311: Chapter 246: Stealing Data, the Mo Family's Mechanical Insects Make a Difference

Backup Hiding Spot No. 3 was located deep within a crustal fissure of a frozen asteroid on the outskirts of the Red Rock Galaxy. The environment here was harsh, with extremely low temperatures and a complex energy radiation background, naturally forming a shield against most detection methods. After six hours of cautious navigation and several short-range space jumps, the "Shatterbones and Salt" merchant ship, like a weary traveler, finally ducked into this natural hidden fissure, shutting down all active Systems and maintaining only minimal life support and internal monitoring.

The atmosphere inside the cabin was heavy. The main screen continued to replay the shocking images of the blood sacrifice star gate, with various analytical data displayed alongside: energy reading curves, guard distribution heat maps, and countdown numbers ticking silently. Everyone knew that although the intelligence they now possessed was worth a fortune and enough to complete their mission for basic rewards, it wasn't enough! The fifteen-day startup window was too tight; they needed to know the exact coordinates of the other side of the star gate, the expected scale and quality of the passing forces, and whether the Orcs had other supporting offensive plans. These were the core pieces of intelligence that would allow the Human Race high command to launch a precise counterattack, or even potentially destroy or interfere with the star gate in advance.

"A frontal infiltration is impossible, and a forceful assault is suicide." Wang Meng stared at the distribution map of the star gate guards, his brows furrowed into a knot. "That LV480 big guy is like a nail fixed to the gate, plus there are six Demigods and tens of thousands of elites... Even in our peak state, charging in would just be throwing our lives away."

"What about energy interference?" Zhao Hao suggested. "Can we remotely interfere with the star gate's energy supply? Those ground magic circles look critical."

Qin Qing shook her head. "The coverage of the magic circles is too vast, and they are deeply connected to the planet's ley lines and the star gate's base. Unless we can simultaneously destroy more than 30% of the main energy nodes, it would be a drop in the bucket. And every node is heavily guarded with Warning Totems."

Li Mo remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the console. His eyes behind his glasses stared at the star gate's base—a structure composed of countless skeletons, filled with gaps and holes—as well as the layout of energy pipes and runic circuits faintly visible on the base's surface (sketched through high-magnification observation and energy back-calculation).

"Maybe... we don't need 'people' to go in." Li Mo suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed excitement.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on him.

"The Mohist 'Mechanism Creation'... is not just about making large war machines." Li Mo pushed up his glasses and pulled up several encrypted design blueprints on his personal terminal. "Recently, combining some inspiration from the Tiangong Dwarves and the miniaturization technology of the Mechanical Goblins, I designed a few... 'micro-reconnaissance units'. I originally intended them for delicate exploration within the Divine Kingdom and for internal academy competitions; I never thought about using them in actual combat."

He projected several design blueprints. They were several types of mechanical creations with different forms, but all were extremely tiny; some looked like metal spiders, some like multipedal beetles, and some even resembled a grain of dust.

"This one, I call the [Stealth Probe Insect - Carapace Type (Prototype)]." Li Mo zoomed in on a design that resembled a common hard-shell beetle from Planet Red Rock 4. "The length does not exceed 5 centimeters. The outer shell is a composite of [Mimicry Memory Alloy] and a [Wave-Absorbing Runic Layer], which can simulate the appearance, body temperature, and even the weak life magnetic field of common organisms in the target environment. The power source is a miniature [Psionic-Bio-Energy Hybrid Engine], with noise during movement lower than the background level and an endurance of about 72 hours. The core is equipped with a [Broad-Spectrum Information Acquisition Crystal Core] (capable of recording images, energy fluctuations, sounds, and basic material components), a [Short-Range Directional Information Transmission Module] (maximum effective distance of 100 kilometers, requiring relays or recovery), and... [Physical Interface Probes] and [Energy Sniffing Tentacles]."

