284: Chapter 285 The Showdown Has Been Taken, Let's Discuss This

Zhang Wei lay in his car for half the night, and just as he was dazing off to sleep, his phone vibrated.

He sat up with a start and swiped open the screen.

It was a reply from Instructor Su Qing.

"Zhao Shouzhen came to see me. He's one of us. In nine days, once Lin Qi finishes his seclusion, arrange a meeting."

This short sentence contained a massive amount of information.

Zhang Wei's sleepiness vanished instantly.

Zhao Shouzhen?

The Vice Dean of Longya Academy and one of only three Rank 5 Experts known to the public in the Federation.

A big shot of this level actually took the initiative to contact Instructor Su Qing?

And even claimed to be "one of us"?

Zhang Wei's business intuition immediately picked up on something unusual.

This wasn't just a simple message; this was picking a side.

At a critical juncture where "disposal plans" were being discussed, the weight of a Rank 5 Expert choosing a side was immense.

He immediately dialed Instructor Su Qing's encrypted line.

The call was picked up after a single ring, with the background noise of howling wind and rain on the other end.

"Instructor Su, where are you right now?"

"The back mountain," Instructor Su Qing's voice was as cold and aloof as ever.

"What did Zhao Shouzhen say to you?" Zhang Wei got straight to the point.

Instructor Su Qing didn't waste any words either, recounting her conversation with Zhao Shouzhen in detail—including the expansion of the rift zone, the disagreements among high-ranking military officials, Zhao Shouzhen's intention to cooperate, and finally, the "token of allegiance" regarding Sword Saint Ye Qingtian.

Zhang Wei listened quietly, his fingers subconsciously tapping on the steering wheel.

The more he listened, the heavier his heart became.

But his mind also became clearer.

The heavy part was that the situation was even more dangerous than he had imagined. The expansion of the rift zone actually coincided with Seventh Brother's rise; if someone with ulterior motives used this to make a case, it would be a perfect target. Those people in the Federation's upper echelons were experts at pinning blame on others.

The clear part was that they weren't fighting alone.

Zhao Shouzhen's appearance was like a lamp lit in the fog. Although the light was still weak, it at least allowed them to see a direction.

"I understand," Zhang Wei said in a low voice after Instructor Su Qing finished. "Your judgment is correct; we can engage with this Zhao Shouzhen. Saving Sword Saint Ye Qingtian is both a favor and a card we can use to test his sincerity in return."

"Mhm."

"I'll arrange the meeting. It can't be at Longya Academy or Huichun Hall; we need to find an absolutely safe neutral zone." Zhang Wei's mind began to race. "The security level must be raised to the maximum—anti-surveillance, anti-eavesdropping, Law shielding... all of these must be considered."

"Understood," Instructor Su Qing had no objections. "One more thing: Zhao Shouzhen mentioned that Teacher Ye's condition can only hold out for five months at most."

"Five months..." Zhang Wei calculated the time. "Once Seventh Brother comes out of seclusion this time, he should be able to resolve it. This timing is actually quite perfect."

The two finalized more details over the phone, such as how to pass information through third-party channels and how to set up emergency contact protocols.

Zhang Wei realized that Instructor Su Qing was not only a top-tier warrior but also had a clear and meticulous mind when handling matters requiring careful thought.

Hanging up the phone, Zhang Wei let out a long sigh of relief.

It felt like he had just fought a tough battle.

He started the car and turned back toward the city.

The atmosphere in the car was no longer so oppressive.

Although trouble still remained, there was now at least a Breakthrough point.

He needed to go back immediately, reorganize all the intelligence, and formulate a brand-new contingency plan.

The core strategy of previous plans was "defense" and "concealment."

Now, "contact" and "negotiation" had to be added.

This meant that after Seventh Brother came out of seclusion, he could no longer be a loner drifting outside mainstream society like before.

He must, and inevitably would, step onto the stage and go toe-to-toe with the top powers of this world.

Zhang Wei even felt a faint sense of excitement.

He knew that the real big show was about to begin.

As the car drove back into the Huichun Hall underground garage and he just got out, his encrypted communicator rang again.

This time it was Chen Shu.

"Boss, I've found something new," Chen Shu's voice sounded like an emotionless electronic recording.

"Speak."

"Following your instructions, I focused all monitoring frequencies toward the Eastern Rift Zone. Five minutes ago, I captured an extremely weak but matching encrypted signal. It lasted only 0.3 seconds, fleeting in an instant."

Zhang Wei's heart suddenly leaped into his throat.

"Can you locate it?"

"I cannot pinpoint the exact location. The signal went through at least seventeen jumps and disguises, making the source fuzzy. However, judging by the final direction of signal attenuation, the source is most likely in the core area of the Eastern Rift Zone, near the D-3 Region coordinates."

"D-3 Region?" Zhang Wei remembered these coordinates; it was one of the highest-danger zones designated by the Federal Military. It was said that the space Laws inside were extremely chaotic, and even reconnaissance drones couldn't fly in.

"Yes," Chen Shu continued. "More importantly, through low-level protocol analysis, we discovered that this signal belongs to the same communication network as the one intercepted last time at the Convention Center. But in this signal, there's an undecipherable 'heartbeat packet'."

"'heartbeat packet'?" Zhang Wei was stunned. Wasn't that a term used by programmers?

"Yes, a periodic and highly regular piece of redundant data. It's sent every seven seconds, like a heartbeat. We suspect it's a low-level protocol used by the other party to maintain the communication link or for identity verification."

"Seven seconds..."

Zhang Wei's pupils constricted sharply.

This number was far too sensitive.

He remembered something Seventh Brother had mentioned in passing before going into seclusion.

At the time, Seventh Brother was studying Zheng Wujiang's notes and muttered to himself, "So the refresh rate of the world is this number..."

Zhang Wei hadn't heard clearly then and didn't dare to ask more.

Now, in the signal intercepted by Chen Shu, a "seven-second" rhythm had actually appeared.

Could there be a connection between the two?

A terrifying thought popped into his head.

That mysterious person—could what he's researching be the same thing Seventh Brother is aiming for in his Breakthrough?

Are they both trying to touch the underlying rules of this world?

"Chen Shu, send me the complete data of this signal. Every detail, don't miss a single byte."

"It has already been sent to your secure inbox."

"Keep monitoring. Use every resource available. I want to know what this 'seven-second' rhythm really means!"

"Yes, sir."

The communication cut off.

Zhang Wei stood in the empty underground garage, feeling a chill rise from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He had always thought that Seventh Brother's enemies were the Li family, the mysterious person, and the suspicion of the Federation's upper echelons.

Now he realized he might have oversimplified things.

The real enemy might be much more massive and mysterious than he had imagined.

What they were competing for with Seventh Brother might not be resources or territory, but the most fundamental... right of interpretation of this world.

He walked quickly into the elevator and pressed the button for the top-floor office.

The elevator doors closed slowly, reflecting his face, which was now full of gravity.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.