For a moment, Qin Xuezhong was a bit dazed.
She quickly recognized the old man's face and realized that she had seen him while researching cloning technology online.
**[Tang Kede, neuroscientist, one of the founders of the Federal Citizen Chip System, Federal Class A wanted criminal]**
**[2929 - ?]**
**[Graduated from the Xigu City Brain Neural Research Institute.]**
**[Previously worked at the Leisure Dream Group, the Core Data Department of the Federal Security Bureau, the Technical Space Fleet of the Eastern Federal Peacekeeping Forces...]**
**[Main research directions include cloning technology and neural data transmission technology.]**
**[Tang Kede was wanted by the federal government for conducting inhumane experiments overseas, causing insurrections, and was reported missing in the New World war zone in 2981, whereabouts unknown.]**
**[Crimes: Fraud, kidnapping, abduction, brainwashing, murder, slaughter, terrorist activities, war crimes.]**
A long list of charges made Qin Xuezhong's heart race.
As Yue Zhao arrived, the patrol intensity around increased, and Qin Xuezhong dared not linger. She cautiously returned to Kase's car.
Kase looked equally terrified and dazed as he stared at her.
The online information was brief and lacked detail; Qin Xuezhong wasn't fully aware of the specifics.
But for someone like Kase, living in Xigu City, Tang Kede was practically a legendary demon, a figure used to scare children at night.
His research focused on consciousness transfer. If a wealthy person could transfer their consciousness into a young body, wouldn't that mean immortality?
Thus, this area of research attracted many powerful figures, providing Tang Kede with vast amounts of funding and resources.
During Tang Kede's peak, he could demand any "experimental subject" he wanted—regardless of height, weight, ethnicity, gender, or even specific features like a mole in a precise location on their body—and the entire federal security and secret organizations would kidnap and abduct people worldwide under the lure of money.
At that time, Tang Kede was a true demon.
The wealthy offered everything as sacrifices to him, hoping to achieve immortality.
Fortunately, after consuming countless resources and time, Tang Kede's research ultimately failed.
To evade capture and assassination, he fled to the chaotic New World, where he eventually disappeared.
Until today, this demon had reemerged.
Was Yue Zhao his latest creation?
Had he managed to transfer consciousness? Had he created the perfect clone?
"We should leave," Kase said, his tone a bit anxious. "I'll settle the payment later; I suggest you keep a low profile recently and avoid getting involved with Tang Kede. Otherwise, you might not even know how you died."
Qin Xuezhong nodded in agreement.
But she had already decided to hand this footage over to the anti-invasion team. If Tang Kede really planned to stir up trouble, it might lead to a major upheaval across the federation.
Once that happened... her leisurely life would be over!
Unexpectedly, Kase echoed the same advice that Xue Zhi had given— to keep a low profile.
Maybe this was fate…
As she thought about this, Qin Xuezhong suddenly realized how her thoughts had drifted.
At the same time, the visuals around her began to distort, making her feel dizzy.
She could hear heavy footsteps and voices nearby, yet no one was around her.
She hurriedly asked Kase, "Is there a problem with the equipment? My connection feels unstable…"
Then, the surrounding visuals shattered completely, and in a daze, she opened her eyes again.
She was still on the Tianhe aerial platform!
Beside her were two people in work uniforms, a first aid kit next to them, smiling at her.
"You're awake! Are you feeling okay?"
Qin Xuezhong hesitated to speak, feeling confused about what had just happened.
She could only vaguely shake her head.
One of them said, "The concert's mental amplifier was set too high, impacting those with weaker mental states. A few people fainted, but it should be nothing serious. If you're feeling unwell, it's best to rest a bit."
She nodded, indicating she understood.
Kase's anxious voice echoed in her mind again, "Boss, are you okay? Those bastards overloaded the mental amplifier, and our mental transmission is already delicate; you got impacted. I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. What about Yue Zhao?"
"He's left, headed home normally. My people followed him the whole way, and nothing was discovered. I'm really sorry."
Qin Xuezhong glanced at the audience area, where people were leaving in an orderly fashion. Yet, she hadn't even left this place!
Everything she had just experienced felt like a hallucination or dream.
She sensed something was off but couldn't piece together why.
She quickly said, "Let's leave it at that; I'm heading out."
She disconnected her consciousness transfer.
---
When she opened her eyes again, confirming she was still in her room, Qin Xuezhong touched the back of her head and unplugged the wire.
Then she rushed to the bathroom and dry-heaved over the toilet a few times.
Similar to the first time she accessed memories before death, the sensation of consciousness transfer brought about a severe disorientation, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
On the TV, news about the concert was still playing.
