Chapter 1186: Pure Eye

Breakfast ended.

Members of the Saladin Family left the dining room one after another.

In the end, only Alan, Yingzhou, and the servant clearing the tableware remained.

Alan said to Yingzhou.

"People from the Pure Eye will arrive in half an hour. We need to prepare."

"The meeting location is a research facility on the edge of the family territory, nominally a geological laboratory for Saladin Mining, but actually a secret stronghold of the Pure Eye."

"How do you know this?"

Yingzhou asked.

"Intelligence Lina gave me last night."

Alan said.

"She works in the Intelligence Department and can access some classified information. She said that facility has top-level security, and entry and exit require special permission. But today, as invitees, we can enter directly."

"The content of the meeting?"

"Unclear. If you feel anything is wrong, anything dangerous, tell me immediately."

Yingzhou nodded.

"I will, Major."

They left the dining room and headed to Alan's room to prepare.

On the way, Yingzhou said in a low voice.

"That move just now was very professional. You didn't kill him."

"No need. Death would cause an overreaction. Serious injury plus humiliation can establish authority without triggering a full-scale confrontation. Besides, the location of the wound was chosen carefully: the pain is intense, the bleeding is significant, but it won't cause permanent disability; it will recover in two weeks."

"This way, his retaliation will be controlled within the scope of 'internal family strife' and won't escalate to the level of a 'blood feud'."

Back in the room, Alan changed into his formal officer uniform and wore all his medals.

Yingzhou also changed into a neat soldier uniform to accompany him as his Adjutant.

After getting ready, they headed to the main entrance of the manor.

Lina was already waiting there.

"I'll go with you, but I can only go to the perimeter. I don't have entry permission."

"Thank you, Lina."

Alan said.

Lina looked at Yingzhou.

"Corporal Kelan, please be sure to take good care of my brother. The people from the Pure Eye... are not simple. If they ask about the prisoner-of-war camp, answer carefully."

"I understand, Miss."

The three boarded a ground vehicle, a streamlined hovercar.

The vehicle started and drove out of the manor.

Inside the car, Lina provided more information.

"That facility was established five years ago, nominally to study 'the reaction of rare minerals to psionic energy.' But according to the internal reports I obtained, what they are actually studying includes: Ancient Civilization Relic Fragments, biological samples, and... brain scans of living Psionics."

"Living ones?"

Alan frowned.

"Volunteers, at least on the surface they are volunteers."

Lina said.

"The Pure Eye recruits 'Psionic Sensitives' to participate in experiments with high rewards. But some people never came out after going in. Some in the family raised questions, but they were suppressed; the Pure Eye has a protective umbrella in the upper echelons."

"The Supreme Council?"

Yingzhou asked.

Lina looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"Guessed. Only the highest power level can suppress such controversy in the Fengqi Star Alliance."

"Yes. Although there is no evidence, the Pure Eye is indeed connected to the Supreme Council. This is also why the family dares not openly oppose them."

The vehicle drove into a mountain tunnel. The lights became dim.

"Ten minutes until arrival."

The driver reported.

Lina took two small devices from under the seat and handed them to Alan and Yingzhou.

"Hidden Communicators. Implant them into your ear canals; they aren't visible on the surface. I can remotely monitor your situation. If I hear a danger signal, I will immediately bring people to rush in, although it might not be of much use, but at least it's a threat."

Alan took the device and skillfully implanted it into his right ear. Yingzhou did the same.

"Also,"

Lina took out two more pills.

"Fast-acting Antidote, which can counter most nerve agents and biological toxins. If you feel something is wrong, swallow it immediately. It will buy you ten minutes, enough to retreat to the vehicle."

"You are well prepared."

Alan said.

Lina gave a bitter smile.

"You are the only brother I have left, and I don't want to lose you again."

Light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

The vehicle drove out of the tunnel and stopped in front of a checkpoint.

This was already a completely different scene.

High walls, electric fences, sentry towers, fully armed guards.

The private armed forces of the Pure Eye.

A guard stepped forward to scan the vehicle.

"Identity verification."

Lina lowered the car window and handed over a data card.

The guard inserted the card into a handheld terminal to check the information.

"Major Alan Saladin Weike, Corporal Kolan Weike. Authorization confirmed. But this lady..."

"I am only dropping them off. I am not entering."

The guard nodded.

"Park the vehicle in the outer parking lot. You two, please exit the vehicle and undergo a security check."

Alan and Yingzhou got out of the car.

After the check passed, a guard said.

"Please follow me."

The guard led the two to a room.

The light in the room was dim to the point of being deliberate.

The beam of light shining straight down from the ceiling formed a bright circle around Lost, and he himself sat on a chair in the center of the circle.

But as soon as Yingzhou entered the room, he felt that something was wrong.

There were no deep psionic fluctuations, no time distortion, no spatial anomalies, and not even the energy residue that a typical research facility should have.

"Please sit, both of you."

Lost spoke up.

Alan and Yingzhou sat down on the designated chairs.

After saluting, Alan said.

"Lord Lost. Thank you for your invitation. But please forgive my directness; we thought this was a facility for researching mirror rifts."

Lost's cloudy white eyes turned slightly.

"Mirror rifts..."

Lost repeated the term, his fingers tapping lightly on the Bone Staff.

"That is a... grand project. But as you have seen, research requires time, requires resources, requires... patience."

He made an exaggerated gesture, pointing outside the room.

"Those devices outside, those experiments, all serve the ultimate goal. We are researching the interaction between psionics and matter, researching the theoretical foundations of mirror rifts, researching..."

"Researching how to maintain the appearance of the project's existence with the least amount of cost."

Yingzhou spoke up suddenly.

The room fell into a brief Silence.

Lost's cloudy white eyes "focused" on Yingzhou.

"Corporal Kolan, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean that from the moment we entered this facility until now, the so-called 'research equipment' we have seen is mostly outdated models, and some are not even powered on.

Those 'test subjects' in the corridor have stiff movements and patterned reactions; they are more like holographic projections than real people."

Every word pierced through.

Lost's expression did not change, but his fingers tapping the Bone Staff stopped.

After a long while, Lost laughed.

"Interesting. An ordinary soldier, to have such observational skills. Major Alan, this Adjutant of yours is not simple."

Alan responded calmly.

"Those who survive on the battlefield are never simple."