Chapter 103 Echoes from the Abyss
——＜An Indistinguishable Dividing Line＞
The in-depth investigation into the "Higanbana" Research Center and Su Chen is like peeling an onion; the deeper you go, the more pungent and irritating it becomes.
Su Yan worked almost non-stop, leading his team through a vast amount of data that had been deliberately erased. The resources provided by Huo Shen were top-notch, but the opponent was also extremely cunning, leaving behind only fragmented clues, like fireflies in the dark night, fleeting.
The pressure was so great that a dark blue appeared under Su Yan's eyes. He became thinner, but his eyes became sharper, like a sharpened cold blade.
Huo Shen temporarily paused his external purge and focused more of his energy on Su Yan's breakthrough. He no longer merely observed from afar; sometimes he would sit in his study, holding real-time online discussions with Su Yan and the technical team. His presence was immense, and often a single glance or a brief question could get to the point and break the impasse.
Their conversations were still primarily about work, but the invisible bond born from sharing a huge secret and a common goal grew stronger and stronger. Occasionally, during a break in their discussions, Huo Shen would subconsciously push the warm coffee in front of Su Yan, or, when he massaged his solar plexus due to prolonged concentration, he would frown and order Chen Mo to fetch some soothing fragrance.
These subtle movements are awkward yet natural, as if they have become habits.
Late that night, a key breakthrough was finally found.
By tracking an unusual cash flow in the early days of "Higanbana," Su Yan traced the source to a multi-layered, private storage space on an overseas server. The cracking process was extremely dangerous, as the other party had set up logic bombs and reverse tracking programs.
"Mr. Huo, a decision is needed." Su Yan's voice came through the internal communication, with a hint of tension. "Brutal cracking has a 70% chance of triggering the data destruction program, but it may obtain core evidence. Indirect infiltration has a higher success rate, but it takes time, and the other party may transfer data during this period."
Huo Shen was in the study. He walked behind Su Yan and looked at the red warning sign on the screen that kept flashing, indicating danger, with cold eyes.
"Break it by force." He said without hesitation, "I will bear all the consequences. Activate the highest level firewall to block any reverse tracking."
The order was given, and the technical team immediately executed it. The atmosphere in the study was so heavy it could drip water, with only the sounds of keyboard tapping and instructions being transmitted.
Su Yan was concentrating on his computer, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Huo Shen stood beside him, one hand on the edge of the table, his body leaning slightly forward, forming a semi-encircling, oppressive yet protective posture. His eyes were fixed on the screen, his breathing almost synchronized with Su Yan's.
"Countdown, 3, 2, 1... Cracking successful! Data stream is downloading!"
The technician's suppressed excited voice came from the communication channel.
Almost at the same time, the firewall issued a shrill alarm!
"Warning! High-intensity reverse data penetration detected! The source... the source cannot be completely locked down, but some characteristics point to... Mr. Su Chen's private network environment!"
He had indeed been watching! He might even have set a trap long ago!
Su Yan's heart trembled, and his hands moved faster, trying to cut off the connection and preserve the downloaded data before the other party could completely track him down.
At this moment, his personal mobile phone (the one being monitored by Huo Shen) suddenly rang sharply, and the name that popped up on the screen was - Su Chen.
He actually attacked directly at this critical moment!
Su Yan paused and subconsciously looked at Huo Shen.
Huo Shen's face instantly darkened, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. He glanced at his vibrating phone, then at the reverse tracking signal still struggling on the screen, his lips curled up in a cold, cruel arc.
"Answer it," he ordered, his voice as low as ice. "Put it on speakerphone."
Su Yan took a deep breath, pressed the answer button, and turned on the speakerphone.
"Xiaoyan." Su Chen's voice came from the receiver, still with that deliberately created, brotherly gentleness, but if you listen carefully, you can taste a subtle hint of anxiety and coldness. "It's so late, and you haven't rested yet? Brother is very worried about you."
Su Yan calmed down and said calmly, "What's the matter?"
Su Chen chuckled softly on the other end, but the laughter was dull. "Nothing, I just heard that you've been... very close to Mr. Huo recently, and you've been helping him deal with some... very complicated technical issues. I'm worried about you. Huo Shen is a very cunning person. You're innocent, don't let him take advantage of you. You might end up dying without knowing how."
The "concern" in his words was like poison coated in sugar.
Huo Shen stood aside, his eyes cold, and silently made a gesture to continue.
Su Yan understood and followed Su Chen's words with just the right amount of hesitation and uneasiness: "Brother... I, I just want to survive. Mr. Huo... he is really scary. There are some things I don't know whether I should look at, and whether it will be dangerous if I look at them..."
He deliberately showed weakness to lure Su Chen into saying more.
Su Chen really took the bait, and his tone became even more earnest: "Listen to brother, there are some muddy waters that you can't wade into. Especially those messy things between Huo Shen and his dead ex-lover. They are too deeply involved. The more you know, the faster you will die. Give me the things you shouldn't see, and I will help you deal with them and make sure you leave him safely..."
"Something I shouldn't see?" Su Yan pressed on, his heart beating faster. "Brother, are you talking about... 'Initial Sequence'? What exactly is that? Why does Mr. Huo care so much about it? Is Xiao's death...?"
"Shut up!" Su Chen's voice suddenly became sharp, interrupting Su Yan. The mask of gentleness he pretended to have shattered instantly, revealing his ferocious true face underneath. "That's not what you should be asking! Hand over the things! Otherwise, don't blame me for not remembering our friendship!"
His threat was naked and urgent.
At this moment, the technical team received a message: "Mr. Huo, the reverse tracking signal has been forcibly cut off. The other party is very vigilant. But we have successfully intercepted some data packets and are currently analyzing them! The downloaded core data has a preservation rate of 85%!"
Huo Shen's eyes flashed coldly, and he no longer needed Su Yan's words. He leaned over and approached the phone. His voice was like a voice from the Netherworld, piercing the airwaves with an icy chill:
"Su Chen."
Just two words, carrying endless murderous intent and pressure.
There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone. Only Su Chen's suddenly heavy breathing could be heard, filled with horror and disbelief.
"It seems," Huo Shen's voice was low, but every word was heart-piercing, "you know very well about my 'bad deeds with my old lover'. Very good. We can settle the old and new accounts together."
He didn't wait for Su Chen's response and directly signaled Su Yan to hang up the phone.
The study fell silent again, with only the busy tone of the phone just hung up buzzing in my ears.
Su Yan put down his phone, feeling his back soaked with sweat. The conversation with Su Chen just now was like walking on the edge of an abyss.
Huo Shen stood up and looked at Su Yan's pale face, his eyes falling on his slightly trembling fingers. He stretched out his hand, not to touch, but to firmly grasp Su Yan's shoulder, with great strength and an unquestionable firmness.
"Well done," he said in a deep voice. This time, besides recognition, there seemed to be something else in his voice, a kind of... comfort? "He's anxious, which means we're on the right track."
The warmth from his palm came through the thin fabric, miraculously dispelling some of the chillness in Su Yan's bones.
"The analyzed data," Huo Shen retracted his hand, his eyes becoming sharp and focused again, "I want to see it first."
The crisis was temporarily resolved, but a bigger storm had obviously been completely triggered by this phone call.
Su Chen no longer hides, and Huo Shen no longer tolerates it.
As for Su Yan, the bond between him and Huo Shen, woven with secrets, dangers, and complex emotions, seemed to have become even stronger and more... difficult to separate after experiencing this echo from the abyss.
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