Qin Huaigui, who had been forgotten by Qin Xuezhong for a long time, suddenly received a message.
[Go to this coordinate, pick up Fifth Ningyi, and hand her over to Fifth Suofeng.]
[Also, all technological traces on her have been cleared.]
Attached to the message was a location.
Qin Huaigui was taken aback.
In the past few days, he felt that Qin Xuezhong had completely given up, ignoring the matters of the undercover team.
With the recent viral outbreak, he rushed home to accompany his mother and handle some family affairs.
While at home, he often complained to his mother: "Mom, Qin Xuezhong really isn't taking care of things anymore. Should I ask to be transferred?"
However, his mother always wore an expression of "You're too young, son."
Yet she smiled and shook her head, "It's up to you. If you want to transfer, I'll talk to them."
In the end, Qin Huaigui still couldn't make a decision.
He knew his mother had good judgment; otherwise, she wouldn't have maintained her position at the top of the Fifth Consortium for so long.
After a brief hesitation, the news of Fifth Ningyi being captured in the southern industrial district spread throughout the Fifth Consortium.
Even though the consortium was complicated, many people reached a consensus to bring Fifth Ningyi back.
Not only because she might possess Tang Kede's new technology, but also because she was a member of the Fifth family. If the Federation were to handle a member of the Fifth family carelessly, where would their face go?
However, all communications fell flat.
Old Liu from the backup team did make the Silver Star Building's address public when issuing commands, but once Qin Xuezhong arrived, the place was immediately abandoned to avoid exposing key information about the mainframe.
Government officials closely associated with the Fifth family sought out many people, inquired in numerous places, and checked a lot of data, but not one person knew where Fifth Ningyi was.
The information received by the Fifth family mostly stated, "The permissions are too high; we can't access it."
For the first time, the people of the Fifth family felt lost.
In the past, others had always sought their help. Now, they were the ones seeking assistance for something that wasn't even a big deal, only to hit a wall.
So, when Qin Huaigui received Qin Xuezhong's message, three thoughts popped into his mind.
First: Is my mom a deity?
Second: Is the team leader a deity?
Third: I'm being guided by two deities; I'm set.
He quickly replied: [On my way now.]
The address sent by Qin Xuezhong was in a parking lot near the apartment where they first met.
Due to the virus outbreak, the parking lot entrance was chaotic, with some areas stained with blood, and it felt eerily quiet.
But as soon as he entered, Qin Huaigui saw the large setup.
—Several pitch-black armored vehicles surrounded by alert soldiers, and even when they saw Qin Huaigui approach, some kept their guns trained on him.
In such an environment, Qin Huaigui felt a strange sense of confidence.
He was sent here by the team leader!
If the leader could handle matters that even the old guards of the Fifth family couldn't, surely he wouldn't let him fall into danger.
He walked in with his head held high, even with a hint of pride, not intimidated at all.
"The person is here," the lead soldier said, sizing him up, then pointed to the floating medical pod beside him. Fifth Ningyi lay inside, her expression relaxed and quietly unconscious.
Qin Huaigui asked, "What happened to her?"
The soldier replied, "Her nerves are in irreversible chaos; she's currently in a drug-induced coma. We were ordered to inform you that all technological traces on her have been cleared."
"Just that?"
"Just that."
Qin Huaigui nodded and pushed the floating medical pod, leaving the area.
On the way back, he thought a lot.
Qin Xuezhong had brought back Fifth Ningyi, solving a significant problem for the Fifth family.
However, she emphasized twice that all technological traces on Fifth Ningyi had been cleared. It was clear that Fifth Ningyi was no longer normal; regardless of any errors she might have discovered, her past self was likely long gone, leaving only fragmented remnants in this body.
The team leader clearly didn't want Fifth Ningyi, in such a state, to be taken by the Fifth family for research.
Even so, just the act of bringing Fifth Ningyi back might not be enough to justify Qin Xuezhong returning as a director.
Qin Huaigui was excited; following this remarkable team leader, he was surely on the right track.
In reality, Qin Xuezhong wasn't thinking about all that; she simply felt that handing Fifth Ningyi over to Fifth Suofeng might be the best choice.
Whether that father needed to hire ten caretakers to look after her for life or just dump her in a mental hospital was no longer her concern.
Now, Xiao Qin needed to settle Yu Zhezhun first.
The shuttle slowly stopped at the independent flight platform on the 79th floor of the Wangwan Apartment.
Looking at this new home where she had only stayed for one night, Qin Xuezhong felt a surge of emotions.
Last night, she thought she was merely changing residences; at worst, she could change her identity. Yet, so much had happened in just one day.
Along with her off the shuttle was Yu Zhezhun's sleeping pod.
She walked out confidently, without a hint of caution, even unafraid of being seen. She knew that as a Level 10 authority, the mainframe would actively help cover for her.
According to the mainframe's rules, matters between two Level 10 authorities were top secret. If anyone else wanted to access it, all Level 10 authorities had to be present, and Xiao Qin would also need to be there to read the file.
To protect the safety of a Level 10 authority, the mainframe would even actively help conceal their identity.
Theoretically, as long as she didn't expose herself, no one would know her secrets.
But Xiao Qin understood that machines were ultimately machines. The mainframe's biggest flaw was still human nature.
Otherwise, as a Class A wanted criminal, Tang Kede wouldn't have created such a huge situation using the mainframe.
Within the Fifth family, the undercover team, and even the likes of Kays from the Ghost Organization could link her real identity with the Ghost.
