182: "Energy Eavesdropping" and Identity Exposure

The achievement exchange meeting was held in a meeting room with good lighting, simple yet elegant decor.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the lush Greenhouse landscape, with sunlight spilling through the glass ceiling, casting mottled shadows on the smooth tabletop.

Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere initially maintained the restrained and professional harmony typical of academic exchanges.

Professor Chen Jing stood in front of the projection screen, her posture upright, her speaking pace steady, and her logic clear.

Using meticulously crafted charts and 3D models, she elaborated in detail on her team's survey results regarding the geological structure, hydrological veins, soil composition, and microclimate characteristics surrounding the "Homeland".

Her analysis was deep yet accessible, supported by solid data, and the preliminary suggestions she proposed regarding the construction of the ecological circulation system also appeared highly forward-looking and actionable, fully demonstrating the deep professional literacy and rigorous scholarship of a top-tier scholar.

Wang Jianguo, Evelyn, and several core engineers sat at the long table, listening attentively and occasionally raising questions about technical details, to which Professor Chen was able to provide convincing answers.

Everything looked like a perfectly normal, high-level academic seminar.

However, beneath this seemingly harmonious facade, undercurrents had already begun to surge.

Evelyn appeared to be taking notes intently, but all her senses were like highly sensitive radar, closely capturing every subtle change in Professor Chen Jing's expressions, tone pauses, and even the nuances of her body language.

The alarm bells in her heart never stopped ringing; Professor Chen's excessive calmness, her spot-on interpretation of Excellence's unconventional behavior, and especially that "accidental" mention of "geomagnetic anomalies" earlier, all felt like sharp thorns pricking at her nerves of vigilance.

The Dagger Revealed

Sure enough, when the discussion inevitably delved into groundwater resource distribution and potential geological structural impacts, Professor Chen Jing naturally steered the topic once again toward that sensitive area.

She operated the computer, pulled up a set of detection data maps with higher resolution and more precise annotations, and pointed with a laser pointer to the specially marked area on the screen, her tone remaining as flat as if she were discussing an ordinary academic issue: "Everyone, please look, this is the geomagnetic anomaly data we collected in the valley area on the northeast side, after signal enhancement processing.

Although the intensity of the anomalous signal is extremely weak, its spatial distribution shows clear boundaries and directionality, and its stability is unusually high, which is significantly different from the random fluctuations caused by natural ore veins or geological faults that we usually encounter."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, before finally landing seemingly unintentionally on the face of the engineer responsible for geological safety, throwing out a series of questions.

These questions sounded professional, but their hidden edge made Evelyn's back tense up instantly:

"Engineer Wang, based on your experience, to what type of underground structure does this specific pattern of anomalous signal usually tend to point?

Is it a large cavity structure, a high-density metal deposit, or some kind of... residual feature of a shielded body after human intervention?"

"In addition, the groundwater flow data in this area shows subtle signs of detouring.

Does this imply the existence of an impermeable layer or a dense obstacle underneath?

What is its approximate scale?"

"Most importantly, from the perspective of engineering safety, do we need to worry about the potential radioactive leakage risk (even if extremely weak) of this unknown structure, or the potential long-term stability impact it might have on the deep water circulation system planned for the future?"

These questions, taken individually, sounded reasonable and completely consistent with a responsible expert's attitude toward investigating potential risks.

But when combined, especially the option of "residual feature of a shielded body after human intervention," and the repeated emphasis on "engineering safety" and "long-term stability," the directionality became exceptionally clear!

Professor Chen was not at all concerned about natural geological causes or radioactive risks; she was cleverly probing for information regarding the nature, scale, and even the possible use of the underground structure!

Her probing had already upgraded from the previous vague "reminder" to a precise "exploration"!

The base's engineers were experienced and answered very cautiously, attributing it flawlessly to "possible special rock layers" and emphasizing that the base had a perfect monitoring system to ensure safety.

But the air in the meeting room had become heavy because of this Q&A.

Wang Jianguo's brows furrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped rhythmically on the tabletop.

Evelyn's heart sank; she could almost be certain that Professor Chen Jing's trip was by no means as simple as conducting an environmental assessment.

The "Energy Whisper" in the Corridor

Meanwhile, in the quiet, sun-drenched glass corridor outside the meeting room, Excellence was following Su Mu's instructions, obediently sitting on a small stool, "interning" at the adults' meeting.

