50: Wang Jianguo's chess game and the "catfish" plan

The underground command center of the "Zhulong" base was less a military headquarters and more like the immersive hub of a futuristic technological temple. A massive circular screen wall occupied an entire curved wall, composed of hundreds of seamlessly joined micro-LED screens. At this moment, it resembled a giant electronic organism with countless compound eyes, calmly staring at every minute movement in the base's core—the Seventh Floor Laboratory where Excellence was located.

The screens were divided into dozens of real-time feeds: from macro panoramic views of the laboratory to close-ups focusing on Excellence operating a precision instrument; from the complex code and simulated data streams cascading like waterfalls on the flexible screen before him to a split-screen display rendered with augmented reality. This display showed a real-time biometric visualization map representing his brainwave activity, heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, and even micro-expression changes. This massive amount of data was not just randomly piled up; it was integrated and analyzed by the base's base central ai, which extracted behavioral patterns, emotional indices, focus fluctuations, and even potential cognitive bottlenecks or signs of breakthrough.

The air was filled with a very low, constant hum generated by the heat dissipation of high-frequency server clusters, mixed with a cool airflow from the large air circulation system that was strictly controlled for temperature, humidity, and particulates. In front of the command console, over a dozen operators in dark uniforms acted like bridge members of an interstellar starship, focused on the constantly refreshing data interfaces before them. Their fingers skipped rapidly across touchscreens and holographic projection keyboards, occasionally whispering in calm, precise terminology. Their voices were swallowed by efficient sound-absorbing materials, ensuring absolute silence in the environment, save for the regular flickering of blue and green indicator lights in the dim space, like clusters of stars in the night sky.

Wang Jianguo stood like a frozen statue at the optimal observation position in the center of the command console. With his hands behind his back, his posture was as straight as a pine tree, and his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. He slowly scanned every key data stream and image on the circular screens, like an experienced captain examining every minute change on the charts and radar before a storm arrives.

"Over the past 72 hours, the target's research progress has been stable, following the expected curve. There has been significant optimization in the new resonant cavity design and energy focusing algorithms, with an efficiency increase of approximately 17.3%." A data analyst's voice came clearly through Wang Jianguo's bone-conduction headset, his tone steady and flat. "However, innovation pattern analysis shows that his thinking activity is primarily concentrated on iteration and optimization within the existing framework. It lacks... lacks the 'discontinuous' and 'cross-paradigm' breakthrough characteristics mentioned in previous reports. The Creativity Thinking Index (CTI) remains at the baseline level, with no abnormal peaks detected."

Another analyst responsible for physiological monitoring immediately added: "The Emotional State Index (ESI) remains low, with a narrowing fluctuation range. Cortisol levels show a slight upward trend, and the melatonin secretion cycle shows minor disturbances. Behavioral characteristics such as multiple instances of unconsciously staring at a fixed point, slight finger tapping on the desk (with no specific rhythm), and an increased frequency of sighing have been observed. Based on comprehensive judgment, psychological traits of a mild depressive tendency and significant social isolation side effects are beginning to manifest. Notably, he shows an abnormally high non-work-related focus on that archived 'hand-made' prototype, with an average of 7.3 stares or touches per day, far exceeding other personal items. Behavioral psychology models infer that this may be a... psychological anchor and emotional attachment to his past phase of free creation."

As Wang Jianguo listened to the report, his brow furrowed slightly, forming a deep vertical line. He had "protected" Excellence from that chaotic but vibrant dormitory and provided these luxurious, top-tier scientific research resources and meticulous logistical support to free him from trivial distractions, allowing him to produce highly valuable results without distraction. It was meant to catalyze, not imprison, his most precious, sky-constrained creativity. However, the current situation seemed to be sliding in a worrying direction: absolute safety and precision captivity were invisibly softening his most sensitive nerves and smoothing his most adventurous edges. It was subtly transforming him from a wild, inspired explorer into a high-level technical craftsman who operated efficiently within a set framework but had lost his explosive power. This was by no means the result he wanted. Excellence's value lay precisely in his leaping, unconventional, and even slightly crazed thinking patterns.

"On Morpheus Li's side, have there been any unusual movements from the Prophet Foundation recently?" Wang Jianguo's voice was low, breaking the silence of the command center and cutting straight to the core concern.

The head of intelligence analysis immediately pulled up an encrypted data interface flowing with multi-verified and cross-analyzed information. "Abnormally quiet, Director Wang," the supervisor replied, his tone carrying a hint of professional vigilance. "Since the Firefly team's mission failed and they lost contact, the other side's surface activity frequency has dropped to freezing point. Communication volume through public channels has plummeted, and its affiliated enterprises and academic cover organizations have all entered a 'silent period,' as if nothing ever happened. But..." He paused, his tone growing heavier, "our deep-penetration personnel sent back a very blurred, non-repeatable short message via a high-risk, one-time trigger beacon. After multiple layers of encryption and fragmentation were decrypted, the core content mentions: within The Foundation, there is a super high-security project codenamed 'pandora.' Recently, its resource retrieval frequency, security level fluctuations, and core personnel meeting frequency have shown abnormal increases. This may be directly related to a new strategy against the 'seed' that Morpheus Li is planning. As for the specific details of 'pandora'... they are impossible to ascertain. Its security level is the highest in The Foundation, beyond the reach of our insider's clearance. We only know it is related to the forbidden fields of... 'Consciousness Fields' and the 'nature of information,' and is extremely dangerous."

