165: Chapter 165 Listen to what others say and observe the situation.

As captured enemy equipment, the PIT inherently possessed the potential to access some of their internal communication networks. If he could successfully eavesdrop on the search progress in Rust Town, the handling of civilian informants, or even the specific deployment details of the "Purification Net," he would be able to know if "Midnight Wind" had been mentioned, as well as grasp the enemy's operational rhythm, providing key intelligence for his next move—whether it be evacuation, interference, or counterattack. This action did not proactively send signals outward and was relatively covert, but it required a certain amount of technical skill and luck, as well as an understanding of the communication protocols and channel characteristics of the "Cleaning" side.

Ling Ye hesitated no longer. He sat cross-legged deep within the rock crevice, placed the PIT on his knees, took a deep breath, and immersed his focus into exploring the PIT's operation interface.

Although the functions of this old-model PIT were restricted, as military equipment, its underlying System usually retained a general backend or debug interface used for maintenance, testing, or by low-privilege personnel. He attempted to enter the device settings, looking for options like "Network Scan," "Channel Search," and "History Connections."

Soon, he found a function for "Auto-scan available encrypted networks." After activation, the PIT began to scan for encrypted wireless signals that might exist in the vicinity and were compatible with its hardware protocols, using itself as the center.

Deep underground, the signals were extremely weak and chaotic. However, several signal sources still appeared on the PIT's scan list:

"SF_Base_Alpha" (Signal Strength: Extremely Weak, Encryption Rank: High) — This was likely the main network of that forward base; his privilege was insufficient, and he could not access it.

"SF_Perimeter_Net_Beta" (Signal Strength: Weak, Encryption Rank: Medium) — Possibly the network for the base's perimeter guards or sensors.

"SF_Ops_LowBand_Gamma" (Signal Strength: Unstable, Encryption Rank: Low) — This one looked the most promising! "Ops" likely stood for "Operations," "LowBand" for low bandwidth, and "Gamma" was possibly the communication network used by peripheral operation groups or low-level personnel. The encryption Rank was relatively low, and perhaps there were loopholes to exploit.

Ling Ye attempted to select "SF_Ops_LowBand_Gamma" to connect. The PIT prompted for a dynamic password or identification code. He didn't have one, but he didn't give up; instead, he tried to use several universal connection protocols that came with the PIT—possibly factory presets or for testing—to perform a "handshake" probe.

At the same time, he heightened his "Spiritual Sense," attempting to perceive the rhythm of that extremely faint energy and information exchange when the PIT performed a wireless signal "handshake" with the outside world. He was not trying to crack the encryption, but rather attempting to capture whether this exchange process occasionally leaked some unencrypted "packet header" information or error feedback used for protocol negotiation, from which he could infer some characteristics of the network, or even attempt to simulate it.

This was an extremely profound and difficult attempt, somewhere between electronic technology and "information perception." Ling Ye was fully focused, with fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

Time ticked by second by second. The connection attempts on the PIT screen kept failing. Just when Ling Ye was about to give up and prepare to try other methods—

The PIT suddenly emitted a faint "beep," and a prompt popped up on the screen:

"Compatible open relay node detected. Connect to the subnet in 'Guest-Read Only' mode?"

An open relay node? Guest-Read Only? Could it be a low-security repeater set up in some area by a peripheral operation group for the convenience of temporary communication? Or, was it a rarely used subnet channel in the System intended for device maintenance or testing?

Regardless, this was an opportunity!

Ling Ye immediately selected "Yes."

The screen flickered and entered another, more concise, and even somewhat crude interface. On the left was a continuously scrolling text information stream, similar to a chat room, but the information was all simply encrypted and displayed as garbled text. On the right, there were several channel options: "Area Alerts," "Action Briefing (Low-Sec)," "Logistics Coordination," and "Target Status Updates."

He tried clicking "Target Status Updates." This time, the screen refreshed, and a list appeared. Parts of the entries in the list were hidden, but the visible parts were continuously updating status descriptions regarding certain "targets":

"Target: Escapee-Zero. Last known location: Rust Town West District Abandoned Vehicle Processing Yard. Tracking clues: Temporary hideout and a small amount of abandoned items discovered. Assessment: Relocated, whereabouts unknown. Priority: Highest. Operation Group: Nightingale (Zhou Ming) responsible for main search, reinforcement team in position."

