242: Chapter 241 A Shocking Change at the Peak! A Hidden Arrow Pierces the Sky, the Crisis is Hard to Avert and a New Journey Begins (6)

Professor Zhang froze in place, watching Mu Li quickly input commands, his eyes filled with resentment and madness. He wanted to rush forward but was wary of the xuanguang energy gun in Mu Li's hand. He could only watch helplessly as the activation progress bar on the screen slowly stopped and then began to reverse bit by bit; his life's work was about to be destroyed.

"No—!" Professor Zhang let out a roar of despair, clutching his head and screaming madly, his voice hoarse and shrill. "I refuse to accept this! I've planned for so many years and sacrificed so much, only for it to be destroyed by your hands! I refuse to accept this! I could have ruled the world! I could have!"

When the activation progress bar returned completely to zero, the purple light of the Xuanguang activation device gradually faded, and the terrifying aura of the ancient energy source vanished along with it. The alarms throughout the secret base also slowly ceased, and the smoke gradually dissipated. Everything returned to peace, leaving only the mess of damaged equipment and the smell of gunpowder permeating the air. Mu Li breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing completely. His legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. The pain in his ankle instantly surged through his body, making him frown involuntarily. The wounds all over his body began to sting fiercely, and his vision blurred into darkness, yet he still forced himself to stay upright.

Meanwhile, the armed personnel within the base were completely eliminated under the strenuous resistance of Zhao Gang and the remaining security team members. Zhao Gang led the injured team members and rushed into the core area. When he saw that Mu Li was safe and that Professor Zhang had been restrained, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Staggering forward, he said with concern, "Engineer Mu, are you alright? How are you?"

Mu Li shook his head and forced himself to stand straight. He pointed at Professor Zhang, who was still struggling and roaring madly nearby, and said in a grave tone, "I'm fine. Professor Zhang has been restrained, and the activation of the energy source has been successfully stopped. The crisis is temporarily resolved."

Zhao Gang nodded and immediately had the team members beside him step forward to tightly bind Professor Zhang with special restraints, pinning him down to prevent him from causing trouble again. Professor Zhang continued to struggle and roar madly, his eyes filled with resentment and obsession, repeatedly muttering, "I refuse to accept this... I could have ruled the world... Why... why stop me..."

Mu Li walked to the control panel and checked it carefully once more, confirming that the ancient energy source had completely stopped activating and that there was no possibility of a restart before he finally felt at ease. He connected to the communicator for the temporary command point, his voice weary but carrying a hint of relief and an imperceptible raspiness: "Technical Team Leader, the activation of the energy source has been successfully stopped, Professor Zhang is under control, and the armed personnel in the base have been completely eliminated. The crisis is temporarily resolved."

"That's wonderful! Engineer Mu, you guys are incredible! You've saved our entire Home!" The Technical Team Leader's voice came through, carrying an emotional sob and undeniable joy. "We have restored the normal operation of global xuanguang equipment, and order has returned to the summit venue. Representatives from all countries are asking about your situation. Everything is moving in a positive direction."

Mu Li then connected to Xia Wan's communicator, his voice instantly becoming much gentler, with a hint of warmth amidst his exhaustion: "Xia Wan, I'm fine. The activation of the energy source has been successfully stopped. Don't worry, I'll be back to see you soon."

On the other end of the communicator, Xia Wan's voice carried a hint of a sob but was also filled with joy and relief. "That's great, Mu Li, that's great... I knew you would definitely come back safely; I've always believed in you. I've already arranged for medical personnel. Come back as soon as possible to properly treat your wounds. Your old ankle injury can't be delayed any longer."

"Alright, we're coming back immediately," Mu Li said softly. Hanging up the communicator, his eyes were full of tenderness. Most of his fatigue and pain dissipated the moment he thought of Xia Wan.

Zhao Gang walked over to Mu Li's side, looking at the wound on his ankle, the dense scars on his body, and his blood-stained clothing. He said with concern, "Engineer Mu, should we treat your wounds first? Your old ankle injury has flared up, and with the new wounds on your body, you've lost quite a bit of blood. Delaying any further will make it more serious and might even affect your future mobility."

Mu Li shook his head and said in a grave tone, "Not yet; now is not the time to treat wounds. We must first clear the base and collect evidence of the Aurora Alliance and Professor Zhang's crimes. All experimental data, communication records, and activation plans must be fully gathered; we can't leave any trace behind. Then we'll immediately return to the Convention Center. Although the energy source crisis is resolved, the Aurora Alliance surely has remnant forces, and they could launch a new attack at any time. We cannot let our guard down."

"Understood!" Zhao Gang nodded heavily. Although he was still worried about Mu Li's injuries, he knew the gravity of the situation. He immediately arranged for the team members to clear the base and collect evidence, with clear divisions of labor and swift actions.

The setting sun shone through the gap in the ice sheet into the secret base, its golden light dispelling the cold and gloom within and falling upon Mu Li and his companions with a touch of warmth. Mu Li stood in the core area, looking at the restrained Professor Zhang, his weary but determined companions, and the fallen Xiao Zhang, his heart filled with emotion. They had given their all and made sacrifices to successfully resolve this crisis, but he knew clearly that this was not the end. The remnant forces of the Aurora Alliance were still lurking in the shadows, and more crises were waiting for them, with more responsibilities for them to bear.

The xuanguang assault boat started up again, turning into a beam of golden light that broke through the Antarctic snow and sped toward the Convention Center. Inside the cabin, Mu Li leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to take a short rest. The pain in his ankle was still clear, and the wounds on his body throbbed, but it didn't affect his determination in the slightest. He knew that as long as he and his companions fought side by side, stayed true to their original intentions, and never gave up on each other, they would surely be able to protect Xuanguang Technology, safeguard their Home, meet every new challenge, and resist every unknown danger.

