As Sun Jack withdrew, the body's own consciousness came back online.
She looked around in confusion, not knowing what had happened.
But the FFP's response was swift; liquid robots rapidly charged towards the Hover Shuttle. By the time they stormed in, they found that the shuttle had long switched to automatic follow mode, and any traces of Tapai, Sun Jack, and Poet's brains had long since vanished.
However, at this moment, Captain DQ Tak of the Spacecraft Carrier, who was in control of the situation, was not particularly panicked. Although there had been a slight mishap, the situation was still within his grasp.
"They can't have gone far in such a short time. Torpedoes have been deployed within 100 nautical miles, and air-gel surveillance equipment is active," he said.
Under his command, the entire combat group began working methodically.
He knew that although Sun Jack had fled, the gap between them was vast. The sea area was under complete surveillance, leaving them no choice but to surrender.
Just then, the robot operator reported a new development from their scans.
While rapidly pursuing based on the traces, they found that they hadn't run away; the trail led straight to the entrance of Prison No. 3.
"They went back inside? Chase them, but remember not to kill them," he ordered.
As they controlled the liquid robots in hot pursuit, filling virtually every physical space of the prison, they finally found Tapai and Poet in the control room of Prison No. 3, holding Sun Jack's brain.
Facing the two seemingly weak opponents, every member of FFP breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the mission was accomplished.
But the next second, a middle finger popped up on Tapai's screen, "Eat shit."
Following that, dozens of screens behind him, accompanied by the error-beeping sound of 'ding ding ding', turned red, one by one, and half of a terrifying mechanical ghoul's face appeared at the center of each screen.
Seeing that mechanical ghoul face, the FFP hacker group inhaled sharply from top to bottom; trouble was brewing!
"It's... it's the Kang Tao Virus!! Disconnect the network!!"
The team leader's voice was nearly distorted, but it was already too late; the 'ding ding ding' continued to sound. The AI systems of all the robots, including those on the screens of the remote robot control team, were affected.
Soon, all the liquid robots collapsed, one after another.
The virus spread rapidly, and it didn't take long for it to start moving through FFP's internal network, extending toward the entire network.
Moreover, this virus wasn't just spread through the network; it would even invade the neural networks of living humans, forcibly taking control of their bodies, pulling out the data cables, and doing everything possible to spread the virus further.
Just as Tapai emerged from the prison with Sun Jack's brain in his arms, he saw the spacecraft carrier in the sky, like a huge mountain falling toward the ground with screeching noises.
Giant waves carrying various debris swept over them.
After disconnecting from that body, Sun Jack lost all sensory perception, as if asleep or in a coma.
Time passed, and Sun Jack was awakened by a faint, gentle voice, "Jack... Jack... Jack!"
But Sun Jack felt so tired, and under the lull of that voice, he couldn't help but want to fall asleep again.
A slap on his face suddenly jolted him to consciousness, and he stared blankly at Tapai, who was holding his head in his arms. "You hit me?"
"I didn't hit you."
"You didn't?"
Feeling the burning pain on his face, Sun Jack looked around and realized he was on a spotlessly white hover shuttle. The acid rain incessantly beating against the glass and the red cross logo on the wall, along with the standby medical robots, all confirmed that this was a medical center's shuttle.
"What nonsense are you talking about, how could I hit you? You're still half asleep. Get up quickly and try out your new body."
On hearing Tapai's words, Sun Jack then noticed that his lower body was submerged in a viscous liquid. Judging by the smoothness of his skin, he appeared to have been born not long ago.
Naked, he stepped out of the cultivation chamber, wobbling as he became accustomed to his new body. He could feel that it was cloned from his own DNA; the traces of DNA programming were all present.
Whether it was superior healing or something else, he once again possessed the abilities he once had.
Compared to his previous body as an FFP employee, Sun Jack instantly felt relieved to be back in his familiar body.
As Sun Jack freely controlled every muscle in his body, he quickly adapted to this new body.
Taking the clothes and coat that Tapai had prepared, he put them on. Once he attached the external devices, a bright yellow virtual screen lit up before him, and once again Sun Jack was back.
"Where are we?" Sun Jack asked.
A simple and clear map was sent directly to Sun Jack's system interface. "Near Emola. Based on our current speed, we will arrive at the Metropolis in no more than 20 minutes."
"So soon? Have we escaped? Didn't the FFP guys follow us?"
"They can't catch up. While you were holding them off, I followed your instructions and released the Kang Tao Virus; they're too preoccupied to chase us now."
"Awesome!" Sun Jack hugged Tapai and laughed as he punched him playfully, "I never thought this virus would be so effective. Did you see Saotome and UO when you released the virus?"
"Who?"
As Sun Jack explained the situation, Tapai understood the whole story. "No, I guess they ran away the moment Prison Number Three surfaced."
"Ah, never mind. By the way, where's Poet?"
"Isn't that him over there?" Following Tapai's pointed finger, Sun Jack saw the Poet crouched in the corner, resembling a gloomy mushroom.
"What's the matter with you? This is? Infected by the Kang Tao Virus?" As Sun Jack patted his shoulder, he then saw the Poet's face twist into a grimace of misery. "I'm stuck again, no inspiration, damn it, I've been blocked for so long."
"Well, you keep brooding here then."
Sun Jack turned to leave. Although this guy seemed to have some strength, his mood was too unstable; Sun Jack doubted if he could be of help in the future.
Sun Jack turned back to face Tapai, "I really owe you one this time. I didn't expect you could actually find me just by the signal. Your skills have become pretty impressive, haven't they?"
"I couldn't have found it, but I asked a friend, a friend I met online. I can't tell you the details; I promised to respect his privacy."
Sun Jack looked at Tapai in surprise. He hadn't expected him to make friends, let alone such an impressive one.