Chapter 262: The Unbroken Thread

The paralysis field hung over the command suite like a suffocating blanket of lead.

Han Zheng’s boots remained anchored to the black marble floor as though welded in place. His energy surged against his power channels, but the oppressive frequency suppressed every attempt to activate his core.

Beside him, Ah Hua’s jaw was clenched tight, his mechanical arm frozen with its servos whining under the strain. Lin Qing remained trapped in a low crouch, her fingers locked around her rifle stock, unable to lift her head.

Commander Lu turned, glancing at Su Yun standing silently behind his right shoulder.

"Everything is precisely as it should be," Lu said, adjusting his uniform lapels.

Before the silence could stretch further, the doors behind Han Zheng’s team hissed open again.

A dozen elite Apex guards in black-and-silver tactical armor entered the room, their rifles raised. Walking between them was a thin man wearing an immaculate white laboratory coat over a dark ballistic suit. His slicked-back hair and cold expression made him immediately recognizable.

Dr. Sterling had arrived.

He carried a diagnostic slate connected to a handheld biometric scanner. Without acknowledging the immobilized infiltrators, he approached the elevated dais, his eyes moving over the holographic displays.

"The commotion downstairs has been dealt with, Commander Lu," Sterling announced. "The escaped test subjects in Tier Three attempted to establish a defensive perimeter around the secondary armory. I authorized the activation of the sub-level suppression vents."

He tapped his slate, bringing up a security feed from the lower levels.

"Neuro-dampening gas has flooded the lower halls. The captives are currently unconscious and being re-contained. Your base is secure."

Han Zheng’s expression tightened.

Mark and the others had barely regained their freedom. Now, according to Sterling, they had been captured again before they could establish a proper defense.

He wanted to do something, but the paralysis prevented him from reaching his communicator. He couldn’t even tell whether Sterling’s report was entirely accurate.

Commander Lu chuckled, taking another sip from his glass.

"I expected nothing less, Doctor. And our guests here?"

Dr. Sterling turned toward the three immobilized squad members. He descended the marble stairs and stopped directly in front of Han Zheng, raising the biometric scanner toward his chest.

The device emitted a series of sharp chimes.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

"Fascinating..." Sterling murmured, studying the readings on his slate. "Dual awakening. Kinetic Force Manipulation combined with enhanced physical density. A Tier One alpha-grade fragment architecture."

He adjusted the scanner, examining Han Zheng’s core output.

"His energy levels exceed those of any specimen we’ve recorded."

Dr. Sterling’s expression brightened with professional interest. He seemed far more excited by the readings than by the man standing helplessly before him.

He shifted the scanner toward Ah Hua.

BEEP-BEEP!

"And this one..." Sterling continued, tracing the sensor along Ah Hua’s mechanical arm and chest. "Advanced physical strength enhancement paired with mechanical integration. An exceptionally stable core structure. Highly durable."

Ah Hua glared at him, unable to move or speak properly.

Sterling paid no attention to his expression.

Finally, he turned the scanner toward Lin Qing.

The blue sensor passed over her face, tactical vest, and hands.

The slate remained dim.

BEEP...

NO POWER CORE DETECTED.

Sterling’s interest vanished.

"Unpowered. Completely baseline human," he said dismissively, lowering the scanner. "An ordinary foot soldier relying on two high-tier power-holders. Useless for our research."

Lin Qing stared at him.

Under normal circumstances, she might have found his assessment almost amusing. But with Han Zheng immobilized beside her and Su Yun still under Lu’s control, she couldn’t afford to dwell on the insult.

"We can’t risk any kinetic bursts during the transfer," Commander Lu remarked, watching Han Zheng carefully.

"Agreed," Sterling replied.

He gestured toward four guards standing nearby.

"Affix the high-grade power-dampening collars immediately. Both of them."

Two guards approached carrying dark iron collars lined with glowing blue suppression needles.

