Chapter 40
Lei Huan's appearance instantly froze the air in the passage. Behind him stood fully armed federal soldiers, their energy guns fixed firmly on Miao Weizhen and Wen Ling.
"Hand over the consciousness storage device," Lei Huan said, his gun still. "I can make your death quicker."
Miao Weizhen stepped forward and protected Wen Ling behind him: "Do you think we will believe the promise of a traitor?"
"Traitor?" Lei Huan laughed. "I've always been a member of the Federation. But you, Minister Miao, have been operating on the waste planet for so many years, producing so many banned weapons. Do you really think no one knows?"
Wen Ling noticed that Lei Huan's eyes kept glancing towards a certain direction deep in the passage while he spoke. He immediately realized that the Federation did not know all the secrets of the Iron Throne base.
"He's stalling for time," Wen Ling whispered to Miao Weizhen, "They're looking for the main weapons depot."
Miao Weizhen nodded slightly, and quietly pressed the alarm hidden in his sleeve with his right hand.
Suddenly, the lighting system throughout the corridor flickered to life, and Lao Lin's voice came through a hidden speaker: "Weizhen, they've broken through the third defense zone and are heading towards the main energy core!"
Lei Huan's expression finally changed: "Stop them!"
Taking advantage of the moment when the soldiers were distracted, Miao Weizhen pushed Wen Ling to the side road and said, "Go find Lao Lin and activate the 'Scorched Earth Protocol'."
"No!" Wen Ling immediately objected, "That's your ten years of hard work."
"It's because I've been running this business for ten years that I know how to protect it." Miao Weizhen quickly shoved a data chip into Wen Ling's hand. "All the core data is here. Now go."
Su Huaijin suddenly grabbed Wen Ling and said, "Follow me, I know the shortcut."
They ran wildly through the intricate passages, and the sound of fierce gunfire came from behind them. Wen Ling's heart tightened, he knew that Miao Weizhen was buying time for them.
"This way!" Su Huaijin pushed open a hidden metal door, revealing a small control room.
Lao Lin was working quickly at the console, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Damn it! They've destroyed the main control system!"
"What is the Scorched Earth Agreement?" Wen Ling asked.
"This is Weizhen's last resort," Old Lin said without looking back. "Once activated, the base will self-destruct, but the core area will sink deep underground, and all weapons and production lines will be sealed."
The control room suddenly shook violently, and the monitoring screen showed that an explosion had occurred in the direction of the main weapons depot.
"They've found the place!" Lao Lin gritted his teeth. "We have to start now!"
Wen Ling looked at the area on the screen where the fighting was still going on: "Wait a little longer, Miao Weizhen hasn't..."
"He's coming!" Su Huaijin pointed at the surveillance camera.
Miao Weizhen's figure appeared at the end of the passage. He fought back while retreating, and there were already several tears on his protective suit.
"Activate protocol," he ordered as soon as he entered the control room.
Lao Lin pressed the last button.
The entire base began to shake violently, and alarms rang out in every corner.
"The automatic defense system has been activated," Luo Yan's voice came from the communicator, "We are evacuating to a safe area."
Miao Weizhen walked to the main console and entered a complex code: "Activate deep hibernation mode. All core facilities will be lowered to three thousand meters underground."
On the surveillance screens, the main area of the base began to slowly sink, and the heavy protective panels closed layer by layer. The federal soldiers were caught off guard by the sudden change in the situation, and many were isolated between the closing areas.
"They can't get the core weapons." Lao Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
But Lei Huan's voice suddenly came over the communicator: "It's a clever plan, Minister Miao. But do you think this will stop us?"
The main screen in the control room was forcibly cut in, showing a picture that shocked everyone -
Xinglan's consciousness storage device was connected to an unfamiliar device, and her holographic image was flickering violently.
"No..." Miao Weizhen's face turned pale instantly.
"We don't need those bulky weapons." Lei Huan's voice was filled with pride. "With Dr. Xinglan's consciousness data, we can replicate all the technology of the Star Shuttle Project. Imagine, a weapon that can directly control another person's consciousness..."
Su Huaijin suddenly rushed to the control console: "He's lying. My father's research notes show that mind control requires specific biological markers. Not just anyone can do it..."
Her words were interrupted by a violent explosion. One side of the control room wall was blown open, and fully armed federal soldiers rushed in.
"Take them away!" Miao Weizhen shouted to Lao Lin, while raising his gun to fight back.
Wen Ling watched Xing Lan's image grow increasingly unstable amidst the chaos. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
"Ms. Su," he pulled Su Huaijin, "you said that consciousness data can be transmitted."
Su Huaijin immediately understood what he meant: "But we need a receiving device..."
Wen Ling held up the data chip Miao Weizhen had given him: "Is this okay?"
"You can give it a try," Su Huaijin took the chip and quickly connected it to the console.
Just as she began transmitting, Lei Huan noticed their actions and said, "Stop them."
A beam of energy hit the console, Su Huaijin fell down with a groan, and the transmission progress stopped at 87%.
"No," Wen Ling wanted to continue the operation, but more soldiers rushed in.
Miao Weizhen grabbed him and said, "It's time to go."
They evacuated through the emergency exit. At the last moment, Wen Ling glanced back at the screen. Xinglan's image had almost completely dissipated, but before it completely disappeared, she smiled at them.
"Goodbye...Brother..."
As they rushed out of the tunnel and boarded the waiting spaceship, the entire surface of the abandoned planet had begun to collapse. Huge metal structures squeezed each other, making a deafening roar.
