We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 376 Cooperation Across Time

at this time
Xiao Wan took out her ID card and swiped it on a machine at the entrance.

However, the door, which should have been open, remained tightly shut.

Clearly, the door was locked from the inside using a special method.

"Director Shad, you're inside, right?"

Xiao Wan asked in a deep voice.

But there was no response from the other side of the door.

Seeing this, Shane stepped forward, ready to force the door open.

But then, Xiao Wan stopped him.

"The door to the central control room has a unique restriction; forcibly opening it may cause the control system to lock itself."

This design was originally intended to prevent external enemies from forcibly breaking down the door.

However, the designers clearly did not expect that there would be a traitor among the supervisors of Area A.

At this time.

Inside the room, Shad seemed to have finally heard the noise outside the door.

He let out a cold laugh: "Manager Wan, you've finally arrived."

"However, you're too late. I've already activated the self-locking program in the central chamber, along with these walls that are strong enough to withstand attacks from legendary powerhouses."

"It is absolutely impossible for you to break into the room from the outside."

"Now, once I crack the control system's permissions, I can open the passage to the research institute's restricted area."

Shad's tone was full of pride: "At that time, whether it's that bronze dragon or the Lord of Cinder's research results so far,..."

"They will all be ours!"

"And you, you can only watch this happen."

Bronze dragon.

Research findings.

Upon hearing these words, Xia En's mind raced.

He suddenly noticed something unusual that he had previously overlooked.

If this Shad supervisor was also a member of the later Truth Society, he would never have said such a thing.

Because everything that exists within the Great Yan is something that has already vanished from the past.

That bronze dragon was merely a remnant of the past.

No matter how hard the members of the [Truth Society] try, they can never bring it into reality.

The fact that Shad would say such a thing means that he is actually part of this memory scene.

Rather, they were not members of the Truth Society who infiltrated this place.

However, he also mentioned the goal of seizing the research results and even reached a cooperation agreement with the members of the "Truth Society" in later generations.

Therefore, his identity is already quite clear—

This Shad supervisor was a member of the Truth Society in history!

This perfectly matches Xia En's previous prediction.

This intrusion into the research institute was indeed an event that occurred in real history.

And the instigator of this was none other than the Truth Society of this era!
Or rather, he was a subordinate of that "omniscient sage".

After all, in this era, the name "Truth Society" might not even have been born yet.

It's not hard to tell from Shad's words.

Their purpose in coming here was to obtain the research findings of the Lord of Cinder and the bronze dragons that slumber underground.

The later Truth Society, by leveraging these former colleagues, projected its consciousness into the Great Yan, thus achieving an unprecedented situation—

Members of the [Truth Society], existing in the past and future, cooperate to achieve their respective goals.

Even to Xia En, this was a bit outrageous.

have to say.

The members of the Truth Society are indeed a group of geniuses.

However, the line between genius and madness is always very thin.

Moreover, a genius free from moral constraints can cause far more destruction than an ordinary person.

However, there was still one thing that Xia En couldn't figure out.

This research institute was clearly built in collaboration between the Lord of Cinder and the Truth Society.

In theory.

The Truth Society should be able to know the research findings of the institute, so why go to such lengths to steal them?
At this time, Xiao Wan also had similar doubts.

she questioned.

"Director Shad, why did you do this?"

"The Lord of Cinder must have treated you well all this time, right? Why did you betray him?"

To this, THAAD simply sneered.

"If he's willing to honestly hand over the final research results to us, then of course we won't need to start this rebellion."

"But... the one who truly betrayed us is none other than the Lord of Cinder you speak of!"

"We clearly agreed to share the research results of the institute, but they are now guarding against us at every turn."

"He even replaced the researchers on the core projects with his own confidants, while I was transferred to this living area to be this nonsensical supervisor."

"And now, we are simply taking back what is rightfully ours."

After hearing these words, Xiao Wan couldn't help but look surprised.

"how come……"

There must be some misunderstanding here!

"It's okay, it doesn't matter anymore."

Shad sneered. "You can just wait outside until everything settles down."

Upon hearing this, Xia En frowned.

Honestly.

He wasn't particularly concerned about whether Shad could take away the so-called research results.

after all.

Even Shad himself was merely a remnant created from the memories of the Great Yan.

Even if the "Truth Society" in this memory successfully obtained the research results, so what?

Perhaps such a thing actually happened in real history.

What truly alarmed Xia En was...

What is the purpose of these Truth Society members who infiltrated the Great Flame?
Could this be related to the research findings that Shad mentioned?

And one more thing.

Where exactly is the [Great Flame] node that Xia En and the others are looking for located in this underground research institute?

Suddenly, Shane remembered the forbidden zone of the research institute that Shad had mentioned.

Perhaps the answers he seeks are all there.

However, even if Shaen wanted to go to the restricted area of ​​the research institute, he couldn't just stand by and watch the members of the [Truth Society] get there first.

We must take control of the whole matter.

But now.

The door did indeed seem to be blocking them.

At this moment, the captured man beside him also spoke up in mockery.

"Captain Shane, stop making futile resistance."

"You can't stop us."

"is it?"

Just then, a familiar voice sounded.

An elegant old woman, dressed in a black gauze dress, appeared in the corridor at some point.

And the moment I saw him.

The members of the [Truth Society] who had previously shown disdain suddenly changed their expressions.

A flicker of fear flashed deep in his eyes, so much so that his voice trembled slightly.

"Lady Tranquility..."

The visitor was Jane, whom Xia En knew well.

Carles, a mechanical construct clad in brass armor, stood behind Jane.

A red light shimmered beneath her nails, and white steam escaped from her joints.

The presence of such a strangely shaped pair in this underground passage clearly creates a considerable sense of oppression.

