Chapter 84

The intelligence Lei Hao provided was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples through the alliance. Under Miao Weizhen's command, an invisible net was quietly spread.

Luo Yan's special forces team split up into smaller groups, disguising themselves as repairmen, vendors, and even vagrants, infiltrating the coordinate area provided by Lei Hao. Equipped with Xinglan's specially crafted consciousness wave detectors, they shuttled between civilian network nodes, searching for any trace of the "Heart Abyss."

"An unusual signal has been detected in the third zone." Ye Lan's voice came over the encrypted channel. She was disguised as a cleaner, working in a large communications hub. "The signal characteristics closely match Lei Hao's description, but the source is difficult to pinpoint; it seems to be constantly jumping."

Meanwhile, Xinglan and Anthony's labs were brightly lit. Based on the technical details provided by Lei Hao, they were working tirelessly to develop countermeasures.

"The key is identifying its unique frequency signature." Anthony pointed at the complex data stream on the holographic screen. "If we can build a dynamic recognition model, we can immediately detect and block Heart Abyss the moment it activates."

Xinglan hovered in front of the control console, her silver hair swaying slightly as she pondered. "But simply blocking it isn't enough. We need a 'vaccine' that can eliminate this interference in consciousness at the earliest stages of infection."

Wen Ling was undergoing more intense resonance training. As his connection to the core of the stability field deepened, he could more clearly perceive subtle changes in the ocean of consciousness. Sometimes, he would catch a faint, malicious fluctuation, but each time it was fleeting and difficult to track.

"They're testing the waters," Wen Ling told Miao Weizhen after a training session, beads of sweat still on her forehead. "Just like sharks, before they hunt, they gently touch their prey with their tail fins."

Miao Weizhen handed him a glass of warm water, his eyes stern: "Then let them hit a snag."

He ordered increased monitoring of the alliance's internal network, as well as stricter identity verification and consciousness stability testing for all citizens accessing the consciousness network. These measures caused some inconvenience and complaints, but with Wen Ling's personal explanation and Miao Weizhen's firm approach, they were successfully implemented.

A few days later, a turning point appeared.

While tracking an abnormal signal, the Yelan team accidentally discovered that the signal eventually pointed to an unexpected place -

A "Historical and Cultural Museum" established by the former Federation that has been taken over by the Union.

"The museum's underground database contains a vast amount of communication records and historical archives from the Federation era," Ye Lan reported, his tone tinged with confusion. "The signal disappeared here, as if something had swallowed it."

This discovery aroused Miao Weizhen's vigilance, and he personally led a team to the museum.

The museum's underground database was vast and cold, with rows of servers flickering with dim lights. Deep within the database, they discovered an independent server cluster cleverly disguised as a data archiving system.

"It's a very clever disguise," Xinglan said after the inspection. "If you weren't specifically tracking the signal, you wouldn't have noticed the anomaly."

When Luo Yan's technicians tried to crack the system, they triggered a self-destruct sequence, but they were able to salvage a small amount of data before the system completely collapsed.

Data shows that this secret server has been quietly collecting and analyzing data generated by the alliance's citizens in the consciousness network, including emotional fluctuations, focus, and even subconscious tendencies.

"They're selecting the best targets and the most effective incitement for Heart Abyss," Anthony said, analyzing the data with a grim expression. "They're even more precise and terrifying than we imagined."

Even more disturbing is that the data suggests that there may be more than one such secret server.

"We're like fighting an invisible enemy in the dark." Wen Ling felt a chill as he looked at the analysis reports. "He knows our every move, while we know almost nothing about him."

Miao Weizhen stood in the shadow of the museum, his sharp eyes scanning the servers that had stopped working.

"Then make darkness our home turf," he said coldly. "Luo Yan, expand the search area to all remaining public facilities in the Federation. Don't leave any untouched. Xing Lan, expedite the development of the 'vaccine'."

He turned to look at Wen Ling, his voice low but firm: "In the face of absolute power, any conspiracy or trickery is futile. We will win."

