OPERATION DEAD TIDE - SHOONYA: War Beyond Gods

The underground base smelled like metal, oil, and burned wires.

Massive holographic screens floated across the dark war room while officers moved from one side to another carrying tablets, ammo cases, and drone parts.

Outside, alarms kept ringing every few minutes.

Nobody slept anymore.

Not after the four-nation clash.

Shoonya stood alone near the center table staring at the 3D model of Yushan Dao island.

Silent.

Cold.

Focused.

Albert walked in holding two energy drink cans.

Albert:

"Bruhh… you still staring at this damn island?"

No answer.

Albert tossed one can toward him.

Shoonya caught it without even looking.

Albert:

"You know normal people sleep after surviving world-ending battles."

Shoonya:

"Normal people died 400 days ago."

Albert smirked.

Albert:

"So?"

Shoonya zoomed into the island layout.

Radar towers.

Underground tunnels.

AI patrol sectors.

Ocean mines.

Drone routes.

Every inch of the island looked like death.

Albert leaned closer.

Albert:

"So… how bad is it?"

Shoonya:

"Very."

Albert:

"Huh. Nice detailed explanation."

Shoonya finally spoke again.

Shoonya:

"This mission has 11,402 possible death outcomes."

Albert blinked.

Albert:

"ONLY eleven thousand?"

Shoonya:

"Yes."

Albert:

"We're improving."

The room door opened.

Xiao Yang entered carrying multiple data chips.

Behind her came two ISRO analysts and several Russian technicians.

Xiao threw the chips onto the table.

Xiao:

"Chinese naval patterns."

Another chip.

Xiao:

"Island shift rotations."

Another.

Xiao:

"Internal transport routes."

Albert whistled.

Albert:

"Damn. You really hate your country huh."

Xiao stared directly at him.

Xiao:

"I hate what it became."

Albert:

"…Fair enough."

The Security Advisor appeared on the giant screen through encrypted call.

Advisor:

"Status."

Shoonya:

"We enter tonight."

The room became quiet.

Advisor:

"Mission name?"

Shoonya looked at the island projection.

Then calmly said—

Shoonya:

"Operation Dead Tide."

Nobody spoke for a second.

Even the Russian officers looked uncomfortable hearing it.

Albert slowly smiled.

Albert:

"Okay yeah… that sounds cool as hell."

2 hours later.

Weapon sector.

Albert looked happier than a child inside a toy store.

Rows of military weapons covered the room.

Suppressed rifles.

EMP grenades.

Stealth suits.

Thermal cloaks.

Magnetic combat knives.

Portable hacking spikes.

Underwater propulsion units.

Albert picked up a suppressed pistol.

Albert:

"OHHHH this thing sexy."

Russian Engineer:

"That weapon costs more than your life."

Albert:

"Everything here costs more than my life."

He fired at a test target.

PHUT.

Perfect shot.

Albert:

"Beautiful."

Shoonya walked past him.

Albert grabbed another weapon.

Albert:

"Look at this monster."

Shoonya:

"Too loud."

Albert:

"Exactly."

Shoonya ignored him and checked combat knives instead.

Each blade was black-coated and designed for silent kills.

Albert noticed.

Albert:

"See? You act all calm but deep down you're just as violent as me."

Shoonya:

"No."

Albert:

"You literally picked the murder knives first."

Shoonya:

"They're efficient."

Albert burst out laughing.

Albert:

"Bruhhhh."

Later.

Submarine bay.

A massive black stealth submarine rested inside the underground dock.

No national markings.

No flags.

No identity.

Just death underwater.

Russian Commander:

"This submarine officially does not exist."

Albert:

"My favorite type."

Shoonya entered the submarine slowly.

Dark narrow halls.

Silent engines.

Weapon storage.

Emergency medical bay.

Everything prepared for one-way survival.

Xiao walked beside him.

Xiao:

"If China detects this thing underwater, we're finished."

Shoonya:

"They won't."

Xiao:

"You sound very confident."

Shoonya:

"I calculated their sonar patterns."

Albert from behind:

"He says that now. Watch us explode tomorrow."

Mission briefing room.

The giant screen displayed Yushan Dao again.

This time with moving patrol patterns.

Advisor:

"ISRO satellites will guide you in real time."

One scientist adjusted the hologram.

Scientist:

"We found temporary radar blind spots here and here."

Shoonya nodded.

Scientist:

"But they only last around ninety seconds."

Albert:

"Great. So if we trip once we die."

Advisor:

"Correct."

Albert:

"…Nice."

Xiao crossed her arms.

Xiao:

"The island soldiers are not regular troops."

Another hologram appeared.

Chinese elite guards.

Heavy armor.

Black masks.

Pulse rifles.

Xiao:

"These people are trained for underground warfare."

Albert:

"Cool."

Xiao:

"No. Not cool."

She pointed at one soldier profile.

Xiao:

"They do not panic."

Another profile.

Xiao:

"They do not negotiate."

Another.

Xiao:

"And they never surrender."

Albert slowly grinned.

Albert:

"Now I'm excited."

Afternoon

Most officers had left.

Only Shoonya remained inside the war room.

Still studying outcomes.

Still calculating.

Still planning.

Thousands of possibilities flashed across the screen.

Deaths.

Explosions.

Failures.

Victories.

Albert quietly entered carrying food.

Albert:

"You've been awake for almost two days."

Shoonya:

"Doesn't matter."

Albert dropped the food near him.

Albert:

"Huh. You know… people think you're some emotionless machine."

Shoonya:

"They're wrong."

Albert looked surprised.

Albert:

"Oh?"

Shoonya finally looked at him.

Shoonya:

"Machines are predictable."

Small silence.

Albert slowly sat beside him.

Albert:

"You ever think we're already dead?"

Shoonya:

"No."

Albert:

"Why not?"

Shoonya:

"Because dead men don't keep fighting."

Albert smirked slightly.

Albert:

"You really are insane."

Shoonya:

"Yes."

4:11 PM.

Equipment loading sector.

Divers prepared underwater suits.

Russian hackers tested encrypted earpieces.

Engineers loaded drone disruptors.

ISRO kept updating satellite paths every few minutes.

Everything felt heavy.

Like the world itself was waiting.

Albert walked toward Xiao again.

Albert:

"So."

Xiao:

"What."

Albert:

"You nervous?"

Xiao:

"Yes."

Albert:

"Good."

Xiao:

"What kind of answer is that?"

Albert:

"Nervous people survive longer."

Xiao rolled her eyes.

Albert leaned closer dramatically.

Albert:

"If I die tomorrow delete my search history."

Xiao:

"I'd rather leak it."

Albert:

"That's fucked up."

For the first time—

She laughed a little.

Very small.

But real.

Shoonya noticed it silently from distance.

Then looked back at the island map.

Still calculating.

Still preparing.

Still seeing thousands of outcomes nobody else could understand.

Finally—

He activated the mission timer.

OPERATION DEAD TIDESTARTS IN: 8 HOURS.

The entire room became silent.

Shoonya turned toward everyone.

Shoonya:

"Listen carefully."

Everybody looked at him immediately.

Shoonya:

"Once we enter Yushan Dao… nobody is coming to save us."

Silence.

Shoonya:

"If you panic, you die."

Another silence.

Shoonya:

"If you hesitate, you die."

Even Albert stopped smiling now.

Shoonya:

"And if this mission fails…"

He looked toward the island projection.

Shoonya:

"…then this war won't end with nations."

Nobody spoke.

Because everybody understood what he meant.

Extinction.

Shoonya grabbed his combat jacket.

Loaded his pistol.

Then calmly said—

Shoonya:

"Today night…"

He looked at all of them one by one.

"…we enter hell."

11:57 PM

Black ocean.

No moon.

No sound except submarine engines cutting through deep water.

Inside the stealth submarine, red emergency lights flickered across metal walls.

Albert sat loading suppressed magazines.

Click.Click.Click.

Shoonya stood near the front display silently watching Yushan Dao appear on screen.

