87: Chapter 87 Unwavering Commitment! Imprisonment and torture cannot break his will; unyielding integrity will never betray loyalty (3)

The metal head of the high-voltage stun gun slowly approached Mu Li's arm. Its cold touch was like a viper's tongue, creeping along his skin and making Mu Li shudder involuntarily, his hair standing on end. Yet, he still did not lower his head or beg for mercy. He merely stared fixedly at the henchman holding the stun gun, his eyes burning with unyielding fury—a fury born of hatred for Overseas Forces, resistance against torture, and steadfastness to his original intention. He knew that what awaited him next would be even more cruel torture and an agony worse than death, but he was prepared. No matter how much pain he endured, he would remain true to his original intention and choose death over surrender. He would use his life to guard the core secrets of the nation and his actions to exemplify the loyalty and responsibility of a Chinese scientific researcher.

Meanwhile, the search operation in the Nanyang City-State continued in an intense and orderly fashion without a moment's pause. Every minute and every second was a race against time, carrying everyone's hopes. Chen Feng was covered in injuries; the knife wound on his arm was still seeping blood, and the bandage had long been soaked through. His face was covered in dust and bruises, and his clothes were torn and tattered, leaving him in a wretched state. Yet, he did not rest for a single moment, not even taking the time to drink a sip of water. Sitting in the passenger seat of the security vehicle, he stared ahead with a determined gaze, his eyes bloodshot with veins spreading like a spiderweb. His face was etched with fatigue and deep guilt as he tightly gripped the encrypted communication device, his knuckles turning white from the force. He communicated incessantly with the National Headquarters and local security departments, his voice incredibly hoarse yet still carrying an unquestionable urgency. Over and over, he retrieved surveillance footage along the route, screened every suspicious vehicle, and analyzed every minute clue, doing everything in his power to track down Mu Li's whereabouts. In his heart, there was only one thought, one belief: he had to find Mu Li and rescue him. Even if he had to give his all, even if it cost him his life, he would not hesitate. He would never betray Mu Li's trust or fail the nation's mandate.

Zhang Hongyuan and Lin Wei had also arrived at the Nanyang City-State overnight. Without time to rest or even tidy their clothes, they immediately rushed to the search command center to assist Chen Feng with the search and rescue efforts. Zhang Hongyuan's brow was furrowed, his expression as solemn as a gathering storm. He tightly gripped the encrypted list of attendees, his fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure. He repeatedly checked every name on the list and scrutinized every detail, his heart filled with self-reproach and worry. He blamed himself for not preparing a sufficient security plan, for failing to protect Mu Li, and for allowing Mu Li to fall into such a dangerous situation. Lin Wei sat to the side, her eyes red and swollen from crying, tears continuing to fall down her face, which was still marked with dried tear streaks. She prayed silently for Mu Li's safety, hoping they could find and rescue him as soon as possible. She kept looking through photos of Mu Li. In the photos, Mu Li appeared steady, elegant, and high-spirited, wearing a clean white lab coat with a gentle yet firm gaze, exuding an air of scholarly refinement and responsibility. But at the thought that Mu Li might be enduring endless torture in a basement right now, struggling on the brink of life and death, her heart twisted with agonizing pain.

At the National Headquarters, relevant departments were also taking emergency action. The building was brightly lit as staff members performed their duties, racing against the clock. They urgently coordinated with international law enforcement organizations and the law enforcement forces of relevant countries in the Nanyang region, retrieving satellite imagery around the manor. They painstakingly combed through clues related to Brother Hu's Criminal Syndicate, analyzing their movements, determined to wipe out the syndicate, rescue Mu Li, recover any core information that might have been stolen, and defend the nation's interests and dignity. They would never allow Overseas Forces to act willfully or permit national secrets to be leaked. A cross-border search and rescue operation was unfolding, racing against time; a thunderous counterattack against the foreign criminal group and Overseas Forces was also about to begin. The light of justice was about to pierce the darkness and illuminate this land shrouded in evil.

In the basement, Brother Hu stared coldly at Mu Li, his eyes filled with undisguised cruelty and malice. His voice was bone-chilling as he delivered a final threat: "Mu Li, I'll give you one last chance. Hand over the core technical parameters and write down all the data. I'll spare your life and give you a quick end to spare you some suffering. If you still refuse to submit and dare to stay stubborn, I'll make you experience agony more painful than death. I'll make you wish you were dead and regret ever coming into this world!" Mu Li slowly raised his head. His gaze remained firm, though his vision was becoming increasingly blurred and his breath was so weak that even turning his neck was an effort. Every breath came at a great cost. He shook his head with difficulty, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible. His words were broken, yet every syllable resonated with a desperate resolve, soaked in blood and defiance: "In... in your dreams! Unless I die, you... you can forget about getting a single word out of me. You won't defile the nation's secrets... you won't... succeed!"

