Chapter 256: The Abyss Key

In the roar of water flooding his eardrums, Luo Fei saw a faint blue luminescence rise across the surface of the briefcase. The instant the military dagger severed the binding straps, a micro oxygen tank shot out from the hidden compartment—Zhou Shichang had clearly prepared an escape plan.

Dense gunfire echoed across the water’s surface, bullets exploding into bubbles like fireworks of death. Luo Fei bit down on the oxygen tube, clutching the case as he dove toward the shadow of the floodgate. Through his night-vision goggles, three frogmen’s silhouettes were sweeping toward him in a fan formation.

At the moment the lead frogman raised his spear gun, Luo Fei kicked off the gate’s iron mesh and plunged downward. The steel dart grazed his back and embedded itself in the reef, exploding algae into a natural smoke screen. He seized the chance to open the briefcase—the title on the waterproof folder stabbed his pupils: “Thorium-Based Water Purifier International Procurement Agreement.”

Gu Changzheng stared at the pursuit dots on the sonar screen, then grabbed the radio: “Activate contingency plan!” The abandoned pump house on the eastern shore of Longhu Lake exploded as planned, the pre-planted dye turning the lake water pitch black.

In the chaos, Luo Fei found the gate’s maintenance access; the fingerprint lock glowed red. He tore off his military ID, jammed its sharp metal edge into the slot—the same method Chen Guodong’s lab used to bypass its door lock. The gate cracked open just wide enough for him to squeeze through sideways; the frogmen’s spears jammed against the frame, screeching in protest.

In the dim tunnel, decaying aquatic weeds floated. Luo Fei’s tactical flashlight swept the walls—some cement repairs were unnaturally uniform. His dagger pried open the disguised wall, revealing a safe embedded in the concrete. The digital screen demanded two-factor authentication.

Chen Guodong’s recording echoed strangely through the tunnel: “...The evidence is in the heart...” Luo Fei suddenly ripped open the file bag—the ink from the procurement agreement’s signature page glowed under UV light: beside Zhou Shichang’s fingerprint, a tiny child’s print.

Footsteps echoed from deep in the tunnel; three shadows raised silenced pistols around the corner. Luo Fei turned off his flashlight, pressed against a recess in the wall, held his breath. Bullets struck the puddle behind him; he judged their positions by muzzle flashes and hurled his dagger, striking the nearest killer’s knee.

Hand-to-hand combat unfolded in darkness. Luo Fei heard the ceramic plates of their body armor shatter. His stolen pistol had two rounds left—he fired at the ceiling cables. The falling distribution box crushed the last assassin.

The safe emitted a soft click of turning gears. The fingerprint and iris scan of Chen Guodong’s five-year-old daughter passed verification. Inside, stacked ledgers of offshore companies lay beside an old Nokia phone—its contact list held only one number, labeled “Xiao Yu.”

Gu Changzheng’s voice crackled through the radio: “There’s an issue with Chen Yuxin’s guardianship records!” Background noise included airport announcements: “She was sent to a Swiss boarding school at age ten, funded by an overseas environmental foundation.”

Luo Fei pressed the call button. The Nokia suddenly received an encrypted MMS. In the blurry surveillance footage, fifteen-year-old Chen Yuxin operated a centrifuge in the lab—behind her, her mentor was the German representative from the Hannover Chemical Expo.

The one-way glass of the interrogation room reflected Zhou Shichang’s twisted face: “The girl volunteered as a hostage. She’s smarter than her father.” He licked his cracked lips: “Do you know why we chose thorium-based catalysts? The pure water market is just a cover...”

Lao Zheng burst in, slamming the latest lab report onto the table: “Chen Yuxin’s paper last year discussed thorium’s application in nuclear batteries!” Fluorescent passages highlighted the four characters: “Room-Temperature Nuclear Reaction.”

Gu Changzheng’s tablet flashed an emergency alert: Two hours ago, a vessel registered in the Virgin Islands was heading toward international waters, its manifest listing “New Water Purification Equipment,” with departure point: Longhu Cargo Pier.

Searchlights sliced through the night sky like shards. As Luo Fei led the raid, a crane was lifting the final container. Gao Ye fired at the steel cable with his sniper rifle—the falling container burst open, revealing a lead-gray cylindrical device.

“This isn’t a water purifier!” Ye Lin’s radiation detector spiked: “It’s a primary module of a thorium-based nuclear reactor!”

A shadow slipped from the ship’s hold; Chen Yuxin’s white coat flapped in the wind. She raised the remote: “Stand down—or I detonate the reactor.” The wrist beneath her sleeve bore the same child’s fingerprint tattoo as the safe.

Luo Fei stepped forward half a pace: “Your father left you something.” He tossed the Nokia. The instant Chen Yuxin caught it, the standby screen lit up—a photo of her at age five, riding on Chen Guodong’s shoulders watching fireworks.

The freighter blared a piercing whistle. The German representative burst from the bridge. Chen Yuxin’s eyes changed—her remote slipped from her hand. Luo Fei lunged, caught it, rolled across the deck to dodge bullets. Gu Changzheng’s team flanked the ship’s side; under the searchlights, the final battle erupted.

In the struggle, Chen Yuxin tore open the German’s shirt—his clavicle bore a glaring radioactive burn. “They used me as leverage to force Dad to sign...” She shoved a USB drive into Luo Fei’s hand: “This is the real reactor data!”

The freighter suddenly tilted—the smugglers activated the scuttling sequence. As Luo Fei dragged Chen Yuxin into the sea, he saw a barcode tattoo on her nape—the property ID of an overseas lab. A coast guard helicopter pierced the night sky far away, while deeper darkness brewed somewhere in the Pacific.