222: A clever plan and the capture of the "data ghost"

The "fishing operation"—codenamed "Net Catch"—began to run quietly like a precision clock under top-level encrypted commands. The soul of the entire plan, Dr. Evelyn Li, poured all of her wisdom, capable of piercing through data mists, into the creation of the "bait."

She knew well that ordinary technical fragments would not be enough to make that cunning "fish" take the risk. She had to produce something of true strategic value that looked like "fruit" that Homeland might soon break through. She chose the miniaturization of the "warp engine"—one of the holy grails of interstellar navigation and the field most likely to achieve a breakthrough after fusing the energy theories of "the watchers." She led the core physics and engineering team (who were told this was a top-secret theoretical verification project) to meticulously craft a "Preliminary Design Blueprint and Feasibility Analysis Report" hundreds of pages thick.

This report was a work of art. It was built upon the genuine spatial geometry and energy coupling principles of "the watchers," with rigorous theoretical derivations and self-consistent logic. It even contained a vast amount of real, painstaking calculations and experimental data (from some undisclosed basic research), enough to fool any top-tier expert. However, at several critical Nodes—especially regarding the resonant frequency calculation formula for maintaining the warp bubble and the precise energy injection curve needed to offset spatial tension—Evelyn implanted extremely subtle "errors" that were disguised and masked through multiple correlations. These errors would not cause the theory to collapse, but any attempt at materialization based on this blueprint would, at best, result in low efficiency and energy runaway, and at worst, trigger a catastrophic spatial collapse.

But this was not enough. The true trump card was the crystallization of the collaboration between Excellence and Evelyn. Using his profound understanding of the essence of energy, especially the high-level knowledge about information and energy-binding encoding obtained from beacon gamma, Excellence injected a unique "energy mark" into the electronic blueprint file itself. This mark was not a traditional digital watermark or hidden code; rather, it wove specific, extremely weak psionic harmonics into the lowest level of the file's data structure in a way that transcended conventional binary. It was like giving this file a unique soul scent that only Excellence and specific receiving devices could "smell." More importantly, Evelyn designed a trigger protocol: once the file was opened or copied in a specific unauthorized manner (simulating the decryption or forwarding protocols she speculated the enemy might use), the mark would not only persist but also activate a miniature "echo" program, attempting to send an encrypted location message to the source (although it would likely be intercepted, the attempt itself would leave a trace).

This deadly "bait" was placed in an independent and highly isolated classified server. The server's security was top-tier, but Evelyn deliberately left an extremely hidden "vulnerability"—or rather, a disguised "logistics maintenance channel." This channel was almost invisible in normal monitoring logs; its existence logic appeared to be a redundant design left over from the early system setup, and it was cleverly weakly coupled with the data stream of an insignificant temperature control system within the base, making its sporadic activity difficult to detect amidst the complex background data. Everything looked like a backdoor left by a careless but lucky engineer, waiting to be discovered by an equally "clever" hunter.

Over the next few days, everything inside Homeland seemed normal. But the hearts of the core members of the "Net Catch" team—Wang Jianguo, Excellence, Evelyn, Su Mu, Security Minister, and a few absolutely reliable technical experts—remained on edge. On the monitoring screens, that disguised channel was like a path in a dark forest, silent and still.

On the fourth day, at three o'clock in the morning standard time, when most people in the base had fallen into a deep sleep, the alarm triggered—not a piercing sound, but a cold pulse connected directly to the personal terminals of Evelyn and Excellence.

"There's movement!" Evelyn woke up instantly from her doze and lunged toward the console. Excellence opened his eyes at almost the same time, his invisible field of Perception extending like a spiderweb into the base's data network.