But the thick soundproof glass made it so he could barely hear the discussion inside; he could only see the adults' serious expressions and the constantly switching charts.

A child's patience is limited, and soon he felt a bit bored.

Bored, he took out his beloved, cracked-screen portable "Energy Encoder" from his pocket (the training tool Evelyn gave him, which could receive and visualize energy fluctuations in specific frequency bands).

He remembered Evelyn's teaching: learn to distinguish the subtle differences in various energy fields in the environment, just like learning to hear the sounds of different languages.

So, he aimed the encoder's simple sensor (a modified small magnetic induction coil and bio-electric probe) toward the meeting room and started the game he called "energy listening practice."

At first, what he perceived was a mix of "noise": the constant electromagnetic fields of various electronic devices running in the meeting room, the faint disturbances of the air conditioning system's airflow, and the vibrant energy of the sunlight shining through the glass windows...

These background "chords" he was already familiar with.

He tried hard to focus his attention, attempting to strip away the more subtle "sounds"—those were the energy fields of the "people" in the meeting room.

In his "energy vision," Uncle Wang Jianguo's energy field was like a steady mountain, heavy and stable, but at this moment, there seemed to be undercurrents surging within the mountain, revealing a "texture" of scrutiny and decisiveness.

Sister Evelyn's energy field was like an extremely calm, highly focused lake surface, yet beneath the water lay immense tension and vigilance, as if it could stir up waves at any moment.

The energy fields of the other engineer uncles were more like the focused and rhythmic "buzzing" emitted by various tools in operation.

And what made him most curious was the energy field of that "outsider," Professor Chen.

Having seen her from a distance a few times before, he felt her energy field was like a piece of extremely polished ice, calm, clear, and carrying a kind of pure, investigative "sharpness."

Although it was a bit "cold," it didn't make him feel uncomfortable.

However, just at this moment, when the discussion in the meeting room seemed to reach a key point, Excellence suddenly captured a trace of an extremely weak energy fluctuation that was completely different from the "calm inquiry" tone of Professor Chen he had perceived before!

This fluctuation did not originate from Professor Chen's own life field; it was more like... something radiating from an "object" on her!

It was very concealed, like the faint hissing of electricity, deliberately suppressed below a threshold that was almost imperceptible, and it was scanning something rapidly at a very high frequency and in a very regular pattern!

This scanning carried a kind of... cold, non-living, purely functional intent, as if an invisible, cold eye was silently spying on the structure of the meeting room, the layout of the equipment, and even... possibly the weak points of the energy barrier!

What made Excellence's heart tighten even more was that this unique energy frequency pattern and that cold "scanning sensation" actually overlapped with a vague impression deep in his memory!

It was a time when Evelyn was explaining "energy characteristics to be wary of" to him and had briefly displayed an energy signal characteristic map on an encrypted screen, which was said to be a type of advanced covert scanning device of the "Prophet Foundation"!

Although Evelyn emphasized at the time that this was only theoretical data and immediately closed the screen, Excellence's photographic Perception memory had deeply imprinted that unique "coldness" and "regularity"!

"No! This feeling... is bad!"

Excellence's heart pounded "thump, thump"!

Although he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, his trained keenness for the "good and evil" of energy sent him a strong, unignorable warning!

Professor Chen was hiding something!

A "bad thing" that was secretly "looking" at things it shouldn't look at!

A child's world is black and white, and fear and worry instantly overwhelmed his scruples about the rules of the adult world.

He couldn't care about Su Mu's repeated instructions, leaped up from the stool like a small cannonball leaving the barrel, pushed open the heavy soundproof door of the meeting room, and shouted with all his might, filled with horror and urgency, at Evelyn, who was focused on dealing with Professor Chen's questions:

"Sister Evelyn! No! There is a 'bad thing' moving on her! It's 'peeking'!

That feeling... is the feeling of the bad guys from The Foundation!"

Dead Silence and Sudden Change

Excellence's earth-shattering accusation, filled with childishness yet incredibly sharp, was like a thunderclap that instantly shattered all the disguised calm and restrained professional atmosphere in the meeting room!

The whole room instantly fell into a dead silence!

