59: Darkroom Game, the Smile of the Viper

The door to the central conference room of the base closed behind him, shutting out the fully armed Marines and the blaring alarms.

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes—the cabin, temporarily converted into a meeting place, was dimly lit, with only a single LED light overhead, deliberately dimmed, casting a pale glow.

The Ark had clearly meticulously arranged this environment: the room temperature was at least five degrees colder than outside, enough to tense a normal person's muscles; the air circulation system was set to a very low level, creating a slight sense of suffocation; even the chairs had been replaced with an ergonomically designed yet exceptionally hard material, ensuring that anyone sitting could not fully relax.

And 'Albatross,' sitting across the long table, was observing Lin Feng's every subtle reaction with his hawk-like eyes.

Behind him stood two guards in grey uniforms, their faces blurred by holographic masks, with the faint outlines of some non-standard weapons visible at their waists.

'Temperature control and seating psychology?' Lin Feng walked directly to the head of the table and sat down, casually tossing a stack of documents onto the table, his metal prosthetic limb clanging against the surface.

'The Ark's negotiation tactics are still stuck in the last century.'

'Albatross's' lips twitched imperceptibly.

He hadn't expected Lin Feng to so directly expose these little tricks, nor had he expected this young man to immediately recognize the intent behind these details.

He subtly adjusted his posture, tapping his fingers twice on the tabletop—a signal to disable the environmental interference.

'Just standard procedure, Commander Lin,' his voice was deeper than over the comms, with a metallic quality, 'After all, we just jointly countered a Leviathan reconnaissance unit.'

'Jointly?' Lin Feng suddenly laughed, a smile that made the guards behind 'Albatross' involuntarily tense their muscles.

'Using the 'Spear of Judgment' space-based weapon to fire on our anchorage, nearly causing a full-scale panic—is that the Ark's idea of 'jointly'?'

He abruptly brought up a holographic recording: a purple energy beam descending from the sky, a slow-motion disintegration of an Observer, and the subsequent massive wave overturning nearby small boats.

The recording finally froze on the terrified faces of the Free City States sailors.

'Albatross's' pupils contracted for an instant.

He hadn't expected the Deep Blue's monitoring system to capture such clear images under the electromagnetic interference of the 'Spear of Judgment.'

This meant the Ark's orbital weapon system was no longer mysterious.

'High-risk targets must be eliminated immediately,' he leaned forward slightly, his voice lowered, 'That Observer was transmitting dangerous information to you.

The Leviathan's mental contamination technology is far beyond your imagination, Commander Lin.

Even three seconds of contact are enough to plant the seeds of cognitive distortion in the human brain.'

Lin Feng noticed that as the other party spoke, his right index finger unconsciously rubbed his left wrist—a typical micro-expression of lying.

But he didn't expose it immediately; instead, he followed up with a question: 'Like the 'Pioneer Error' it mentioned? Or the 'Summit Trap'?'

'Albatross's' body language instantly stiffened.

This reaction confirmed to Lin Feng: the Ark not only knew the meaning of these terms but was also desperately trying to conceal something.

'Meaningless noise,' 'Albatross' quickly regained his composure, taking a data chip from his pocket and pushing it across the table, 'This is what you need—all of the Ark's research data on the Leviathan from the past seven years.

Including their energy node weaknesses, shield frequency decryption algorithms, and... the true origin of the Deep Blue Heart.'

Lin Feng didn't touch the chip.

He stared into 'Albatross's' eyes, then suddenly changed the subject: 'Your hypersonic weapons use the Deep Blue Heart's resonance principle, don't they?'

This question was like a sharp knife, directly piercing the Ark's most core secret!

'Albatross's' mask finally cracked; his breathing frequency changed, and his right eyelid twitched slightly.

After three seconds of silence, he slowly leaned back in his chair:

'You understand... more deeply than we estimated.'

He made a gesture, and the guards immediately shut down a hidden recording device.

'Indeed, the Ark unearthed a small Pioneer ruin five years ago and obtained incomplete energy technology.

But the Deep Blue Heart is the complete version—that's why the Council is so eager to get it.'

Lin Feng noticed that the other party finally used the term 'Pioneer.'

He pressed his advantage: 'Then you should also know that the true purpose for which the Pioneer created the Deep Blue Heart was not energy, but—'

'—It's a key,' 'Albatross' suddenly interjected, a strange fanaticism in his voice, 'A key to open the dimensional barrier.

But Commander Lin, do you truly understand what you hold in your hand?'

He abruptly brought up a holographic image: a ring-shaped device similar to what the Observer had shown, but from a different angle, with countless Leviathan ships pouring out of it.

'This isn't the future,' 'Albatross's' finger passed through the image, 'This is the 'present' of another timeline.

The Pioneer sowed the Deep Blue Heart across countless parallel universes, attempting to find a civilization branch capable of withstanding dimensional fusion... and our Earth just happens to be one of the failed experiments.'

The conference room fell into dead silence.

Lin Feng's mind raced, piecing together the fragments: the Observer's warning, the sudden appearance of the Blood Ark, the summoning function of the purple mark...

If 'Albatross's' words were true, then the Deep Blue Heart summit would not only be about technology sharing but could also become the fuse for a massive Leviathan invasion!

'You want me to cancel the summit.' Lin Feng suddenly understood the Ark's true intention.

'To postpone it,' 'Albatross' put on his negotiation mask again, 'Give us three months, and the Ark can provide a device that completely shields the Deep Blue Heart's resonance signal.

Then you can safely—'

'Impossible.' Lin Feng interrupted decisively, 'The summit will proceed as planned.'

'Albatross's' face instantly darkened: 'You're gambling with the entire human civilization!'

'No, I'm giving you a choice.' Lin Feng stood up, looking down at the other party, 'Join the summit, publicly share all the Pioneer technology you possess, and jointly confront the Leviathan threat... or continue to hide in the shadows and watch me use the Deep Blue Heart to ignite a fire you cannot control.'

He pressed the hidden button on the table, and the conference room door suddenly slid open, revealing the fully armed Marines and—several representatives from the Free City States 'happening' to pass by.

'Albatross's' face turned ashen.

He realized he had fallen into a trap: Lin Feng had anticipated the Ark's request for a private meeting and deliberately arranged for 'accidental' witnesses.

Now, if the Ark refused to participate in the summit, it would be seen as a conspirator hiding the truth; but if it agreed... the Ark's years-long technological monopoly would be completely shattered.

'See you in twenty-four hours, Councilman.' Lin Feng smiled as he saw them out, his voice as cold as ice, 'Remember to bring your 'true' sincerity.'

When 'Albatross' and his guards left in a huff, Elder Chen rushed in from a side door: 'Commander, analysis is complete!

The residual fluctuations from that Observer's cube show that—the Deep Blue Heart is not just a key, but also a 'locator'!

It continuously sends coordinates to the Pioneer's main universe!'

Lin Feng's eyes sharpened instantly.

All the clues finally connected: the Ark wanted to monopolize the technology, the Observer tried to warn, and the Leviathan... they were not invaders, but 'cleaners,' sent by the Pioneer to eliminate failed experiments—including the Earth civilization of this spacetime.

'Prepare two plans.' he ordered in a low voice, 'The summit will proceed as scheduled, but the core research lab must immediately begin reverse-engineering the Deep Blue Heart... We need to turn the 'key' into a 'bomb.'

In the distance, the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds.

Twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes remained until the summit's opening.