The Alliance's operation to eliminate the "Heart Abyss" node proceeded as planned. Under the cover of darkness, Luo Yan's special forces infiltrated the target area like ghosts. The operation initially went smoothly, quickly eliminating three secondary nodes without encountering any significant resistance.

"It went really smoothly," Luo Yan reported in the encrypted channel, his voice wary. "It's like they deliberately let us succeed."

The moment he finished speaking——

The abandoned space station where the last major node was located suddenly burst into a dazzling light, and a huge holographic projection covered the entire airspace. The figure that appeared in the projection was Miao Weizhen.

But that "Miao Weizhen" was standing next to Federal President Qu Beichen, and the two seemed to be having a secret conversation.

"The evidence is irrefutable," Miao Weizhen's voice echoed through the loudspeaker system, "My cooperation with the president is to find a real way out for Sailiang. Wen Ling is just an empty talker who doesn't understand reality. He can't lead us into the future."

Forged communication records, tampered contract documents, and even a so-called "cooperation agreement" signed by "Miao Weizhen" himself, a large amount of carefully forged evidence was thrown onto the public network at the same time.

At this moment, the "Mirror Flower Project" showed its fangs. This was not a direct military strike, but a public opinion decapitation operation targeting the core of the alliance.

Almost simultaneously, the alliance's internal communications network came under massive attack. A pre-installed virus began to spread, attempting to paralyze the command system. Even more terrifying, a strange mental wave spread from the space station.

It was the attack of "Xinyuan".

"Immediately disconnect from the public network and activate the awareness protection program!"

Miao Weizhen gave a decisive order at the command center. His face was cold, but his eyes remained steady.

Wen Ling immediately connected to the consciousness network: "All alliance members remain calm, this is the enemy's conspiracy!" His consciousness power was like warm sunshine, trying to dispel the negative impact brought by "Heart Abyss".

But the attack came too quickly and fiercely. Although Xinglan's protective program activated promptly, blocking most of the "Heart Abyss" attacks, many people were still affected. Suspicion, fear, and anxiety spread across the internet.

"See, I told you long ago that Miao Weizhen can't be trusted!"

"That evidence doesn't look fake..."

"Who should we trust?"

Chaos began to grow.

Although Han Zhong's fleet quickly seized control of the airspace, the fake holographic projection had already spread throughout the alliance via the internet. The station's self-destruct sequence was activated, and all its equipment was reduced to space dust, leaving no evidence.

The atmosphere in the command center was solemn.

"A very clever calculation," Anthony said, analyzing the data. "They chose this moment to launch the attack, just when we were clearing the node and our defenses were slightly lowered."

Xing Lan quickly repaired the attacked network: "The counterfeiting technology is very advanced, almost indistinguishable from the real thing. It's difficult for ordinary people to distinguish."

Luo Yan's special forces team found nothing in the wreckage of the space station: "All evidence was destroyed, very clean."

After Wen Ling finished protecting his consciousness, his face turned slightly pale. "The influence of 'Heart Abyss' is stronger than we expected. Although the protection program worked, many people were still affected."

Everyone's eyes turned to Miao Weizhen. This minister, who always presented a cold and stern image, was now unusually calm.

"This is Qu Beichen's real killer move." Miao Weizhen's voice was as cold as ice. "He knows it's difficult to win militarily, so he's going to disintegrate us from within."

He turned to Wen Ling and said, "The most important thing now is to stabilize people's hearts. You need to make a speech to the entire alliance immediately."

Wen Ling nodded: "I know what to do."

While the alliance was busy dealing with this public opinion crisis, in the distant deep space, Qu Beichen was watching the chaos within the alliance on the surveillance screen with satisfaction.

"Let the bullets fly for a while," he said to his adjutant. "When the seeds of doubt take root and sprout, that will be our harvest."

The "Mirror Flower Project" had just begun, and the war against the foundation of trust in the alliance had quietly escalated. Miao Weizhen and Wen Ling were about to face the most severe crisis of trust since they came to power.