Chapter 32: Ninth Fortress

“You wanted this.”

Gu Xianqing sat on An He’s bed, her right hand propped against the outer edge of the bedframe while several sheets of white paper materialized in her other hand out of thin air.

Those were things she’d fabricated in the dream realm—unreal objects that didn’t exist in reality—but there were indeed words written on the paper.

An He didn’t reach out to take them. She lay peacefully and comfortably on the inner side of the bed, thoroughly relaxed this time.

These past few days, she’d discovered that as her abilities strengthened, she could twitch her fingers under Gu Xianqing’s control. The resistance felt just like poking through plastic wrap. Yet An He still didn’t move.

This was her backup move in their little game of wits—she’d save it for the right moment, not now. Right now, she was having a peaceful discussion about intelligence with Gu Xianqing.

When it came to opposing the First Fortress, the two women were surprisingly aligned and trusted each other completely.

“Read it to me,” An He said, only moving her mouth.

“First up is that chip from the unknown infiltrator.” Gu Xianqing glanced at the top sheet of paper. “Nothing much in it. It’s a blank chip, probably put into use not long ago.

“There are two lines of notes inside. One translates to ‘Handler: Lisa.’ The infiltrator was reporting to someone named ‘Lisa.’ Do you know what that means?”

Gu Xianqing set the paper aside and looked at An He.

“What?”

“It means you’ll never figure out who this ‘Lisa’ really is.” Gu Xianqing flashed a grin like someone enjoying the show. “It’s a pseudonym, and a super common one at that. Even in the Ninth Fortress, one out of every two people might have ‘Lisa’ in their name.”

“So only that infiltrator knows who Lisa is.”

“That’s right.” Gu Xianqing’s gaze returned to the paper. “There’s also another piece of info—a serial number.”

She pulled out the sheet, flipped it over, and held it in front of An He’s eyes.

“HXSI70096-18.” An He read the code aloud, letter by letter. “The chip’s production number?”

“No. I’ve had the honor of seeing this format before.” Gu Xianqing drawled slowly. “HX stands for a Research Institute workgroup, SI refers to the sixth batch, the numbers after likely denote a specific project, and the 18 at the end is this Embedded Spirit Body’s number.”

“The Research Institute? You mean this Nestsoul came from one of their members?”

“No.” Gu Xianqing quickly shot that down. “I mean this Nestsoul came from one of their projects. Her Innate Talent might be the result of artificial modification.”

An He jolted in shock. “Modified Innate Talent… the sixth batch?”

“More or less?” Gu Xianqing tilted her head. “If that’s the case, their current moves make perfect sense. After all these years, it seems one of their projects has finally borne major fruit.”

Her tone stayed casual, but stormy waves churned in An He’s heart. This Nestsoul’s Innate Talent could bypass the Ninth Fortress’s Iron Wall without issue—clearly a targeted artificial modification. With the infiltrator numbered 18, there were likely at least 18 equally powerful test subjects. The scary part? They didn’t know the upper limit.

Assuming their guess tonight held true, this batch was probably meant for combat. Killing that one person had just been swatting a scouting lead bug.

Gu Xianqing spotted her worry. She rolled up the now-useless paper in her hand and lightly tapped An He’s forehead. “What are you most worried about right now?”

“If you could choose an Innate Talent, what type do you think would be the most useful?” An He asked gravely.

“In territorial warfare, the most useful ones are naturally those that can’t be intercepted, blocked, or detected.”

“So spatial types, power types, and ambush abilities?”

“That’s how you categorize them?” Gu Xianqing gazed at her indulgently. “Cute. Anyway, I’d bet on ones with massive destructive power too, maybe even paired up for combos.”

An He fell silent.

A moment later, she swallowed a calming pill for herself. “But the good news is, no matter how powerful the enemy’s weapons are, they’re still just people—not mass-destruction ammo or anything like that.”

An He based this judgment on the First Fortress’s delay in launching an attack. The fortresses were still in a standoff, meaning the First Fortress had its own concerns too.

After her talk with Ide, An He had gained a fuller picture of the situation.

She figured that aside from these modified Nestsouls, the First Fortress lacked mass-producible mechanical weapons. Tech was one thing; the materials to make it reality were another. The steel alloys and gasoline needed for mass production were controlled by the Ninth and Seventh Fortresses—conveniently allies.

The enemy’s weapon resources were stretched thin too; they couldn’t afford to waste them. That might be why they wanted to take the Ninth Fortress ASAP.

Since they weren’t getting steamrolled yet, they still had a shot at victory.

“Don’t worry too soon. Let’s look at Lola’s side next.” Gu Xianqing tossed aside the empty paper and pulled out the next few sheets.

Lola’s chip lacked any special serial number format, but it did mention a handler named “Tina.” Unlike the previous blank chip, Lola’s was packed with intel.

The most detailed was the Ninth Fortress’s defense layout—sentinel posts on the Iron Wall, cannon positions, troop movement routes, weapon placements.

Next came the Steel Mill’s control hub.

