Chen Hao stared at the drainage pump icon flashing on the main control screen, his finger still hovering over the Enter key.

"This thing just turned on by itself," he said.

Nana didn't look up; her optical glasses scanned the neural interface log. "Blink triggered, 80% match."

"It starts working the moment I blink?"

"The system recognizes instructions, not motives."

He rubbed his forehead; the red mark from the sensor was still a little hot. "So, if I yawn, will I be able to blow up the wall?"

"The probability is low, but I suggest you don't try it."

Chen Hao snorted and pushed the notepad aside. The pen was still lying on the paper, the ink not yet dry.

“We need to change our approach,” he said. “Relying on our brains is too dangerous, and relying on our hands is too slow.”

"so?"

“Connect all the defenses together.” He pointed to three areas on the screen. “Sonic net, electric fence, vegetation strip, all at once.”

“Multi-dimensional barriers.” Nana pulled up the system architecture diagram. “Theoretically feasible.”

“Then let’s skip the theory.” He sat up straight. “Let’s get started now.”

---

The first command was issued manually.

Chen Hao typed in a string of code, and the frequency protection network began to warm up. Green light rippled outwards from the perimeter of the base, like waves on water.

The second command used brainwaves.

He closed his eyes and thought "start," and the high-voltage current of the mechanical fence was instantly applied. Tiny sparks flew from the metal posts, and the air smelled of burning iron.

The third step is a mixed operation.

As he switched the spray concentration of the bio-inhibition zone on the keyboard, he silently chanted "cover the entire area" in his mind. As soon as the scent of vanilla fumigation wafted out, the modified thorns in the vegetation zone began to grow wildly, the vines twining and weaving into a thick wall.

What is the synchronization error?

"A 0.6-second delay in sound waves caused a 3% fluctuation in fence voltage and an 11% decrease in vegetation coverage."

"Because of the wind."

"yes."

Can it be repaired?

“It can be calibrated.” She brought up the timing controller and said, “Use the damping algorithm to flatten the response curve.”

"Then let's do it."

Nana inputs the parameters, and the three systems are crammed into the same timeline. Millisecond-level adjustments rearrange the startup order: first electrical, then acoustic, then biochemical.

"Has the test signal been sent?"

"It's been sent."

"Simulated attack?"

“No,” she said. “It’s real.”

On the screen, four sets of red dots are approaching.

"Thunderbirds are in the sky, wild boars are on the ground, vines are burrowing into the ground, and a bunch of little things are crawling close to the ground."

"They're all here?"

"It's like it was attracted by a test signal."

“That’s perfect.” Chen Hao put on the sensors. “Let them see the new system.”

---

The alarm went off.

The first wave is the Thunderbirds.

A dozen or so dark shadows swooped down from the clouds, their wings flapping with explosive force. The sonic net immediately retaliated, high-frequency vibrations creating visible ripples in the air. One Thunderbird was thrown off balance, its wing snapping as it crashed into the muddy buffer zone, flapping twice before going still.

The second wave consisted of wild boars.

Seven or eight two-meter-long creatures crashed into the fence, one of their fangs breaking off. An electric current surged through them, and they convulsed and retreated, but didn't go far, just circling outside, rubbing their noses against the ground.

The third wave is the most troublesome.

The vines underground snaked upwards, their tips sticky, and began to corrode the metal at the base of the fence. The plant suppression zone emitted a pale yellow mist, but a gust of wind blew half of it off course.

The fourth wave is the most annoying.

A group of creatures, about the size of mice, slithered along the ground at high speed, spreading out in a zigzag pattern. Several had already reached the seams of the fence and were trying to squeeze through.

“A cluster of rodents has damaged the insulation layer,” Nana reported the data. “The voltage in the right section of zone d has dropped by 40%.”

"Increase the electric shocks."

“No,” she said. “Increasing the voltage further will burn out the relay.”

"Then switch to manual mode."

Chen Hao reached for the control panel, and suddenly his head buzzed.

Sound wave resonance.

His vision went black, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees. His ears were filled with shrill screams, like someone was drilling into his temples.

"Chen Hao".

Nana's voice came through the water.

He tried to look up, but his neck was stiff.

