Chapter Fifty-One: The Maze of Numbers

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The instant the authority of "Dragon Soul" surged invisibly into the command center of the "Shadow Bureau," it was as if a dormant war machine, silent for ages, had been struck by lightning and roused to its utmost limits.

The suffocating stillness was utterly shattered, replaced by a heart-thrumming hum of high-speed operation.

"Connect to East Sea Fleet, 'Guardian Sea' electronic warfare ship, Captain Zhou Hailong!"

Xiao Ran stood before the main screen of the command center, a blood-red countdown scrolling swiftly behind her. She picked up the red phone, now endowed with "Dragon Soul" clearance, her voice as cold and hard as quenched steel, utterly devoid of emotion.

The call was answered instantly.

"Captain Zhou, this is Xiao Ran, Commander-in-Chief of the 'Shadow Bureau'," she said, dispensing with any pleasantries. "By order of 'Dragon Soul' Directive One, your vessel is to set sail immediately. Within thirty-six hours, proceed to longitude 122.5 east, latitude 31.0 north, enter electromagnetic silence, and await further instructions!"

On the other end, a steady, powerful voice replied. Though tinged with confusion at the abrupt order, the answer was unwavering:

"…Received! Mission will be accomplished!"

"Connect to Shanghai Military Zone, Unit 73077, Operations Command Room!"

"Connect to State Grid, East China Dispatch Center, Level A clearance!"

"Connect to Aerospace Tracking and Control Center, 'Sky Chain' satellite system, initiate emergency requisition protocol!"

Within the next ten minutes, the command center became the epicenter of a breathtaking storm of authority.

Xiao Ran, like a queen wielding a scepter of thunder, issued precise, deadly commands through the red phone—orders that seemed unconnected on the surface but were steeped in hidden menace—all delivered to the nation's most formidable engines of force and order.

Her instructions were direct, exact, and brooked no dissent.

And on the other end of every line—whether general, commander, or chief engineer—there was but a single reply:

"Yes! Mission will be accomplished!"

This was the awe-inspiring, absolute executory power unleashed when the machinery of state was fully activated.

…

Meanwhile, another battle had silently commenced in the digital realm.

Huaxin Technologies, fifteen stories underground, core server room.

This place was now entirely under the control of national security technicians. Wang Zhe and Old K stood before the massive server matrix, their faces grave.

On the holographic console before them, the AI "Mouse" reported in its innocent, childlike voice, an operation that would make any cybersecurity expert's scalp tingle.

"Reporting, Uncle Wang Zhe, Uncle Old K! The [Guardian] main assault program has obtained highest operational clearance. The 'Digital Maze' defense matrix is now under construction!"

"Phase one: 'Data Hive,' deployment commencing!"

As soon as the words fell, the three-dimensional topology map of the Huaxin network on the console underwent a violent, earth-shattering transformation.

What had once been a vast, interconnected web of blue data streams was now being overlaid with countless golden, perfect hexagonal structures—like a honeycomb—seamlessly generated and nested at every critical network node.

They forcibly twisted and folded the once-unobstructed network channels, transforming them into a labyrinth bristling with one-way valves, logical dead-ends, and data camouflage traps.

Any external data stream entering this network would, like a wasp blundering into a hive, immediately lose its way, consumed again and again by false-exit traps until its energy was spent and it was utterly devoured.

Old K, a veteran of a lifetime in cybersecurity, stared at this masterpiece of digital architecture, his throat dry, muttering to himself:

"My god… He… he never intended to 'defend' at all…"

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Wang Zhe's eyes, too, brimmed with shock and a profound, complex awe. He could almost see that rebellious young man, a faint sneer on his lips, designing this tomb for his enemies with his own hands.

"He's not building a wall…" Wang Zhe's voice trembled with excitement, "He's constructing a digital—"

"…Verdun Meat Grinder!"

…

"Report!"

Just as the "meat grinder" on the cyber battlefield neared completion, a technician in the command center cried out in alarm.

"Chief Xiao! The 'Hive' system is nearly deployed, but its base energy load exceeds Huaxin Technologies' power capacity by 300%! We… we don't have enough electricity to sustain its operation!"

The hope that had just kindled in the command center was instantly doused with icy water.

All faces blanched.

Of course! No matter how ingenious, a meat grinder without power was nothing but scrap.

Yet faced with this sudden, critical crisis, Xiao Ran merely glanced calmly at the countdown on the wall, as if everything were well in hand.

She picked up the internal intercom, her tone unwavering.

"Connect to State Grid East China Dispatch Center."

"Initiate 'Thunderstrike' contingency plan."

"I need you, at exactly ten o'clock on the morning of the press conference, to direct all surplus power from the entire Yangtze River Delta grid to the Huaxin Technologies campus for a—"

She paused briefly, then uttered a phrase that sent chills down every spine.

"…three-minute, pulsed, overload-targeted transmission."

