Chapter 155 Interference
"In other words, it's an interface," Lu Zhao added. "An interface that connects the virus experiment equipment to some unknown control system."
Su Wanqing nodded. She walked to the pendant and carefully examined its structure.
The pendant is made entirely of a silvery-white metal, and the surface is engraved with dense lines. Those lines look like some kind of ancient runes, or some kind of complicated circuit diagram.
"The design of this pendant... is very complicated." Su Wanqing said.
"It not only takes into account the transmission and reception of signals, but also data processing and energy transmission. If it is only used to control the virus, such a design seems a bit too sophisticated. Could it be... that it has other uses?"
“Captain Su, are you saying that this pendant might be a multi-purpose research tool designed by the experimental team?” Lin Che asked.
"It's possible." Su Wanqing said. "This laboratory is full of mysteries. We can't just look at the surface. We must dig deeper to find the real answer."
“Lin Che, continue to strengthen the suppression of the pendant signal.” Su Wanqing turned to Lin Che and ordered.
"Make sure the abnormal fluctuations of the infected body are always within our control. If the signal is leaked, the consequences will be disastrous."
“Got it,” Lin Che responded, tapping rapidly on the control panel.
He adjusted the signal frequency of the pendant, trying to shorten the signal range as much as possible.
"However, Captain Su..." Xiao Ran suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the laboratory.
"I think things may not be that simple." Su Wanqing turned her head and looked at Xiao Ran.
“The function of the pendant may be much more complicated than we currently understand.”
Xiao Ran said, "It can not only control the virus, but may also have some function of accelerating its spread. If this is true, what we are doing now is to help the virus open a new door."
Su Wanqing's heart tightened. Xiao Ran's worry was not without reason.
If the pendant really has some kind of function to accelerate the spread, then what they are doing now is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.
"I will consider it carefully." Su Wanqing said. "However, we still have too little information to draw conclusions easily."
"Captain Su, I have sorted out all the current experimental data and prepared to connect it to a new program to verify our previous hypothesis."
Lu Zhao said. "This program can simulate the signal of the pendant and analyze its impact on the virus."
"Then connect it." Su Wanqing said. "But please be careful and be prepared for any emergency."
"Understood." Lu Zhao replied.
"Also, let me inform you that before we leave here, we need to conduct one final test on the functionality of the pendant."
Su Wanqing said. She knew that time was running out. The rebels could find this place at any time, and they had to find out the truth as soon as possible to find a chance to escape.
She took a deep breath, walked up to the girl, and asked softly, "Child, do you remember more? About this pendant, about this laboratory, about those...people who used to work here."
The girl remained silent, just holding the pendant tightly, as if using it to resist some unknown fear.
The atmosphere in the laboratory became extremely tense. Everyone was waiting quietly for the truth to be revealed.
Suddenly, the lights in the laboratory flickered and a sound of electricity was heard.
Lin Che's face changed, and he immediately controlled his supernatural power, forming a blue water wall that surrounded everyone.
“Captain Su, we’ve detected someone approaching from outside!” Lin Che’s voice was filled with a hint of anxiety.
Su Wanqing frowned, her eyes fell on the girl.
The girl suddenly raised her head, staring blankly ahead, muttering to herself, "They... are coming."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The lights in the laboratory flickered, and Lin Che was staring at the data on the instrument, his fingertips moving faster than usual.
"The pendant signal frequency adjustment has taken effect, and the data feedback is abnormal." He frowned and whispered.
Su Wanqing didn't say anything, but just waved her hand to alert everyone. Lin Che operated the pendant, increasing the frequency little by little, and suddenly a red warning popped up on the panel - a current short circuit in a certain circuit of the laboratory monitoring equipment, and the alarm sounded.
Lu Zhao stood next to the control seat and looked up at the instrument as usual, only to find that the surveillance screen suddenly turned white.
"Lin Che, the equipment is short-circuited, and all the power items have tripped." Lu Zhao said as he manually cut off some connections, sweat dripping from his forehead.
Lin Che didn't look back. "The signal adjustment is at a critical moment. We can't stop now. We can only hold on."
The metal shell of the pendant vibrated slightly, and a buzzing sound came from the table.
He quickened the tempo and switched the signal parameters.
The girl with a childish voice next to the laboratory table suddenly squatted down, covered her head tightly with her hands, and shouted intermittently: "It hurts - stop, stop..." Her voice was short and sharp.
She clenched her teeth, huddled together, and her back trembled constantly.
Su Wanqing held down Lin Che's wrist and said, "Pause and adjust!" Then she turned to Lu Zhao and asked loudly, "What's the monitoring situation?"
Lu Zhao tried his best to restore the system, and answered while operating: "The peripheral equipment is seriously short-circuited, and the activity index of nearby infected bodies has increased sharply. Captain Su, they are starting to gather here."
Xiao Ran had already pushed open the protective door and whispered, "The roars of those guys outside have become louder. This signal directly stimulates them!"
