869: Chapter 864 Success

On the screen, a yellow sewage suction truck marked with "Municipal Dredging" was swaggering in front of the laboratory's back door.

The driver's side door opened.

A man wearing blue overalls and a mask jumped out.

Although the clothes were so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable, the way he got out of the vehicle was as elegant as if he were attending a banquet in Vienna.

It was Pei Jue.

He disdainfully brushed the dust off his cuffs and cursed into the hidden microphone on his collar.

"Franz, the clutch on this truck is stiffer than your rusty brain."

"I want extra pay."

A burst of harsh static came through the earpiece, immediately followed by Franz's excited shriek.

"Stop wasting time, Cleaner 09."

"The access point is right under that septic tank cover. You have three minutes."

"If you run over time, I'll cut off your signal jamming and let the alarms go off."

"That scene will be beautiful."

Pei Jue rolled his eyes, but his hands moved so fast they left afterimages.

He skillfully pried open the manhole cover, not to clear the sewer, but to pull out a black box from the suction truck's pipe.

It was a signal jammer modified by Franz.

Shen Yan watched this scene and took a sip of tea.

The system assigning these two men to him was simply a perfect match.

Pei Jue would do any dirty work for money and had no psychological burden.

Franz would build any kind of technology just to watch fireworks, completely disregarding the consequences.

Putting these two types of people together created a chemical reaction more terrifying than nuclear fusion.

The screen flashed.

The surveillance footage from inside the laboratory suddenly flickered twice.

The various indicators that had previously shown normal readings began to fluctuate bizarrely.

The laboratory, known as "Eden," was primarily responsible for Tiannuo Biology's high-end gene sequencing and vaccine research.

It was filled with delicate precision instruments.

At that moment, in the laboratory's main control room, several on-duty researchers were chatting while holding coffee cups.

Suddenly, the overhead lights turned a strange shade of pink.

Immediately after, Mozart's "Requiem" began playing over the intercom.

It wasn't a normal playback.

It was reversed.

That eerie melody, coupled with the pink lighting, instantly transformed the high-tech laboratory into a haunted house.

"What's going on? Did we get a virus?"

One researcher frantically hammered at the keyboard.

The screen only displayed a line of large, flashing green text:

["This device is undergoing a system upgrade. Progress: 0.01%... Estimated remaining time: 99 years."]

Chen Guangke, in his office, laughed so hard he almost choked on his popcorn.

"Perfect."

"Franz's move is too malicious; he just locked down their central control system."

Shen Yan did not laugh. His gaze landed on the screen in the lower right corner.

It displayed the sample library on the negative second floor.

Pei Jue had already changed into a Tiannuo internal white lab coat, with a newly forged ID badge hanging on his chest.

He walked with a brisk pace, carrying a silver insulated box in his hand.

It was a box meant for hairy crabs, still bearing the words "Yangcheng Lake Special Supply."

But in the tense atmosphere, no one noticed this jarring incongruity.

Because everyone's attention was diverted by the chaos Franz had created.

Tiannuo's head of security was rushing toward the main control room with a team of men.

Pei Jue passed right by that team of security guards amidst the confusion.

He even politely stepped aside to let them pass.

"This is mental fortitude."

Shen Yan set down his teacup and lightly tapped his fingers on his knee.

"Pei Jue knows that in times like these, one must act like an insider."

"The composure he exudes was cultivated from once possessing billions in assets."

Chen Guangke clicked his tongue in amazement.

"I used to think he was just putting on an act, but now I see he genuinely has some skills."

On the screen, Pei Jue swiped his card and entered the sample library.

This was where Tiannuo Biology's most crucial research achievements of recent years were stored—all the experimental data and original strains for the pancreatic cancer targeted drug.

This was also what Shen Yan had failed to fully acquire using his shell company back then.

Now, he was taking it all back.

Pei Jue opened the "hairy crab box."

There were no ice packs inside; it was filled entirely with precision connection cables.

He connected the box to the server port.

Franz's voice came through the earpiece, this time devoid of jest, filled only with fervor.

"Data transfer commencing."

"Wow, this firewall is practically made of paper."

"These Tiannuo idiots are still using encryption algorithms from ten years ago."

"Looks like they spent all their R&D budget on luxury cars."

The progress bar raced forward.

Just then, an unexpected event occurred.

The access control light for the sample library suddenly flashed red.

A middle-aged man in a gray suit appeared at the doorway, followed by two heavily armed special agents.

This was Tiannuo Biology's Chief Technology Officer, and also the uncle of Shen Yan's old rival, Liang Zexu.

"Which department are you from?"

The middle-aged man stared at Pei Jue's back, his voice grim.

"Why haven't I seen you before?"

Chen Guangke's heart leaped into his throat.

"It's over, we ran right into trouble."

"Brother Yan, should we let 'asking heaven' intervene?"

Shen Yan shook his head, his expression remaining calm.

"No need."

"Pei Jue can handle this minor scene."

On the screen, Pei Jue slowly turned around.

There was no panic on his face; he even wore that signature, slightly mocking smile.

He pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

"I am the newly assigned equipment maintenance specialist."

"The system crash in the main control room just now—I was also investigating the cause."

The middle-aged man scrutinized him suspiciously, his gaze falling on the box marked "Yangcheng Lake."

"Maintenance equipment carrying a box like this?"

Pei Jue glanced down at the box and sighed.

"No choice, the leadership insisted I bring it."

"They said it was a welfare gift for our department, and since it spoils easily, they asked me to put it in the cold storage for preservation."

The reason was absurd enough to be laughable.

But under the tense and chaotic circumstances, combined with Pei Jue's 'I'm helpless too, the leadership forced me' office worker expression,

it surprisingly carried a strange conviction.

The middle-aged man frowned, about to step closer to examine it.

Suddenly, the fire alarm blared throughout the entire building.

The piercing ring made people's eardrums ache.

This was Franz's handiwork.

He not only triggered the alarm but also activated the fire sprinkler system.

However, what sprayed out was not water.

It was a powerful dye agent he had pre-placed in the ventilation ducts.

Red smoke instantly filled the entire corridor.

"Damn it!"

The middle-aged man covered his nose and mouth, abandoning the interrogation of Pei Jue, and turned to run outside.

"Quick! Protect the core server!"

The situation was completely out of control.

Pei Jue stood in the red smoke, calmly unplugged the data cable, and closed the box.

He gave the surveillance camera the middle finger.

Then, carrying the priceless box of "hairy crabs," he strode deep into the smoke.

"Success."