Chapter 256

In the roaring sound of lake water pouring into his eardrums, Luo Fei saw a layer of ghostly blue fluorescence floating on the surface of the suitcase. The moment the military dagger cut the binding tape, the secret compartment ejected a micro-oxygen tank—Zhou Shichang obviously prepared a backup for his escape.

Dense gunfire came from the water surface, and the bubble groups exploded by the bullets on the water surface were like fireworks of death. Luo Fei bit the oxygen tube and dived towards the shadow of the floodgate with the suitcase. In the night vision goggles, the outlines of three frogmen were surrounding him in a fan shape.

The moment the leading frogman raised the fish gun, Luo Fei stepped on the gate iron mesh and turned over to dive. The steel arrow grazed his back and nailed into the reef, and the exploded algae formed a natural smoke bomb. He took the opportunity to open the suitcase, and the document title in the waterproof interlayer stung his pupils: "Thorium-based Water Purification Agent International Procurement Agreement".

Gu Changzheng stared at the chasing light spots on the sonar screen and suddenly grabbed the walkie-talkie: "Prepare the detonation plan!" The abandoned pump house on the east bank of Longhu exploded in response, and the pre-buried dye stained the lake water ink black.

Luo Fei touched the gate inspection port in the chaos, and the fingerprint lock flashed red. He tore off the military tag from his neck, and the sharp metal piece on the edge was inserted into the card slot—this was the cracking method for the door access of Chen Guodong's laboratory. The gap opened by the gate was just enough for him to squeeze in sideways, and the pursuer's fish gun got stuck in the door frame, making a harsh friction sound.

Corrupt water grass floated in the dark drainage tunnel. Luo Fei's tactical flashlight swept across the tunnel wall, and a certain cement repair trace was unusually regular. The dagger pried open the camouflaged wall, revealing a safe embedded in the concrete, and the electronic screen showed that dual-factor authentication was required.

Chen Guodong's recording echoed strangely in the tunnel: "...... the evidence is in the heart......" Luo Fei suddenly tore open the document bag, and the fingerprint oil on the signature page of the procurement agreement appeared under ultraviolet light—besides Zhou Shichang's fingerprints, there was a small child's fingerprint.

Footsteps came from the depths of the tunnel, and three black shadows raised silenced pistols at the corner. Luo Fei turned off the flashlight and held his breath in the recess of the tunnel wall. Bullets hit the water puddle behind him. He judged the position according to the muzzle fire, threw the dagger and hit the knee of the nearest killer.

Close-quarters combat took place in the pitch black. Luo Fei heard the ceramic insert of the other party's bulletproof vest shatter. There were two bullets left in the captured pistol. He shot at the power cable at the top of the tunnel, and the falling distribution box hit the last killer.

The safe made a light sound of gear rotation at this time. The fingerprint and iris scan of Chen Guodong's daughter at the age of five passed the verification. Inside the cabinet, besides stacks of overseas company account books, there was an old Nokia mobile phone, and the only number in the address book was marked "Xiaoyu".

Gu Changzheng's voice suddenly came from the walkie-talkie: "There is a problem with the guardianship record of Chen Guodong's daughter Chen Yuxin!" The background sound was mixed with airport broadcasts, "She was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland at the age of ten, and the sponsor is an overseas environmental foundation."

Luo Fei pressed the talk button, and the Nokia suddenly received an encrypted MMS. In the blurry monitoring screen, 15-year-old Chen Yuxin was operating a centrifuge in the laboratory, and the mentor behind her was the German representative of the Hannover Chemical Exhibition that year.

The one-way glass in the interrogation room reflected Zhou Shichang's twisted face: "That girl volunteered to be a hostage, she is much smarter than her father." He licked his cracked lips, "Know why thorium-based catalysts were chosen? The pure water treatment market is just a cover......"

Old Zheng suddenly rushed in and threw the latest test report on the table: "Chen Yuxin's paper published last year discusses the application of thorium elements in nuclear batteries!" In the paragraph glowing with fluorescence, the four words "room temperature nuclear reaction" were heavily circled.

Gu Changzheng's tablet popped up an emergency notice: Two hours ago, a cargo ship registered in the Virgin Islands was heading to the high seas. The cargo list indicated "new water purification equipment", and the departure place was exactly the Longhu cargo wharf.

The wharf searchlights cut the night sky into fragments. When Luo Fei led people to raid, the crane was hoisting the last container. Gao Ye broke the steel cable with a sniper rifle, and the falling container smashed open, revealing lead-gray cylindrical equipment.

"This is not a water purifier!" Ye Lin's radiation detector exploded, "This is a primary module of a thorium-based nuclear reactor!"

A black shadow flashed out of the cabin. Chen Yuxin's white coat hunted in the wind. She raised the remote control: "Make way, otherwise I'll detonate the reactor." On her wrist, which slipped from her cuff, there was a child's fingerprint brand identical to the one in the safe.

Luo Fei took half a step forward: "Your father left something for you." He threw the Nokia mobile phone. The moment Chen Yuxin caught it, the standby screen lit up—it was a photo of her riding on Chen Guodong's shoulders watching fireworks at the age of five.

The cargo ship suddenly sounded a harsh whistle, and the German representative rushed out of the cockpit. Chen Yuxin's eyes changed drastically, and the remote control fell. Luo Fei flew to catch it and rolled on the deck to dodge the bullets. Gu Changzheng led people to surround from the ship's side, and the final melee unfolded under the searchlights.

In the entanglement, Chen Yuxin tore open the German representative's shirt, and the radioactive burn on his collarbone was clearly visible. "They used me as a hostage to force my dad to sign..." She stuffed the USB flash drive to Luo Fei, "This is the real reactor data!"

The cargo ship suddenly tilted, and the smugglers started the self-sinking program. When Luo Fei pulled Chen Yuxin to jump into the sea, he saw a barcode tattoo appearing on the back of her neck—that was the property number of an overseas laboratory. In the distance, the Coast Guard's helicopter cut through the night sky, while deeper darkness was brewing somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.