Chapter 376: Breaking In!

Upon hearing Jason’s reply, Arthur Lambert offered a wry smile and said, "...Besides, I suspect that even if we punch through the perimeter wall, it will trigger the internal security grid. The nanobots might be activated directly."

Jason pondered for a moment, then asked with a frown, "Theoretically, these nanomachines can’t withstand a direct nuclear detonation, right? A point-blank tactical nuke should be enough. The superheated plasma and electromagnetic pulse would completely vaporize their physical structure!"

Arthur Lambert considered it before answering with a grim expression, "Yes, in principle, your logic is solid! But if we deploy nuclear munitions, we cannot afford to let a single nanobot survive.

If even a handful escape the thermal radius, they will lose their network constraints and begin an unchecked self-replication cycle... That would be catastrophic! We could evacuate aboard our shuttles, but it would unleash an apocalyptic disaster on this planet."

Jason fell silent, recognizing how delicate the operation was.

Even triggering an atmospheric burst to blanket the area with an EMP wouldn’t accomplish much. The facility was encased in dense hyperalloy bulkheads that easily attenuated electromagnetic radiation, shielded further by a ten-meter buffer of seawater.

Moreover, an atmospheric EMP might destroy the external beacon without neutralizing the swarm inside. A direct, point-blank detonation remained the far more reliable option.

A junior researcher nearby offered an alternative perspective: "I don’t believe an endless grey-goo scenario is likely. When these autonomous units were engineered, their replication protocols would require an external energy source.

Bound by thermodynamic laws, there should be an internal replication cap to prevent a runaway cascade... Still, even a small surviving pocket would be more than capable of stripping this laboratory and the surrounding seabed bare. It serves as an effective anti-tamper protocol."

An anti-tamper protocol?

Detonating a shaped charge inside such a confined volume would likely reduce everything to ash. Yet, amidst billions of microscopic machines, the statistical probability of a few surviving the blast was never zero. The ocean was an incompressible fluid; the shockwave would carry particles far and wide.

Furthermore, they couldn’t deploy a high-yield warhead without vaporizing the very scientific data they came to retrieve.

Perhaps we need our friend’s help again?

The idea crossed Jason’s mind. With a quiet sigh, he climbed back down into the kayak.

After several minutes of patient communication, the glowing green sphere on the ocean’s surface fractured into scattered patches before reassembling and bobbing back up.

"You can’t get close either? The nanites dismantle your algal cells?"

Jason caught her meaning quickly and nodded to himself. It made sense; biological cellular structures were no match for purpose-built molecular machines.

"Can you track those nanobots with your senses?"

The glowing sphere bounced rhythmically, giving an enthusiastic nod.

"Then here is the plan: we are going to breach the portal with a low-yield nuclear torpedo..."

Returning to the transport, Jason laid out a decisive plan that took the entire team by surprise: "Elara can track the nanobots’ movements. She will surround the perimeter to act as a biological buffer, dampening their dispersal rate. If any units survive the initial blast, she will pinpoint their coordinates for us."

"In their initial state, their numbers will be minimal and their replication rate will be slow. We will immediately neutralize any marked coordinates with secondary micro-yield charges to ensure total containment!"

Arthur Lambert tapped the side of his helmet, raising no objections. He gave a quiet chuckle. "Fair enough... It is crude and violent, but given our technological disadvantage, brute force is our best option. Let’s just hope Elara’s sensory resolution is as sharp as we think..."

When standard methods failed, high explosives were the universal equalizer. If one round wasn’t enough, you fired two.

With the operational parameters set, an automated submarine armed with a tactical nuclear warhead slowly submerged.

Slipping through the narrow fissure in the reef, the drone suddenly accelerated. As it crossed the outer boundary near the blast door, everyone held their breath. The monitoring telemetry instantly snapped to static.

The warhead detonated the instant it crossed the fail-safe threshold.

A violent, muted concussion rippled through the deep water. An incandescent sphere of light flared beneath the surface, illuminating the dark sea like a brilliant halogen bulb.

A fraction of a second later, a massive plume of superheated steam and water erupted skyward, sending heavy swells crashing against the hull of the dropship. The yield had been strictly dialed down to roughly one kiloton of TNT, a clean, fusion-boosted charge engineered to minimize residual fallout.

They had used just enough power to breach the door without leveling the entire complex.

Suddenly, a brilliant cluster of fluorescent green bloomed on the surface of the water!

"There! That is the marker!"

Jason reacted instantly, pointing toward the glowing cluster. "We have targets ! Target those coordinates!"

A secondary torpedo streaked into the surf, detonating in a concentrated flash of golden fire that consumed the marked patch of water.

Jason felt a brief twinge of concern, wondering if the shockwave had harmed Elara. Biologically, however, she was a planetary-scale hive mind; losing a localized patch of cells was negligible.

After the second blast, no further green markers appeared. The turbulent sea gradually settled back into a calm swell. The nuclear strike appeared to have scrubbed the perimeter clean.

A small green sphere coalesced on the surface once more. Seeing Elara reform, the education team let out a collective sigh of relief. "She’s alright!"

This time, however, the sphere began pulsing rapidly, dividing and colliding in erratic patterns as if trying to convey an urgent message. The frantic biological display left the researchers thoroughly confused.

A few seconds later, an operator’s panicked voice broke over the tactical net: "Commander! The facility’s blast door was blown inward, and seawater is flooding the interior!"

"Sensor telemetry is showing green markers inside the complex—and the count is multiplying fast!"

Jason’s pulse spiked, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Damn it! A cluster of nanites wasn’t destroyed—the blast wave blew them directly into the laboratory!

He quickly pulled up the optical feed from a surviving recon drone. The interior facility spanned roughly 300 square meters, packed with modular alien terminals and analytical equipment that appeared largely intact.

Scattered across the consoles were faint green bioluminescent dots—markers placed by Elara.

And their numbers were surging.

"Exponential growth! The initial replication phase is our only window! We have to breach the room right now!" Arthur Lambert roared through the comms. "Move! Move! If we lose containment, we’ll have to glass the entire site with another warhead!"

The Special Forces operators turned their eyes toward Jason, their visors locked onto him, waiting for the order to charge.