Even though the capital region was in a critical situation, the various cities of the Federation continued to operate calmly.
The checkpoints at traffic arteries and subway entrances were still conducting routine inspections, but now they had no real significance.
The only trouble was for ordinary workers rushing to clock in, grumbling in the long, crowded lines.
"Damn it, that damn Ghost organization, can't they just turn themselves in? I've been late to work for two days straight."
"Who knows what's going on? Wasn't it the Ghost organization that saved people during the Tang Kede incident?"
"Do you believe that? I sure don't."
"Whoever believes is a fool; I don't believe in this manhunt nonsense. From the government to the conglomerates, and these secret organizations, none of them care about ordinary people."
"Sigh, what else can we do but live?"
"This damn world…"
The daily complaints had worn out the staff at the inspection point.
She maintained a blank expression as she checked each person's data, avoiding eye contact, even with facial recognition, only looking at the screen to avoid triggering anyone's nerves.
Complaints aside, she quickly let people through, and that was all that mattered.
She mechanically waved her hand to signal them through, then checked the frequency on the data detector to see if new brain chips had been installed, verifying the displayed information to check if their appearances matched, and whether the chip signals aligned with the brainwave signals…
Just as she was about to let someone pass, she suddenly noticed that the noise in the crowd seemed louder than before.
Furrowing her brow, she thought that after several days of inspections, the frustrations of ordinary people were likely building up.
She felt the same way.
But for the sake of making a living and keeping her job, who could say much? Just endure it.
However, in almost the blink of an eye, the noise outside had noticeably intensified. Even the person in front of her, being inspected, turned back out of curiosity.
This made it impossible for her to see that person's face on the screen.
The inspector stood up anxiously, glancing toward the back of the line, but saw nothing.
This checkpoint was set at a turn in the underground passage, and the long line had curved around the corner; a few people on her side were also curiously peeking.
Most people were still immersed in the images generated by their brain chips in front of them.
Then, the inspector saw several people rushing toward the inspection point, panic written all over their faces. Because the queue was dense, they had to push and shove their way through, even knocking over a couple of people.
Seeing this, the inspector immediately pressed the emergency button on her desk.
This button was originally intended to call in the emergency SWAT team if suspects like Qin Xuezhong or her Ghost organization associates were detected.
Before the SWAT team could arrive, the commotion at the corner grew louder.
The knocked-over individuals who initially wanted to yell were swept up by the crowd and also began to run toward this side.
As the chaos was about to spill over into the checkpoint, the inspector shouted in the communications channel, "Get over here! They're about to rush in!"
After she shouted, she despaired, realizing that even if the emergency SWAT team arrived, it wouldn't help.
The crowd had already begun to surge.
Fortunately, a stampede hadn't occurred yet, but at this rate, if no action was taken, an accident was inevitable!
An emergency SWAT team of eight members arrived at the inspection point, looking tense; even the team leader appeared a bit dazed.
With just these eight people, it was impossible to withstand the panicked rush of hundreds or thousands.
At this moment, the inspector reacted the quickest, loudly ordering, "Help maintain order! Let them enter in an orderly fashion! No chaos! If it gets chaotic, we're done for! Everyone stay calm! Enter according to the guidance! Otherwise, we will detain you on the spot!"
The inspector couldn't afford to focus on inspections now; if they tried to stop them forcefully, they might all be in danger.
While issuing orders, she pressed a button, opening all the gates.
Her sharp, penetrating voice, followed by a threat, made the nearby dazed individuals hesitate for a moment.
The emergency SWAT members quickly moved forward to guide the people at the gates.
They slowed down those rushing too fast to prevent them from falling or colliding with the person in front; those stumbling in panic were assisted, directed toward the wider internal square and platform.
Most of the time, the SWAT members remained at the checkpoint, waving their hands to signal people through.
Don't underestimate such a small action; it signified that order still existed behind them. Once the panicked individuals passed through the checkpoint, they would feel a bit more at ease and less chaotic.
Seeing the situation stabilize slightly, the inspector hurriedly sent two colleagues to the back to help disperse the crowd into the interior, preventing the people who had just calmed down from blocking the passage.
Then, she beckoned the SWAT team leader.