They stepped behind Han Zheng and Ah Hua, fastening the devices around their necks.

CLACK.

The moment the needles pressed against Han Zheng’s skin, a freezing sensation spread through his body.

The remaining energy struggling within his core channels went silent. He could still sense the presence of his abilities, but the collar prevented him from drawing upon them.

Beside him, Ah Hua let out a muffled groan as the glow within his mechanical shoulder faded. His arm hung motionless, its internal power systems suppressed.

The guards pulled their arms behind their backs and secured their wrists with handcuffs.

Lin Qing was restrained next.

Since Dr. Sterling had detected no power core, the guards didn’t bother fitting her with a suppression collar. They simply forced her hands behind her back and locked the cuffs around her wrists.

Once the restraints were secured, Commander Lu deactivated the room’s paralysis field.

Han Zheng immediately felt the pressure lift, but the collar prevented his power from returning. Before he could attempt to move, two guards seized his shoulders and forced him onto his knees.

Ah Hua struggled against his captors, only to discover that his suppressed strength was no longer enough to overpower them.

Lin Qing was pushed down beside Han Zheng.

Dr. Sterling turned back toward Commander Lu, tapping his diagnostic slate.

"Commander, we need to discuss the long-term stabilization phase before the surface transport arrives."

"Very well," Lu replied, gesturing toward an alcove near the server racks.

The two men walked away to speak privately, leaving the armored guards watching over their prisoners.

Su Yun remained at the top of the dais stairs, her rifle hanging loosely at her side.

Her face was still blank, her eyes fixed on some distant point in the room.

Lin Qing looked up at her.

Seeing Su Yun reduced to a silent figure standing behind Commander Lu made Lin Qing’s chest tighten.

"Su Yun..." she whispered.

Su Yun didn’t move.

"Su Yun, look at me!"

Lin Qing strained against her handcuffs, raising her voice just enough to reach the dais.

"Listen to my voice! I know you’re in there. I know that thing inside your head is trying to lock you away, but you have to fight it!"

One of the guards shifted his rifle.

"Quiet."

Lin Qing ignored him.

She leaned forward as far as her restraints allowed, keeping her eyes fixed on Su Yun’s face.

"Remember who you are, Su Yun!" she called. "Remember what we promised each other before!"

Her voice trembled, but she continued.

"Remember the research center... remember our old life!"

Su Yun remained motionless.

Lin Qing swallowed hard.

"Remember your sister!"

Something changed.

It was almost too small to notice. Deep within Su Yun’s vacant eyes, a faint spark of awareness appeared. Her right hand twitched against the receiver of her rifle. Behind her left ear, the red transponder node flickered, briefly losing its steady rhythm.

Lin Qing saw it.

Her heart leaped.

"Su Yun...?"

For a fraction of a second, she thought Su Yun might turn toward her. But heavy footsteps interrupted them. Dr. Sterling and Commander Lu emerged from the alcove, their private discussion finished.

Sterling glanced at his watch, his expression impatient.

"We’re out of time," he announced, gesturing toward the guards. "Take them. Secure the strength-type in Holding Cell Four."

He pointed toward Han Zheng.

"As for him, transfer him directly to the Tier One special power-draining extraction tank. We begin the core-synthesis procedure immediately."

Lin Qing went cold.

She knew what those extraction tanks did.

They had seen the weakened prisoners in Tier Three, their bodies drained while Apex harvested their core energy. Some had barely been able to stand after being freed.

And Sterling intended to do the same thing to Han Zheng. Only this time, he wanted to begin the extraction immediately.

Lin Qing turned toward Han Zheng. He remained on his knees, held firmly by the guards, his expression controlled despite the suppression collar around his neck.

He looked back at her, silently warning her not to act recklessly. But she couldn’t bear the thought of him being taken away.

"No!" Lin Qing screamed, her voice cracking. "No! Don’t touch him!"

She thrashed against the guard holding her shoulder.

"Let him go!"

