"... The consortium sent a message, asking for your opinion on whether we need to do anything."
"The appointments and rank adjustments in the Security Department have already been implemented. The Analysis Division is now a deputy-level unit, and the staff within have been promoted accordingly."
"The Phantom Organization has handed over all remaining tasks to the Security Department. Kai Si and Zhang Yuan are responsible for covert monitoring to prevent any behind-the-scenes..."
Yu Zhezhong stood behind Qin Xuezhong, acting like a professional secretary, reporting on the day's events.
However, Qin Xuezhong seemed to have not heard a single word, silently gazing out at the city through the window.
Tonight, Creek Valley City had just experienced rain; the dark clouds had not dispersed, and the moon was hidden from sight.
The little black cat had just finished eating, washed its face for a while, then gently walked over to Qin Xuezhong's feet, standing beside her and also gazing outside.
Yu Zhezhong had genuinely been worried these past few days. Whenever the weather cleared at night, not only would Qin Xuezhong often look at the moon, but the little black cat would join her.
If a few more people were gazing like that, it would certainly look like a scene straight out of a virtual dream cult brainwashing session.
He had asked Qin Xuezhong about it. She had simply replied with two casual words: "Looks nice."
Yu Zhezhong could only smile wryly.
As for why the little cat was looking at the sky, he was quite aware. Animals in Creek Valley City often behaved this way—due to the frequent rain, it was challenging to see the sun and moon for most of the year.
So whenever the weather was clear, and they could see the sun or moon between the skyscrapers, many dogs would bark at the sun in excitement, and many cats would gaze at the moon like the little black cat.
Seeing Qin Xuezhong lost in thought again, Yu Zhezhong chose not to speak further. The sight of her and the cat standing by the window was cute and pleasant.
He turned to start tidying up the house.
The temperature was slightly low today, so if Qin Xuezhong wanted to take a bath, he would prepare the bathtub and supplies in advance. He would also warm up the bedroom and the blankets to avoid dampness.
He needed to clean the rain-soaked boots to prevent deformation from the water.
The clothes had already been thrown into the washing machine, and he would later put them into the dryer so that they could be stored in the wardrobe by morning.
The pots and pans were in the dishwasher, and the lunchboxes for the next day's work were placed outside the fridge for easy access.
Thinking of meals, he still needed to prepare the energy supplement injections for the little black cat because of its unique health requirements. This little task posed no challenge for him as a seasoned researcher...
Yu Zhezhong had planned out all the evening's chores in his mind and laid a blanket on the sofa beside Qin Xuezhong.
— The living room was spacious, and if it got chilly standing by the window, adjusting the temperature would take time; wrapping up in a blanket would be much more comfortable.
Just as he turned his head to rearrange the table and chairs, which had been disheveled from dinner, he heard Qin Xuezhong speak behind him.
"I need to go out for a bit."
Her tone was very calm, as if she were merely stating something unimportant.
For the first time, Yu Zhezhong felt a pang of melancholy in his heart.
— He had been happily planning for a quiet and peaceful evening, but now Qin Xuezhong was going out again?
The thought flashed through his mind like a brief moment of surprise.
Then he nodded, immediately walking into the room to pull open a wall.
Behind the wall was an impressive equipment room.
Inside were various armors and weapons, ranging from small finger-sized gadgets to portable missiles, everything was there.
"Shall I go with you?" Yu Zhezhong asked.
Qin Xuezhong was indeed skilled in stealth, but when it came to actual combat power, Yu Zhezhong still held the advantage.
To his surprise, Qin Xuezhong shook her head.
"No need. Just help me choose the best medium combat armor."
Yu Zhezhong was taken aback.
Medium combat armor was nearly the equipment used for urban close-quarters combat. What was Qin Xuezhong planning to do?
Without explaining, she silently donned the gear with Yu Zhezhong's assistance, maximizing her attack and defense while keeping it light.
Her thoughts were quite simple.
In this world, there were only two unique things that had happened to her.
One was that through the eyes of the little black cat, she seemed to discover that the Black Moon did not exist.
The other was her time travel.
Could it be that her arrival from another world, not belonging to this one, had allowed her to notice these anomalies?
Perhaps there was a connection between the two events?
So she decided to return to the place she had traveled from—the small room in the city's district where the original owner lived—to take a closer look.
Since that place had been exposed, she hadn't returned.
Mainly because, during the time since she traveled, so much had happened. There wasn't much that truly belonged to her in that room, so it had been left untouched for so long.
After preparing everything, Qin Xuezhong opened the door and coolly waved her hand without looking back at Yu Zhezhong and the little black cat standing in the warm light of the doorway.
---
The city district hadn't changed at all.
Dirty, noisy, filled with the smell of life.
Qin Xuezhong wore a large trench coat that concealed her exaggerated gear, cautiously traversing the street filled with snacks.
She had already blocked her chip, avoiding all cameras, not allowing anyone or any machine a chance to spot her.
The reason she didn't call Yu Zhezhong or any other members of the Phantom Organization for this trip was her concern about potential issues.
In recent days, she had sifted through countless materials and realized a troubling point.
It seemed that no one had truly been to the Black Moon!
