"What exactly have you encountered before?"
Qin Xue gently asked as she helped Yu Zhezhong sit up. At that moment, she recalled how Yu Zhezhong had skillfully revealed to the nightclub owner that what was inside him was actually a biochemical weapon. Could he have experienced something similar?
Yu Zhezhong smiled wearily, "During the time I was turned into a puppet, I was transferred to another project. It wasn't the nightclub owner's project, but it was of a similar nature."
"Those people thought that if they could combine the genes of someone with a high level of brain domain development and gestate something within their body, the resulting creation might possess greater intelligence. So... I served as a gestation device for a while."
Qin Xue didn't know what to say and just tightened her grip on Yu Zhezhong's hand.
Yu Zhezhong waved his hand dismissively, "It's all in the past." He didn't have much to say, but his smile and demeanor resembled someone cooking in Qin Xue's home.
"Besides, this is just a game; it's quite interesting," he added, standing up. "What should we do next?"
"I'm not sure either." Qin Xue shrugged and pointed at the shattered debris on the floor. "Perhaps there are clues inside. I heard some strange sounds when I hit that thing."
Yu Zhezhong nodded and once again manipulated the robotic arm on the surgical table, skillfully dissecting the remnants on the floor and washing them clean.
What appeared before them was a cylindrical metal block, marked with a string of numbers.
As soon as Qin Xue picked it up, she received a system notification.
[Congratulations! You have found the passageway data! This item will serve as your proof for entering the next level.]
[Congratulations! You have reached the speed pass leaderboard for the first level! Your current world ranking is: 7]
Qin Xue felt a surge of joy. Such a result should be enough to draw the attention of the puppet master, right? She glanced at Yu Zhezhong.
Yu Zhezhong understood her question and replied directly, "I'm ranked eighth; we should stand out now."
---
In the following days, Qin Xue took a complete leave of absence from work and instead lived a leisurely life at home. According to analyses from several advisors in the black space, the puppet master behind the kidnapping of Mu Tingdeng had a method to read the player data from "Dream Maze" and locate them in the real world. It was even possible that this game was created by the puppet master themselves.
Therefore, Qin Xue and Yu Zhezhong's impressive performance had undoubtedly caught the attention of the puppet master. Coupled with the fabricated information from the mainframe, their simple identities made them easy targets for kidnapping.
Based on the mainframe's forged documents, the two were previously classmates who now ran a small plant shop together. In Xigu Valley City, plant shops were a long-standing industry. Due to severe air pollution, even the poorest residents in the slum areas would keep a few genetically modified plants at home to purify their living environment. This was a straightforward business, and the experiences could easily be fabricated.
With the help of the mainframe's powerful computational capabilities, the two had quietly obtained false identities. Such identity fabrication was generally used for special mission operatives. Ordinary devices reading their chips would only reveal the fake identities; only those with the corresponding security department clearance could see their true identities.
As a Level 10 clearance holder, arranging a covert identity profile for herself was incredibly easy for Qin Xue. These days, she had been living quite comfortably. Each morning, she leisurely woke up to a sumptuous breakfast prepared by Yu Zhezhong before heading to their nearby plant shop.
Though it was called work, most of the tasks were handled by Yu Zhezhong. Qin Xue merely changed into outfits that complemented the shop's greenery, found a cozy spot, and played games or read materials, treating herself like a decorative piece.
By noon, the two shared lunch—lavish bento boxes Yu Zhezhong had prepared in the morning. The afternoons continued in the same manner. Yu Zhezhong, with his wealth of knowledge, would keep Qin Xue entertained whenever she felt bored by discussing the plants they were tending. He would share interesting facts about specific plants, the unique stories behind certain flowers, fruits he had previously used, or even lesser-known jokes about specific leaves...
Everything was blissfully perfect. At times, Qin Xue even felt an illusion that life could continue this simply.
Four days passed in this manner, and the mainframe sent a reminder—someone was scrutinizing their documents closely.
Qin Xue realized that the main event was about to unfold. It must be said, the kidnappers of Mu Tingdeng were undoubtedly highly skilled. Even now, neither Qin Xue nor the Ghost Organization had uncovered any leads on the original kidnapping, nor had there been any signs of Mu Tingdeng's escape.
She even suspected that Mu Tingdeng might have been captured again by the puppet master.
To prepare for the impending kidnapping, every trustworthy member of the black space took turns observing Qin Xue and Yu Zhezhong every hour, keeping their distance to avoid detection. They theorized that the execution of the kidnapping would likely happen through unexpected means.
