Heshan District, Biological Medical Office Industrial Park.
Within an area of 50 square kilometers, hundreds of biological medical enterprises and factories of various sizes were situated.
Though it was called an industrial park, which might imply it was on the outskirts of the city, this place was right on the edge of Bay Flow District and still very much part of the central area of Xigu City.
The reason a massive production park, engaging in risky biological medical manufacturing, could be established in the precious central area of Xigu City was simple: more than half of the enterprises here belonged to the Fifth Family.
This arrangement was entirely for the convenience of CEOs and board members in the high-rise offices of Bay Flow District, allowing them to take off from their flying platforms and reach the factories in just five minutes for inspections.
With wealth comes indulgence.
Eighty percent of the prosthetics used in Xigu City came from here.
It was no exaggeration to say that if something went wrong here, many people in Xigu City would be unable to take care of themselves.
Thus, this area was almost always tranquil.
Security within the park and the nearby public security bureau were extremely cautious, knowing that if anything went wrong, they could lose their jobs at any moment.
Today, however, they were particularly tense.
A company within the park had only given a half-day notice to report that they would be moving 100 high-end organ cultivation chambers, along with countless biochemical materials and large equipment, out of their factory.
It was just past noon, and Xigu City was experiencing a rare sunny day; the scorching sun drove everyone indoors to enjoy the air conditioning.
Even the truck drivers responsible for transport had locked themselves in their cabs, relishing the cool breeze while waiting for the automated transport robots to load the impeccably sealed equipment into the cargo hold.
Surrounding the trucks were dozens of personnel in advanced combat armor, holding rifles and vigilantly observing their surroundings, seemingly unbothered by the blazing sun overhead.
Only the security guards and police stationed further away, struggling to maintain order, were drenched in sweat, cursing under their breath.
"Damn it, how long is this going to take?"
"Don't those turtle shells get hot?"
"The highest-grade combat armor has air conditioning built in."
"Damn…"
Just as they were contemplating how to cool down, the escort personnel suddenly raised their weapons, looking warily at the sky.
A fast-moving delta-wing drone, emitting a piercing shriek, dove toward the unloading area.
Even though the escort personnel reacted quickly, and their aim was excellent, hitting the drone and sending it tumbling aside with an impact blast, they could not prevent the electromagnetic pulse bomb it carried.
As the drone's wreckage hit the ground, a flash of visible electrical energy erupted.
This was clearly a military-grade tactical weapon.
While the pulse had a small range, its destructive and penetrating power was significant; it not only caused all the transport robots to stop functioning but also cut power to the transport vehicles, and even the surrounding security guards and police were temporarily incapacitated by a chip shock, collapsing to the ground.
Only the bodyguards surrounding the transport vehicles, protected by their all-encompassing combat armor, managed to withstand the attack.
The leader remained calm, signaling everyone to hold formation and stay still, then sent one person out of the electromagnetic pulse's range to call for backup.
"Team B and Team C are under attack! Military electromagnetic pulse bomb! Unknown enemy! Immediate reinforcements needed!"
As he shouted for help, the communications device, which was almost impossible to infiltrate, responded not with Team A's calm reply but with a burst of manic laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha, your reinforcements won't be arriving anytime soon! Please enjoy the 'gift' sent by the 'Ghost'!"
Immediately after, three more delta-wing drones swooped down.
This time, the bodyguard team leader was prepared. The team had their missile launchers ready, firing spear-like projectiles toward the incoming drones.
Just as those weapons were about to reach the drones, a remarkably tough net and hooks unfurled, completely enveloping the drones and pulling them outward.
With this tactic, even if the drones exploded, it would not affect the area they were protecting.
However, this time, the drones were different.
Even while trapped in the net, the three drones adjusted their weapon launch slots by fine-tuning their numerous side engines and released a series of dense black bullets downward.
Seeing this, the bodyguard leader's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Find cover!"
But it was too late.
The black bullets exploded just before reaching the ground, showering everything below with a viscous gel-like substance that resembled highly concentrated asphalt.
It drenched the entire convoy, the transport robots, conveyor belts, and bodyguard team.
This was an incredibly resilient material that would solidify within seconds upon contact with air, binding together the internal components of firearms or vehicles, rendering them inoperable, and completely immobilizing people.
Only the team leader and a few who had managed to dodge were partially covered, their feet or hands glued.
They desperately pulled out tactical aluminum-thermite cutting knives, hoping to escape quickly and find safety.
