The digital sanctum of [Channel: Zero] was active once more. But this time, the atmosphere was different. A new username was present in the list of core operatives, her handle glowing with the same stark white authority as the others: Crystalline_Mind.
Su Liying felt a tremor of nervous energy, but she suppressed it with the cold, hard discipline she was quickly learning. She was no longer just an analyst in the Outer Court. She was here, in the command center, a participant in the highest level of this secret war. She was sitting at the table with legends.
It was Old-Man-Jiang who opened the session, his text carrying the weight of a seasoned commander.
Old-Man-Jiang: Welcome, Chief Analyst. Your promotion is well-deserved. Your proposal regarding the asset we will now refer to as 'Nightingale' has been unanimously approved by this council. The floor is yours to present your proposed methodology for the operation.
This was her test. Her first true trial as a member of the inner circle. She took a steadying breath and began to type, laying out the strategy she had spent the entire previous night perfecting.
Crystalline_Mind: Thank you, General. The subject, 'Nightingale' (Dr. Chen), is psychologically vulnerable, but he is not a fool. A direct offer of extraction would be met with suspicion. He is trapped by a promise Prometheus made to him—a cure for his daughter. To win his loyalty, we cannot simply offer him safety. We must prove we are a demonstrably better option. We must offer him a greater hope.
She outlined her three-phase plan.
Crystalline_Mind: Phase one, The Hook. We must make first contact, anonymously. We will not offer a deal. We will simply provide him with a piece of 'proof'—a small, partial, but verifiable breakthrough in his daughter's specific genetic condition. Something more advanced than his own research, something Prometheus has failed to give him. This will prove our scientific superiority and establish our credibility.
Crystalline_Mind: Phase two, The Offer. Once the hook is set and he responds, we offer him the deal. The full, complete cure for his daughter and a secure, new life for both of them. In exchange, we demand his absolute cooperation: all of his research, all of his knowledge on Prometheus's command structure, everything.
Crystalline_Mind: Phase three, The Extraction. Once he agrees, we execute a coordinated physical extraction of both Nightingale and his daughter from their high-security residential complex. This will be the most dangerous phase, requiring perfect execution.
The plan lay bare in the channel, audacious and complex. It was met with a moment of thoughtful silence. Then, the first, critical flaw was pointed out by the ever-pragmatic Hephaestus.
Hephaestus: A brilliant plan, Chief Analyst. Truly. There's only one problem. Phase one is a fantasy. Hephaestus: You're talking about producing a medical miracle on demand. We are a tactical and intelligence unit, not a multi-billion credit biomedical research corporation. We don't have a genetics lab. We don't have a team of bio-engineers. How, precisely, are we supposed to synthesize a 'breakthrough' for a rare genetic disease that the world's best doctors have deemed incurable?
Lin Mei's text appeared, backing him up. Nomad-Lead: Hephaestus is right. We cannot promise something we cannot deliver. It would be a lie. A desperate man like Dr. Chen will sense false hope from a mile away. If he thinks we are manipulating him with empty promises, we don't just lose him as an asset; we create a new enemy who knows we are targeting him.
The moral weight of the problem settled on the group. To manipulate a desperate father with a lie, even for a greater good, felt like a line they were unwilling to cross. The entire operation seemed to be stalled on this impossible, ethical roadblock.
Su Liying felt her heart sink. They were right. It was an impossible request.
But then, a flicker of the absolute, irrational faith she had in the silent shepherd of this flock rose within her. She didn't know how. But she believed he had a way. She typed a message, not just to the team, but to the silent observer she knew was reading every word.
Crystalline_Mind: I understand the difficulty. It is a monumental obstacle. But I believe the 'proof' is the only way to guarantee his willing cooperation without resorting to coercion or threats. The question is not whether we *can* produce it, but what resources would be required to do so. Oracle... is a solution to this problem... within your reach?
The channel was silent for a full thirty seconds. Then, Oracle blinked online.
And he provided them with a miracle.
A new file appeared in the channel. Its title was simple, but its contents were anything but.
[BIOLOGICAL DATA: 'Genesis Code' - Partial Regenerative Sequence]
Oracle: The asset 'Nightingale's' daughter suffers from a Terran-native genetic flaw, a simple cellular decay. The principles of genetic repair and targeted regeneration, however, are universal.
Oracle: The attached data is an excerpt from the medical archives of my 'World-Healer' avatar. It is from a civilization that had mastered organic life on a foundational level thousands of years ago. This file contains the core programming language for cellular self-repair.
Oracle: It is not a permanent 'cure' in its current, fragmented state. Think of it as a divine biological programming language. Hephaestus, your workshop inventory lists a Mark IV Bio-Synthesizer. It is more than adequate. Use this Genesis Code to synthesize a single, targeted retrovirus. When administered, it will not permanently rewrite the child's flawed DNA, but it will halt and temporarily reverse the cellular decay for a period of approximately six months.
Oracle: It is the 'proof of capability' that the Chief Analyst requires.
The three veteran operatives stared at the text, their minds struggling to process the sheer, casual omnipotence of the statement. This was not advanced technology. This was a gift from a god. Hephaestus, the master craftsman, was left speechless. He was looking at a biological science so far beyond human comprehension it might as well have been magic. Lin Mei and General Jiang felt a profound sense of awe and terror. The depth of Oracle's resources was not just vast; it was infinite.
Su Liying felt a shudder run through her entire body. The being she knew as Qin Mo was not just a strategist or a secret-keeper. He was a master of life and death itself.
With the impossible problem solved, the rest of the plan fell into place with terrifying efficiency.
Hephaestus: I... I will need 48 hours to calibrate the synthesizer and run the simulations. The synthesis itself should be quick after that. This is... beyond anything I've ever worked with.
Old-Man-Jiang: Very good. While Hephaestus forges the miracle, I will arrange for its anonymous delivery. A courier with no connections to us will leave it at his doorstep. Crystalline_Mind, you will draft the communication protocol. The first message must be perfect.
Nomad-Lead: And I will begin planning the physical extraction. Nightingale's residence is in a high-security corporate apartment complex. We'll need a clean, quiet way to get two civilians out without alerting Prometheus. I will start running surveillance.
Su Liying, her mind still reeling but her purpose clear, added a final, crucial touch to the plan.
Crystalline_Mind: Agreed. We also need intelligence on the daughter, Mei-Ling. Her routine, her school schedule, her favorite toys, her allergies. The extraction will be traumatic for a seven-year-old. We need to make it as smooth and calm for her as possible. She is the prize we are fighting for, not just a piece of leverage.
The addition of this empathetic, human detail earned a nod of silent respect from the others.
From his bedroom, Qin Mo observed the flurry of activity in his command channel. His plan was working perfectly. He had provided the catalyst, and his operatives were executing with flawless competence. It was a clean, efficient strategic operation.
He pulled up the complete Prometheus file on Dr. Chen, which included a sub-file on his daughter, Mei-Ling. He saw her medical records, her school reports, and a single, candid photo. It showed a small, smiling seven-year-old girl with bright, intelligent eyes, hugging a teddy bear.
He, the Observer of ninety thousand worlds, the being who had witnessed the birth and death of stars, paused.
His cold, analytical gaze, which saw people as assets and events as data points, softened for a fleeting, almost imperceptible moment.
The line between a strategic objective and a child's life was beginning to blur. And that, he knew, was a new and dangerous variable in his own grand, lonely equation.