The artificial womb technology had taken less than a decade to sweep across the globe.
The environment within these devices was stable and safe, providing the best prenatal growth process for infants. Research indicated that if it weren't for the advantages brought by artificial womb technology, the average lifespan across the Federation would have decreased by a full five years due to environmental degradation.
Most importantly, it liberated women from the burdens of childbirth.
With so many benefits and almost no downsides, it quickly became widespread. Nowadays, only some remote cities still maintained obstetrics. The last recorded case of human childbirth was decades ago. Even in the event of an accidental pregnancy, doctors would recommend transferring the embryo to an artificial womb to terminate the human gestation.
Hearing the boss mention that he had disposed of nearly 2,000 corpses of pregnant women, Qin Xuezhong, as a time traveler, first felt a sense of unease and anger. On the other hand, Yu Zhezhong's initial reaction was one of curiosity.
As a native of this cyber world, the concept of human childbirth was bizarre, almost like witnessing an unidentified flying object.
Then, he sensed a larger web of connections behind this issue. He pondered for a moment before asking the boss, "Did you notice that these women were all quite attractive?"
Qin Xuezhong and the boss exchanged puzzled glances at his question.
Yu Zhezhong explained, "I was reminded of Mu Tingdeng."
Qin Xuezhong immediately recognized the name; Mu Tingdeng was a woman known for her beauty, both inside and out.
Yu Zhezhong continued, "Regardless of who they are or what organization they belong to, they might believe that true lineage can only be continued through natural childbirth. If they were to choose a breeding subject, they would likely select someone as exceptional as Mu Tingdeng."
The boss nodded in realization. "That's right! Even though the situation is tragic, they must have all been beautiful."
Yu Zhezhong nodded. "If we can gather more information about the victims, perhaps we can trace how these individuals managed to find someone like Mu Tingdeng…"
He quickly proposed a lead for investigation.
However, the boss shook his head. "I really don't have any information on my end… I'm sorry."
Qin Xuezhong smiled slightly. "Wait a moment."
She called upon the main brain.
"List all organizations and databases that have registered information about Mu Tingdeng, prioritizing those with the most detailed records."
Almost instantly, a long list appeared before her, ranging from the Citizen Archives of the Security Department to hotel gyms, and everything in between.
There were over a hundred organizations with relatively detailed information.
Qin Xuezhong thought for a moment and added, "Now, sort these institutions by the number of missing outstanding young women, from most to least."
The top entry caught her attention but was swiftly dismissed; it was again the Citizen Archives of the Security Department, where any missing person would naturally be recorded, thus lacking reference value.
However, the second entry drew her focus.
[Dream Maze]
It seemed to be a game. According to the main brain's statistics, in the past two years alone, 249 missing women had registered for this game, while only three men had gone missing after registering.
Such an exaggerated ratio was clearly abnormal.
Next, she pulled up the developer and operational details of this game. After a brief review, nothing seemed amiss.
She opened her eyes and shared this information with Yu Zhezhong.
Yu Zhezhong immediately responded, "This time, we need to plan carefully."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Qin Xuezhong nodded in agreement.
The boss looked confused and asked, "Aren't you powerful, Ghosts? Can't you just find the mastermind and eliminate them?"
His expression was nearly in tears, and he instinctively touched his belly, seemingly eager to get rid of the ticking bomb inside.
Qin Xuezhong reassured him, "Don't worry; we'll get someone here to perform the surgery shortly. There won't be any issues."
Only then did the boss relax.
Qin Xuezhong turned to Yu Zhezhong. "Do you have any ideas?"
"First, we should monitor those who have access to the database and investigate the flow of data to see if we can find…" Yu Zhezhong hadn't finished speaking when Qin Xuezhong shook her head.
"I don't think that will work."
"What do you mean?" Yu Zhezhong frowned, sensing something ominous.
"No matter who these people are, they're very cautious. Just eliminating the evidence in the Jinshan Hotel required a layered contingency plan. If we continue following the clues, we might trigger their alert…"
"What are you suggesting?" Yu Zhezhong asked.
Before she could answer, the boss weakly raised his hand. "Um, should I leave? I don't want to hear your plan…"
Qin Xuezhong shot him a glance. "It's fine. You don't think we're just here to do good and remove what's inside you without asking for anything in return, do you?"
The boss's sweat immediately poured down his face. "You… you mean…"
"If you dare to say anything about us outside, we will know instantly."
She casually frightened the boss, then turned to Yu Zhezhong. "The best approach now is for me to go in. I'll pose as a victim and infiltrate."
The boss's eyes widened.
He thought to himself, facing such a ruthless unknown organization, this clearly powerful woman wanted to take such a risk?
