At the moment she saw the image, goosebumps erupted on Qin Xuezhong's arms.
— She had been sleeping in this bed for a long time... and there had been a living brain beneath her the whole time?
This was the cyber version of "there's someone under the bed."
Qin felt as if an invisible net was enveloping her.
Everything she had experienced since her arrival was interconnected.
The time travel, the brain, Tang Kede, the little black cat, the moon, the mainframe...
It seemed that nothing was a coincidence; no one appeared by chance.
From the beginning, it felt as if there was some unknown connection between them.
Now, she had a genuine clue in her hands.
And it was right in her home.
She carefully tucked the note away, closed the space under the bed, cleared away the traces, and quickly left.
---
Meanwhile, at the Wangwan apartment, Yu Zhezhong was holding the little black cat in his arms, administering energy supplements.
He could tell that Qin Xuezhong was very fond of the little cat, so he had put a lot of thought into it as well.
For example, the little cat's actual body was just a brain, all the nerve bundles, and mechanical organs and bones.
The holographic equipment provided by the Langfu family was actually of average quality; the light density of the holographic projection was insufficient, revealing the metal inside at any time.
Yu Zhezhong not only replaced the hardware but also worked with a holographic programming expert from the Phantom Organization to rewrite a custom program for the little black cat.
Now, the little black cat could not only change its fur color at will but also project simple holographic expressions on its head to convey its state.
Right now, it wore a red angry face.
Because the energy supplement injection was not normal feeding, the little cat's micro hydraulic skeleton wasn't very precise, and the pressure from the injection caused some pain to its nerves.
The replacement parts should be ready tomorrow, and at that time, he would perform a major surgery for the little black cat.
Yu Zhezhong gently comforted, "Alright, it'll be over soon."
Then he shook a specially made snack beside him, "Once we finish this, you can have this."
The little black cat's eyes immediately focused on Yu Zhezhong's snack bag, and its expression turned into that of a hungry baby.
Taking this opportunity, Yu Zhezhong deftly pushed the syringe, injecting the last bit of supplement.
He let out a sigh of relief.
Once the surgery was done tomorrow, things wouldn't be so complicated anymore.
"Okay, okay, here you go."
He peeled back the little cat's claws from the snack bag and took out a small piece of freeze-dried food.
Though called freeze-dried, it was actually just dried protein seasoned with chicken powder, but it was perfect for coaxing the little cat.
He waved the freeze-dried food in front of the little black cat.
The cat immediately stood up, poised to spring, its eyes locked on the treat, the spherical hydraulic spine on its neck and the bionic camera on its head making soft turning sounds.
Yu Zhezhong tossed the freeze-dried treat into the air.
The little cat seized the moment, launching itself with a powerful kick and accurately catching the treat mid-air.
Just as the little cat was about to land, Yu Zhezhong's expression suddenly changed.
He reached out, scooped up the little black cat, and rolled to hide behind the nearby sofa.
At his previous standing position, a large bullet shot through the living room window, hitting the wall behind.
This apartment was not only high-end but also served as the original owner's safe house.
The windows were made of medium-strength bulletproof glass.
Anyone capable of penetrating such glass was undoubtedly equipped with high-grade weaponry—only a few in the special operations team of the security department had access to such ammunition.
Regardless of who it was, being attacked by an unknown elite enemy in this living room surrounded by glass was extremely dangerous.
Such operatives wouldn't just fire a bullet to hit him; they executed a series of tactical maneuvers to swiftly eliminate the target with overwhelming force.
In a split second, Yu Zhezhong had time to assess one thing.
— The bullet had made a large hole in the glass; if it were him, a stun grenade would definitely follow.
He quickly grabbed a dish from the coffee table and threw it out to divert attention.
Holding the little black cat tightly, he dashed toward the equipment room.
In less than a second, he took a swift glance outside.
— Three completely black transport aircraft disguised as passenger planes hovered nearby, with missile racks hanging below and shooters on either side, revealing that these were actually small combat aircraft.
Surrounding these airborne weapons were numerous combat drones.
Facing the living room, one of the combat aircraft had a gunner and a sniper aiming in his direction.
Just from that glance, Yu Zhezhong shut his eyes.
He curled his body around the little black cat, rolling behind the bar in the living room.
Behind him came another barrage of bullets and a pressure-triggered stun grenade.
A not-so-violent explosion shook the entire floor.
Accompanying it was a blinding white light and a powerful shockwave.
It not only knocked Yu Zhezhong to the ground but also shattered several cups and flower pots.
The little black cat in his arms let out a shrill, desperate cry.
In the disorientation caused by the shockwave, Yu Zhezhong acted instinctively, ignoring the little cat in his arms, and pressed the emergency button hidden beneath the bar.
This button would drop the concealed armored shutters on the windows, reestablishing a defensive layer.
After Qin Xuezhong brought him back, he had conducted a safety assessment and explained to her how to use it.
Unexpectedly, he was the one who had to use it first.
However, nothing happened above the windows; no armor dropped down.
The worst thing he feared had come to pass.
The other side had a hacker who had activated maximum data interference in the area.
The button under the bar was wireless and had already lost its effect.
He couldn't even contact the Black Space to request reinforcements.
Yu Zhezhong didn't hesitate; taking advantage of the smoke from the explosion, he dashed forward into the side equipment room.
As soon as he pulled open the alloy door of the equipment room, a series of clanging sounds followed.
He pressed the emergency button inside the equipment room again.
This button was hardwired.
