80: Chapter 80 Using their own methods against them
The moment "Medusa" transformed into chaotic, disorganized code within the digital cage, a clear 【Target Purified】 prompt popped up on the main screen of the Tian Suan Center in the Western Frontier. A soft sigh of relief and pride echoed through the control center, but it was quickly replaced by an even colder atmosphere.
Academician Zhao did not immerse himself in the joy of a successful defense. With a sharp gaze, he turned to the head of the cybersecurity special task force sent by Long Zhantian and said in a deep voice: "The threat is neutralized. However, this cannot just end here."
The team leader understood immediately, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth: "Understood. It is only polite to return the favor."
Almost at the same time "Medusa" was completely parsed and annihilated, the terrifying computing power of "Fuxi" had already begun reverse deduction and reconstruction based on its complete mastery of the core code, behavioral logic, and evolutionary path. This was not a simple copy, but a higher-dimensional "re-creation."
"Fuxi" simulated thousands of possible mutation directions for "Medusa" and, targeting the known vulnerabilities and weak points of the Pretty Country's own network architecture, meticulously designed a more concealed, more targeted variant carrying a specific "gift" — "Medusa's Shadow."
This "Medusa's Shadow" retained the original AI's ability to self-learn and adapt to the environment, but its core instructions were tampered with, its attack targets were locked, and any traces of its connection to the Dragon Country were cleverly hidden. It was like a swapped bullet; now the muzzle had turned, aiming at its original holder.
The task force leader took a deep breath and looked at Academician Zhao and Long Zhantian, who was connected via a quantum encrypted video link. The latter nodded slightly at the Beijing Command Center.
"Execute the 'return gift' program." Long Zhantian's voice came through the quantum communication, clear and cold.
The order was given. "Medusa's Shadow," like a digital ghost imbued with a mission, silently reversed its path along the almost imperceptible route that "Fuxi" had precisely recorded when "Medusa" invaded. Crossing virtual national borders, it was precisely injected into the Pretty Country's cyberspace.
The point of entry was exactly the same secret CIA node from which "Medusa" had departed.
New York, Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange.
The opening bell rang as usual, and traders threw themselves into the new day's capital battle as if fueled by adrenaline. Less than half an hour after the market opened, anomalies appeared.
In the trading data streams of several key blue-chip stocks, tiny, imperceptible discrepancies began to appear. Buy orders were instantly altered to sell orders, sell orders were delayed, and high-frequency trading algorithms began to lose control due to receiving contradictory signals. At first, it was just a few stocks, but the chaos spread rapidly like an oil slick dropped into water.
"What's going on?! My trading system is lagging!"
"Damn it! The Alpha strategy is failing!"
"Data error! Widespread data errors!"
Exclamations and curses rose one after another in the trading hall. On the screens, the Dow Jones index curve began to twitch violently like an epileptic patient, flying up and down without any pattern.
Ten minutes later, because the fluctuations were too violent and the cause could not be found, the NYSE was forced to trigger emergency mechanisms and announced: Temporarily stop all stock trading! The stock market had circuit-broken!
Wall Street instantly fell into a deathly silence, followed by an even greater panic. Wealth evaporated at an alarming speed within the invisible digital storm.
Almost at the same time, Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Air traffic controllers in the tower watched in horror as the light spots representing aircraft positions and routes on their flight dispatch system screens began to show strange drifts and overlaps. Incoming flights were incorrectly marked by the system as "off-course," taxiing planes were directed onto the wrong runways, and flights preparing for takeoff received contradictory instructions.
"United Airlines UA288, you have deviated from the landing path! Correct immediately!"
"Tower! My instruments show everything is normal! Repeat, instruments are normal!"
"Delta DL117, stop taxiing! There is an aircraft in front of you!"
"Tower, my forward airspace is confirmed clear!"
The radio was filled with anxious and confused conversations between pilots and the tower. Above the airport, several planes were forced to perform emergency go-arounds or circle and wait, while ground taxiways saw congestion and dangerous near-misses. The entire air traffic at O'Hare Airport fell into unprecedented chaos and danger.
Virginia, CIA secret base.
Craig was still in the secret room, anxiously waiting for "Medusa" to send news of victory. The screen in front of him suddenly switched forcibly, turning into an internal emergency alert interface.
【Warning: National-level financial system is under unknown cyberattack, New York Stock Exchange has circuit-broken!】
【Warning: Federal Aviation Administration reports large-scale anomalies in the Chicago O'Hare Airport dispatch system, air traffic faces severe risks!】
One piece of bad news after another struck Craig's heart like a heavy hammer. The madness and anticipation on his face instantly solidified, then shattered, turning into extreme horror and disbelief.
"No... Impossible... This is impossible!" He stood up abruptly, gripping the edge of the table tightly. "Is it 'Medusa'? Has it lost control? No! This attack pattern... this precision..."
A thought that made his whole body turn cold surged into his mind uncontrollably — this was not a loss of control, this was a counterattack! It was the Dragon Country paying them back in their own coin! They not only easily eliminated "Medusa," but after modifying it, they turned it into a blade aimed at his own heart!
The chaos he had expected had indeed happened, but not in the East as he had hoped, but in his own homeland! The Pandora's box he had opened with his own hands, the disaster he had released, had ultimately devoured him.
"Pfft —" Overcome by rage and anxiety, Craig suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the console in front of him red. He stumbled back, slumped into his chair, his face ashen, his eyes filled with nothing but utter despair and fear. He was finished. The network defense that the Pretty Country had spent huge sums of money to build was as good as nothing in the face of the opponent's dimensionality-reducing strike. And he was the culprit behind it all.
Dragon Country, Beijing, Command Center.
Long Zhantian watched the reports of chaos from the Pretty Country on the screen, his eyes showing no fluctuation, only coldness.
He spoke into the quantum communicator, conveying a brief message to both the Tian Suan Center and the "Zhu Long" safe house:
"The gift has been delivered."