He glanced at Yu Zhezhong, expecting him to dissuade her.
But Yu Zhezhong, after hearing her, did not object.
He understood clearly that the woman before him could breach the main brain's firewall and had once fought against Tang Kede in the core server of the capital.
Even the main brain could only deduce that she was a core member of the Ghosts, not realizing that Qin Xuezhong was actually the Ghost itself.
He didn't think this unknown organization would be able to harm her.
Yet he still felt concerned.
Qin Xuezhong noticed Yu Zhezhong hesitating for a moment, then she knocked out the boss before he could say anything further and said, "Alright, but let me accompany you."
Qin Xuezhong: ?
—You're a guy, how can you go with me? And why knock him out?"
Yu Zhezhong clearly felt a bit embarrassed and replied quietly, "You know I have implanted nano-machines that can alter my appearance at will, right?"
Qin Xuezhong's eyes widened as she quickly asked, "Wait, do you mean...?"
Yu Zhezhong nodded. "I can temporarily change my physical characteristics... but only temporarily, and my essence doesn't change. At least with two of us going, if we run into trouble, we can support each other."
He explained the first half, then quickly shifted the focus in the second half.
Qin Xuezhong found it both amusing and intriguing. "Well, if no one's around, why don't you show me?"
If her expression had been any more playful, she would have looked like one of those women teasing male models downstairs.
Yu Zhezhong's expression faltered. "It's a bit complicated, and I need to prepare. It's not very convenient right now."
Qin Xuezhong didn't feel disappointed; she was just curious.
To her surprise, Yu Zhezhong said in a lower voice, "If you want to see it in advance, I can go home and show you first, so you can get familiar with it for the mission."
After saying this, he changed the topic again, adopting a professional demeanor. "If we want to fool them, we need to understand this game better. But I was locked up ten years ago, so I'm not familiar with it."
Qin Xuezhong regarded him for a moment before snapping her fingers. "That's easy."
Although she wasn't familiar with the game, there was a gaming expert in the analysis department.
The best part was that Xie Kedu was also in the black space.
Despite the recent outbreak, the entire black space was buzzing with activity, far more than before. Especially after Yu Zhezhong donned the Ghosts' guise for management, the cohesion and execution of the group had significantly increased.
He also utilized Er Gou and several other aliases to resolve a series of issues.
The most notable change was the clear division and organization within the Ghosts. Now, the black space was primarily divided into three major sections: the "Intelligence Group," the "Action Group," and the "Logistics Group," which processed various events occurring in Xigu City through a comprehensive workflow.
Especially the Logistics Group.
They would generate income from the useful information summarized by the Intelligence Group, preparing safe houses, equipment, and informants for the Ghosts across the Federation.
Most tasks could even be profitable.
Yu Zhezhong knew well that no matter how great the atmosphere and ambitious the goals of an organization during its inception, if it failed to generate revenue, it would ultimately collapse.
So he was careful to reward contributing members generously.
In a very short time, the Ghosts had developed a strong and lasting vitality.
As usual, Xie Kedu would spend his time in between gaming sessions immersed in the Intelligence Group, checking various information.
Since the outbreak, the Ghosts had not made an appearance, which piqued Xie Kedu's interest.
Just as he was preparing to log off and reopen the game, he suddenly received a message notification.
[From: Professor Cat]
[Do you know about the game "Dream Maze"? Recently, we've encountered a large-scale kidnapping and control case. It's possible that someone is using this game to collect victim information and conduct mass kidnappings of women for illegal human gestation. I hope to gather more insights from you.]
Xie Kedu immediately felt excited.
This Professor Cat was a new member recently active in the Intelligence Group, frequently bringing valuable intel.
—In reality, this was one of the aliases Qin Xuezhong had created for Yu Zhezhong.
Xie Kedu certainly knew about this game; he often played it himself.
Upon seeing Professor Cat's message, he replied at once.
[Is it possible they're imitating a crime?]
[Professor Cat: Imitating what crime?]
Xie Kedu understood and realized that this Professor Cat might not be familiar with gaming. He responded:
[The scenario you described resembles a classic maze in the game. Players navigate through multiple women's dreams to find a way out.]
He attached an image to the message.
—It depicted a bright hall that looked like a hospital or laboratory.
The hall was filled with high-quality beds, all neatly arranged, with women lying on them. At a glance, there could be nearly a thousand.
Xie Kedu explained:
[In this maze setting, these women have been kidnapped to produce biological weapons. They're continuously drugged to induce hallucinations, keeping them trapped in their favorite dream worlds.]
[And they keep giving birth, completely unaware.]