At the sound of his voice, I snapped back to attention. "Oh, nothing, just some important questions I still need to ask them."

The short, fat man seemed eager to prove his worth. "Is that so? In that case, I'll quickly tell the lab not to proceed."

Saying this, he pulled out his walkie-talkie and spoke a few sentences in Japanese.

A flurry of unintelligible Japanese came back through the receiver.

Thankfully, the short, fat man immediately translated for me. He said, "Good thing they are only now thawing the brain toxin and haven't administered the injection yet. Please, boss."

Hearing this, I let out a long, silent sigh of relief.

I wanted to reach out and clap the short, fat man on the shoulder, but after a moment's thought, I decided against it and pulled my hand back.

I reasoned that if I wanted to avoid exposing my hand, it was best to keep my movements minimal and my words few.

Telling myself to remain cool, I crossed the wooden planks onto the boat opposite.

At that moment, two men dressed in black uniforms and white dome caps approached me and snapped to attention, saluting.

Their salute was somewhat similar to the Chinese military salute, but their middle fingers pointed toward their temples rather than the brow bone.

This salute, combined with their Asian features and the black uniforms so distinct from the Chinese Navy's attire, made me certain: these were soldiers of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces!

However, these men had removed their epaulets and cap badges. Judging by their age, they were likely veterans.

After saluting me, the two men behind me said nothing and simply stood at attention behind me.

I knew these two men were assigned to follow me; this was a special escort reserved for higher-ranking officers.

Could it be that this white-haired old fellow was a former officer in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces?

I didn't ask any more questions and simply kept my head down, walking forward.

The cabin before me was unlike the one on our yacht. For one, the walls here were made entirely of steel. Secondly, there was a Japanese Navy crest visible—this was clearly a legitimate warship.

Unlike a civilian vessel, a warship usually has only one main entrance leading inside, so before me was just a single, circular doorway.

Concerned for Liang Qian's safety, I didn't pause for a moment, stepping right inside.

As soon as I entered the cabin, the two soldiers following me closed the hatch behind me.

Hearing the heavy clank as the steel door sealed shut, my heart suddenly sank.

Because I knew that if I were exposed now, I would have no retreat.

I swallowed dryly and continued walking.

Unlike our passenger ship, the lighting inside the Japanese warship was intensely bright.

It was a straight corridor ahead, illuminated by high-wattage incandescent bulbs. People in military uniforms and white lab coats moved back and forth. They all made way for me, some snapping to attention, others merely nodding in deference.

I tried my best not to let my gaze dart around, but every time I passed an open door, I couldn't help but glance inside.

And what I saw were rooms that were sometimes barracks, but more often, laboratories.

The labs were filled with all sorts of operating equipment, and the specimen jars almost universally contained things like human organs.

I muttered internally, "It seems those Japanese devils haven't given up their old habits; they're still up to this sort of human experimentation."

However, when I saw a few Europeans in white coats walking by, I realized it wasn't that simple—this was likely a laboratory set up for international cooperation. I truly had no idea what kind of scheme these people were hatching.

At the end of the corridor was an elevator bank. Clearly, everyone here had received the fat man's signal, as someone had already pressed the elevator call button for me.

A Japanese woman in a white lab coat was standing by the elevator, smiling at me.

She looked to be in her early thirties, yet still possessed a captivating allure. Even in a lab coat, I could discern her full, shapely figure. Combined with her expressive eyes and full, bright red lips, she exuded the unique magnetism of a mature woman.

The two soldiers behind me snapped to attention upon seeing her, saying something in Japanese: "Dr. Umekawa."

Although I don't understand Japanese, I’ve seen enough anime to recognize a few surnames, so I understood that address.

This Dr. Umekawa seemed to hold a high rank; she might be the head of this laboratory.

She saw me and immediately walked over, naturally slipping her arm through mine, then planting a kiss on my cheek.

This sudden, intimate gesture left me momentarily flustered.

Her kiss actually gave me a strange, giddy sensation.

Noticing my slightly dazed expression, Dr. Umekawa switched to English and asked, "What is it, Lord Sasuke?"

Hearing the name 'Sasuke,' I nearly burst out laughing, thinking the old white-haired man must have watched too much Naruto to use that name.

But I kept my face stern and said in a low voice, "I'm fine. Take me to see the male and female subjects immediately. We can discuss other matters later."

Dr. Umekawa was clearly surprised by my cold demeanor. She released my arm, bowed deeply, and replied, "Hai."

I thought to myself, that’s just how Japanese women are; as soon as a man gets serious, they can only respond with respectful compliance.

Dr. Umekawa led me into the elevator and pressed the button for B2, then stood silently beside me.

I wasn't in the mood to chat with her either. I touched the cheek she had kissed and wiped off the lipstick.

The elevator quickly arrived at B2. Ahead was a very short passage ending in a circular door.

I had to admit, this circular metal door felt very futuristic—it was the kind made of countless interlocking triangular steel plates seen only in movies, looking incredibly sturdy.

It was fortunate to have Dr. Umekawa with me; I didn't have to bother. She placed her fingers on a device next to the door.

The fingerprint recognition panel emitted a series of beeps, and the steel plates retracted, revealing the interior.

The door opened only halfway, but I could see people moving back and forth, most of them researchers in white coats.

The hall was brightly lit, arranged in a circular layout, with many large instruments neatly positioned along the perimeter—all of them cabinet-style experimental machines large enough to contain a person.

In the very center of the hall stood a massive specimen tank, over five meters in diameter and more than five meters tall, stretching from the floor to the ceiling.

What was submerged in the transparent fluid filling this tank made me freeze for a solid three seconds.

It was a human silhouette, its form highly indistinct, curled up within the liquid.

But that wasn't the most shocking part. What truly stunned me was that the person in this tank also had white hair and a beard, bearing a striking resemblance to the white-haired old man.

Countless transparent plastic tubes connected to the tank housing the large, white-haired figure, each tube leading to a nearby large piece of machinery.

I knew I couldn't appear too surprised. I only paused for that brief moment before continuing forward.

Dr. Umekawa led me deeper inside, to an area behind the large tank.

Two steel-framed beds were set up there. Two individuals were restrained on them, bound tightly by leather straps as wide as a hand.

They were a man and a woman, both covered in scrapes and abrasions, looking utterly disheveled and miserable.

I recognized them as Xie Yuting and Liang Qian. They were tied down so securely I couldn't tell if they were alive or dead.

Two figures in white coats, holding syringes, stood by the beds. They stepped aside when they saw me approach.

Becoming anxious, I hurried forward in two strides to check on their condition.

Then, I let out a breath of relief. Both of their eyeballs were still moving, though their expressions were steeped in utter despair, their faces almost the color of ash.

Seeing me approach, Liang Qian glanced over. Her taped mouth moved slightly, seeming to curse me.

I saw the pain, the hatred, and the helplessness in her eyes.

I knew that both Liang Qian and Xie Yuting were highly skilled; the only reason they were captured was likely due to the white-haired old man, Sasuke, taking action. Otherwise, even against firearms, a few Electric Corpses wouldn't be a match for them.

Seeing Liang Qian in such a state pained me deeply. I took a deep breath to keep myself from becoming too agitated, then spoke to the people nearby. "Untie them first. I have questions for them."

At that moment, Dr. Umekawa interjected, "Lord Sasuke, you don't need to untie them to question them. These two are quite capable fighters; if we release them, there might be trouble. Just remove the tape from their mouths."

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