77: Decrypting Chips and the Dawn of "Quantum Entanglement Communication"

In the fleeting moment when the Emotion-Visualization Device 2.0 was thrown into chaos by an "accidental" electromagnetic pulse, the tiny chip that Evelyn Li flicked into the cooling vent with the sleight of hand of a magician—its existence and anomalous energy fluctuations—could not ultimately escape the watchful eyes of the "Zhulong" base's airtight, all-encompassing super monitoring system.

The warning signals of the device's abnormal halo flickering and its internal circuits momentarily overloading before recovering were captured within milliseconds of the event by multiple sensors with varying functions (high-frame-rate spectral analyzers, wide-spectrum electromagnetic field detectors, and micro-vibration pickup arrays) scattered inside and outside the rehabilitation room.

They immediately triggered a Level 3 security alert, and the data stream flooded into the command terminal of Chief Agent Xiao Zhang at the base security center as if by reflex.

"Rehabilitation isolation zone, Emotion-Visualization Device 2.0 is showing an abnormal high-energy pulse reaction, accompanied by an unauthorized hardware access feature spectrum!" A monitoring technician's voice rang out on the encrypted channel, speaking quickly and clearly.

Xiao Zhang's eyes instantly turned sharp as a hawk's. Without a moment's hesitation, he issued orders: "Security Team One, immediately seal off the corridors surrounding Rehabilitation Room B7. No unauthorized personnel are allowed near. Technical Forensics Team, enter immediately. Conduct a non-destructive disassembly and deep scan of the target device. I want to know exactly what that flash was about."

His voice was cold and steady, as if he had long been accustomed to all sorts of emergencies.

The well-trained technical team quickly entered the rehabilitation room.

Su Mu and Excellence were temporarily asked to move to the observation area, while Evelyn was "politely" asked to remain on-site to assist in explaining the "equipment accident."

Her heart was pounding like a drum, yet on the surface, she maintained just the right amount of apology and confusion.

Wearing anti-static suits, the technicians carefully dismantled the Emotion-Visualization Device 2.0—which had been heavily modified and was covered in traces of manual work—as if performing delicate surgery.

A high-magnification electronic endoscope probed into the cooling vent grid, and soon, in an extremely hidden corner near the main FPGA chip's cooling fins, they locked onto an anomalous object only a quarter the size of a fingernail, thin as a cicada's wing, with a matte black surface highly similar to the surrounding environment.

"Unauthorized implant detected! It is tiny, uses physical cloaking and thermal camouflage coatings, and the attachment point avoids all conventional detection paths... It is designed very ingeniously, almost like a work of art."

The technical team leader reported, his tone carrying a trace of amazement and gravity, "Preliminary scans show the chip has a complex internal structure, with multi-layer stacking and a suspected self-destruct mechanism. The encryption method is... highly unusual, and the energy signature matches The Foundation's highest-level 'Obsidian' protocol."

Soon, this tiny yet immensely significant chip was carefully extracted and placed in a specialized, inert-gas-sealed transport case designed to be resistant to electromagnetic interference and physical impact.

It was rushed to the supercomputing analysis laboratory in the core area of the base.

Wang Jianguo was already waiting in front of the massive circular monitoring screen.

He watched the close-up of the chip transmitted on the high-resolution microscopic image. A cold, sharp light flickered in his deep eyes, as if he could pierce through this tiny creation and look straight at the earth-shattering secrets and layers of murderous intent hidden behind it.

"Can it be cracked?" he asked concisely, his gaze turning to the chief engineer in charge of cryptography.

The engineer shook his head with a grave expression: "The 'Obsidian' protocol... is the top-tier information shackle that The Foundation claims is 'uncrackable.' It uses a hybrid encryption of dynamic quantum keys and chaotic algorithms. Theoretically, a brute-force attack would require an astronomical amount of computing power and time. Moreover, it has an integrated active monitoring mechanism. Once an illegal cracking attempt is detected, it is highly likely to trigger a nano-scale physical or logical self-destruct program, causing the data to be completely annihilated."

The laboratory fell into a brief silence; the air seemed to have frozen.

A forced crack carried immense risk and could result in losing everything; but without cracking it, they would never know what Evelyn had risked her life to deliver, nor could they assess its value and threat.

Just then, a strange light suddenly flashed in Wang Jianguo's eyes, and an extremely bold, even fantastical idea leaped into his mind.

"Wait... perhaps... we can try a different approach."

He spoke slowly, turning his gaze toward another team responsible for optimizing the core algorithms of the "Zhulong" project. "Try connecting the chip's data interface to the simulation test environment of the 'Zhulong' core processing unit. Call upon that 'Ghost Algorithm' module that Excellence unintentionally improved previously for optimizing the quantum noise random number generator."

This order left all the technicians stunned.

