60: Live interrogation reveals flaws; tracking the virus hides a crisis.

Chapter Sixty-Two: Flaws Exposed in Interrogation, Crisis Hidden in Virus Tracking

Inside the interrogation room of Dawn City, the lights were a blindingly stark white.

The captured Man in Black, Ω-07, was bound tightly to a specially made interrogation chair, the restraint straps digging deep into his flesh. His mask had long been removed, revealing a bloodless face; yet there wasn't a hint of fear in his eyes, only a deathly, stagnant coldness.

Lin Zhou sat behind the interrogation table, fiddling with the Blue Light Dagger recovered from the Man in Black, its blade glinting coldly under the lights. Chen Hao stood to the side, blood still seeping through the bandages on his arm, his perception ability enveloping the Man in Black, not letting even the slightest tremor escape.

"Serpent Skeleton Research Institute, Valley Base, mass cultivation of Mutant Larvae, large-scale deployment next week." Lin Zhou's voice was calm and steady. "We already have this information. Now I'm asking you, where is the target for your large-scale deployment? What is your ultimate goal?"

Ω-07 curled his lip into a mocking smirk. "Dawn City? Hmph, a bunch of ants hiding in a tortoise shell—you think you're worthy of knowing Skeleton Serpent's plans?"

Standing nearby, Wang Hu couldn't help but bark sharply, "Stubborn! Believe it or not, I'll make you suffer!"

Ω-07's gaze swept over Wang Hu, still maintaining an air of indifference. "Kill me, and you'll never know anything. Besides, you'll soon be just like me—fodder on The Doctor's experimental table."

"The Doctor?" Lin Zhou caught the keyword, his eyes sharpening. "Who is he? How many people are at your base? What are the defensive deployments?"

No matter how Lin Zhou pressed him, Ω-07 only repeated the same things, either mocking them or remaining silent. The atmosphere in the interrogation room gradually became oppressive.

Chen Hao frowned and whispered to Lin Zhou, "Captain, something's not right. This guy's heart rate and breathing are too stable, as if he's been trained. And... I sense a faint, abnormal energy fluctuation on him. It's very well-hidden, doesn't seem like a weapon."

Lin Zhou's heart stirred, and he signaled Wang Hu to pause the interrogation. He stood up, walked over to Ω-07, and scrutinized him. The combat suit the Man in Black wore was made of a special fabric, fireproof and stab-resistant, with an inconspicuous silver badge on the collar—the emblem of the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute.

Lin Zhou's gaze finally landed on a black mole on the Man in Black's neck. The position of that mole was strange, right above the carotid artery, and its shape was too regular to be natural.

"Tear open his collar," Lin Zhou said in a low voice.

Wang Hu immediately stepped forward and roughly tore open the Man in Black's collar. The black mole was starkly exposed under the light. Chen Hao's perception ability instantly focused on the mole, and his face changed drastically. "It's a Tracker! And... a virus! A potent Mutated Zombie virus, hidden inside the Tracker's casing!"

Ω-07's expression finally shifted, a flash of panic crossing his eyes.

"So there was a backup plan after all," Lin Zhou sneered. "You intentionally let him be captured just so he could bring a Tracker and a Virus Bomb into Dawn City?"

Knowing he could no longer hide it, Ω-07 simply gave up. "That's right! The Doctor already predicted you would bring me back! The Tracker has already sent Dawn City's coordinates back to the base. As for the Virus Bomb, I only need to press the switch hidden in my teeth to detonate it instantly! When that happens, the entire Dawn City will become a playground for Mutants!"

As he spoke, he suddenly bit down hard.

"Not good!" Chen Hao shouted, swinging his hand toward Ω-07's jaw.

But he was a step too late.

With a soft "click," a miniature button popped out from Ω-07's teeth. A frenzied smile appeared on his face.

"Detonate! Detonate for me!"

However, the expected viral spread did not occur.

