Chapter 137 Locking on the Target

Three days later, in an office building in the provincial capital.

Fang Lin had stayed up for three consecutive nights. Her desk was piled with coffee cups, the ashtray was stuffed with cigarette butts, and the curtains remained drawn, making it impossible to tell day from night. Yet, the light in her eyes was brighter than ever.

Old Han sat beside her, staring at the dense data on the screen. Over the past three days, they had accomplished three things:

First, they confirmed that the Ghost's real IP address had not changed. That guy was very confident, believing that three layers of proxies were enough to hide himself, and even after being locked onto, he continued to use the same address to go online.

Second, through technical means, they locked onto the specific geographic location of the IP address—a certain country in Southeast Asia, City X, Binhai District.

Third, they retrieved satellite maps and communication base station data for the area, narrowing the search range down to three apartment buildings.

"Director Fang, that's about it," Old Han said, pointing at the map on the screen. "These three buildings are all the possible locations for that IP address. To narrow it down further, we need on-site verification."

Fang Lin stared at the map, silent for a few seconds.

Three buildings, each with twenty floors, and over a dozen households per floor. That added up to nearly a thousand rooms. Finding the specific room without alerting the target was nearly impossible.

But it wasn't entirely impossible.

She picked up the phone and dialed an encrypted number.

"Old Zhou, it's me. I need your help with something."

On the other end of the line was a man with the codename "Hunter."

Fang Lin had known him for nearly ten years. He was "doing business" in a certain Southeast Asian country; on the surface, he was the owner of a trading company, but in reality, he was responsible for intelligence work in that region. The two had cooperated many times and had never failed.

"Director Fang, what a rare guest," Old Zhou's voice came through the phone, carrying a slight southern accent. "What wind blew you here?"

Fang Lin didn't engage in small talk and went straight to the point: "City X, Binhai District, three apartment buildings. I need to find someone."

"What kind of person?"

"A cyber expert. Chinese, in his early thirties, wears glasses, doesn't go out much, lives off takeout." Fang Lin listed the Ghost's characteristics. "He should be in one of the rooms, facing his computer twenty-four hours a day."

Old Zhou was silent for a few seconds. "Just that?"

"Just that," Fang Lin said. "But there is one clue—we have locked onto the IP address he is using. As long as he goes online, we can know which building he is in. But to find the specific room, I need your people to check."

Old Zhou laughed. "Understood. You want my people to go into those buildings to 'collect utility bills'?"

Fang Lin smiled too. "Old Zhou, you really understand me."

"Fine," Old Zhou said. "Give me three days, and I'll give you an answer."

Two days later, City X, Binhai District.

The sun was scorching, and the sea breeze was salty and humid. Three twenty-story apartment buildings stood side by side, their outer walls mottled and air conditioning units buzzing—they were clearly old buildings that had seen better days.

A man wearing blue work clothes rode an electric scooter and stopped downstairs. A toolkit was strapped to the back seat, and a work badge hung on his chest, reading "XX Property Water and Electricity Maintenance."

His name was Ah Dong, and he was one of Old Zhou's men. A local with dark skin, he looked honest and simple, but in reality, his eyes were sharper than anyone's.

Ah Dong walked into the first building and began a "routine inspection."

He climbed the stairs floor by floor, stopping at each level to check the electricity meter boxes and water meter rooms. When he encountered residents, he would ask, "Is your water and electricity at home normal?" while taking a peek inside the apartments.

A whole morning passed; he had covered more than half of the three buildings without finding the target.

At noon, he ate a bowl of noodles at a roadside shop and continued working.

At three in the afternoon, he entered the twelfth floor of the second building.

At the end of the hallway, a few takeout boxes were piled up by the door of Room 1207, looking like they hadn't been thrown away for two or three days. Ah Dong felt a spark of intuition and walked over to knock on the door.

"Who is it?" A man's voice came from inside, carrying a hint of vigilance.

"Property management, checking water and electricity," Ah Dong raised his voice. "Is your water pressure normal lately?"

The door opened a crack, revealing a young face. He was in his early thirties, wore glasses, and had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp. He glanced at Ah Dong's work badge, then looked at the toolkit behind him, before opening the door a little wider.

"My place is fine, no need to check."

Ah Dong nodded with a smile. "Alright, then you go ahead and get back to work. If there are any problems, feel free to contact property management."

He turned to leave, but his peripheral vision swept the entire room—the curtains were drawn, the computer screens were lit, and the table was piled with equipment. A typical shut-in's nest.

But this was no ordinary shut-in.