"Hold her down!" Sterling snapped.

The guard tightened his grip.

Lin Qing struggled harder, driven by panic rather than any carefully considered plan. She surged upward from her knees with all the strength she could muster.

And at that moment, her extraordinary luck intervened. The guard holding her right arm stepped onto a slick patch of fluid left near the doorway.

His boot slipped. He lost his grip on Lin Qing’s vest and stumbled forward, colliding with the second guard beside him.

Both men struggled to regain their balance.

For one brief instant, Lin Qing was free of their hands. Her wrists were still cuffed behind her back, but as she twisted and threw her weight upward, her bound arms swung awkwardly to one side.

Dr. Sterling had stepped forward to seize her.

He was directly in their path.

CRACK!

The hardened titanium cuffs struck the side of Sterling’s face. His head snapped sideways. His spectacles shattered, sending fragments across the floor. A jagged cut opened along his cheekbone, and he staggered backward, clutching his face.

"Argh!"

Blood seeped between his fingers, dripping onto the front of his white laboratory coat.

For a moment, the entire room seemed to fall silent. Sterling stared at the blood on his hand in disbelief. Then his expression twisted.

"You miserable bitch!" he spat, stumbling against the edge of the desk.

Lin Qing was immediately seized by the recovering guards. They forced her back onto her knees, one of them pressing a hand firmly against her shoulder.

But she barely noticed. Her eyes remained fixed on Han Zheng.

Commander Lu’s face darkened. The sight of his chief scientist bleeding from a blow delivered by an unpowered prisoner had shattered his composure.

"Insolent trash!" he roared.

He pointed toward Lin Qing, then turned sharply to the figure standing behind him.

"Su Yun! Execute her!"

Lin Qing froze.

Commander Lu’s voice rang through the command suite.

"Kill her right now!"

Su Yun didn’t move. She remained at attention, her rifle resting beside her leg. Her eyes shifted toward Dr. Sterling’s bleeding face.

Then, slowly, they moved toward Lin Qing.

Lin Qing was still breathing hard, her shoulders held down by the guards. She looked directly back at Su Yun. There was fear in her eyes, but she didn’t look away.

Commander Lu frowned.

"Su Yun?"

No response.

His jaw tightened.

"Did you hear me?!"

He strode toward her, raising the matte-black remote.

"I gave you an order!"

His thumb pressed the central crimson button.

BEEEEEP!

The remote emitted a sharp electronic whine.

A red glow spread as the transponder began pulsing violently.

"Pick up your rifle and shoot her!" Lu shouted. "NOW!"

Su Yun’s fingers tightened. Her right arm twitched. But the rifle remained at her side.

Commander Lu stared at her in disbelief. He pressed the button again, holding it down.

The transponder’s hum grew louder.

Su Yun’s entire body began to tremble. Her shoulders tensed, and her jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles along her neck stood out.

Still, she didn’t raise her weapon.

Lin Qing watched, hardly daring to breathe.

"Su Yun..." she whispered.

For the first time since entering the command suite, Su Yun’s blank expression began to change. Her brows drew together. Her eyes flickered with pain and confusion.

The artificial command was still forcing itself through her mind, demanding obedience. Yet something else was holding her back.

The memory of her sister.

The voice that had called her name.

The people she had fought beside.

Lin Qing didn’t know how much Su Yun could remember, but she could see the struggle happening before her.

Commander Lu’s expression turned furious.

"Obey me!"

He pressed the remote harder, as though greater force from his thumb could compel the woman standing before him.

Su Yun’s knees trembled. A thin line of blood appeared beneath her left nostril. It slowly ran over her upper lip and dripped onto the collar of her tactical uniform.

She remained standing.

Her rifle never rose.

She didn’t take a single step toward Lin Qing.

And despite the pain twisting across her face, she refused to obey.

Su Yun stood frozen between the command forced upon her and the memories she was struggling to reclaim, silent and trembling as blood continued to fall from her nose.