Today, a three-person observation team, consisting of two women and one man, was monitoring from a building three kilometers away from Qin Xue's location. One man and one woman were former reconnaissance soldiers, now working for a security company in Xigu Valley City. The other was an engineer responsible for observation equipment and signal interference.
Despite seeming like they were just watching, the trio was exceptionally busy. The two reconnaissance soldiers needed to keep a constant eye on Qin Xue and Yu Zhezhong's surroundings, and report any unusual movements to the action team to track the two's location without raising alarms.
Whenever Qin Xue and Yu Zhezhong moved to an area that was not under observation, the engineer would discreetly access nearby surveillance to provide the soldiers with a viewpoint.
For several days, everything had been calm. Today was no exception. It was 3 PM, and Qin Xue and Yu Zhezhong were both in the shop.
Qin Xue was on the small balcony on the second floor, reading, while Yu Zhezhong was trimming plants nearby. Two steaming cups of tea sat on a small table beside them.
If the three observers hadn't known that these two were renowned figures in the Ghost Organization, they might have thought they were just ordinary girls running their shop.
Now, with both of them present, it should be the safest time. There was no way any kidnappers could simply burst into the shop, defeat two highly skilled individuals, and leave without anyone noticing.
The three observers were also chatting.
"Did you participate in that operation to capture the clone of Yue Zhao with Er Gou?" one asked.
"No, I only trained with Er Gou in the simulator; he's impressive. I didn't expect he'd turn out to be this person," replied another.
"Oh..."
"I bet she and the Cat Professor have a special relationship?"
"I think they seem more like sisters or friends..."
Their casual conversation helped ease the tension built up from the long hours of observation. Even while talking, the experienced reconnaissance soldiers never took their eyes off the targets.
"Did you hear this time it's a human trafficking organization?" one said.
"Yeah, taking women to get them pregnant is just unheard of."
"Probably some evil..."
Before the male soldier could finish his sentence, he suddenly froze.
His two companions did the same.
Because, just as the two previously seated figures—Er Gou and the Cat Professor—appeared as if a higher existence pressed the delete key, they suddenly vanished.
It was a literal, sudden disappearance; the tea cups were still steaming, and the room was utterly silent, as if the two had evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
A chill ran down the backs of the three observers, reaching their heads, rendering them momentarily paralyzed.
In that moment, they felt as if the world they inhabited had turned into a high-dimensional game. Perhaps this game had a bug, and one misstep had caused Er Gou and the Cat Professor to glitch out?
The three experienced observers, having seen much in Xigu Valley, were completely dumbfounded by this eerie scene.
After several seconds of shock, they yelled into their communication channel, "Targets missing! Targets missing! The reserve team must head to the scene immediately! Now!"
A profound silence followed, with no response.
At that moment, the engineer behind them murmured, "The black space... is disconnected..."
A wave of cold engulfed the three.
"What do we do now?" the engineer looked at the female reconnaissance soldier, who was the team leader and one of the earliest members of the Ghost Organization.
The female soldier remained silent, her face solemn as she dialed another communication.
The call connected quickly, and she visibly sighed in relief.
On the other end, Kai's voice came through, "I was just about to call you! What happened?"
His tone betrayed a sense of urgency.
The three quickly relayed the recorded video and the situation at the scene to Kai.
After a brief silence, he immediately ordered, "You need to head to the scene right now. I'm contacting all the personnel I can mobilize; they need to move immediately. If you find any suspicious individuals on site, take them down directly!"
"Understood!"
With the black space gone, members of the Ghost Organization lost their only means of communication and could only rely on their original networks to contact trustworthy individuals.
"And be discreet; prioritize caution," Kai added gravely.
"…Understood."
The three
understood Kai's implications.
Now that they lacked the protection of the Ghost Organization's formidable abilities, it was likely that someone might harbor ill intentions.
Betrayals, exposure of secrets, kidnappings of related members…
In Xigu Valley City, everyone was very pragmatic. These scenarios weren't possibilities; they were certainties!
The sudden disappearance of Er Gou, coupled with the loss of the black space, spoke volumes.
Moreover, they had previously speculated that Er Gou might be the same as the Ghost, and with the earlier clues, locating Er Gou's real identity was not difficult at all.
From the Fifth Company to the Security Department, their relationship with the Ghost Organization seemed good, but Kai was fully aware of these powerful individuals' ruthlessness.
They might immediately attempt to apprehend and interrogate any suspected members of the Ghost Organization, hoping to extract valuable secrets.
In that instant, Kai felt surrounded by impending danger.