Chapter 65: The Enigmatic Code Zone Within Fantasia Technologies

In the northern outskirts, the wasteland here could be called a forest, yet not quite; it lay just outside the foothills, beyond which stretched the northern suburb. Due to the climate, few wild animals inhabited this area—perhaps the occasional rabbit or stray cat.

Within the thickets, a dozen figures moved quietly, threading their way forward, advancing stealthily toward the distance.

“Stop!” Suddenly, a man called out in imperfect Mandarin.

At his command, everyone halted at once. Silence fell over the surroundings. From a distance, there was no sign of their presence; each wore camouflage, blending seamlessly into the green of the trees and undergrowth.

“Coordinates?”

“Another one point five two kilometers. If I’m not mistaken, we’re already at the edge of the security perimeter!”

“Mole, take two men and check for any security devices.”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon, Mole returned with his men. “Report: no security devices found, but we did discover something strange.”

“What did you find?”

“A clearly artificial platform—looks like it’s meant for helicopters to land!” Mole reported quickly.

“Proceed with caution. Everyone, spread out!”

What they didn’t know was that above them, in the branches of the tall trees, an invisible device was recording their every move in detail.

This was the northern border of Phantom Technologies, the surface level of the Azure Base. The military once wanted to install surveillance equipment here, but Zhu Lan had stopped them.

The reason was simple: no matter how much you tried to guard, there would always be vulnerabilities. It was better to focus resources on protecting the company’s research center.

After some consideration, the military agreed. The cost of deploying surveillance across such a vast forest would have been astronomical, and at the time, Zhu Lan hadn’t yet earned the trust to justify such an expense.

When the Azure Base was built, to prevent outsiders from discovering it, Zhu Lan had long since instructed Qite to deploy a multitude of nanoscopic surveillance probes throughout the area.

These probes, using Kong Yan’s quantum technology and nanotechnology, were coated with an anti-interference layer during manufacture. Each was smaller than a mosquito and undetectable by any known means.

Even if someone stumbled upon one, they could never grasp it was a piece of advanced tech. These probes also had an offensive capability—they could release enough voltage to incapacitate a grown adult.

Over two hundred thousand such probes blanketed the ten kilometers surrounding Phantom Technologies, with half concentrated in the northern forest. There, every meter or so, a probe formed part of a triangular surveillance grid, ensuring no blind spots.

“Intruders detected, carrying dangerous weapons. Initiate Protocol Four—eliminate the intruders covertly!”

The advancing group had no idea they’d made it onto the Reaper’s list.

After passing through the woods, they reached a small ravine and saw the artificial platform.

“What’s this?” The leader frowned, seeing it was just as Mole described.

“Captain, could this be that mysterious sector?”

Maidelest, a mercenary with years of experience in the Middle East and Africa, was lured here by the promise of an enormous bounty. There were three massive rewards on offer—if he completed even one, he and his men could leave for a bustling city, buy a villa, drive luxury cars, and live the good life.

The “Sector”—the most mysterious existence of Phantom Technologies—was unknown even to most employees, spoken of only in rumors. It was said to be the company’s research center, home to secrets never revealed to the public.

The gene optimization serum had drawn attention from many quarters. Even before the bounty, plenty of people within the country had tried to track down information about it.

Others sought entry into Phantom Technologies under all kinds of pretenses.

But after the incident with the gene serum, Zhu Lan assigned codenames to every location in the company, rather than calling anything a “research institute.”

For example, the “Sector” was the company’s office area, known only to those who worked there. Another was the warehouse sector, accessible only to security personnel. There were also other experimental, research, and manufacturing zones, each labeled with a letter. Every employee carried a special badge, required for entry into their assigned area.

Outsiders without a badge could not enter any area. Even the military received temporary badges when visiting.

It began as one of Zhu Lan’s ideas. After Kong Yan arrived, she perfected it—badge scanners were installed everywhere, identifying employees by badge, face, and fingerprint, ensuring that no impostor could sneak in.

