266: The Empire's Electronic Web

Chen Wang was still gripping the broken cable tightly. Half of the control panel was dark, with only emergency lights flashing red. Star Pupil leaned back in her chair, eyes closed, breathing slowly. Lin Wei had just finished saving the scanned data and was about to speak.

Just then, the cockpit's broadcast system came on.

It wasn't static; it was a person's voice.

“Chen Wang.”

The voice was low and steady.

Chen Wang suddenly looked up towards the co-pilot's side. Amy Chen was already sitting in front of the communication panel, her fingers rapidly sliding across the screen, searching for the signal source.

“It's Yan Shiduo,” she whispered.

The broadcast continued: “You have already viewed 37% of the data disk's content. That's six hours faster than we anticipated.”

Chen Wang didn't move. He slowly released the cable, his right hand subtly moving under his seat to find a modified rifle. He pulled out the gun and chambered a round, his movements light.

Amy Chen's hand froze on the screen. Her expression changed.

“This signal isn't coming from one place,” she said. “It's transmitting from seven points in rotation, jumping around... This is the 'Hummingbird Protocol'.”

“You wrote it?” Chen Wang asked.

“I created it.” Amy Chen stared at the screen. “It was originally for anti-eavesdropping. Now they're using it to pinpoint us.”

The broadcast sounded again: “Hand over the data disk, or you will become the second Stasis Zone. This is not a warning; it's an order.”

Chen Wang looked out at the snowy landscape. He couldn't see anything, only hear the wind blowing against the vehicle's chassis. He knew it wasn't safe. The enemy might already be on their way.

He spoke: “How do you know how much we've seen?”

A few seconds later, a laugh came through the broadcast.

“Because every time you view a segment of data, the system automatically uploads a backup. This is a protection feature, but also a backdoor. You thought cutting the power would disable it? Too naive.”

Chen Wang turned to look at the main control area of the kindling system. Parts of it were still dark. He remembered Lin Wei saying that a raw waveform had been transmitted to the cloud before the power cut.

He hadn't paid attention then.

Now he understood.

That wasn't an accident.

The system did it itself.

Amy Chen rapidly typed on the keyboard, pulling up the list of background programs and checking them one by one. After a few seconds, she stopped.

“The encryption method used by the buffer...” she lowered her voice. “It's the same algorithm as the Northern Empire's old 'Citizen Credit System'.”

“So from the beginning, they could see our data?” Chen Wang asked.

“It's not a backdoor,” Amy Chen shook her head. “It's fundamentally the same system. When we uploaded, we were using their channel.”

The cockpit was silent for a few seconds.

Chen Wang placed the gun on his lap, his hand resting outside the trigger guard. He couldn't panic. One moment of panic would lead to a mistake.

He said: “Do a full check of all background programs. Focus on whether Star Pupil secretly transmitted data after connecting.”

Amy Chen nodded and began to operate. As she typed, she said: “They not only know where we are, but also what we've done. This means they are monitoring us in real-time and can understand our operations.”

“What next?” Chen Wang asked.

“Either they remotely control us, or they send people to seize us.”

No sooner had she spoken than the radar suddenly sounded an alarm.

Twelve red dots were rapidly approaching.

Distance: eight kilometers.

Speed: over 80 kilometers per hour.

Heat signatures indicated heavy vehicles with high-power infrared tracking.

Chen Wang immediately initiated weapon checks. The machine gun, electromagnetic cannon, and shields all responded. He opened the intercom: “Everyone to battle stations. Shut down unnecessary power, prepare for camouflage.”

Amy Chen was still operating the communication console. The kindling system popped up a notification: [External login request detected, source unknown].

She immediately cut off all external connections, leaving only the basic driving functions.

“They're attempting to log in,” she said. “They want to remotely control the vehicle.”

Chen Wang didn't speak. He stared at the red dots on the radar. They were getting closer.

Five kilometers.

Four kilometers.

Amy Chen quickly wrote a piece of code, faking a system malfunction. She sent out false information, tricking the other party into believing the system was restarting and temporarily unavailable.

“I sent a false signal,” she said. “They should believe it for a while.”

“How long will it last?”

