83: Chapter 83 Penetration Scheme

"Sewers fear termites."

Yan Zheng wrote this sentence at the very top of the operation page; the tip of his fountain pen paused on the paper, pressing a dark ink dot.

Inside the Antique Shop's Underground Room, the desk lamp was set to its lowest level. Soft light fell onto the center of the workbench, while the surroundings were suppressed by dim light. The edges of the map sank into shadows, and red markings spread across the paper from dark to light. The metal ruler had matte wear marks on its surface, and the residual formalin in a glass beaker reflected shards of light.

He finished writing the operation codename.

Termite.

Yan Zheng: ( ˵ ꐦ ≖ ⌓ ≖ ˵ )

"The name is a bit rustic, but practical."

He turned to a new page and began writing the operational steps.

In the Mental Link, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6, the three Reinforced Skeleton Soldiers, were pulled into the command group separately.

No. 7 remained to guard the Underground Room.

The Knight and Brute were placed into the standby group.

Yan Zheng spoke as he wrote, like someone explaining human anatomy to a class of students.

"Operation Termite is divided into three phases."

"Infiltration, Sabotage, Harvesting."

"The infiltration phase will be executed by the Skeleton Soldiers."

"The three Skeleton Soldiers will disassemble into stealth mode and enter through the eastern drainage pipes."

"There will be a three-minute interval between each one to prevent congestion in the pipes."

"After getting underground, don't be in a hurry to kill."

"First, find the internal maps, monitoring circuits, power cabinets, and communication nodes."

No. 4's phosphorus fire flared up.

Yan Zheng looked at it.

"That's right, no chewing on people."

"Especially the experimental personnel."

"Living people run, scream, and press alarms."

"Dying too early has no value."

Yan Zheng: ( ꐦ ˘ ͈ ꒳ ˘ ͈ )

"We are a professional team, not a late-night food group-buy."

He wrote down the second phase.

Bone Bomb.

This was not the official system name.

It was a modified version he created for the Skeleton Soldier's self-destruct command.

Traditional self-destruction releases the entire Undead Energy inside the Skeleton Soldier at once; the damage radius is small, the noise is loud, and the cost-effectiveness is average.

The Bone Bomb, however, involves the Skeleton Soldier in stealth mode jamming rib fragments, finger bones, and vertebrae into the internal components of equipment, then remotely activating them via Mental Link to cause the bone fragments to expand and twist a second time within the mechanical structure.

It doesn't aim for a flashy explosion.

It only aims to make the equipment malfunction.

Yan Zheng put down his fountain pen, picked up a spare rib fragment, and demonstrated inside an old radio on the workbench.

The bone fragment was inserted into the gaps of the gears.

Undead Energy was injected.

Click.

The gears jammed.

The static in the radio turned into a harsh, short sound, then cut off.

The source of the sound was clear—inside the device—sharp, close-range, and echoing under the enclosed workbench. The rhythm was short, and it sounded very destructive.

Yan Zheng: ( ˵ ꐦ ✧ ᗜ ✧ ˵ )

"See? Civilized destruction."

He pushed the broken radio to the side.

"There are three targets for the Bone Bombs."

"Power system."

"Communication equipment."

"Monitoring host."

"The power system has the highest priority."

"Once the power goes out underground, it takes time for the backup power to start."

"This period is the entry window for the Knight and Brute."

He drew the external attack route on the map.

The Knight would force a breakthrough from the front cargo passage.

Brute would be responsible for tearing open the doors and blocking firepower.

The Skeleton Soldiers would cut off monitoring and communications from the inside.

Yan Zheng himself would not follow the frontal team.

He would enter through the emergency exit on the south side.

Target: Sample Storage Area.

X-23-07.

Yan Zheng picked up the photocopied page Fury had given him and looked at the note on the last line.

Sample activity status unknown.

For reference only.

Yan Zheng: ( ꐦ Ծ ᴗ Ծ )

"For reference only."

"Mr. Fury writes quite politely, but he's also quite handy at handing out knives."

He pressed the photocopied page next to the operation map.

"The sample area isn't necessarily in the confinement area."

"The living confinement area has biological signals, while the sample storage area might have cryogenic cabinets, sealed chambers, and independent power supplies."

"So, the power cannot be completely destroyed."

"Cut the main power, but keep the local backup."

"I want to retrieve the samples, not roast them into laboratory barbecue."

No. 5 sent an inquiring pulse.

Yan Zheng nodded.

"Correct, do not blow up the refrigeration equipment."

"If you see cabinets with cryogenic labels, do not touch them."

"If you see communication antennas, touch them."

"If you see red alarm buttons, touch them."

"If you see people in white coats."

He paused for a moment and raised his hand to adjust his glasses.

"Break their legs first, then drag them to a corner."

Yan Zheng: ( ˵ ꐦ ㅍ ω ㅍ ˵ )

"Researchers are the kind of things that are worth more alive than dead."

The air in the Underground Room was heavy with the smell of medicine; formalin mixed with the musty scent of old wood, weighing down one's breathing.

Yan Zheng put on sterile gloves. The latex clung to his skin, cool to the touch. With his fingertips wrapped, his tactile sense became dull, and there was a slight tugging sensation when he bent his wrists.

He embedded three small Undead Energy markers into the inner sternums of No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6, respectively.

"These are positioning anchors."