Just after pressing it, the hidden walls on the windows opened up, and numerous thick armor plates were about to fall.
At that moment, two individuals in flight armor, with jet flames shooting from their backs, dove directly down from the combat aircraft.
They positioned themselves at the window's edge, one hand catching the armored shutters while the other brandished a gun, opening fire in a sweeping motion.
Behind them, more than a dozen similarly clad individuals followed suit.
Yu Zhezhong initially planned to close the explosion-proof door of the equipment room, don the heavy armor, and use the weapons inside for defensive shooting.
First, he needed to stay alive, stabilize the situation, and then look for an opportunity to counterattack.
Just a second before he could close the door, one of the enemy's suppressive shots swept across the bar where he had just hidden, hitting the refrigerator.
The massive refrigerator was instantly penetrated, erupting with sparks and black smoke.
Along with that came a delicious aroma and the drizzling of broth.
That was... the late-night snack he had prepared for Qin Xuezhong.
If Xiao Qin didn't eat it at night, Yu Zhezhong would finish it himself the next day.
Then there were scattered grains of rice and minced meat with peas, which were meant for Qin Xuezhong's important lunch tomorrow...
Yu Zhezhong was stunned.
In this life-and-death crisis, he suddenly realized that the warm little home he had been managing all this time was gone.
The window with the best view, where Qin Xuezhong loved to watch the night scene, had now become the enemy's entry point.
The soft sofa that felt like sinking into it, where he and Qin Xuezhong had watched movies together, had turned into a heap of rags.
The bar counter in the living room, where he made desserts, grilled, and mixed drinks, was now littered with shattered glass and ceramics.
Everything... was gone.
As the most experienced combatant, Yu Zhezhong knew he shouldn't be angry in such a situation.
Yet, a surge of inexplicable rage erupted from his heart.
He closed the door, gently comforted the little black cat, and placed it inside the deepest closet, locking it to prevent the cat from running around in fear.
Then he quickly donned a chest plate, put on a helmet, grabbed several handy weapons, and charged out again.
Yu Zhezhong's movements were astonishingly precise.
A simple roll evaded the enemy's first attack, and he raised his gun, shooting directly at the person who had just swept the refrigerator.
The bullet penetrated through a gap in the visor of the helmet, exploding into a spray of blood.
The scene fell into a momentary silence.
Before the enemy could lock onto him, he swiftly closed the door, leaped, and slipped into the nearby bathroom.
In that brief moment, he threw a grenade out and fired another shot.
That shot hit another enemy.
The grenade, however, was hit mid-air.
Unexpectedly, instead of exploding, it burst into a large blob of gel that covered the window, creating a tactical gel that froze several enemies' armored joints.
He darted again.
This time, he fired three shots in quick succession, hitting three frozen enemies.
Yet his heart sank.
Because more enemies were entering from outside the window.
They were clad in the Bear-type super heavy combat armor, known as airborne single-person fortresses.
This armor allowed the wearer to move without walking, utilizing tracks and jet engines for mobility.
Most importantly, it could withstand small missiles.
Even using all the weapons in the equipment room, it would be difficult to take down one of them.
And now, five of these armored figures had just landed on the balcony.
Just the high-energy rocket launchers on their backs could obliterate the entire floor.
Rocket launchers.
With that thought, a sudden realization hit Yu Zhezhong.
He understood that the enemies wanted to kill him, but their initial weapons had been the most dangerous ones they had used.
No shrapnel grenades, no incendiary devices, no heavy weapons!
There was something in the house that they wanted!
They were afraid of destroying that thing, so they didn't dare!
He hesitated for a second, then took off his helmet and ballistic chest plate.
Then he walked straight out.
Heavy armor, machine gunners from the combat aircraft, and remaining enemies on the balcony all opened fire at him.
Yu Zhezhong moved as if in slow motion, taking a light step and elegantly tilting his head, dodging all the attacks.
— Ever since Qin Xuezhong helped him repair his brain and consciousness, Yu Zhezhong realized that his reaction and prediction abilities had improved significantly.
Combining his past combat awareness with the calm mindset of a researcher and the new life that Qin Xuezhong had granted him, he could anticipate physical attacks and evade them.
Of course, it was dangerous; if the enemies formed a fire blockade, it wouldn't matter how he dodged.
So he opened fire.
He didn't spray bullets randomly; instead, he casually walked through the living room, dodging while aiming at the side of the Bear-type armor, firing in succession.
That area concealed a hidden energy magazine.
If his bullets could precisely slip through the gap in the abdominal armor, they could hit there.
One shot, two shots, three shots, four shots.
Just as Yu Zhezhong fired the fourth shot, he instinctively ducked down.
He was well aware of the thickness of the side bullet box; if luck was on his side, two shots could cause it to explode, at worst, four shots would surely penetrate it.
Just as he ducked down, a bright blue flame erupted from the side of the Bear-type armor, instantly igniting the energy pack behind it and... the rocket launcher.
The massive explosion engulfed the surrounding enemies and demolished the entire balcony.
The shockwave even made the combat aircraft in the sky tilt back.
The once-dense barrage of fire ceased entirely.
Amidst the billowing smoke, Yu Zhezhong stood up, coldly gazing at the enemies outside.
At this moment, his odds were still slim, but in such times, he couldn't hide; he had to seize the opportunity for himself.
All the enemies saw the terrifying figure emerging from the smoke, raising his gun once again.
He still wore a kitchen apron, which had been riddled with holes during the evasion and explosion, now covered in dust.
In the night breeze of Xigu City, it fluttered back and forth.