The institute's top brass were furious, feeling like they'd been made a fool of. However, since the swindler had walked right into their trap, they were immediately gloating.
They don't even know whose territory this is before they dare to act so wildly.
Inside the exhibition hall, Locket remained unfazed, calmly stepping back, straightening his collar, and looking arrogantly at Han Xiao. He said indifferently, "If you make any unusual moves, such as trying to take me hostage, you'll be riddled with holes. So don't entertain any risky thoughts. Put down your gun, surrender obediently, and you might still have a chance to live."
Han Xiao looked up at the dark defensive machine gun array. In the corner of the ceiling were surveillance cameras, through which the high-ranking officials watched his every move. He also knew that the ventilation vents could release nerve gas.
He remained expressionless and uttered the voice command in a calm tone.
"Start the program."
The mech's smart chip instantly recognized the command, processed it into an electromagnetic message, connected to the standby computer, entered the research institute's network, and activated the hacking program planted in the research institute the previous night.
The research institute's network matrix was like a domino effect, and this hacking program was like the first domino to fall, triggering a chain reaction. It broke through the institute's network's underlying permissions with almost no effort, and the control system changed hands within seconds.
This wasn't a hacking program that Han Xiao wrote on the spot. He had manufactured various smart chips, and to prevent control from being taken away, he created many anti-intrusion programs and also wrote some intrusion programs, but he had never had the chance to use them. This time, he finally put them to use.
A map of the research institute appeared on the tactical holographic screen. Han Xiao gave the order, and the walls of the exhibition room cracked open, revealing the medicine display case again. The ceiling machine gun array was retracted, and the door swung open with a bang.
When he hacked into the research institute's network yesterday, he had seen the institute's structure. He was already familiar with the security measures in the exhibition room. The institute also had some heavily guarded warehouses storing a large amount of medicine, but the quantity was too large. Han Xiao could only carry a limited number of medicines with him. The quantity of medicines in the exhibition room was just right.
The sudden change caused the research institute's top management to change color abruptly.
"What's going on? The system has suddenly gone out of control!"
"Quickly regain control!"
The technician, sweating profusely, frantically typed on his keyboard, lines of code appearing one after another. Suddenly, the screen turned completely green, and the system crashed. The technician, his face contorted with despair, exclaimed, "It's no use! The enemy's program is infiltrating too quickly; there's no way to fix it in a short time!"
"He was prepared yesterday!" The higher-ups were seething with anger.
Inside the exhibition hall, Locket stared in disbelief at Han Xiao's completely black goggles. Fear gripped his heart instantly, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, stammering, "I... I..."
Bang!
The muzzle of a gun, emitting blue smoke, appeared on the ground between his legs.
Locket was so scared he wet himself and didn't dare to move.
"Stay put and don't move, you still have a chance to live." Han Xiao said mockingly.
"Okay, okay, calm down." Locket hurriedly replied, his back soaked with cold sweat, obediently acting like a trembling quail.
Han Xiao smashed open all the display cases. The amplification from the mecha made his punches more powerful than bullets. He took out his backpack and stuffed all the potions inside, making it bulge.
He patted his bag with satisfaction; what a great haul!
Initially, he had no intention of robbing the research institute, until he overheard Locket discussing Yang Dian and Nid's conversation with the higher-ups. Since the research institute wasn't a respectable organization, Han Xiao had no interest in dealing with them politely. Since everyone there was bad, he decided to follow the rules of villains: whoever had the bigger fist could take whatever they wanted.
If the person he's dealing with has faith, ambition, and what he considers reliable principles, Han Xiao doesn't mind having normal conversations. But if he dislikes them or they're not strong enough, then he won't hold back. He'll unleash his former gamer instincts and grab whatever he sees; he's particularly interested in the research institute's potions. Actually, he prefers to win people over with virtue... and if they still disagree, he'll fight them.
Although Han Xiao doesn't have the universal love of a "superhero" and isn't interested in self-sacrifice, he likes kind people. He finds it more comfortable to be friends with good people in the general sense than with bad people. Even bad people prefer to be friends with good people because it's safer, more secure, and less corrupt.
Unfortunately, people's hearts have changed, and the world is going downhill. There are fewer and fewer "good people." You can't tell which smiling face hides a wicked heart, nor can you tell which "brother" is truly loyal and willing to go to great lengths for you. People call each other brothers on the surface, but talk behind your backs. Even fellow villagers will turn around and grope you.
Good people are rare animals, even worthy of being exhibited in zoos... The word "zoo" is inappropriate; "News Broadcast" and "Touching China" would be better. Research institutes manipulate "heroes" at will, which shows the existence of such snobbish and hypocritical people. There are fewer and fewer honest and kind people, making society increasingly difficult to navigate, and the entire construction of spiritual civilization is collapsing... However, in a sense, it does indeed have a very "unique" feel to it.
Often, your persistence is merely an obligation in the eyes of others, and your efforts are just a means for others to extract benefits. People's feelings are not shared. Just as the Louis Research Institute took advantage of Yang Dian and Nid's enthusiasm, it also stole the institute's hard work.
A proverb suddenly popped into Han Xiao's mind. "What goes around comes around; evil people will always be punished by other evil people."
"I've become the villain." Han Xiao chuckled, realizing that opportunities to do bad things with a clear conscience are rare.
He won't spend money on anything he can steal; next time, he'll just change his approach and become a complete stranger.
Now was not the time to tally up the spoils. Han Xiao, carrying his backpack, strode toward the elevator.
Locket collapsed to the ground, letting out a heavy sigh of relief, still shaken.
The higher-ups in the monitoring room were heartbroken to see all the medicine stolen. One of them roared, "Quickly, think of a solution!"
"Got it! Have the switchboard room cut off all power to the basement floors and trap him!"
"Request reinforcements from Red Maple immediately! We still have guards; assemble them all at the gate. If we can hold off the enemy for fifteen minutes, once the army arrives, I'll make sure they're utterly destroyed!"
Upon reaching the elevator, suddenly all the lights on the floor went out simultaneously, plunging the floor into darkness. Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, switched to night vision mode, and chuckled to himself, "Power cutoff, I expected that."
Han Xiao bent his knees, and the elasticity generated by the nano-muscle fibers concentrated in his feet. He suddenly exploded, cracking the ground. He was like a cannonball soaring into the sky, blasting through the ceiling and jumping directly upstairs.
After two consecutive leaps, Han Xiao crashed into the lobby and immediately saw the bodyguards gathering at the entrance. There were only about twenty of them, less than one-fifth of the entire research institute's defense force. Han Xiao's ascent upstairs was too swift, leaving the research institute little time to react.
The research institute's higher-ups were taken aback by the mech's capabilities and hastily ordered the newly assembled bodyguards to attack.
"Hold the enemy back, the other bodyguards can come to the rescue in a dozen seconds... Damn it!"
Before he could finish his command, Han Xiao sprang into action, instantly knocking over the bodyguard. Like a bowling ball hitting a grand slam, he smashed through the glass door and disappeared down the street, his speed so fast that he left only a black shadow in everyone's eyes.
The institute's top management was furious. They had placed high hopes on the bodyguard team, believing they could at least delay them for fifteen minutes, but they couldn't even last three seconds.
Seeing that the medicine could not be recovered, the higher-ups were heartbroken and furious.
When will the Red Maple Army arrive?
"At least ten minutes."
"It's too late, that bastard's already run away. Is there any other way?"
Once Locket recovered, he immediately said, "Those two superheroes are still in the city. I'll contact them right away!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"