But judging by the state of the convoy, it seemed no one would be leaving today.
When the first drone attack occurred, it triggered the alarms throughout the industrial park.
Special suppression teams and the nearby public security bureau sprang into action.
This was not just because the park was under attack, but because the transport company managing the convoy was a subsidiary of the Fifth Family.
Immediately, the president of the transport company called in, cursing and demanding that they mobilize every available resource to "capture those daring to stir trouble."
At the same time, he dispatched an internal escort team to the scene.
It was all about the business—this order had come down from the Fifth Family's board, and though he didn't know the specifics, he knew if this deal fell through, it could cost him his life.
However, all these efforts were thwarted halfway.
—Heavy-caliber sniper rifles, paralysis grenades, drone assaults, electromagnetic interference… even crazed cyberattacks from unknown sources breached all military-grade firewalls and incapacitated the entire operational system.
In an instant, the teams hurrying to the scene were left stranded.
The anxious police and operational personnel found themselves trapped inside silent armored vehicles, communication cut off, their doors welded shut by unknown aluminum-thermite rounds.
Under the midday sun, the bewildered operatives sat sweating inside the vehicles, exchanging confused glances.
Even the ordinary people who had sought refuge by the roadside curiously looked at the immobilized convoy, wondering how unbearable the heat must be for those inside.
Qin Xuezhong lay in the massage pod in her office, immersed in the consciousness void.
What had been a quiet black space the day before was now bustling with activity.
"Yahuu!!!"
In a newly established section labeled [Interception Operations], a high-pitched shout rang out.
"Did you see my aluminum-thermite round? It melted those idiots' car doors!"
"Awesome! Hahaha…"
Ever since Qin Xuezhong had brought various unknown individuals into this space yesterday, two things had happened.
The people in the Ghost Space, guided by Xue Zhishi's map, quickly located a mysterious laboratory within the biological medical park.
At the same time, it seemed that someone in the internal space had leaked information, as a transport team from one of the Fifth Family's subsidiaries received orders to transport a shipment to the same location.
Everyone understood: the powers behind the scenes were in a panic.
Someone wanted to relocate the items inside.
Soon, a crazy and audacious plan emerged—while the cargo was being loaded, they aimed to incapacitate the entire convoy and expose the shipment in broad daylight.
If it were anyone else gathering people to undertake such a mission, no one would dare.
Every planning, communication, and data exchange would leave traces in the cyber network.
But now, with Qin Xuezhong's Ghost Space, none of this would leave any incriminating evidence.
People who had long been suppressed by the consortium and the federation suddenly found a chance for freedom and became even more reckless.
A group of them crafted a detailed plan, organized the steps for execution, and respectfully presented it in a separate section, calling on the "Ghost" behind it all, waiting for her approval.
To be honest, Qin Xuezhong had no real concept of how crazy this plan was.
She simply knew that in the stagnant waters of Xigu City, pulling off something this significant might not be a bad idea.
Moreover, within the plan, she merely needed to use her golden touch to briefly incapacitate various systems, perfectly aligning with her desire to lounge in the office.
Thus, the "Ghost Operation" commenced.
For the first time, Qin Xuezhong experienced the control of directing an operation as if playing a game.
All she needed to do was use her thoughts to access the interfaces her subordinates had prepared and attack each system, while people on-site would execute her destruction orders.
Like a queen commanding a pack of obedient wolves, she led them into battle.
What followed was chaos on the streets.
Both the powerful and ordinary passersby felt that the forces that usually towered above them and controlled the city were now being gripped by an even more powerful presence emerging from the void.
As the electromagnetic pulse around the convoy dissipated, teams on the ground, equipped with live-streaming drones and wearable cameras, casually entered the scene as if they were out for a stroll.
After swiftly incapacitating the conscious combat bodyguards, they used pre-prepared agents to remove the black solid fibers covering the transport vehicles and opened all the cargo.
Inside the high-end cultivation chambers already loaded onto the trucks were clones of Yue Zhao.
Everyone had anticipated this, so there was no particular shock. What truly stunned everyone were the boxes behind them.
Inside were brains.
—Fully dissected brains, connected to countless tubes, floating in intricate containers.
Each container's surface bore labels detailing the origin of the brain, including the person's name, gender, age, health condition, illnesses, and how they had been kidnapped or purchased.
Furthermore, there were instructions on how to adjust brainwaves for integration into the next clone of Yue Zhao.
Everyone was left speechless.
No one had expected that each clone of Yue Zhao was implanted with someone else's brain.