Everyone's gaze "swished" and focused on Excellence, who had burst in, his small face flushed red from excitement and fear, and then turned in unison toward Professor Chen Jing, who was standing in front of the projection screen.

The expression on Professor Chen's face underwent an extremely subtle, yet impossible to completely hide, change.

Her pupils shrank suddenly in a fraction of a second, and the habitual, slightly upward arc at the corners of her mouth that represented professional confidence instantly stiffened and pulled down slightly.

Although she tried hard to control it, that flash of shock and being caught off guard was still keenly captured by Evelyn and Wang Jianguo.

However, her recovery speed was astonishingly fast; almost in the next second, just the right amount of confusion and a trace of offended displeasure appeared on her face.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she looked at Excellence and asked calmly in a tone that carried confusion and a challenge to authority: "Little friend, what are you saying?

What 'bad thing'?

We are having a meeting here, don't cause trouble."

But it was already too late!

Excellence's warning was like lighting a fuse!

Evelyn reacted as fast as lightning!

She stood up with a "whoosh," her movements swift yet steady.

She rushed to Excellence's side in one stride, without hesitation, pulled him behind her, and protected him firmly with her body.

At the same time, her gaze, sharp as a falcon's, locked tightly onto Professor Chen Jing, and she clearly and calmly issued an order to the seemingly empty air (this was a preset highest-level alert signal): "Initiate Level 1 Security Protocol for the venue!

Non-essential personnel, leave immediately!

Repeat, leave immediately!"

"Buzz —"

A low, powerful buzzing sound rang out!

The decorative panels on the walls around the meeting room slid open quietly, revealing the thick alloy armor layer inside!

The heavy security doors to the main passage leading outside began to descend slowly, emitting a dull sound of metal friction!

In the corner of the ceiling, several inconspicuous probes instantly projected a red laser scanning grid, covering the entire space!

Almost at the same time, the door of the meeting room was pushed open from the outside, and four fully armed, cold-eyed base guards entered quickly.

Two by two, they politely but irresistibly "invited" Professor Chen's two stunned assistants, who hadn't yet reacted, to leave the venue immediately.

The whole process was clean and neat, happening within just over ten seconds!

The Peeling of Disguise and Confrontation

Facing this sudden, tense turn of events, Professor Chen Jing did not show the panic or anger that an ordinary person would have.

She stood where she was, motionless, her gaze sweeping calmly over the slowly descending security doors, over the laser aiming points pointing at her, and finally, her gaze passed over Evelyn, who was blocking in front, and landed on Excellence, who was tightly protected behind Evelyn and was nervously poking out half his head.

The corners of her mouth actually slowly hooked into an extremely subtle, yet meaningful arc.

In that arc, there was a trace of surprise, a trace of realization, and even... a trace of appreciation?

"It seems..." Professor Chen Jing spoke.

Her voice was still steady, but it had shed that academic restraint from before, adding a trace of indescribable ease, as if she had shed her disguise, and... a certain depth, "I indeed underestimated the... 'sensitivity' here.

Or rather, underestimated the effectiveness of certain... 'non-standard' monitoring means."

Her phrasing became subtle and vague.

"Sensitivity," "non-standard monitoring means," these words clearly pointed to something, directly aiming at Excellence's incredible early warning ability.

Wang Jianguo also slowly stood up at this moment, his tall stature bringing an invisible sense of oppression.

He walked to Professor Chen Jing, his face cold as ice, his eyes like torches, looking directly into her eyes, his voice low and full of majesty, without any more pleasantries:

"Professor Chen Jing, or... should I use another title that better fits your true identity to address you?"

He paused, his tone resolute, "Please explain now, immediately, and clearly — what exactly is that device on you that shouldn't be there and is currently operating?

And, what is the real purpose behind this extraordinary, one could even say premeditated, 'concern' of yours regarding the underground structure of 'Homeland'?"

The situation, under Excellence's intuition-based energy eavesdropping warning, took a sharp turn for the worse, instantly turning from an academic exchange with undercurrents into a direct confrontation with the dagger revealed!

A carefully planned disguise was accidentally torn open by a child's purest Perception.

The deepest secret of "Homeland" and the spying from an unknown force in the outside world were, at this moment, finally brought out into the open.

Every second that followed was filled with unknown dangers and decisive turning points.