The Maze of the Wise

Chapter 11: The Irreversible Mission

The core control room of the deep-sea data center exuded a suffocating intensity. Every surface was lined with flickering screens, displaying endless streams of data. Members of the Extremist faction's leadership stood around the central console, their gazes sharp and unwavering.

"Mike Dean, your role is critical," Shen Mu's (沈暮, Shěn Mù) voice was icy as her piercing gaze met mine. "For this mission, we need your full cooperation."

"What mission?" I asked, feigning calm.

She gestured to a massive screen above the central console. It displayed a holographic model of a heavily fortified high-tech prison, buried deep beneath the Arctic ice sheet.

"This is our target," Shen Mu explained. "The prison houses the League's most dangerous traitors—individuals who pose the greatest threat to our plans."

"Traitors?" I frowned.

"These individuals possess early core data of the Enlightenment System," Xu Jin (许谨, Xǔ Jǐn) interjected, his tone as cold as steel. "If this information is leaked, it could irreparably damage the Wisdom Governance Plan. Your task is to infiltrate the prison, breach its main control system, retrieve the list of traitors, and destroy all data."

The mission seemed straightforward on the surface, but I knew better. This was no ordinary prison—it was one of the League's most secretive and vital facilities. The Extremists were resorting to extreme measures to eliminate anything that could jeopardize their plan.

Adding to my unease, the Enlightenment System suddenly intervened.

As I took the mission brief, my phone screen lit up on its own, displaying a chilling message from the system:

"Mandatory Task: Execute target operation to ensure mission success."

My stomach sank, and I muttered under my breath, "Even you're pressuring me now?"

"Refusal will trigger the loop purge protocol," the system responded coldly.

With no room for refusal, I was forced to accept the mission.

The Extremists assembled an elite team to accompany me to the Arctic prison. We boarded an invisible transport aircraft, departing directly from the underwater data center. As we entered the frozen expanse of the Arctic Circle, the cabin's temperature plummeted, and I felt a cold weight settle in my chest.

Through the window, I caught sight of our target—a metal fortress buried under snow and ice, resembling a predatory beast lying in wait. Drones patrolled the perimeter, while faint flashes in the air hinted at an active laser defense grid.

"This is the League's most secure prison," Shen Mu said, standing beside me with an air of confidence. "No one has ever escaped alive."

The infiltration began as planned.

Using encrypted keys provided by the Extremists, we bypassed the prison's outer defenses. Once inside, the atmosphere was oppressive—cold, metallic walls stretched endlessly, automated turrets lined the halls, and surveillance cameras covered every angle.

My assignment was to breach the control room and retrieve the list of so-called "traitors." But upon reaching the console, a new system directive appeared on the screen:

"Destroy core storage and activate internal self-destruct sequence."

My eyes widened in shock. The Extremists' objective wasn't just to retrieve the list—it was to annihilate the entire facility, including everyone and everything inside.

"System, are you kidding me?" I whispered, dread creeping into my voice.

"Mandatory Task: Execute self-destruct protocol," the screen repeated, unyielding.

"Mr. Dean, what's causing your hesitation?" Shen Mu's voice crackled through my earpiece, laced with an icy edge.

"What would activating the self-destruct protocol accomplish?" I stalled, trying to buy time.

"Those traitors are the root of the threat to our plan. They must be eliminated," she replied coldly. "We can't afford to waste any more time."

"If the goal is just to retrieve the list, why sacrifice the entire prison?" I countered, my jaw clenched.

"This is the first step toward Wisdom Governance," her tone was as unyielding as the Arctic ice. "There can be no compromise, only absolute efficiency."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain composed. Staring at the self-destruct option flashing on the screen, I knew the next decision would change everything.

Just then, the Administrator's voice came through my earpiece, urgent and tense:

"Mike Dean, listen to me. You cannot activate the self-destruct protocol!"

"How do you know about this?" I whispered, scanning the room for surveillance.

"We've infiltrated the Extremists' communications network," she explained quickly. "This prison doesn't hold traitors—it holds the League's scientists who originally developed the Enlightenment System! If they're killed, the core logic of the system will be lost forever, and the Extremists' algorithm will seize total control."

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. The "traitor list" was a ruse. The Extremists' true aim was to eliminate these scientists, erasing any chance of their governance plan being challenged.

But I was trapped, pressured by both the Extremists and the system.

"Mike Dean, time's up," Shen Mu's voice cut through my thoughts, tinged with impatience. "Activate the protocol."

I exhaled sharply, my gaze fixed on the screen. The self-destruct button flashed ominously, as if daring me to press it.

"Sorry about this," I muttered under my breath. My fingers danced across the console, redirecting the system from self-destruct mode to a data backup operation.

The screen flickered, and a progress bar for the backup began to load. The Administrator sighed in relief through the earpiece:

"Well done! Now get out of there. We'll take over from here."

"But the Extremists will notice!" I hissed, glancing nervously at the surveillance cameras swiveling to track my movements.

Almost immediately, Shen Mu's voice turned icy:

"Mike Dean, you've betrayed us."

The control room door slammed open, and armed guards stormed in. I scrambled backward, clutching the Administrator's decryption device tightly in my hand.

"Capture him!" Shen Mu barked, her command echoing with finality.

In a desperate move, I pressed the emergency trigger on the decryption device. The control room plunged into chaos—screens went dark, and the prison's automated defenses faltered.

"Activate the extraction protocol!" the Administrator's voice rang sharply in my ear.

Seizing the opportunity, I bolted from the control room, sprinting through the maze-like corridors as gunfire echoed behind me. The freezing air stung my lungs, but adrenaline pushed me forward.

When I finally burst through the prison gates, a drone hovered nearby, its rotors whirring. Summoning my last reserves of strength, I leaped onto the drone.

The Administrator's voice crackled through the earpiece:

"The data transfer is complete. The prison wasn't destroyed, but the Extremists know you've compromised them."

"What will they do now?" I gasped, my breath fogging in the icy air.

"They won't stop," she replied grimly. "And you've just become their primary target."

Next Chapter Preview:

Mike Dean returns with the core data, but the Extremists retaliate with full force as the Wisdom Governance Plan enters its final phase. With allies' trust beginning to waver and the system's ultimate agenda coming to light, the battle for intelligence and freedom approaches its most perilous moment.

To be continued…