He pointed to the almost invisible micro-structures on the design blueprint. "The probes can attempt to pierce into the physical interfaces of energy pipes or data nodes (if they exist), while the sniffing tentacles can passively 'sniff' the flowing information streams from the energy field. They have no combat capability and their defense is almost zero; they will be scrapped if hit by energy turbulence or physically crushed. But the advantage is... they are small, stealthy, and difficult to detect by conventional Soul or energy warning methods (unless scanning specifically for microscopic machinery, whereas the Orc Shaman's Warning Totems primarily target macroscopic life and powerful Souls)."

Lin Zhou's eyes lit up. "You mean, deploy these Mohist Mechanism Insects near the star gate's base, let them find gaps on their own to infiltrate the interior of the base, and attempt to steal information from the internal data nodes or energy flows?"

"Yes!" Li Mo nodded, his speaking speed increasing. "The star gate is so massive and complex that there must be energy circuits and control nodes inside to maintain its operation. When the Orcs built it, they might have left maintenance tunnels or observation ports. Even if not, those gaps where skeletons are piled and the interfaces of the energy pipes are enough for these little guys to crawl into. They can crawl inside the base like real insects, searching for information sources."

"What's the success rate?" Qin Qing asked directly.

"Theoretical model calculations show that the probability of a single insect successfully infiltrating and obtaining valid information is no more than 10%," Li Mo answered truthfully. "But we can deploy a 'swarm' all at once. I can currently urgently assemble and provide energy for about fifty of them. Let them try from different directions and paths. As long as one successfully contacts a core data node and transmits information back, we win. Even if they all fail, their preset self-destruct program will turn them into harmless metal scraps and weak energy dissipation, making it very difficult to trace back to us."

"How about the deployment and control of the swarm? How to avoid the guards and warnings?" Zhao Hao was concerned about the practical operation.

"Deployment can use the planet's gravitational slingshot effect and the cover of the star gate's own energy disturbances to let them 'drift' over like real cosmic dust or small organisms. I will establish a temporary control center on the cargo ship, but due to distance and interference, I can only provide very rough collective command guidance (such as general forward direction, activating deep stealth mode, etc.). Once they enter the complex environment of the star gate base, they will mainly rely on their preset intelligent logic to act autonomously: prioritizing paths with energy enrichment or stable rules, avoiding life reactions and strong energy turbulence, and attempting physical contact or energy sniffing." Li Mo explained, "This will be a great test of their autonomous logic and luck."

Lin Zhou pondered for a moment, quickly weighing the options. This was a high-risk, high-reward plan. If successful, they might obtain the core intelligence they dreamed of; if it failed, at most they would lose a batch of precious micro-mechanism insects (the manufacturing Materials were not cheap), but the risk of the team itself being exposed was relatively controllable. Most importantly, this seemed to be the only way currently possible to obtain information from the inside without alerting the guards.

"How much preparation time is needed?" Lin Zhou asked.

"I have the Materials; assembly and debugging... give me eight hours." Li Mo estimated. "I also need Zhao Hao and Wang Meng to help process some delicate parts. Qin Qing, help me calculate the optimal deployment orbit and cover timing. Lin Zhou... I might need you to use Civilization Enlightenment to assist me with the final logic fine-tuning and anti-interference reinforcement. The intelligent cores of these little guys are very fragile."

"Alright." Lin Zhou made a decisive call. "In eight hours, we will execute the 'Swarm Plan'. Qin Qing, start the calculations. Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, coordinate with Li Mo. I will be responsible for security and final debugging assistance."

The Order was given, and the cabin immediately became busy. Li Mo opened his portable multi-functional workbench, and various precision tools and rare Materials appeared as if by magic. Although Zhao Hao and Wang Meng were not proficient in mechanics, they lacked neither strength control nor patience; under Li Mo's direction, they carefully handled parts smaller than a grain of rice. Qin Qing pulled up star maps, gravity models, and star gate energy fluctuation cycle charts, beginning complex orbital calculations to find the best and most hidden deployment window.

