41: Spy scandal! Battle to protect core technology!

The captured steel behemoth, abyssal echoes, like a colossal treasure, was carefully towed back to the Deep Blue Fortress base's most central and heavily guarded Basalt-class dry dock.

The heavy blast-proof alloy gate slowly descended behind it, cutting off all external views.

Inside the dock, lights blazed, and the technical team swarmed over it like piranhas around a whale carcass, racing against time to conduct damage assessment, data extraction, and the dismantling and study of key components.

Despite the excitement of the huge capture, an invisible tension quietly permeated the base.

Lin Feng stood on the observation platform above the dry dock, looking down at the bustling scene below.

Dr. Su Qing was holding a preliminary technical value assessment report, excitedly briefing him on the significance of each groundbreaking discovery.

“Commander, the preliminary analysis results of the Deep Sea Phantom's anechoic tiles are astonishing! Its multi-layered sound-absorbing structure and nanoscale fillers can effectively absorb and scatter almost all active sonar beams from low to high frequencies! If applied to our new vessels…”

“The propulsion system of the Abyssal Piercer torpedo, its supercavitation technology is far more mature than we imagined, with range and speed increasing by at least 30%! And its intelligent guidance head, anti-interference capability, and terminal maneuverability…”

“Most importantly, that hard drive! Our data recovery team is working 24-hour shifts, and although severely damaged, they have recovered some fragments about the Ark Project, pointing to several key relic coordinates, one of which is in…”

Lin Feng listened, his fingers lightly tapping the cold metal railing.

The gains were immense, but the Ark's doomsday declaration hung over them like a sword of Damocles.

He interrupted Su Qing in a low voice: “Dr. Su, I fully entrust you with technical assimilation and reverse engineering.

I have only one request: speed! We must convert these technologies into tangible combat power before the Ark's retaliation fully descends! But at the same time…” His gaze sharpened like a knife, “Secrecy! It must be foolproof!”

Su Qing's excitement subsided slightly, and she nodded solemnly: “Understood! The Basalt dry dock has the highest level of protection: physical isolation, independent network, all personnel entering and exiting pass through three layers of biometric and authorization checks, all data storage media are prohibited from being taken out, and the research process is fully monitored and video-recorded.”

“It’s not enough,” Lin Feng’s voice was cold, “The Ark has been operating for many years, and their intelligence network is pervasive.

We have just dealt them a heavy blow, taking their proud trump card submarine.

What they want most now, besides retaliation, is to retrieve or destroy everything we’ve captured! Internally and externally, we must keep a close watch!”

As if to confirm Lin Feng's words, just three days after the capture of abyssal echoes, shadows quietly descended.

The first scene: The mole’s probing

In the core research area's cafeteria, young engineer Wang Lei, exhausted after 12 consecutive hours of high-intensity work, found a corner to sit down.

A colleague, Zhang Ming, with whom he usually had a good relationship, approached with his meal tray, looking curious and excited.

“Lei Zi, have you heard? That Ark submarine, its propeller uses a kind of super alloy? High temperature and pressure resistant, and also shock-absorbing?” Zhang Ming lowered his voice, his eyes flickering.

Wang Lei shook his head wearily: “I don’t know, I’m in charge of the sonar array, the propeller side is Li Gong’s team, the secrecy level is very high, we don’t have access to specific data.”

“Tsk, what a shame.” Zhang Ming clicked his tongue, then asked casually, “What about the anechoic tiles? I heard a thin layer is ten times more effective than ours? Are there any results from the material analysis? Is it using some special elements?”

Wang Lei’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Zhang Ming’s questions today seemed a bit too numerous, and all pointed to very specific, highly confidential technical details.

He remembered the secrecy training he received when he first joined, and the discipline repeatedly emphasized by the base’s security department recently.

“Ming Ge, I really don’t know about these things,” Wang Lei’s tone became flat, with a hint of distance, “Let’s eat, I’m exhausted.”

Zhang Ming gave an awkward laugh, didn’t press further, but a trace of undetectable disappointment and anxiety flashed in the depths of his eyes.

This scene was clearly recorded by a miniature camera of a plainclothes security officer, disguised as a regular maintenance worker, in the corner of the cafeteria.

The second scene: The invisible network ghost

Late at night, in the base's independent research network, the computer team responsible for the reverse engineering of the Abyssal Piercer torpedo's intelligent guidance system was working intensely.

Suddenly, Xiao Liu, the security engineer monitoring the firewall, detected an anomaly.

“Report! Detected abnormal scanning behavior on main database port XXXX! Source… an IP disguised as an internal maintenance server!” Xiao Liu immediately became alert.

“Trace the source! Initiate deep behavior analysis!” The network security director immediately ordered.

A virtual offensive and defensive battle instantly unfolded at the data level.

The abnormal scanning behavior was extremely cunning, moving like a loach through the complex internal network structure, attempting to bypass layers of protection, directly targeting the encrypted folder containing the torpedo guidance core algorithm analysis report.

“It’s mimicking Li Gong’s access habits! Trying to trick us into granting secondary permissions!” Xiao Liu’s forehead was sweating, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

“Activate the ‘Hive’ active defense protocol! Release decoy data packets! Lock it down!” The network security director made a decisive call.

A few seconds later, the disguise was exposed.

The attack source was precisely located—it was from a public inquiry terminal in the base’s living area!

When security personnel arrived, the terminal was empty, leaving only a miniature intrusion device that had been temporarily physically connected and then removed, with an untraceable source.

The third scene: The deadly infiltrators

A dark and windy night.

