Fishing Net

Ba Di reclined slightly in the wheelchair, his head resting against its metal back. The back of his head felt the cold texture of metal, along with the faint chill of the Pulse Radiofrequency Needle in his spinal cord.

As the anesthetic gradually dispersed, for the first time in nearly ten months, he faintly felt his body responding.

Yet that response was far too weak. His skin could sense his hands gripping the wheelchair's metal handles, but he could not send out any command to move.

Ba Di's gentle gaze swept over Slade and old Dean Bo Li beside him, then passed over the soldiers holding guns, ready at any moment to aim their dark muzzles at him.

They stood out starkly amid the white surroundings.

Ba Di quietly breathed a sigh of relief. After calculating and using Jenny for so long, she had not disappointed him. She had followed the course he had anticipated and brought things to this point.

He had succeeded.

Even if he truly became paralyzed this time, it did not matter. Ba Di had intended from the start to trade genuine paralysis for a little freedom.

Or rather, only true paralysis could put them at ease.

Ba Di had already prepared himself for it.

After this, he would gain some degree of freedom. Though he would still be unable to rise from his wheelchair, he would be able to partially learn about the facilities of this Underground Base and the level of technology they were researching. Even a glimpse through a narrow tube would let him learn far more.

To Ba Di, it was practically the same as seeing the future.

What he feared most was imprisonment without ever seeing daylight again. As long as he had even a little freedom, what Ba Di could give them would allow their greed to expand without limit. In turn, he would gain ever greater opportunities and eventually attain true freedom.

Along with the hidden joy in his heart, his thoughts were actively planning the next step—how to get access to the damaged spaceship. There would be far more he could use there.

For example, the spaceship's Artificial Intelligence alone would be enough to give them a hard time. Perhaps without even needing sunlight, Ba Di could reduce this base to ashes.

For the time being, though, that was impossible, because they had not discovered that the spaceship's key was the Artificial Intelligence.

That was the conclusion he had drawn from analyzing the information Jenny had provided.

For now, he needed to proceed slowly and take care of Jenny's emotions first.

How could they possibly give him a chance to stand? Keeping him forever incapable of movement was the safest course. In the end, all they wanted was the knowledge in his head.

Jenny was too innocent and inexperienced, her mind clouded by love.

Once Jenny activated the Pulse Radiofrequency Needle, he would truly be paralyzed in an instant, unable to move.

At that time, she would become the culprit who had left her lover paralyzed for life! He needed to take care of Jenny's feelings.

Ba Di silently considered how he should comfort Jenny when she collapsed into despair, especially after the blow of turning her lover into a cripple.

Ba Di was not the only one who had succeeded.

Slade, old Dean Bo Li, and even General Vick had all obtained what they wanted.

Slade wanted Ba Di to be truly paralyzed and incapable of action. As he had expected, Ba Di would indeed lose all ability to move.

Old Dean Bo Li wanted the knowledge in Ba Di's mind. Once Ba Di was paralyzed, he would have no choice but to help them, and in the future, Dean Bo Li would obtain the knowledge he desired.

General Vick had also obtained research results from Jenny.

At first glance, it seemed that everything everyone wanted would be successfully achieved.

The connections between people were like knots in a fishing net, invisibly linking everything together. Spread outward, they formed the entire Underground Base research institute.

And Ba Di would use Jenny, who had gained nothing, to step beyond those knots and become the one holding the fishing net.

"I'm starting, Ba Di. Tell me immediately if you feel anything."

Jenny's voice came from behind Ba Di, tense and worried. Her beautiful eyes were fixed tightly on his face.

Even after carefully checking the Pulse Radiofrequency Needle's output settings again and confirming that there was no problem, she could not stop herself from feeling anxious.

"Mm."

Ba Di smiled calmly, giving her unsettled heart a dose of reassurance.

Colonel Slade watched Ba Di's calm, composed smile in silence, his face stern.

To him, that smile seemed to suggest that everything was under control, as though Ba Di had coolly seen through all the schemes and calculations of the world.

This alien did not care that he was about to be paralyzed? His brows rose warily. A thought abruptly emerged in his mind: perhaps he should simply shoot this alien now, before future trouble could arise.

But he could not. Slade was ultimately only one knot in the fishing net, linked to and restrained by the other knots. He could not truly put a bullet through Ba Di's head.

Unless he was willing to give up his rank as colonel and be abandoned by General Vick. But how could he give that up? He had paid a great deal to rise to the rank of colonel and become General Vick's trusted confidant. How could he let some inexplicable wariness ruin everything he had built?

This moment of hesitation would become a lifelong regret and a nightmare of despair in the future.

Jenny's heart trembled. Gritting her teeth, she pressed down with her shaking finger, then held her breath tightly and stared at Ba Di's reaction.

Suddenly, at the instant Jenny pressed the activation button—

Sweat poured down Ba Di's face. It felt as though an electric drill had pierced the sole of his foot, tearing and boring madly along his nerves from there. In almost no time, it spread through his legs, arms, waist, and spine. Electrical currents surged through the nerves in his marrow and, in an instant, slammed into his brain, causing pain even worse than being cut open alive.

At the same time, amid the agony, Ba Di felt his body. He felt the tearing pain in every muscle, just as he had before being imprisoned. Surging, raging power erupted from his muscles. His veins swelled like the blue cords of Zha Long, like furious dragons struggling and roaring to break free from their cage and unleash earth-shattering force.

With that power, if he merely stood up, one punch would kill Slade. If he moved, the armed soldiers would be unable to aim at him. He could carve a bloody path out of here!!! Ba Di clenched his teeth, his face twisted in agony. The intense pain and the sudden return of control over his body filled him with unbearable suffering, but also gave rise to a violent Desire for destruction!

Destroy all of this!!

Kill them! Kill every last one of them! Kill everyone who dared imprison him! The agonizing nerve-shredding pain and the sensation of controlling his body's power intertwined in his mind, breeding violent thoughts.

Through pain-filled eyes, he caught sight of Slade's guarded hand gripping the pistol at his waist, as well as the other soldiers holding firearms and pointing their black-hole muzzles at him.

His mind ran through the Meditation Technique of the Kryptonian Meditators Guild, forcing himself to remain calm amid the pain.

All his plans flashed through his mind. He absolutely could not make a mistake at this moment because of a single impulse.

Ba Di discarded the violent thought that had flashed through his mind. He remained seated in the wheelchair, but his hands suddenly exploded with strength, crushing the wheelchair's forged stainless-steel handles inward and leaving handprints in them.

Sweat covered his face. After the pain had twisted his features, his face began to look exhausted and helpless as he panted.

Fortunately, Ba Di had suppressed his violent urges.

The instant after he painfully regained control over his body, his sense of bodily control vanished again. The nerves in his cervical spinal marrow became disordered, and the pulses emitted by his body's reflexes disappeared. Like a reflection in a mirror or the moon in water, it was as if he had never felt his body exist at all.

The time had been so short that it was only enough for someone to rise from a chair. If he had stood and launched a frenzied attack against them, then the identity he had built for himself—a Kryptonian prince who only wished to live peacefully on Earth—would have shattered. They would believe he possessed strong aggression and was not as harmless as he appeared.

Ba Di could almost imagine all his previous efforts turning to ashes, making Slade even more vigilant and increasing their precautions.