25: Chapter 25 Full-Area Deployment! Disguised Infiltration to Gather Enemy Intelligence, Playing the Fool While Waiting for the Opportunity (1)

As soon as the crisis of the Shanghai pilot project was resolved, Mu Li brought Zhang Hongyuan back to the capital overnight. On the plane, he did not rest for a moment, staring at the screen of the national pilot project security coordination system throughout the flight. Red warning markers flickered on the screen, indicating the implementation sites of over twenty pilot projects that had already commenced domestic construction. Beside each marker, a potential security risk level was noted.

"Engineer Mu, based on Li Wei's interrogation confession and the intelligence summary from the China Security Bureau, the Western Technical Blockade Alliance has teamed up with the Remnants of the Black Scorpion, Blood Dawn, and the Arctic Wolves—three international terrorist organizations. They plan to launch simultaneous attacks on six core domestic pilot projects at 3:00 AM three days from now." Zhang Hongyuan spoke with a heavy tone, holding an encrypted intelligence report. "These six projects are located in the capital, Shanghai, Guangdong Province, Sichuan Province, Shaanxi Province, and the Northeast. They are all key nodes for our promotion of Wireless Power Transmission Technology. If they fall, the entire national energy network layout will be hindered."

Mu Li's fingertips slid gently across the screen, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's. "Six core projects, three terrorist organizations. It seems Thomas is determined to go to extremes. Their advantage lies in dispersed attacks to catch us off guard, while our advantage is the national pilot project security coordination system, which allows us to precisely allocate resources and concentrate our forces for defense."

"I have already contacted the China Security Bureau and local law enforcement and Garrison Forces. They have all stated they will provide full support, and each pilot project will be stationed with at least one company of troops to strengthen defense," Zhang Hongyuan added. "Additionally, the R&D team has replaced all core equipment with Quantum Encryption Locks. Even if the terrorists obtained the previously leaked blueprints, they won't be able to start the equipment."

"It's not enough." Mu Li shook his head. "For these terrorist organizations to operate globally, they must have a rigorous intelligence network and means of infiltration. If we only strengthen defense openly, they will likely find loopholes. Furthermore, I suspect Thomas is hiding a trump card; he might even personally lead a team to sneak into the country to command this joint attack."

Zhang Hongyuan was stunned for a moment. "You mean... Thomas will come personally? Then should we increase the screening efforts at airports and ports to block him outside the borders?"

"No need." A meaningful curve touched the corner of Mu Li's mouth. "This is the perfect opportunity to completely crush his conspiracy and make him pay for his past actions. Zhang Hongyuan, make arrangements immediately. Prepare a set of identity documents for me as an ordinary security consultant. I want to personally infiltrate the pilot project site in Guangdong Province."

"What? You want to infiltrate personally?" Zhang Hongyuan's expression changed. "The Guangdong Province pilot project is one of the primary targets of this attack. The risk is too high! And your identity is so important; if you're exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable!"

"Precisely because it's a primary target, I must go personally," Mu Li said firmly. "Thomas has always thought I only hide behind the scenes to direct things, looking down on me as a 'tech geek.' This time, I'll disguise myself as an ordinary security consultant and go deep into the front lines. This way, I can figure out the terrorist organization's infiltration methods and attack plans, and also deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment—this is the 'playing the fool to eat the tiger' strategy I want."

Seeing Mu Li's resolute attitude, Zhang Hongyuan knew he couldn't dissuade him and could only nod in agreement. "Fine! I'll prepare the identity documents for you immediately and arrange for the most elite security personnel to protect you in secret. The person in charge of the Guangdong Province pilot project is Zhao Gang. I'll communicate with him in advance so he can cooperate with your actions."

When the plane landed at the capital's international airport, it was already dawn. Mu Li did not return to the company. Instead, he changed into a gray security uniform and put on a pair of ordinary black-rimmed glasses. His originally sharp gaze became unremarkable, making him look like an ordinary security guard with zero presence. He took the identity documents handed to him by Zhang Hongyuan—'Li Ming, outsourced security consultant for Universal Energy, responsible for assisting with security work for the Guangdong Province pilot project.'

"Remember, while in Guangdong, call me Consultant Li. Do not expose my true identity," Mu Li instructed Zhang Hongyuan. "I'll leave the coordination work here in the capital to you. If you discover any abnormalities in the other pilot projects, notify me immediately using the quantum encrypted communicator."

"Don't worry, Engineer Mu! You must stay safe!" Zhang Hongyuan nodded heavily.

