Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

Chapter 85 The Expedition

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere at the Qianlong Base was noticeably different. The training ground was less noisy than usual, and more somber. Everyone was walking faster, their eyes sharp with the tension of impending battle.

The lights in the operations room have been on for seven consecutive nights.

Lin Zhe stood in front of the huge electronic sand table, on which a complete three-dimensional model of the DARPA laboratory had been built—a seven-story disguised office building on the ground floor, a seven-story core research area underground, and every passage, every room, and every vent was clearly marked.

"This is the latest structural diagram we obtained by hacking into the internal network of the US Ministry of National Defense," Long Ying said, pointing to the sand table. "It's a version that was just updated three days ago, with an accuracy rate of 99%."

Surrounding the sand table are the eight team members selected for this operation.

Besides Lin Zhe and his five old partners, Longya, Longzhao, Longying, and Longci, there are three other members of the Qianlong team who were urgently recalled from overseas.

"Long Qing, network support," Lin Zhe instructed. "You'll be responsible for providing network support from the perimeter, including signal jamming, surveillance blocking, and data interception."

Long Qing nodded without saying a word. She was rapidly typing on her laptop, the screen displaying a waterfall of code.

"Long Yan, evacuate and provide support." A tall, dark-skinned man raised his hand to signal. "I'll be responsible for providing support outside the research institute. Prepare three evacuation routes to deal with any emergencies."

"Longan, Chaos Production." Lin Zhe looked around at the eight people: "This is the largest and most risky operation since the establishment of Qianlong. Objective: Infiltrate the DARPA underground laboratory and obtain the latest military technology research data of the United States, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and bioengineering."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "At the same time, this is also retaliation. It lets them know that the hidden dragons of the Dragon Kingdom can not only infiltrate their homeland, but also access their most core secrets."

No one spoke, but all eight pairs of eyes shone with an alarming intensity.

"Now, let's assign specific tasks." Lin Zhe pulled up the task list. "Dragon Fang and Dragon Claw, you're in charge of the ground assault. Enter through ventilation duct number three of the disguised office building, which leads directly to the second basement level. The duct is 80 centimeters in diameter, and you need to pass through four infrared sensor zones within three minutes."

Longya grinned: "A piece of cake."

"Don't be careless." Lin Zhe glared at him. "Those infrared sensors scan every fifteen seconds, with only a 0.3-second interval between each scan. If you miss even one, the entire system will sound an alarm."

Dragon Claw patted Dragon Fang on the shoulder: "It's alright, I'll keep track of the time, you just follow me."

"Dragon Shadow, Dragon Thorn, you two are in charge of the underground breakthrough." Lin Zhe pointed to the location of the fourth underground level on the sand table. "Enter through the maintenance passage in area E of the underground parking lot. It leads directly to the backup server room on the fourth underground level. The passage has a pressure-sensitive floor, so you need to float completely through it—use this."

He picked up two sets of specially made equipment from the table: "Magnetic levitation shoes, the latest development, can levitate and move five millimeters off the ground. But the power can only last for ten minutes."

Long Ying took the equipment and examined it carefully: "It's enough. The straight-line distance from the entrance of the passage to the server room is seventy meters, and it takes a maximum of two minutes to hover and move."

"The problem is that there's a laser grid in the channel." Lin Zhe pulled up a simulation image. "The grid density is 10 centimeters by 10 centimeters, and it changes randomly. You have to calculate the path in real time to get through."

"Leave it to me." Long Ying pushed up his glasses. "My brain is the best computer."

"Lin Zhe, what about you?" Long Ya asked.

"I'll go through the main entrance," Lin Zhe said.

Everyone was stunned.

"The main gate?" Long Yan frowned. "The main gate has triple identity verification and armed guards..."

"That's why we're going through the main entrance," Lin Zhe laughed. "The most dangerous place is often the safest. I'll disguise myself as Dr. Charles, a senior researcher in the lab. He's coming from Wharton today for his quarterly report. Intelligence indicates he'll arrive at nine in the morning."

Long Qing looked up: "I've hacked into the lab's reservation system and changed Dr. Miller's arrival time from 9:00 to 9:20. That 20-minute difference is enough time for you to complete your identity verification and enter."

