The lights in the command cabin cast a pale blue halo on Su Qing's data body, and the deployment map at her fingertips was rippling with subtle waves, like the surface of water rippled by the wind.
Lin Yi gripped the edge of the blueprint and could feel the data flow beneath the semi-transparent material—this was data that Su Qing was transmitting with her last bit of data stability, after the tentacles of those consciousness puppets in the nest had almost torn her data chain to shreds.
"Chu Yao, how long will it take to create the fake intelligence template?" His thumb unconsciously traced the engravings on the spacetime compass, the star map at the center of the compass flickering slightly with his emotions.
The AI assistant on the holographic screen instantly projected a 3D model, with blue light dancing on her hair: "Basic template, 10 minutes, but requires Su Qing's database access to be implanted into the mother nest."
Su Qing's eyelashes trembled, and the data entity's fingertips pressed against her temples, where tiny silver spots of light were seeping out, like electricity coursing through her skin: "I...can." When she looked up, the data stream in her pupils suddenly accelerated, "The mother hive's firewall left a backdoor when I evacuated. If I use the deployment map as a carrier, they will think it's 'important intelligence' that was just intercepted."
Long Wu slammed his serrated knife onto the tactical table, the metallic clanging startling Aizen's chains. "Shall we just stuff fake news into their brains? That would be awesome!" He grinned, the scabs at the corners of his mouth twitching. "Last time those puppets chased us so hard we had to crawl into ventilation ducts. This time, I'm going to watch Night Owl slap himself in the face."
Aizen rubbed his aching temples, the chains coiling in a semi-circle at his fingertips: "But the Mind Resonance Field can analyze brainwave frequencies, and our intelligence sources will be located." He suddenly looked up, a deep blue spiritual pressure rising in his pupils, "I have a spiritual pressure jammer that can shred the flow of energy into gibberish—like throwing a stone into a pool, shattering all the ripples, so they can't grasp the true source."
Lin Yi's gaze lingered on Aizen's face for a moment. The bloodshot eyes hadn't faded yet, clearly indicating that the mental battle just now had taken a heavy toll.
He nodded: "Deploy them at the edge of the mother nest, focusing on covering the area from b7 to d3."
Aizen grabbed the jammer on the table, the chain jingling as it swung around his waist. "I'll give you a signal in half an hour." He walked to the hatch and then stopped, turning back to find the chain wrapped around the door frame. "Remember to have Su Qing time the fake intelligence after the jammer is activated—the more eager they are to verify it, the more likely they are to believe it."
The moment the hatch closed, Long Wu had already grabbed his tactical backpack and slung it over his shoulder: "I'm taking the 'Iron Wolf' team to plant the clones. The memory transplant technology the Shadow gave us is in the bag. I scouted that lousy lab last time; it's a test subject whose consciousness has been drained, perfect as a shell." He patted the tactical knife at his waist, the light reflecting off the blade sweeping across Lin Yi's face. "If that bastard dares to mess with us, I'll rip his fake intestines out."
Lin Yi tugged at the Star Key at his collar; its heat had cooled to a lukewarm level, as if it was gathering strength for another explosion: "Remember to use the spacetime rift to evacuate; don't fight those puppets head-on."
"Alright!" Long Wu kicked open the hatch, his tactical boots drumming rapidly on the metal floor. "Su Qing, when I get back, I'll treat you to hot milk tea in real life—it's so boring for a data entity to always drink electronic saccharin!"
As the cabin quieted down again, the communicator suddenly emitted a soft beep.
Xuanmingzi's avatar flickered on the screen; it was an old-fashioned communication interface with static, as if deliberately trying to cover up the traces.
"The frequency of the mind resonance field has been deciphered. If needed..."
Lin Yi stared at the data stream jumping on the screen, his knuckles resting on his chin.
The game's mastermind has been too active lately. Last time he said he'd help them crack the firewall, and this time he's given them a critical frequency—is he trying to help humanity, or is he just trying to get attention from Night Owl?
“Chu Yao.” He tapped the table. “Monitor all his communication records, and highlight keywords related to ‘First Will’.”
“Quantum eavesdropping has been activated.” Chu Yao’s projection flickered. “He just had a 0.3-second coded communication with the Mother Nest mainframe. The content was encrypted, but... it seems to be confirming some coordinates.”
Lin Yi traced an arc with his finger on the spacetime compass, which suddenly reversed half a circle, and the pointer pointed precisely to the south—the direction of the southern line of the mother nest.
He laughed, a laugh as sharp as icicles on a winter night: "Keeping him alive will be useful."
Su Qing's data stream suddenly trembled violently. Her fingertips pressed against the terminal, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead (data bodies shouldn't sweat, but at this moment even the pain felt terrifyingly real): "False intelligence implantation complete... They received it." When she looked up, the data stream in her pupils displayed a real-time scene inside the hive—Night Owl's projection was raging in the command cabin, and the surrounding consciousness puppets were frantically banging on the control panel.
"The energy fluctuations have weakened." Chu Yao's voice suddenly rose, and the model of the Mother Nest on the holographic screen lit up with specks of red light. "37% of the northern front forces have been mobilized, and the entire defense matrix has shifted!"
Lin Yi walked to the window, where the setting sun cast a long shadow that covered the entire holographic projection of the Mother Nest.
The city below was already lit up, but his gaze remained fixed on the direction of the Mother Nest—the energy aura there was visibly fading, like a punctured balloon.
“Now, we are the hunters,” he said softly, his breath condensing into white mist on the glass.
A soft pant came from behind her. Her data entity was solidifying at a visible speed, her fingertips rapidly dancing across the terminal: "The Mother Nest's consciousness-level access control system... seems to have a vulnerability." She looked up, the data stream in her pupils suddenly forming a complex combination lock pattern. "When I implanted the false intelligence just now, I touched the underlying protocol... perhaps I can..."
"Rest first." Lin Yi turned around, reaching out to help her, but stopped mid-air—the warmth of the data body's touch was still imprinted on his fingertips. "We'll talk about the rest tomorrow."
Su Qing smiled, and a few wisps of pale pink appeared in the data stream, like a sunset in reality: "No, I can feel it... it's waiting for me." Her finger pressed the confirmation button on the terminal, and the data stream suddenly surged like a reversed Milky Way, "Just one step away..."
An alarm suddenly sounded in the command center. It was Long Wu's communication: "Boss! The clone has been successfully activated. That bastard has already made him his personal guard!"
Lin Yi's attention was drawn back, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Su Qing's data body merging with the terminal. The originally chaotic data streams were now being reorganized in a way he had never seen before—like disassembling a lock, and the key was in her hand.
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