Two islands.

One massive main sector.

One smaller restricted sector connected through underground tunnels.

The Dragon Vein route was hidden beneath the smaller island.

Xiao's voice came through the earpiece.

Xiao:

"You're approaching sonar line one."

ISRO Analyst:

"Chinese naval drone passing above you in thirty seconds."

Albert:

"Fantastic. We die before even reaching land."

Shoonya:

"No."

Albert:

"You always say no like some robot."

Shoonya:

"Focus."

The submarine slowed.

Russian Pilot:

"We stop here."

Shoonya grabbed his combat mask.

Albert stood up.

Albert:

"Alright then."

Shoonya:

"Check IDs."

Both scanned fake Chinese military cards.

The Indian cyber team had already uploaded their fake identities into Chinese security databases.

Now officially—

They existed.

At least inside enemy systems.

Five minutes later.

Underwater.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Only blue lights from their suits moved slowly through the sea.

The two swam toward hidden cave tunnels beneath Yushan Dao.

Xiao:

"Left side tunnel."

Shoonya changed direction immediately.

Albert:

"You know… if sharks exist here I'm quitting."

Shoonya:

"You can't quit underwater."

Albert:

"…Good point."

Inside the island.

Water dripped from stone ceilings.

Old mining tunnels stretched into darkness.

Chinese maintenance routes.

Exactly as Xiao described.

Albert climbed silently through a broken metal shaft.

Shoonya moved another direction.

Now separated.

Only connected through earpieces.

Shoonya:

"Split search pattern begins now."

Albert:

"Copy."

Xiao:

"Main cabin should be somewhere beneath central sector."

ISRO Analyst:

"Satellite confirms increased patrol movement."

Albert sighed.

Albert:

"Of course it does."

Main Island — Sector 4.

Shoonya walked calmly wearing stolen Chinese combat armor.

Two guards passed beside him.

Neither noticed anything.

Shoonya entered a restricted hallway.

A lone guard blocked the path.

Guard:

"ID."

Shoonya slowly handed card.

The scanner blinked green.

ACCESS APPROVED.

Guard:

"Proceed."

The moment Shoonya crossed him—

PHUT.

The suppressed pistol fired once.

The guard dropped instantly without sound.

Shoonya dragged the body into darkness.

Cold.

Clean.

Efficient.

Meanwhile.

Albert entered another sector.

Completely different style.

Messier.

More dangerous.

Albert:

"Bruhhh this place smells like dead batteries."

Xiao:

"You're near generator corridors."

Albert:

"No shit."

Albert turned corner slowly.

Another guard appeared suddenly.

Guard:

"Stop."

Albert instantly saluted badly.

Guard stared suspiciously.

Albert:

"…Uh. Long live China?"

Guard narrowed eyes.

Albert whispered quietly:

Albert:

"Yeah okay that sounded racist."

The guard reached for radio.

PHUT.

Albert shot him directly through throat.

Guard collapsed choking silently.

Albert caught the body before impact.

Albert:

"Damn."

Forty minutes later.

Still no cabin.

Still no underground access.

Pressure increasing.

Shoonya:

"Negative results."

Albert:

"Same."

Xiao:

"Try moving toward internal command routes."

ISRO Analyst:

"Careful. Patrol group moving toward Albert."

Albert hid instantly behind storage crates.

Three soldiers walked past.

One suddenly stopped.

Soldier:

"…Wait."

Albert froze.

The soldier slowly looked toward shadows.

Then directly at him.

Recognition.

Pure recognition.

Soldier:

"…You."

Albert's eyes narrowed.

The soldier immediately raised his rifle.

Emergency alarm button visible near his hand.

Albert looked around quickly.

Then saw it.

A sharp metal rod lying near broken pipes.

The soldier aimed gun directly at him.

Soldier:

"You're the Russian from Novosibirsk—"

Albert moved instantly.

CRACK.

The metal rod slammed into the soldier's arm.

Bone snapped violently.

The emergency hand nearly separated completely.

The soldier screamed.

Before sound escaped—

Albert shoved the rod into his mouth hard.

Blood spilled across armor.

The soldier gagged violently.

Albert grabbed the rifle—

Then stopped.

No suppressor.

Albert:

"…Shit."

For barely two seconds—

His attention shifted.

That was enough.

The soldier drove his knee upward directly into Albert's balls.

Albert instantly folded in pain.

Albert:

"FUCK—"

The soldier ripped the rod from his mouth and tackled Albert into metal containers.

BAM.

Both crashed hard.

The rifle slid away.

Now hand-to-hand.

The soldier punched Albert across jaw repeatedly.

Albert blocked one strike and smashed elbow into the soldier's throat.

The guard answered with brutal body shots.

Fast.

Military trained.

Albert laughed through blood.

Albert:

"Ohhhh NOW we're fighting."

The soldier reached combat knife.

Albert grabbed his wrist mid-swing.

The blade stopped inches from his eye.

Both struggled violently.

Albert slammed forehead into the guard's nose.

CRACK.

Blood exploded.

The guard still kept fighting.

Albert:

"You tough bastard—"

The soldier punched his injured side.

Albert staggered.

Then suddenly—

The guard hit emergency trigger attached to belt.

BEEP.

Silence.

Both froze.

Albert:

"…Ah."

Across the island—

Red warning lights activated instantly.

ALARMS screamed everywhere.

Xiao:

"ALBERT WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

ISRO:

"Entire island alert activated!"

Shoonya stopped walking immediately.

Soldiers started shouting through corridors.

Albert looked back toward the guard slowly.

Albert:

"You pressed the wrong FUCKING button."

The soldier tried grabbing dropped rifle—

Albert snapped.

He drove the metal rod forward with full force.

Straight through helmet visor.

The rod pierced through skull instantly.

Then He push the rod downwards.

And the guard's brain's is divided into to two fucking pieces.

The guard's body jerked violently before collapsing.

Albert breathed heavily.

Blood covered the floor.

Alarm sirens echoed everywhere.

Shoonya:

"Albert."

Albert:

"Yeahhhh little problem."

Shoonya:

"How many saw you."

Albert:

"…Technically only one."

Shoonya:

"You activated island-wide alert."

Albert:

"Okay wow no need to judge me right now."

Xiao:

"Multiple rapid-response teams moving!"

ISRO:

"Thermal signatures increasing everywhere!"

Shoonya suddenly spoke calmly.

Shoonya:

"I found the cabin."

Silence.

Albert blinked.

Albert:

"You WHAT?"

Shoonya:

"Sending route now."

A holographic route appeared inside Albert's visor.

Straight through central sectors.

Filled with enemy soldiers.

Albert laughed tiredly.

Albert:

"Oh this is gonna suck."

Shoonya:

"Move."

The island transformed into hell.

Chinese soldiers flooded corridors.

Search drones activated.

Heavy gates started closing.

Albert sprinted through narrow maintenance halls while bullets smashed walls behind him.

One soldier appeared ahead—

Albert slid beneath gunfire and stabbed magnetic blade into the man's neck.

Another came from side corridor—

PHUT. PHUT.

Silent pistol shots.

Dead instantly.

Xiao:

"Left side! More incoming!"

Albert turned corner—

Three soldiers.

Too close.

No time.

Albert grabbed first soldier and used him as shield while firing stolen rifle.

Bodies dropped everywhere.

Albert:

"FUCK OFF!"

Explosion behind him.

Smoke filled tunnel.

Meanwhile—

Shoonya moved like a ghost through another sector.

Silent.

Precise.

Every guard died before understanding what happened.

One body hidden inside electrical room.

Another inside water shaft.

Another hanging silently from ceiling cables.

Pure assassin style.

ISRO Analyst:

"Shoonya, response teams closing fast."

Shoonya:

"I know."

Finally—

Albert reached the cabin door.

Breathing heavily.

Covered in blood.

He entered quickly and locked everything behind him.

Then froze.

Bodies everywhere.

At least twelve guards dead inside.

Some near hacked security systems.

Others near broken terminals.

