The Eve (1)
P. S. Here's the May Day update. Don't rush off to play after reading; remember to vote with a monthly pass first. Enjoy double monthly passes during the Qidian 515 Fan Festival, and check out other events with red envelope giveaways too!
"What?" Mu Fan asked in a low voice as he pushed through the crowd swaying to the music. Hei's deliberate pause made Mu Fan's teeth itch; where did this guy learn to dangle people's appetites now?
"The strange codes Matthew mentioned must represent a certain region. I first checked and scanned various maps available in the administrative network, but found no corresponding region codes. This means it refers to a kind of ciphertext. I compared it with the 37 ciphertexts in the administrative and military networks on this planet, but found nothing."
Mu Fan listened intently, pushing aside a dancer who tried to squeeze in, and listened as Hei continued speaking into the earphone, "But these people must check the encrypted text to confirm the area; it's impossible for there to be no trace on the internet at all."
"Hmm, and then?" Mu Fan replied cooperatively.
Hei was quite pleased with the feeling of being pressed by Mu Fan and continued, "So, following Matthew's place of origin, I discovered that the Wen family's network firewall was different from the several Federation common algorithms existing on Luoqie Star. Of course, this was no challenge for the exceptionally talented Lord Black, it just took a little longer to decipher, which is why I disappeared from your earpiece for a while."
Hei's smug voice immediately eased the tense atmosphere. Mu Fan had almost reached the entrance of the Gedio Bar and whispered, "Hurry up, I need to leave."
"Alright, I haven't made my presence felt enough yet! After cracking that weird firewall, a scan revealed a large number of honeypots deployed on the Wen family's network. This is clearly a warning to me to look here. It's laughable, a product from a generation behind. So, not only did I look at it, I also copied it..."
"What?" Mu Fan touched the handle of the glass door with his arm, his eyes sharpened, and he was surprised to find someone staring at him from behind in the reflection.
What went wrong?
"Copy... the Level 3 ciphertext of another major power running parallel to the Star River Federation — the Gador Empire!" The black voice finally ended, and Mu Fan's voice had just come through.
"Someone's behind me, planning the route." Mu Fan pushed the door open and went out naturally.
"Would it kill you to praise me?" Hei said indignantly, full of resentment towards the person who interrupted his praise. "After you go around for five kilometers and return to the manor, there is an alleyway 320 meters to your right. After you go in, there are six detours. Choose the road at the nine o'clock direction. Before you enter this road, you need to shake off that little tail."
"Understood." Mu Fan took a deep breath and activated his Dark Breath!
His thoughts wandered, and his mind began to work out repeatedly under a highly calm demeanor. His pace quickened, yet he remained completely at ease with his surroundings. The passing pedestrians became Mu Fan's best cover in that instant.
The bustling street in front of the Gedio Bar provided Mu Fan with perfect cover. With large strides, small leaps, and shifting steps, Mu Fan carved a seemingly chaotic yet incredibly swift path through the crowd.
The person behind noticed that the Little Yellow Duck Mask man seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye, so they quickly ran forward and soon passed through an alley. After looking ahead and hesitating for a moment, they went inside.
After carefully walking for more than ten meters and reaching the fork in the road, the man's eyelids tightened, and his eyes fixed on the ground.
A large blanket was casually spread on the ground, and the ridiculously funny Little Yellow Duck Mask sat quietly on it.
He'd lost them! Members of the organization never showed their true faces, and tracking others was a major taboo. Seeing the current situation, he knew perfectly well he'd been discovered. He felt a chill run down his spine and no longer harbored any doubts. Someone with such abilities must hold a higher position within the organization than himself; it was best not to pursue the matter further, otherwise he'd really be in trouble.
Mu Fan, blending seamlessly into the darkness, stood on a protruding rooftop, quietly watching the departing deer-masked man below. He was certain that he had successfully shaken off the man; the man's final actions clearly indicated that he had given up the pursuit, and that he was somewhat fearful.