Lin Che said sullenly, “If we stop now, the experimental data will be lost. Otherwise, I will quickly extract the main band and hold on for another thirty seconds at most.”
"Hurry!" Su Wanqing nodded.
The girl was still squatting and refused to stand up. Her forehead was wet. She let out a low moan of pain from her throat and pounded the floor again and again.
Su Wanqing looked at her with her jaw clenched, feeling a dull pain in her heart, but she could only endure it.
Lu Zhao skipped some of the damaged data nodes and quickly exported the signal fluctuation data that had just appeared.
On the screen, the band curve fluctuated violently, showing a clustered distribution.
As he operated, he said, "This signal is like a trigger switch of a network node. It should be some kind of transmission command. As long as the pendant is at this frequency, the infected bodies will be guided. No wonder they gather together."
Lin Che stopped, took a breath, and reported: "The adjustment is complete. I'm too busy to handle it. I have to let the system repair itself." The light bulb behind him popped and the current squeaked.
Su Wanqing pondered for a moment and ordered, "From now on, all pendant signal tests will be suspended. Immediately back up the data that has just been collected." She put her hand on the girl's shoulder, "After sorting out the data, avoid any risks. The safety of the team is the most important. Lin Che, you must suppress the external signals to the lowest level first. Any instability must be cut off immediately."
Lin Che wiped the sweat from his forehead and operated the signal suppression module. "Alright, the signal has returned to zero, and the infected body's activity will slow down. But the impact of this experiment may continue for a while."
Xiao Ran had already circled back at this time, his eyes sweeping over the rows of defensive devices.
He plugged in the communication headset and said bluntly: "Some of the equipment lines have been burned and have spread to the edge of the laboratory. The external sensors were able to hide our signals, but now several locations are ineffective. If the rebels really rely on the movement to find people, we will definitely not be able to hide for too long."
Lu Zhao's eyelids twitched when he heard this. "The scope of the equipment's out-of-control impact is faster than we estimated. The signal has spread even beyond the control area."
Su Wanqing glanced at everyone and said in a heavy tone: "Don't panic yet. Since there has been a large-scale short circuit, the problem is that the risk is exposed - but there is no time to hesitate now. The data has been collected. If we give up, we will gain nothing."
She said to Xiao Ran, "Go check the spare weapons warehouse right now and sort all the usable weapons and ammunition by type. Defense is the priority. Don't take chances because of the experiment. This is not the front line."
"I understand." Xiao Ran nodded, picked up a light rifle, took the list and walked towards the weapons warehouse.
Lin Che put the pendant back into the isolation box and glanced at the girl crouching beside the lab table.
"She's in a very bad condition right now. She's reacting too emotionally. Let her rest for a while."
Su Wanqing helped the girl to the corner of the laboratory and found a clean blanket and handed it to her.
The girl waved her hands gently, shrank her body even smaller, and buried her head between her knees, sobs occasionally coming out of her lips.
Lu Zhao finished sorting out the data and began to talk to himself again in a low voice: "The shape of the network does not look like a simple transmission, but more like a distributed node. It is possible that the entire virus system is activated by this kind of signal. No wonder the control fails..."
Su Wanqing looked at the shell of the device surrounding them and pounded her palm. "We thought the signal was only to control the infected body, but we didn't expect it to stimulate the nodes of the entire virus system. The future adjustment plan must be redesigned."
When Lin Che was plugging in the signal module, a loose screw fell off his sleeve and he pinched his knuckles subconsciously.
"The signal has been suppressed, but as long as the pendant returns to its original frequency, the effect will return to the beginning. If this thing is a key, then the virus system is a door waiting to be opened at any time."
Xiao Ran returned to the main control area and reported the weapons he had counted. "There is enough ammunition, but three sets of alarm facilities on the periphery have been burned out, and the remaining ones can't be lit. It's better to just dismantle them and use them as bait."
Lu Zhao then added, "The sensor is inaccurate and misleads us. We are happy to dismantle it."
He said, "Once the experimental signal becomes unstable, the infected body will at least be able to detect it, and if other forces have professional equipment, they can locate it in minutes."
Su Wanqing tapped the table with her hand. "The risk is indeed great, which also shows that the experiment is valuable. If we don't do this, we will get nothing. In short, all tests are suspended to ensure the safety of everyone first. Xiao Ran, the weapons will be rearranged within an hour, and you and Lin Che will take turns guarding the main passage. Lu Zhao, give me a concise analysis after the data is sorted out."
Lin Che was checking the main circuit and said casually, "The agitation of the infected body has weakened after the signal was gathered, which means that the adjustment did have an effect."
The girl with a childish voice finally raised her head from the blanket, her face turned pale, and it took her a long time to utter two words: "It hurts... weird thing, don't open it..." After she said that, she lowered her head again and shrank even smaller.
Su Wanqing sighed, handed over the warm water, and looked at Lu Zhao again, "Her reaction is a direct example of the pendant signal effect. The safety test must be adjusted."
Lu Zhao pulled out the remaining chip from the faulty device and nodded, "I'll go back and analyze the main band data and the transmission trigger mechanism."