Shoonya stood in center room calmly checking underground blueprints.

Albert stared.

Albert:

"…Bruh."

Shoonya:

"Took you long enough."

Albert:

"YOU DID ALL THIS ALONE?"

Shoonya:

"Yes."

Albert looked around again.

Albert:

"You are actually terrifying."

Outside—

Soldiers pounded against reinforced doors.

Chinese voices shouted aggressively.

Albert:

"Okay serious question."

Shoonya:

"What."

Albert:

"Now what the hell do we do?"

Shoonya looked toward underground map.

Completely calm.

Then said:

Shoonya:

"Don't worry."

He activated hidden tunnel route beneath cabin.

Shoonya:

"This was also one of my outcomes."

The floor slowly opened beneath them.

Dark underground access revealed itself.

Albert stared.

Albert:

"You scary genius bastard."

Both disappeared underground seconds before soldiers breached cabin doors.

Deep underground.

Cold vault sectors stretched endlessly.

Rows of reinforced safes covered concrete walls.

Xiao's signal became unstable.

Xiao:

"You're close… I think…"

Static.

Shoonya reached the safe marked in Si Ziywan's layout.

Albert:

"This better be the damn file."

Shoonya opened it slowly.

Then stopped.

Shoonya:

"…What the fuck."

Inside—

Only sealed drug packages.

Albert blinked.

Albert:

"…Weed?"

Shoonya picked one packet.

Shoonya:

"This is literally weed."

Albert:

"BRO WHAT?"

Another vault.

Cocaine.

Another.

Methamphetamine.

Another.

Synthetic military stimulants.

Albert:

"Did we infiltrate a fucking drug warehouse?!"

Xiao:

"Wait… something's wrong…"

Static exploded inside earpieces.

Connection breaking.

Shoonya:

"Xiao?"

No response.

Scene cuts.

Main island tower.

Xiao sat inside hidden control room surrounded by stolen surveillance screens.

Then—

The door behind her opened slowly.

Heavy footsteps entered.

10… maybe 20 Chinese special commandos.

Black armor.

Weapons raised.

Xiao turned slowly.

One commander immediately slammed rifle into her head.

CRACK.

Everything went dark.

Connection lost.

Three Hours Before Operation Dead Tide

The flying car cut through the night sky.

Below them, snow-covered mountains stretched across the horizon.

Inside the vehicle, Albert was staring out the window while Shoonya sat quietly reviewing files.

Albert finally broke the silence.

"Three hours."

Shoonya didn't look up.

"Hm."

"Three damn hours before Operation Dead Tide starts."

Still no reaction.

Albert turned toward him.

"And we're flying to Russia."

Shoonya kept scrolling through data.

"Yes."

Albert threw his hands up.

"What kind of plan is this?"

Shoonya finally looked at him.

"A good one."

Albert groaned.

"Hell nah."

Shoonya smirked slightly.

"We'll reach Novosibirsk in twenty-one minutes."

"That's not the point."

"It is."

"No it isn't."

"It is."

Albert stared at him.

"Sometimes I genuinely want to punch you."

Shoonya looked back at the screen.

"Get in line."

Albert laughed.

"Alright, why are we going?"

Shoonya closed the file.

"I had some equipment delivered."

"Equipment?"

"Hacking equipment."

Albert raised an eyebrow.

"Important?"

"Very."

"What kind?"

Shoonya opened a small holographic display.

Several names appeared.

GhostKey-X

Hydra Spike

Cerberus Injector

BlackWire Node

Raven Root

Albert whistled.

"Damn."

"Those devices can take control of entire security systems."

Albert's expression changed.

"Wait."

"Yes."

"Entire systems?"

Shoonya nodded.

"Cameras. Doors. Internal communications. Security logs."

Albert leaned back.

"And we're just casually picking those up?"

"Pretty much."

"Hell yeah."

The flying car continued through the dark sky.

For several minutes neither spoke.

Eventually Shoonya looked outside.

Then toward Albert.

Then asked a question.

"Why?"

Albert blinked.

"What?"

"Why did you choose this life?"

Albert frowned.

"What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one."

Albert looked away.

The smile slowly disappeared from his face.

For a few seconds only the sound of engines remained.

Then he finally spoke.

"My father."

Shoonya stayed silent.

Albert continued.

"He was a General."

Another silence.

"He wasn't famous."

Shoonya listened.

"He wasn't rich either."

Albert looked out the window.

"But he was a soldier."

The lights of a distant city appeared below.

Albert's voice became quieter.

"My mother died when I was born."

Shoonya didn't interrupt.

"So it was just me and him."

Albert smiled slightly.

"He wasn't good at cooking."

"He wasn't good at cleaning."

"He forgot birthdays."

Shoonya almost smiled.

"But he tried."

The smile vanished.

"When I was six..."

Albert stopped talking.

Shoonya didn't push him.

Eventually Albert continued.

"There was an accident."

His voice became flat.

"He never came home."

The cabin became silent.

Albert stared at the floor.

"I cried every day."

No jokes.

No laughter.

No sarcasm.

Just truth.

"I forgot what happiness felt like."

The snow outside reflected against the glass.

"Then came the war."

Shoonya knew which one.

The American-Israeli conflict.

One of the wars that helped reshape the world.

Albert continued.

"I was ten."

"Our city got hit repeatedly."

"Bunker life."

"Months underground."

"No sunlight."

"No schools."

"No normal life."

Albert slowly shook his head.

"My head became empty."

Then he smiled.

A small one.

"Only one thing stayed."

Shoonya looked at him.

Albert looked back.

"My father always said something."

"What?"

Albert answered immediately.

"When fear tells everyone to run, somebody has to stay. Be that somebody."

Shoonya repeated the sentence quietly.

"Be that somebody."

Albert nodded.

"Yeah."

"That's when I decided."

"Military."

Shoonya understood.

Albert laughed softly.

"Maybe it was stupid."

"No."

Albert looked surprised.

Shoonya rarely answered things like that.

"No?"

"No."

Albert smiled.

For the first time in several minutes.

Then he spoke again.

"He always said."

Shoonya looked at him.

Albert continued.

"If even one person would stand beside you when the world turns its back, then you didn't waste your life."

The words hung in the air.

Albert stared directly at Shoonya.

Then smiled.

"You know..."

Shoonya already knew what was coming.

"...that one person is you."

Silence.

Neither looked away.

Finally Albert spoke again.

"If I die..."

Shoonya sighed.

"Don't start."

Albert ignored him.

"If I die, will you cry at my grave?"

Shoonya answered immediately.

"No."

Albert burst out laughing.

"There he is."

Shoonya shook his head.

Albert wiped tears from laughing.

"Alright then."

He pointed at Shoonya.

"My turn."

"No."

"My turn."

"No."

"Too late."

Albert leaned forward.

"What about your parents?"

Shoonya looked outside.

For several seconds he didn't answer.

Then—

"I don't have any."

Albert frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Shoonya answered calmly.

"I was created."

Albert blinked.

"What?"

"Laboratory."

"What?"

"Military research."

Albert stared.

"No way."

Shoonya nodded.

"Way."

Albert sat there completely stunned.

"So..."

"Yeah."

"So you're basically a test-tube baby?"

"More or less."

Albert stared another few seconds.

Then started laughing.

"Oh my God."

Shoonya rolled his eyes.

Albert pointed at him.

"THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING."

"What."

"Your brain."

"My brain?"

"You're not normal."

"Thanks."

"No seriously."

Albert laughed.

"You were literally manufactured."

Shoonya shook his head.

"Maybe."

Albert grinned.

"Maybe not."

The flying car finally began descending.

Novosibirsk appeared below.

Lights stretched across the city.

Albert looked out the window.

Then quietly said—

"You know..."

"Hm?"

"I'm glad I met you."

Shoonya didn't answer.

Albert smiled.

"Yeah."

Neither noticed it.

But for a brief moment—

Shoonya smiled too.

Present Time

Yushan Dao Island

Connection Lost.

The earpiece went silent.