The base’s outer defense perimeter, near a relatively secluded cliff coastline.

Sonar buoys and surveillance cameras were deployed here, but it was not the most heavily defended area.

Two dark figures, like geckos, clung tightly to the slippery, cold rock face, using the cover of night and their special camouflage suits to avoid the scanning angles of several fixed cameras.

Their movements were agile and professional, their equipment sophisticated, and the cutting tools they carried gleamed with a faint cold light in the darkness.

Their target was a hidden pipe entrance below the cliff used for discharging cooling water—a tiny loophole in the Basalt dry dock's independent water circulation system, which theoretically could be used to infiltrate the dry dock's outer maintenance passage.

“Fifteen meters to the entrance.

Clear the last camera,” the leading shadow whispered through a bone-conduction headset.

The other person silently raised a strangely shaped device, aiming it at the camera above the cliff face.

The device emitted a beam of low-frequency pulses invisible to the naked eye.

However, just as the pulse was about to be emitted!

Buzz!

A blinding flash of strong light suddenly illuminated from the top of the cliff, instantly engulfing the two dark figures! At the same time, a piercing alarm blared through the night sky!

“Don’t move! Drop your weapons! You are surrounded!” A stern warning came from the loudspeaker.

The dark figures were horrified! Exposed! They did not hesitate, immediately abandoned the mission, and turned to jump into the sea to escape!

Da da da!

Warning shots hit the rocks at their feet, sending up shattered fragments!

“Move again and you will be killed!”

Simultaneously, several “Peregrine” small drones equipped with thermal imaging and spotlights swooped down from the air like falcons, firmly locking onto their positions.

Behind them, fully armed security forces quickly outflanked them.

The two infiltrators exchanged a desperate glance, and one of them suddenly pulled out a miniature controller from his chest and pressed it hard!

Boom!

A not-so-violent but sufficiently lethal explosion occurred on their bodies! Fire and smoke instantly engulfed them!

When the security forces arrived at the scene, only two unrecognizable bodies remained, their equipment almost completely destroyed.

Self-destruction, clean and swift, leaving no survivors.

---

In just a few days, the mole's probing, the network ghost, the deadly infiltrators… the Ark’s counterattack came like venomous snakes from every dark corner.

Although no substantial loss of core technology occurred, the threat was already evident, and morale within the base was shaken.

Lin Feng stood in the security command center, looking at the summarized reports of several incidents on the screen and the photos of the two charred bodies, his face so grim it could drip water.

Zhou Rui, the intelligence chief responsible for base security, a stern-faced middle-aged man with sharp, eagle-like eyes, stood rigidly before him, fine beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

“Commander, it is my dereliction of duty! The infiltrators exploited a logistics pipeline vulnerability we hadn’t discovered…”

“Dereliction of duty?” Lin Feng’s voice was not loud, but it carried immense weight, “Zhou Rui, do you know what the technology on abyssal echoes means? It is key to our fight against the Ark, and even against greater future threats!

Now, it’s like a giant magnet, attracting all greedy and malicious eyes!

And you tell me, our defenses were easily breached by a few infiltrators who reached the dry dock’s pipe entrance?

Our network was almost compromised by an unknown device?

Our researchers were almost tricked into revealing core secrets in the cafeteria?”

Zhou Rui’s body tensed further: “Commander, I request disciplinary action! At the same time, I recommend immediately upgrading the following measures: First, conduct more rigorous background checks and psychological evaluations on all personnel with access to the abyssal echoes project and their close contacts, using the newly acquired Ark internal personnel characteristic database for comparison!

Second, install physical isolation gateways at all network exits in the base, and use quantum encrypted communication modules provided by the Deep Blue Hegemony system for the internal research network (requires points redemption), to completely cut off external intrusion possibilities!

Third, conduct a carpet search of all external areas of the base, especially weak points like the coastline and mountains, and deploy more vibration sensors, infrasound detectors, and… a micro-attack drone patrol network!

Fourth, activate the internal ‘Loyalty Scan’ program (using neural signal analysis technology provided by the system) to screen middle-to-high-level and core technical personnel!”

Lin Feng remained silent, his fingers tapping the desktop, making a rhythmic clack-clack sound.

The pressure was immense, but in such times, calmness and an iron fist were most needed.

“Disciplinary action? Now is not the time for disciplinary action! What I want is results!” Lin Feng suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with cold light, “Your recommendations, execute them immediately! I authorize the allocation of the necessary points! Quantum encryption modules, micro-drone patrol network, loyalty scan… all of them, get them started!”

“Furthermore,” Lin Feng’s voice carried a cold killing intent, “Find out for me! That Zhang Ming who tried to extract information in the cafeteria! That Li Gong whose access habits were mimicked! All suspicious individuals, not one left out! Better to investigate a thousand wrongly than to let one go!

Tell everyone, the technology of abyssal echoes is the cornerstone of the Deep Blue Fleet’s future!

Whoever dares to reach out, whoever dares to leak secrets, no matter who he is, no matter who stands behind him—”

He spoke each word distinctly, his voice like tempered ice:

“Kill, without, mercy!”

Zhou Rui’s body trembled, feeling the unquestionable will and chilling killing intent in Lin Feng’s words: “Yes! Commander! Mission accomplished!”

A war without gunpowder, yet more cruel—the battle to protect core technology—has begun within the Deep Blue Fortress, in the most iron-blooded manner.

Lin Feng would use the strongest shield to guard this sharp sword, just taken from the enemy, capable of cleaving the future! And the Ark's doomsday judgment was also pressing closer…