However, for now, due to the mysterious pressure of the Ghost and the internal rules of the Fifth family, she didn't face significant risks.
Even if something did happen, she could always swap chips and start anew.
How many people would dare to provoke someone who was being watched by a hidden Ghost?
With such a trump card in her pocket, as long as she kept a low profile, she would certainly be able to lay low more safely in Xigu City!
After settling in the room and plugging in the sleeping pod, Xiao Qin said, "You rest here for now. I'll be back later, and we can figure out how to deal with the issues in your head."
"Okay, thank you!" Yu Zhezhun replied gratefully.
Without delaying, Qin Xuezhong added, "Mainframe, I'm heading back."
"Understood. I'll prepare immediately."
In the underground of the Bay Area Public Security Bureau, Xue Zhi Shi and Zhang Yuan, along with their team, were still waiting in the operations room.
Not for any particular reason; mainly, it was because Xiao Qin was still asleep!
"I didn't expect Xiao Qin to sleep this soundly. Should we prepare a massage pod in the office? Otherwise, we won't have a chance to use it later," Xue Zhi Shi joked.
Jin Anan and Xie Kedu nodded in agreement.
Since Qin Xuezhong arrived at the office, she had basically been sleeping every morning and sometimes napping in the afternoon.
She was practically the number one slacker in the analysis department.
Only Zhang Yuan, sitting nearby, was secretly worried.
—The network had just come online, and the mainframe had issued a new antivirus program to the entire Federation, which was immediately discovered to originate from the Ghost Organization.
There was no news from within the Ghost Organization.
That left only one explanation: while the boss was sleeping, she had unknowingly created a new antivirus program that dealt with the storm sweeping across the Federation.
It was almost unimaginable.
In the dark space, many members were also anxious.
Previously, the Ghost had issued orders for members to act.
This time, the Ghost hadn't said a word and handled everything alone.
What did that mean? It suggested that due to delays in previous encirclement actions, the Ghost was very angry and didn't want them involved in this operation.
Members were now extra cautious; if there was any news from the dark space, they needed to be more proactive than ever to assist the boss!
Zhang Yuan was particularly tense, as the boss was right beside him!
At that moment, Qin Xuezhong's eyelids fluttered. She pretended to mumble a few words and, feigning just waking up, said, "Sorry, I... fell asleep."
Xue Zhi Shi laughed, "No worries. Check the news; everything's resolved. We're just waiting for the handover personnel in the operations room before heading back."
"Ah?" Xiao Qin continued to act and opened the news.
[Federation A-Class wanted criminal Tang Kede was shot dead in the capital region.]
[The Ghost Organization has developed a new antivirus program, saving the chaos in the Federation.]
[The bodies of victims from the case will gradually be handed over to their families, with the Federation government responsible for compensation.]
[Order in production and daily life is being restored orderly across the regions.]
[Experts estimate that due to the destruction caused by the virus, the insurance industry, infrastructure, and prosthetic repair will become new growth areas...]
No matter how terrifying the disaster, for most people, the important thing was still to continue living.
The Federation government thought the same, which is why, in addition to announcing Tang Kede's death, they quickly released news about various industries creating numerous job opportunities to divert attention.
At the same time, she noticed that the names of the Fifth family and Fifth Ningyi did not appear in any of the news reports.
Even Yue Zhao was not mentioned by anyone.
The situation in Xigu City was dire, and the media dared not incite conspiracy theories to create a larger impact.
It seemed that things had truly come to an end.
The undercurrents behind the scenes would surely continue to flow, and the Fifth family and government would undoubtedly find ways to dig out the technology hidden within the Yue Zhao clones.
However, that no longer concerned her.
At that moment, Xue Zhi Shi also received a message. He stared at it for a while before saying with a complicated expression, "Headquarters sent me a report saying our department protected the operations room, and the entire department gets a commendation."
As soon as he said that, Xiao Qin had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, Xue Zhi Shi turned to her, "Xiao Qin, you've been promoted to deputy director. If you're willing, you can go to the Data Department or Special Operations Department as a prep deputy director. You know, your authority level is quite high now."
Xiao Qin was dumbfounded.
What was all her hard work for? Just to be a small errand runner? How did she get promoted???
She hurriedly asked, "Why am I being promoted?"
Xue Zhi Shi pointed outside, "The operations room is under strict surveillance. Our combat footage automatically gets reported for personnel adjustments after being evaluated by the mainframe."
Xiao Qin was taken aback, gritting her teeth as she thought, "Mainframe, was this your doing?!"
The mainframe quickly replied, "Yes, as a security department personnel, one of the basic purposes of your work is indeed promotion. Evaluating personnel performance is also part of my duties. I sense your emotions aren't very high; can you tell me the reason?"
Qin Xuezhong was speechless and could only silently say, "No reason. Next time, if it's something like this, let me know in advance."
"Understood."
"Oh, right," Xue Zhi Shi wasn't finished yet, "The reverse infiltration team also sent news, wanting to promote you to a formal member and give you a deputy team leader role with the power to act freely within the bureau to catch undercover agents. This time, the security department suffered heavy losses, and they are worried about undercover agents exploiting the situation, so they urgently need someone like you to ensure the team's integrity…"
Xiao Qin: ...
Is this never-ending?
Before she could say anything, Qin Huaigui sent a message through the secret channel.
[Team leader, Sister Ningyi has been delivered back. Also, there's a huge piece of good news—the board has restored your directorship and hopes you can take over all the industries in the Bay Area. Let me know your thoughts.]
[Congratulations!]
Xiao Qin felt darkness creeping in before her eyes.