Since Tang Kede's invasion of the mainframe core shaft last time, the security department had significantly increased personnel around the entire central server room.
The number of patrolling personnel in various corridors had doubled.
Each patroller transmitted data independently via the cameras and sensors they wore, sending it to the nearest monitoring room.
This method prevented the security system from being tampered with in case of an intrusion, ensuring that all signals couldn't be altered.
In the monitoring room, four monitors were leisurely sipping coffee.
Although the orders from above were tight, realistically, how many people had the capability to illegally enter here?
After a few days of tension, everyone felt a lot more relaxed.
"How much longer will the wanted checks outside last? It's becoming a hassle with the traffic jams on my way home these days."
"Take the subway; it's still manageable."
"But it takes twenty minutes to walk from the subway station; it's too much trouble…"
The monitors chatted idly.
The monitoring room was very quiet, almost devoid of noise. The monitors had to take turns watching the screens to avoid missing any details.
They couldn't play music or have other forms of entertainment; honestly, it was quite boring.
Most monitors set up exercise equipment at their stations to stretch and move a bit while keeping an eye on the screens; otherwise, sitting like this for two or three days would be unbearable.
At that moment, one of the monitors had just stood up and moved a little when he felt a slight tremor in his body.
This made him think something was wrong.
He often checked his health online; in Creek Valley City, one of the common precursors to data epilepsy was body tremors.
He rarely used Virtual Dream, and his job didn't require much connection to the brain chip, so how could he have data epilepsy?
Panicking, he glanced at his colleagues, wanting to say something.
However, he found that others were also wearing strange expressions.
It turned out it wasn't just him; the entire monitoring room was shaking!
Desks, screens, and even the ceiling were trembling, and the shaking was growing stronger.
"Earthquake?"
"Don't know!"
"Notify the upper management!"
The person closest to the wired communicator rushed over. Just as his hand touched the microphone, terrifying cracks suddenly appeared on the side wall of the monitoring room.
Before anyone could react, an exaggeratedly large drill burst through the wall from outside.
In an instant, stones and metal flew everywhere.
Although the monitors were terrified, one person still attempted to grab the microphone to report the situation. Another reached for the emergency button on the desk.
Even in their usually relaxed state, these monitors, having undergone emergency training, reacted quickly.
Then, amidst the noise of the massive drill, two barely noticeable gunshots rang out.
Pop, pop.
They sounded crisp; one shot directly severed the microphone, while the other wasn't an ordinary bullet but a constraining round—composed of aluminum thermal metal blocks with a bundled alloy chain in between.
This special constraining round accurately hit the hand of the person trying to press the emergency button. The two metal blocks instantly fused to the metal desk, forming a steel restraining ring, rendering the person immobile.
Before the four monitors could react further, four simultaneous electroshock rounds were fired, rendering all four unconscious.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Once the four were down, the drill also came to a halt, leaving the room silent. Two Ghost members clad in medium armor jumped out from behind the drill.
After a quick check, one of them whispered, "All clear; we can begin."
"Understood, Er Gou is monitoring all passages; no anomalies detected."
"What about the vibrations from the drill?"
"They didn't transmit; nearby offices didn't respond; everything's secure."
"Good, proceed."
"Received!"
Dozens of agile figures, shielded by Qin Xuezhong's signal, poured into the conduits of the monitoring room.
In Little Qin's view, it looked like a beam of light scattering into countless tiny points, continuously dispersing and merging into the vast underground structure.
---
The Federation mainframe is located in the center of the Capital District.
Above it is the headquarters of the Federation Security Department.
Three kilometers deep and nearly two hundred meters in diameter, the core is the shaft that Qin Xuezhong once visited in Yu Zhezhong's body—a massive server array.
Surrounding the core shaft is a thermal conduction layer, dissipating the enormous heat generated by the mainframe's operation through the vast natural caverns and underground rivers.
On the outer layer are various offices and data labs used to monitor and analyze the data from the mainframe.
The outermost layer of the offices consists of a massive metallic shell embedded underground, covered with countless sensitive sensors.
This metal layer, made from a special alloy, not only prevents malicious individuals from tunneling into the mainframe area but also detects suspicious breaches and relays the information to nearby guards for prompt action.
Now, if someone could see through the structure near the mainframe, they would discover that the originally intact and magnificent underground shaft had been penetrated by an underground express train.
Yet the surrounding sensors remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Inside the train carriage, Qin Xuezhong, Kais, Xie Kedu, and the young girl Ouyang Zhao were all sweating profusely.
---
Then, heat began to rise from the back of her head.
—Several people were working hard to maintain the stability of the sensors, preventing any abnormal data from being transmitted.
