Chapter 36: The Impossible Task – Section 3

A cold cabin, a cold man.
His military uniform was long torn, with wounds of various sizes still bleeding. The muscles around the wounds were bulging, revealing a deathly pale hue from excessive blood loss. Yet his posture remained straight. Even though a tough rope tightly bound his arms, his back remained as straight as that of a spear.
No, to be precise, he himself was like a spear—a spear that could pierce anything.
General Lin Hao had joined the army at sixteen and fought in countless battles throughout his life. From a trembling recruit at the sound of gunfire to a commander leading thousands of troops, his journey had been full of hardships. Like all men, beneath his seemingly strong exterior, he had also experienced hesitation, confusion, difficulties, and even fear. But he never backed down. Even now, in his sixties, he still remembered the words of his first squad leader:
“Keep your back straight! Don’t act like a woman!”
His arms were numb from the tight binding, but a piercing pain seeped through the numbness. It was as if ants were gnawing at General Lin Hao’s nerves. Yet he still held his chest out. The excruciating pain kept him alert, preventing him from losing himself in numbness. It also allowed him to make some observations. This was a binding technique used by American special forces. He must have fallen into their hands. From what he knew, more “treatments” awaited him in the days to come.
General Lin Hao knew he held too many secrets. Unless those secrets were extracted, those American scumbags would not let him go. But instead of fearing them, he felt somewhat excited.
Because it meant he wouldn’t have to die for a long time.
General Lin Hao never considered himself a hero, so he didn’t see fear of death as shameful. But compared to death, he feared something else—a secret known only to him, one that was crucial tothe entire Huaguo.
The gene map.
Those American brats probably couldn’t imagine that their long-planned, prideful actions were actually a joke. The gene map they treasured was merely a bait prepared by General Lin Hao. The real gene map was on him, right now.

It wasn’t General Lin Hao being prophetic. It was a precautionary measure based on intelligence. Some time ago, an agent stationed in the United States by Huaguo sent a brief message, clearly stating that there were also numerous American spies in Huaguo. Although the agent disappeared after sending the message, it caused great concern among Huaguo’s high-ranking officials. For this mission, General Lin Hao specially created a fake gene map as a bait.

He never expected there to be so many, so skilled American spies, and their desire for that gene map to be so intense. They were even willing to sacrifice over fifty of their latest warships as fodder and almost all of their spies. They were determined to get that gene map at any cost!

The bait attracted the prey, but the prey ended up devouring the hunter.

The engine of the spaceship emitted a faint hum, and General Lin Hao felt a slight vibration beneath him. He frowned. He knew this was the sign of entering the atmosphere. At this speed, they would soon reach their destination. But he didn’t know where it was. There were many American military bases, but not many places that could hold him, right?

General Lin Hao wasn’t worried about what would happen to him or about being trapped forever. As a crucial figure in Huaguo, he had long undergone genetic modifications, with signal-transmitting devices implanted in his body. As long as he stayed alive, these tiny cells powered by biological energy would continue to function. Huaguo’s agents could then use these signals to locate him accurately.

However, after this incident, General Lin Hao wasn’t as confident about Huaguo’s internal security anymore. A single gene map had exposed thousands of agents—just those from the United States. How many more agents were hidden within Huaguo? General Lin Hao didn’t dare to predict. In this overly peaceful era, Huaguo had long been corrupted beyond repair. How many people still remembered its former glory?

A sleeping dragon…

Those words had now become ironic. General Lin Hao suddenly wanted to laugh, but his lips twitched, revealing an expression even uglier than crying. A shiver crept up his spine. He was suddenly terrified, extremely terrified…

He feared that in years to come, that phrase, once used by all Huaguo people as a source of pride, would take on a different meaning—accompanied by two simple characters: Forever.

“Bang!!” The cabin door suddenly opened, and a man clad in a tight combat suit stepped in. He walked straight up to General Lin Hao and sized him up with a condescending gaze. With the general’s vision, he could even see a hint of disdainful smile on the man’s lips.

“General Lin Hao, we’ll reach our destination in five minutes. I hope you have a pleasant journey. To ease your suffering in the time ahead, I suggest you use this time to recall what we need. Knowing that will save a lot of trouble for both you and me.”

“Oh, is that an order?” General Lin Hao raised his head and met his gaze unflinchingly, his tone calm as if he weren’t a prisoner but the master of the place. His wrinkled face remained utterly serene, as if he had expected such an attitude. The man across from him wasn’t surprised either. He shook his head. “It’s not an order. It’s a suggestion, General Lin Hao. I hope you understand how important this is. I don’t want you to realize its significance only on the day you lose everything, because that would mean extra trouble for us as well.”

“Extra truth serum?” The general laughed, in a way that embarrassed the other man.

“No. I know truth serum is useless on someone of your status. Huaguo must have already altered you for this purpose. But you should know that high technology isn’t omnipotent in this world. Ancient torture methods can still yield a lot of information. Though, in that case, you’ll likely resent us.” After feeling embarrassed, the man grew visibly angry. But perhaps he had received some orders, so he tried to control himself. His gaze turned fierce as he glanced at certain parts of General Lin Hao’s body before gritting his teeth and responding.

In contrast, General Lin Hao remained unmoved, as if the ancient torture methods mentioned didn’t exist at all. He simply shook his head slightly and revealed a set of snow-white teeth.

“Thank you for your advice, little one. But I suggest you go back to your own tasks. And if you get time off for this mission, I recommend you enjoy it. You don’t have much time left. Soon, my child will show you the consequences of this. Well, I hope you believe this isn’t a threat.”

“Bang!!” The cabin door closed again. The man left, gritting his teeth, his heels clicking loudly in the corridor as his chest heaved violently.

Damn it, of course he understood General Lin Hao’s meaning. After all, the reputation of the God of Killing General wasn’t built on empty talk. It was said that among his subordinates was a special unit composed entirely of bloodthirsty elites. It was only because he was away from the general on another mission that things had gone so smoothly for him. But if that unit returned, revenge would be inevitable.
What does “not a threat” mean? Hell, this is even more terrifying than a threat!!
Yet, the man slowed down and revealed a ferocious smile. Huaguo had already been corrupted to a large extent by spies sent by the US. Every key department had its own people. Probably, General Lin Hao wouldn’t expect that even his proud “children” wouldn’t last long either. He believed that once those guys returned, a series of deadly missions would follow. How many of them would be left?
Revenge… that was just a dream!!
Thinking proudly, the man quickened his pace—he needed to go to the control room. This mission was crucial, and he had to be extra careful. Although Huaguo was corrupt, there were still many formidable people. He couldn’t afford any trouble at this critical moment. Otherwise, even before his superiors took action, he’d be executed himself.
The sound of footsteps echoed clearly in the silent corridor, but before he could take a few more steps, a deafening explosion erupted beside him like thunder, accompanied by extreme vibrations. Caught off guard, he was instantly flung backward.
“Boom!!”
Smoke and debris filled the air. A powerful suction force, like an invisible giant hand, twisted everything in the cabin into chaos. The man who was flung backward crashed hard into an iron door hundreds of meters away before slowly sliding down. Another wave of intense suction hit him, leaving him in a miserable state. Only after finally stabilizing did he see a horrifying scene.
Next to the corridor ahead, a huge hole gaped open. The edges of the shattered steel plates were jagged like saws, and the wall opposite the hole had sunk deeply. Through the massive hole, he could even see the dim sky outside!!
A pitch-black ship was quietly approaching from the direction of the hole.
“Damn… damn it…” The man was stunned, his voice sounding like a groan.