In a spacious safe house in Xigu Valley City.
This room was fully equipped with electromagnetic shielding to prevent any wireless signals from entering. All servers inside were connected to the outside through an independent signal generator, with physical isolation in between.
In front of the densely packed servers sat a dozen hackers and data security experts from the Ghost Organization, all working anxiously.
On the outer perimeter were defensive measures and guards.
— This was the contingency plan left by Qin Xuezhong and others before they left Xigu Valley City.
Beneath this safe house was an abandoned underground tunnel, where escape capsules were already prepared. On the roof were two small drones, and several heavy armored vehicles were parked in the garage.
As long as Qin Xuezhong and the others could make it here in case of insurmountable trouble, they had a chance to escape.
Even if they didn't escape, the safe house was equipped with a complete recycling and power generation system. In extreme circumstances, it could withstand catastrophic storms and sustain life for six months.
Given the current situation, the likelihood of survival here in an apocalyptic scenario might be greater than fleeing.
The outside world had completely collapsed, and a virus had started spreading in the city, causing people to go insane and commit suicide.
"Where's the boss's program? Why hasn't it activated yet?" one member asked anxiously.
When establishing this safe house, the Ghost Organization's security experts developed a comprehensive firewall and antivirus software based on their earliest experience with the Tang Kede virus.
It could be said that this safe house was one of the most secure places in the Federation's cybersecurity framework.
At this moment, there was a completely sealed small box in the room, containing a set of bionic operating devices.
This device could simulate the operating environment of a brain chip, testing some high-risk software.
Just a moment ago, the people in the safe house sent the small box out to receive the self-destruct virus that was rampantly spreading through Xigu Valley City, and brought it back for analysis.
Now, five minutes had passed, and everyone was sweating.
"No response at all!"
"Nothing on my end either!"
"It seems… we can't read any data at all; we were hacked!"
Every hacker present was a top expert in data. It was unbelievable that so many people sitting together couldn't find anything.
"Could it be that the virus wasn't received?"
"No way! Look at the indicator lights!"
The indicator lights on the testing box were flashing red erratically, as if going insane.
It's important to note that this testing box simulates the discharge signals of neural synapses, meant to mimic the normal operation of the human brain.
With the red lights flashing like this, how could they not detect any abnormal signals? Even Qin Xuezhong's all-powerful antivirus program showed no reaction?
The combat personnel nearby were becoming tense, raising their guns toward the small box, seemingly afraid that something monstrous might spring out of it.
Suddenly, the box began to vibrate.
This was a built-in function of the testing box, meant to simulate human epileptic symptoms, serving as a warning for researchers.
The vibrations were intense.
Since the box was sitting on the edge of the table, a few more shakes and it could fall off.
Someone nearby reached out to catch it, preventing the testing box from hitting the ground.
"Don't move! Everyone, don't move! No matter what happens, don't touch it!" an experienced expert shouted, his eyes fixated on the box.
Despite the increasing vibrations, the box didn't fall.
Instead, through minute adjustments, it slowly moved toward a water cup also sitting on the edge of the table.
The room fell silent, everyone watching as the testing box traced an irregular curve closer to the cup, then began to push the cup slightly.
Everything seemed to be the result of a chaotic vibration, but everyone present felt something was eerie about it.
The box and the cup moved a short distance on the table, and the direction of the vibrations changed again.
Before anyone could react, both items fell.
The cup landed directly on a bare electrical relay below the table, which had not been properly insulated—many connections in the safe house were hastily made, as long as they worked.
The water from the cup splashed onto the exposed electrical connection, and the testing box fell into the water as well.
A spark flew, and a burnt smell filled the air; the testing box finally stopped vibrating—it had been destroyed.
The scene was dead silent.
While no one knew exactly what had happened, it appeared that the testing box, after receiving the external self-destruct virus… had pushed over a cup of water and then… committed suicide?
Even though the testing box was no longer vibrating, the surrounding combat personnel still held their guns steady, aimed at it.
No one spoke; everyone felt a chill running down their backs.
Finally, someone asked, "Old Wang, what's… going on?"
Old Wang was the senior expert who had stopped others from touching the testing box; since he realized something was off, perhaps he knew what was happening?
Old Wang shook his head. "I don't know; I just felt the vibrations were a bit strange. I didn't expect… a box could… commit suicide?"
Everyone fell silent again.
"Alright!" Old Wang's voice grew louder. "Since we can't figure it out, don't panic. The analysis team should continue looking for ways to verify; others, keep improving the network and physical defenses of the safe house…"
His face showed unhidden concern, mixed with a hint of resolute determination. "We need to prepare for the worst; even if we're surrounded by the entire Xigu Valley City, we must hold on as long as possible and leave a way out for the teams in the capital region!"
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, near the main brain core shaft.
Yu Zhezhong was already prepared for battle, but strangely, the elite guards who were supposed to surround them had not approached at all; instead, they formed a loose encirclement on the periphery.
Neither Ouyang Zhao nor the main brain spoke, only controlling a bionic person who slowly walked up to Yu Zhezhong.
Little Yu coldly asked, "What trick are you trying to play?"
"Don't be in such a hurry; the show is just beginning," Ouyang Zhao's voice echoed from all directions, accompanied by a wave of fluctuating lights.
The bionic person silently raised its gun and randomly fired a shot behind it.