The algorithm that Excellence had improved had an unknown origin and bizarre logic, yet its results were surprisingly good.

However, to this day, no one could fully understand its working principle, let alone use it in a real-world scenario, especially for cracking this level of encryption!

It was like trying to pry open a vault door with an alien object that one couldn't even tell was a wrench or a musical instrument!

But Wang Jianguo's order brooked no questioning.

The technical team executed it immediately with maximum efficiency.

A special physical interface was fabricated, and the chip was carefully connected to a supercomputing cluster that was physically isolated from the main network and specifically used for testing Excellence's "black technologies."

Massive computing power began to be mobilized, and ghostly blue data streams surged across the screen.

Excellence's algorithm module, named "Ghost," was loaded.

Its code, filled with non-Euclidean geometric features and unpredictable jumps, began to run, seeping silently into the solid and complex defensive barrier of the "Obsidian" protocol like a true ghost.

The scene that followed left all the technicians staring at the screen, including the knowledgeable Wang Jianguo, feeling deeply shocked and incredulous!

The impossibly difficult tug-of-war in cracking that had been anticipated did not occur.

After Excellence's "Ghost" algorithm started running, it did not frantically collide with the encryption barrier like traditional cracking programs; instead, it exhibited an extremely eerie behavioral pattern—it seemed to be able to "Perception" the structural weaknesses inside the encryption protocol and the fleeting "flashing moments" of the decryption key based on quantum uncertainty!

Its computational path did not conform to any known logic at all; at times it was as pervasive as spilled mercury, and at other times it instantly crossed multiple encryption layers like action-at-a-distance, precisely "pinching" the source of the key generation!

The entire cracking process was jaw-droppingly fast!

The task, originally expected to require a supercomputer running at full power for hours or even days, was completed in just a few minutes.

Accompanied by a dazzling dance of data on the screen that seemed to possess self-awareness, the supposedly impregnable barrier of the "Obsidian" protocol dissolved and disintegrated silently like snow under the sun!

Before the chip's self-destruct mechanism could even be triggered, all the content in the core data area had been extracted completely intact, clearly presented before everyone like an unfurled scroll!

"Cracking... complete?! This... how is this possible?!"

The chief cryptography engineer's voice became hoarse from extreme shock. He stared fixedly at the plaintext data flowing on the screen, as if he had witnessed a miracle.

However, what was even more shocking was not just the speed and method of the cracking.

As the massive amount of decrypted information was parsed and presented, the impact of its contents far exceeded everyone's imagination!

What was first clearly displayed on the screen was the complete technical file and true functional description of the biological sensor named "nymph"!

Its insidious dual design, the terrifying efficacy of the nano-scale neural inducer called "Water of Lethe," and its remote activation and control mechanism... every detail nakedly revealed Morpheus Li's heinous, cold-blooded plan to instrumentalize human beings!

Following that were deeper, heart-chilling fragments of core secrets regarding the "pandora" project: some of its anomalous energy characteristics, its highly suspected association with high-dimensional information models, and The Foundation's internal assessment of its "danger" and "uncontrollability"... This information was enough to send shivers down the spine of anyone who knew about it.

After that, there was the latest dynamic information, communication frequencies, and personnel codenames for several secret monitoring Nodes that The Foundation had planted on the periphery of the "Zhulong" base, and which may have even infiltrated certain secondary supply chain links!

This was an extremely precious gold mine of intelligence!

There was even an outline of Morpheus Li's next action plan: after the failure of the "nymph" project, the backup plan prepared to be launched—the "Mirror Infiltration," which was an attempt to clone or simulate the neural activity characteristics of Excellence, in an attempt to reverse-engineer the "pandora" fragments from the outside...

And finally, there was a voice message, stored separately and encrypted with her personal biological characteristics, from Evelyn Li herself.

Her voice came through the loudspeaker, clear and distinguishable, carrying an undisguisable tremor and fear, yet even more filled with a desperate determination:

"To the person in charge of the 'Zhulong' project... If you can hear this message... then everything I have done... might have had some meaning... I am Evelyn Li, daughter of Morpheus Li... I feel immense fear and shame for what my father and The Foundation have done... They have long since deviated from their original ideals... degenerated into monsters who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals... The 'nymph' project is just the tip of the iceberg... What they want to control... is far more than just Excellence... but the key to the future... I can no longer remain silent... nor can I continue to be their tool... I request your protection... I am willing to provide everything I know... I only ask that you stop my father's madness... and prevent a greater disaster from occurring..."

The message finished playing, and the monitoring center fell into dead silence.

Everyone was too shocked to speak by this "pledge of allegiance" with its massive amount of information and thrilling content.

Wang Jianguo was the first to recover from the shock.

