Nana suddenly turned around and faced the door.
"The external signal is 300 meters away and is approaching." Her voice was flat, but her speech was half a beat faster than usual.
Just as Chen Hao was about to stand up, she said again, "Don't move. Any electromagnetic reaction could reveal your location now."
The lights in the room suddenly went out. It wasn't a circuit breaker tripping; the main power supply had been cut off. Moonlight streamed in through the curtains, casting a long, thin gray shadow on the floor.
Susan instinctively shrank back. Carl stared at the laptop screen; the data stream had stopped refreshing.
“They cut off the power grid and blocked the radio frequency bands,” he said. “This is not your average hacker.”
Nana stood still, her eyes slightly gleaming, as if she were activating some kind of background program. A few seconds later, she whispered, "Backup power activated, network nodes switched to underground tunnels. All core data is now offline."
Chen Hao lowered his voice: "What about us?"
“Evacuate,” she said. “Go to the basement. There’s an anti-interference shield there that can block most of the probe waves.”
No one hesitated. Susan grabbed the hard drive on the table, Carl closed the computer, and Chen Hao casually picked up the toolbox in the corner—it contained an old-fashioned walkie-talkie, not connected to the internet, relying solely on radio waves for sound transmission; he had found it at a flea market last year.
The four of them walked along the wall to the stairwell. Nana was at the back, and paused as she passed the refrigerator.
"What?" Chen Hao turned around.
“That server was still running,” she said. “They know it’s there, but shutting it down now would trigger an alarm.”
"Then let it ring." Chen Hao grinned. "It'll be good as bait."
As soon as the basement door closed, the air immediately became stuffy. This was originally the house's old storage room, which they later converted into a temporary workspace. Several portable battery panels hung on the wall, and a pile of sensor parts were stacked in the corner.
Nana stood against the wall, her eyes sparkling again.
“I’m reviewing counter-surveillance cases in my database,” she said. “Over the past decade, there have been seventeen similar incidents globally, all with highly similar methods. The targets were all unpublished cutting-edge research, and the attackers used the same quantum proxy chain and low-frequency scanning waves.”
"Have you found out who it is?" Karl leaned closer.
“The best match is a multinational research group,” she said. “Code name 'Novian.' They are good at acquiring patents through capital operations, but for technologies that cannot be licensed… they will choose to eliminate the source directly.”
Susan gasped. "You mean, they'll kill people?"
“There is no evidence at the moment,” Nana said, “but they had three research teams ‘voluntarily retract their papers,’ after which the core members of those teams all disappeared.”
The room was quiet for a few seconds.
Chen Hao scratched his head: "So we're being targeted by a scientific mafia now?"
"To be precise, it was treated as a risky asset awaiting disposal," Nana said.
"Damn." Chen Hao plopped down. "I thought at most it would just be someone copying my paper."
“The situation has changed now,” Nana continued. “They won’t just wait for us to release it; they’ll act in advance and erase the data source before everything is made public.”
Carl frowned: "But we've already divided the keys, so they can't get them all at once."
“But they can arrest people,” Susan said softly.
No one responded to those words.
After a while, Chen Hao looked up: "So what's your idea? We can't just keep hiding here."
Nana nodded: "I have a plan."
"explain."
"They want the data, so we give it to them."
"ah?"
“Give them a fake one,” she said. “I’ll create a complete fake data packet, containing a seemingly reasonable but logically flawed model, forged observation records, and even a piece of synthesized audio simulating planetary signals. As soon as they start parsing it, it will trigger a reverse tracing program buried in the file.”
Carl's eyes lit up: "You can locate them?"
“Not only that,” she said, “it can also make them think they have successfully downloaded real data, thereby exposing the location of the backend server.”
Chen Hao laughed: "Isn't this just fishing?"
"To be more precise, let them fish for themselves."
Susan asked, "Then what about the real key?"
"Don't move," Nana said. "The real data is still stored separately. The copy in my chip will only unlock when my heartbeat, body temperature, and brainwaves all meet preset values. Forcing a read will cause self-destruction."
"You're not a robot," Chen Hao shook his head. "You're a human safe."
"Functional requirements determine the design direction," she said.
Carl rubbed his hands together: "Then I'll take charge of monitoring and feedback. Once they're infected, I need to get their IP cluster information immediately."
“I can compile a chain of evidence,” Susan said. “If they dare to publicly misappropriate our work, we will report them.”
Chen Hao stood up: "Okay, let's do it this way. You guys prepare the fake data, I'll keep watch."
How should I put it?