Finally, the rear civilian defenses, including mine positions, underground shelter locations, and activation protocols.

Chillingly, Lola had even listed influential civilian leaders for the First Fortress to more efficiently incite survivors after a takeover.

An He also noticed that info on the Thorn Lamps was sparse—except for Ide, whom Lola had highlighted extensively. This included Ide’s Innate Talent, mental strength rating, physical condition, residence, and eating habits. At the report’s end, Lola had analyzed Ide’s behavioral patterns and predicted her combat responses.

When Gu Xianqing handed it over for An He to see, An He stared blankly for a long time, waves of aftershock and astonishment crashing through her.

Lola’s infiltration skills were terrifyingly potent—and insidious, subtle, hidden beneath the surface. During An He’s time interacting with her, Lola had stayed quiet, her movements normal, as if she’d done nothing out of the ordinary.

Her combat prowess wasn’t high, but she clearly excelled in her niche. From just an assistant role, she’d gathered a mountain of intel.

Thinking back, she’d not only handled Thorn Lamp mental tests and logistics but also mingled with civilians. And she’d done it coldly, with impure motives.

An He suddenly realized that after all this time, Su Ling had never once asked about Lady Heli. Unbeknownst to them, Lola had quietly handled it.

She couldn’t underestimate Lola.

“The Ninth Fortress should thank its lucky stars for Su Ling,” Gu Xianqing said with interest, pinching the corners of two sheets. “If not for that ‘little black cat’s’ lingering attachments holding back the intel handover, this place would’ve been a battlefield before you even arrived.”

An He swallowed hard.

Gu Xianqing shook the papers. “All done. Thoughts? How do you plan to counter?”

An He didn’t answer, sinking into silence again. But this time, it wasn’t helplessness. On the contrary, countless bits of info raced through her mind, colliding, shattering, and reforming. She stayed quiet, trying to snag those fleeting thoughts and forge a foolproof plan.

Gu Xianqing didn’t press, patiently waiting. Bored in the meantime, she let her body go limp, lay sideways, and pillowed her head on An He’s stomach.

An He was fully immersed in her thinking, with no attention to spare for Gu Xianqing.

Half an hour later, An He finally spoke again. “We have no way to counter it.” Her tone was even, without notable pessimism. “The situation’s graver than I imagined, and we know nothing about the enemy’s abilities.”

“So?” Gu Xianqing asked, eyes closed, lazily swinging her dangling legs.

“So intel is crucial.” An He continued. “Unfortunately, we can’t get theirs or learn their Innate Talents. But…” Her bent finger tapped the blanket ever so lightly. “The good news is, they know next to nothing about us either.”

“I bet they need intel too.” An He stared at the ceiling as a bold, mad idea took shape. Her eyes gleamed as she spoke again. “Lola’s intel—isn’t it perfect for this?”

Gu Xianqing paused, slowly opening her eyes. “You mean…?”

“Let Lola send the intel out.” An He said. “Know thyself and thy enemy to win every battle. But what if the intel they get doesn’t match reality? It’ll waste their time and cost them big losses.”

With a mole in place, she’d maximize it with fake intel—catch them off guard.

This aligned with her chat with Ide: counterattack while minimizing casualties, achieving maximum deterrence with minimal manpower.

An He was lucky. She’d intercepted this intel and could wield it. Even luckier, aside from Gu Xianqing, she knew more than anyone. And she had an edge over even Gu Xianqing—she could communicate openly with Ide and Lola on trusted terms. So she had the confidence to maneuver through this.

“You’re going to alter the chip?” Gu Xianqing asked. “That might be tough. They use proprietary gear for recording; changes on other devices leave traces.”

“No alterations—that’d alert Lola, and I don’t have her handler’s contact anyway. She has to send it herself.” An He’s reply surprised her. “So what I’ll change is the Ninth Fortress’s habits.”

Fortunately, the chip hadn’t been updated with new content since An He’s arrival.

“Plus, I need the First Fortress to attack soon. This battle has to happen.” An He half-lowered her eyes, the light in them no longer pure and open. “The timing’s perfect. I’ll make Lola act, poke her head out. Then I can tail her and infiltrate the First Fortress legitimately.”

An He had no intention of dodging the war. She wanted Lola to move, the First Fortress to move—but the Ninth Fortress couldn’t suffer a crushing defeat.

Among countless options, she’d picked the hardest path for the biggest gains. Everyone except the First Fortress would come out satisfied.

“Crazy.” Gu Xianqing propped herself up on one elbow, quietly studying her. “You plan to take Lola to the First Fortress with you?”

“She can’t stay in the Ninth Fortress.” An He blinked. “And I can’t just abandon the network I’ve worked so hard to build.”

Gu Xianqing let out a soft hum from her nose—unclear if it was a scoff or approval—as she gazed at her, her expression unreadable.

“Go for it, An He. Once the First Fortress’s legions step into the Wasteland and hit the marsh border, you’ll get more useful intel from me.” Gu Xianqing smiled. “And I’ll throw in a little help too.”