"After entering underground, the Mental Link might be interfered with."

"The positioning anchors will let me know roughly where you are."

"If all three anchors go out at the same time, I will determine that the infiltration has failed."

"If it fails, the frontal attack will be canceled."

"Everyone is to withdraw."

Brute sent an irritable pulse.

Yan Zheng looked at it.

"Mr. Brute, do not protest with that frequency."

"I know you want to tear down doors."

"There will be doors, and there will be bullets."

"But we must choose our time, and not give the other side a chance to call their parents."

The golden light in the Knight's chest cavity was steady.

Yan Zheng nodded at it.

"Mr. Dawn, during the frontal breakthrough, you are responsible for clearing out firepower points."

"Prioritize shooting legs, shoulders, and weapons."

"Do not blow up heads."

"Although brain tissue is not my favorite material to use, the experimental personnel's memories and access cards are all with them."

Yan Zheng: ( ꐦ ˘ ᗜ ˘ )

"If their heads are shattered, I'll have to go digging through trash cans for the access cards; it's troublesome."

He wrote down the time.

Three days later at 3:00 AM.

Shift change time.

According to reconnaissance records, between 2:55 AM and 3:08 AM, the main gate guards will conduct a handover, and there will be a brief stop in the underground cargo passage.

Most people's attention will be focused on personnel handover and vehicle inspection.

No one will be paying attention to the eastern drainage pipes.

Yan Zheng turned the operation page to the risks section.

"The greatest risk."

"There is Undead Energy detection equipment inside."

He underlined this line three times.

"The Hand has inscription suppression fields; E.S.S. might not lack similar technology."

"The remnants of Weapon X have been researching Mutants for decades. They might not understand Undead, but they understand life energy, radiation, and anomalous wavebands."

"If the Skeleton Soldiers are discovered in the pipes, it's not a big problem."

"If the Skeleton Soldiers are discovered while reassembling, that is a big problem."

"Thirty seconds."

"Within thirty seconds, Mr. No. 4 is just a pile of very ambitious bones."

No. 4's phosphorus fire flickered.

Yan Zheng: ( ˵ ꐦ ≖ ꒳ ≖ ˵ )

"Don't worry, I have confidence in your ambitions."

"That's why I'm sending you first."

He wrote the tentative infiltration before the formal operation.

On the eve of the operation, No. 4 would enter the drainage pipes alone.

If there are no alarms, no loss of contact, and no anomalous energy feedback within ten minutes, then No. 5 and No. 6 will be deployed.

If No. 4 loses contact, the operation will be postponed.

If No. 4 is exposed but can withdraw, analyze the opponent's response speed.

If No. 4 is exposed and captured, remotely self-destruct to destroy the Undead structure and avoid reverse engineering.

Writing up to this point, Yan Zheng pressed the pen tip slightly harder, leaving an impression on the back of the paper.

"This is the stop-loss line."

"Any material can be found again."

"The system cannot be exposed."

"The Undead structure cannot fall into The Hands of Weapon X."

He closed the operation notebook and looked up at the creations in the Underground Room.

"Repeat it one more time."

"No. 4, tentative infiltration."

"No. 5, No. 6, follow up after confirmation."

"Knight, Brute, stand by for the frontal attack at 3:15 AM."

"I will enter through the emergency exit on the south side."

"There are only three targets."

"X-23 sample."

"Living Mutant."

"E.S.S. internal data."

"As for the rest, take what you can carry; if you can't carry it, smash it."

Yan Zheng walked to the tea set rack, poured out the cold tea, and brewed a new cup for himself.

Hot water poured into the teacup, leaves flipping up. The sound was crisp and close to his ear, the rhythm gentle. The enclosed feeling of the Underground Room was slightly opened up by this bit of water sound.

He took a sip; it was scalding, tightening his tongue. The tea flavor then overpowered the medicinal taste in his mouth, leaving a bit of astringency in his throat, and the fatigue in his shoulders settled back into place.

Yan Zheng: ( ꐦ ˘ ͈ ω ˘ ͈ )

"Alright, gentlemen."

"Operation Termite rehearsal ends here."

"For the next three days, all creations will enter maintenance."

"Bone reinforcement, inscription checks, and Mental Link calibration."

"I don't want anyone's knee running away from home in the pipes once the operation starts."

No. 7 Skeleton Soldier sent a short pulse.

Yan Zheng looked over.

"No. 7 remains to guard."

"The Antique Shop cannot be left unattended."

"In case Mr. Daredevil comes to visit while I'm out, you are responsible for asking him to sit down."

He paused.

"If he won't sit, press him down."

The phosphorus fire in the Underground Room arranged itself into several dim spots.

Yan Zheng put the operation notebook into the safe and locked it.

Then he walked to the wall and added one last sentence next to the words "Termite."

3:00 AM, probe first.

As the chalk fell, the positioning anchor for No. 4 in the Mental Link flashed once.

At the same time, a notification popped up in the corner of the system panel.

[Abnormal low-frequency life waveband detected in the target area.]

[Source of waveband: Suspected highly active Mutant sample.]

[Note: This waveband is decaying.]

Yan Zheng stared at the last four characters, the chalk in his hand snapping into two pieces.

"Decaying?"

He looked up toward the direction of Brooklyn; only the white light of the desk lamp remained in his lenses.

"It seems three days is too long."