227: Chapter 226 Mysteries Surrounding the New Weapon! A Glimpse of Profound Light Meets Disturbance, A Subdued Tide Breaks the Tranquility (3)

"The core member of the Aurora Alliance said with a hint of triumph, 'Next, we need you to use your position to obtain the core vulnerability repair plan for Xuanguang Technology as soon as possible. Once we have the repair plan, we can completely control all xuanguang equipment. At that point, Xuanguang Technology will be in our pocket, and we will control the entire energy landscape. Additionally, you must implant a new virus program into all xuanguang equipment to ensure we can control the devices at any time. If any accidents occur, we can immediately paralyze all xuanguang equipment.'"

"Rest assured, no problem," Professor Zhang's voice was low, carrying a hint of imperceptible helplessness. "Back then, Professor Chen modified the core data only because he was coerced by you. You used my family to threaten me, forcing me to persuade Professor Chen to do it. All these years, I have been lurking in the Xuanguang Team, enduring humiliation and heavy burdens, just to wait for the right opportunity to exchange for my family's safety. Only Professor Chen and I know the core vulnerability of Xuanguang Technology. As long as I get the repair plan, you will be able to completely control the xuanguang equipment without any surprises."

"Very good!" The core member of the Aurora Alliance smiled with satisfaction, his tone tinged with greed. "After it's done, we will give you enough benefits to ensure you are well-provided for the rest of your life. At the same time, we will keep our promise and let your family return, allowing you to reunite."

"No need. I don't need your benefits," Professor Zhang's tone was filled with exhaustion and guilt. "I only hope you can keep your promise, let my family go, and keep them safe. For so many years, I have betrayed the Xuanguang Team and betrayed the country. My heart has long been filled with guilt, and I do not want to bear any more sins."

Hearing this, Mu Li's mind suddenly cleared, and all his doubts finally had answers. It turned out that Professor Chen's modification of the core data back then was not voluntary, but coerced by the Aurora Alliance. And Professor Zhang was forced to become an inside agent for the Aurora Alliance because his family was kidnapped, enduring humiliation for many years. Professor Chen's death was also likely related to the Aurora Alliance; because he wanted to fix the vulnerability, he was discovered by the Aurora Alliance and silenced, with his death staged as an accident.

"Action!" A flash of determination crossed Mu Li's eyes as he gave the order in a low voice, his tone cold and firm.

The security personnel lurking around the club immediately sprang into action. Like arrows released from a bow, they rushed into the club, their division of labor clear. Some were responsible for sealing off the club's entrances and exits to prevent the two from escaping, while the others followed Mu Li, quickly rushing up to the second floor and heading straight for that hidden private room.

"Bang!" The door to the private room was kicked open violently. Security personnel rushed in, aiming their Xuanguang Energy Weapons at the two people in the room, shouting sternly, "Don't move! Hands on your heads, squat down!"

The expressions of the Aurora Alliance core member and Professor Zhang changed instantly, the triumph and guilt on their faces immediately replaced by terror. They never imagined that their rendezvous had long been detected by the Xuanguang Team, and they had fallen into an ambush. The Aurora Alliance core member tried to reach for the weapon at his waist, but was quickly subdued by security personnel and pressed firmly to the ground. Professor Zhang did not resist; he slowly squatted down, hands on his head, his face full of guilt and despair, his eyes hollow, as if he had long anticipated this day would come.

Both were captured on the spot and subsequently escorted out of the club by security personnel to the base's interrogation room. Mu Li stood in the private room, looking at the marks on the floor, his heart a mix of complex emotions—anger, disappointment, and a trace of relief. At the very least, they had rooted out the inside agent and cut off one of the Aurora Alliance's channels for sabotage.

Inside the interrogation room, the lights were deathly pale, and the atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe. Professor Zhang sat in the interrogation chair, his hands bound, his hair disheveled, his face full of guilt, not daring to look up into Mu Li's eyes. Mu Li sat opposite him, his expression calm but carrying a trace of undisguisable heartache. After a long silence, he spoke slowly, "Why? Professor Zhang, you have been with the Xuanguang Team for so many years, watching Xuanguang Technology go from nothing to something, watching us work step by step, wanting to use Xuanguang Technology to protect the country's energy security and the electricity needs of the grassroots people. Why did you betray us, betray the country?"

Hearing Mu Li's words, Professor Zhang's eyes instantly moistened, tears sliding down his cheeks. His voice choked, filled with guilt and helplessness, "Engineer Mu, I am sorry. I have failed the Xuanguang Team, failed the country, and failed everyone who trusted me."

