Chapter 177.1 – Key (20)
◎ Never bully dogs ◎
On the vast wilderness, the vast and mighty blood-red Fallen howled and swept across, stirring up rolling dust.
Duanmu Qi and his three companions each drove off-road vehicles, maintaining order in the rear of the strange group, preventing any Fallen from falling behind midway.
Song Ke, with a coat cushioning her bottom, sat at the cabin door scolding, sounding like she was quarreling with someone. Occasionally, when her voice rose, she unconsciously straightened her posture, even curling her toes.
Zhuang Qing Yan sat not far behind, a few strands of loose bangs on his forehead blown messy by the wind. The thick eyelashes covered a pair of smiling eyes as he quietly watched Song Ke’s back, watching her inflate like a pufferfish due to her own anger.
Alone in the Northern Base for a few days, Zhuang Qingyan appeared outwardly composed but harbored growing darkness within. He seemed to have returned to the state before the apocalypse, living aimlessly without purpose, walking without a soul, maintaining perfect social interactions with false enthusiasm. However, he couldn’t experience the emotions of the people around him. He displayed a strong maladaptation to normal social life and interpersonal relationships, like an out-of-control car bumping along the edge of steep cliffs, ready to derail at any moment.
When Zhuang Qingyan stood at the highest point of the City Defense Department and looked down at the multitude, the control center was within arm’s reach. For a moment, a pathological personality floated in the air, cold and disdainful, looking down at the countless figures below, constantly questioning him: Why should you save them? What connection do you have with these people? You are not him, you cannot be a savior! Now, just input a simple command, and let this city be destroyed in your hands!
His fingertips unconsciously typed out a letter. Fortunately, his rationality returned in the next second. He decisively pressed the delete key and turned around to leave.
Psychopath, Zhuang Qingyan silently uttered a word.
This was the diagnosis he received during his youth. He had suppressed it well since awakening his ability. However, after a sudden and unexpected upheaval, he buried all emotions in his heart, always wearing a smile on his face that no one could see through. Over the years, his behavior and actions were no different from those of normal people, but unexpectedly, in just a few days, they deteriorated abruptly.
Zhuang Qingyan calmly explained to Ye Zheng that his current condition was very bad and he couldn’t continue with the work. He needed to go in search of the “calming agent.” Ye Zheng stared at him for a long time, perhaps having heard something from Xie Lan, ultimately agreed.
The moment he saw Song Ke, the destructive desire and weariness in Zhuang Qingyan’s heart were miraculously smoothed out. Sacred hymns echoed in his ears, and his soul felt fulfilled, calming down after a long time. In his eyes, the sun high in the sky was not the true one; it was the backlit Song Ke.
He opened a bottle of water and handed it to Song Ke’s lips, speaking gently and tenderly, “Are you tired? Do you want to take a rest?”
Song Ke took a couple of sips following his hand, shook her head, and lifted the horn with deep meaning, “Ada, even as a fallen, one should be grateful…”
Ada, running swiftly, was irritated. Amidst her busyness, she raised her head angrily, baring her teeth, “Ah—!!”
A light tapping sound came from the cabin wall. Zhuang Qingyan turned around, and Lu Xiaoyu gestured at him.
Understanding that he had something to discuss privately, Zhuang Qingyan nodded silently. The two of them walked to the front cabin one after another.
Lu Xiaoyu opened the little bee terminal of Song Ke, skillfully infiltrating the commission platform. In the vast sea of data, Trojan programs were quietly operating, attempting to bypass the supervision of District B’s artificial intelligence and steal backend information. Although it took some time, Lu Xiaoyu, being a top-notch hacker, did it perfectly and covertly.
“I’ve checked. The second time is a targeted release,” Lu Xiaoyu pointed to the top-level A-level commission and affirmed.
Zhuang Qingyan contemplated with narrowed eyes. Changing from a whole territory commission to a targeted distribution near Huangyuan for awakeners? This way, not only were there multiple completion methods to choose from, but the connected regions were also restricted, eliminating 99% of the awakeners in the process.
“What about traces?” He wanted to know if there had been any tampering.
“None,” Lu Xiaoyu said.
Zhuang Qingyan chuckled, “Is it that you didn’t find anything, or there really are no traces?”
Lu Xiaoyu expressionlessly replied, “Of course, there are no traces. Do you think I’m you? Even repairing the T014 takes fourteen days.”
Zhuang Qingyan: “…” Is it interesting to say it over and over again?
“After that idiot (specifically referring to Duanmu Qi) uploaded the data, the system adjusted the task content. Both the analysis process and processing paths align with the thinking pattern of artificial intelligence, with no abnormal data whatsoever,” Lu Xiaoyu’s tone remained steady.
But Zhuang Qingyan knew him too well, “Your expression seems to suggest otherwise.”
A slight snort escaped from Lu Xiaoyu’s nostrils, “Even if the idiot didn’t act on his own, this commission will eventually point to District C26.”
“How so?”