She roughly calculated the time; from when she fainted to waking up, no more than 15 minutes had passed, which was impossible for such a long drive and subway ride.
She froze.
Tonight, she had experienced so much—car chases, taking the subway, going to a dangerous warehouse area, discovering the lights and buildings at the center, encountering Fifth Ning Yi and Tang Kede...
All of it was fake?
Now that she thought back, she realized many aspects of the imagined experience didn't add up.
For example, there was no Line 6 subway in Xigu City; that was a line she frequently took before traveling through time. The warehouse district didn't have multi-story warehouses reaching dozens of stories, nor were there any toxic gas zones...
Everything was a hallucination, a fusion of her recent research materials, creating a false scene!
As she recalled this, she suddenly remembered seeing Kase's face during the car chase—it was actually a younger Keanu Reeves!
Being involved in a car chase with a handsome guy and a secret operation... truly a fantasy of hers…
She steadied herself, took a sip of water, and calmed down.
At that moment, she noticed a red mist filling her consciousness void.
This mist attempted to invade her consciousness sphere but was continuously repelled.
Simultaneously, the original owner's lifeless light sphere was slowly absorbing this mist, as if purifying her consciousness void.
The red mist was even probing the edges of her consciousness void, searching for an exit.
It seemed almost... alive.
Her first reaction was that this thing could actively infect?
She took a clean storage device and pressed it against the chip on the back of her head.
As expected, once there was an exit, the red mist surged towards it.
Moreover, since the interior of the storage device was inactive, unlike servers or personal chips with ongoing data or neural signals,
the moment the red mist entered, it immediately froze, as if trapped inside.
Was this... some sort of virus?
If she got infected, then all the hundred thousand people at the concert might also be carrying this thing?
She thought she had to find someone to analyze it, but she couldn't send it through the internet; that could lead to an even more severe outbreak.
She grabbed a small box to store the device and directly called Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan had been feeling anxious these past few days. Since the explosion incident, his team leader hadn't reached out to him. No questions like "How do you know where I live?" or "Did you secretly investigate me?" This lack of communication made him extremely uneasy. He imagined his leader seething with anger, too busy to confront him, but when she finally had the time, would she decide to eliminate him?
So, when he received a message from Qin Xuezhong late at night, he approached with a sense of impending doom. She had chosen to meet in the underground black market of the walled city. Though labeled as a black market, it was surprisingly one of the safest places in the district at night, with traders self-policing to protect their own interests. This area was also a surveillance blind spot, ideal for private meetings.
Qin Xuezhong was curious about the explosion, wondering how this undercover team member knew her movements. Because Zhang Yuan had saved her life, she merely felt curiosity and didn't suspect any ill intent.
The black market was bustling that night, filled with illegal trades and unusual services, with fewer food stalls than usual. Dressed in a hoodie to conceal her face, Qin Xuezhong sat in front of a long metal cart, eating spicy skewers. The scene felt familiar, reminiscent of late-night overtime sessions before her time travel, where she'd often grab street food, the spicy aroma enveloping her as the hot oil glistened on the food.
Zhang Yuan arrived quickly, wearing a long coat and hat, looking neat and determined, as if ready to face his fate.
"Team leader," he said.
"Sit down, eat first," Qin Xuezhong replied coolly.
"Yes."
Zhang Yuan started trembling. Did "eat first" imply a final meal? He forced himself to take a bite, saying, "Team leader, I was just curious. I saw your pre-employment investigation, which is how I learned where you lived and your work hours... I really mean no harm, I wasn't trying to target you..."
Tears almost filled his eyes as he spoke.
Qin Xuezhong was taken aback. Was she really that intimidating? After a moment, she replied softly, "It's okay, it's all in the past. Just be less curious in the future. The reason I called you here is for something else."
Zhang Yuan blinked in surprise. Was that it?
Before he could react, Qin Xuezhong pulled out a storage device.
"At tonight's concert, a highly concealed virus was released, and it's highly infectious. Help me analyze this." She emphasized, "Do not connect directly to your chip, do not connect to the internet, and don't use a computer with internet access. Find a safe environment for analysis. Be careful, got it?"
Zhang Yuan was momentarily stunned. The concert tonight? People did feel something was off, but neither the bureau nor the company had said anything. It seemed both sides were waiting to see how things unfolded. Yet, the team leader had already noticed something amiss?
He cautiously accepted the device, his earlier fear dissipating, replaced by a sense of gratitude. —He had been narrow-minded.
The team leader, usually quiet, was diligently working behind the scenes. Now she was giving him a task and showing concern for his safety. She really was considerate of her subordinates!