Lu Chen's eyes flashed! He immediately thought of the violent, incomplete power at the core of his own chip. "The chip within me, as the original 'key' and the first confirmed awakening point, may be the key resonance source! We must find other awakeners as soon as possible! This is not only to strengthen our power, but also an indispensable part of destroying 'Zero'!" He clenched his fists, feeling the dormant, tingling power within him.
"That's right!" Wen Shifei nodded solemnly, "But the 'Number Zero' mother chamber on the seventeenth underground floor is fully protected by the 'Hive' system. It's a highly intelligent defense matrix, integrating physical isolation, energy barriers, and autonomous mechanical guards. To destroy the mother chamber, an external assault is almost impossible. We must... attack from both inside and outside!" She called up a simplified structural diagram of the Tianshu Building and pointed at position B17. "We need someone to paralyze the local nodes of the 'Hive' from the inside, creating chaos and passages, while someone from the outside breaks in and attacks the core!"
Lu Chen's mind raced as the outlines of a bold plan formed in his mind. "I have an idea! Using my high-level chaebol authority and identity information, which hasn't been completely cancelled, I can try to approach the core area from the inside. I'm familiar with their security logic and some of their backdoor procedures." His eyes flashed with calm calculation. "Wen Shifei, contact the core members of 'Lighthouse' immediately. I need the cooperation of the most elite action team to be responsible for external intrusion, creating chaos, and providing support. At the same time, mobilize 'Lighthouse''s intelligence network to track down the whereabouts of other awakened ones! Time is running out!"
"Understood! I'll arrange it right away!" Wen Shifei didn't hesitate at all and immediately called up the encrypted communication module. His fingers quickly operated on the virtual keyboard, and a series of encrypted commands were sent out silently.
The night deepened. The chill inside the warehouse grew even stronger. Lu Cheneng, wrapped tightly in his blanket, leaned against the cold metal wall, closed his eyes, and tried to calm the remaining backlash within him. Wen Shifei curled up on the cot, her injured shoulder preventing her from finding a completely comfortable position beneath the thin blanket, forcing her to lean slightly to the side.
In the darkness, Lu Cheneng's deep voice rang out, breaking the oppressive silence: "Wen Shifei... your brother Wen Shiyu... he risked his life to pass on the chip fragments, igniting the flames of resistance. Do you think... can we truly fulfill his legacy? Let the Awakened break free from their shackles, and let the sins of the chaebol... be exposed to the light of day?"
In the darkness, Wen Shifei was silent for a long time. Lu Chensheng could hear her subtle, suppressed breaths. A drop of cold liquid silently slid across her cheek and soaked into the pillowcase. "I don't know how many thorns and sacrifices there are on the road ahead..." Her voice was heavily nasal, but extremely firm. "...But I believe that as long as the fire is not extinguished, as long as people like you, Qingyi, and those hunted awakened people are still fighting, and as long as the companions of the 'Lighthouse' are still spreading hope...my brother's wish will eventually come true! Even if...it takes generations to complete it!"
Lu Chenheng opened his eyes in the darkness, almost seeing the glint of tears and the unyielding faith in her eyes. He spoke softly, but with a sworn oath, "Then, I will dedicate the rest of my life, my blood, and my bones to guarding this flame of hope. Until it... spreads across the prairie."
Wen Shifei, in the darkness, turned toward him and responded softly, as solemnly as if vowing, "Me too."
The next day, the abandoned "Shipwreck" warehouse became a temporary command center. Wen Shifei established a stable connection with the "Beacon," the command node of the "Lighthouse," through multiple encrypted links. She quickly and clearly deployed the tasks: "'Eagle Eye,' I need your team to work in shifts 24 hours a day to closely monitor all entrances and exits of the Tianshu Building, energy fluctuations, and security force movements, especially the underground garages and freight passages! 'Wandering Soul,' your people will infiltrate the black market and intelligence brokers in the downtown area, and do their best to collect the whereabouts of those recently arrested by the chaebol and the details of the "Star Capture" operation! 'Anvil,' select the most elite assaulters and demolitionists to be on standby and prepare to carry out high-risk intrusion missions! Operation codename... 'Breaking the Cage'!"
Meanwhile, Lu Cheneng, using a terminal disguised through multiple springboards, carefully accessed an abandoned maintenance port on the chaebol's internal network. He entered a long, complex authorization code, his fingertips tapping rapidly on the virtual keyboard, as if dancing on the edge of a knife. The progress bar on the screen slowly advanced as encrypted Tianshu Building security layout diagrams, internal structure diagrams (especially the basement), security robot patrol routes, and even some early backdoor program code were carefully downloaded, decrypted, and transmitted to Wen Shifei's analyzer. With each operation, he felt as if a pair of cold eyes (Lu Qiming?) were staring at him from the other end of the network, and cold sweat soaked his back.
The preparations were intense and brief. In the dim light of the abandoned warehouse, the two entered a frantic period of adjustment.
Tactical Training: Lu Chen-Heng led Wen Shifei to a relatively open corner of the warehouse, using abandoned shipping containers and pipes as cover to simulate the complex interior of the Tianshu Building. He lowered his voice and quickly explained: "The chaebol security robot, the Hound III, has weaknesses at its joints and on its top sensor cluster. A three-shot burst of pulse pistols will disable it. The Scavenger armored platform moves slowly but packs a powerful punch. You must exploit the environment and attack its tracks or dorsal energy pods at close range..." He personally demonstrated the key techniques of stealth, rapid fire, and evasive cover. Wen Shifei learned quickly. Although her left shoulder injury limited her range of motion and strength, she flexed Lu Chen-Heng's elite chaebol tactics with her exceptional reflexes and spatial awareness.
Power Control: It was Wen Shifei's turn to assist Lu Chentang. She connected an analyzer to the biometric monitoring port on Lu Chentang's wrist (a temporary modification), and the screen displayed a real-time graph of the energy fluctuations from his internal chip. "Concentrate your mind and try to guide that energy. Don't fight it, but... flow it! Imagine it flowing like water, from your core to your arms... Yes! That's it! Slow down... Steady..." As the distorted, blurry shadows of the seven-pointed star once again appeared faintly in Lu Chentang's palm, the air in the warehouse seemed to stagnate, a low humming sound. Wen Shifei stared intently at the screen: "Energy peak is controllable! Duration... 3 seconds! 0.5 seconds longer than last time! It worked!" Lu Chentang withdrew his power, gasping for air. Though still throbbing with pain and weakness, his eyes were filled with excitement at his power control and gratitude to Wen Shifei. Their tacit understanding grew silently through repeated training and protection, the foundation of trust forged into an unbreakable foundation.
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