He took a deep breath and slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with pain, and slowly recounted the truth of that year, "Ten years ago, my wife and daughter were kidnapped by people from the Aurora Alliance. They threatened me with my family's lives, forcing me to persuade Professor Chen to modify the core data of Xuanguang Technology and leave a hidden vulnerability. Professor Chen was my mentor; he cared for me the most and understood me the best. Knowing I couldn't let go of my family, he didn't blame me but instead took the responsibility for modifying the data himself, just to save my family."

"But Professor Chen was not willing to be controlled by the Aurora Alliance, nor willing to see Xuanguang Technology used by them. So, after modifying the data, he had been secretly researching methods to fix the vulnerability, wanting to make up for his mistakes and protect Xuanguang Technology." Professor Zhang's voice became increasingly choked, tears falling uncontrollably. "Eight years ago, Professor Chen's research had a breakthrough. He was about to find a way to fix the vulnerability, but he was discovered by the Aurora Alliance. To stop Professor Chen, they staged an accident, killed him, and announced to the public that he died in an accident, covering up the truth."

"All these years, I have been lurking in the Xuanguang Team, enduring humiliation. On the surface, I was a diligent researcher, but in secret, I was controlled by the Aurora Alliance, helping them transmit information related to Xuanguang Technology. I lived in guilt and fear every day, worried about my family's safety on one hand, and feeling sorry for the Xuanguang Team and Professor Chen's hard work on the other." Professor Zhang's voice carried a hint of despair. "I know I am deeply sinful, and no matter how I repent, I cannot make up for my mistakes, but I really had no choice. I could not lose my family."

Mu Li listened quietly, the anger in his heart gradually replaced by regret and heartache. He had not expected that there was such a hidden story behind Professor Zhang's betrayal, and that Professor Chen had taken everything upon himself to protect his student, only to be silenced in the end. He raised his hand to rub his brow, his tone heavy, "Where is Professor Chen's repair plan? Did he leave any clues?"

Hearing the four words "repair plan," a glimmer of light flashed in Professor Zhang's eyes, and he quickly said, "Professor Chen divided the repair plan into three parts and hid them in three different places. Worried that the plan would be discovered by the Aurora Alliance, he never told me the specific locations and didn't leave any written clues. Before he passed away, he only left me one sentence through a secret channel: When Xuanguang Technology faces a major crisis, follow the guidance of the 'Light,' and you will find the answer."

"Follow the guidance of the 'Light'..." Mu Li repeated this sentence in a low voice, lost in thought. What exactly did the guidance of the "Light" mean? Was it Xuanguang Technology itself, or some kind of clue Professor Chen left behind back then? He pondered this sentence repeatedly, trying to find a breakthrough, but no matter how he thought about it, he had no leads.

Just as Mu Li was lost in thought, his communicator suddenly rang. It was from the special Technical Team, their tone filled with irrepressible excitement, "Engineer Mu! A major discovery! While organizing Professor Chen's laboratory relics from back then, we found an encrypted diary. The diary's cover has already yellowed, and it looks like it has been stored for many years. We tried many passwords, but couldn't open it. Finally, we tried entering the word 'Light,' and the diary actually opened!"

A flash of surprise instantly crossed Mu Li's eyes. He stood up immediately, his tone urgent, "Great! I'll be at the R&D Center right away!"

Mu Li hurried to the R&D Center. The technicians from the special Technical Team were gathered around a virtual light screen, their faces full of excitement. Seeing Mu Li enter, they immediately made way, pointing to the diary content on the screen, and said, "Engineer Mu, look, this is Professor Chen's diary. It contains a detailed record of what happened back then."

Mu Li walked up quickly, his gaze fixed tightly on the diary content on the screen. His fingertips swiped gently, reading it word for word. The diary recorded in detail how the Aurora Alliance coerced Professor Chen back then, how they kidnapped Professor Zhang's family, and how they forced Professor Chen to modify the core data. At the same time, it also recorded Professor Chen's thoughts and process in secretly researching ways to fix the vulnerability, with every detail recorded very thoroughly. Besides this, the diary also mentioned three locations where the repair plans were hidden, each related to three key experimental sites from the early stages of Xuanguang Technology's R&D: the initial experimental base in the western Gobi Desert, the Xuanguang Energy collection point in the southern deep mountains, and the old R&D Laboratory on the eastern coast.

"Finally found it!" Mu Li's heart was filled with excitement, and a glimmer of tears welled up in his eyes. The exhaustion and anxiety of the past few days vanished completely at this moment. As long as they found these three repair plans, they could completely fix the core vulnerability of Xuanguang Technology, get rid of the Aurora Alliance's threat, protect Professor Chen's hard work, protect Xuanguang Technology, and protect the country's energy security.