Brother Hu was completely enraged. He let out a roar, the fury in his chest nearly erupting. His voice was so loud it made the basement walls tremble slightly. He barked orders at his subordinates: "Give him the electric torture! Shock him to death! I don't believe he can stay this stubborn! I don't believe his bones are tougher than high-voltage current!" The henchman holding the stun gun immediately complied, the ruthlessness in his eyes deepening. He slowly pressed the switch on the stun gun, and the "zzzt-zzzt" sound of the current rang out instantly—sharp and piercing like a viper's hiss, making one's skin crawl. The metal head flickered with cold, ghostly blue sparks, crackling loudly. The smell of scorching current instantly filled the basement, mixing with the scents of blood and burnt flesh, making the atmosphere even more lethally grim and suffocating. He deliberately slowed his movements, bringing the metal head of the stun gun bit by bit toward the unhealed burn wounds on Mu Li's arm. The flesh there was already charred and festering, with blood slowly seeping out and nerves exposed—it was the most sensitive area, unable to withstand any stimulation. With every inch it drew closer, Mu Li could clearly feel a bone-chilling numbness spreading across his skin, his hair standing on end as his body began to tremble uncontrollably. Mu Li's body instantly went rigid, as if pulled tight by invisible ropes. His muscles tensed and spasmed uncontrollably, and a flash of extreme agony crossed his eyes. His pupils constricted from fear and intense pain, yet he did not dodge or retreat in the slightest. He merely gritted his teeth so hard they made a faint "creak-creak" sound. His lower lip had long been bitten into a bloody mess, with blood continuously dripping from the corner of his mouth onto the cold iron chains, making a faint but piercing "tap-tap" sound. He used every ounce of his strength to resist the imminent, ultimate torture—one even worse than the searing of a branding iron—clinging to his beliefs and defending the nation's secrets.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

The next second, the metal head of the stun gun was slammed hard against the wound on Mu Li's arm.

With a sharp "Zzzzt—" sound, even more piercing and grating than the searing of a branding iron, like fingernails scraping against a tin sheet, ghost-blue electric sparks instantly exploded across the wound.

The blinding light flashed through the dim basement, and the current, like countless venomous snakes, crazily surged along his exposed nerves into Mu Li's entire body, sweeping through him instantly, leaving no corner untouched.

Mu Li's body jerked violently, and immediately after, he began to convulse intensely.

His hands and feet were tightly bound by iron chains, unable to break free, forcing him to endure the current as it rampaged through his body, slamming into his internal organs, tearing at every nerve, and scorching every inch of his flesh.

That sensation was not a single burning pain, nor the tearing pain of a whip, but an extreme torture where numbness, spiciness, soreness, and pain intertwined—the numbness made his whole body stiff, unable to control himself, even his fingers couldn't move; the spiciness scorched his blood vessels, as if his blood were boiling and burning; the soreness spread along his bones, leaving him weak and limp, making even breathing difficult; and that deep, bone-piercing pain felt as if it were tearing and crushing his very soul, worse than being pierced by ten thousand arrows, crueler than death by a thousand cuts.

Every second was an agony worse than death.

Mu Li could no longer hold it back, and a heart-wrenching grunt spilled from his throat.

The sound was hoarse and broken, as grating as a cracked gong, yet there was still not a word of begging, not a hint of surrender.

Even in extreme pain, he never lowered his head.

His body twisted violently and uncontrollably, the iron chains clanking loudly, interweaving with the "zzzt" of the current and his grunts, echoing in the dim basement like the wails of hell, chilling to the bone, as if this place were a purgatory on earth.

Cold sweat mixed with blood streamed crazily down his forehead and cheeks, instantly soaking his clothes, sticking stickily to his mangled skin, and being repeatedly tugged by the convulsions of his body, causing secondary piercing pain.

His wounds tore open again, blood gushing out and staining the concrete floor beneath him red.

His eyes were wide open, bloodshot, the red veins spreading like spiderwebs, his eyeballs slightly bulging from the excruciating pain.

His vision began to blur, black spots dancing before his eyes, yet he still stared fixedly at Brother Hu and the henchmen before him.

In his eyes burned an unyielding fire of rage, a fire that did not diminish by even a fraction despite the extreme torture, but instead grew hotter and more dazzling, like a spark in the darkness that would never be extinguished, like a red plum blossom in the depths of winter, blooming with the most brilliant light amidst extreme suffering.

The current continued to crazily assault his body.

Mu Li's convulsions became increasingly violent, his chest heaving heavily as he gasped for air, his breath as faint as a candle in the wind.

Every breath required a tremendous price, as if the next second he would stop breathing entirely and collapse completely onto this cold concrete floor.

His fingers were digging desperately into the armrests of the wooden chair; his nails had long since broken, his fingertips were mangled, and even the wood grain of the chair was embedded with his blood.

Deep finger marks were gouged into the armrests—those marks, like his conviction, were deep and firm.

Blood, mixed with saliva, constantly welled from the corners of his mouth, making him look wretched, yet his head remained slightly raised, his spine still held straight.