The original astronauts who had gone to the Black Moon had long since passed away, and the mining facilities there had been abandoned. The only space travel flights available had ceased operations.
On the internet, there were indeed some ancient photos of the Black Moon, most of which were blurry.
Fortunately, with the Consciousness Void ability, after sifting through a vast amount of ambiguous data, she managed to find a few photos.
Nothing particularly special—just old photos of former mining sites and tourists.
The problem was that the timestamps on these photos had all been altered.
On the Federation's network, any data uploaded would carry a timestamp. Even if modified, the underlying mainframe data would still retain some trace of the original upload time.
To view these timestamps, one typically had to go to the mainframe's core server and scan it physically.
However, for someone like Qin Xuezhong, who had already been to the core shaft and used her Consciousness Void ability there, it wouldn't be too difficult to take a peek.
— These photos, uploaded on different websites at different times decades ago, had all actually been edited and uploaded ten years ago.
What kind of person would have the time and capability to alter the timestamps of such neglected old photos?
Adding to this was her firsthand observation of the Black Moon's disappearance, which further convinced her that something was definitely amiss.
If the Black Moon is fake, then this is a terrifying conspiracy beyond her imagination.
From fairy tales to movies, from religion to pop culture, the existence and cultural significance of the Black Moon permeate every corner of the Federation.
Could such a thing be false?
To create such a deception, altering all history and culture while keeping people unaware... implanting such a large-scale brain control illusion into the consciousness of all humanity, there's only one possibility: the mainframe.
Only through the chip implanted at the back of the head, with suggestions embedded from childhood, could it take root in the subconscious of all humans. Perhaps... just perhaps, such an effect could be achieved.
The mere thought of it sent chills down her spine.
While she was contemplating, she had already arrived at the room.
Having not returned for a long time, nothing in the house had changed, except for a thin layer of dust on the surface.
The curtains were still drawn, and the light from outside filtered in, casting a mysterious hue over the entire room.
Before she had a chance to turn on the lights, the flashlight on her shoulder illuminated the dust on the floor, revealing a few irregular patterns.
The analysis function of her combat armor activated, automatically outlining the shapes of the patterns in her vision.
— A row of footprints.
From their style, they were not from her shoes.
This meant someone had been in this home.
The original owner's door lock and internal automatic sensing devices were of very high grade; only a high-level hacker or someone with permission could enter here.
Either way, it was troublesome.
Qin Xuezhong gently waved her hand, and a small combat drone attached to her back automatically flew out, forming a protective formation around her.
The scanner on her body began to operate at maximum power, scanning every detail in the room.
She activated the armor, wielding a shotgun, and cautiously moved inside.
According to the scanner's results, there were no dangerous items or other people in the room.
Qin Xuezhong did not relax; following the footprints on the ground, she stepped carefully to her bedside.
The footprints stopped right in front of her bed and then retraced their path without going anywhere else.
Looking at the scanner's display, she suddenly realized something.
All the cabinets and items in the room were fully visible on the scanner, but beneath her bed was just a patch of darkness.
Even solid concrete would display unique patterns under the detector; it wouldn't appear like this dark void.
Having grown familiar with the equipment, Qin Xuezhong quickly understood that there was a space under the bed with high-intensity signal shielding!
After sleeping here for so long, she had no idea there was something beneath her bed!
She bent down to examine the bed's edge and the nearby floor and saw that one patch of the floor had disturbed dust.
The scanner indicated it was a palm print.
Cautiously, she extended her hand; just as her fingers brushed the floor, a seemingly ordinary section of the floor suddenly lit up.
This device first scanned her palm print, then pricked her finger to collect blood for authentication—startling Qin Xuezhong.
Finally, it checked her pupil, voice print, and chip signal.
The checks were no different from those at the mainframe core facility.
Then, the previously solid special concrete base of her bed automatically slid open, revealing a large... empty drawer.
It emanated a chilling aura, its surface inlaid with a precise instrument.
Inside the drawer were scattered interfaces for various cooling liquids and control valves.
All of this indicated that something had once been stored here.
Now, it was empty except for a note that read:
[Two weeks without hearing from you. As per our agreement, I have taken the item. I hope you can come by soon.]
[I know you distrust Tang Kede, but if we wish to continue our work, we may need to leverage his power.]
[Additionally: I have placed the new address in the equipment of your safe house. Looking forward to your arrival.]
Qin Xuezhong stared at the note for a long time.
It seemed the original owner was involved in something dangerous with someone, requiring the covert relocation of something that had once been hidden here.
Moreover, it was connected to Tang Kede.
At this thought, she recalled that in the safe house where she and Yu Zhezhong were currently staying, there was a chip replacement device that might contain clues to continue her investigation.
She silently noted this in her mind, planning to check it out later.
She inspected the hidden storage drawer once more.
To her surprise, she saw a micro camera on the side wall, capable of monitoring the state of the drawer.
She quickly pulled out a data cable, wanting to view the footage captured by the camera.
Breaking through multiple layers of encrypted firewalls, she exported a short video clip.
The footage was bright, filled with icy blue culture fluid.
Floating in the culture fluid was a bare human brain.
The folds of the brain's cortex were clearly visible, and she could even see slight tremors...
— As if it were still alive.