Lin Zhou sat cross-legged to one side. While spreading his Divine Thought to its maximum range to monitor the movements outside the hiding spot (although it was safe deep in the fissure, he dared not be careless), he silently deduced every detail of the plan in his mind, thinking about possible accidents and response plans.

Eight hours flew by in a state of high-intensity work.

On Li Mo's workbench, fifty micro-mechanism insects were neatly arranged, shimmering with a dull metallic luster and appearing lifelike, resembling the "Red-Shell Hard-Carapace Beetle" specialty of Planet Red Rock 4. They lay there quietly; their compound eye structures were actually high-sensitivity light sensors, information transmission and energy sniffing modules were hidden under their elytra, and the tips of their six thin legs were suction structures and micro-probes.

"Assembly complete, basic logic loaded, energy cores fully charged." Li Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice tired but filled with even more excitement. "Now for the final core logic fine-tuning and anti-interference reinforcement. Lin Zhou, you can begin."

Lin Zhou nodded and came to the workbench. His Divine Thought condensed, and a faint golden halo containing the power of wisdom enlightenment appeared in his eyes. He reached out his fingers, lightly tapping the heads of each of the fifty mechanism insects (where the intelligent cores were located). [Divine Art: Civilization Enlightenment (Directional Fine-tuning)] activated!

This time, he did not increase intelligence on a large scale. Instead, he precisely directed the power of enlightenment toward the preset "action logic" and "environmental adaptability" modules of these mechanism insects. Like the most precise carving knife, he removed logic redundancies and conflict points that might have been caused by manufacturing errors or material limitations, strengthened the stability of their path judgment when facing complex energy environments, and injected an extremely faint "Order preference" originating from the Temple of Civilization—this would allow them to instinctively prefer relatively orderly or stable paths when facing pure chaotic energy flows, avoiding the most dangerous chaotic vortices.

The entire process lasted about fifteen minutes. When Lin Zhou withdrew his fingers, the compound eyes of the fifty mechanism insects seemed to flicker extremely faintly at the same time before returning to calm, but they felt a touch more "agile" and "resilient."

"Perfect!" Li Mo felt the feedback coming through the control center and whispered excitedly, "Logic smoothness has increased by at least 15%, and the threshold for anti-rule interference has increased by 20%! Now, prepare for deployment!"

Qin Qing had already calculated the optimal deployment window: one hour later, the star gate's periodic energy extraction would trigger a small-scale energy ripple. Simultaneously, the rotation of the Planet Red Rock 4 would place their asteroid exactly on the line connecting the star gate and a distant gas giant. The giant planet's gravitational disturbance and magnetic field would provide natural cover for the initial orbit of the Micro-swarm.

Time passed minute by minute. The cargo ship quietly sailed out of the rift and adjusted to the predetermined orientation. Fifty micro-Mechanical Insects were loaded into a specially made, disposable ejection pod. The surface of the pod was coated with wave-absorbing material, and its shape was camouflaged as an ordinary piece of space rock debris.

"Countdown: 10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1! Deploy!"

Silently, the ejection pod was catapulted from the cargo ship. Following the precise trajectory calculated by Qin Qing, it "drifted" toward Planet Red Rock 4. Soon, it blended into the starry background and the complex gravitational fields, becoming difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

The cargo ship retreated back to the rift's hiding point. Next was the long wait. Li Mo sat before the control center, with fifty dim light spots (representing the status of the Mechanical Insects) and a main screen continuously receiving faint environmental data feedback. Most of the light spots quickly dispersed across the screen. Following preset logic and utilizing gravitational slingshots and the disturbances from the star gate's energy ripples, they "sprinkled" toward the massive star gate base like a real swarm of beetles.

After entering the high-concentration chaotic energy field of the star gate area, the feedback began to become intermittent, alternating between strong and weak. Light spots continuously flickered a few times before being completely extinguished—representing the corresponding Mechanical Insects being destroyed by energy turbulence, struck by accidental guardian energy sweeps, or falling into inescapable death traps. Li Mo's heart tightened each time a light spot went out.