No Xiao.

No signal.

No instructions.

Only darkness.

Only alarms.

Albert stared at another safe full of drugs.

Then another.

"That's it?"

Shoonya remained silent.

Albert threw a packet onto the floor.

"We crossed an ocean for this?"

No answer.

"Seriously?"

Still nothing.

Then—

Shoonya started laughing.

Albert frowned.

The laughter got louder.

Then louder.

Albert stared.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Shoonya continued laughing.

For almost thirty seconds.

Finally—

He stopped.

Then looked at Albert.

"I am an idiot."

"What?"

"A complete idiot."

Albert blinked.

"What are you talking about?"

Shoonya pointed at the layout.

"I planned for everything."

"And?"

"I planned for you getting spotted."

"Fair."

"I planned for Xiao losing contact."

"Okay."

"I planned for emergency lockdowns."

Albert crossed his arms.

"Then what's the problem?"

Shoonya looked around the room.

Then smiled.

"The problem..."

He tapped the safe.

"...is that I forgot to ask the most obvious question."

Albert waited.

Shoonya looked directly at him.

"Why would China put something this important somewhere so easy to find?"

Albert froze.

Slowly—

A smile appeared on his face too.

"Oh."

Shoonya nodded.

"Oh."

Albert rubbed his face.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No."

"We searched half the damn island."

"Not half."

"Whatever."

Albert kicked one of the safes.

"We've been looking in the wrong place."

Shoonya crouched beside the layout.

"No."

Albert blinked.

"What?"

"We've been looking at the right place."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Shoonya pointed at the layout.

"The safe location is correct."

Albert frowned.

"The safe is correct?"

"Yes."

"The room is correct?"

"Yes."

"The coordinates are correct?"

"No."

Albert stared.

"...fuck."

Shoonya nodded.

"Exactly."

Albert sat on a crate.

"Explain."

Shoonya pointed upward.

"It could be above us."

Then pointed downward.

"Or below us."

Albert looked around.

"So the real safe is hidden."

"Very hidden."

"And we're standing on top of it."

"Probably."

Albert groaned.

"I hate geniuses."

Suddenly—

A red light flashed.

Then another.

The entire room turned crimson.

ALERT.

Albert looked toward the hallway.

"That doesn't sound good."

"No."

"Please tell me that's not for us."

"It is."

Albert sighed.

"Of course."

The earpiece crackled.

Static.

Then—

A familiar voice.

"...Shoonya..."

Both froze.

"XIAO?"

Static.

Then silence.

Albert grabbed his earpiece.

"Xiao!"

Nothing.

Shoonya looked serious.

"Signal is weak."

"She's alive."

"Maybe."

Albert frowned.

"Maybe?"

Shoonya looked at him.

"If she was dead there would be no signal."

Albert nodded.

"Fair."

Suddenly—

Another voice appeared.

Indian Security Advisor.

"Loud and clear?"

Shoonya immediately touched his earpiece.

"We hear you."

The advisor sounded relieved.

"Thank God."

Albert laughed.

"Nice to hear your voice too."

The advisor ignored him.

"Status."

Shoonya answered.

"File not found."

Silence.

Then—

"What?"

"File not found."

Another silence.

Then a loud sigh.

"I knew this mission would become a disaster."

Albert pointed at the earpiece.

"I like him."

"Shut up."

The advisor continued.

"Listen carefully."

"We are receiving satellite feeds."

Shoonya looked interested.

"Go on."

"The island just entered full combat alert."

Albert groaned.

"Wonderful."

"Estimated enemy mobilization?"

Shoonya asked.

The advisor answered immediately.

"Over four hundred active personnel moving toward your sector."

Albert stood up.

"FOUR HUNDRED?"

"Approximately."

"Hell nah."

Shoonya remained calm.

"Any updates on Xiao?"

The advisor hesitated.

"No visual."

Albert's face darkened.

"Damn."

Shoonya stood up.

"Time remaining."

The advisor answered.

"One hour forty-two minutes."

Albert nearly choked.

"THAT'S IT?"

"That is not reassuring."

Shoonya closed his eyes.

Thinking.

Calculating.

Planning.

Then—

A small smile appeared.

Albert immediately recognized it.

"Oh no."

The advisor recognized it too.

"Oh no."

Shoonya opened his eyes.

"I have an idea."

Both men spoke simultaneously.

"THAT'S THE PROBLEM."

Shoonya ignored them.

"Albert."

"What."

"Remember those devices from Russia?"

Albert blinked.

Then smiled.

"Oh."

Shoonya nodded.

"Oh."

The advisor sounded confused.

"What devices?"

Albert grinned.

"The fun ones."

A few minutes later.

Deep beneath the facility.

The two men stood in front of a massive server chamber.

Rows of processors stretched into darkness.

Thousands of blinking lights.

The heart of Yushan Dao's security network.

Albert whistled.

"Damn."

Shoonya removed a metallic case.

Inside were the devices.

GhostKey-X.

Hydra Spike.

Cerberus Injector.

BlackWire Node.

Raven Root.

Albert smiled.

"Now we're talking."

The advisor's voice returned.

"Are those actually going to work?"

Shoonya attached GhostKey-X to a terminal.

"Hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

Albert laughed.

"Welcome to working with him."

Shoonya connected the final cable.

A green light appeared.

System ready.

Hydra Spike activated.

BlackWire connected.

Cerberus online.

Albert cracked his knuckles.

"Moment of truth."

Shoonya looked at him.

"Don't fuck this up."

Albert saluted.

"No promises."

Connection initiated.

For two seconds nothing happened.

Then—

GREEN.

Entire screens exploded with data.

Cameras.

Doors.

Security routes.

Guard positions.

Elevator controls.

Internal communications.

Everything.

Albert stared.

"Holy shit."

The advisor went silent.

Even he looked impressed.

Then every screen suddenly turned red.

RED ALERT.

The entire island immediately knew something was wrong.

Sirens erupted.

Emergency lights activated.

Security doors slammed shut.

Albert pointed at the screens.

"Well."

Shoonya nodded.

"Well."

The advisor sighed.

"You just announced your existence to an entire military installation."

Albert smiled.

"You're welcome."

Shoonya opened the camera feeds.

Hundreds appeared.

Hallways.

Control rooms.

Hangars.

Docks.

Guard stations.

Barracks.

Then—

One feed caught his attention.

A room.

Metal walls.

Several armed guards.

And a woman tied to a chair.

Albert froze.

"...Xiao."

Shoonya zoomed in.

She was alive.

Bruised.

But alive.

Albert immediately stood.

"We're getting her."

"Yes."

Then another figure entered the room.

An old man.

White hair.

Sharp eyes.

Military uniform.

Even through the screen he looked dangerous.

The advisor recognized him instantly.

His voice became serious.

"...Long Wei."

Shoonya looked at the screen.

"Who."

The advisor answered quietly.

"Former Chinese Supreme Strategic Commander."

Albert whistled.

"Big shot?"

"Huge."

Long Wei stopped in front of Xiao.

Even through the camera they could see anger in his eyes.

The old man was shouting.

Xiao was shouting back.

Albert couldn't hear the words.

Only see them.

Then another person entered.

And the atmosphere changed immediately.

The advisor went silent.

Completely silent.

Shoonya noticed.

"Who is that?"

No answer.

"Advisor."

Still silence.

Then—

The advisor finally spoke.

And for the first time since they met him—

he sounded nervous.

"That's not good."

Albert stared at the screen.

The man looked young.

Calm.

Smiling.

Too calm.

Too smiling.

The kind of smile that felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Shoonya narrowed his eyes.

"Name."

The advisor answered.

"Shen Kael."

The room became silent.

Albert didn't know why.

But even hearing the name felt uncomfortable.

On the screen—

Shen Kael smiled.

And somehow—

it felt like he was looking directly into the camera.

Directly at them.

Directly through them.

Albert slowly spoke.

"I don't like him."

Shoonya agreed.

"Neither do I."

The advisor interrupted.