Now, without the support of the mainframe itself, keeping the Federation's core unaware of even the slightest anomaly required not only Qin Xuezhong's abilities but also the full support of others.
Even so, Little Qin still felt it was a struggle.
The mainframe's data came in waves, relentlessly crashing over her. She had to hold onto a rock on the shore, continuously altering the tides crashing against it, ensuring that the returning waves went undetected.
According to the plan, she had to hold out for at least ten minutes in this situation.
If the other members faced difficulties, she would need to hold out even longer.
The plan was actually quite simple, yet frightening to speak of.
—Kidnapping the mainframe!
The Ghost organization, under Qin Xuezhong's cover, would head to various data outlets of the mainframe and the ground-based antenna arrays to install high-energy explosives at those locations.
Once the explosives were detonated, the mainframe would be completely severed from the Federation.
Many security facilities and financial terminals would become unusable, which was minor; the main concern was that without the mainframe's control, the climate regulation satellites surrounding the planet would gradually go out of control, tipping the scales toward environmental collapse.
No one wanted to see such a thing happen.
Under the immense pressure, Qin Xuezhong had to take care of every Ghost member going to install the explosives, ensuring nothing went wrong along the way.
The three most troublesome ones had gone personally to install the explosives.
Qin Xuezhong didn't connect to Yu Zhezhong's eyes but saw a glowing dot moving calmly through countless other light points representing guards and cameras, without drawing any attention.
The other members, although encountering some trouble, eventually completed their tasks smoothly.
Now, only the final node remained.
The expressions of the few people around Qin Xuezhong also looked strained. Seeing Yu Zhezhong approaching the target location, a few of them unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
But that sigh caused a slight fluctuation in the massive output of the deceptive data meant to trick the mainframe.
Everyone's heart sank.
The next second, a shrill alarm echoed throughout the entire underground shaft and security department.
What had appeared calm in the mainframe data suddenly roiled like a stormy sea, violently tossing Qin Xuezhong out of the system.
Anyone who heard that alarm instantly realized something big had gone wrong!
Qin Xuezhong couldn't care less about the exposed communications now; she shouted in the channel, "Get out now!"
Yet Yu Zhezhong remained calm, "It's too late. I'll finish setting up the array; there's still hope."
Next to the pipeline shaft on the core shaft's wall, Yu Zhezhong steadily attached the high-energy explosives to the wall, pulling out the wrapped fuses and connecting them to the next batch of explosives.
His movements were meticulous.
At that moment, the door to the pipeline shaft was forcefully blasted open, and a fully armed team of special operations officers burst in, guns drawn, aiming at Yu Zhezhong while loudly commanding, "Hands up! Turn around! Hands up! Turn around!"
Yu Zhezhong's breathing didn't falter even slightly as he continued his task.
He knew that at the moment of exposure, the mainframe likely already realized what they intended to do. Thus, they wouldn't recklessly execute him.
This meant these special operations officers wouldn't have orders to shoot on sight.
Seeing that their commands went unanswered, the lead officer immediately gestured for his team to advance and arrest him.
Yu Zhezhong's hands were still moving.
As three special operations personnel were about to enter his two-meter radius, Yu Zhezhong completed the final installation step.
Just as the person behind him reached out to grab Yu Zhezhong, all special operations personnel present received a message.
[Stop! Do not approach; step back.]
Everyone froze for a moment.
In contrast, Yu Zhezhong smiled lightly, knowing that Qin Xuezhong had already sent out the message.
At the same time, the mainframe and the core data department of the security department received a message:
[Currently, the Ghost organization has installed high-energy explosives at various data interfaces of the mainframe. If the security department and the mainframe do not allow the Ghost organization to enter the core area, the explosives will be detonated, rendering the mainframe completely incapacitated.]
Below was a countdown that had already begun: [29:59], and it continued to tick down.
—The Ghost organization's plan was very straightforward.
Since the mainframe had been taken hostage by Ouyang Zhao in a direct confrontation, it aimed to save the world by brainwashing the entire planet.
The fundamental reason Ouyang Zhao could do this was that the mainframe's top priority was to save the world.
But now, Qin Xuezhong was using the destruction of the mainframe as a threat, forcing the mainframe to prioritize its own survival and accept the Ghost organization's proposal.
Otherwise, the world would be doomed, and what good was saving it then?
Before the security department personnel could react, the mainframe immediately announced to everyone in the shaft:
[Due to the Federation's security concerns, temporary Level 10 permissions are granted to the Ghost organization to enter the core area. No one shall obstruct them, and the safety of Ghost organization members must be ensured.]