173: Chapter 173 A desperate gamble, striking straight at the heart of the enemy.

The Old Factory District barrier was on the verge of shattering, its azure arc light flickering dyingly in the sky, like the cyclopean eye of a collapsing behemoth.

The city's pulse throbbed wildly amidst the dark noise of military boots pounding the ground, the shrill wail of sirens, and the panic of the crowds.

Ling Ye stood alone atop a desolate tower in the North District, tattered and covered in wounds, yet his spine remained as straight as a spear.

Behind him lay an unknown abyss ready to consume everything; ahead lay a lethal net woven from steel thorns.

To retreat was to fight like a trapped beast, only to be eventually ensnared; to wait was to let fate drift like duckweed, torn apart by the wind.

With the barrier on the verge of collapse, the enemy's elite forces would surely be drawn to the cataclysm in the Old Factory District, perhaps leaving a momentary lapse in their internal command nodes.

This "Main Relay Station" was the eyes, ears, and voice of the North District; paralyzing it would render the enemy deaf and mute in this sector.

In the chaos, this single strike might pivot the entire situation, tearing open a glimmer of hope for himself, for Wang Hao and Sun Li, and even for the countless innocents shrouded by the "Purification Net."

Even if he died, it would be like a meteor piercing the eternal night, better than rotting silently in the darkness.

This was not the courage of a reckless fool, but the desperate wisdom of one seeking a glimmer of survival amidst certain death! He must act!

His thoughts moved like lightning, a decision made in an instant.

Ling Ye no longer looked down at the dying blue light; his gaze, burning like a torch, swept across the dark map of the North District.

On the PIT offline map, the approximate location of the "Main Relay Station" was already marked—it was located in the center of the North District, beneath a complex of buildings known as the "Old Municipal Government Data Center."

It had once been an early data hub for Dawn City and was later abandoned, but its underground facilities were sturdy and had an independent power supply, making it the ideal location to establish a secret command node.

He had to act immediately! In these final moments before the barrier collapsed and everyone's attention was completely diverted, he had to complete the infiltration, reconnaissance, and even... a lethal strike!

A plan? There was no detailed plan. Only the simplest of goals: infiltrate, destroy, or obtain key information.

The means? Stealth, speed, and... whatever it takes.

Like the most agile ape, he climbed down from the water tower, landing silently, and once again submerged himself into the shadows of the abandoned factory district.

He did not return to the temporary safe house; it was no longer of any value.

He headed in the direction of the "Old Municipal Government Data Center," beginning a race against time and death.

The streets of the North District were even more dilapidated and empty than those in the Southeast District; there were few pedestrians at night, but patrolling police robots and the occasional hovering police car still existed.

Ling Ye became a phantom of the dark night, hugging the walls and weaving through alleyways and ruins, using his "Spiritual Sense" to warn him in advance, perfectly avoiding all surveillance and patrols.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the perimeter of the target area.

The "Old Municipal Government Data Center" was a compound consisting of several grayish-white, square, five-story buildings, surrounded by a wall that was damaged in many places.

The main building looked lifeless, but Ling Ye's "Spiritual Sense" could faintly perceive that deep underground, there was a stable, unusual flow of energy and intense fluctuations of information exchange.

It was definitely not simple there.

He circled to the back of the building complex, where the wall had collapsed, connecting to a desolate green belt.

He lay in the weeds, observing carefully.

The main building had several entrances, but all were tightly closed and had surveillance cameras.

The underground garage entrance had a lift gate; it looked abandoned, but his "Spiritual Sense" perceived a faint energy reaction behind the gate—possibly a sensor or a defensive device.

A frontal assault would not work. He had to find another entrance.

His gaze landed on a rusted ventilation louver on the side wall of the main building, about four meters off the ground.

The ventilation duct behind the louver might lead directly into the building, or even underground.

He observed his surroundings, confirming no one was there.

He took a few steps back, ran, kicked off a protrusion on the wall, and reached out to grab the edge of the louver!

The rusted metal let out a teeth-grinding "creak," but it barely held his weight.

He used his multi-tool to pry open the rusted nails securing the louver, carefully removing the entire shutter to reveal the pitch-black ventilation duct behind it, which exuded the smell of old dust.

He turned sideways and squeezed in, pulling the louver back to cover the opening behind him.

The duct was filled with dust and covered in cobwebs.

He crawled forward, heading toward the core of the building.

The ducts branched out in all directions, and he relied on his "Spiritual Sense" to faintly perceive the underground energy core, choosing his path accordingly.

After crawling for about ten minutes, he arrived in front of a ventilation grille.

From below the grille came the clear, steady hum of equipment running, the sound of keyboard typing, and low-pitched conversations!

He had arrived! Below was the interior of the "Main Relay Station"!

He carefully pressed his eyes against the gaps in the grille.

Below was a spacious, high-tech underground hall.