"You have bigger problems."

Shoonya opened another feed.

Then another.

His face changed.

Albert looked.

And immediately understood.

Soldiers.

Everywhere.

Hallways packed.

Staircases packed.

Underground tunnels packed.

The island was moving.

Like a living creature.

Hunting them.

Albert checked the time.

4:13 AM.

Only ninety-nine minutes left.

He swallowed.

"Well."

Shoonya looked at him.

"Well."

Albert loaded a magazine.

"Looks like stealth is over."

Shoonya grabbed his rifle.

A small smile appeared.

The dangerous kind.

"Yeah."

Albert smiled too.

"Hell yeah."

Both men turned toward the exit.

Toward the biggest fight of the operation.

And somewhere far above—

inside a room full of guards—

Xiao Yang finally opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was light.

White.

Cold.

Blinding.

The second thing she saw was a gun.

Then another.

Armed guards surrounded her from every side.

Her wrists were tied behind the chair.

Her head hurt.

Her vision blurred.

For several seconds she couldn't remember where she was.

Then everything came back.

The tower.

The transmission.

The control room.

The mission.

Shoonya.

Albert.

The island.

"...damn."

A guard grabbed her shoulder.

"Quiet."

Xiao glared at him.

"Make me."

The guard raised his hand.

Before he could move—

A voice stopped him.

"Enough."

The room instantly fell silent.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber.

An old man entered.

White hair.

Military coat.

Small eyes.

Commander Long Wei.

Xiao's expression changed immediately.

"...Father."

Long Wei stopped.

For several seconds neither spoke.

The room felt smaller.

The guards looked away.

Even they knew this wasn't their conversation.

Long Wei finally spoke.

"You disappointed me."

Xiao laughed bitterly.

"That's the first thing you say?"

"You betrayed your country."

"I saved people."

"You helped enemies."

"They're trying to stop a war."

Long Wei slammed his fist against the table.

"A war is already here."

The room shook.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Long Wei stared at her.

For a moment—

He didn't look like a commander.

He looked like a father.

A tired one.

An old one.

A broken one.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Xiao's voice softened.

"Do you?"

Long Wei looked away.

The silence lasted several seconds.

Then—

The door opened again.

Everyone in the room straightened immediately.

A younger man entered.

Perfect uniform.

Perfect posture.

Perfect smile.

Too perfect.

Shen Kael.

The smile never left his face.

Not even for a second.

He slowly walked beside Long Wei.

Then looked directly at Xiao.

"Hello."

Xiao didn't answer.

Shen smiled wider.

"I've heard a lot about you."

"Good for you."

"I expected more."

"Get a life."

One of the guards almost laughed.

Long Wei shot him a look.

The guard immediately looked down.

Shen continued smiling.

"You know..."

He crouched beside Xiao.

"...your friends are causing quite a problem."

Xiao's expression didn't change.

"Good."

The smile widened.

"I like that answer."

Meanwhile.

Elsewhere on the island.

Shoonya and Albert sprinted through a maintenance corridor.

Red warning lights flashed across the walls.

Sirens screamed overhead.

Every soldier on the island was moving.

Every camera.

Every checkpoint.

Every patrol.

Everyone was hunting them.

Albert checked the timer.

97 minutes.

"Damn."

Shoonya didn't answer.

Albert looked at him.

"You've gone quiet."

"I'm thinking."

"That's dangerous."

Shoonya ignored him.

Albert smirked.

"Yeah, definitely dangerous."

The advisor's voice crackled through the earpiece.

"We've identified the prison tower."

Shoonya immediately stopped.

"Xiao?"

"Confirmed."

Albert stepped closer.

"Location?"

A holographic marker appeared on Shoonya's wrist display.

Tower Delta.

Northern Sector.

Albert smiled.

"Let's go."

Shoonya didn't move.

Albert frowned.

"What?"

Shoonya zoomed into the island map.

Then another map.

Then another.

Albert already recognized that look.

"Uh oh."

The advisor sighed.

"I don't like that face."

Shoonya pointed toward the center of the island.

"Look."

Albert leaned forward.

At first he saw nothing.

Then—

His eyes widened.

"...wait."

The advisor noticed it too.

"Oh no."

The prison tower.

The server room.

The safe chamber.

The military headquarters.

The underground docks.

All connected.

Not by roads.

Not by hallways.

But by a hidden geometric pattern.

A design.

A network.

A puzzle.

Shoonya smiled.

"The file isn't hidden."

Albert stared.

"What?"

"It's protected."

"That's the same thing."

"No."

Shoonya zoomed in further.

"The entire island is the lock."

Silence.

Albert looked again.

Then again.

Finally—

"Holy shit."

The advisor spoke.

"What are you thinking?"

Shoonya answered instantly.

"The safes."

"The hidden coordinates."

"The missing access routes."

"The prison tower."

"The underground elevators."

"They aren't separate systems."

He looked at the timer.

96 minutes.

"They're one system."

Albert slowly smiled.

"And if you're right?"

Shoonya looked toward the center of the island.

"Then we're standing right on top of Dragon Vein."

The advisor went silent.

Albert loaded another magazine.

Then grinned.

"Now we're talking."

Far away.

Inside the prison tower.

Shen Kael continued smiling.

And for reasons nobody could explain—

it felt like he already knew they were coming.

Red emergency lights flashed across every corridor of Yushan Dao.

The entire island felt alive.

Alarms screamed.

Security doors slammed shut.

Every camera was moving.

Every soldier was searching.

And somewhere inside that chaos—

Shoonya was smiling.

Albert immediately noticed.

"Why are you smiling?"

Shoonya projected the island map from his wrist display.

The blue hologram expanded between them.

"Because we finally have a direction."

Albert looked at the timer.

95 minutes remaining.

"Please tell me that direction isn't suicide."

Shoonya zoomed into the map.

"It depends on your definition."

"Hell nah."

The advisor's voice appeared through the earpiece.

"Focus."

Shoonya opened another window.

A timetable appeared.

OPERATION DEAD TIDE — REMAINING TASKS

05:15 — Gain island control access

05:25 — Reach central sector

05:45 — Locate hidden safe mechanism

06:00 — Rescue Xiao Yang

06:25 — Secure file

06:35 — Reach runway

06:40 — Escape

Albert stared.

"You made a schedule?"

"I make schedules for everything."

"You need help."

The advisor sighed.

"I agree."

Shoonya ignored both of them.

His eyes remained fixed on the island blueprint.

Then—

He pointed toward a narrow passage.

"Here."

Albert leaned closer.

"The underpass?"

"Yes."

The advisor immediately responded.

"Bad idea."

"Why?"

"Thermal cameras show heavy troop concentration."

Shoonya narrowed his eyes.

"How many?"

The advisor hesitated.

Then answered.

"One hundred seventy-four."

Silence.

Albert blinked.

"How many?"

"One hundred seventy-four."

Albert looked at Shoonya.

Then at the hologram.

Then back at Shoonya.

"Hell no."

Shoonya looked at the timer.

Then at the route.

Then calmly said—

"We don't have another option."

IN FEW MINUTES

Shoonya and Albert arrived at the underpass entrance.

And stopped.

Albert slowly looked forward.

The corridor ahead was packed.

Soldiers.

Rows of them.

Dozens.

Then dozens more.

A moving wall of weapons and armor.

Albert exhaled.

"Well."

Shoonya nodded.

"Well."

Albert charge his magazine.

"This is gonna suck."

Then—

Shoonya suddenly froze.

Albert frowned.

"What now?"

Shoonya blinked.

Then smiled.

"Oh."

Albert immediately stepped back.

"Oh no."

Shoonya turned around.

"I forgot something."

"What?"

"My bag."

"...your WHAT?"

"The military bag."

Albert stared.

"The one you forgot to mention until now?"

"Yes."

The advisor groaned.

"Why are you like this?"

Shoonya was already running back toward the safe chamber.

Albert followed.

A minute later—

They entered the room.

Shoonya placed his palm on the black case.

