After many twists and turns, they finally stopped in front of a nondescript cubicle enclosed by tattered canvas and metal sheets. Hanging on the doorway was a flickering pattern made of discarded LED lights: an estilizada spider, weaving a tattered web.
"'Spider's Nest', the owner here is called 'Old Ghost', an information broker and a tech nut." Wen Shifei pointed at the pattern, "He has some relatively safe 'backdoors' that can connect to certain edge network nodes in the upper city. But his asking price... is very high."
Wen Shifei took a deep breath, opened the canvas curtain and walked in. Lu Cheneng followed closely behind.
The light inside the cubicle dimmed even further, and the air was thick with the smell of solder and ozone. Countless cables of varying thickness dangled from the ceiling like vines, connected to a variety of bizarre, humming machines. A gaunt, gray-haired old man huddled on a worn sofa piled high with electronic components. Wearing a pair of large, multi-purpose goggles, he concentrated intently on soldering a complex circuit board. His fingers were bony yet incredibly nimble, like spider limbs.
"Old ghost." Wen Shifei spoke.
The old man paused his movements and slowly raised his head. His eyes through the goggles swept over Wen Shifei and Lu Cheneng behind her, flashing with a shrewd and vigilant light.
"Fei girl, what brings you here? And you brought a... new face with you?" The old ghost's voice was hoarse, as if it had been polished with sandpaper.
"I need to borrow your 'spider silk' to connect to the internal network of Tianshu Building." Wen Shifei went straight to the point.
Upon hearing this, Lao Gui put down the circuit board in his hand and slowly took off his goggles, revealing a pair of cloudy but extremely sharp eyes. He looked at Lu Cheneng carefully, his gaze seeming to penetrate the mask and see his true identity.
"Tianshu Building? Haha, girl, you are getting bolder and bolder." The old ghost laughed dryly, "You know the rules. My 'spider silk' is not used in vain."
"What do you want?" Wen Shifei asked.
The old ghost turned his gaze to Lu Chenheng again, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "I want something from him."
Lu Chensheng's heart trembled.
"I want the communicator on his wrist." The old ghost pointed to the wrist communicator on Lu Cheneng's left wrist, which was specially made by the Tianshu Consortium and integrated with multiple advanced functions. "That's a good thing, the latest model of the 'Eye of Tianshu', which uses a quantum entanglement communication module and biometric encryption. Although it may be a hot potato for you now, for an old man like me, some of the technologies inside are priceless."
Lu Chenheng and Wen Shifei exchanged a glance. This communicator had indeed become a burden to them. Not only was it unable to actively contact the outside world, it could also be tracked. But it also represented Lu Chenheng's past identity and the Tianshu Consortium's cutting-edge technology.
"Deal." Lu Cheneng didn't hesitate a moment as he began to remove his wristband. He knew that if you wanted something, you had to pay a price. This was a lesson he'd learned from the cold laws of business, and now, in this lawless ghost market, the same rule applied.
A hint of appreciation flashed in the old ghost's eyes. "Great! However, this alone isn't enough. Accessing the Tianshu network isn't easy, especially during times like these. I also need... a 'token'."
"What token?"
"A token of allegiance that proves you're not some chaebol sent here to lure me." The old ghost's eyes grew cold. "Recently, the Oracle system upgraded its surveillance algorithm for the downtown area, and many of our colleagues have fallen. I want you... to help me retrieve something that belongs to me from the Iron Jaw Gang."
"The Iron Jaw Gang?" Wen Shifei frowned. "They're the toughest gang in the Ghost Market, and they're in cahoots with some of the security companies in Uptown."
"That's why I need you 'capable' people to take action." The old ghost chuckled. "It's not big, it's a data storage chip containing some of my... research results. They stole it three days ago. Bring it back, and you can use my 'spider silk' as you please. If you can't, you'll need someone else."
Lu Cheneng looked at Lao Gui, then at Wen Shifei. He knew this wasn't just a deal, it was a test. Lao Gui was testing their abilities and resolve.
"Where is the chip?" Lu Cheneng asked calmly.
The old ghost's eyes flashed. "The Iron Jaw Gang's lair, the 'Rust Furnace', is in a vault on the lowest floor. It's heavily guarded, and they have a new biometric identification system installed."
"Biometric system..." Lu Chen's eyes moved slightly.
"What? Are you scared?" The old ghost looked at him provocatively.
"We will do it." Lu Chen's answer was concise and powerful. He turned to Wen Shifei and asked, "Do you have the structural diagram of the 'Rust Furnace'?"
A flicker of surprise flashed across Wen Shifei's eyes, quickly replaced by an eager excitement. "It's not complete, but... I can try to 'draw' one." She knew that Lu Cheneng was giving her a chance, relying on her abilities. This feeling of being needed added a subtle ripple to the complex emotions she harbored towards Lu Cheneng.
For the next few hours, Lu Cheneng and Wen Shifei spent time in a relatively secluded compartment of the Spider's Nest, preparing to infiltrate the Rust Furnace. Drawing on her knowledge of the Ghost Market and her impressive memory, Wen Shifei drew a simplified diagram of the Rust Furnace on a screen, noting potential blind spots and security holes.
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