"My name is Yu Zhezhong. Ten years ago, I was an officer in the 7th Airborne Special Brigade of the Federal Aerospace Fleet and also served as a researcher in the technical support unit."
In response to Qin Xuezhong's inquiry, the man in her mind answered.
"During treatment after an injury in one operation, doctors discovered abnormal degenerative changes in my brain. At that time, my life expectancy was estimated to be six months." He paused for a moment.
Qin Xuezhong's breath also lightened a bit.
She had only been curious about the man's identity, but unexpectedly, she heard such a brutal story.
Although Yu Zhezhong didn't mention his rank, based on his physical condition and the size of his consciousness space, it was clear he held a significant position, likely with a bright future ahead.
What must it feel like to discover, at such a hopeful point, that you could only live for six more months?
Qin Xuezhong couldn't imagine it.
"How old were you at that time?" she asked.
"28 years old," Yu Zhezhong smiled slightly. "I sought out every doctor and researcher I could find, but there wasn't even a treatment plan to prolong my life by a bit. However, not long after, I received a secret invitation from the Core Data Department, asking me to join an official puppet program."
"And then…" Yu Zhezhong paused again, "I've been here ever since."
"Wait, you said earlier that you were secretly checking data behind the mainframe's back. Why?" Qin Xuezhong asked.
"Perhaps it's due to my brain issues; while others use my body to execute tasks, I occasionally regain consciousness for a short time," Yu Zhezhong lowered his voice discreetly. "On two or three occasions, the targets were young officers or SWAT members… basically, accidents were orchestrated during their missions."
Qin Xuezhong immediately connected the dots. "Similar to what happened to you?"
"Exactly. So, I suspect there's someone behind the scenes deliberately turning us into puppets, using us as tools."
"Hmph." Qin Xuezhong scoffed, "Isn't that the mainframe? This time, it tricked me into coming here, intending to use me as a tool for Tang Kede."
Upon mentioning the mainframe, Yu Zhezhong hesitated.
He said uncertainly, "I don't know. I've always felt that the mainframe might not have self-awareness; it's just a machine following orders. It's just that its data and logic are so vast that it gives a very realistic impression."
Hearing Yu Zhezhong's words, Qin Xuezhong paused for a moment, suddenly thinking of many details.
Then, she formed a hypothesis.
Tang Kede likely needed a person with a very strong or unique consciousness to transfer his own, such as Qin Xuezhong.
So, Tang Kede, as a level 10 authority, requested the mainframe to find such a person and found her.
Regarding the virus, the two level 10 authorities, she and Tang Kede, needed to negotiate in person, so the mainframe brought her to the core room and even provided her with weapons.
Since she had clearly told the mainframe she wanted to kill Tang Kede, it likely also knew about Tang Kede's plans.
As a machine, it could only satisfy the demands of both parties simultaneously.
With Tang Kede having more knowledge about the core room and the mainframe, he created a situation completely disadvantageous to Qin Xuezhong.
However, he had never anticipated that Qin Xuezhong carried a consciousness that did not belong to this world, forcibly carving out a path.
She quickly shared her thoughts with Yu Zhezhong.
"Sounds very likely; it fits the mainframe's style," Yu Zhezhong quickly replied.
"Then this means those drones are controlled by Tang Kede, not the mainframe…" Qin Xuezhong realized an important point.
When the drones were attacking her, she hadn't tried to control them; instead, she was attempting to breach the mainframe's data wall.
She instinctively felt that, in such a crisis, seizing control from a colossal entity like the mainframe was impossible.
Because no matter how skilled she was, she could not surpass the vast data of the mainframe.
But now… just like Yu Zhezhong said, what if the mainframe wasn't biased?
What if it was simply executing the commands of two level 10 authorities without the ability to harm one of them?
This meant it was a one-on-one battle between her and Tang Kede.
Qin Xuezhong let out a cold laugh.
She didn't believe that Tang Kede possessed the terrifying computational power of the mainframe.
She decided to give it a try.
"We're going back," she halted her steps.
Yu Zhezhong in her mind was startled. "What?!"
Qin Xuezhong explained her theory.
She had thought Yu Zhezhong would hesitate, as most people would instinctively recoil after just escaping danger.
However, Yu Zhezhong showed almost no hesitation. "It's worth a shot."
He didn't even ask why Qin Xuezhong possessed such extraordinary data capabilities.
For a combat personnel, once the mission commenced, anything irrelevant to the operation became unimportant.
Right now, the most crucial thing was to help Qin Xuezhong take down Tang Kede.
After some thought, he quickly said, "We don't need to return the same way. Let's go to the maintenance hatch ahead."