"Captain, be ready to lower the gates at any moment."
The captain's expression turned serious as he looked at her.
The gates the inspector referred to were not the small doors at the turnstiles, but the blast doors above the checkpoint.
It was unclear what was happening outside, but with so many people rushing in, something serious must have occurred out there.
Even the independent police radio of the emergency team had received no messages from the outside.
If they lowered the gates, many ordinary people still trying to escape would be trapped outside.
Noticing the captain hesitating, the inspector urged, "We don't know what's happening; if the chaos from outside rushes in, those who just got in, including us, might be doomed."
In reality, it wasn't the inspector's job to command the emergency SWAT team or to determine whether the gates should be lowered.
She wasn't even the highest-ranking person present.
But because of her quick judgment earlier, she stabilized the situation at the first moment. The captain understood that this seemingly ordinary inspector possessed a certain calmness and decisiveness.
He nodded seriously, "Alright, if things don't look right, I will lower them immediately."
The inspector's expression relaxed a little.
The people rushing in now were those who had been queuing at the corner earlier.
With order restored, many appeared significantly less frantic.
The inspector began asking each person, "What happened? What did you see?"
"I don't know."
"Didn't see anything."
"I just ran in, scared to death…"
After questioning several people, someone finally responded.
"Everyone outside has red eyes! They're going insane!"
"Captain, could this… be contagious?"
"I saw someone eating another person!"
"Some seem to be going crazy right there…"
"Many people are jumping off buildings outside!"
After questioning a line of individuals, the inspector gathered that something akin to madness was occurring outside, possibly a new type of brain virus.
For some reason, there were no signs of this in the subway station.
The inspector made a quick guess that the virus might be transmitted through the ground's signal towers or satellites.
Since the subway in Xigu City was quite deep, with its base stations being independent wired networks underground, it had escaped this disaster.
With this thought, the inspector called for the captain, urging him to enact wartime orders and activate the subway's signal jammers.
After what had just transpired, the captain had developed trust in this unassuming young woman. Upon hearing her reasoning, he decisively activated the jamming.
In an instant, everyone lost their internet connection, and the advertisements on both sides of the passage went dark.
Just as everyone was puzzled again, the inspector shouted, "This station has activated the signal jammers to prevent unknown harmful data from entering! Please stay calm and evacuate in an orderly manner!"
At this point, her voice had become somewhat hoarse.
The people who had escaped in noticed this person directing the order, and hearing her speak gave them a sense of assurance, prompting them to continue moving back as instructed.
Meanwhile, at the corner, the first individual with red eyes and smoke emanating from the back of their neck appeared.
Then came the second, third…
Some of them were covered in visible blood and flesh, and one even held a severed bio-prosthetic!
Everyone dared not imagine what was happening outside.
The multitude of red-eyed individuals emerged from the other end of the passage, sending chills down their spines.
Mixed in were still several normal people, struggling to escape the entanglements and attacks of the red-eyed individuals, running frantically toward this side.
But soon, there were no more ordinary people coming through; only red-eyed figures remained!
As the next scene unfolded, everyone realized that the inspector had inadvertently made the right decision.
These red-eyed individuals, upon entering the corner, noticeably slowed down, their eyes flickering erratically as if affected by some interference.
"It works! Damn! You're amazing!" the captain exclaimed, his face unable to hide his excitement.
The inspector didn't respond, her hands trembling slightly.
Seeing the red-eyed individuals behind them behave abnormally, some daring evacuees even looked back.
---
"Run! Over here! We're about to close the gate!" The officers near the turnstile urged repeatedly.
Although the Red Eyes' speed had decreased, it still took time for the explosion-proof gate above to descend.
Moreover, the explosion-proof gate also interfered with signals; what if it got stuck halfway and the interference failed?
As the last few people rushed closer, the anxious officer dashed out, grabbing people by their arms and dragging them inside.
At the same time, the team leader had used his authority to slowly lower the explosion-proof gate overhead.
Sure enough, as the gate descended, the speed of the Red Eyes surged again.
The team leader warned, "Listen up outside, stop moving! Otherwise, we will open fire! Repeat: stop moving! Otherwise, we will open fire."
