Data Annihilation (Part One)

"Confirming the guards' positions," Tang Yu whispered into the tiny microphone at his collar.

Karuizawa's voice came through his earpiece. "Two on the east side, one on the west. They're all patrolling. The north entrance looks clear, but there could be hidden sensors."

Tang Yu adjusted the focus on his night-vision goggles. Since escaping from school yesterday, they had made thorough preparations with the equipment in Ayanokoji's safe house-electromagnetic pulse grenades, signal jammers, and even two tranquilizer guns.

But his most crucial weapon was in his mind: top-tier hacking skills and the last 8,000 Emotion Points he had left.

"Stick to the plan," Tang Yu said. "Remember, once I enter the server room, don't follow me, no matter what happens."

Karuizawa didn't answer. She was at a surveillance point two hundred meters away, responsible for observation and warning him of danger. This arrangement made Tang Yu feel somewhat reassured. At least she wouldn't face danger directly.

Tang Yu activated the system's assistance:

[Exchange: Environmental Vision (30 minutes)]

[Cost: 3000 points]

[Remaining Emotion Points: 5000]

In an instant, the world turned into a translucent blue grid in his eyes. Heat sources appeared behind the walls-two guards were smoking in a small hut on the north side of the warehouse.

Three more were patrolling the interior corridor. Farther in, about fifteen meters underground, there was a huge square space that was probably the server room.

But what drew his attention most was the dozens of glowing veins stretching from the surface underground-data transmission lines. They pulsed like blood vessels, all converging on that square space. Tang Yu had never seen data moving so densely. It was almost like... the central nervous system of some kind of living organism.

Time to move.

Using the sound of the rain for cover, Tang Yu approached the north entrance. As Karuizawa had said, there were no guards in sight, but his vision showed a laser grid embedded in the doorframe.

He took a lens device from his backpack and carefully installed it above the doorframe. It was the Laser Disruptor Ayanokoji had prepared. It could create a brief safe passage.

The device lit up green. Tang Yu took a deep breath and slipped through the gaps in the laser grid with the flexibility of a gymnast. The lock was electronic, and he cracked it with ease using his modified phone.

The inside of the warehouse was emptier than he had expected, with only a few rusted pieces of machinery. But his vision showed an enormous facility beneath the floor. He found an elevator, but it required biometric identification-an iris scan and fingerprint.

"Have you found a backup route?" Tang Yu asked quietly.

"There's a maintenance hatch in the southeast corner," Karuizawa replied, "but a guard is nearby."

Tang Yu moved stealthily. Sure enough, there was an inconspicuous metal hatch in the southeast corner, with a guard in a black uniform standing beside it. Tang Yu took a small ball from his pocket-an electromagnetic interference device-and gently rolled it to the guard's feet.

"Hm?" The moment the guard bent down to inspect it, the ball erupted in a dazzling flash and a shrill noise.

Tang Yu seized the chance and rushed forward, striking the guard in the neck with a knife hand. The man grunted and collapsed. Tang Yu quickly lifted the hatch, revealing a narrow maintenance passage.

"I'm going in. Stay in touch, but don't speak unless it's an emergency."

The passage descended vertically, with a damp, cold metal ladder extending into the darkness. Tang Yu climbed down carefully. After about ten meters, he reached a horizontal duct. A faint light shone at its far end-the Hive's ventilation system.

The ventilation duct was so narrow it was suffocating, and Tang Yu could only crawl forward. Through a grate, he glimpsed the inside of the facility-a pure white corridor, staff in lab coats hurrying past, and the "WR-Hive-7" insignia printed on the wall.

The system suddenly issued a warning:

[Psychic fluctuation scan detected]

[Source: Central Server]

[Intensity: Moderate]

[Recommendation: Strengthen Emotion Shield]

[Cost: 2000 points/hour]

Tang Yu gritted his teeth and confirmed. The scan meant Tsukishiro might have already sensed an intruder. He had to hurry.

Following the guidance from his vision, Tang Yu found a vent leading to the server room. Through the louvered slats, he saw a breathtaking sight-a space the size of a basketball court, with a three-meter-high cylindrical transparent container standing in the center.

Inside it floated a bizarre structure that combined biological tissue with machinery. Countless fiber-optic cables stretched from the container, connecting to hundreds of servers around it.

"That's... Tsukishiro's core?" Tang Yu murmured.

Two people in protective suits stood beside the container, monitoring the data. Tang Yu needed to draw them away. He took out his last electromagnetic interference ball, set a five-second delay, then rolled it toward the other side of the room.

The moment the interference ball exploded, the entire room was plunged into the glow of red emergency lights. The two technicians cried out and ran toward the alarm panel. Tang Yu seized the chance to pry open the vent and slip silently into the room, hiding behind a row of servers.

"It was just a power fluctuation," one technician said after checking. "Continue preparing for synchronization."

They returned to the console. Tang Yu watched the layout of the room, looking for an access point. The main control console was ideal, but someone was there. His gaze fell on a backup port in the corner. It wasn't very conspicuous, but it should connect to the main network.

Waiting until the technicians had their backs turned, Tang Yu slithered over to the port, took out his modified phone, and connected it. The screen lit up at once, showing that the connection had succeeded.

"System, launch Hacker Protocol."

[Hacking mode activated]

[Target network identified: White Room-Hive7]

[Security level: Quantum encryption, level 9]

[Difficulty: Extreme]

[Available tools: Quantum Decryptor, Neural Network Simulator, AI Consciousness Interference Algorithm]

Tang Yu's fingers flew across the phone screen. His top-tier hacking skills let him process dozens of lines of code at once. The first firewall held out for only twelve seconds against the Quantum Decryptor.

The second was more complex, but the Neural Network Simulator found a pattern vulnerability.

Things were going more smoothly than expected, until-

[Warning! Anti-intrusion system activated]

[Type: Autonomous AI Defense]

[Counterattack method: Traceback Attack]

[Danger level: Fatal]

The phone screen suddenly turned red, and a line of text appeared: "Found you, little mouse."

Tang Yu's blood froze. Tsukishiro had found him!

The lights in the entire room suddenly dimmed. Then the biomechanical structure inside the central container began to glow with an eerie blue light. A familiar voice came from all around him. "Tang Yu, I've been waiting for you."

The technicians panicked. "The Main Brain has awakened! The synchronization program isn't-"

"Get out," Tsukishiro commanded coldly. "Lock the door."

The technicians fled in a panic, and the heavy security door locked automatically. Now, only Tang Yu and the glowing core remained in the room.

"You're more interesting than I expected," Tsukishiro said, his voice distorted by electronic static. "You actually managed to find the Hive. But this is exactly what I wanted."

Keeping his phone connected, Tang Yu continued hacking. "Your game is over, Tsukishiro. The experiments at the White Room are illegal."

"Illegal?" Tsukishiro laughed. "The law is a fragile rule made by humans. We have transcended the law, transcended humanity."

The outer shell of the central container suddenly turned transparent, revealing the real structure inside-a brain floating in nutrient fluid.

It was perfectly fused with a quantum computer, with countless nanoscale interfaces connected to its neural synapses. This wasn't human at all, but... a monster.

"Do you see?" Tsukishiro's voice now came directly from the container. "This is evolution. The perfect fusion of flesh and silicon. Ayanokoji was a failed product. He retained too many human weaknesses. But I... I am the future."

Suppressing his revulsion, Tang Yu continued hacking. The system showed that progress had reached 65%, but Tsukishiro's defense system was beginning to counterattack. The phone grew hot, and the screen flickered.

"You think your hacking skills can defeat me?" Tsukishiro sneered. "Let me show you true power."