amaotonovel Chapter 1446 Completely powerless to resist
Chapter 1446 Completely powerless to resist
If the target resists fiercely or the beacon cannot be safely shut down, destroy it completely on-site, leaving no residue.
Frank paused for a moment, then said excitedly, "Understood! Your Highness! We've finally found them! Execute immediately!"
The 'Thunderous Sea Beasts' squad is ready at the dock! We guarantee to capture these old rats for you whole, or grind them to dust!
Frank was indeed furious. They had never given up the search in the past year, but finding the four hidden people seemed like an impossible task!
He never expected that while they hadn't found it, Xiao Ce, far away on the other side, had already learned of the news...
The communication was cut off instantly.
Frank didn't waste a single second.
Inside a Western Federation naval base in the Arctic Ocean, piercing alarms were replaced by distinctive low-frequency commands. A streamlined, black, high-speed attack submarine!
This "deep-diving ghost," like a shark that has been lying in wait for a long time, had already had its engines preheated in the dedicated dock.
Thirty elite members of the "Thunder Beast" squad, belonging to Frank's direct guard and fully equipped with the latest generation of "Neptune" Type III exoskeletons and underwater assault equipment, completed boarding the vessel in just thirty seconds.
"Target coordinates entered! 'Frost Marrow' drilling unit activated! Full speed ahead! Silent submersible operation!"
Frank's voice roared through the submarine's internal communications.
He did not personally go into the water, but sat in the port command center, his eyes fixed on the real-time transmission of the submarine's position and ice scan images.
Like an arrow released from a bow, the "Deep-Diving Ghost" tore through the icy seawater and sped toward its target coordinates at an astonishing speed.
The ram, made of a special alloy, silently cuts through the ice floes and currents, driven by a high-efficiency propulsion system.
The "Cold Marrow" drilling unit mounted on the submarine is not a traditional drill bit. Instead, it uses an ultra-high-frequency energy beam to instantly vaporize the ice layer, and then uses a force field to confine it, forming a short-lived but stable underwater tunnel with a diameter only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The tunnel walls freeze instantly, leaving almost no trace. The submarine, like a nimble eel, then follows this temporarily created tunnel straight into the target ice nest!
Inside the ice cave.
The piercing alarm did not come from the interstellar beacon, but from a sharp buzzing sound emanating from inside Caesar's body!
His electronic eyes flashed wildly, and the projection fluctuated violently: "Warning! Warning! High-energy drilling...approaching...ice layer...depth...one hundred meters...eighty meters...speed...extremely fast! Unavoidable!"
"what?!"
Xiao Dingshan suddenly sprang up from the "bed," his withered face instantly losing all color, leaving only a terrified ashen white.
He staggered to the beacon, futilely trying to block the flickering light with his body, as if that would stop the enemy from arriving.
"No! Impossible! How could they have found this place?!"
"It's Xiao Ce! It must be that bastard!"
Raymond let out a desperate scream, shouting hysterically, "He's been spying on us! Our liaison fleet has been exposed! It's over! It's all over!"
He frantically rushed toward the weapon rack in the corner, where only a few exhausted beam pistols and a few old-fashioned high-explosive grenades remained.
Evelyn's reaction was the most bizarre.
She stopped spinning the dagger, and for the first time, her empty eyes focused, staring intently at the top of the ice cave!
The increasingly clear and piercing sounds of melting ice and the sizzling of energy beams cutting through it could be heard from there.
She slowly raised the dagger in her hand, the tip no longer pointing at anyone else, but at the core of her simulated chest cavity. Her face was expressionless, only showing a deathly resolute look.
"Insufficient energy...unable to...effectively...resist..."
Caesar's voice, filled with programmed despair, said: "Recommendation...destroy...core...data...stop...plundering..."
He tried to muster the last bit of energy to initiate the self-destruct program, but the light emanating from his body flickered erratically, clearly indicating that he was powerless to do so.
Caesar's self-destruct program has just been activated!
The top of the ice cave suddenly exploded!
There was no deafening roar, only high-pressure ice water mixed with ice chips that were instantly vaporized and then condensed, pouring down like a waterfall!
A biting cold current instantly filled the entire space.
Several agile figures, like the swiftest hunters in the sea, filed in through the broken ice hole!