Even though his body had long been tortured to the point of collapse, and even though his consciousness began to scatter and blur under the impact of the current, he never bent his spine, never lowered his head—that was the proud integrity of a Chinese scientific researcher, the loyalty and responsibility carved into his very bones, the conviction that would never surrender no matter how great the suffering, the unyielding spine of the Chinese nation.

Brother Hu stood to the side, watching all this coldly, a hideous and cruel smile curling the corners of his mouth, his eyes filled with triumph and pleasure.

He watched Mu Li's painful convulsions, watched Mu Li covered in blood and in such a wretched state, as if admiring an interesting toy, as if enjoying the pleasure of controlling another's life and death and torturing them at will: "How is it, Mu Li? Not a pleasant feeling, is it? Is it more painful than being lashed by a whip? Hand over the core technical parameters, and I will have him stop immediately and give you a quick end. Otherwise, I will let you just like this, amidst the torture of the current, lose consciousness bit by bit, die in pain bit by bit, and let you repent for your stubbornness in endless agony!"

Mu Li struggled to move his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on Brother Hu.

The fire of rage in his eyes seemed almost capable of incinerating Brother Hu.

In that rage, there was hatred, there was disdain, there was unyielding defiance.

Using his very last ounce of strength, he squeezed out a few broken, hoarse words from between his teeth, wrapped in blood and unyielding stubbornness, every word dripping with blood yet still resonant and powerful: "No... I will never surrender... I will... I will never leak a single bit! I, Mu Li, would rather die than be a traitor! I will never... betray the country!"

As the words fell, his head dropped slightly.

His consciousness became increasingly blurry under the continuous impact of the current, his convulsions gradually weakening, and his breath became so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Yet, even on the verge of fainting, even if he were to lose consciousness the next second, his hands remained tightly clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The resilience in his bones had never wavered by even a fraction.

Even covered in wounds, even tortured by the current until he was barely human, he would never hand over the core technical parameters, would never betray his country and his original aspirations, and would never do anything to let down his country or his partners.

The henchman holding the stun gun did not stop, continuing to press the metal head against Mu Li's wound.

The current poured endlessly into his body, ghost-blue electric sparks rising and falling, the "zzzt" sound incessant.

The scorching air was filled with the smell of blood and burnt flesh, nausea-inducing.

Mu Li's body would occasionally experience a violent convulsion, a faint grunt spilling from his throat, but he never again uttered a plea for mercy, showing not a single sign of surrender.

Those bloodshot eyes, even with blurred vision, still shone with an unyielding light, hard as steel, resilient as a winter plum.

Amidst the extreme torture, he held fast to his convictions, defended the country's secrets, and with his own life, interpreted the meaning of loyalty and responsibility.

In the dim and damp basement, the "zzzt" of the current, Mu Li's suppressed and broken grunts, Brother Hu's hideous laughter and shouts, and the clanking of iron chains intertwined, harsh and grating, echoing for a long time in the silent manor, chilling to the marrow.

It was as if this place were a purgatory on earth, an abyss of sin.

Mu Li was covered in wounds, his flesh mangled, the wounds festering again under the scorching current, blood mixed with charred flesh, hideous and terrifying.

His breath was as faint as a candle in the wind, every breath carrying intense pain, as if it might be extinguished in the next second, bidding farewell to this world forever.

Yet his spine remained straight, without the slightest bend.

Even though his body had long been tortured to the point of collapse, and even though his consciousness was repeatedly pulled and on the verge of scattering under the impact of the current, he never bent his spine—that was the proud integrity carved into his bones, the loyalty and responsibility of a Chinese scientific researcher, the conviction that would never surrender no matter how great the suffering.

His eyes remained as firm as steel, and even though they were bloodshot and his vision was blurred, they still burned with an unyielding fire of rage.

That rage was hatred for the Overseas Forces, resistance against torture, and a steadfast hold on his original aspirations.

It was like a glimmer of light in the darkness that would never be extinguished, supporting him as he struggled bitterly in a desperate situation, refusing to surrender amidst torture, supporting him as he used his life to protect the country's core secrets.

The prison cage may be strong, but it cannot trap an iron-willed soul; the torture may be bitter, but it cannot grind away original aspirations and mission.

Through his actions, his resilience, and his loyalty, Mu Li interpreted the responsibility and dedication of a Chinese scientific researcher, writing a heroic epic of choosing death over surrender, of holding fast to original aspirations and mission.

He silently held his ground amidst extreme pain, waiting quietly in the desperate cage, waiting for Chen Feng's rescue, waiting for the arrival of Zhang Hongyuan and Lin Wei, waiting for the thunderous strike of the nation, waiting for the moment to completely shatter the conspiracies of these Overseas Forces, waiting for the moment when dawn pierces the darkness and light illuminates this cage of sin.

Even covered in wounds, even on the verge of death, he firmly believed that justice would eventually triumph over evil, and that loyalty would eventually safeguard faith.

With his life, he protected the country's core secrets, protected the hard work of countless scientific researchers, protected his unchanging original aspirations and mission, and protected the dignity and glory of the Chinese nation.