"But his iris, fingerprints..." Longyan asked.

Lin Zhe took a small box out of his bag and opened it. Inside were two transparent films and a device resembling a contact lens.

"The iris bionic membrane can mimic Dr. Miller's iris features. The fingerprint membrane is printed using nanomaterials, even replicating sweat gland pores," Lin Zhe explained. "These are the latest achievements of the General Armaments Department, specially prepared for this operation."

"What about dynamic passwords?"

"Dr. Charles's assistant will send the password to his encrypted phone in advance," Long Qing continued. "I've already intercepted that message. The password is 'Triton-7-21.' Lin Zhe, you need to arrive at the main entrance at 8:50 sharp and enter this password."

Lin Zhe nodded: "After entering, I will go directly to the main server room on the seventh basement level. Long Ying and Long Ci, you two meet on the fourth basement level, and we will go down via the internal staircase."

"What should we do about the guards?" Dragon Claw asked.

"Leave it to me." Lin Zhe pulled up an image of equipment. "Nerve paralysis device, silent and traceless. Those hit will be unconscious for thirty minutes. When they wake up, they will only have a slight headache and will not leave any evidence."

The plan was refined step by step, with each step carefully considered and contingency plans in place for every unexpected event. The meeting lasted for a full six hours, until late at night.

The next day, Lin Zhe went to the General Armament Department alone.

The special equipment warehouse on the third basement level of the General Armaments Department was heavily guarded. Director Li was already waiting at the entrance.

"Lin Zhe, everything you requested is ready." Director Li led him into the warehouse. "But I must remind you—these are all top-secret equipment, some of which haven't even fully passed testing yet."

Various pieces of equipment were neatly arranged on the metal shelves in the warehouse.

The data remote transmission device—a silver-gray metal box, about the size of a laptop, with no ports on its surface—was explained by Director Li: "This is specially designed to connect directly to my country's dedicated satellite, with a transmission bandwidth of 10TB per second and an anti-interference level of S. Once the transmission is complete or an anomaly is detected, it will automatically detonate; the high-energy explosives inside will vaporize the device within 0.1 seconds, leaving no trace."

The iris and fingerprint scanning equipment consists of two elegantly designed suitcases that, when opened, reveal a miniature 3D printer and a biomaterial synthesizer. "It can collect target biometric features on-site and produce a usable biomimetic membrane within an hour."

Communication anti-jamming device—a device the size of a few buttons. "This is a prototype designed based on the quantum communication principle you provided. Theoretically, it can achieve absolutely secure communication, but the effective range is only 500 meters."

Lin Zhe checked each item one by one to confirm that everything was correct.

"And this too." Director Li took a black briefcase from a safe and opened it. Inside were eight devices the size of badges.

"What is this?"

"Vitality monitoring and self-destruct device." Director Li's voice lowered. "Each team member wears one, which monitors heart rate, body temperature, and brain waves in real time. If... if it is confirmed that a team member has been killed or captured, the device will send an alarm to command and at the same time... initiate the self-destruct procedure."

Lin Zhe picked one up; the metal surface was cold.

"There are two modes of self-destruction," Director Li continued to explain. "One is high-temperature incineration, which completely vaporizes the wearer's body, leaving no DNA. The other is neurotoxin injection, which is instantly fatal and painless."

Lin Zhe was silent for a few seconds, then put the device back in the box: "Hopefully we won't need it."

"I hope so too." Director Li patted him on the shoulder. "Lin Zhe, the leaders of the Central Military Commission asked me to tell you—the country is proud to have soldiers like you. But more than the success of the mission, they hope to see you return safely."

"clear."

The night before departure, the Qianlong base was completely silent.

Lin Zhe began writing his will in his dormitory.

"Father, Mother: By the time you read this letter, I will probably be no longer alive. Please do not grieve; your son sacrificed himself for his country, and his death was worthwhile. Thank you for raising me; I hope to be your son again in the next life..."

He stopped writing here. He tore it up and rewrote it.

After writing it, I put it in an envelope.