"pandora..." Wang Jianguo mused, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth metal console, producing a very regular, almost silent sound. That old fox Morpheus Li would never give up easily after one failure; his silence usually meant a deeper, more venomous plot was being orchestrated underwater. Using The Foundation's highest-level forbidden research project as bait? That certainly sounded like Morpheus Li's style—crazy, bold, and reckless, striking directly at the deepest weakness of human curiosity. This was an open scheme, betting that Excellence would be unable to resist the ultimate temptation of touching the mysteries of the world's origin.

He stared at Excellence's slightly dull face on the main screen, the lack of his usual spark in his eyes, and an equally bold, even adventurous idea gradually took shape in his mind.

"Perhaps... we have been making a mistake all along," Wang Jianguo suddenly spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly captured the attention of everyone in the command center. "We have protected the 'seed' too well, like protecting a piece of fragile porcelain, isolating him in an absolutely safe, absolutely pure vacuum. But this will only cause him to gradually lose his resistance to the storms of the outside world, losing that original, wild vitality. True powerhouses are not nurtured in a Greenhouse; they need to temper their bones and muscles in real storms, and even..." A light as sharp as a blade flashed in his eyes, "...need to learn how to dance with wolves, finding opportunities in crises and identifying bait in traps."

"Director Wang, what do you mean?" Xiao Zhang, who had been standing quietly to the side like a shadow, asked in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of tension. He vaguely sensed the extremely unconventional decision the chief might make.

"Initiate the preliminary phase of the 'Catfish' Plan," Wang Jianguo ordered, his voice steady but carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "The goal: without exposing our strategic intentions and while ensuring the absolute personal and information security of the 'seed,' to create a seemingly 'accidental' but actually completely controlled opportunity for the 'seed' to come into contact with the potentially sugar-coated poison bait that Morpheus Li has meticulously prepared."

The command room instantly fell into an extreme silence, as if even the hum of the servers had been invisibly sucked away. Everyone understood the immense risk inherent in this decision. It was equivalent to actively opening a tiny crack in the protective shield, allowing the enemy's meticulously designed "information missile," which could be highly toxic or carry a latent virus, to strike the core area protected by layers of security! This was no different from dancing on the edge of a blade or gambling on the edge of a cliff!

"I know this is risky." Wang Jianguo's gaze swept across the solemn and shocked faces of every core member present. "Therefore, we need to employ the highest level of safeguards. Immediately assemble a joint monitoring group consisting of the country's top experts in cognitive psychology, behavioral analysis, and information security. They will analyze every physiological, behavioral, and cognitive reaction pattern of Excellence 24 hours a day after he encounters any external information, establishing predictive models to provide early warning of any potential risks. We need to deploy the strongest 'digital firewalls' and 'physical isolation sandboxes' to ensure that any data that might flow in is run and parsed within an absolutely controlled virtual environment. All output must undergo multiple layers of filtering and auditing; there must not be the slightest accidental leak or reverse penetration. Technical department, I want you to develop at least three sets of emergency response plans within 12 hours, each containing dozens of branching scenarios—from immediately cutting all external connections and implementing psychological intervention to, if necessary, initiating the 'purification protocol' (physical isolation and memory intervention). We must ensure that nothing goes wrong."

His tone was as heavy as a mountain, each word striking the hearts of those present: "This is an active, precise strategic probe. We will use the enemy's most toxic bait to catch the fish we want—to stimulate the 'seed's' potential and break his current ideological shackles. We must let the fish taste the sweetness, let that tempting flavor stimulate its vitality and even make it bite the hook, but we must also ensure that the fishing line is held firmly in our hands. We must never let it break free and escape, or... be killed by the poison in the bait."

He turned his gaze back to the main screen, fixing it on Excellence's eyes, which now appeared somewhat confused and weary. "This child is an unpolished, peerless sword containing a world-shaking edge. But no matter how good a sword is, it needs to be repeatedly ground on a hard whetstone and even cast into a blazing fire for tempering before it can be sharpened and emit a cold light that cuts through everything. We cannot treat him like a flower in a Greenhouse just because we are afraid he will get hurt. It is time for him to feel the wind and rain of the outside world a little."

Wang Jianguo's eyes were deep, as if he could already see the complex picture woven by countless future possibilities. "Of course, the premise of all this is that the wind and rain must be under our firmly controlled, invisible umbrella. Letting him have contact is for stimulation and growth, not for destruction. We want Morpheus Li to think his bait was successfully deployed, without knowing that the fish that bites the hook will eventually drag the fisherman on the other end of the line into our net."

This was a risky move, a brilliant move that turned the enemy's plot against them. Within a framework of absolute control, Wang Jianguo intended to actively introduce a "controlled variable" for Excellence—a phantom of an opponent or a false ally from the dark abyss that might stimulate his infinite fighting spirit and creativity, but might also bring devastating risks. This was a grand gamble of humanity, wisdom, and will. The stake was Excellence's future, and perhaps much more.