Ah Dong went downstairs, walked to a deserted area, and dialed a number.

"Brother Zhou, Room 1207. It's almost certainly him."

That evening, the news reached Fang Lin.

"Room 1207, twelfth floor, window facing north," Old Zhou said on the phone. "Ah Dong observed him for three hours; the guy never left. He has his takeout left at the door and only comes out to get it after the person has left. A typical recluse."

Fang Lin nodded. "Can you get a photo?"

"It's a bit difficult. The curtains are drawn, and there's no surveillance camera at the door," Old Zhou said. "But Ah Dong memorized his appearance, and it basically matches our description. Early thirties, wears glasses, pale skin, doesn't look like someone who goes out often."

Fang Lin was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "What's the surrounding environment like?"

"Binhai District, old city area, complex demographics. That building has no security access, anyone can enter. Opposite it is an abandoned unfinished building; the twelfth floor faces his window perfectly."

Fang Lin's eyes lit up. "An unfinished building?"

"Yes," Old Zhou said. "I sent someone to check. From that angle in the unfinished building, one can use binoculars to see inside his room. Although not every angle is visible, at least we can confirm when he is present and when he is not."

Fang Lin thought for a moment and said, "Old Zhou, help me do two things."

"Go ahead."

"First, arrange for someone to monitor that room twenty-four hours a day. No need to go inside, just watch it—see when he goes out, who he comes into contact with, and if there is anything unusual."

"Second," she paused, "check the owner of that building, see who rented 1207, how it was rented, and if there are any clues."

Old Zhou noted them down one by one. "Anything else?"

Looking at the pitch-black night outside the window, Fang Lin said softly, "Not for now. But Old Zhou, this person is very important. He might have what we desperately need in his hands."

"Understood." Old Zhou hung up the phone.

Three days later, Old Zhou's reports came back one after another.

The tenant of 1207 used a fake passport. The landlord was an old lady who couldn't remember what the tenant looked like at all; she only knew it was a young man who paid six months' rent in advance, in cash.

The word "cash" made Fang Lin even more certain—it was him.

There were also gains from the surveillance side.

Ah Dong set up a high-powered telescope on the twelfth floor of the unfinished building, aiming it at the window of 1207. Although the curtains were always drawn, they would occasionally reveal a gap. That one gap was enough to see some things.

"At least three computers," Ah Dong wrote in the report. "There are many papers stuck on the wall, but I can't see what's written on them. He basically never goes out, ordering takeout once every noon and evening. No visitors."

Looking at this report, Fang Lin pictured that person in her mind—

A master hiding in the shadows, using code as a weapon, attempting to destroy the rising Nuclear Fusion base behind her.

Ghost.

A well-chosen codename.

But no matter how good a ghost is, once exposed to the sunlight, it is no longer terrifying.

On the seventh day, Fang Lin made a decision.

She dialed a number with the highest level of encryption.

"Minister, I need authorization."

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the line, then a steady voice came through: "Speak."

"A certain country in Southeast Asia, City X, Binhai District. Target codename 'Ghost,' real identity to be determined. He is the person in charge of the cyberattacks against the tokamak-3 project. I need to coordinate with local law enforcement to carry out an arrest."

"Is there sufficient evidence?"

"Sufficient," Fang Lin said. "His IP address, his intrusion records, the malicious code he implanted—we have it all."

There was another silence on the other end of the line.

"Fang Lin," the Minister's voice became solemn. "Do you know what this means? A cross-border arrest—if something goes wrong, it will be a diplomatic incident."

Fang Lin took a deep breath. "I know. But Minister, if we let him continue, tokamak-3 may never be ignited. He has already planted a backdoor in the system, just waiting to detonate at the critical moment. We cannot wait any longer."

The Minister was silent for a long time.

So long that Fang Lin thought the call had been disconnected.

Then, that voice sounded again:

"Three days from now, there will be a joint law enforcement operation in City X. Your people will go into that building with the local police."

Fang Lin's heart jumped. "Understood."

"Fang Lin," the Minister said finally, "bring him back. Alive."

"Yes!"

Hanging up the phone, Fang Lin leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh.

Outside the window, the horizon began to turn pale white.

A new day was about to begin.

Eight hours later, City X, Binhai District.

Ah Dong received an encrypted message:

"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, joint operation. You are responsible for identifying the target."

He took a look, deleted the message, and continued staring at Room 1207 through the telescope.

The curtains were still drawn, and occasionally a silhouette flashed by.

Ah Dong's mouth curled up slightly.

Ghost or god, it didn't matter.

Tomorrow, it will be time to see the light.