In the center of the hall were several huge circular surveillance screens, displaying real-time footage of various areas of Dawn City, data streams, and the status of encrypted communication channels.

In front of the screens, a dozen male and female operators wearing "The Scavengers" uniforms were busy at work.

Around the hall were various communication devices, server racks, and several independent command cubicles separated by bulletproof glass.

This was the central nervous System of the "Cleaning" side in the North District!

Ling Ye's heart pounded wildly.

He saw the information flashing on those screens:

Old Factory District barrier energy load: 98%! It was still rising slowly!

"Purification Net" action group status: Most displayed "In position" or "Controlling target."

In the encrypted communication channels, short reports and instruction confirmations from various units kept coming in.

In one of the command cubicles, a middle-aged man with shoulder insignia indicating the rank of "Major" was speaking urgently into a communicator: "...Command Center, this is the North District node. The barrier is on the verge of collapse; our unit has completed the deployment of the outer perimeter defenses according to the contingency plan, but there is still no sign of 'the key.' 'Escapee-Zero' is also missing. Requesting instructions: if the 'pollution' spreads after the barrier collapses, should we execute the 'Meltdown' protocol?..."

"Meltdown" protocol?! What was that? It sounded ominous!

Ling Ye's blood almost froze. He had to do something! Immediately!

A frontal assault on the hall? That would be suicide. There were at least a dozen armed operators below, and once the alarm was raised, the entire base would be locked down.

His gaze landed on the direction the ventilation duct extended. A thinner branch seemed to lead to the area above those server racks. If he could destroy the servers or cut some key lines, perhaps he could cause a System paralysis or chaos?

But the server rack area surely had independent monitoring and protection.

Or... his gaze shifted to the command cubicle where the "Major" was. There seemed to be a ventilation opening above the cubicle too. If he could infiltrate above the cubicle, perhaps he could hear more classified information, or even... have a chance to take this commander hostage or take him out? But that was also extremely difficult.

Time waited for no one! The energy load on the screen had already reached 99%! The humming and vibration from the direction of the Old Factory District could be faintly felt even here!

Just then, in the hall, the shrill red alarm lights suddenly began to spin and flash frantically! At the same time, on all the main screens, the image of the Old Factory District barrier suddenly turned snow-white, and immediately after, the curve representing the energy reading soared in a straight line, breaking through all scales, and then... vanished completely!

A cold, emotionless, electronically synthesized voice resounded throughout the hall and was broadcast outward through all communication channels:

"Warning! Warning! The Old Factory District 'Secondary Pollution Suppression Barrier' has overloaded and collapsed! Repeat, the barrier has collapsed! Large-scale, high-intensity 'pollution energy' eruption detected! The shockwave is expected to reach this area in sixty seconds! All units, activate the highest level of protection immediately! Execute the first phase of the 'Meltdown' protocol!"

The barrier... had collapsed!

The final moment had arrived!

The hall instantly descended into chaos and tension! Operators shouted loudly, typing rapidly on keyboards to initiate emergency protocols. The Major roared into the communicator: "Command Center! The barrier is broken! Execute 'Meltdown'! Repeat, execute 'Meltdown'!"

The "Meltdown" protocol was activated! What on earth was that?!

Ling Ye did not know. But he knew this was his chance! The greatest chaos had arrived! Everyone's attention was drawn to the cataclysm in the Old Factory District and the incoming shockwave!

Now was the time!

He did not choose to destroy the servers, nor did he try to infiltrate the command cubicle.

His target was the portable command terminal that the Major had just casually placed on the console in his haste, which seemed to be in the middle of encrypted communication with the Command Center! That terminal might have higher privileges, might be able to directly access the "Cleaning" side's core network, send commands, or even... cancel or interfere with the "Meltdown" protocol?!

He needed to get it!

He estimated the distance. The ventilation opening was about seven or eight meters from the console, with the busy crowd below.

He only had one chance. He had to strike during the momentary chaos when the shockwave arrived, while everyone was seeking cover or executing protocols!

He took a deep breath, adjusted his body to its optimal state, and focused his mind to the extreme. Like a venomous snake lurking in the darkness, he waited for the moment when his prey was most relaxed.

On the screen, the countdown ticked away rapidly: 50 seconds... 49 seconds... 48 seconds...

In the hall, the shrill alarms and the shouting of personnel were mixed together. The Major was facing away from the console, roaring at data on another screen.

30 seconds... 29 seconds...

Now!

Like a shell fired from a cannon, Ling Ye slammed open the ventilation grille, leaping down from the four-meter-high duct opening toward the console below!

While in mid-air, his gaze was locked firmly onto that portable command terminal!

Someone in the hall noticed him and let out a startled cry!

The Major whirled around!

Ling Ye's hand, like an eagle's claw, reached toward the terminal!

At the same time, an invisible, cold, and violent energy shockwave from the southeast swept in like a tsunami!

"BOOM!!!"

The entire world was swallowed by endless blue-white light and a deafening roar!