However, things were not that simple. When Mu Li turned to the last page of the diary, the smile on his face instantly disappeared, and his expression became solemn again. The last page of the diary had messy handwriting, showing Professor Chen's urgency and worry when he wrote it back then. There was only one sentence on it: "The Aurora Alliance's ambition goes far beyond this. What they want is the entire Xuanguang Technology system, the power to control global energy. While fixing the vulnerability, you must be vigilant against their ultimate plan—'Operation Light-Devourer.' Do not lower your guard."

"Operation Light-Devourer..." Mu Li repeated the name in a low voice, his eyes becoming increasingly solemn, and the alarm bells in his heart rang once again. He knew this was by no means a simple act of sabotage. The Aurora Alliance's ambition was far greater than they had imagined. "Operation Light-Devourer," as the name suggests, was to devour Xuanguang Technology, take it as their own, and thereby control the global energy landscape, endangering the energy security of all countries. Finding the repair plans and fixing the core vulnerability was only the first step; stopping the Aurora Alliance's "Operation Light-Devourer" was the biggest challenge they faced.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Mu Li led an elite Technical Team and security squad, fully prepared, and set off for the first location where a repair plan was hidden—the initial experimental base for Xuanguang Technology located in the western Gobi Desert. In the western Gobi Desert, yellow sand filled the sky, and violent winds howled. The swirling yellow sand was like snow filling the sky, blurring vision. The temperature was extremely low, the cold wind biting to the bone. The Gobi Desert underfoot was as hard as iron, and the vehicles traveling on it were bumpy and jolting.

Mu Li sat in the emergency vehicle, gripping Professor Chen's encrypted diary tightly, his gaze fixed on the yellow sand filling the sky outside the window, his heart filled with firm conviction. He knew this journey was full of unknowns and dangers. The Aurora Alliance would certainly not let them find the repair plans smoothly and would definitely set up ambushes along the way, attempting to stop them. But he did not retreat, nor could he retreat—for Professor Chen's hard work, for the future of Xuanguang Technology, for the country's energy security, and for the happy life of the grassroots people, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles lay ahead, he would face them head-on, go all out, find the repair plans, and completely shatter the Aurora Alliance's conspiracy.

The emergency motorcade sped through the Gobi, advancing toward the target location. The wheels rolled over the Gobi Desert, leaving deep ruts that looked particularly striking in the sky filled with yellow sand. The distant horizon appeared and disappeared in the wind and sand, like a giant mouth devouring everything, foreshadowing the danger and challenges ahead. Mu Li's eyes were firm, his lips tightly pressed, with only one thought in his heart: Must succeed, must protect Xuanguang Technology well, let it truly serve humanity, and light up the path to the future.

Meanwhile, on the far side of the ocean, inside the headquarters of the Aurora Alliance, the lights were bright, and the atmosphere was solemn. Several core members sat around a conference table. On the light screen in front of them, the real-time location of Mu Li's motorcade was displayed, their faces full of sinister malice and anger. "Trash! You couldn't even watch over one Professor Zhang, and he was caught by the Xuanguang Team!" The leader of the Aurora Alliance, his tone icy, his eyes sinister, slammed the conference table heavily. "It seems Mu Li and his team already know about the core vulnerability and have even found Professor Chen's diary and are on their way to find the repair plans."

"Leader, what should we do now? Should we immediately send people to intercept them on the way and stop them from finding the repair plans?" A core member asked urgently.

The leader of the Aurora Alliance curled his lips into a cold sneer, his eyes filled with greed and ruthlessness. "No need to rush. They think that by finding the repair plans, they can get rid of our control and stop 'Operation Light-Devourer.' It is simply wishful thinking." He raised his hand and pressed a red button in front of him, his tone cold and firm. "Launch 'Operation Light-Devourer.' Pass the order down: all subordinates lurking in various places, mobilize immediately. Targets—Xuanguang Energy Base, all pilot areas, and Mu Li's motorcade. This time, we will completely destroy Xuanguang Technology, devour all Xuanguang Energy, control the global energy landscape, and make the Xuanguang Team, and Mu Li, pay a painful price!"

The moment the red button was pressed, a piercing alarm sounded inside the headquarters of the Aurora Alliance. An ultimate conspiracy targeting Mu Li and the Xuanguang Team, and targeting Xuanguang Technology, officially began. In the distant western Gobi Desert, yellow sand filled the sky; the Xuanguang Energy Base remained brightly lit; and Mu Li's motorcade was still speeding toward the target location. A larger storm was quietly brewing, about to sweep in. Mu Li and the Xuanguang Team were about to face an unprecedented, difficult struggle.