"The core area has been successfully sunk," Lao Lin said, looking at the surveillance data. "All important facilities have been preserved."
Miao Weizhen looked out the window at the disintegrating surface of the waste planet in silence.
Wen Ling gently held his hand: "We will come back."
The spacecraft broke through the atmosphere of the abandoned planet and headed towards the vast sea of stars. Behind them, the abandoned planet of the ghost machine became a floating metal graveyard, but its heart still beat deep inside, waiting for the day of awakening.
The ship sailed on autopilot for several days, during which they received news from various sources: the political situation in Sailiang continued to be turbulent, and the Federation's neurotoxin testing had begun on a border planet.
"We must speed up," Wen Ling frowned as he looked at the latest intelligence.
Miao Weizhen has been studying the preserved data chips: "Although Xinglan's consciousness data is incomplete, the core research materials have been preserved."
Su Huaijin's injuries gradually improved under Dr. Keith's treatment. The first thing she did after waking up was to inquire about the data transmission situation.
"87%..." she said softly. "That's enough. The core algorithms and research results are all preserved."
At their new temporary base, an outpost hidden in a hidden asteroid belt, they immediately got to work.
Wen Ling was surprised to find that this simple outpost actually stored a lot of equipment transferred from the Iron Throne.
"Weizhen always prepares a fallback plan," Lao Lin said as he assembled a precision instrument. "Safe houses like these exist in every star region."
Miao Weizhen seemed even more silent than usual. Wen Ling knew that he was not only heartbroken over the loss of the base, but also blaming himself for Xing Lan's final sacrifice.
Late one night, Wen Ling found Miao Weizhen alone at the observatory. The starry sky seemed especially close here, as if within reach.
"Xinglan's choice is not your fault." Wen Ling stood beside him.
Miao Weizhen didn't look back, but relaxed his tense shoulders slightly: "I promised to protect her."
"You did it," Wen Ling said softly. "You preserved her research and kept her ideals alive. That's what matters most."
The next day, a breakthrough was achieved: Su Huaijin successfully used the saved data to reproduce the core components of the neuroprotectant.
"But for large-scale production, we need better facilities," she said at the project meeting.
Luo Yan pulled up the star map. "While tracking the Federation Fleet, I discovered they've built a new scientific research outpost in the B7 star field. The equipment there should meet our needs."
"It's too dangerous," Lao Lin objected. "That's an area that the federal government is heavily defending."
"Maybe a violent attack is not necessary." Wen Ling suddenly spoke, and everyone looked at him.
"When I was sorting through ancient starship data, I discovered that these outposts all use a unified energy system," he pulled up a technical blueprint. "If we can disrupt their energy supply—"
Miao Weizhen replied, "We can take advantage of the chaos and sneak in. That's a smart idea."
The plan was quickly finalized. Luo Yan led the team to create an energy failure, while Miao Weizhen and Wen Ling took the opportunity to infiltrate the outpost and obtain the equipment.
On the night of the operation, when Wen Ling was preparing his equipment, he discovered that Miao Weizhen had installed additional protective plates on the inner layer of his protective suit.
"Just in case." Miao Weizhen explained briefly.
Wen Ling held his hand: "We will all come back safely."
The infiltration went surprisingly smoothly. The energy jamming had taken effect, crippling much of the outpost's defenses. They quickly located the equipment they needed, but encountered difficulties in their evacuation.
"The alarm system has been restored," Luo Yan's voice came from the communicator, "reinforcements are on the way."
Miao Weizhen made a quick decision: "Change the evacuation route and take the backup route."
In a narrow passage, they encountered a group of federal soldiers. During the exchange of fire, Wen Ling's arm was scratched by the energy beam while trying to protect the equipment.
"Are you okay?" Miao Weizhen immediately came to his side.
"It's just a minor injury," Wen Ling insisted, gritting her teeth. "Equipment is more important."
They successfully broke through and boarded the receiving spacecraft. On the way back, Wen Ling noticed that Miao Weizhen had been checking the star map.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"The Federation's deployment in the B7 star field is more rigorous than expected." Miao Weizhen pointed to several marks on the star map. "They are protecting something."
After returning to the outpost, Su Huaijin immediately began experimenting with the equipment she had acquired. A few days later, she brought good news—the trial production of a neuroprotectant had been successful.
"The question now," she said, "is how to produce and distribute it on a large scale."
At this moment, the communicator received an unexpected signal. After decryption, it turned out to be an emergency communication from the Sailiang royal family.
"Wen Ling," Wen Xunyi's image appeared on the screen, his face even paler than before, "a split has occurred among the military's hardliners, with some beginning to oppose the federal neurotoxin testing program."
Everyone was stunned.
"They saw the devastation on the test planet," Wen Xunyi continued. "Now Sailiang needs a true leader."
After the communication ended, the outpost fell into deep thought.
"This is an opportunity." Wen Ling was the first to break the silence. "If we can unite these opposition groups..."
"We can establish a production base in Sailiang," Su Huaijin continued, "and protect more people at the same time."
Miao Weizhen had been stargazing silently until he suddenly said, "It's more than that."
He pulled up a detailed star map of the B7 star field. "If the political situation in Sailiang changes, the Federation will be forced to redeploy its forces. Then..."
"This is the time for us to take back the Iron Throne," Wen Ling understood his thoughts.
Hope flickers ahead. Though the road remains difficult, they have already seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Somewhere in the starry sea, the sealed Iron Throne awaits its lord's return.
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