Two hours later, Mu Li arrived at the Guangdong Province pilot project site under the identity of 'Li Ming.' The project was located in the New Energy Industrial Park in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. At this time, the construction site had completely halted work. High cordons were set up all around, and a large number of security personnel and Garrison Force soldiers were patrolling back and forth. The atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

"You're the Consultant Li sent by Universal Energy?" Zhao Gang, the project manager, came forward to meet him. He was tall with dark skin, a veteran soldier with a hint of vigilance in his eyes. Clearly, he was somewhat distrustful of this suddenly dispatched 'outsourced security consultant.'

"Yes, Captain Zhao," Mu Li deliberately lowered his voice, speaking in a flat tone. "I'm here to help you refine the security plan and identify potential safety hazards."

Zhao Gang sized Mu Li up from head to toe. Seeing his ordinary security uniform and plain appearance, his disdain grew. "Consultant Li, we already have a professional security team and the Garrison Force stationed here. There shouldn't be any issues with security. If you have nothing to do, go help with the perimeter patrols."

Mu Li understood clearly and didn't argue, simply nodding. "Alright, Captain Zhao."

He knew that Zhao Gang's disdain was exactly the effect he wanted. Only by making everyone think he was an ordinary security consultant could he avoid attracting the terrorists' attention and successfully uncover their secrets.

For the next day, Mu Li truly acted like an ordinary security guard, carrying a patrol bag and a logbook as he inspected the project site area by area, both inside and out. He didn't rush to show off; instead, he followed the veteran security personnel to familiarize himself with the routes. As he walked, he filmed with a miniature camera hidden in his glasses frame while quietly activating the portable energy detection device he carried—a device he had exchanged for with system points. It could precisely capture weak energy fluctuations from explosives, trackers, and other energetic materials, with a detection range of up to fifty meters.

Starting from the east entrance of the project, Mu Li walked slowly along the inner side of the perimeter wall, his steps light and his gaze scanning every detail like radar. When he reached the middle of the western wall, he suddenly stopped. This part of the wall was an old brick-and-concrete structure, covered in moss. Near the ground, there was a patch of vines. It looked no different from other areas, but Mu Li noticed slight signs of loosening in the wall beneath the vines. With a gentle nudge of his toe, small stones actually fell away. He pushed aside the vines and indeed found a breach about fifty centimeters wide. The edges of the breach were neat, clearly cut by someone and then camouflaged with vines. Fresh cement powder remained inside, indicating the camouflage was less than twenty-four hours old. More importantly, the breach faced a small alley in an urban village outside, providing a hidden view—it was indeed an excellent infiltration point.

Mu Li calmly blocked the camera with his logbook to photograph the details of the breach, then scanned it with the detection device. Finding no energy fluctuations, it meant no explosives had been planted in advance. He made a random mark in his logbook and continued forward.

Passing through the construction area to the vicinity of the temporary warehouse, Mu Li discovered a new problem. The warehouse was a temporary structure made of color steel plates, used to store core equipment components and construction drawings. Although security personnel were stationed at the door, the lock was just an ordinary mechanical padlock without any electronic encryption. On the pretext of 'checking the sturdiness of the lock,' he leaned in to observe and found fine scratches on the lock cylinder where it had been tampered with. Someone had clearly tried to pick it but failed. Even more dangerous, there was a tiny crack in the glass of the warehouse window. Through the crack, the internal shelf layout was clearly visible. Terrorists could fully observe the interior through this crack or even reach in with tools to cause damage.

Mu Li pretended to remind the guard on duty: "This lock is a bit loose, and the window is cracked. It's better to change it for something sturdier. It would be trouble if anything went missing."

The guard nodded dismissively. "Got it. I'll report it later." Clearly, he didn't take the words to heart.

Continuing deeper into the core area, Mu Li focused on observing the patterns of the night patrols. He discovered that every hour on the hour, two patrol teams would hand over at the intersection of the core equipment area. During the handover, after the first team left, the second team needed one minute to organize their gear, plus five minutes for information verification. This resulted in a security gap as long as six minutes at this critical node. Furthermore, the lighting at the handover point was too bright, leaving the patrol teams' silhouettes completely exposed, while the surrounding construction machinery and temporary sheds could serve as excellent hiding spots.

In addition, Mu Li noticed that the surveillance cameras in the core equipment area had blind spots—the northwest side of the wireless transmission tower foundation was blocked by a large crane, making it impossible for the cameras to cover. Moreover, some camera cables were exposed without protective piping; as long as the cables were cut, the surveillance would be disabled. He scanned the blind spots and the vicinity of the cables with his detection device. Sure enough, beneath one of the camera cables, he found weak electronic signal fluctuations, indicating that someone had once installed a signal receiver here to steal surveillance footage.