Xiao Wan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but change her expression slightly.

Instead of being surprised, Xia En's face lit up with joy.

“Jane, Carles, you’ve arrived?” Apparently, this was after a mutiny had broken out within the research institute.

Jane and Carles didn't just stand there foolishly. Instead, they took advantage of the chaos and, using their sense of the [Thread of Fate], arrived beside Shane and the others.

"Captain Shane."

After giving a graceful nod to Xia En, Jane looked at the man who had called out her code name, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"You actually recognize me."

"This is quite rare among the new generation of members of the [Truth Society]."

Compared to when he was facing Shane, the captured man was noticeably more humble.

This humility stems from a sense of apprehension towards Jane's past deeds.

He lowered his head and said, "I have been fortunate enough to have read a few of your works, madam."

"I was deeply impressed by the ideas and viewpoints presented here. I never expected to meet you here."

"No need for compliments."

Jane said calmly, "My articles are considered heretical within the Truth Society, and not many people are interested in them."

"Compared to this..."

As she spoke, Jane looked toward the tightly closed metal door to the side.

"Captain Shane, shall we open this door?"

Xia En nodded and said, "Yes."

"Then leave it to me."

After saying that, Jane casually took out an instrument that looked like a prism.

Long, slender fingertips tapped rapidly across the surface, as if inputting some command.

immediately.

Like a waterfall, codes and numbers cascaded through that prism.

Finally, Jane tapped it gently once more.

There was a "di" sound.

"Dear administrator, please come in."

With a beeping sound, the intricate mechanical door opens.

The scene inside the central control room was exposed to everyone.

The skinny supervisor, Shad, was working on a hacking operation at the control panel, his face showing a nervous excitement.

But this time.

The door to the room suddenly opened, causing him to freeze instantly.

A look of disbelief immediately appeared on Shad's face.

"how is this possible?"

"This door clearly had a self-locking mechanism; how did you open it?"

Jane, however, seemed quite matter-of-fact.

"Since it's a program, it will have vulnerabilities that can be cracked."

"Moreover, the procedures of the old era do not seem to be much more advanced than those of the new era."

Sometimes, the simpler and older the mechanism, the more reliable it is.

For Jane, this program-controlled door was full of loopholes.

But if it were just an ordinary iron gate, Shane would have already used force to break in.

At this time.

Ignoring Shad's reaction, Shaen flashed and appeared directly in front of him.

Shad was just a research member with very weak combat power, so he was easily subdued by Shane without any resistance.

Jane then looked at the control panel in front of her.

have to say.

The console itself has a very "Truth Society" style.

The huge screen, silver-gray desktop, and metallic buttons give you the feeling of being on a science fiction movie set.

at this time.

The cracking progress on the screen has reached 90%, which shows that Shane and the others arrived just in time.

If we had arrived any later, it might have really been as Shad said, that members of the [Truth Society] would have been the first to break into the research institute's forbidden area.

After halting the cracking process, Jane turned and asked.

"Captain Shane, what should we do now?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En first looked at Xiao Wan, who was not far away.

At this moment, Xiao Wan was clearly still reeling from the series of unexpected events.

Moreover, because of Jane and Carles' distinctive appearances, and the unfamiliar terms they used.

The girl's expression clearly showed a hint of wariness and unease.

Fortunately, Anbing was by his side, which helped her relax a little.

"Don't be afraid, Xiao Wan."

"They are my companions."

Anbing said softly, "As for why we came here, the reasons behind it are too complicated to explain in a short time."

"But one thing you can be sure of is that I will always be on your side."

"Now, I hope you can help us get to that so-called forbidden area of ​​the research institute."

“There, we have something we absolutely must obtain.”

Xiao Wan wasn't one to hesitate, and after a moment's thought, she quickly nodded.

"Ok, I see."

"But before that, I need to seal off the exits of Area A. Please wait a moment."

During the communication between Anbing and Xiaowan.

Shaen then looked at the three captured members of the Truth Society not far away.

"Commander Xia En, what are you going to do with them?"

"Simply asked."

"Ms. Jane, actually they..."

Xia En succinctly explained the situation of these members of the "Truth Society" to the inspector, as well as his own speculations.

After listening, even Jian's usually composed face showed a hint of surprise.

"A projection of consciousness and thought?"

"I never imagined that the Truth Society's research in this field had reached such a level."

Jane immediately frowned and analyzed.

"Since this rebellion was instigated by the [Truth Society] in history, the number of people they infiltrated must be extremely high."

"Perhaps someone has already traveled from other areas to the so-called restricted zone."

Each of the three zones (A, B, and C) has its own central control room.

Clearly, there is more than one route to the restricted area.

Xia En also realized this possibility, his expression became somewhat solemn, and a sense of urgency arose in his heart.

soon.

Jane also raised the same question as him.

"We came to the underground research institute to eliminate the nodes of [Great Flame], so what is the purpose of [The Truth Society]?"

Jane looked at the captured man, a thoughtful expression on her face.

The man lowered his head, but still refused to answer the question.

Moreover, since they are merely projections of consciousness, ordinary torture is clearly ineffective against them.

Jane murmured.

"However, even if they are projections of thought, there must be some kind of connection between them and the original soul."

"It's like the [Threads of Fate] will intertwine equally in their souls, and will not change because of the main body or the clone."

"...Like the Threads of Fate?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En suddenly realized what was happening.

Yes, even if it's just a projection of consciousness, it must still have some connection with their souls.

Just like how Shaun's [Projected Body] is also a part of him.

As long as this connection is found.

That would fundamentally harm their souls.

Fortunately, Shane possesses the [Prying Eyes], which allows him to see through this connection.

Thinking of this, Xia En did not hesitate, a dark light appearing in his eyes as he looked at the man.

(End of this chapter)