Chapter 664: Twelve Hours

This news made my heart sink again.

Night Owl's toughness and craziness had left too deep an impression on me.

If she really wasn't dead and had gotten stronger, then our trip to the North Sea would probably be more dangerous than we thought.

But whether it was to stop the Ark Project or to deal with Night Owl, this major threat, we had no choice but to break into Odin's Eye in the North Sea.

Olivia, Zara, and I got together with the core members of the Island Alliance to nail down every detail of the plan.

In the end, we split into two groups.

One group—Reef and Uta would lead most of the warriors to guard Mist Island.

Using the Revelation's firepower and Tide Eye's defenses, they'd hold off the attacks and delay the activation of the underground nodes.

The other group was a special strike team.

I'd personally lead it, with team members including Olivia, Finn, Gulama, and Zara.

Plus ten carefully selected elite warriors with the best skills and strongest will.

Our goal was to pilot the fully upgraded Revelation, secretly infiltrate Odin's Eye, find and take out that Master Control Brain.

This was a real deep penetration mission with almost no chance of survival.

We'd have to face not only the Association's top-level gene guards and high-tech defenses, but possibly that devil of a Night Owl.

Plus who knows what forbidden weapons and terrifying experimental subjects.

We had to complete the mission within seven days. Once the Association's coordinate network was fully formed, it would all be over.

After saying goodbye to our companions staying behind, our suicide squad carrying everyone's hopes boarded the brand new Revelation without hesitation.

We disappeared into the vast deep sea, heading full speed toward that unknown forbidden zone in the North Sea.

With the guide's precise route map and the Revelation's mysterious Star Sea Compass, it took us less than five days to avoid all the Association's checkpoints in the North Atlantic, both visible and hidden.

We silently infiltrated the security perimeter where Odin's Eye was located.

Through the specially reinforced observation window, thousands of feet below in the pitch-black seabed, a massive metal structure shaped like an inverted black pyramid stood quietly, radiating a chilling aura of death.

That was Odin's Eye.

Around the base's perimeter, there were countless automated turrets, energy shield generators, and some weird-looking patrol mechs.

The defense level was several times stronger than any Association base we'd seen before.

Without the vulnerability information the guide gave us, getting in would be harder than reaching the sky.

"Matthew, look here," Olivia pointed at the base structure diagram on the screen, her tone serious. "The guide said at three o'clock northeast of the base, there's a regular maintenance port in the main power supply pipeline with the weakest defenses, and there's a system backdoor that's been undiscovered for over ten years."

"We can get in from there."

"Once we're in, we only have twelve hours."

"Within twelve hours we must find and destroy the Master Control Brain, otherwise when the base system completes its self-check, or if Night Owl discovers us, we won't be able to escape."

Twelve hours—the time was suffocatingly tight.

"Got it," I nodded, my eyes unwavering. "Everyone, check your equipment, prepare for action."

"We have only one goal—destroy the Master Control Brain at all costs."

"Operation codename: Decapitation."

Under Olivia's masterful electronic infiltration, the Revelation disguised itself as a routine maintenance ship and quietly docked at a hidden port of Odin's Eye.

We changed into modified Association standard combat suits and, like ghosts, infiltrated this heavily guarded steel cage.

The scene inside the base once again showed us the Association's terror and inhumanity.

Cold metal corridors crisscrossed like a maze, lined on both sides with red-glowing sensors and weapons.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant, mixed with a faint trace of blood and decay.

In corners we saw several carelessly discarded remains of failed experimental subjects, dead in horrible ways.

This wasn't just a control center—it was more like a den for conducting forbidden experiments.

Following the map, we carefully avoided patrol guards and deadly traps, sneaking toward the most heavily defended core control room.

With each step the pressure seemed to increase—once discovered, we'd face endless enemies and devastating attacks.

Just as we were approaching the outer perimeter of the core control room, a figure suddenly blocked our path without warning.

It was a woman in a pure white tight combat suit, tall with a striking figure, but wearing a bizarre clown mask on her face.

She held two energy short blades glowing with an eerie red light, and the aura emanating from her was both familiar and strange—cold with a crazy killing desire.

"Night Owl?" Looking at the figure before me, I cried out in shock, hardly believing my eyes.

Though her outfit and aura were different from before, the venom shooting through her mask and her deep hatred for me were unmistakable.

She really wasn't dead, and had become stronger and crazier.

"Matthew, my Sea Dragon King," the woman in the clown mask let out a piercing laugh. "Are you surprised? Want to know why I'm here and why I've become like this?"

Her body swayed slightly, like a demon dancing in the night, radiating deadly danger.

"Who exactly are you?" I suppressed the shock in my heart and asked in a deep voice.

"Who am I?" The masked woman tilted her head, as if pondering an interesting question. "You can call me Weeping Clown."

"Of course, if you want, you can keep calling me Night Owl."

"After all, we have a deep grudge between us, don't we?"

I could clearly feel that this Weeping Clown's energy fluctuations were far more powerful than the previous Night Owl.

What showed in her eyes was pure destructive desire.

She was no longer just an Association commander, but more like a killing weapon that had been transformed by some more terrifying force.

My heart jumped—the guide's intelligence was wrong.

But I showed nothing on my face.

"Miss Weeping Clown, blocking our way here—do you want another fight with me?" I slowly raised the Stellar Trident, pointing the tip at her heart.

"I wouldn't dare underestimate you again, Sea Dragon King," Weeping Clown let out another bone-chilling laugh. "However, before you go see the Master Control Brain, you do need to get past me first."

She changed her tone, a flash of cunning in her eyes.

"If you all kneel down and beg me now, and obediently offer up that pretty little fork in your hand, I might consider letting you die a quick death, okay?"

This crazy woman, still so arrogant when death was at her door.

Looks like this battle was unavoidable.

We had to fight fast and finish quickly—once we alerted more guards, our decapitation plan would be completely ruined.