119: Trade networks, information exchange

The person stood at the edge of the camp, scanning with a military signal device in hand. The wind and snow had lessened a bit, and the Ω-shaped ruts on the ground were revealed once more.

Chen Wang didn't move. He stared at the heat source signal on the screen, his finger pressing the start button. Amy whispered, "He has turned around."

The person put away the device and walked away quickly, their figure soon disappearing into the wind and snow.

"They have discovered us," Su Ling said, putting the sniper rifle back. "But they aren't pursuing."

"It's not that they aren't pursuing," Amy said, pulling up the records of the kindling system. "He is sending a signal. Three short pulses, separated by two seconds each—it's the Empire's emergency notification code."

Lin Wei immediately connected to the communication module to extract the waveform. "The signal is encrypted, but the frequency is the same as the chip we intercepted earlier. I can pretend to be the receiver and reply, tricking it into continuing the transmission."

"Do it," Chen Wang said, releasing the start button. "Enter the relay station."

The hope started moving slowly, driving along the ice toward a metal building half-buried in the snow in the distance. An Ω symbol was carved on the wall, the door was crooked, and the lights inside were flickering.

The five of them got out of the vehicle, and Chen Wang led the way into the main control console room. The equipment was old but still had power. A map of the Northern Territory trade routes hung on the wall, and several data pads were scattered on the table.

"The backup power is normal," Lin Wei said, plugging in the kindling system interface. "We can turn it on."

"Turn off the external detection first," Chen Wang said, pressing the firewall button. "Everyone, disconnect from wireless and only connect to the local network."

Amy sat in front of the terminal and inserted the copied key. "I'm logging in with a legitimate identity to bypass the first layer of verification. It will take three minutes."

"That's enough," Chen Wang said, looking at the map. "What we need to find is the communication log."

Lin Wei opened the engineering module and pulled up the data stream from the last 24 hours. Most of the information had already been deleted, leaving only fragments.

"Something keeps appearing," she said, enlarging a fragment of the log. "Δ-7 Dispatch Group... Abyss Traction Array... and the words 'black tide guidance'."

"Guidance?" Su Wan leaned in to look. "Can they control the black tide?"

"Not control," Lin Wei said, pulling up the energy spectrum. "It's guidance. They've installed devices underground to change the direction of the black tide. The target is Iron Ridge Bay—a place merchant caravans often visit."

"That's the intersection of five relay stations," Amy said, entering the coordinates. "Once it's hit, the entire Northern Territory's transportation will be cut off."

"It's not just about cutting it off," Chen Wang said, pointing to the high peaks on the map. "They are using the black tide to clear people out. This isn't a war; they want to drive everyone away."

No one in the room spoke.

"We must stop them," Su Ling said, picking up a pen and marking three high grounds on the map. "If we can interfere with the signal before the array activates, we can disrupt their plan."

"The problem is we don't have a jammer," Lin Wei shook her head. "The materials we have on hand can't make one with a large range."

"Then we make one ourselves," Chen Wang said, opening the kindling system interface. "Dismantle the scrapped drones, take the rail modules, and reassemble them into an energy array."

"I can model it," Lin Wei said, connecting the printing system. "But the space hasn't been fully adapted for the new equipment yet."

"Upgrade the special module," Chen Wang said, spending 500 SP points. "Prioritize unlocking the signal scrambler."

System prompt: Upgrade successful. Special module - Signal scrambler has been activated.

"That works," Lin Wei said, beginning to assemble it. "Using the rail cores from three scrapped drones as transmitters, combined with the output from the kindling system, we can form a triangular interference zone."

"Choose these points for deployment," Su Ling said, pointing to the map. "High grounds A, C, and E have good visibility, making them convenient for monitoring."

"I'll go get the materials," Lin Wei said, getting up to go to the storage area.

Chen Wang asked Su Wan, "Any new findings from the medical pod?"

"Yes," Su Wan said, pulling up the bio-chip data. "While clearing files just now, I found a set of hidden coordinates. The signal is weak, but the path matches the 'resonant crystal operating route' that Star Pupil mentioned."

"Let me see."

Su Wan imported the data into the star map. A line passed through the ice field from the edge of the Stasis Zone, finally stopping at a place marked as "Safe Zone."

"This is it," Amy said, enlarging the image. "The center of the Safe Zone I marked. But the energy readings are wrong—the activity here is much higher than in a normal Stasis Zone."

"There is something underground," Chen Wang said, overlaying the coordinates onto the topographical map. "It could be a laboratory, or it could be an energy center."

"Should we tell Star Pupil?" Su Wan asked.

"Not yet," Chen Wang said, turning off the projection. "This place is too sensitive. Once the news gets out, the Empire will lock it down."

"I agree," Amy said, pressing the lock button. "For now, only we know."

"Keep it that way," Chen Wang ordered. "Lin Wei is responsible for making the jammer prototype, Su Ling will plan the installation route, Su Wan will organize the data and mark the content needing interpretation, and Amy will watch the Empire's channels—report any abnormalities immediately."

Everyone went off to attend to their tasks.

Two hours later, Lin Wei brought back a small machine. The casing was pieced together from drone parts, with three rail cores mounted on the front.

"First test," she said, connecting the power.

Sparks flashed, the machine hummed once, and then it ran steadily.

"Output is normal," she said, checking the readings. "The interference range is 800 meters; that's enough."

"Install it on the hope," Chen Wang said. "Be ready to use it at any time."

Su Ling had already scouted the three high grounds. "They are all accessible; the tracks can climb the slopes. I've placed temporary beacons at each point for easy positioning."

"We'll move once the jammer is installed," Chen Wang said, asking Amy, "How is the situation?"

"The Empire channels have gone quiet," Amy said, staring at the screen. "But starting fifteen minutes ago, all communications from the Δ-7 Group have switched to offline transmission. They are operating in secret."

"That means the plan is proceeding," Chen Wang said, walking to the main control console and opening the Safe Zone coordinates again.

The hologram lit up, and the red dot floated in the air.

"We cannot touch this place," he said. "But we must keep a close watch on it."

"I've already set an alarm," Amy said. "As soon as there is any signal in or out, it will alert us immediately."

Su Wan saved the bio-chip data and labeled it "Requires Star Pupil's Assistance to Interpret."

Lin Wei fixed the jammer to the inside of the left wing of the hope and connected the power cable.

Su Ling checked her sniper rifle and changed the battery.

The five of them returned to the command console.

"What's the next step?" Su Ling asked.

"Wait," Chen Wang said, looking at the screen. "Wait for them to make a mistake."

Amy suddenly looked up. "There's a new order."

She played a piece of intercepted information, which, after decoding, displayed: "Target area, prepare for clearing."

Chen Wang's hand rested on the control console.

Outside, the wind and snow picked up again, lashing against the walls.

Lin Wei's terminal flashed red, and the jammer's temperature rose by two degrees.

Su Wan noticed a weak reaction in the bio-chip storage area that lasted for 0.3 seconds.

Frost had formed on Su Ling's sniper scope, and she raised her hand to wipe it off.

Amy entered the last line of code into the monitoring program.

Chen Wang didn't speak. He looked at the red dot on the map and gently pressed the data isolation key.