Xiao Ran moved a box of ammunition and said, "Captain Su, I suggest that if we do similar experiments next time, we should first consider leading them out, and not always put the risk on the main control area. From the noise just now, I suspect there may be some sensor equipment that has escaped the net. If the rebels outside are more sensitive, they may have already spotted it."
Su Wanqing didn't say much, "It's risky here, but as long as the experiment can lead to a breakthrough, it's worth it."
Lin Che closed the isolation box and said softly, "I have disconnected the main signal device. It will not affect nearby equipment in the short term. However, the infected bodies outside need to be observed for another hour to see if the activation reaction can subside naturally."
Lu Zhao compiled a preliminary briefing, plugged in the portable terminal and handed it to Su Wanqing.
She nodded silently and put the data into her bag. "Everyone, keep the communication channel silent. Only use gestures when necessary."
The girl with the childish voice curled up again, leaning against the wall, no longer making any sound, and breathing rapidly.
The pendant on the laboratory table was placed quietly in the isolation box, without making any sound.
Xiao Ran squatted beside the door, holding a temporary cable with his left hand, "Captain Su, what's the next plan?"
Su Wanqing pursed her lips and said, "The experiment is suspended, and the data analysis is the main focus. We will protect the existing results first, and wait until the external observation results come out before deciding on the next step."
Lin Che put on the last signal repair card and whispered, "If the infected body moves again, sound the alarm in advance."
Su Wanqing nodded, took out a small intercom from the spare box, adjusted the channel to receive only, and confirmed the backup battery status of all defense devices again.
The burn marks around the lab table could not be erased, and everything was so quiet that it was a little depressing.
Everyone in the room was busy with their own things and there was no extra conversation.
Su Wanqing stared at the latest data analysis on the portable terminal, tapping her knuckles on the edge of the metal table.
Lin Che was disassembling the module beside the equipment, and from time to time he looked up at the girl with a childish voice who was still huddled against the wall.
The multi-function tool in his hand trembled slightly, as if he was measuring something, and then moved again after a moment.
"Captain Su, after the pendant was placed in the isolation box, the signal returned to zero, but several residual parameters have been changing slightly."
Lin Che said, "I want to do another frequency calibration and try to find the lower limit of the response using the low frequency band."
Su Wanqing nodded and glanced at Xiao Ran and Lu Zhao. Xiao Ran was checking the newly laid out ammunition, holding the cable with one hand and taking notes.
Lu Zhao held the terminal and concentrated on sorting out the newly generated data. They were silent, waiting for Su Wanqing's decision.
“Lin Che, try it once, but don’t do it too aggressively. Lu Zhao, record the entire process,” Su Wanqing said.
Lin Che responded, opened the isolation box, put the special scanner close to the pendant, and then slowly adjusted the frequency band.
He stared at the screen and muttered a number.
The outer shell of the pendant occasionally vibrated slightly. The sound was not loud, but the girl with the childish voice suddenly froze.
She had her head down just now, but after hearing the vibration, she opened her eyes wide and her breathing became a little rapid.
Lin Che stopped and asked, "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
The girl bit her lower lip, hummed softly, and her calves tightened instinctively.
Lu Zhao turned around, his eyes falling between the screen and the girl. "The signal feedback has a synchronous reaction. Captain Su, her physical value has fluctuated."
Lin Che casually adjusted a lower parameter, and a bright line appeared on the surface of the pendant, almost overlapping with the cable on the ground.
The girl suddenly grabbed her wrists, her legs trembled even more violently, and a low sound came out of her throat.
Lin Che frowned, and the waveform on the data screen suddenly overlapped to form a mark similar to resonance.
"Any reaction?" Lu Zhao asked.
Lin Che took a breath, "The key frequency band... actually overlaps with her body's physiological frequency."
Su Wanqing hurried forward and half-knelt beside the girl. "Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
The girl did not reply directly. Her eyes began to become empty, as if she did not really see Su Wanqing in front of her. She just moved her lips and uttered two words in a low voice: "Key...key...key..."
Su Wanqing was startled, then turned to Lin Che and said, "Increase the frequency. Don't let her continue."
Lin Che interrupted the input and jumped the frequency to the next safe level, and the pendant stopped vibrating immediately.
The girl visibly relaxed and collapsed onto the blanket, breathing rapidly.
Lu Zhao whispered, "She said 'critical' - the data also showed a new waveform in the critical range. Captain Su, don't you think this is not a coincidence?"
Xiao Ran, who had been standing in the main passage, suddenly interrupted, "Don't forget those infected bodies outside.
When she gets excited, the noise spreads." He frowned and pulled at his collar, "It's a little too quiet in the main corridor now. Maybe those guys are waiting for the signal."
Su Wanqing was silent for a few seconds, then turned and stared at the pendant on the table. Lin Che had just closed the isolation box lid and continued to report the data.
Su Wanqing nodded, then stood up and turned over the old portable device board next to the laboratory bench, opening the spare base board and pendant main control module.
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