The Mosquito Torture

Oren quickly closed the dark web connection with Chris, and as the anti-eavesdropping software icon turned green, he let out a long breath...

Night fell, and the military office building was dimly lit and silent. Oren stood in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window, the city lights twinkling outside reflecting on his face. He took a deep breath, feeling the coolness of the night, yet unable to calm his anxious heart.

"How does one get in touch with the key figures of 'The Black Barrier'? I need to confirm if what I've seen is true," he thought to himself, a hint of unease rising within him.

His furrowed brows were reflected in the window, his hand unconsciously rubbing a military badge, a mix of responsibility and anxiety in his chest. The air seemed to be filled with an intangible pressure, ready to crush him at any moment.

A soft sound of footsteps came from the hallway, interrupting his thoughts. Oren leaned against the window, looking towards the door.

The doorknob turned gently, and a young officer entered, lowering his voice: "Sir, General Atel is ready, he's waiting for you in office 6026 in the underground G district."

Oren nodded, straightened his military attire, and strode towards the elevator. The metal doors reflected his resolute face, yet also faintly showing a hint of fatigue.

The hallway was dimly lit, the light casting on the floor, reflecting Oren's determined steps. His boots made a slight echo on the ground, as if resonating with his inner unease.

The elevator doors closed slowly, the faint mechanical sound echoing in the confined space. He leaned against the metal wall of the elevator, his gaze fixed on the numbers changing, his fingertips lightly tapping the buttons of his uniform. His heart rate quickened in the silence, as if each beat was a reminder of the danger he was about to face.

The elevator stopped at the underground fifth level, the doors opening slowly. General Atel was surprisingly standing outside the elevator, hands behind his back, his face expression inscrutable.

"Let's go," Atel said indifferently, turning and heading towards a concealed side door.

Oren followed behind the general, the air around them seeming unusually heavy, his footsteps echoing in the vast underground hallway. At the end of the hallway was 6026, after entering the password, they went in and closed the door. It was a minimalist office. There were almost no unnecessary furnishings inside, just a filing cabinet, a wooden desk in front, and a dimly lit lamp.

General Atel opened the safe, took out a stack of thick documents and handed them to Oren: "Information on The Black Barrier." His gaze was as sharp as a knife. Read it here! Remember, you have never seen these non-existent documents. We need to know if you are ready to join us.

Oren's hand paused slightly, then he took the documents.

The light shone on the cover of the documents, the red "Top Secret" stamp was exceptionally conspicuous. Oren took a deep breath, slowly opened the folder, revealing various mosquito experiment data, the development of mosquito-borne viruses, and plans for the deployment of these insects.

Oren flipped through the documents in his hand, the light from the desk lamp casting on his slightly taut face. Every page of text and charts seemed like a chain, tightly binding him to this huge conspiracy.

These materials matched the files that Chris had cracked before. It seemed that General Atel was indeed part of the resistance! "I am ready, General, I will join the resistance, no matter what, we must prevent all of this."

"Good, we were right about you, you leave now, and wait for orders."

"Alright," he responded. He carefully returned the documents to General Atel, and quickly headed towards the door.

Back in the hallway, Oren's steps were light and forceful. All he could hear was his own even breathing and the slight clatter of his heels against the ground. To prevent communication from being eavesdropped again, he wanted to discuss with his partners face to face as soon as possible.

Exiting the military building, the night enveloped him, the cold wind clarifying his thoughts. He quickly got in his car, started the engine, and headed towards the house where Rakien and the others were hiding, the distant lights gradually disappearing from view.

The night grew heavier, Oren gripped the steering wheel, his hands slightly sweaty. The dashboard in the car emitted a faint blue light, reflecting on his tense face. The city lights in the distance gradually faded, the car passing through a remote country road. The wind poured in through the half-open window, carrying a slight chill.

He knew that time was running out, and he had to get back to the safe house as soon as possible.

As he passed through a grove, Oren unconsciously checked the rearview mirror, making sure no cars were following him. However, the sense of unease within him still wouldn't dissipate. He stepped on the gas, the car accelerating in the vast night, as if the darkness was about to swallow everything.

Suddenly, the encrypted phone rang, it was Chris: "Oren, the military's monitoring network shows that your car was caught by radar once, someone might be following you!"

Oren's pupils slightly contracted, his heart rate suddenly quickened. He quickly adjusted the rearview mirror, a cold light appearing in his eyes, but he didn't find any cars following him, only a distant, a lonely streetlight swaying in the night wind, its light flickering.

"Understood, I'll try my best to shake them off," Oren calmly replied, stepping on the gas again.

A few minutes later, he noticed that indeed a black car was following at a distance. The other party wasn't speeding, but maintained a consistent distance. He took a deep breath, quickly calculating how to lose them in his mind.

He noticed an intersection ahead, leading to an industrial area. The industrial area was densely built, with sparse traffic, it should be a good place to lose the follower.

Oren adjusted his direction, unhesitatingly driving the car towards the industrial area. The other party seemed to have noticed his intentions, suddenly increasing their speed, clearly beginning to close in. Oren's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, making a sudden sharp turn, driving into a narrow alley. The vehicle sped through the alley, the tires rubbing against the walls, creating a sharp noise.

At the end of the alley, there was a dead end. Oren stepped on the brakes without hesitation, the car stopping just short of touching the wall. He quickly turned off the lights, crouching in his seat, his gaze fixed on the rearview mirror.

After a moment, the black car sped past the alley, rushing straight ahead. The taillights gradually disappeared into the distance, and Oren let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the follower had not noticed that he had stopped in the alley.

"Close call," he whispered to himself, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Then, without further delay, he restarted the vehicle, quietly leaving the industrial area. Soon, he was back on his original route, heading straight for the old house on the edge of the city.

At that moment, inside the safe house, the light was dim and hidden, with a few old desk lamps on the table. Old Kahn, Young Kahn, Rakien, and Betty were waiting for Oren's return.

When Oren pushed the door open, several heads lifted at the same time. Old Kahn was the first to speak: "How's it going?"

"I've got the documents on 'The Black Barrier'," Oren said in a deep voice, "and I've confirmed, General Atel is indeed part of the resistance, trustworthy! The information he showed me matches the files I obtained internally. The trouble is, I was followed on my way here. But I've shaken them off."

He then used encrypted communication to contact Chris to send the documents through the dark web, encrypted transmission, Chris said nervously: "Are you sure no one is still following you? The military's radar surveillance is very sensitive."

"Sure, I've shaken them off in the industrial area," Oren replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down, finally relaxing.

The documents slowly came through, Rakien's gaze swept over them, showing a hint of curiosity. "What's hidden in these files?"

Oren nodded, pointing to a page: "This is Averland's top-secret plan, they plan to fully advance the 'The Black Barrier' plan in the next two months: using artificially bred mosquitoes to spread highly lethal human viruses on a large scale, such as Hantavirus and White Death Disease, causing massive casualties in enemy countries."

"Too crazy, these madmen!" Young Kahn frowned.