A robotic sound echoed.

CLICK.

HISS.

The container opened.

Blue light flooded the room.

Albert's eyes widened.

Inside rested a futuristic weapon system.

Twin energy-fed assault platforms.

Compact.

Deadly.

Experimental.

Albert whispered—

"No way."

Shoonya smiled.

"I got something for you."

Albert grabbed it instantly.

"Oh this is beautiful."

Shoonya shook his head.

"We're doomed."

Albert turned toward the door.

A grin appeared.

The kind that usually meant trouble.

A lot of trouble.

Then he stepped into the corridor and shouted—

"FUCK YOU, LOSERSS."

And somewhere beyond the walls of Yushan Dao—

the countdown continued.

94 MINUTES REMAINING.

Red lights flashed.

Sirens screamed.

The entire island knew exactly two things.

Someone had breached Yushan Dao.

And those two people were still alive.

Albert stepped into the corridor carrying the twin energy weapons.

A grin stretched across his face.

Shoonya looked at him.

"You look way too happy."

Albert checked the weapon systems.

Blue energy indicators lit up.

"Because this thing is beautiful."

The advisor sighed through the earpiece.

"I already regret this."

"Same."

Shoonya nodded.

"Same."

The underpass entrance stood ahead.

Long.

Narrow.

Concrete walls.

And filled with soldiers.

Rows and rows of them.

A human wall.

Weapons raised.

Defensive positions established.

No easy path through.

Albert counted silently.

Then stopped.

"Yep."

"What?"

"I'm not counting that."

One soldier stepped forward.

"Drop your weapons."

Albert looked behind himself.

Then back at the soldier.

"Who are you talking to?"

The soldier aimed his rifle.

"You."

Albert nodded.

"Makes sense."

Then he looked toward Shoonya.

"Shoot first?"

Shoonya checked the timer.

93 minutes.

"Please."

The next few minutes became chaos.

Energy bolts flashed through the tunnel.

Concrete shattered.

Smoke filled the air.

Soldiers rushed forward.

Others took cover.

The entire underpass became a battlefield.

Albert laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because stress affected him that way.

"THIS IS INSANE!"

Shoonya calmly reloaded.

"Focus."

"I AM FOCUSING."

"No."

"I AM."

"You never focus."

"Fair."

The advisor's voice appeared.

"Additional squads moving toward your position."

Albert groaned.

"Of course they are."

"Estimated arrival in four minutes."

"Fuck you for the information."

Shoonya opened his wrist display while moving.

The island blueprint appeared again.

Hundreds of markers.

Security routes.

Hidden corridors.

Elevator shafts.

Then—

His eyes widened.

He stopped moving.

Albert immediately noticed.

"What now?"

Shoonya zoomed further.

And further.

Then smiled.

"Oh."

Albert froze.

"Oh no."

Shoonya pointed toward the center of the map.

"The island wasn't designed around the military base."

"What?"

"The military base was designed around the island."

Albert blinked.

"...what?"

The advisor spoke.

"Explain."

Shoonya highlighted several structures.

The prison tower.

The server room.

The safe chamber.

The docks.

The headquarters.

Lines connected everything.

Not physical lines.

Geometric lines.

Angles.

Ratios.

Distances.

Patterns.

Albert stared.

"That's not random."

"No."

Shoonya zoomed again.

The lines formed something larger.

A symbol.

Ancient.

Mathematical.

Intentional.

The advisor suddenly went silent.

Completely silent.

Shoonya noticed.

"What?"

The advisor answered slowly.

"I've seen that structure before."

Albert looked up.

"Where?"

A pause.

Then—

"In historical archives."

Both froze.

"What archives?"

The advisor swallowed.

"Ancient Indian archives."

The tunnel became silent.

Even Albert stopped joking.

"What?"

Shoonya looked at the symbol again.

Every line.

Every angle.

Every connection.

Suddenly—

A possibility appeared.

A possibility so ridiculous that he almost rejected it.

Almost.

Far away.

Inside Control Tower.

Xiao sat motionless.

Hands restrained.

Guards surrounding her.

Long Wei stood near the observation window.

Looking outward.

Not speaking.

Not moving.

Just watching.

The old commander's shoulders seemed heavier than before.

Years heavier.

Wars heavier.

Regrets heavier.

Xiao finally spoke.

"Why?"

Long Wei didn't answer.

"Why did it come to this?"

Silence.

Then—

The old man finally turned.

For a moment he wasn't Commander Long Wei.

He was only a father.

A tired father.

And his voice sounded older than ever.

"Because every generation believes it can control history."

His eyes lowered.

"And every generation learns it cannot."

Xiao stared at him.

For the first time—

She saw sadness.

Real sadness.

Not anger.

Not disappointment.

Sadness.

Behind him—

Shen Kael smiled.

Still smiling.

Always smiling.

Watching everything.

Like a predator watching wounded prey.

And somehow—

that smile felt more dangerous than any weapon on the island.

Back inside the underpass.

The battle finally slowed.

Smoke drifted through the corridor.

The path ahead was open.

For now.

Albert leaned against a wall.

Breathing heavily.

Shoonya checked the timer.

31 minutes remaining.

Albert looked.

Then froze.

"Wait, What the fuck"

Shoonya is also shocked.

"We lost sixty-nine minutes."

"SIXTY-NINE?"

"Yes."

"Fuckk."

Albert pointed dramatically at the ceiling.

"THIS IS WHY I HATE TIME."

AND NOW

The underpass doors had sealed.

Steel walls thicker than a tank stood between the two islands.

Shoonya stared at the screen.

Albert stared at the screen.

Neither moved.

On the CCTV feed—

Xiao Yang was alive.

Barely conscious.

Tied to a chair.

Surrounded by guards.

And standing in front of her was the man who had once been her father before he became a symbol of the state.

Long Wei.

Former Supreme Strategic Commander.

Hero to millions.

Father to one.

Long Wei stepped forward.

The room fell silent.

Even the guards avoided eye contact.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Long Wei finally looked at Xiao.

"You had everything."

Xiao laughed weakly.

"No."

His eyes narrowed.

"You had a future."

"I had a cage."

"You had a family."

"I had a commander."

The words hit harder than a bullet.

Long Wei looked away.

For the first time—

he seemed old.

Not powerful.

Not feared.

Just old.

Then the door opened.

The room changed instantly.

A cold feeling spread through the chamber.

Shen Kael.

The smiling man.

The man who never stopped smiling.

The man whose eyes never smiled.

He walked inside slowly.

Calmly.

Like he already knew the ending.

Meanwhile—

Shoonya and Albert were running.

Full speed.

Every corridor flashed red.

Every alarm screamed.

Every second mattered.

Albert looked at the timer.

"Thirty-one minutes."

Shoonya didn't answer.

Albert looked again.

"You heard me?"

"I did."

"Any brilliant ideas?"

"Several."

"Any good ones?"

Shoonya ignored him.

Back in the tower—

Shen stood beside Xiao.

Then crouched.

Then smiled.

"Your friends are listening."

Xiao froze.

Only for a fraction of a second.

But Shen noticed.

His smile widened.

"There it is."

Long Wei looked confused.

Shen pointed toward the control console.

Toward a tiny blinking light.

The microphone.

The room became silent.

Long Wei slowly turned.

His expression changed immediately.

On the CCTV feed—

Albert stopped running.

"Oh no."

Shoonya's face darkened.

"They found it."

Back inside the tower—

Long Wei walked to the console.

The microphone was active.

Everything he had said—

Every word—

Every secret—

Could have been heard.

His hands trembled.

Not from fear.

From realization.

Xiao suddenly spoke.

"Then hurry up."

Both men looked at her.

"If you're going to kill me, stop wasting time."

Long Wei looked shocked.

"Xiao—"

"You already chose."

Silence.

"You chose China."

Another silence.

"You never chose me."

Long Wei couldn't answer.

Because she was right.

Shen watched the entire exchange like a spectator watching a play.

Then he laughed softly.

"Interesting."