“Three minutes at most.”

That was enough.

Su Wan emerged from the medical pod. In her hand was a dark blue vial, labeled: Metabolic Inhibitor - F7.

“I extracted this from Annihilation Beast blood,” she said. “Injecting it will lower our temperature to that of a dead object. Infrared won't be able to detect us.”

“Can the vehicle use it too?”

“It can be sprayed on the chassis and tracks. Combined with power shutdown, it can evade infrared scans.”

Chen Wang nodded: “Do it.”

Su Wan immediately set to work. She poured the liquid into a sprayer and aimed it at the vehicle's chassis and undercarriage. The blue liquid streamed down, forming a matte film.

Amy Chen watched the infrared data. The numbers were dropping.

“The ambient temperature is minus 79 degrees,” she said. “We are currently minus 81 degrees. Another two degrees lower and we'll be completely hidden.”

Chen Wang looked at the radar. The twelve heat sources were already within four kilometers and still advancing.

He knew the enemy wouldn't rely solely on infrared.

They must have other ways to find them.

He asked: “Could they be using other positioning methods? Like electromagnetic, vibration, or sound?”

Amy Chen shook her head: “No other signals have been detected yet. But since they can crack communications, they might have backup methods.”

“Then we can't stay here too long.”

“The problem is where to go,” Amy Chen said. “Our position is already exposed. Running far away will still leave traces.”

Chen Wang looked at the map. He remembered the S-class coordinate he had marked earlier—the location of the genesis engine mentioned by the holographic image.

But going there now was too dangerous.

The enemy knew they had the data and would surely set up ambushes along the way.

He had to shake off the pursuers first.

He had to make the enemy believe something had happened to them.

Or that they were immobilized.

He asked Amy Chen: “How much longer can the fake fault signal last?”

“Two and a half minutes. After that, they'll realize something's wrong.”

“That's enough,” he said. “When they get closer, see that the infrared is gone, and receive no signal, they'll think we have a problem.”

“They'll stop to confirm.”

“Then let them confirm.”

He stood up and went to the rear compartment to check the equipment. The machine gun was fully loaded, the electromagnetic cannon was 67% charged, and the shield was only at 41%. He connected the backup battery and manually adjusted the output mode.

Amy Chen suddenly said: “They're slowing down.”

Chen Wang turned back.

On the radar, the twelve red dots stopped three kilometers away.

They weren't moving.

Nor were they leaving.

As if waiting for something.

A few seconds later, the broadcast sounded again.

It was still Yan Shiduo's voice.

“I know you're listening. You think applying some liquid can hide you? You think cutting the power can make you escape? You are mistaken.”

Chen Wang didn't move.

“You have two choices.” The voice was still steady. “Hand over the data disk, and I will give you a way out. Otherwise, I will watch you be dragged into the laboratory, your nerves pulled out one by one.”

Amy Chen's hand hovered over the send button.

She glanced at Chen Wang.

Chen Wang raised his hand, gesturing to “wait”.

He stared at the radar.

The twelve units three kilometers away were still motionless.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the other side to make the first move.

As long as they dared to approach, dared to get out of their vehicles, he would strike.

The machine gun could kill people within eight hundred meters.

The electromagnetic cannon could disable a vehicle with one shot.

But he couldn't fire first.

If he fired, their camouflage would be gone.

The enemy would then launch a full-scale attack.

He had to wait for the enemy to make the first move.

Amy Chen whispered: “The interference is getting stronger. They're trying to break through our shielding.”

“How much longer can it hold?”

“They'll find our true location within a minute.”

At this moment, Su Wan finished spraying the last section. She turned off the sprayer and nodded.

The entire vehicle's infrared signature had dropped to minus 82.3 degrees.

The same as the environment.

Chen Wang touched the vehicle's chassis. The coating was dry, feeling like frozen, hardened mud.

He returned to the driver's seat, his right hand gripping the steering wheel.

His left hand held the rifle.

His eyes fixed on the front.

Outside, everything was white.

Even the wind had died down.

The red dots on the radar remained motionless.

The voice on the broadcast sounded again.

“Last ten seconds,” Yan Shiduo said. “Ten, nine, eight...”