They were clad in Neptune III deep-sea exoskeletons that covered their entire bodies. The streamlined armor gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, and the helmet visors emitted icy scanning beams that instantly locked onto four stiff figures inside the ice cave.
The weapons in his hands were a non-lethal high-energy pulse restraint gun and a capture net launcher...
At this moment, it had already been raised, and the charging light illuminated a dangerous array of points of light in the dim cave.
"Federal Army! Lay down your weapons! Surrender! Execute immediately!"
The captain's voice, cold and forceful, carried an unquestionable authority, emanating from the exoskeleton's amplifier.
The team members acted swiftly, immediately occupying all the entrances and high points of the cave, blocking all possible escape routes.
Despair, like the ice cave itself, completely froze the blood and minds of Xiao Dingshan and his companions.
Raymond looked at the weapons in his hand that resembled fire pokers, then at the advanced exoskeleton covering the opponent's body and the weapons poised to fire. The last trace of madness on his face was replaced by immense fear. He loosened his grip, and the beam gun clattered to the ground.
His body went limp, and he collapsed onto the cold rock, shivering, too weak to even scream.
Evelyn's movements froze...
Her dagger was less than a centimeter away from her core, but faced with the overwhelming force that instantly filled the cave, her thought of mutual destruction seemed so ridiculous and powerless.
The tip of the knife trembled slightly, and finally, a cold, inhuman light, seemingly emanating from the depths of her soul, extinguished in her eyes, replaced by a complete, inorganic emptiness.
Slowly, very slowly, she lowered her arm holding the knife, letting the dagger fall to her feet with a "clink." She stood there, motionless, like an abandoned, soulless doll.
Caesar's mechanical body also seemed to have given up any calculations and resistance, entering a low-power sleep state, with only the core indicator light still flashing faintly, proving that it was not completely "dead".
Only Xiao Dingshan let out a roar like a dying beast!
"No! You won't get me! You won't stop the fleet!"
He turned around abruptly and grabbed hard at the most conspicuous red physical switch at the core of the interstellar beacon!
That appears to be some kind of emergency booster launch or self-destruct device!
He wanted to use his last bit of life energy to detonate or amplify the signal, even if it was just to send a location to the fleet!
"boom!"
A highly precise high-energy pulse beam struck Xiao Dingshan in the back!
There was no explosion, no fire, only powerful energy that instantly penetrated his already riddled simulated body, paralyzing all his motor systems and energy circuits, along with a strong nerve interference current that swept through his entire body!
“Ugh…!”
Xiao Dingshan let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body convulsing violently like a rag doll with its bones removed, before collapsing heavily forward, his face slamming hard against the cold, hard rock.
His finger was less than ten centimeters away from the red switch. That seemingly close distance now felt like an insurmountable chasm.
"Target incapacitated! Proceed with the arrest!"
The captain coldly gave the order.
The four team members immediately stepped forward.
They gave their targets no chance to struggle; their actions were precise, efficient, and ruthless.
The “electronic cage” designed specifically for advanced androids was quickly deployed. It was a portable confinement device with a high-strength alloy frame and multiple energy fields.
A cage was roughly placed on Xiao Dingshan, who was convulsing violently and whose mouth and nose were overflowing with viscous bionic fluid. The powerful energy field instantly suppressed the remaining energy core in his body and all possible self-destruct programs, and isolated external signals.
Another cage enveloped Raymond, who lay limp on the ground like a dead dog. A third cage precisely covered Evelyn, who stood motionless with vacant eyes.
The last, slightly smaller cage was placed over Caesar's metal body, which had stopped flashing.
Throughout the entire process, apart from Xiao Dingshan's initial futile attack and subsequent convulsions, and Raymond's weak sobs, there was no other effective resistance.
The four giants of the Creation Council, who once wielded immense power and stirred up global events, are now like four worthless and dangerous pieces of junk, firmly imprisoned in a cold electronic cage.
They didn't know how things had turned out this way, or how the situation had reversed like this.
Once upon a time, these people were people they looked down upon as mere insects...
However, the reversal happened in an instant...
Xiao Dingshan was also filled with regret at this moment; in fact, he had been making a lot of trouble all along.
Actually, if it weren't for his reckless actions, everything would have proceeded smoothly if they had simply waited quietly for the interstellar hyenas to arrive and provide support...