His smile returned.

"Let's finish this."

Far away—

Shoonya and Albert kept watching.

Neither said a word.

Shen stepped toward Long Wei.

"The angles."

Long Wei looked at him.

Shen nodded.

"The prisoner wants her final wish."

Long Wei closed his eyes.

For several seconds—

nothing happened.

Then he finally spoke.

"The first safe."

Albert immediately grabbed a notebook.

"Come on..."

Long Wei continued.

"Seventy-five degrees."

Albert wrote.

Shoonya memorized.

"The second."

"Forty-six point seven degrees."

Albert wrote faster.

"The third."

"Ninety degrees."

Shoonya's eyes widened.

Three angles.

Three safes.

Three keys.

Exactly as predicted.

Xiao looked down.

A tiny smile appeared.

The microphone was still active.

Still transmitting.

Still working.

Albert grinned.

"We got it."

Shoonya shook his head.

"Not yet."

"There are four safes."

Albert's smile disappeared.

"Oh."

Long Wei inhaled slowly.

"The fourth angle is—"

"Enough."

The voice came from Shen.

Instantly.

Cold.

Sharp.

Dangerous.

The smile vanished.

For the first time.

The room became terrifying.

Shen walked toward the console.

Looked down.

Saw the microphone.

Saw the blinking light.

Understood everything.

"Oh."

He smiled again.

"Were you helping them?"

Xiao didn't answer.

Shen turned toward Long Wei.

Neither spoke.

But both understood.

The secret was compromised.

Then—

Xiao moved.

Fast.

Faster than anyone expected.

She lunged toward the control panel.

Her tied hands slammed against a large red switch.

EMERGENCY ISLAND SEAL

The entire facility shook.

Warning lights exploded across the room.

Sirens activated.

SYSTEM ALERT.

ISLAND DIVISION LOCKDOWN.

ESTIMATED REOPEN TIME: 3 HOURS.

Albert stopped running.

"What happened?"

Shoonya looked at the map.

The larger island had completely sealed itself.

Every route closed.

Every bridge locked.

Every access point gone.

Back in the tower—

Everyone stared at the screen.

Even Shen.

For the first time—

his smile faltered.

Xiao laughed.

A tired laugh.

But a victorious one.

"You wanted time?"

She smiled.

"I gave them time."

Long Wei stared at his daughter.

Realizing exactly what she had done.

The mission could still continue.

The file could still be found.

The war could still be stopped.

Because of her.

Shen slowly raised his weapon.

Long Wei stepped forward.

"Wait."

Shen ignored him.

Xiao looked toward the ceiling.

As if she could somehow see the two men listening.

Then she whispered:

"Finish it."

The microphone transmitted every word.

Shoonya froze.

Albert froze.

Neither breathed.

A single sound echoed through the speaker.

Then silence.

Complete silence.

The CCTV feed cut out.

Static filled the screen.

Nothing else.

Albert slowly lowered his head.

The notebook slipped from his hand.

For several seconds—

nobody spoke.

Shoonya stared at the dead screen.

Unable to move.

Unable to think.

Then he looked at the timer.

30 MINUTES REMAINING.

Albert's voice finally came out.

Quiet.

Broken.

"What now?"

Shoonya closed his eyes.

Then opened them.

The sadness was still there.

But something else had appeared.

Focus.

"We finish the mission."

Albert didn't answer.

Shoonya picked up the notebook.

Looked at the three angles.

75°.

46.7°.

90°.

And one missing angle.

Then he turned toward the safe chamber.

Shoonya looked at the timer.

28:00

Every second mattered.

Every second wasted meant failure.

But for the first time during the mission—

he couldn't move.

Then Albert spoke.

Quietly.

"So..."

Shoonya looked at him.

Albert kept staring at the screen.

"She actually did it."

No answer.

"She knew."

Still no answer.

Albert nodded.

As if confirming something to himself.

Then he turned away from the screen.

And started walking.

Shoonya followed.

Neither spoke.

Neither looked back.

SAFE CHAMBER

Three safes stood in front of them.

The same room.

The same drugs.

The same false treasure.

Except now—

they understood.

These weren't safes.

They were keys.

Albert dropped the notebook.

"Let's finish this."

Shoonya nodded.

"75 degrees."

Together they pushed.

The first safe rotated.

A metallic click echoed through the chamber.

"46.7."

Second safe rotated.

Another click.

"90."

Third safe rotated.

A louder click.

Nothing happened.

Albert looked around.

"Now what?"

Shoonya stared at the fourth safe.

The only one left.

The unknown variable.

The final angle.

THE CALCULATION

Shoonya opened a holographic screen.

Numbers appeared.

Coordinates.

Island schematics.

Architectural data.

Chinese military engineering patterns.

Albert sighed.

"Here we go."

Shoonya ignored him.

His fingers moved rapidly.

Equations filled the screen.

The first three angles formed a sequence.

75°

46.7°

90°

Shoonya whispered:

"Not random."

He began writing.

75 + 46.7 + 90

= 211.7

"No."

More calculations.

Trigonometric relationships.

Circular geometry.

Rotational alignment.

sin⁡(75∘)\sin(75^\circ)sin(75∘) cos⁡(46.7∘)\cos(46.7^\circ)cos(46.7∘) tan⁡(90∘)\tan(90^\circ)tan(90∘)

Albert blinked.

"I hate math."

Shoonya zoomed into the island blueprint.

Then the tower blueprint.

Then the underground layout.

Suddenly—

he froze.

"Wait."

Albert immediately noticed.

"What?"

Shoonya pointed.

"The safes aren't being used as safes."

"What are they?"

"Compass markers."

Albert frowned.

Shoonya continued.

"The angles don't represent locks."

"They represent orientation."

He drew a circle.

360 degrees.

Then marked the first three points.

75°

46.7°

90°

A pattern appeared.

"The fourth position..."

More calculations.

More formulas.

More geometry.

Albert watched helplessly.

Finally—

Shoonya stepped back.

"There are only two possibilities."

Albert leaned forward.

"180 degrees."

"And?"

"360."

Albert smiled.

"That's much simpler."

"Not really."

"Why?"

Shoonya pointed at the walls.

Tiny holes.

Tiny openings.

Almost invisible.

Albert's smile vanished.

"Oh."

"Exactly."

THE TEST

Gas masks.

Heavy tables.

Steel crates.

Everything was dragged into position.

Albert looked confused.

"You're expecting a trap."

"I'm expecting several."

Albert nodded.

"Fair."

He grabbed the final safe.

"180?"

Shoonya nodded.

"Do it."

Albert rotated it.

CLICK

Nothing happened.

For half a second.

Then—

every hole inside the room opened.

Automatic defense system activated.

Shoonya immediately tackled Albert behind cover.

A storm of gunfire erupted.

The room exploded with noise.

Rounds slammed into walls.

Metal shattered.

Sparks flew everywhere.

At the same time—

green gas poured from vents.

Albert stared.

"Holy—"

"Gas mask."

Albert instantly obeyed.

The barrage continued.

And continued.

Three minutes.

Three full minutes.

Then silence.

The trap ended.

Albert looked at Shoonya.

"How did you know?"

Shoonya pointed upward.

"The holes."

Albert laughed.

Even now.

Even after everything.

"Of course you noticed holes."

THE REAL ANSWER

Shoonya stood.

Walked to the safe.

"360 degrees."

Albert rotated it completely.

CLUNK

The room shook.

A hidden wall slowly opened.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Ancient machinery awakened.

Beyond it—

a narrow passage.

At the end—

an elevator.

Albert stared.

"No way."

Shoonya smiled.

"The Dragon Vein."

The elevator doors opened.

And below them—

800 meters beneath the ocean—

Time Remaining: 18 Minutes

The elevator descended.

100 meters.

200 meters.

300 meters.

No one spoke.

The only sound was metal grinding against metal.

Albert leaned against the wall.

Still breathing heavily from the firefight.

Still staring at the notebook in his hand.

The notebook containing Xiao's final gift.