Mu Fan squinted and thought for a moment, then muttered to himself, "Hei, continue with your judgment."
"I've already seen that little crawler leave. Continuing, after I plugged those codes into this Level 3 encrypted text of the Gador Empire, all the codes were successfully unlocked! These codes all represent specific areas, distributed across the first ten districts. There are six of those areas in District 2 where you are now. Combined with what was said in the tavern..."
"These six locations will be the safe havens for tomorrow!" Mu Fan declared decisively.
Mu Fan needed to go and explain these things to Fatty as soon as possible. Although there were many things to do tonight, the information he received was too important.
A heated argument is currently taking place in the private meeting room of the resort.
Harry and Wayne stood at one end of the long table, while at the other sat a middle-aged man with a Little Mustache in a tuxedo, next to whom stood Sherry, as clear and beautiful as a lotus emerging from water. Several elderly people sat in a row of seats nearby, watching the standoff.
Wayne, the Family Head of the Fowen Conglomerate, placed his hands on the redwood tabletop, leaned forward, and said in a serious tone, "You are welcome here, and I will be responsible for your safety. However, the Fowen Conglomerate is still under my control. Please do not interfere in our family's internal affairs. You are still here, and do not try to influence our family's plans!"
The fat man beside him was flushed red; this time, he was furious. Sherry's father, the Little Mustache man opposite them, burst into laughter after hearing the news he'd rushed over to deliver earlier. He said things like, "Space pirates only exist on desolate planets like yours now," and "You believe something a commoner told you?"...
The fat man was furious at the thought of those mocking words. His father calmly asked him what had happened. When he learned that Mu Fan had discovered that there might be organized infiltrators in the manor, he pondered for a moment and then spoke to the other side, saying that the established plan required strengthening the security level of the family members. However, this was met with almost insulting resistance from the other side.
"Wayne, Wayne, you brought my sister to this godforsaken planet. Where's your courage and boldness from back then? Now a vague report of a space pirate attack has made you a nervous wreck. Ha, how laughable. You're getting more and more like a senile fool!" The Little Mustache sat elegantly in a red cork chair, casually looking at his fingernails.
Sherry, standing to the side, looked rather embarrassed and gave Harry an apologetic look, only to find anger and hatred in the fat man's eyes! She was now regretting applying to come to this strange planet; the events that had occurred so far were completely different from the harmonious and friendly atmosphere she had imagined.
These cousins, who should be considered family, are now glaring at her angrily. Thinking of this, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she felt a pang of resentment. So she stood silently to the side.
"Mu Fan saved me once, and he killed the space pirate!!" the fat man shouted angrily.
"What kind of space pirate could a teenager kill? He's just a petty thief blocking the road. Don't make a fuss. Commoners have plenty of ways to get close to nobles, my good nephew." He still had a disdainful expression.
Wayne, who was standing to the side, said in a deep voice again, "You don't have to believe me, but you are not allowed to leave here before tomorrow, and you cannot leak any information."
"What a joke!?" The Little Mustache's face suddenly flushed red. "I, the second son of the prestigious Gaoling Family Landu Star, am being confined to a run-down place like this? Are you trying to rebel?!"
Although she felt her father's behavior was inappropriate, Sherry also felt that being grounded was indeed a bit excessive.
"Just wait until tomorrow, and I will personally apologize!" Wayne said in a deep voice. The fat man next to him clenched his fists. "For your own good, you've made your old man compromise like this!"
"No way!" the Little Mustache said immediately.
"Beep, a call is coming in. Do you want to answer?" The Sky Communicator in the fat man's pocket suddenly beeped.
***************
P. S.: Thank you to readers "Gentleman, Cannon" and "Poetic and Ren Xiaowei" for their 100-coin donations! Thank you to reader "Yesterday's Beauty" for their 10-coin donation!
Thank you all for your continued support. We hope you'll all support us in the Qidian 515 Fan Festival's Author Hall of Fame and Overall Work Election. There are also some red envelopes and gift packs available during the Fan Festival, so please claim them and continue subscribing!