His expression instantly became incredibly grave, his eyes sharp as knives. Without any hesitation, he immediately issued a series of resolute orders: "Immediately activate the highest emergency response plan, 'Xuanwu'! Use all resources to locate Evelyn Li's precise position immediately! She is exposed now, and her situation is extremely dangerous! Morpheus Li will never let her go! Dispatch the 'Dark Blade' team, spare no cost to ensure her personal safety, and transfer her safely to Emergency Shelter No. 1! Execute immediately!"

He was very clear that the intelligence Evelyn had delivered was of immeasurable value, and the risk she faced because of it had reached its peak!

She had become the most important pawn pushed to the front line, and also the most vulnerable target.

However, just as the technical team was still surging with excitement over the success of the cracking and Evelyn's message, and the security forces were operating at high speed due to the sudden emergency mission, the chief scientist of another unrelated and highly confidential research team within the base—the laboratory responsible for early theoretical verification and basic testing of a "Quantum Entanglement communication prototype" based on those complex equations that Excellence had previously drawn unconsciously—suddenly rushed into the command center with a look of horror on his face!

"Chief! It's incredible! Just now! At the exact same time you were cracking that chip!"

This scientist, usually known for his calmness, was so excited he was almost incoherent. He pointed to the data pad he had brought, "Our prototype test platform... it... it actually received a signal! An extremely weak, yet clearly distinguishable, verification signal that cannot be explained by any existing physical theory!"

He quickly connected the data pad to the main screen, bringing up a set of mind-boggling real-time data streams and spectrum charts.

"Look! The timestamp of the signal's appearance is highly consistent with the moment the 'Ghost' algorithm cracked the 'Obsidian' protocol's core key, accurate to the nanosecond! The modulation method of the signal... God... it... it actually contains... partial characteristic hash values of the cracked key! This... this is simply impossible! Our prototype is still in the most basic principle verification stage and has not transmitted any signals externally at all! And this signal... it seems to have 'emerged' from... from the quantum noise background of the algorithm's own operation! It's as if... as if some kind of... incredible quantum Resonance effect that transcends spatial distance has occurred between the two projects!"

The entire command center fell into a deathly silence once again, and everyone was left dumbfounded by these successive discoveries, each more astonishing than the last!

Wang Jianguo stared fixedly at the two sets of data curves perfectly aligned on the timeline, an unprecedented, sharp light erupting in his eyes as if he had discovered a new continent!

An astonishing, almost cognition-shattering deduction formed in his mind instantly: "Unless... unless Excellence's 'Ghost' algorithm of unknown origin inherently implies some kind of underlying protocol that we do not yet understand, one that can utilize macroscopic quantum effects, or perhaps even conduct long-distance information transmission based on the deep connection between consciousness and information?! This algorithm... it is not just a cracking tool... it is itself... a beacon?! A... key?!"

This unexpected discovery, which far exceeded expectations, left all the researchers instantly overwhelmed by immense excitement and fervor after their extreme shock!

If this deduction were confirmed, it would not only be a revolution in communication technology, but it could fundamentally change humanity's understanding of information, consciousness, and even reality itself!

This was undoubtedly the most significant and subversive discovery since the launch of the "Zhulong" project!

"Immediately!" Wang Jianguo's voice was slightly hoarse with excitement, yet filled with unquestionable decisiveness. "Establish the highest-priority 'magpie bridge' project team! I will serve as the chief commander myself! Concentrate all the base's top experts in quantum physics, information theory, and cognitive science to prioritize the study of this anomalous Resonance phenomenon between the 'Ghost' algorithm and the quantum communication prototype! I want to find out in the shortest possible time whether this is just a coincidence, or... whether we have truly touched the key to the future! This may be the key breakthrough for us to counter The Foundation and even change the entire global landscape!"

The entire "Zhulong" base was like a precision war machine, instantly cranked up to maximum power.

Resources were rapidly allocated, personnel were urgently summoned, and a new research direction, full of infinite possibilities and unknown risks, was forcefully launched.

Meanwhile, in the rehabilitation isolation zone, Excellence, completely unaware of all these earth-shattering changes, had just, with Su Mu's help, successfully (or perhaps, accidentally) used his still-fickle brainwave signals to make a small metal ball suspended in a special magnetic field wobble clumsily a few times.

He seemed to sense something, suddenly looked up, rubbed his still faintly aching temples, looked blankly out the window toward the invisible depths of the base, and mumbled vaguely to Su Mu beside him:

"Squad leader... inside my head... just now it seemed like... there were stars singing... ding-dong... and it was a bit... itchy..."

Su Mu: "..."

She looked at Excellence's still innocent and ignorant eyes, sighed helplessly, picked up a towel to wipe the slight sweat from his forehead caused by the practice, and thought to herself: It seems this long and arduous road to recovery is indeed... a long way to go.

She had no idea that the seed her friend had unintentionally sown was quietly triggering a storm that would sweep through everything in the invisible depths.