Zhu Yanqing, Lu Sanshan, and Wang Yun had been rescued by a mysterious person!
When this news reached Su Xiji’s ears, he was standing before a massive 3D tactical map of the Binhai Region.
His fingers were hovering over several red arrows that represented the main clusters of the Temporal Variants moving slowly across the terrain.
The young lieutenant from earlier hurried in, reporting in a low voice that the transport squad had been ambushed.
Lin Mo and the other two had been rescued by a mysterious person who suddenly appeared, and the group had used the ventilation system to make a rapid escape.
For the first time, Su Xiji’s brow furrowed so slightly it was almost imperceptible.
A flash of genuine surprise crossed his eyes.
However, that trace of surprise lasted for less than two seconds before it melted away like snow.
His expression returned to its usual depthless calm.
“Increase the patrol density for all primary corridors, warehouses, energy nodes, and command sectors. Change two-man posts to four-man posts, and combine overt sentries with hidden ones. Activate the backup surveillance lines to ensure there are no blind spots.”
Su Xiji’s voice betrayed no emotion as he issued his orders methodically.
“Also, seal the entrances and exits of the ventilation ducts in all critical areas from the inside using quick-setting alloy. Install alarms and physical locks on the maintenance hatches.”
“Since they like traveling above us, we will simply block their path.”
“Yes, sir!”
The young lieutenant took the order but hesitated before asking, “Commander, should we organize troops to conduct a thorough search of the ventilation system? They might still be hiding inside.”
Su Xiche waved his hand, his gaze returning to the tactical map.
“There is no need for such a commotion.”
“The duct system is intricate and complex. A blind search would be inefficient and would only serve to scatter our defensive forces.”
“Since they rescued those people, their goal will not be as simple as just hiding.”
“Maintain high alert and wait for them to reveal their own flaws.”
His composure settled his subordinate’s nerves.
The young lieutenant breathed a sigh of relief, saluted, and turned to execute the orders.
Su Xiji remained alone in the command room.
His fingertips tapped rhythmically against the table, his eyes growing deep.
‘That mysterious person… just who is he?’
‘It seems another piece has appeared in this chess game, one that wasn’t in my initial calculations.’
‘No matter. The board is large enough, and I still have plenty of trump cards.’
However, just as he thought this minor interlude had passed and that Lin Mo and the others would be unable to cause any more trouble for the time being…
“Report!”
A communications soldier practically burst into the command room, his face filled with obvious tension.
“Commander! Warehouse Seven in District D is under attack!”
“The guards reported hearing explosions and a brief exchange of fire. The number of attackers is unknown, and their motive is unclear, but that warehouse stores… the key spare parts for that batch of precision electronic components!”
The faces of the other staff officers and military personnel in the room changed instantly.
Su Xiji stood up abruptly, his movement creating a small gust of wind.
His eyes were sharp, and he opened his mouth as if to order a pursuit or emergency defense, but the words suddenly caught in his throat.
He stood there, frozen in the posture of someone about to speak, for a full two or three seconds.
The air in the command room felt like it had solidified, and everyone held their breath as they watched him.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, the gravity and urgency on Su Xiji’s face receded like a tide.
He even slowly sat back down into his chair.
A knowing, almost playful smile spread across the corners of his mouth.
“Sound in the east, strike in the west…” he muttered to himself, shaking his head with an expression that said ‘just as I thought.’
“Old Lu, oh Old Lu… after all these years, you’re still using the same old tricks… are you finally at your wit’s end?”
He looked up and waved his hand at the stunned communications soldier and staff officers.
His tone had lightened considerably.
“Send a reinforced patrol to check the situation, clear the scene, and assess the losses.”
“Raise the defense level by one grade, but do not be overly nervous. There is no need to move the defensive forces from the core area.”
Seeing the confused looks of his subordinates, he offered a rare explanation.
“They caused a commotion to grab our attention. It is nothing more than a ‘luring the tiger from the mountain’ tactic. They are either trying to cover their real objective or creating an opportunity for themselves to move in another direction.”
“They are the ones who are anxious now, not us. As long as we guard the vital points, we can counter all their changes by remaining unchanged.”
This analysis was perfectly reasonable, and the tense atmosphere in the command room relaxed immediately.
The staff officers nodded one after another and went to make arrangements according to Su Xiji’s orders.
Su Xiche leaned back against his chair, his fingers continuing to tap the table.
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were savoring his opponent’s somewhat cliché maneuver, or perhaps as if he were waiting for something.
At the same time, on the outskirts of the core area, deep within the shadows of a secluded branch cavern.
Inside a cleverly camouflaged maintenance hatch in the ventilation system that had not yet been sealed, two pairs of eyes were staring through a narrow crack, watching the movement in the corridor below.
The air in the duct was thick with the smell of dust and rust.
The space was cramped, but it was enough for two people to hide.
These two were Chu You and Lin Mo.
They had watched a squad of soldiers hurry past in the direction of the District D warehouse, but the guards in the core area itself had not undergone any large-scale redeployment.
Although the alert level had risen, it was far from the chaos they had anticipated.
Lin Mo knit his brows slightly and lowered his voice.
“Gao Yuan and Du Qiang made a lot of noise over there, they even set off explosions, but Su Xiji only sent a patrol squad… He didn’t take the bait? His composure is even deeper than we estimated.”
Chu You was pressed close to him, also observing through the crack.
Hearing this, she nodded gently, but her face showed no disappointment.
Instead, she possessed a calm that suggested she had expected this.
“He is indeed a difficult opponent. His psychological fortitude is extremely strong, and he isn’t easily swayed,” she whispered back, her voice carrying a slight echo in the narrow duct.
“However, if the bait isn’t fragrant enough, the fish naturally won’t be in a hurry to bite.”
“But in a moment… that might change.”
Her gaze shifted to the heavy, heavily guarded alloy door at the end of the lower corridor—it was one of the gateways leading to the core command sector where Su Xiji was located.
“I don’t believe,” Chu You’s voice grew even lower, carrying a chilling certainty, “that he will still be able to sit so comfortably after he sees ‘that’ thing.”
Almost the exact moment Chu You finished speaking…
From the far end of the corridor below, the sound of exceptionally hurried, even panicked military boots reached them!
The sound grew louder as it approached at high speed, completely different from the pace of a routine patrol or a shift change.
Lin Mo and Chu You’s spirits lifted, and they immediately focused their attention.
They saw an officer whose epaulets identified him as a Major.
His face was flushed red, and beads of sweat were clearly visible on his forehead.
He was running from the corner of the corridor at an almost sprinting pace!
He didn’t even bother to complete a full password verification with the sentries along the way.
He merely shouted his identity and the emergency nature of the military report as he ran past the checkpoint without stopping.
He slammed open the heavy alloy door, his figure vanishing inside instantly!
The guards at the door seemed startled by his unusual behavior, but recognizing the officer’s identity and seeing the urgency on his face, they did not stop him.
“The fish,” Chu You said into Lin Mo’s ear in a breathy whisper, “is about to take the bait.”
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