75°.

46.7°.

90°.

Shoonya stood motionless.

Eyes closed.

Thinking.

Calculating.

Planning.

Always planning.

The elevator display changed.

400m.

500m.

600m.

Albert finally broke the silence.

"Do you think she knew?"

Shoonya didn't open his eyes.

"Knew what?"

"That she'd die."

Silence.

Then—

"Yes."

Albert looked down.

The elevator continued descending.

700m.

750m.

790m.

799m.

800m.

DING

The doors opened.

Both men froze.

The place looked impossible.

An enormous underground chamber stretched before them.

Hidden beneath the ocean floor.

Massive support pillars rose into darkness.

Water flowed through reinforced glass tunnels.

Blue lights illuminated the structure.

Gigantic generators powered the facility.

Albert slowly looked around.

"Holy shit."

Even Shoonya looked impressed.

"This wasn't built to protect a file."

Albert nodded.

"It was built to hide history."

At the far end of the chamber—

a single platform stood.

And on that platform—

a safe.

Just one.

No guards.

No cameras.

No alarms.

Which immediately made both men suspicious.

"Too easy."

Albert muttered.

"Very."

Shoonya replied.

They slowly approached.

The safe was enormous.

Nearly three meters tall.

Constructed from black alloy.

Covered in Chinese military markings.

And at its center—

a digital lock.

Shoonya activated his wrist projector.

The lock came alive.

CODE REQUIRED

ACCESS DENIED

Albert sighed.

"Wonderful."

Shoonya began typing.

Nothing.

Another attempt.

Nothing.

Another.

Nothing.

Albert checked the timer.

16 minutes.

"Shoonya."

No answer.

"Shoonya."

Still nothing.

"SHOONYA."

"What."

"Sixteen minutes."

"I'm aware."

"Then hurry up."

"I'm trying."

Albert looked at the lock.

Then at Shoonya.

Then back at the lock.

Then smiled.

A dangerous smile.

Shoonya noticed.

"Oh no."

Albert pulled out his pistol.

"Shoonya."

"What?"

"Question."

"No."

"How many years did you spend learning cryptography?"

"Seven."

"How many years learning military strategy?"

"Ten."

"How many years studying quantum computation?"

"Three."

Albert nodded.

"Cool."

Then raised his gun.

Shoonya's eyes widened.

"Albert—"

BANG

The lock exploded.

The chamber echoed.

Silence.

Albert holstered the weapon.

The safe clicked.

Then opened.

Shoonya stared.

Albert grinned.

"Three seconds."

Shoonya looked genuinely offended.

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

Inside the safe—

a single black container.

Nothing else.

No gold.

No money.

No weapons.

Just one container.

Shoonya opened it.

Inside—

thousands of digital storage wafers.

Documents.

Records.

Archives.

Military logs.

Historical files.

A label was printed on top.

PROJECT DRAGON VEIN

CLASSIFICATION: ABSOLUTE

TOTAL DRIVES: 25

TOTAL PAGES: 25,000

Albert looked at it.

"That's definitely our file."

Shoonya nodded.

Then his expression changed.

He opened the first document.

Read one page.

Then another.

Albert immediately noticed.

"What?"

Shoonya didn't answer.

"What?"

Still nothing.

"What did you find?"

Shoonya slowly looked up.

For the first time during the mission—

he looked shocked.

Not surprised.

Not impressed.

Not curious.

Shocked.

Albert swallowed.

"What is it?"

Shoonya turned the screen toward him.

Albert read.

Ten seconds passed.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Then Albert's face changed too.

"No."

Shoonya nodded.

"Yes."

"This can't be real."

"It is."

Albert looked back at the file.

Then whispered—

"Everything we've been taught..."

"...was a lie."

Suddenly—

every alarm in the facility activated.

WARNING INTRUDERS DETECTED FACILITY LOCKDOWN IN 10 MINUTES

Albert looked at the timer.

10 Minutes.

Only 10.

Shoonya immediately grabbed the container.

"Move."

Both men sprinted toward the elevator.

The final phase had begun.

Time Remaining: 10 Minutes

The elevator shot upward.

800 meters.

Neither spoke.

The black container sat between them.

25,000 files.

25,000 secrets.

25,000 reasons for nations to burn.

Albert stared at it.

Shoonya stared at the timer.

09:42 MINUTES LEFT

Albert finally spoke.

"What did you see?"

Shoonya remained silent.

"What was in those files?"

Still nothing.

Albert frowned.

"Shoonya."

The answer came quietly.

"Later."

"That bad?"

Shoonya looked at him.

For the first time since they entered the vault—

Albert saw fear.

Not physical fear.

Not fear of death.

Something worse.

Fear of knowledge.

The elevator stopped.

DING

The doors opened.

Immediately—

sirens exploded throughout the facility.

WARNING.

SECURITY BREACH.

ALL PERSONNEL MOBILIZE.

Albert sighed.

"Well."

Shoonya loaded his rifle.

"Well."

Both sprinted.

08:57

The corridors were chaos.

Soldiers running.

Engineers evacuating.

Emergency bulkheads closing.

Nobody expected intruders to emerge from the Dragon Vein.

Which gave them exactly one advantage.

Confusion.

Albert pointed ahead.

"Runway access."

Shoonya nodded.

The two moved through maintenance tunnels.

Past fuel lines.

Past underground hangars.

Past ammunition depots.

Finally—

a massive blast door appeared.

RUNWAY B-7

Shoonya slammed the override.

The door opened.

And both froze.

Dozens of aircraft.

Rows of futuristic fighters.

Fuel crews.

Ground staff.

Pilots.

The entire escape fleet.

Albert whistled.

"Now that's beautiful."

The runway lights illuminated the darkness.

At the far end—

two black aircraft stood apart from the others.

Shoonya smiled.

"There."

Albert looked.

Then laughed.

"No way."

The fighters looked different.

Smaller.

Sharper.

Faster.

Built like weapons instead of aircraft.

VAYU-X STRIKE INTERCEPTOR MACH 8 CAPABLE

Albert immediately started running.

The pilots noticed.

One shouted.

Another pointed.

Then the alarm reached them.

INTRUDERS.

Everything exploded into motion.

Soldiers rushed forward.

Pilots grabbed weapons.

Ground crews scattered.

Shoonya and Albert opened fire.

The runway became a battlefield.

Albert kicked over a fuel cart.

The vehicle rolled across the tarmac.

A fighter's engine ignited.

The cart exploded.

Fire erupted across part of the runway.

Albert grinned.

"That looked expensive."

Shoonya didn't even look back.

"It was."

07:01

Both reached the aircraft.

Albert stopped.

Then looked at Shoonya.

Then looked at the aircraft.

Then looked back at Shoonya.

"Problem."

Shoonya frowned.

"What?"

Albert pointed.

"Those are single-seat fighters."

Silence.

Shoonya blinked.

Albert blinked.

Both stared at each other.

"..."

Albert spoke first.

"You have a plan."

"Obviously."

Albert smiled.

"I knew it."

Shoonya opened the cockpit.

Then froze.

"Oh."

Albert's smile vanished.

"Oh?"

Shoonya looked back.

"I don't have a plan."

Albert stared.

"What."

"I genuinely forgot about that."

Albert nearly collapsed.

"You forgot?!"

"We were being shot at."

"THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE."

06:12

More soldiers appeared.

Albert immediately climbed onto the fighter.

"Move over."

"What?"

"Move over."

"This is a terrible idea."

"Every idea you have is terrible."

Fair point.

Shoonya climbed inside.

Albert somehow squeezed in behind him.

Both were extremely uncomfortable.

Neither acknowledged it.

The engine roared.

IGNITION SUCCESSFUL

Albert grinned.

"Let's go."

Shoonya sighed.

"Please shut up."

The aircraft accelerated.

100 km/h.

Then—

TAKEOFF.

The fighter shot into the sky.

05:21

Below them—

Yushan Dao burned.

Above them—

Chapter 18 - OPERATION DEAD TIDE