The smile on Ω-07's face froze. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he made a raspy, choking sound.

Lin Zhou slowly raised his hand, holding a tiny black chip—the virus core that had been removed from the Tracker.

"From the moment you were brought back to Dawn City, the Research Team performed a full-body scan on you," Lin Zhou's voice was icy. "Did you really think such amateur tricks could fool us?"

It turned out that while Ω-07 was being escorted back to Dawn City, the Research Team had discovered the anomaly on his neck using a Sonic Detector. Lin Zhou had already arranged for personnel to quietly remove the core of the Tracker and the Virus Bomb before the interrogation, leaving only an empty shell.

Ω-07's eyes turned from frenzied to despairing. He slumped in the interrogation chair, his strength completely gone.

"Speak," Lin Zhou's voice rang out again. "Who is The Doctor? Where are the targets for the large-scale deployment?"

This time, Ω-07 no longer had his previous toughness. His psychological defenses completely crumbled, his lips trembling as he slowly spoke, "The Doctor... is the supreme leader of the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute. No one knows his real name, only that he was the most insane genetic scientist before the apocalypse. The large-scale deployment next week... the targets are three cities: Dawn City, Jincheng, and... Yucheng."

"Three cities?" Lin Zhou's pupils constricted. "You're going to deploy them simultaneously?"

"Yes..." Ω-07 whispered. "The Doctor wants to collect mutation data from human settlements of different scales. Dawn City has the red alert system, so it's the most important experimental target. The Mutant Larvae being deployed are all specially cultivated, extremely aggressive, and... they will actively move toward human gathering points."

Chen Hao gasped. "This is going to turn all three cities into a living hell!"

Lin Zhou's face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink. He finally understood that the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute's ambition was far greater than he had imagined. They weren't just conducting experiments; they wanted to completely destroy human survivor bases and turn the entire world into their testing ground.

"Also, the base's defensive deployment..." Lin Zhou pressed further.

Haltingly, Ω-07 described the defenses of the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute's Valley Base: three layers of energy barriers on the perimeter, Mechanical Hound patrols inside, and a well-equipped Omega Squad of about fifty people. Most importantly, the third basement level of the base was the main cultivation chamber for the Mutant Larvae; if it were detonated, the consequences would be unthinkable.

After the interrogation ended, Ω-07 was taken away and locked in the deepest cell.

Lin Zhou stood by the window of the command center, looking at the lights of the thousands of homes in Dawn City, his heart heavy.

"Captain, what do we do?" Wang Hu asked solemnly. "They're deploying next week; we have to prepare in advance!"

"Pass down the orders." Lin Zhou's voice carried an unquestionable resolve. "First, initiate the highest level of combat readiness. All soldiers' leaves are canceled, and all weapons and equipment must be fully serviced. Second, the Research Team is to immediately develop a vaccine for this mutated virus while accelerating the mass production of Sonic Resonance Weapons and Scale Armor Defense Shields. Third, send out all Reconnaissance Squads to closely monitor the movements of Jincheng and Yucheng and relay information promptly. Fourth, formulate a raid plan. In one week, we will personally lead the team to wipe out the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute's Valley Base!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

As the night deepened, every corner of Dawn City became busy. The roar of machinery in the factories didn't stop all night, the sounds of soldiers training rose and fell, and the lights of the Research Team stayed on throughout the night.

No one knew that a great war concerning the survival of three cities' worth of survivors was about to begin.

Meanwhile, in the distant Valley Base, The Doctor, wearing a Golden Mask, was looking at a dot of light on the screen—the coordinates sent back by the Tracker on Ω-07, pointing precisely to the center of Dawn City.

A strange smile curled on his lips.

"Very good," The Doctor whispered. "The prey has entered the net."

On the large screen behind him, a list of Mutant Larvae to be deployed next week was displayed, densely packed, totaling over a thousand.

An unprecedented crisis was rapidly approaching Dawn City.