Boom—

At that moment, every mind in the command center thundered as if struck by lightning.

They finally understood!

They understood the true purpose behind all of Xiao Ran's earlier "strange" orders! Commanding the East Sea Fleet into electromagnetic silence was to clear the channels and ensure no interference when the "electromagnetic shield" was activated! Instructing military units to stress-test the grid was to pave the way for this "pulsed transmission"!

The "meat grinder" of the cyber battlefield needed a colossal supply of "ammunition"—that is, electricity!

And the commander on the real battlefield had long since prepared everything it would need.

This was true "three-dimensional warfare"!

…

Preparations unfolded in an almost fevered, yet orderly, state.

As each member received a "Top Secret" operation non-disclosure agreement, the scent of impending battle reached its peak.

The agreement was simple, with only one line: I volunteer to participate in the 'Shadow Bureau' special operation. Regardless of success or failure, life or death, I have no regrets, and will keep this mission secret for life.

The camera lingered.

Xiao Ran, Wang Zhe, Old K…

Each person signed their name at the bottom of the document, solemnly, stroke by stroke.

No grand speeches, no final words.

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Yet each name seemed to carry the tragic resolve of warriors who, in the face of howling winds and icy waters, marched onward never to return.

After signing, Xiao Ran slowly raised her head and looked at the immense, cold countdown on the wall.

[Time remaining until 'Zero Hour': 24:00:00]

The final twenty-four hours.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, through endless time and space, to meet that of Anderson, who, on the other side of the world in a heavily guarded safe house, was also elegantly watching the clock—a silent, death-defying confrontation.

The curtain was about to rise.

And this time, who would be hunter, and who prey, remained unknown.

In the blink of an eye, the group of seven or eight had dwindled to five. Han Lijun was gravely injured, his eyes bloodshot, threatening the other two viciously.

The shock of having crossed over had been so great that Qin Lü nearly forgot what had brought them together in the first place.

But she was not defending Xia Yangyang—instead, she dug an even deeper pit. Xia Yangyang liked handsome men, yet found none among the male stars she knew—was that not a veiled insult to all the male celebrities in the industry now?

On the empty grasslands, the ground was all but covered with a dense layer of corpses.

Ning Zhe pondered; perhaps it was the blood from beating up old Li, the security captain, last night. He hadn't paid it much mind, never expecting Feng Yushu would help her deal with it.

Seeing the director collapse to the ground, nearly bursting into tears, Jiang Nanxi went to comfort him.

After hanging up, Grandpa Cao grew noticeably slower in his chess match with Su Yang, dragging out each move, clearly stalling for time.

"Perhaps it was fraught with too many twists. Being a matter concerning Young Master Fu and the Grand Commandant's household affairs, the specifics remain unknown to outsiders," Gu Sui said with a smile.

To let the cyclist in front see clearly, Su Yang followed closely behind, only three or four meters away.

"After you send it, carefully re-examine the photos and videos. See if you can determine the specific location from the backgrounds or the noises captured in the videos," Long Sheng instructed.

This eased Zhu Meier's anxiety somewhat. She glanced at her phone on the table—Peng Haoming should be contacting her soon.

Two police officers approached him. At that moment, the door to the "Cornucopia" private room slid open, and a waiter stepped out.

Feng Yuan, Qiu Fang, Mi Yu, Cha Xing, and Fang Yuanyang were all confused. The word "confused" could not better describe Chang Tao the cultivator—unkempt, with a scraggly beard, messy hair, dressed in ragged robes and carrying a battered wooden sword, he looked every bit a beggar.

I always felt that aquamarine was the color of life. I thought Qingyu would like such a color, perhaps because she now understood the value of life, having nearly slipped away from mine. It was natural she would feel that way about Maiye.

"Strange monk, would you rise for a cup of wine?" Shao Yan had mostly guessed his intentions; his plan to lure the monk with apricot-blossom wine was almost complete, lacking only a short distance, but now the monk had already begun to gravitate toward Shao Yan.

It was like the claw of a dragon! And Ashin hardly seemed to be using sorcery at all; rather, it felt like this was the doctor's true nature.

I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight. With the light, I felt a bit more at ease.

After all, in many matters, things like this are rare. Who knows what may happen? I was truly at a loss.

Windchime and Dragon Mother rushed through the secret door behind the woodshed, and soon saw, ahead, a vast pool teeming with monstrous salamanders, all stirring restlessly.

After releasing the spirit leaves, she personally selected a hundred elite soldiers and, riding the dragon chariot, flew toward Black Wind Ridge.

"This shows that the old monster was prepared for a long exile; moreover, Jiayin Mountain lies very close to the Qingqiu and Tushan kingdoms, and Prince Dongli is precisely a wanted man in Qingqiu. It is highly likely the withered wood monster would seek shelter and use Prince Dongli as a token of allegiance.

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