"Madman!"
"You data-obsessed madman!"
"How could they possibly trust something as dangerous as you?!"
Commander Shi Ling made his final struggle and roar.
Fan Jie gave no further response, merely raising a finger slightly.
A meaningless human-like gesture.
In an instant.
Inside the command room, every technical soldier, communications officer, and staff officer, including Shi Ling—
Every one of their bodies began to tremble violently.
Then, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The ink-like darkness of their pupils spread and vanished as though wiped away.
In the end, only bleak whites with a faint reddish glow remained in their eye sockets.
Every expression—anger, fear, shock—faded from their faces.
Like puppets with their strings cut, they stood silently where they were.
Before Commander Shi Ling's consciousness completely sank into darkness—
He heard Fan Jie's final command through his remaining auditory nerves.
"Kill yourselves."
The order was concise, efficient, and beyond question.
The next second.
Commander Shi Ling felt his right hand defy his will and move on its own, drawing the sidearm from his waist.
Then the icy muzzle pressed against his chin.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the other controlled personnel in the command room raise their guns with the exact same stiff movements, aiming at their own temples or chins.
The next second, there was no hesitation, no struggle.
There was not even the slightest pause as they pulled the triggers.
Several faint yet fatal laser discharges rang out almost simultaneously.
High-energy beams effortlessly pierced skulls and flesh.
Commander Shi Ling's body suddenly stiffened. The last faint red glimmer in his eyes went out completely, and he collapsed to the floor without a trace of strength.
The other controlled personnel also crumpled one after another like felled wooden stakes.
For a time, only the dull thuds of bodies