After a series of clattering sounds, the bionic person's forehead suddenly exploded, revealing its internal chip and metal structure.
It seemed that the bionic person fired a shot, and through random ricochet, it ended up hitting itself?
"What kind of twisted performance is this?"
"Hmph, you kids wouldn't understand, but my counterpart should get it."
From behind Yu Zhezhong, a shocked voice of the opposite Ouyang Zhao rang out.
"You… you didn't bring that thing out, did you?"
"Exactly, it's my destiny, our destiny, humanity's destiny."
— One could hear that Ouyang Zhao's voice was trying hard to sound elegant, yet excitement and anticipation still leaked through.
This time, even the opposite Ouyang Zhao fell silent, his expression wavering.
"What is it?" Qin Xuezhong asked.
The opposite Ouyang Zhao opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
Instead, it was the main Ouyang Zhao who explained.
"You should know that the main brain was originally a climate regulation array processing system. You also know a famous concept in meteorology—the butterfly effect; a tiny initial change can lead to enormous consequences through a chain reaction…"
"In fact, such phenomena are everywhere in our world."
"There's an old saying: lose a nail, ruin a horseshoe, injure a rider, lose a battle, ultimately leading to the fall of a nation."
"The 'destiny' I created serves such a purpose… For example, if I set the alarm clock of a person about to commit a crime a few seconds ahead, they might 'just happen' to be hit by a car on their way to commit the crime."
"Or, for someone capable of making a greater contribution, from birth, they can enhance themselves through extreme living and learning methods, 'just happening' to encounter all the best opportunities and entering relevant departments to maximize their abilities!"
"A life like that! It won't be wasted!"
"When such arrangements seep into every corner of the world, this planet, our civilization… will operate with precision like a machine. I believe that such a society will make each of us better!"
By the end of her speech, her voice had grown much more passionate and filled with expectation.
Then, she shifted her tone.
"Or, like today's situation, when 'destiny' is threatened, it can use the collective death of everyone to stop you… those who want to resist destiny."
"This is what a perfect world looks like!"
Everyone was stunned by Ouyang Zhao's passionate speech.
If the world really became like that, could anyone still be human? It would be a literal factory of capitalist standards, completely turning everyone into puppets.
Even the conglomerates, skilled at squeezing surplus value, would feel ashamed!
"Bullshit."
Qin Xuezhong spoke through Yu Zhezhong's body, interrupting the triumphant atmosphere.
Before crossing over, she had been worked to death, and encountering so many strange things here only to be brainwashed into becoming a tool?
In an instant, the pain of endless overtime and the thrilling experiences in Xigu Valley City surged to the forefront of her mind.
If becoming a tool was an unavoidable fate for everyone, then her crossing into this world at least suggested one thing: perhaps there really is fate or some great existence that gave her another chance.
If that's the case, how could she just sit back and wait?
"I get it; you're just a big corporation, wanting to turn everyone into tools? Is it necessary to put on such a grand facade?" Little Qin said.
The main Ouyang Zhao chuckled, "You see, that's the problem with humanity. Always thinking about capital, exploitation, freedom, and desire. No, this is a greater vision, an opportunity to eliminate all human flaws, just like I separated those opposite elements. This is the new evolution… path…"
At this point, the main Ouyang Zhao suddenly paused.
"Oh… I wondered why you were so leisurely chatting with me; turns out you're stalling for time, trying to find a way to crack my self-destruct virus, huh?"
The main Ouyang Zhao spoke with an incredibly relaxed tone, showing no hint of panic, almost seeming to enjoy the conversation.
"When you dealt with Tang Kede before, I noticed you were a little girl afraid of long nights and dreams. You didn't even give little Tang a chance to speak; that was a bit cruel. But well, I've managed little Tang for so many years; he really has gone a bit insane…"
"Let me guess, you found no discoveries, couldn't find any way to stop my virus, right?"
In the black space, everyone reacted in unison:
"Can't find any code! No traces!"
"It seems we were unknowingly… hacked!"
"Boss's intrusion at least had some data, but this guy… how could there be nothing?"
Everyone started to panic.
As if to accentuate the mood, the main Ouyang Zhao laughed heartily, "Don't worry, my 'destiny' is neither a program nor a neural signal; it's the thread of fate in my hands, the underlying logic of all particles interacting in this world. How could it possibly be discovered by you?"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt confused.
What does it mean to grasp the underlying logic of the world? If someone can manipulate the underlying logic of the world, how is that different from being a god?
Even the opposite Ouyang Zhao shook his head, "I… don't know what's going on. 'Destiny' was originally just a climate control model; I didn't expect it to evolve to this level…"
"I'll inject the virus into my chip and look directly." Qin Xuezhong said.
"No way!"
"Too dangerous!"
"If you fail, we all fail!"
"Boss! Think of another way!"
Everyone voiced their objections.
"Don't worry, it should be fine. Just focus on defense," Qin Xuezhong made a direct decision without further arguing.
Not only because her consciousness space was different from everyone else's, but she also had a faint feeling that this thing might be related to her crossing over.
She entered the main brain's signal transmitter, directly receiving the signal being broadcast by the main brain.
Her eyes, like those affected, turned red immediately.
But the next second, it felt like her consciousness absorbed something, instantly pulling her awareness into the long dormant, silent light sphere of the original owner.