The Global Energy Summit resumed order after the brief chaos. After this soul-stirring crisis, the representatives of various countries recognized the importance of energy security more deeply and became more determined in their belief in win-win cooperation and jointly protecting their Home. They expressed that they would fully support the development of Xuanguang Technology, strengthen international cooperation, jointly resist various threats, and work together to safeguard humanity's shared Home. The members of the Xuanguang Team, having gone through a life-and-death ordeal, were more united and determined, and the bond between them grew deeper. They knew that their journey had only just begun—the sudden change at Fengyun had passed, and the crisis was finally averted, but a brand-new journey had already started. The road ahead, though filled with thorns and the unknown, was also full of hope and longing.

Mu Li stood beneath the dome of the Convention Center, looking at the distant sunset as the golden afterglow washed over him, dispelling all fatigue and chill. Xia Wan walked softly to his side, reached out, and tightly gripped his hand. The warmth from her fingertips was transmitted to him, warm and steady. The two looked at each other and smiled, their eyes full of tenderness and determination. Without many words, they understood each other's hearts. They knew that no matter how great the difficulties or dangers they faced in the future, as long as they were together and fought side by side, there would be no obstacle they couldn't overcome and no Home they couldn't protect. Together, they would guard this peace and each other as they moved toward a more distant future.

"Prepare, start!" Mu Li said in a low, firm voice. His fingertip paused slightly on the activation button of the cutter, his gaze sweeping over the three people beside him to confirm everyone was ready. Zhao Gang nodded forcefully, the muscles in his shoulders tightening slightly, and the two security team members also gripped their weapons, their eyes filled with resolve. The next second, the four of them pressed the activation buttons simultaneously, and four brilliant golden energy beams burst forth instantly, like four swords of light piercing the darkness, accurately striking the hard ice sheet.

The high-temperature energy and the freezing snow collided instantly, making a piercing "sizzling" sound. The white snow melted rapidly under the heat, turning into a large amount of warm water vapor that rose up. However, the temperature in Antarctica was as low as dozens of degrees below zero; the warm water vapor had just floated into the air when it quickly condensed into countless tiny ice crystals, swirling around the four like a sky full of stars, landing on their thermal suits and instantly freezing into thin ice pellets. The ice sheet was as hard as an alloy, its surface covered in a thick layer of frost, but under the power of the Xuanguang Energy Cutters, the surface ice layer rapidly melted, and a small gap was gradually cut open. Under the continuous cutting of the energy beams, the gap expanded and deepened, and the flying ice chips were like crushed jade, shimmering in the faint light of the polar night.

In just ten short minutes, a huge hole about two meters in diameter was formed. Below the hole was pitch black and bottomless, with only a faint chill gushing up from below, making one shudder as if it were the giant maw of a beast waiting for its prey to fall. "Quick! Go down! Time is tight, we can't delay!" Mu Li barked the order, his tone carrying an unquestionable urgency. He was the first to unfasten the high-strength rope from his waist, firmly securing one end to an ice pillar at the edge of the hole. After pulling it twice to confirm it was secure, he gripped the rope with both hands and kicked off the ice ridges on the inner wall of the hole, carefully moving downward.

Zhao Gang followed closely behind. His right hand tightly gripped the rope while his left held a xuanguang energy gun, its muzzle always pointing down as he vigilantly observed the movement below. The old injury on his shoulder throbbed with a dull pain under the stimulation of the cold wind, but he forcibly suppressed it. The two security team members followed in turn, their bodies pressed close to the ice wall. The ice ridges beneath their feet were smooth and slippery; one careless move and they would fall into the dark abyss below, shattered to pieces. The rope slid slowly through their hands, making a faint rubbing sound, with only the howling of the cold wind echoing in the empty hole, appearing exceptionally lonely and treacherous.

After moving down about fifty meters, the four finally reached the top of the Aurora Alliance's secret base. The top of the base was a layer of alloy steel plate half a meter thick, covered with a silver-white thermal insulation layer. It felt cold and hard to the touch; even pressing a fingertip on it left no mark, making it even harder to cut than the ice sheet above. Mu Li tapped the alloy steel plate, producing a dull "thud-thud" sound. His brow furrowed tightly, his eyes full of urgency: "Keep cutting! Speed up! Professor Zhang could complete the energy source activation at any time; we must enter the base as soon as possible!"

The four no longer hesitated and started the Xuanguang Energy Cutters again. The four golden beams converged at the same spot on the alloy steel plate and began to cut fiercely. The high-temperature energy beams collided violently with the cold alloy steel plate, the piercing "sizzling" sound growing louder. Sparks flew out like leaping flames, landing on the insulation layer and instantly igniting small fires that were quickly extinguished by the surrounding cold air. The alloy steel plate gradually melted under the high temperature, and the viscous liquid metal flowed slowly down the door wall, landing on the ground below and quickly condensing into dark blocks in the low-temperature environment, piling up around the opening.

Time passed second by second, each feeling exceptionally long. After ten minutes of strenuous cutting, a large hole big enough for one person to pass through was finally cut in the alloy steel plate. Faint light and the "humming" of equipment operation came from inside, along with a faint smell of machine oil and disinfectant wafting out of the hole. "Go!" Mu Li barked, putting away the cutter. He braced his hands on the edge of the hole and leaped, landing steadily on the ground inside the secret base. The moment his feet touched the ground, he immediately lowered his body, his xuanguang energy gun quickly aiming at the surroundings as he vigilantly scanned the environment.