"Target: Potential Sensitive - Sun Li. Last known location: Third Colonial Academy (Online). Status: Under continuous observation, behavior conforms to expected anxiety patterns. Currently no abnormal energy readings. No control to be implemented for now."

"Target: Civilian Information Node - Codename 'Wind' (Associated with anonymous social media account). Relevance: Possible indirect connection to 'Escapee-Zero.' Status: No activity on account for 6 hours since standard time. Under technical surveillance, entity not yet located. Risk Assessment: Low-Medium. Recommendation: Continuous monitoring, if any unusual activity occurs, initiate tracing program."

Seeing the status of "Wind," Ling Ye felt slightly relieved. "No account activity," "Entity not yet located," and "Risk Assessment: Low-Medium" indicated that "Midnight Wind" had likely already become alert and stopped activities, or was simply well-hidden and had not yet been found. However, the threats of "Under technical surveillance" and "Initiate tracing program" still existed.

He switched back to the "Action Briefing (Low-Sec)" channel. The information here was more about the deployment and mission progress of various operation groups, and the encryption level seemed lower, allowing him to discern the general content:

"Nightingale Group Report: Preliminary dragnet search of Rust Town West District completed, 'Escapee-Zero' not found. Expanding search range to adjacent Industrial Zone and underground pipe network entrances. Requesting authorization to use enhanced life signal detection equipment."

"Purification Net Phase One Progress: Seventeen people have been 'invited' to assist in the investigation, three high-suspicion targets controlled. Civilian cooperation is average, public opinion control pressure is increasing."

"Old Factory District Barrier Status Update: Energy load has reached 92%, 'Secondary Pollution Source' activity remains abnormal. Command Center warns that the risk of barrier overload is high, which may trigger unpredictable consequences. All peripheral units are to be on high alert and stay five kilometers away from the barrier."

"the key Search Progress: None. Repeat, none. Command Center is extremely dissatisfied and demands increased screening efforts and expansion of the characteristic spectrum matching range. Suspected to possibly have a connection with 'Escapee-Zero,' needs to be confirmed as a priority."

The amount of information was immense!

Zhou Ming was expanding the search and requesting more advanced detection equipment. The traces he left in Rust Town and the Industrial Zone might be further unearthed.

The "Purification Net" had already started arresting people and controlling "high-suspicion targets."

The situation in the Old Factory District continued to deteriorate; the barrier might not hold! This could be a huge variable!

The search for "the key" had yielded no results, and they were beginning to suspect that "the key" was connected to him (Escapee-Zero)! This meant their pursuit of him and their desire for "research" would become even more intense and urgent!

Crisis was rolling toward him from all directions, like a boulder!

He had to act immediately! Use this information to formulate a plan!

First, he must absolutely not be cornered by Zhou Ming in the Rust Town-Industrial Zone area. He was currently underground and temporarily safe, but he needed to find an exit to other areas as soon as possible to completely get away from that region.

Second, the Old Factory District barrier might collapse; this was both a huge danger and could bring chaos and opportunities. He needed to closely monitor its dynamics.

Finally, could the speculation about "the key" perhaps be used to his advantage? But he had to be extremely cautious.

He switched back to the offline map and, combining it with the action briefing he had just obtained, quickly analyzed it. Rust Town and the Industrial Zone were located in the southeast of the city. The Old Factory District was to the east, slightly south. He was currently roughly deep underground in the east of the city.

The map showed that the cave System extending northwest from his current position seemed to have a potential connection to an ancient passage labeled as "Early Colonist Underground Shelter Ruins (Unverified)." And that ancient passage was said to possibly lead to underground facilities or abandoned mining areas in the city's North District.

The North District was relatively far from Rust Town, the Industrial Zone, and the Old Factory District, and it was a region developed earlier in the city's history, with complex underground structures, perhaps offering more space for hiding and maneuvering.

Perhaps he could explore to the northwest, attempt to enter those "Early Colonist Underground Shelter Ruins," and use them as a springboard to transfer to the underground of the North District?

But "unverified" meant risk. Moreover, whether that passage really existed, whether it was clear, and whether it was safe were all unknowns.

Or, continue to explore deeper, in a direction further away from the city? But that would mean being completely isolated from the surface, and survival would be even more difficult.

He had to make a decision as soon as possible. Zhou Ming's search net was tightening, and the ticking time bomb of the Old Factory District was counting down.