“Because even if all the data is normal, there’s still a possibility. Suppose the artificial intelligence handling the commission has no ‘thinking’ process at all, but is directly given commands.”
Zhuang Qingyan suddenly raised his eyes.
Lu Xiaoyu spoke each word distinctly, “—I think ‘she’ is involved.”
Zhuang Qingyan neither agreed nor disagreed, “Do you have evidence?”
“None, just intuition,” Lu Xiaoyu’s response was firm.
Zhuang Qingyan rhythmically tapped his fingers, not responding with his usual retorts, “Where does your intuition come from?”
“From Huangyuan to Fenak, the number of commissions along the way decreased by two-thirds, including the most common private commissions,” Lu Xiaoyu’s expression was unusually serious, “It’s like someone deliberately clearing obstacles. The entire task, from the beginning of the release, the Zombie King, the Fallen, killing or relocating… it all connects. Each step is a carefully designed trap. Only by stepping into it can you understand the true purpose of the other party.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s fingertips moved slightly, and he wrote down a series of words in the air. Lu Xiaoyu quickly recognized it as “Mother.”
“Coming after you? Didn’t hide your tail well, got discovered?”
During the time when Song Ke was kidnapped by He Qiuhong, Lu Xiaoyu connected to District B’s terminal using S-level ability for data tracking. Although he immediately hid and erased all information in the consciousness of the super AI, the fact that he was fully exposed still inevitably got confirmed.
“Hiding like this all the time isn’t a solution. Why not find some time to go back to Erjia and get rid of her?”
Zhuang Qingyan’s demeanor was casual, as if he was talking about something inconsequential.
“‘Difficult the first time, easy the second’. You can’t miss this time, can you?”
Lu Xiaoyu glanced at him. It was rare to hear such ruthless words from Zhuang Qingyan’s mouth, but upon second thought, this was his true nature.
He vaguely said, “…Soon.”
In the only failure of his life, he paid a painful price, rendering him unable to walk independently. He was willing to lie in wait, only seeking a single, lethal strike.
“Just now, those were just my speculations. If the other party comes for me, I am confident I can handle it, but in case the target is you…”
A true friend is a true friend. The friendly atmosphere lasted less than five minutes. Turning around, they began bantering with each other.
Lu Xiaoyu asked lightly, “Can you handle it?”
Zhuang Qingyan’s lips tightened into a straight line. For some reason, those two agents who were following Ning Rong left a faint haze in his heart.
“You have six legs, right? If they come for me, you should be the first one to run.”
Lu Xiaoyu looked surprised. “No way, did you really get discovered? Did you learn nothing from your elective courses?”
Zhuang Qingyan shook his head slowly. “Not sure.”
After so many days, everything around him remained calm. If the target was him, wouldn’t it be better to strike when he was alone at the Northern Base or even on the way, rather than allowing him to return to Song Ke’s side?
Lu Xiaoyu understood and said knowingly, “So you were scared and hid behind the captain, begging her to protect you, a notorious wanted criminal.”
Zhuang Qingyan glanced at him faintly. “Song Ke… still doesn’t know.”
To explain his identity, he couldn’t avoid the past of the Fire Seed Project. Song Ke had already forgotten those painful memories, living carefree until now. Zhuang Qingyan never made up his mind on whether to tell her the cruel truth because Song Ke was his sun, and he didn’t want to take away her innocence and happiness.
Or maybe, let it go for now, he sighed in his heart, adding casually, “Don’t talk nonsense in front of her.”
Lu Xiaoyu paused, and a suspicious dissociation flashed in his eyes.
“You’re hiding something from me,” Zhuang Qingyan narrowed his eyes. This unusual behavior from him wasn’t a rare occurrence.
“No, dear friend,” Lu Xiaoyu said with an unchanged expression. “Is your trust in me so fragile?”
“I don’t have that kind of trust in you. Mental ability can also extract memories. Do you want to be the first to try?”
“My firewall tells me it doesn’t want to.”
Cold awakened energy surged forth, colliding head-on with the silver code wall. Two formidable S-level forces clashed in the air.
Bang—!
The cabin door was forcefully pulled open, and Lin Youyou, with a charming face, led three people behind her, all with angry expressions.
“Argue if you want, make noise if you must, but don’t joke about awakened energy. I’m telling you guys, be considerate to us A-levels. It’s a headache!”
“That’s right! It’s so uncomfortable!” Xu Xing huffed.
“Fight, go ahead and fight. I refuse to treat any injuries caused by internal disputes,” Fang Zhixu mocked.
“Continue fighting when we get back. We’ve reached Fenak.” Even Su Cha showed disapproval.
Song Ke put away the horn, clapped her knees, stood up, and turned to see her team members gathered together, staring at each other. Concerned, she asked, “What’s going on? Are you fighting again?”
Zhuang Qingyan gave a deep look at Lu Xiaoyu, pointed at him with his finger, silently threatening, “You wait for me.”
Lu Xiaoyu, unperturbed like a dead pig not fearing boiling water, shrugged his shoulders in a proud manner.