There was no response.
"All units, switch to stun and impact rounds! Stop the targets!"
"Yes!"
The eight emergency response officers began firing; anyone running at the front among the Red Eyes would be taken down immediately, taking a few behind them down in the process.
Everyone had one thought in their mind—why was that damned gate so slow?
With the grinding noise of the gate finally closing, the Red Eyes had squeezed up to the entrance.
The officers dropped to the ground to shoot, hoping to make a final stop.
But now, shooting had little effect because the Red Eyes were too densely packed; even if those in front fell unconscious, they wouldn't drop but would be pushed forward.
Finally, with a loud bang, the explosion-proof gate completely closed.
In the final gap, a red-glowing mechanical arm reached through, but was crushed by the gate and the sinking well below.
The arm moved a few times before the team leader shot it with a binding round, locking it to the ground.
The entire space fell silent for a moment, then erupted into applause.
Amid the atmosphere of survival, the once-dashing inspector began to breathe heavily, filled with dread.
After a moment's hesitation, the team leader asked her, "Are you single? Once this is all over, can I take you out for dinner?"
Yu Zhezhong was leading several of the Ghost Organization's most powerful members as they swaggered through the heavily guarded passage toward the core shaft.
Qin Xuezhong was still in the carriage, connecting to Yu Zhezhong's body through a consciousness void.
In the middle of them was Ouyang Zhao, a girl using a bionic body.
If everything went smoothly, they would head straight to the mainframe core and reconnect that brain to solve all problems.
There were no obstacles along the way.
Only the specially operational personnel of the task force looked on with puzzled or complex expressions as they walked by.
According to the requirements, all task force members had to retreat at least 100 meters whenever the Ghosts passed through, to avoid any potential conflicts or encirclement.
Before these people left, their eyes lingered on the Ghost Organization's group.
Letting a secret organization walk into the heart of the Federation like this? Everyone felt a sense of unreality.
Especially Little Qin.
Everything was going too smoothly, it was too quiet here, quiet as if there were traps everywhere.
"Be careful, I'm worried about surprises," Qin Xuezhong said to Yu Zhezhong in the black space.
"Okay."
As a result, they reached the core processing center without incident.
Just as Yu Zhezhong was about to step in to confirm the situation, a voice rang out, laced with a hint of mockery.
"Another me, actually using a celebrity's body, you really have no shame."
Hearing this voice, everyone knew that the positive Ouyang Zhao in the mainframe had appeared.
"Shut the hell up, you piece of garbage!" Negative Ouyang Zhao spat.
Positive Ouyang Zhao seemed to chuckle lightly, her expression one of disdain for arguing with such a person.
She turned to say, "I was looking forward to meeting you, Qin Xuezhong, yet you didn't come yourself but hid in this little puppet's body. That's a bit disappointing. But it's fine; I don't have a body either… it won't affect our chess game."
Chess game?
What did that mean?
Well aware that talking too much with villains could lead to complications, Little Qin directly commanded, "Ignore her, get in and upload!"
Yu Zhezhong stepped forward.
At that moment, Positive Ouyang Zhao laughed even louder.
"A silent opponent, how interesting. Alright, let me tell you this: all of the Federation's satellites and signal transmission towers have broadcast a self-destruct virus to all areas. I guess there's chaos outside right now. In ten minutes, it will enter the second phase, and everyone will die."
By the end, Positive Ouyang Zhao's voice turned cold.
"Well, the mainframe has a higher-priority crisis to attend to, so I can't babysit you anymore. Now, it's time for us to play chess."
As soon as her words fell, a notification from the mainframe came in.
[Due to the safety of the Federation, 92.75% of Federation citizens are in danger; this conflicts with the previous authorization. The temporary Level 10 authorization for the Ghost Organization is hereby canceled. Please... resolve the conflict as soon as possible.]
— The Ghost Organization used the destruction of the mainframe as leverage, while Positive Ouyang Zhao threatened the lives of all Federation citizens, causing the mainframe, aimed at global peace and ecological health, to fall into a dilemma.
Just as the notification arrived, Qin Xuezhong saw through the monitoring network that the elite guards of the core shaft had begun to move.
She had to make a decision immediately.