The atmosphere in the virtual conference room was somewhat tense. The poisonous insect's data was projected onto a translucent screen. The densely packed chains of runes danced like a complex web of psychic energy, pulsing with restless light. The Shadow Killer manipulated his virtual cursor, pointing to a point on the chain. He spoke seemingly casually, "Look here! This structure is definitely unusual! It reshapes itself every few seconds, like a Transformer. As soon as you clear the upper layer, the core goes 'bang!'—it's reborn."
"And it seems to have a brain, actively picking on the weakest persimmons." The Black Tortoise Guard muttered as he operated the defense simulation. "It doesn't even look at the strong nodes, only targeting the weakest defenses. Clearing them is like playing whack-a-mole." He paused, frowning slightly. "No, it's even more disgusting than a mole. After killing one, it can even give birth to its own cubs."
"This isn't about killing the bugs, it's about dealing with the entire nest." Shadow Killer covered his face and leaned back in his chair, wailing. His expression was like a worker who had just been forced to work overtime by his boss. "Boss, this thing is too difficult to deal with. Shouldn't we just pack up and run away?"
Xiang Fan leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the screen, his brow furrowed so tightly that it could pinch a fly. He ignored the Shadow Killer's wailing and simply reached up to click on the rune chain's deeper data. His gaze was cold and focused. "It's indeed troublesome... These rune chains can not only replicate themselves, but also adapt their structure to the environment. Their core calculations completely defy traditional logic, like a dynamic algorithm... no, like some kind of life form."
"Life form?!" Shadow Killer's eyes widened. "Boss, don't scare me! Using technology to cultivate immortality is outrageous enough. If this Gu can become a spirit, then we might as well just shut down our accounts and go home to farm!"
"Shut up." Ling Ruoxi's Sky Sword Armor floated in the data stream, the psychic flying sword accurately cutting through a layer of complex rune defense. Her tone was cold yet majestic, "Now is not the time to joke. The mechanism of the poison is too complicated. We must find another breakthrough point. Clearing it out is obviously unrealistic. The only way is to find the source."
Ling Ruochen's mecha glided to the other side and continued, "I agree. Tracking the spread of these poisons and finding the mastermind behind them is the key." As soon as he finished speaking, he opened the resource library of the virtual battlefield, and a torrent of data fell from the sky, enveloping his mecha.
Xiang Fan nodded, his tone becoming more serious. "The resource library log is key. The sooner the better. The others continue to analyze it, and I will be responsible for coordinating the defense network."
"No problem, Boss!" Shadow Killer waved his hand with a casual expression, then turned around and muttered in the communication channel: "The log is so long, tracking it will be a hell of a job..."
In the resource library, Ling Ruoxi and Ling Ruochen's flying swords continuously cut through layer after layer of data barriers. Amidst the flickering light streams, Ling Ruoxi frowned, "These signals are so scattered, like a glass of water poured into the ocean. I can't grasp any key points at all."
Ling Ruochen was also helpless. "I tried to lock onto a transmission node, but every time I reached a key location, the signal was cut off. The poison insects seem to have an anti-tracking mechanism. Not only do they cut off the path, but they also automatically disguise themselves." He scratched his head, quite annoyed. "What the hell! These insects are more difficult to deal with than any program I've ever seen!"
Ling Ruoxi pondered for a moment, then spoke calmly, "It's not just an anti-tracking mechanism, it's also a distributed camouflage. Each node is like an independent signal transmission point, and the entire transmission process is interconnected, leaving no clues at all."
"It's like a criminal organization, with complete logistical support." Ling Ruochen sighed, "The person behind this is definitely a genius."
Over the communication channel, Shadow Killer let out an exaggerated wail: "What a genius! This is clearly the work of a madman! He's not even letting go of the immortal cultivation world, trying to create a 'psychic apocalypse'?!"
Xiang Fan's voice suddenly came, his tone cold but with a hint of pressure: "Stop complaining, let's find the clues first. Every signal interruption may hide the truth. Record every detail. No matter what, we must find the source."
Ling Ruoxi and Ling Ruochen exchanged a glance and nodded. Although the task before them was fraught with difficulty, they understood that this was no longer a personal choice, but a crucial step for the survival of the entire psychic network.
The poisonous runes on the screen spread like leaping flames, devouring everything in the virtual network. Xiang Fan stared at them with a complicated expression. These runes were like a swarm of cheerful cockroaches, running freely in the psychic network, making it almost impossible to stop them.
Ling Ruoxi's virtual mecha stopped to the side. She leaned weakly against the driver's seat, her brow furrowed. "These things are so cunning, as if they know we're trying to stop them. They transform and evolve again and again, as if they're provoking us."
"Provocation? Haha, I think it's just a deliberate attempt to disgust me!" Shadow Killer shrugged, leaned back on the virtual conference table, crossed his legs, and casually grabbed a piece of psychic snack and took a bite. "Not only is this thing difficult to deal with, it's also deliberately designed to be annoying. Every time I think I've sealed a loophole, they sneak out from another corner!"
"If you could eat less psychic snacks and focus on analysis, maybe we would have found a solution." Ling Ruoxi rolled her eyes and said in a dissatisfied tone.
Shadow Killer shrugged nonchalantly. "This thing can handle the network, but it can't handle my stomach. I'm not a technical player anyway, and figuring out all this code is giving me a headache. Boss, tell me what your plan is, I'll listen to you!"
Xiang Fan remained silent, his gaze fixed on the dancing rune chains on the screen. He knew that everyone on the team had their own strengths, but poison was beyond their comprehension. Trying to solve it with their current resources was sheer wishful thinking.
Bai Zang's sneer echoed through the communication channel. "If you haven't found a solution yet, then think about how to clean up the mess as soon as possible. Once the poison spreads throughout the entire spiritual energy network, all the formations in the world of cultivation will become useless. By then, what can you expect? The safety bought with spirit stones?"
The conference room fell silent, a sense of invisible pressure hanging in the air. The Xuanwu guard couldn't help but whisper, "We can't give up, but... we do need a more effective method. With only the data we have, it's probably difficult to track down the mastermind."
"Trace the source?" Xiang Fan repeated the word in a low voice. He raised his head, a cold glint in his eyes. "If the poison was spread through the psychic network, then its path would definitely leave traces. Nothing can appear out of thin air, especially a poison program like this that requires powerful resources to support it."
"That's easy to say," Ling Ruoxi sighed, "but the psychic network is so vast that tracking it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We need more clues."
After the meeting, Xiang Fan sat alone in the cockpit of his virtual mecha, his face faintly illuminated by the dim glow of the surrounding screens. He stared at the twisted rune chains, feeling as if they were silently mocking his powerlessness.
"Is there really no way out?" He murmured to himself, but there was no trace of retreat in his eyes.
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