his own name in endless chaos."
"Now, tell me, who is your sponsor?"
The cold needle tip gently touched Noah's skin.
A chill that pierced his soul caused Noah's strong psychological defenses to crumble instantly.
He is a scientist, a data-driven materialist.
That is why he felt an unprecedented fear of this method, which could not be explained by science and directly targeted the spiritual and soul level!
“Sorcery…this is sorcery!” he roared.
"You can think of it that way." Su Wanqing applied slight pressure with the needle tip.
"three."
"two."
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
At the last second, he completely broke down.
"It's the 'Council'! A shadowy organization composed of the world's top elites! They're the ones funding me!"
Lu Zhanting and Su Wanqing exchanged a glance.
"Their objective?" Lu Zhanting asked in a deep voice.
"Immortality! Immortality!" Noah roared excitedly. "Those cowardly cowards! They use every means to prolong their own decaying lives! I am different from them! I pursue the evolution of the entire race!"
"What about the 'Longevity Society'?" Su Wanqing pressed.
"A bunch of old fogies clinging to ancient alchemy!" Noah spat dismissively. "We all originated from the 'Council,' but we chose different paths!"
I see.
Su Wanqing understood.
Whether it's the "Longevity Society" pursuing mysticism or the "Ark of Life" developing gene technology, they are just two tracks that the "Council" is betting on simultaneously for immortality.
And she became their common goal.
"Who is the leader of the council?" Lu Zhanting's question went straight to the heart of the matter.
“I don’t know his real name…” A deep fear flashed in Noah’s eyes. “We all call him… ‘Morpheus.’ He is the true ruler of the ‘Council,’ a monster who has lived for who knows how long…”
Morpheus.
Su Wanqing kept this name firmly in her heart.
Just then, she made a snap decision and, taking advantage of Noah's momentary lapse in concentration, quietly pierced a wisp of extremely fine spiritual energy into his mind.
She wanted to see it with her own eyes!
An image instantly exploded in her mind.
In the dimly lit conference room of the ancient castle, several figures with indistinct faces sat around an extremely long obsidian table.
In the main seat sat a man.
He was also hidden in the shadows, but Su Wanqing could clearly see one of his hands resting on the armrest.
On that hand, she was wearing a ring.
An antique ring depicting a snake swallowing its own tail.
Ouroboros!
"Hmm!"
Su Wanqing abruptly withdrew her spiritual power, her body swayed, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.
Lu Zhanting immediately supported her, his eyes filled with concern: "What's wrong?"
"I saw a ring." Su Wanqing quickly told Lu Zhanting what she had seen.
A terrifying glint flashed in Lu Zhanting's eyes.
The Ouroboros Ring, codenamed "Morpheus".
This is the most crucial clue they found regarding the mastermind behind it all!
He immediately transmitted the intelligence back to the "Dragon Fang" headquarters and the Yan family through encrypted channels.
Half a day later, news of Yan Yunfei arrived.
"Found it. The ouroboros ring is the coat of arms of the ancient European noble family 'von Heinrich'. This family was famous in the Middle Ages for its obsession with alchemy, but disappeared after World War II, and was thought to be extinct."
"But we discovered that a secret trust fund named 'Heinrich' is still operating today, and its size is immeasurable."
Upon seeing this intelligence report, both Lu Zhanting and Su Wanqing fell silent.
They found the real venomous snake hidden deep within.
Over the next few days, the giant ship sailed through the waves, heading towards the motherland.
Su Wanqing nestled in Lu Zhanting's arms, gazing at the boundless blue sky outside the window, feeling a tranquility she had never known before.
Even if the sky falls, this man will hold it up for her.
Lu Zhanting held her tightly, but his gaze was fixed on the distant west.
The von Heinrich family.
Morpheus.
Council.
He doesn't care who the enemy is, how well they hide, or how powerful they are.
Anyone who dares to touch his woman should be prepared to be uprooted and reduced to ashes.
A global storm has quietly begun.
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