Mu Li recorded all the hazards in his mind one by one without pointing them out immediately. He knew these loopholes were no accident; they were likely left by terrorists after scouting the site in advance, or were points they planned to exploit. What he had to do was beat them at their own game by setting up a dragnet at these loopholes.

At dusk, while on patrol, Mu Li noticed a man wearing a construction worker's uniform whose behavior was extremely suspicious. The man looked to be in his fifties, thin with a hunched back. He kept lingering on the perimeter of the project site, but his eyes frequently darted toward the core area. From time to time, he would secretly take photos of the construction site layout with his phone, especially the location of the wireless transmission tower foundation. He even deliberately lowered his body while filming, his movements furtive.

Mu Li followed him stealthily, keeping his steps light and using the surrounding greenery and construction machinery as cover. The man seemed to sense something and quickened his pace, heading toward an urban village outside the industrial park. Mu Li followed him all the way, watching as the man entered an inconspicuous rental house. The door was left ajar, not completely closed.

He quietly approached the rental house, held his breath, and aimed the miniature eavesdropping device hidden in his sleeve at the crack in the door. He clearly heard the conversation inside.

"Boss, I've mapped out the layout of the Guangdong pilot project. There's a breach in the western wall. Between 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM, there's a five-minute gap during the patrol handover. That's our best chance to sneak in." The man's voice carried a hint of nervousness and some breathlessness.

"Very good." A cold voice rang out—it was Batu, the leader of the Blood Dawn organization. "Remember, your task is to sneak into the construction site before 2:00 AM and plant timed explosives in the foundation of the wireless transmission tower, to be detonated exactly at 3:00 AM. Brothers from the other five projects will act simultaneously. As long as we succeed, the ten million dollars Mr. Thomas promised will be deposited into our accounts."

"Don't worry, Boss! I'll definitely complete the mission! There are no guards around that foundation. I'll sneak in, plant the bomb, and leave. I guarantee it'll be done without a trace!"

Mu Li sneered inwardly. He hadn't expected to uncover the terrorists' infiltration time and attack plan within just one day of arriving in Guangdong. He quietly withdrew. After retreating to a safe distance, he contacted Zhang Hongyuan via the quantum encrypted communicator. "Zhang Hongyuan, immediately notify the Guangdong Garrison Force and the security team. Focus on strengthening the defense of the western wall. Set up hidden sentries near the temporary warehouse and the wireless transmission tower foundation, all equipped with infrared night vision and silenced weapons. They must remain hidden. Also, coordinate with local law enforcement to check all rental houses in the urban village outside the industrial park. Locate the Blood Dawn hideout. Wait until 1:00 AM to launch a unified arrest. Be careful to stay hidden; do not alert the enemy."

"Understood! I'll notify the Guangdong side to deploy immediately!" Zhang Hongyuan's voice came through, tinged with urgency.

After hanging up, Mu Li returned to the project site. At this time, Zhao Gang was holding a meeting with the head of the security team to discuss the night's security plan. Mu Li walked over and gently knocked on the meeting room door.

"Consultant Li? Why are you here?" Zhao Gang frowned, his tone carrying a hint of impatience. "Didn't I tell you to go patrol the perimeter?"

"Captain Zhao, I've discovered some safety hazards and would like to report them to you," Mu Li said in a flat tone.

"Oh? And what safety hazards could you have found?" Zhao Gang smiled disdainfully. "Our security team is professional. Could we possibly be inferior to an outsourced consultant like you?"

The other security personnel in the meeting room also burst into laughter, clearly not taking this 'ordinary outsourced consultant' seriously.

Mu Li didn't get angry. He simply took out his phone and pulled up the photos he had taken during the day. "There is a man-made breach about fifty centimeters wide in the western wall, camouflaged with vines, enough for an adult to sneak through. The temporary warehouse uses an ordinary padlock with signs of tampering on the cylinder, and a cracked window allows the internal layout to be easily observed. There are blind spots in the core equipment area's surveillance, and some camera cables are exposed with signs of eavesdropping. The night patrol handover gap is as long as six minutes, and the handover point is exposed, making it easy to ambush. Additionally, I just discovered the Blood Dawn hideout in the urban village. They plan to sneak in before 2:00 AM to plant explosives in the foundation and detonate them at 3:00 AM sharp."

As soon as he finished speaking, the laughter in the meeting room vanished instantly, and everyone's expression became solemn. Zhao Gang snatched Mu Li's phone, his fingers sliding quickly across the screen to carefully examine the photos. He found that the photos clearly showed the breach in the wall, the scratches on the padlock, the cracked window, the exposed camera cables, and the profile of the suspicious man hiding behind a tree while filming—the background of which was indeed the core area of the project.