The envoys of the Ape Sect numbered twenty, each possessing at least a "Bu Wei Nian Neng" [a term likely referring to a specific power level], with envoys number one through six boasting the strength of near-Masters.

The two soldiers never imagined that their comrades, with whom they had shared life and death, would suddenly transform into the Ape Sect's Ape Envoys, coldly murdering their captain and thirty-four teammates, along with the engineers dutifully serving in the factory. This fact was harder for them to accept than if the killers had been higher-ranking Ape-men.

"Rest assured, you two go down first to accompany the captain. The others will join you soon." Mercia’s eyes were filled with disdain; ignoring the hostility directed at him, he raised his uranium beam gun, dispatching them with a single shot each, and departed without a backward glance.

Yang Ying watched the entire process from ten paces away. The combination of the Invisibility Spell and the Breath-Concealing Technique had once fooled three near-Masters on the mining platform; now, with his strength far exceeding that past level, Mercia could not possibly detect him.

From the moment Mercia stepped out of the elevator, Yang Ying had been calculating in his mind.

While he could have revealed himself to save the two soldiers, doing so would have severely compromised his plan. Having finally reached the vicinity of the nuclear raw materials, an impulsive intervention now could trigger too many unpredictable consequences.

The issue of the nuclear raw material was immensely complex, involving numerous factions. Now that the Ape Sect was also entangled, extreme caution was necessary. To risk his entire operation for two soldiers he had never met would be nothing short of soft-hearted folly.

Only after Mercia was far away did Yang Ying approach the bodies of the two dead soldiers, murmuring in a voice audible only to himself, "A soldier dying on the battlefield; one could call that a fitting end."

The perception of any event changes based on the observer. Yang Ying did not speak these words to justify his inaction, but merely to ease his own conscience.

Undoubtedly, given the choice, the two soldiers would have rejected dying at the hands of their own people at this critical juncture. However, having become warriors and stepped onto the battlefield, they should have been psychologically prepared for the possibility of meeting their end somewhere unknown, at any time.

Yang Ying stepped around the corpses and approached the elevator leading to the seventeenth floor. He activated a light screen, and various data points flickered across the display.

Two small boxes then materialized, positioning themselves in the upper right and lower right corners of the screen; these contained Kevin and Howard, respectively.

"The situation has changed; Ape Envoy number fifteen appeared here, but the plan to steal the nuclear raw materials is still proceeding." While cracking the elevator's identification system, Yang Ying briefly summarized the events he had witnessed.

Howard stroked his beard and advised calmly, "This is an unscheduled variable. Please secure the nuclear materials as quickly as possible and withdraw immediately to avoid any further complications arising from delays."

"Understood," Yang Ying nodded. "Keep monitoring the intelligence relayed by the Observer. If you detect any unusual movement, notify me immediately."

"As you command," Howard replied respectfully.

"Cracking complete!" Kevin stated casually, as if he had accomplished something trivial.

The elevator doors before him opened. Yang Ying closed the light screen and stepped inside.

Upon reaching the seventeenth floor, the elevator doors parted to reveal a long corridor lined with doors on both sides, each secured by an electronic lock requiring a magnetic keycard and a passcode.

At the far end of the corridor was another door—a two-meter-high, silver-white barrier fashioned from alloy, reminiscent of a vault door: massive, solid, and equipped with several heavy locks incorporating biometric verification for fingerprints and irises.

Ignoring the rooms lining the corridor, Yang Ying walked directly to the vault door at the end. He summoned his light screen again to continue the decryption process; behind this massive lock lay the storage warehouse for the nuclear materials.

Simultaneously, he conjured a Ghost Agent electronic camouflage suit and quickly donned it. Ghost Agents specialized in dealing with nuclear weaponry, and their custom electronic camouflage offered significant resistance to radiation.

In just two minutes, the vault door's heavy security locks were entirely bypassed. Yang Ying grasped the handle and pulled the door open.

Inside was another corridor, constructed of radiation-proof glass. The space outside this corridor was bathed in a soft blue glow, and several doors within the corridor itself divided it into segments, each serving a specific function.

Whenever nuclear radiation was involved, the safety protocols were invariably intricate and excessive.

However, Yang Ying paid them no mind. He proceeded straight through the corridor and opened the door at the far end. Immediately, a sizzling sound registered in his ears—the electronic camouflage suit's alarm detecting nuclear radiation.

Before him stood two rows of ten massive columns, their cold surfaces reflecting the ghostly blue light, inducing a chilling sensation.

Fuel rods were extremely dangerous materials. If exposed to the air, contact with an unprotected ordinary person would cause dizziness and fatal radiation sickness within minutes.

