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Chapter 1378: Chapter 1227: Taking Pleasure in Others’ Misfortune (Please Subscribe!)
On the island.
The excavation work is progressing tensely.
They discovered.
This base has been confirmed to be completely destroyed. To achieve this effect, the amount of ’turning’ explosives required, by a conservative estimate, might reach tens of tons, and they also found out that the self-destruction system had been activated.
This discovery.
Made Fukner unintentionally imagine the circumstances Jars had faced.
First.
The enemy blocked communications between the island and the outside world, destroyed the defense system, making those expensive weapons useless, and before the personnel armed with shoulder-launched surface-to-air weapons could react, they wiped out these facilities in one fell swoop.
Then.
They launched a strong assault from the outside.
And destroyed the island’s perimeter defense points.
Following that.
They began attacking the ground personnel, and both sides engaged in fierce combat. Unfortunately, the counterattacks were futile; the enemy didn’t lose a single hair and even managed to comfortably reach the base’s entrance.
Finally.
They forced Jars to initiate self-destruction.
That earthquake warning.
It’s very likely that it was caused by the laboratory’s self-destruction. What surprised him was that the enemy mimicked the experimental base’s communications, deceiving them into thinking the island had remained unscathed.
After the battle had ended, they quickly cleaned up and erased all traces.
Afterward.
They sent people to New York.
To infiltrate.
And carry out the second attack.
One ring following another.
Each step.
Was executed with great precision.
Now, Fukner could only hope for progress in the excavation work, because Jars would only have a reason to initiate self-destruction if the enemy entered, otherwise, who would bother to blow up their own base for fun.
...
A day later.
The rescue team was enormously troubled by the excavation work; this place was originally a permanent, thick concrete structure—sturdy and damned heavy. Without heavy lifting machinery, they could only watch helplessly.
The second day.
Heavy transport lifting machinery arrived, and the excavation work was able to continue. However, unlike in New York, where there were elevator shafts allowing access from top to bottom, this place also had elevator shafts.
But.
The elevator shafts here were staggered.
The first to third underground floors.
Had the elevator shafts on this side.
From the third to sixth floors.
The elevator shafts were a hundred meters away.
It was the same further down; the location changed every three floors. In the initial design, this was meant for safety, to prevent someone from going directly from the top to the very bottom. If the experimental subjects wanted to escape, it would be extremely difficult.
Now.
This safety measure.
Had become an obstacle for the rescue team.
Looking at the concrete rubble in front of them, they all wanted to curse the designer to death. After exerting great effort and using the crane to remove the concrete above, just after getting down three floors, you want me to drill horizontally?
Isn’t this messing with me?
Large machinery couldn’t be used underground.
"Dig."
The order came from above.
They had no choice but to continue moving forward.
According to the design, they punched through to create a passage to another elevator shaft. Then why not just keep drilling down the same elevator shaft? Because here was another equally ’ghostly’ design.
---The floors had no direct vertical connection.
Following the staircase shaft.
The entire experimental base wasn’t built vertically, but instead consisted of multiple staggered levels, like a Z-shape tilted at a forty-five-degree angle, supposedly to ensure every three underground levels were built on solid rock.
Very sturdy.
Yes.
Sturdy it was.
But it made the rescue work even more difficult.
On the other end.
Fukner kept complaining about the previous design of this experimental base, saying that it was clearly designed for ’self-denial’. Once there was a problem, it could take ten days or even half a month to deal with it here.
Great.
It’s reaping what one’s own kind has sown.
No matter how bitter the fruit is.
One must grit their teeth and swallow.
...
Three days later.
Apart from recovering the remains of some security personnel. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
The effort to clear through the third underground layer towards another elevator shaft has only progressed by half. To reach the other elevator shaft, we need to work tirelessly for another day. Fortunately, the path to the first Control Center has been cleared.
However.
It’s useless.
This Control Center, aside from some surveillance data, hardly had anything left, and it’s estimated that the enemy moved too quickly. They retreated to the second Control Center before the enemies arrived.
The power was cut off here.
There’s no video of the opponent breaking in.
But.
From the debris on the ground, it’s evident that someone indeed broke in. Yet, like at the entrance, nothing useful was left behind. The complete lack of progress on the incident has brought unprecedented pressure on Fukner.
On the fourth day.
Kovalro reports to the Directors.
First, Kovalro hopes to leverage the Directors’ power to identify the perpetrators of this incident.
Second, to discuss the dismissal of Fukner and hire a new ’team’.
Hearing this news.
The ’Directors’ are very calm.
Even schadenfreude is apparent.
Very simple.
Kovalro does not own them; it’s merely a mutually beneficial cooperation. ’Director’ is a title given by Kovalro to acknowledge their strength, to qualify for an equal dialogue.
No ownership.
Naturally.
Since they are not one of our own.
Merely a partner, and with no life and death at stake, as long as there is no conflict with ’core interests’, they view the destruction of the Experimental Base affiliated with Kovalro
as a spectacle.
"This enemy is powerful. If we let them hide in the shadows, it’s very likely to impact our other business areas. I hope if any Director has clues, you could share them."
Current head of Kovalro’s Founding Family,
spoke with a grave face in a rudimentary web chat box, with so many Directors, none with a simple identity—naturally, they can’t meet face-to-face. This is a deep web address.
Meetings like this are always held here.
"Possible."
"Interesting."
"Let me know if anyone finds out anything."
"The satellite shows that no airplanes appeared in that Sea Area during that time frame. You should investigate further. These people are adept at disguise. What you’re seeing now might all be a deliberate ruse by them."
"..."
The Directors discuss eagerly.
Even getting excited.
At their level, not many have the qualifications to chat with them. Once given the chance, they’ll talk enough to make up for it, soon losing interest in Kovalro’s change of teams.
This leaves the person in charge quite helpless.
These guys.
None are easy to provoke, and even if displeased, he can only pretend not to hear. Kovalro’s existence almost entirely relies on these people, who hold capital and power, and thereby the right to speak.
Kovalro.
In their eyes, is simply a handy tool.
To be honest.
He doesn’t have much hope.
These people.
Although called Directors.
None are exactly the cream of the crop, and Kovalro has done plenty of their dirty work. Relying on them is not just unrealistic; it’s even possible that one of the Directors is responsible.
Given some of their capricious natures.
It’s not surprising.
In the end.
After all the idle chat.
The matter was concluded, leaving him to find a new ’team’ to take charge, stabilize the situation, and avoid other complications. As for the mastermind behind this incident, Kovalro would investigate on its own, with the others merely providing conveniences.
...
It was right after this minor meeting ended.
Tang Qing had essentially compiled a complete ’Director’ list. Is it useful? Not much for now, because it’s not yet time to ’knock’ on these guys, just putting them ’on the list’.
When the time comes.
Pluck them one by one.