Five... ten... twenty...

By the time the thirty-fifth light spot went out, the remaining fifteen finally "landed" one after another on the surface of the star gate's massive skeletal base or nearby rocks. They immediately entered deep stealth mode, their shell colors and textures rapidly assimilating with the surrounding environment, and their life magnetic fields simulated to the minimum, just like truly dead objects.

Then, the even more difficult "infiltration" began. The surviving Mechanical Insects started utilizing their tiny size and adsorption capabilities to move slowly through skeletal crevices, the outer walls of cooled energy pipes, and rough rock surfaces, searching for holes that might lead inside. This process was even more dangerous; they could be crushed by patrolling Orc soldiers at any moment, swept by energy unintentionally dissipated by Shamans, or eliminated by internal micro-defense mechanisms (such as energy nets or corrosive gases).

The light spots continued to go out.

Fortieth... forty-second... forty-fifth...

When only the last five light spots remained, one of them finally sent back an abnormal set of signals—it had discovered a narrow metal passage extending along the inside of a massive rib, seemingly used for maintenance or energy channeling! The entrance to the passage had a faint energy barrier, but for a tiny mechanical insect with almost zero energy reaction, it was not impossible to cross (the energy barrier primarily prevented macroscopic objects and energy lifeforms from passing).

This mechanical insect, designated "Jia-07," carefully adjusted its angle and squeezed in with difficulty through a tiny crack where the barrier energy was weakest due to long-term operation, just like a real insect burrowing into a tree hole!

After entering the passage, the environment became relatively much more stable. Although the violent vibrations and energy humming from the external star gate's operation could still be felt, at least there was no direct energy turbulence or guards. "Jia-07" crawled cautiously along the passage, its energy-sniffing antennae fully extended to capture the free-flowing energy information streams in the air.

The passages led in all directions, connecting many chambers of varying sizes. Some chambers were piled with glowing energy crystals (seemingly backup power), while others were covered with flickering runes and energy conduits (control nodes). "Jia-07" followed the logic of "searching for the strongest and most stable rule fluctuations," crawling toward the direction where the energy and information flow were most concentrated in its perception.

After nearly two hours of slow movement and several close calls avoiding rough machinery (Orc-style) that occasionally passed by like small cleaning or maintenance Puppets, "Jia-07" finally reached a relatively spacious core chamber. In the center of the chamber floated a complex, rotating polyhedral structure made of dark red crystal and unknown metal. Countless streams of blood-light energy of varying thickness converged here from all directions and then diverted out to connect to various parts of the star gate. On the surface of the polyhedron, countless tiny runes flowed, combined, and dissipated like living things—clearly a key energy hub and information exchange center!

"Jia-07" lurked in the shadows of the chamber entrance. Its Physical Interface Probe quietly extended, aiming at a metal plate full of tiny holes at the bottom of the polyhedron that looked like a physical data interface. Simultaneously, its energy-sniffing antennae adjusted to the most sensitive state, fully capturing the encrypted information fragments carried within the energy flowing through this place.

[High-density rule information flow detected... attempting physical contact access... contact successful! Starting decoding attempt...]

[Encrypted energy information packet stream detected... sniffing module running at full power... capturing information fragments... reassembling and analyzing...]

Before the control center, Li Mo held his breath, his eyes fixed on the intermittent, noise-filled data stream sent back by "Jia-07" on the screen. His fingers flew across the keyboard, calling upon long-prepared decryption algorithms and Orc energy code comparison tables (partially derived from energy sample analysis of Shaman items collected during previous trades), beginning the arduous task of deciphering.

Time passed minute by minute. The other four surviving Mechanical Insects also found different information nodes and began sending back data, but the quality and concentration were far inferior to "Jia-07." Li Mo concentrated most of his computing power on the analysis of "Jia-07's" data.