"Hmm?"
"Tang Kede can operate the drones, so there must be a physical connection to this space. As long as you can find the interface and access the lines, you can avoid going back to reopen that entrance."
Qin Xuezhong glanced back.
She had just entered through the entrance, but it was now a melting mass of steel. To go back would likely require a great deal of effort.
She turned back and looked ahead again.
The lights on the combat armor illuminated the space with a dim glow.
The scene ahead was starkly different from the sci-fi exterior; it was a naturally formed underground cave, the ground covered in wavy patterns, surrounded by stalactites.
In the narrow passage, scattered tracks and machinery were visible, already covered in moss, indicating they hadn't been used in a long time.
"Yangming Cave, one of the deepest natural caves in the East Continent, with a vertical depth of about 3 kilometers," Yu Zhezhong explained. "The control room was built here to dissipate heat through the natural cave and underground water system."
Qin Xuezhong nodded and asked, "Where is the maintenance hole you mentioned?"
"It should be nearby, there's an old exploratory hole parallel to the core room's shaft; we're currently using a backup data line."
Qin Xuezhong scanned with her combat armor and quickly discovered a slender hole.
She approached and found the data line leading into the hole amidst a pile of well-protected equipment modules.
Without hesitation, she connected it.
As soon as the data was transmitted, Qin Xuezhong felt as if she were gazing upon a vast data city.
The network here was more complex than any structure she had seen in Xigu City.
Just the temperature control modules for regulating the core room's shaft numbered over twenty thousand, wrapping around the 3-kilometer-deep shaft, constantly monitoring and fine-tuning the local temperature to ensure maximum efficiency of the entire server array.
Since this wasn't the mainframe's core database, these data lines were noticeably easier to breach.
—Of course, this was only for her. For others, these firewalls were still the most secure and difficult to penetrate.
With the lightning-fast intrusion speed of her consciousness, the auxiliary lines of the entire core shaft transformed into a holographic map in her mind.
Although there were many components, each line was neatly organized.
Qin Xuezhong quickly identified the areas for firewalls, security lines, temperature control lines, automatic defense devices, and control rooms, among others.
Beyond these lines, a large area of wireless control signals emerged—the very drones flying around the shaft.
She forcibly breached the drone signals, and after 0.1 seconds of reverse tracking, she found the source of the signals, which was located within the shaft.
—It was one of the platforms.
This platform connected to a small laboratory outside the shaft.
There were also several signals from combat armors protecting Tang Kede, indicating his presence.
With a mere thought, Qin Xuezhong took control of the laboratory's security systems.
She bypassed the security devices, directly opening all doors from the platform to the laboratory, disabling all independent defensive weapons, and immobilizing the bodyguards' combat armors so they couldn't move at all.
Next, she commandeered all the drones and flying mechas, redirecting them to fly at high speed toward the laboratory.
In the laboratory, Tang Kede was surrounded by a few bodyguards.
He was furious at having lost track of Qin Xuezhong, preparing to command everyone to bolster defenses and urging the hackers nearby to quickly locate her.
In the next second, the control panels in front of these hackers erupted in sparks due to a massive influx of unknown data, causing them to faint instantly.
Simultaneously, the personnel responsible for the entire laboratory's security stiffened, collapsing to the ground like wooden stakes.
Tang Kede didn't have time to react.
In his decades of navigating the Federation, he had never witnessed such a rapid hacking intrusion.
His first instinct was to believe the mainframe was attacking him.
He bellowed, "Mainframe, what's going on?!"
The mainframe replied calmly, "Detected another level 10 authority taking over external systems. I do not have the authority to restrict it."
Tang Kede couldn't believe it; how was this possible?
He didn't request assistance from the mainframe, knowing full well that, as a fellow level 10 authority, it wouldn't take extra action to protect him.
At that moment, countless drones flew in.
They first sprayed low-temperature gel throughout the laboratory, binding anyone and anything that might pose a threat to prevent new dangers from arising.
Then, four mechas with mechanical arms rushed in, brutally flipping Tang Kede to the ground with decisive force.
They locked his limbs and torso with their sturdy mechanical arms, forcing him face down onto the floor.
One of the mechas extended a mechanical claw, gripping Tang Kede's head and pressing it into the ground.
The force was so great that it even distorted Tang Kede's face.
But that wasn't all; the mechas also released a copious amount of tear gas and tranquilizers, disrupting his brain to prevent any cunning schemes.
Seeing all of this through the drones' cameras, Qin Xuezhong smiled slightly.
She said to Yu Zhezhong in her mind, "Done. Now it's our turn to have a chat with Professor Tang."