Yang Ying had memorized every step for acquiring the nuclear material during his approach. He arrived in the room and located a control panel bearing ten glowing red buttons. Yang Ying pressed them all.

The ten massive columns immediately began to hum, their outer casings slowly descending into the floor. Rows of slender fuel rods were revealed, neatly arrayed on the pedestals.

These rods contained weapons-grade uranium or plutonium with a purity exceeding expectations, amounting to several tons in total. Currently, they were encased within fully sealed shells, preventing any radiation from escaping.

As for why radiation could still be detected in the warehouse, it could only be said that wherever nuclear material was present, residual contamination was unavoidable, and cleansing it was no simple task.

Yang Ying surveyed the ten large pillars, nodded slightly, and then extended his right hand. With a flash of golden light, he summoned two platoons of Ghost Agents.

Each of these operatives carried an alloy case in their hands; they were unarmed.

The Nuclear Research Institute on the Floating Continent had already prepared all necessary safety measures for receiving these fuel rods, waiting only for their arrival.

"Collect all the fuel rods here!" Yang Ying commanded the Ghost Agents.

"Yes, Commander."

The Ghost Agents recognized him immediately, despite Yang Ying inhabiting a clone body. They moved to the respective pillars, opened the specially designed alloy cases they carried, detached the fuel rods from their mounts, and placed them inside.

These cases were custom-built for storing fuel rods, designed to be impenetrable to radiation, serving as a failsafe should the external casings of the rods rupture.

Due to the sheer volume, the forty-eight cases brought by the two platoons filled rapidly, yet the fuel rods across the ten pillars had only diminished slightly.

Yang Ying had anticipated this; this was merely the first shipment. He dispatched this group of Ghost Agents back to the Floating Continent, directing them to a specially prepared channel within the Institute that led to a newly excavated special warehouse dedicated solely to storing nuclear materials.

After the Ghost Agents transferred the contents of their alloy cases to the new storage area, they were instructed to exit via a side branch in the channel. The end of this path featured a pale yellow light screen; passing through it would automatically neutralize any residual radiation clinging to their bodies.

After seeing off the first contingent, Yang Ying summoned another. He continued this process of transportation repeatedly, cycling through five batches until every single fuel rod from the ten pillars had been removed.

Once the final group of Ghost Agents was sent away, Yang Ying returned to the glass corridor near the entrance. The corridor was segmented precisely to accommodate a shower system designed to wash away any lingering radiation before exiting.

Of course, such rudimentary measures were far inferior to the technology available on the Floating Continent.

Yang Ying traversed the corridor once more, reaching the vault door. He closed it, then retrieved a wrist-sized metal ring from his pocket. With a firm push, the ring expanded from small to the size of a hula hoop.

Yang Ying held the metal hoop above his head and flicked a small switch with his finger. A pale yellow light curtain instantly appeared within the hoop. He released it, allowing the light curtain to sweep over his body from head to toe without missing a spot.

This was clearly a portable version of the radiation-cleansing light screen.

Yang Ying smiled slightly, picked up the metal ring, gripped both ends, and compressed it back into a small loop before slipping it into his pocket.

Next, he entered one of the side rooms lining the corridor and removed a considerable quantity of heavy water containing Neon isotopes and super-heavy water containing Tritium isotopes.

Neon and Tritium are isotopes of Hydrogen, both essential raw materials for thermonuclear reactions. Neon is non-radioactive, but Tritium is.

Specifically, the Neon isotope is the primary fuel for hydrogen bombs, while Tritium is used less frequently but still serves a purpose.

Since Neon is not radioactive, storing its heavy water was not difficult, unlike the fuel rods. Furthermore, the quantity of super-heavy water required was small, so moving it was also quick.

After spending another dozen minutes completing these tasks, Yang Ying finally exhaled, feeling almost weightless, a surge of elation rising from his core, as if he had accomplished a monumental feat.

He opened a light screen and contacted Kevin and Howard. "The nuclear raw materials have been secured."

Howard slapped his thigh and laughed, "That’s wonderful! With the nuclear materials, our atomic bombs can be deployed very soon!"

Kevin, who was half-man, half-machine, also displayed a smile, echoing the sentiment; his excitement was palpable.

It was understandable why they were so thrilled; Yang Ying felt nearly the same internally.

Atomic bombs represented humanity's ultimate offensive power, deterrence, and authority. Possessing them meant having leverage, negating many concerns that might otherwise have been worrisome.

However, the job wasn't finished; the final step remained: withdrawal.

After allowing them a moment to celebrate, Yang Ying got straight to the point: "I am preparing to return now. What is the situation outside?"

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