On the screen, the data stream representing the disguised channel showed extremely abnormal fluctuations. A "visitor" had arrived. Its methods were chillingly sophisticated. There was no brute-force cracking, and it triggered no conventional electronic firewalls. Like a true ghost, it used a data compression algorithm and dynamic encryption protocol never seen before to disguise its access behavior as an insignificant, randomly patterned "noise" within that temperature control data stream. It probed and tested cautiously, then, with efficiency bordering on quantum tunneling, precisely located and began to steal the "bait" file. The entire process was smooth and lightning-fast; if not for the logic traps pre-set by Evelyn and Excellence's real-time sensing of that unique "energy mark," it would have been nearly impossible to detect.

"The fish has taken the bait! It's devouring the bait!" Evelyn's voice was slightly hoarse with excitement and tension, her fingers becoming a blur on the virtual keyboard. "Initiate Level 1 tracking protocol! Excellence, is the mark stable?"

"Clear as a lighthouse." Excellence closed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, his entire focus dedicated to locking onto that psionic mark—imperceptible to ordinary people—drifting along with the data flow. "It's moving... very fast. It's making multi-layer jumps within the internal network... utilizing the monitoring subnet of Reactor No. 3 and the cache paths of the living quarters' entertainment servers... It's trying to cover its source."

A silent yet thrilling electronic tracking battle unfolded within the vast neural network of Homeland. That "Data Ghost" was exceptionally cunning; it seemed to know the network topology of the base like the back of its hand, constantly using abandoned IP addresses, temporary cache Nodes, and even devices in low-power states as relays, performing dazzling disguises and detours. Evelyn mobilized all anti-tracking algorithms, engaging in a contest with this invisible opponent in the maze of data. The opponent's encryption methods kept changing, as if it possessed the ability to learn.

"Conventional tracking is blocked! It's using dynamic heterogeneous encryption, changing its signature with every jump!" a technician reported anxiously.

"Don't panic!" Evelyn commanded sharply, her eyes flashing with a sharp light. "No matter how cunning it is, it cannot disguise the energy signature of Excellence's mark! That is something beyond the pure data level! Excellence, give me the direction!"

"Northwest, passing through the main thoroughfare, veering toward the lower levels of the base... The mark signal is concentrating in the logistics scheduling subnet area!" Excellence's voice was like a navigator, providing the most critical coordinates that could not be deceived by electronic means.

Combining Evelyn's electronic containment and Excellence's energy positioning, the ghost's hiding place was rapidly compressed. Finally, all the virtual traces and that unique psionic mark, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, pointed to a specific physical address—a standard wired data interface located in the lower level of the base's main structure, adjacent to the large warehouse area, which provided instruction updates for automated transport robots.

"Target locked! Zone B, Warehouse Channel 7, Standard Data Interface No. 24!" Security Minister growled into the communicator. "Thunder Team, move! Fast and quiet!"

The elite security force that had been on standby nearby for a long time—the "Thunder" team—like leopards pouncing in the dark night, instantly sealed off and rushed into the target area from multiple directions. The warehouse area was brightly lit, and the air was filled with the cold scent of machine oil and metal. The soldiers deployed in tactical formation, their weapons aimed at the unremarkable gray data interface installed in the corner of the wall.

However, there was no one next to the interface. Only a palm-sized, dusty device, which looked indistinguishable from other power adapters in the vicinity, was connected to it. When the first soldier cautiously approached, a faint red light suddenly flashed across the surface of the device, and a nearly inaudible "hiss" sound came from inside. Immediately, a faint, acrid smell similar to a burnt-out circuit board drifted out.

"Report! Target device found! It... it is self-destructing!"

Security Minister, along with Evelyn, Excellence, and others who had hurried over, stepped forward to inspect it. The casing of the micro-device was already slightly warm, and the internal chip had clearly been physically destroyed by an overload of current, turning into a charred lump of silicon slag from which no data could be extracted. The decisiveness of the design was chilling.

"Damn it, it still managed to cut off its tail and escape!" Security Minister punched a nearby metal shelf with a dull thud, his face full of frustration. The opponent had clearly anticipated the worst-case scenario and used an untraceable, disposable physical relay.