He left his dormitory and went to the base's Hall of Honor. The Hall of Honor displayed all the medals and certificates awarded since the founding of Qianlong, as well as... a wall of photos of fallen team members.

There are already seventeen photos on the wall. The youngest one was only twenty-one years old when he sacrificed his life.

Lin Zhe stood in front of the wall and looked at it quietly for a long time. Then, he opened a blank photo frame, put his military uniform photo in it, and placed it on the wall—but did not hang it up.

"I'll decide whether to hang it up or not when I get back," he said softly.

Footsteps sounded outside the door. Dragon Fang, Dragon Claw, Dragon Shadow, Dragon Thorn... eight people arrived, each holding an envelope.

"Is it all written?" Lin Zhe asked.

"It's written." Longya grinned. "But I don't think we'll need it. We've seen all sorts of storms, and we've made it back safely this time."

"Exactly," Dragon Claw chimed in. "I'm waiting to come back for a celebratory drink."

Long Ying adjusted his glasses: "From a probabilistic perspective, the success rate of this operation was 78.3%, and the survival rate was 91.7%. The data supports our safe return."

Lin Zhe looked at them and nodded: "Yes, they can all come back."

Eight people placed their suicide notes into the safe in the Hall of Fame. The clanging of metal was particularly clear in the silent room as the safe door closed.

Four o'clock in the morning, on the base's helipad.

The transport helicopter had already started up, its rotors whipping up a fierce wind. Eight team members, fully armed and carrying tactical backpacks, stood in front of the helipad.

To their surprise, there was another person standing on the tarmac—General Liu, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

General Liu was over sixty years old, with gray hair, but his back was ramrod straight. He was dressed in a neat military uniform, and the three gold stars on his shoulders gleamed under the lights.

"Commander!" The eight men stood at attention and saluted.

General Liu returned the greeting, his gaze sweeping over everyone. His eyes were complex—containing pride, concern, reluctance, and also resolve.

"Comrades," General Liu began, his voice booming, "I won't elaborate on the importance of this mission; you all understand it better than anyone. What I do want to say is—the nation thanks you."

He paused, his voice trembling slightly, "I know that each of you wrote a will. I know that this journey might be one of no return. But you still chose to go. Why? Because you are soldiers, soldiers of the Dragon Kingdom, the hidden dragons!"

"A hundred years ago, our forefathers used their flesh and blood to withstand the gunfire of foreign powers. Today, you use your wisdom and courage to safeguard the future of our nation. Times have changed, battlefields have changed, but the loyalty and responsibility of soldiers have never changed."

General Liu walked up to each person, personally straightened their collars, and patted them on the shoulder.

When he reached Lin Zhe, he stopped and looked at the twenty-six-year-old major general, the youngest general in the history of the Chinese military.

"Lin Zhe," General Liu said, "you are the blade of this sword. Wherever the blade points, nothing is invincible. But remember—no matter how sharp the blade, the blade must be intact to unleash its power. I want you to complete the mission, and even more so, I want you to... come back alive."

"Yes, sir!" Lin Zhe saluted. "I guarantee the mission will be completed and everyone will return safely!"

"Good!" General Liu took a step back, stood at attention, and gave the eight men a standard military salute. "I, Liu Zhenguo, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, on behalf of the Central Military Commission of China and the people of China, bid you farewell! I wish you—a resounding victory and a triumphant return!"

"We will complete the mission!" the eight responded in unison, their voices booming.

Boarding began, the cabin door closed. The helicopter slowly ascended, flying southeast—where a secret naval base awaited the arrival of the Longyuan-class submarine "Longyuan-7".

General Liu stood on the helipad, watching the helicopter disappear into the night sky. The wind ruffled his white hair, but he remained motionless.

"Sir, it's windy, let's go back," the guard behind him said softly.

"Stand a little longer," General Liu said. "Let me see them off. After this, I don't know if I'll ever see them again."

The guard remained silent.

In the east, the sky begins to lighten. A new day is about to begin.

And an action that could change the world order has officially begun.

Deep in the ocean, the "Longyuan-7" submarine, like a giant black whale, quietly awaits its passengers.

The hidden dragon emerges from the abyss once more.