“I’ll post something online,” he laughed. “Just say that we’ll upload all our research results to the public platform at 10:00 AM tomorrow. Make sure the time and location are clearly stated, the more specific the better.”
Nana glanced at him: "You'll be targeted immediately."
“That’s exactly what we want them to do,” Chen Hao shrugged. “Let them rush to grab it, and they end up grabbing a fake.”
The plan has begun.
Nana closed her eyes and accessed the system, her fingers gliding lightly in the air as if operating an unseen interface. Her speech quickened, and instructions were rapidly generated. The structure of the fake data packet gradually took shape: a three-layered encrypted shell, with five misleading branches nested within, each containing an expiration lock and an authentication trap.
Carl set up an old-fashioned receiver, connected it to the offline network, and prepared to capture any signals attempting to connect. Susan opened her laptop and began creating a graphic "Research Leak Warning Statement," ready to be released at any time.
Chen Hao then took out the walkie-talkie and pressed the call button: "Hey, Lao Li, are you on duty at the Geological Bureau? Help me check something..."
Twenty minutes later, the fake data packet was generated.
Nana stored it in a discarded laptop, whose wireless module had long been removed, so it could only transmit data via the physical interface. She put the laptop in a metal box and then handed it to Chen Hao.
"The device will automatically power on at 9:45 and turn on the hotspot," she said. "The fake data will start transmitting at 10:05 and continue for twelve minutes."
“Perfect.” Chen Hao took the box. “I’ll put it on the rooftop. The signal is weak there, making it easy to attract scanners.”
“I’ll go,” Susan suddenly said. “I can buy something to eat on the way, it’ll seem more natural.”
Nana nodded: "Okay. But don't take the same route, and avoid areas with a high density of cameras."
Susan picked up her bag and left.
The remaining three guarded the basement.
Time passed second by second.
At 9:43, Nana opened her eyes: "The signal source is 150 meters away and has begun to release probe waves."
At 9:50, the computer on the rooftop successfully booted up, and its hotspot lit up.
At 9:58, the other party connected.
"It's here." Carl stared at the screen. "They're downloading!"
The data stream was jumping wildly and at an extremely high speed, clearly indicating that an automated program was operating.
"Has the trap been triggered?" Chen Hao asked.
"Not yet... wait!" Karl sat bolt upright. "The virus has activated! It's transmitting information!"
A series of addresses popped up on the screen: three overseas server locations, situated in Singapore, Hamburg, and Honolulu. Then, two facial photos appeared, along with names and job titles—both belonging to the technical directors of the Novian Group.
"Holy crap!" Chen Hao slammed his fist on the table. "It really is them!"
“The chain of evidence is complete,” Susan said softly. “It’s enough to expose them.”
Just then, Nana suddenly raised her hand.
“No,” she said. “The intensity of the attack is increasing.”
"What's the meaning?"
"They are remotely launching an electromagnetic pulse, targeting my main control chip."
"Can it hold up?"
“I’ve switched to quantum shielding mode.” She paused for a moment, “but if they keep applying pressure, the system could overload.”
Before he could finish speaking, the basement light flickered.
“They made their move,” Carl said.
Nana closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes: "The protective agreement is in effect. At the same time, I have packaged all the evidence and anonymously sent it to the International Commission on Scientific Integrity, the Global Academic Alliance, and five mainstream science media outlets."
"Well done!" Chen Hao punched his palm.
A low hum suddenly came from outside, like some kind of equipment operating under overload.
“They’re retreating,” Nana said. “The last signal came from the central Pacific, and it’s been cut off now.”
The room fell silent.
After a few seconds, Chen Hao let out a long breath: "Did we win?"
"Threat eliminated," Nana said softly. "The system has returned to silent mode."
Susan slid slowly down to the floor, leaning against the wall, and smiled. Carl took off his glasses and rubbed his nose.
Chen Hao looked at Nana: "You almost got burned just now."
"The risks are within a controllable range."
"Don't try to carry this alone next time," he said. "We're a team."
Nana didn't speak, she just nodded.
Just then, the sound of a key turning in a door came from upstairs.
Susan is back.
She walked into the basement carrying a plastic bag, a smile on her face: "The supermarket was having a sale, so I bought instant noodles."
Chen Hao took the bag, took out a box of braised beef flavored food, and tore open the packaging.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “At the press conference, the first question I’ll definitely ask is: How did you detect this signal?”
Carl laughed: "Just say you had a flash of inspiration while eating instant noodles."
"No way," Chen Hao shook his head. "It's too fake."
Nana looked at them and suddenly said, "You could say it was calculated by a robot."
The three of them were stunned.
A slight smile played on her lips: "After all, that's the truth."
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