Chapter 296
Chapter 296
Twenty-six hundred feet below the surface.
"Pull up the ocean geological model for this area." Margaret's voice remained steady.
The new data revealed the light point suspended above a deep ocean trench.
"Energy signature match at 98.7%... It's a military-grade pressurized water nuclear reactor. Estimated displacement exceeds one hundred thousand tons."
Sharp intakes of breath echoed through the command center.
A hundred-thousand-ton nuclear submarine.
This wasn't a mobile base—it was an underwater fortress.
Suddenly, every screen went black.
A face filled all the displays.
A man in his thirties with strikingly beautiful yet unsettling features, wearing a white lab coat against the backdrop of a futuristic metallic chamber.
Ebon.
His gaze pierced through the screen, settling on Margaret.
"My masterpiece, you found me." His voice carried the appreciation of a creator. "Seventeen minutes faster than I anticipated."
Margaret stared at him coldly.
"I know you have questions. You want to kill me." Ebon's smile deepened. "But the old world's rules are about to disappear. Everything you defend and despise will turn to dust."
He spread his arms like a preaching saint:
"This world is sick. Genes riddled with defects, civilization trapped in a dead end. War, plague, greed... these are all error codes that need 'purification.' I will press the reset button for the world."
"Tsunamis will swallow coastlines, the earth's crust will rearrange itself, and viruses will cleanse inferior genes. Only the chosen ones can board the 'Ark' to witness the new world."
His gaze returned to Margaret, gentle yet blazing with fanaticism:
"And you—you're not just chosen. You're the leader of the new world. Return to my side, board the 'Ark.' This is your only destiny as a descendant of 'God.' I'm giving you one hour to consider."
"In one hour, the 'purification' protocol begins. All communications will be severed, sea routes blocked. Make your choice, my proudest creation."
The screen went dark.
The command center fell into deathly silence.
"Madman... complete and utter madman!" someone whispered in terror.
Margaret closed her eyes and opened them again. The confusion in her depths vanished, leaving only killing intent frozen into ice.
She turned and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Richard waited there, though she didn't know how long he'd been standing there.
He hadn't tried to break in, just waited quietly, knowing she would come out.
"Heard everything?" Margaret asked.
"I heard." Richard's expression was grim. "One hour. He sure knows how to time things."
Mobilizing three major naval forces would take time. Ebon had calculated this window perfectly.
"He wants me to come back." Margaret's tone was flat.
Richard's fists clenched. "What do you want to do?"
"He wants to purify the world?" Margaret looked toward the coordinate light point. "Then let's purify his 'Ark' first."
Richard understood. "You're going personally?"
"'Starlink' can disable external defenses for three minutes. But to destroy the core, I need to get inside. The system architecture originated from me—only I can find the weak points fastest."
"I'm coming with you."
Margaret glanced at him. "What for? To be human decoration?"
Richard's mouth twitched. "The physical security inside the sub can't be solved with code. I'm better at twisting necks than you are."
The atmosphere subtly lightened.
Margaret accepted this. She walked back to the command center, Richard following closely.
"Spread the word." Margaret's voice rang clear. "Poseidon Protocol launches early. All fleets converge on target coordinates from all directions, forming a perimeter at fifty nautical miles."
She looked at Richard. "Tell the three navies they just need to blockade the routes and intercept any escaping targets."
"Tech department, activate Heaven's Punishment Protocol. Focus all computing power on the target 'Ark's' life support and propulsion systems. Turn it into an iron coffin within three minutes."
"And what about you, Ms. Kennedy?"
Margaret locked eyes with Richard.
"Us?" She looked at that point of destruction. "We're going to put an end to this charade."
...
The one-hour countdown hung overhead.
Fifteen minutes later, a modified Quinjet VTOL landed on the rooftop of the Margaret New Energy Group Building.
A fully armed deep-sea combat team saluted Richard.
Margaret carried only a silver tactical terminal.
"Stay behind me," Richard said after boarding.
Margaret fastened her seatbelt. "I need to observe tactical routes. Don't block my view."
Richard fell silent.
The aircraft melted into the night.
Only engine roar and equipment checks filled the cabin.
Margaret's fingers danced across the terminal, making final calibrations to the Heaven's Punishment Protocol.
Forty minutes later, the aircraft hovered over the target waters.
Below, the ink-black ocean surface churned with massive waves.
"'Poseidon' perimeter established. Three major navies have blockaded outer sea routes. Heaven's Punishment Protocol ready to deploy."
Margaret looked out the porthole. "Launch it."
"Starlink's" computing power condensed into an invisible spear, piercing toward the steel behemoth on the ocean floor.
A black micro-submersible released from the aircraft's belly, slipping silently into the sea.
The cramped submersible interior held Margaret, Richard, and four elite operatives.
"'Heaven's Punishment' hit the target! External defenses disabled for three minutes! Life support and propulsion systems are rapidly losing power! We have three minutes to get inside!"
The submersible dove rapidly. On the sonar screen, a mountain-like shadow hung suspended above the abyss.
The "Ark."
"Docking passage locked. Prepare for an impact breach."
High-strength alloy drills and cutting arms violently carved out an opening amid fierce vibrations.
"Move!"
Richard charged out first, rifle ready.
The Ark's interior was cold alloy corridors, emergency red lights flashing, alarms shrieking.
Backup power was activating, and paralyzed systems were rapidly recovering.
"He's restarting core defenses! We have to reach the control room within five minutes!" The red progress bar on Margaret's terminal shot upward.
The team rushed down the corridor. At the next corner, several gray figures appeared silently.
They wore gray bodysuits with no breathing apparatus, their skin an unnatural grayish-white.
Moving faster than humanly possible, they flanked the team.
"Enhanced guards!" an operative shouted, opening fire.
Bullets hitting the guards only sparked, barely slowing them.
"Extremely high physical resistance! Switch to armor-piercing rounds!"
An intense firefight erupted. These genetically modified monsters felt no pain, feared no death.
One operative was caught at close range as a guard's arm unnaturally extended, fingers becoming bone blades stabbing toward his helmet.
Richard stepped forward, his military knife flashing to sever the arm, then smashed the guard's skull with a backhand strike.
Another guard circled to the flank, targeting Margaret as she worked to breach the door lock.
The attack came lightning-fast.
Margaret felt the wind rush past her face as a tall figure blocked her path.
Richard.
Bone blades pierced deep into Richard's left shoulder.
He didn't even frown, his right hand spinning up to press against the guard's jaw and fire three shots, blowing half the head away.
Blood instantly stained half his combat suit.
"Richard!"
"Shut up and work." Richard's voice was hoarse with pain, but his gun hand remained rock-steady. "Three minutes left."
Margaret bit her lip, suppressing her emotions as her fingers flew even faster across the terminal.
The metallic scent of blood sharpened her focus.
At the corridor's end appeared a massive circular alloy door.
"Control room!"
Margaret plugged into the terminal port.
Blue data streams washed over the door's security system.
"Thirty seconds!"
Richard and the three operatives formed a defensive line against the surging enhanced guards. His left arm was useless, his face pale, but his body stood firm as a mountain.
"Got it!"