Qin Xuezhong felt more anxious now than when she was rampaging in the core mainframe control room. What on earth were these people doing? Were they racing to put her on a tombstone?
After a brief moment of thought, she said to Xue Zhishi, "Old Xue, is it possible to refuse? I've only been in the office for a few days, and I don't even understand the business yet. How can I handle being a deputy supervisor or deputy director responsible for catching undercover agents? If I mess it up, it'll be even more trouble."
Xue Zhishi chuckled, "I knew you'd say that. Don't worry; I still have veto power in this matter. If you really don't want to move up, I can tell Director Wu."
"Great, thanks, Old Xue." Qin Xuezhong let out a sigh of relief.
Xue Zhishi waved his hand dismissively, then changed his tone, "However… I can't control the counter-invasion team. I can help you find some connections at most. Given the current special circumstances, they have significant power and might not be easy to deal with."
Qin Xuezhong whispered, "If they push me into this, it won't reflect well on their internal dynamics if I don't work actively, right?"
Xue Zhishi paused for a moment, as if he thought of something amusing. He said, "The head of the counter-invasion team is a real old-fashioned type. If you go in front of him slacking off, it'll be quite the spectacle."
Qin Xuezhong fell silent. Since Xue Zhishi said it might not be useful, it was probably a lost cause. If the counter-invasion team really dared to conscript her forcibly, she would make sure to teach them a lesson—they certainly deserved it after today's ordeal.
Nearby, Zhang Yuan watched Qin Xuezhong's performance in utter astonishment. He had no idea what she was trying to accomplish.
Qin Xuezhong was the leader of the fifth financial group's undercover team, and logically, climbing the ranks would be a great opportunity. As the leader of the Phantom Organization, whether she aimed to control Xigu City or maintain peace, holding a high position would certainly make things more convenient.
No matter what her identity was, she seemed to have no reason to refuse.
Zhang Yuan felt one moment that Qin Xuezhong was simply toying with those around her; the next, he thought perhaps her abilities and resources were so overwhelming that she didn't care about positions at all. Then again, he considered that maybe the Phantom was merely a facade—perhaps this woman was just a puppet controlled by the Phantom…
The more he thought, the more frightened he became. People tend to magnify the fear of the unknown, ultimately leading to a frantic conclusion.
He buried his head lower.
At that moment, personnel from the Core Data Division arrived to take over and debug the control room.
After a brief handover, Xue Zhishi clapped his hands and said, "Alright, let's head back to the office and tidy up a bit before clocking out!"
On the way back, Qin Xuezhong asked the mainframe, "Mainframe, give me the data on Qin Huaigui."
Even now, she had no idea who Qin Huaigui really was, yet he kept causing her trouble.
The mainframe promptly replied, "Qin Huaigui, real name Ke Huaigui, is the son of Ke Ling, the vice president of the Myth Biological Group under the Fifth Financial Group."
Along with this statement, the mainframe displayed a picture of an elegant middle-aged woman in front of Qin Xuezhong.
Next came various records of Ke Huaigui's life from childhood to adulthood.
The mainframe continued, "Because Ke Huaigui was born in secret, few people are aware that Ke Ling has a son. It was only natural for him to join the Fifth Financial Group's Dream Project and become an identity connector with you."
The Dream Project? Isn't it supposed to be an undercover project? Qin Xuezhong felt puzzled.
"What do you know about the Dream Project?" she asked.
"The Dream Project is a large-scale undercover program by the Leisure Dream Group, which nurtures a portion of internal members, such as Ke Huaigui, and implants external personnel with anti-rebellion programs, like you. These individuals are given fake identities from childhood and can be directly placed into government or other company positions when needed."
"This project not only provides the Fifth Financial Group with extensive opportunities to access intelligence but also extracts experiences from these undercover agents through implanted virtual dream extraction programs. These fake identities can generate hyper-realistic virtual dreams for sale or training purposes."
Qin Xuezhong was momentarily stunned—no wonder capitalists are so ruthless. Not only do they nurture undercover agents from a young age, but they also extract their experiences to create virtual dreams for profit.
She didn't concern herself with the mainframe's mention of anti-rebellion programs because no matter what the original host's memories contained, they had been buried in the void.
"Do you know anyone in this Dream Project?"
"Most of them are unknown because these individuals have been cultivated from childhood. Many have lived under false identities even before their chips were implanted. I only know about around ten thousand low-risk or uncertain individuals. I estimate that the entire Dream Project has at least one hundred thousand participants."
One hundred thousand?
Qin Xuezhong was once again taken aback. Such a massive project surely includes individuals with various strengths. Even if most of them don't hold key positions, many are undoubtedly occupying senior roles in the Security Department or elsewhere.