The next second, my body felt lighter.

The anti-gravity device activated, and he slowly floated up, two meters off the ground, suspended above the monitoring platform. His field of vision suddenly opened up, and all the screens were lined up in front of him.

Are you alright?

My head is about to split open.

"The frequency of sound waves resonates with your brainwaves."

"Turn off that damn internet!"

“We can’t turn it off,” she said. “Thunderbirds are breaking through the second layer.”

He gritted his teeth and clung to the edge of the hovering device. Cold sweat dripped down his chin and landed on a corner of the control panel.

"Change strategy," he said, panting. "Prioritize the air."

"Dynamic weights have been switched."

On the screen, the resource allocation bar resumed its flow. The sound wave power was maximized, the mechanical fence was reduced to pulsed discharge, and the vegetation belt was switched to targeted spraying of high-concentration pesticides.

The flock of thunderbirds was pushed down, and three of them fell to the ground.

The wild boar was still circling, but dared not charge again.

The vines' mouthparts were covered by the medicinal mist, slowing their growth by half.

The little creatures suffered the most. The fence was changed to intermittent high voltage, with a 0.3-second warning flash before each discharge. They reacted quickly, but their escape routes were blocked by the sheep.

Who herded the sheep here?

“Me,” Nana said, “their movement creates low-frequency noise that interferes with the rodents’ positioning.”

"You're quite good at calculating."

"I just didn't want you to fall to your death."

---

The final wave of attacks was delayed until 2:17 AM.

A massive, mutated vine burst forth from the ground, its main stem as thick as a tree, its tip adorned with a flower whose petals were serrated, fleshy slices. It crashed into the wall of Zone E, the impact causing the entire base to tremble.

"Structural damage?"

"The load-bearing columns of the exterior wall are slightly deformed, but not cracked."

"Can it still hold on?"

"able."

Chen Hao looked at the screen and tapped the keyboard twice with his fingers.

"Reduced load operation".

This was the first time he had issued a complete command using his brainwaves, without any distractions or blinking.

Upon receiving the signal, the system immediately switched to energy-saving mode. The acoustic net retracted to the core area, the fence voltage dropped to a maintenance value, the plant strip stopped spraying, and instead relied on root secretions for self-defense.

The red dot started to move backward.

The thunderbirds flew away, the wild boars burrowed into the woods, the vines retreated underground, and the little creatures scattered in all directions.

"They've left?"

"Threat eliminated."

"Not even once was it breached?"

"Breakthrough".

He leaned back in his chair, removed the sensor from his forehead, and tossed it onto the table. The red mark was still there, and it was a little swollen.

“Alright,” he said. “This thing works.”

Nana pulled up the post-war log.

"The instantaneous energy load exceeded the limit twice, at 4 minutes and 18 seconds and 7 minutes and 3 seconds."

"Because we're dealing with four directions at the same time?"

"yes."

"Will it explode next time?"

“No,” she said, “but a more stable power supply dispatch is needed.”

"Wait for the next upgrade."

"The next step is the intelligent hub."

"Let it wake up sooner."

"The premise is that there is enough data."

Is this enough?

“That’s enough.” She began uploading the attack and defense logs, “marking seven optimization nodes.”

Chen Hao didn't speak, but looked down at his hands. His fingertips were trembling slightly, a lingering effect from the resonance earlier.

"You're tired."

"good."

"Do you want to rest?"

“Wait a minute,” he said, pointing to the screen, “watch the replay one more time.”

Nana nodded and brought up the first-person perspective recording.

Thunderbirds swooped down, their sonic waves bounced off, wild boars crashed into walls, vines snapped, and the little creature was jolted into jumping.

The video suddenly froze at 7 minutes and 5 seconds.

"What's wrong?"

“The data is abnormal,” she said. “This record is encrypted.”

Who encrypted it?

"Automatic system operation".

"Why?"

"The protection protocol has been triggered."

"What agreement?"

She paused for a moment.

"You shouldn't have seen this part."

"What's the meaning?"

"This content..."

Her optical glasses flickered slightly.

The lights in the control room suddenly dimmed for half a second.

Then restore.

Chen Hao's hand was still on the screen.