However, after thinking about it, he realized that his original intention after doing so was to kill Xiao Ce.
However, after fighting for so long without killing Xiao Ce, he actually made Xiao Ce a hero.
He didn't harm him; on the contrary, he helped him...
Thinking of this, he felt a deep bitterness in his heart...
"Report to command center! Operation complete."
The four targets—Xiao Dingshan, Caesar, Raymond, and Evelyn—have all been captured alive; no one has been missed.
Target status: Xiao Dingshan is critically injured, Caesar is in low-power hibernation, Raymond is mentally broken, Evelyn… is experiencing functional malfunction, possibly due to a core program lock-up. The electronic cage is fully activated and locked.
The team leader reported to the command center.
Frank, watching the live feeds and scan data in the command center, grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth: "Well done! Keep these 'rats' under control for the Prince! Now, deal with that 'lighthouse'!"
Several technicians immediately stepped forward and cautiously approached the interstellar communication beacon that was still flashing and emitting a low hum.
They carried sophisticated scanning equipment and physical cutting tools.
"Sir, the beacon's core structure is extremely complex, deeply intertwined with the geothermal energy extraction lines beneath the ice layer."
Forced physical severing or energy impact could very likely trigger an unknown chain reaction, posing an extremely high risk and potentially causing regional ice cap collapse or the beacon core to self-destruct.
After a quick analysis, the technician reported: "Attempts were made to overwrite with the highest privileges and close the program... The target system's underlying protocol is locked by multiple encryption layers and has an extreme anti-cracking mechanism."
Cracking failed. The system rejects all external commands…including the highest-privilege 'Parliament Termination Command'.
Frank frowned, a hint of menace flashing in his eyes.
He directly connected with Xiao Ce and simultaneously transmitted the scene footage, scan data, and reports: "Your Highness, the rats have been caught. All four are alive and in cages; they can't escape."
But that 'lighthouse' beacon... is a tough nut to crack! Physical destruction is too risky, and program hacking is completely ineffective!
Those old fogies are too stubborn; they'd rather die than cooperate in shutting it down!
On the other side of the screen, Xiao Ce looked at Xiao Dingshan's face, twisted and deformed by pain and resentment, in the cage, as well as the other three figures who were like walking corpses, his eyes showing no emotion.
He spoke clearly into the communicator to Frank and everyone at the ice cave: “Ask them directly. Tell them that if they reveal how to shut it down, they can save their lives temporarily. Otherwise, when the beacon is destroyed, it will be the moment of their complete annihilation.”
Frank understood, turned to the cage, and his voice, like a heavy hammer, struck the four men: "Did you all hear that? The prince has shown mercy and is giving you one last chance!"
Tell me how to turn off the beacon, so you can catch your breath!
Otherwise, we'll turn into ice shards along with this piece of junk!
Caesar's cage remained unresponsive.
Raymond huddled up, still trembling, his eyes unfocused.
Evelyn stared blankly into the void.
Only Xiao Dingshan, though his body was still convulsing under the suppression of the cage's energy field, his face contorted with intense pain, his cloudy eyes were fixed on the communicator, and a hoarse, broken laugh, filled with deep-seated resentment and morbid pleasure, escaped his throat:
"Ha...hahaha...Xiao Ce!"
You little... bastard! You're scared! You're finally scared!
The fleet…the fleet has arrived! Right at our doorstep! Oort Cloud!
You...you can't turn it off! Nobody can turn it off! That's...that's a lighthouse dedicated to the Captain!
This is our...last...hope! You want to know...how to turn it off?
Dream on! I... am dead!
You also need to keep your eyes open... watch... this thing... clearly... point out your coordinates... to the fleet!
Watch them... blast you, you bastard... your broken planet... into... cosmic dust!
Hahaha...cough cough cough, die! Xiao Ce...you...and us...wait to die together!
"I've lost to you so many times, it's time for me to win just once..."
His maniacal laughter aggravated his injuries, causing him to cough up large mouthfuls of dark bionic fluid that splattered onto the energy barrier of the cage, making a "sizzling" sound. His face, however, was filled with a twisted, almost liberated madness.
Frank's face was ashen, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent: "Your Highness, you heard that. Even on the verge of death, the old dog is still being stubborn..."