Sweat soaked his back. The deciphering work was exceptionally difficult; the Orcs' encryption methods were crude but effective, filled with chaotic interference and mappings of bloody imagery. However, under Li Mo's superb skills, the logic core enhanced by Lin Zhou's [Civilization Enlightenment], and the continuous, high-quality information supply from "Jia-07," the layers of encryption were gradually peeled away.

Suddenly, Li Mo's body jolted, and an amazing brilliance erupted in his eyes!

"Cracked! Core data stream decoded successfully!"

He quickly projected the decoded information onto the main screen. It was a mixed collection of Orc runes, spatial coordinates, energy parameters, time nodes, and a brief troop deployment plan.

[Information Summary (Decoded/Translated)]:

Connection Point Coordinates: The stable connection point on the other side of the star gate is the core area of the Orc Main Star Domain—[Bloodwrath Lands], coordinates (Galactic Sector: XR-77478, System: Gorefang Prime). Confirmed!

Access Permissions and Restrictions: After the star gate is fully activated, units at or below the Demigod Level (inclusive) can pass through stably. True God level (above Lesser Divinity) existences cannot pass for now (insufficient energy channel strength/rule rejection). Maximum single-pass troop limit is approximately one standard Orc Legion (50,000 units, including war behemoths and attached air forces).

Troop Deployment Plan (Partial): Three elite "Bloodsworn Legions" and a large number of affiliated tribal coalition forces have gathered in the Bloodwrath Lands. Total strength is estimated to exceed 200,000, including a large number of war behemoths, Shaman groups, and at least five Orc War Lords/War Lords of the Lesser Divinity rank. The first wave of the general offensive is planned for the fifth day after the star gate is fully activated (estimated 20 days from now)! Subsequent forces will be continuously deployed depending on the battle situation.

Key Nodes of Star Gate Internal Structure (Partial): Obtained relative position maps (brief) for some energy hubs, spatial stabilizers, and blood sacrifice energy return pipes.

Others: The information stream mentions "Sacrifice completed," "Ancestral Wrath ignited," "Awaiting the opening of the portal," and other phrases, confirming that the star gate construction has entered its final stage.

"Twenty days later... general offensive..." Lin Zhou stared at the information on the screen, his pupils contracting. It was five days later than the star gate's activation, clearly leaving time for the final assembly and preparation of the army. Two hundred thousand elites, five Lesser Divinity War Lords... and that was only the first wave! Once such a force passed through the star gate and appeared behind the Human Race's defensive lines...

"Success! We got it!" Zhao Hao punched the air fiercely, growling in a suppressed voice.

Wang Meng was also full of excitement.

Qin Qing quickly classified, encrypted, and packaged all the decoded information, preparing to send it back to the base through the preset information nodes. This was strategic intelligence sufficient to influence the direction of a campaign or even a local war!

However, at that moment, Li Mo's expression suddenly changed: "Not good! 'Jia-07' has been discovered! There's an internal anti-infiltration micro-energy scan! It triggered the self-destruct sequence... signal interrupted!"

On the screen, the light spot representing "Jia-07" flickered violently a few times before being completely extinguished. Almost simultaneously, the light spots of the other four surviving Mechanical Insects also went out one after another—clearly, the star gate's internal defense mechanism had been triggered, performing an indiscriminate micro-cleansing.

But it was enough. The core data was already in hand.

Li Mo let out a long breath. Although he felt pained for those meticulously crafted Mechanical Insects, he felt even more of a huge sense of accomplishment for completing the mission. The Mohist Mechanical Insects had performed a miraculous feat!

"Send the intelligence immediately!" Lin Zhou made a decisive judgment. "Then we prepare to evacuate! The Orcs' internal defenses have been triggered. While they might not track us down immediately, this is no place to linger!"

The intelligence, transformed into encrypted energy signals, quietly traveled toward the distance along the preset, winding, and hidden paths. Meanwhile, the cargo ship began to start up quietly, preparing to leave this peril-filled Red Rock Galaxy.

The mission to steal the data was completed to Perfection amidst the danger. But the true crisis might have only just begun.