At this moment, Qin Xuezhong finally caught a glimpse of the Fifth Financial Group's overwhelming control over Xigu City—just thinking about it left her breathless. Is this what life in the cyber world looks like?
With a slightly heavy heart, she sent a message back to Qin Huaigui: [Refused, I'm not interested.]
Even a strong figure like the original host, who clawed their way to the board, ended up being sidelined, assassinated, and targeted—no one knew why they died in the slums.
Qin Xuezhong still had some self-awareness. Even though she had a golden finger, the Phantom Organization, and mainframe permissions, when it came to scheming, how could she possibly outplay a real veteran?
Back in the office, the analysis department received another notice. Due to concerns about the recent virus outbreak causing internal security vulnerabilities or potential intrusions, a comprehensive inspection of the entire office building was now required. No one was allowed to enter or exit for the time being.
Qin Xuezhong was originally a bit irritable and anxious, but when she saw the other three in the office, completely at ease and starting to slack off—Xue Zhishi was swaying his head listening to opera, Jin Anan was watching a new concert, and Xie Kedu had already put on his helmet to play games—she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Everything else was fake. Her identity was fake, the original host's identity was fake, and so were so many other people's identities.
Yue Zhao's performance was fake, as was Fifth Ningyi's love. All those interests, conspiracies, schemes, coincidences, and grand philosophies were just illusions, masks people wore to hide their true desires.
Perhaps life itself is one giant lie.
Yet, even amidst so much falsehood, the happiness of the moment in the office was undeniably real. Every face bore a relaxed smile.
Perhaps… Xue Zhishi was the smartest person in Xigu City.
Thinking this, Qin Xuezhong decided not to dwell on it any longer.
She stepped into the massage pod, ready to get a good night's sleep, hoping to forget everything that had happened over the past few days and simply enjoy a comfortable, pleasant rest.
The inspection at the division took longer than expected. By the time the lockdown was lifted, it was already late at night. Qin Xuezhong was a bit dazed as she said goodbye to her colleagues and took a taxi home.
It was raining outside, and not just lightly. The heavy raindrops tapped against the car window, forming small waterfalls that blended the neon lights outside into even stranger colors. It also brought a chill.
By the time the taxi approached the Wangwan Apartment, Qin Xuezhong was fully awake. Irregular hours were really bad for her health, she sighed to herself. She decided to go out for a late-night snack. She just wasn't sure if there were any tasty street stalls around this upscale apartment like there were in the walled city district.
The taxi came to a slow stop, automatically deducting the fare from her chip. Just as she opened the car door, a thought struck her. Last night, she had come in a hurry and was quite exhausted. The once tidy living room of her new home had been turned into a mess. She remembered the takeout boxes left out in the living room. They might even be spoiled.
Since the place hadn't been cleaned for a long time, a thick layer of dust had accumulated. Last night, she had only tidied up the bed, just enough to have a place to sleep; she hadn't attended to anything else. People who could afford to live in the Wangwan Apartment usually hired cleaning staff to come daily. Qin Xuezhong certainly couldn't afford that and was too cautious to let a cleaning service wander around the backup safe house prepared by the original host. What if they discovered secrets that even she didn't know about? That would be troublesome.
With a quiet sigh in her heart, Qin Xuezhong pushed the door open.
As soon as the door swung wide, she was shocked. The entire living room was impeccably tidy. She didn't even want to step inside, as the floor seemed to be glowing; it was so clean it looked like it could be licked.
The wilting plants by the window had all been replaced with fresh ones, artfully arranged. The curtains and sofa covers were clearly washed, emanating a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Feeling a bit flustered, Qin Xuezhong looked down and saw a thick absorbent mat placed right at her feet, marked with a simple label indicating that wet shoes could be placed on it during rainy days. Beside the mat was a pair of slippers, ready for her to slip into.
On the open dining table, several plates had already been laid out, covered with heat-retaining lids, obscuring the food inside. Judging by the number of dishes, it was definitely a lavish meal.
At that moment, the door to the side storage room opened, and Yu Zhezhong emerged. This officer, who had been fully decked out in combat armor during the day, was now dressed in simple clothes, wearing an apron and rubber gloves—looking quite the part of a housekeeper.
"Welcome back! You've worked hard!" Yu Zhezhong said. "The meal is ready, and the entire room has been cleaned up. I didn't go into your room; if you need it, I can help you clean it now?"
Qin Xuezhong was stunned. She had originally thought she had picked up a convenient puppet, but it turned out she could also use it as a housekeeper? What a score!