This way, even if internal data were leaked, outsiders would have no way of knowing what any given sector did—unless the leaker worked in one of the critical sectors.

Yet, there were only two truly vital areas in Phantom Technologies: the laboratory sector, where gene optimization experiments were conducted, containing much crucial data; and the warehouse sector, where finished serum and raw materials were stored. Both were overseen by special security systems, and employees were strictly confined to their own posts. Only the supervisors knew what was kept within.

“Spread out and search!” Maidelest had barely finished speaking when the sound of mechanical gears was heard.

“On guard!” Maidelest shouted, raising his rifle and scanning the surroundings.

What followed filled everyone with terror.

Around the platform, between tree trunks, small platforms rose up—and atop each was what they most dreaded: a Gatling gun.

“Damn it!”

The rattle of gunfire erupted.

A storm of metal engulfed them. More than twenty Gatlings spun, loosing a hail of bullets; not even an aircraft could escape, for these fired at triple the usual rate.

The storm of bullets was as swift as it was deadly. In moments, the platform was a scene of carnage. None of Maidelest’s men had survived. Torn to pieces by 12.7mm rounds, their blood dyed the platform crimson.

The Gatling platforms withdrew underground. Openings appeared, and powerful suction drew in shell casings and flesh alike.

A tube extended, spraying jets of water to wash the platform clean; everything swept away was sucked into the openings.

Two minutes later, the platform was pristine again, without a trace that dozens had died there.

From both sides, huge patches of sod slid over, soon covering the platform, transforming it into an ordinary patch of wet grass amid the forest.

Battles erupted across the city, especially around Phantom Technologies. Whether by ambush or direct assault, the attackers, driven mad by the vast bounty, were relentless.

Neither the provincial leaders nor the military district could imagine the scale of the assault—unprecedented in the country’s history.

“Mobilize everyone! Arrest these criminals at once!” Luo Guoqiang thundered at command, his voice carrying far.

Seated beside Luo Guoqiang were several generals, all silent.

“What are you waiting for? Get out there! Order the troops to take over city security immediately!”

“Wait!”

“Commander Luo, that’s against our policies!”

Luo Guoqiang caught on instantly.

“Notify the troops—operate in squads to clear out the criminals around the city!”

“Send in the army aviation! The situation is beyond what we imagined!”

The others nodded grimly. “This is no ordinary incident.”

None spoke further. Of course it wasn’t simple; the ferocity was unbelievable, and the intelligence gathered so far indicated the attacks were launched simultaneously, as if by a single command.

“Does intelligence have any leads?” Li Hongjin shook his head. “I’ve stepped up intelligence gathering, but there’s nothing like this. Our adversary is no ordinary opponent.”

“Report! Emergency!” Suddenly, a major rushed in and saluted, disregarding protocol.

“What is it?” Luo Guoqiang knew that only the most serious matters would be brought to him right now.

“Deep-sea probe Number Four has detected two American destroyers approaching our waters, and we’ve also picked up a mysterious signal, which analysis suggests is from an American submarine!”

“What?” Everyone was stunned.

They dropped everything else and hurried to another room.

On the ring expressway, the gunfight raged on.

Zhu Lan sat with eyes closed, but no one noticed the strange light flickering in them.

“Boss, the enemy’s brought reinforcements,” Kong Yan said calmly.

Zhu Lan replied just as calmly, seemingly unmoved by the gunfire around them.

“It’s time. Let the drones take off.”

“Boss, shouldn’t we wait a bit longer? The country’s surveillance is still active.”

“No need. The military’s out of capacity—something’s happened in the South China Sea.”

Kong Yan was taken aback, immediately searching for relevant intelligence. She quickly intercepted reports of American warships nearing the southern maritime border.

“I see. I’ll launch the drones at once!”

“Now it’s time to watch the fireworks. Don’t disappoint me.” Zhu Lan opened the car door and slipped inside, while Kong Yan stood at once, intercepting two bullets fired from another direction.