C4 Storage

Ivar stepped forward and declared, "I'm confident that none of us will spill any secrets. Let's make a pact—if we're ever held in solitary confinement, we'll keep our lips sealed and remain silent! Don't believe a word from the folks at Willoughby, no matter what they say!"

Ivar raised his hand, and the rest of the students followed suit.

"I promise!" Ivar affirmed.

In unison, everyone pledged, "I promise!"

Egil applauded, "Well done. This is the same principle applied in military resistance to interrogation training. But tell me, how long can you maintain your silence? Three days?"

Ivar lifted his chin defiantly and grunted.

"Three months?" Egil probed.

Some students began to murmur among themselves.

"Three years?" Egil pressed on.

"It surely won't take that long! Someone from the garden will come to our rescue," Ivar exclaimed with conviction.

Egil countered, "Consider the Arctic disaster. Three years on, and our news posts can't even be found on search engines anymore."

Ivar's head drooped.

Egil continued, "You could be like Su Wu herding sheep for ten years without change. The point is, you've already leaked information with your actions!"

"What?"

"No way!"

Even the old professor was taken aback, his eyes wide with surprise.

"The plane is still out there," Egil pointed out.

"Don't think of us as novices. We carry important data with us; we understand that..." Ivar's voice trailed off mid-sentence as his face turned pale.

The old professor, sweating profusely, shakily pulled out a storage card from his pocket.

The students, all highly educated elites, reluctantly produced various storage cards from their pockets, their faces etched with discomfort.

In a voice barely above a whisper, Ivar muttered, "It can't be. They're all encrypted..." His tone betrayed his doubt; he couldn't quite believe that even Willoughby University, the best in the world, couldn't break simple encryption.

Egil shook his head, "And then there are your phones. Even if they don't contain classified information, your chat logs are enough for them to infer what we know."

"Damn!" Ivar exclaimed, pulling out his phone and preparing to smash it on the ground.

*Click-clack, click-clack*... The sound of guns being cocked filled the air as the Rapper's henchmen raised their weapons.

Ivar held his cell phone aloft before gently setting it down.

Egil subtly shifted his stance, aligning his waist, neck, and eyes without turning around, taking in his surroundings with a sweeping glance.

They were positioned at the center of the square, encircled by armed individuals standing about two meters apart.

These were ordinary soldiers, lacking the prowess of those in the Vrimen Federation.

With such a level of combat skill, Egil could take them all down without harming a single classmate—it would just be a matter of time.

The real issue was that they were trapped in a sealed Underground Base with no place to hide. Even if they could fight their way out, the exterior was a barren wasteland, leaving them with no escape. Now was not the time for action.

The Rapper had left, presumably to fetch the person in charge. It made sense to first understand the kidnappers' intentions.

After finishing his second piece of bread, the Rapper returned with a female researcher in tow, the blue-eyed girl in a white lab coat.

Her gaze swept over the Eastern faces before settling on the elderly professor.

"Prof. Lloyd, if you're available, Martina would like to have a word with you," she proposed.

The old professor was taken aback: "I am Merle. I'm not sure who this Prof. Lloyd is that you're speaking of..."

The blue-eyed girl looked surprised as well, her eyes scanning the group of students.

Ivar stood up and said, "None of us are named Feng... Wait, no, Feng!" He abruptly turned to look at Egil.

All eyes simultaneously shifted to Egil!

The blue-eyed girl looked even more astonished as she assessed the man before her: dark-skinned, muscular, with a sturdy build.

She addressed Egil, "Prof. Lloyd? Egil?"

Egil was equally surprised, "I am Egil, but I'm not Prof. Lloyd. If I had to clarify, I suppose I'd be... the driver."

The blue-eyed girl responded, "The driver? You have quite a sense of humor. Please."

Egil inquired, "Is it possible for me to decline?"

"Hehe, you're quite the comedian. Please!" The blue-eyed girl said 'please' but turned and walked away without waiting. Egil had no choice but to follow.

Just as the blue-eyed girl stepped out of the square, she turned back and called out, "Captain Mark... we're leaving."

Mark, known as the Rapper, nodded and gestured broadly, "Alright, search them! Confiscate all the storage cards and phones they have. Since they've brought them along, it makes our job easier. Break a hand for every card that gets damaged. If you break it, your hand gets broken. If they break it, theirs gets broken. And remember, don't kill anyone."

His armed men charged aggressively among the students, causing panic and chaos to erupt in the heart of the square.

Egil's muscles tensed, ready to fight back, when Ivar's voice rang out, "Egil, it's you! You traitor, you've sold us out! You son of a...” The curses from the other students followed.

Egil paused, reconsidering his readiness to fight. Impatience could ruin grand plans; the priority was to get them back to Azure Dragon Garden alive. What was a bit of humiliation? He'd consider it a rite of passage for the young. Haha.

He continued to follow the blue-eyed girl. They walked until the researchers and the armed men were no longer in sight, leaving just the two of them alone in the ruins.

The path was still paved with marble, flanked by solitary marble columns. They passed by half-collapsed buildings with square window openings still visible, though the relief sculptures on the exterior walls had faded into obscurity.

The silent path felt like a journey back through time, a fleeting glimpse into the prehistoric past.

A massive shadow loomed ahead, marking the end of the road at a small, pure white pyramid.

This pyramid appeared to be the heart of the underground ruins. As Egil entered the Pure White Pyramid, he couldn't help but conjure up an image of Martina.

Considering she was a prominent figure at Willoughby University, she was likely as revered as Merle. Hah, especially if she were a woman.

Blonde hair would be ideal. As for her attire, no need for guesses: a white coat. But underneath, it would be perfect if she donned a deep V-neck top paired with a short skirt, and of course, black stockings, hahaha.

Egil had traversed the entrance passage of the Pure White Pyramid and stepped through the luminous doorway, feeling something soft beneath his feet. Glancing down, he was surprised to find carpet!

The sensation on his skin was warm. Looking up, he realized it was the comfort of air conditioning!

The scent of fresh flowers filled his nose, and the sound of music graced his ears!

There was a sofa, a coffee table, beverages, and candy! Yet, none of these were the most astonishing to Egil.

What truly astounded him was the room's color scheme!

Soft pink enveloped the space!

Overwhelmed, Egil plopped down onto the sofa next to the coffee table.