"No, Security Minister, we have gained a great deal." Evelyn crouched down, put on gloves, and carefully placed the still-warm remains of the device into a sealed evidence bag. There was no disappointment on her face; instead, she wore the focus and calmness of a scientist solving a puzzle.

She turned to the group, her tone rapid and clear. "First, we have basically ruled out the possibility of an 'insider.' This kind of high-level, fully automated penetration program that is so familiar with our internal network topology cannot be deployed and controlled by a single human spy without leaving any social or physical traces. This was a highly professional external technical penetration."

"Second," she continued, her eyes flashing with the light of data, "we successfully captured its complete packet characteristics during the theft and transmission process, fragments of the encryption algorithm (although dynamic, there are still patterns to follow), network penetration techniques, and... the 'fingerprint' of that extremely hidden communication protocol it used to receive instructions and transmit data back. What we are facing is a type of automated penetration tool equipped with advanced artificial intelligence and potentially capable of a certain degree of learning and adaptation—a 'Data Ghost.'"

"Most importantly, the third point," Excellence interjected, his Perception slowly withdrawing from the wreckage, "although the device self-destructed, before it was finally destroyed, I captured that extremely weak and brief energy directionality when it received external instructions and sent confirmation signals. Evelyn, combined with the protocol fragments you intercepted, can you reverse-engineer it?"

"Working on it!" Evelyn had already connected the evidence bag to a portable analyzer, her fingers operating rapidly. "Parsing residual signal characteristics... filtering background noise... matching positioning parameters in the protocol fragments... Got it! The external direction where the signal ultimately converged and was sent, although attenuated and blurred due to distance and relay, can be roughly determined—it is located at the three o'clock position relative to Homeland, about 0.5 light-years away, in that dense asteroid belt codenamed 'CT-12.' There is a recorded, long-abandoned ruin of a 'Deep Space Mining Consortium' commercial communication relay station there!"

In the conference room, when Evelyn and Excellence presented the complete analysis report, the heavy atmosphere of suspicion that had previously permeated the room melted away quickly like frost under the sun. It was replaced by an exhilarating sense of clarity and an even more fervent unity against the common enemy.

"It's not someone among us..." a department head who had previously been under immense pressure let out a long sigh of relief, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

"It's something from the outside! An insidious worm!" another general glared with fury.

Wang Jianguo looked at the red dot marked in the asteroid belt on the screen, his eyes sharp as knives. The clouds of internal trouble had dissipated, and the outline of the external enemy had become clear. The internal cohesion was not damaged; instead, it became even more solid due to this successful cooperative detection and the shared enemy.

"Well done, 'Net Catch' team." Wang Jianguo said in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over Excellence, Evelyn, Security Minister, and Su Mu. "You have not only cleared the innocent of suspicion, but you have also struck back hard at the opponent and caught its fox tail! Now, it is time for us to take the initiative."

He stood up, his voice ringing out powerfully across the entire command center. "I order! Form an elite assault fleet immediately, codenamed Operation 'Tooth Extraction'! Target: CT-12 star sector, abandoned relay station. Mission: First, thoroughly search the area to root out the Nest of this 'Data Ghost' and any possible physical control terminals; Second, capture intact enemy program samples or hardware if possible; Third, trace the final destination of its signals and lock onto the mastermind! Su Mu, you are in charge of commanding the assault team! Evelyn will provide full technical support! Excellence, I need you to sense abnormal energy and spatial fluctuations at all times to prevent traps or ambushes!"

"Yes!" everyone replied in unison, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.

A successful defensive counterattack not only eliminated the hidden danger of internal fissures but also reclaimed the tactical initiative. Homeland, the great ship carrying the hope of humanity, after experiencing a brief storm of distrust, held the helm more firmly, and its course was more determined. Its sharp blade had been unsheathed, its cold light pointing directly at the enemy's Nest hidden in the shadows of the asteroid belt. A direct assault on the enemy's headquarters was about to begin.