93: Chapter 93 The Empty City Stratagem! Luring the Snake Out of its Hole!
6:00 AM.
The interrogation room was lit with a stark, pale light.
Su Che drew a simple flowchart on the tactical board: an arrow pointing from "Message" to "Target," and then to a large "X."
"The 'Empty Fort Strategy' is actually just an information gap."
"Pendulum's goal is to sabotage the backup power supply system at ten o'clock, because the intelligence he received indicates that is the critical moment for the core assembly."
"Then we will move this 'critical moment' earlier."
Su Che used his pen to draw a circle before the ten o'clock mark and wrote "9:50."
"We will announce to the outside that tonight at 9:50, we will conduct the first integrated test of the Quantum Lithography Machine's core module. This test will simulate maximum power operation and places extremely high demands on the stability of the power supply system, especially the backup power."
Deputy Director Qin immediately grasped the key point: "Are you saying we should fake a test?"
"Yes." Su Che snapped his fingers. "Not only fake it, but make it a grand spectacle. Let everyone in the base believe that the success or failure of this test is directly tied to the life or death of the 'Kaitian' project."
"This way, Pendulum will have no choice."
"He must act before 9:50."
Lieutenant General Peng's gaze was as sharp as a knife: "What if he doesn't take the bait?"
"He will." Su Che's tone was certain.
"Because from this moment on, the 'Kaitian' base will initiate the highest level of communication silence."
He looked at Deputy Director Qin.
"Uncle Qin, I need your people to cut off all network and signal connections between the base and the outside world without raising any suspicion. Let it become a true isolated island; he won't be able to receive new instructions or send out any intelligence."
"An agent who cannot contact their organization will only choose to execute their last order."
"This is their discipline, and also their fatal weakness."
Lieutenant General Peng was silent for a moment, then slammed his hand heavily on the table.
"Let's do it!"
He turned to Deputy Director Qin, his tone unquestionable.
"Old Qin, cooperate with Su Che."
"This time, we will treat the entire 'Kaitian' base as a stage."
"I don't believe this ghost won't come on stage to perform!"
...
9:00 AM.
An emergency notice, personally signed by Lieutenant General Peng, was delivered to the heads of every research team at the 'Kaitian' base.
[Notice: At 21:50 tonight, the first full-power integrated test of the Pangu Quantum Computer core module will be conducted. All units must complete all preparations by 21:00 to ensure everything is foolproof.]
Once the news was released, the entire base instantly became like a fully wound war machine, running at high speed.
"Hurry! The optical group's lens array, one last calibration!"
Academician Qian Zhenhua held the walkie-talkie, his voice loud and clear, not sounding like an old man at all.
"Old Wu! How are the energy readings for the Anti-gravity platform?"
"Stable! Unprecedentedly stable!" Academician Wu Mengda's voice came from the speaker on the other end, filled with excitement.
No one doubted the authenticity of this order.
Everyone was enveloped in a sense of mission, about to witness history, tense and excited.
Only a few people knew that the main assembly workshop, where the "historical test" was about to take place, was completely empty.
The so-called core module was still just piles of parts lying in various warehouses.
...
3:00 PM.
Su Che was lying on a cot in the lounge, a lollipop in his mouth, leisurely scrolling through short videos on his phone.
On the phone screen, where the signal bars should be, a bright red "X" was displayed.
Lieutenant General Peng pushed the door open and entered; seeing him in this state, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"You kid, you've got nerves of steel."
"General, the actors are in place, and the script has been distributed. As the director, I just need to wait for the show." Su Che sat up and moved the lollipop to the other side of his mouth.
"Communication silence has been achieved. Deputy Director Qin's people replaced the base station with signal jamming vehicles, creating the illusion of full signal bars. Right now, not even a fly can get out of here." Lieutenant General Peng pulled up a chair and sat down.
"The bait has been cast."
"Now we just wait to see when the fish bites."
...
9:30 PM.
The base, second underground level, central power supply control center.
On the giant electronic screen, the energy flow chart of the entire base was displayed. Dozens of technicians were nervously conducting final checks at their respective posts.
"Zone A circuits are normal!"
"Zone B voltage is stable!"
"Backup diesel generator set, preheating complete!"
Reports came one after another.
In a corner of the control center, inside an independent observation room.
Su Che, Lieutenant General Peng, and Deputy Director Qin were watching every corner of the control center below through a dozen surveillance screens.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Time passed second by second.
9:40 PM.
9:45 PM.
Everything in the control center was normal.
All technicians were operating according to plan, and no one showed any abnormalities.
A fine layer of sweat seeped from Deputy Director Qin's forehead.
"Could it be... that our plan has been discovered?"
Lieutenant General Peng did not speak, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.
Su Che was still leaning back in his chair, his gaze calmly scanning each screen, like a patient hunter.
"Don't be impatient."
"Prey only shows its fangs when it thinks it is at its safest."
...
9:48 PM.
The voice of President Liu Qianghua, the commander-in-chief at the main assembly workshop, echoed through the broadcast in every corner of the control center.
"Attention all units! Two-minute countdown to the integrated test!"
The atmosphere in the control center was instantly pushed to its peak.
Everyone's attention was focused on the energy curve on the main screen, which was about to jump.
Just then.
A figure that no one had noticed moved.
Academician Wu Mengda's assistant researcher, that young man who usually seemed a bit shy and worked most diligently, Xiao Li.
He was holding a cup of water and walked naturally to the side of the main control cabinet for the backup power supply system.
That was one of the surveillance blind spots in the entire control center.
He stood with his back to the crowd, as if he were going to get a cup of water.
Holding the cup in his left hand, his right hand quietly slid a black device the size of a USB flash drive from his pocket.
It was a military-grade electromagnetic pulse jammer.
As long as it was plugged into the maintenance port of the control cabinet, the high-intensity pulse released instantly would burn out the core chips of the entire backup system, causing irreversible physical paralysis.
His movements were fast and steady.
Without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing that the black device was about to touch the maintenance port.
In the observation room, Deputy Director Qin's hand had already reached for the pistol at his waist.
Su Che just shook his head slightly.
"Click."
All the lights in the entire control center instantly went out.
Total darkness.
Only the giant energy flow chart on the screen wall was still glowing with a faint blue light.
The sudden power outage caused a chorus of exclamations in the control center.
"What's going on? The main power is out!"
"What about the backup power? Quick! Start the backup power!"
In the chaos, no one noticed.
The young man named Xiao Li stood frozen in place.
On his face, the usual shyness was gone, replaced only by astonishment and terror.
A beam of strong light suddenly shone from the direction of the observation room, precisely locking onto him and his hand that was about to complete the task.
The entire control center instantly fell silent.
Everyone followed the beam of light and looked at the figure frozen in front of the control cabinet.
From the broadcast came Su Che's lazy voice, echoing clearly in the deathly silent control center.
"Li Wen Bo, the game is over."
"Or should I call you, 'Pendulum'?"