Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 139 - 139 59 Active Detection

139: Chapter 59: Active Detection 139: Chapter 59: Active Detection At the moment the door opened, Cui Hai was momentarily taken aback.

It was not because of how the inside of the door appeared, but because at that instant, a message popped up in the public mailbox.

“Surveillance traces nearby are strange, there’s a master.

If something’s amiss, flee immediately.”

Then, the door finally opened.

A gun barrel protruded from inside, a short gun with a thick 22mm caliber.

Because of the Old Senior’s warning, Cui Hai almost dodged and attacked on instinct.

But the exchange just now still made him suppress his natural reaction.

At the very moment the person holding the gun fully opened the door, they faced each other with their Prosthetic Eyes, infrared signals intertwined, performing a more meticulous authentication.

For Cybernetically Enhanced People, changing appearance and voice is far too simple, so such measures are necessary for mutual verification.

Physical addresses and Brain-Machine Interface biological codes are indeed unique, but they are related to the Hero’s own “true name and surname,” tantamount to a lifeline, not to be shown lightly.

Otherwise, one Hero turning to the government could easily doom a large number of people.

Prearranged ciphers are the common approach.

After a long moment, the man relaxed and said, “Cui, you’re still alive!”

This person was named Oko, a disciple of Flash Speed Sect, another Martial Arts Sect near the Arctic.

He was quite talented but had not been long in Jianghu and had yet to make a name for himself.

Cui Hai was shocked and asked, “You guys are here too?”

“Come in quickly.” Oko pulled Cui Hai into the house and then said, “An old Hero from before the Sublimation War is in trouble; who in Jianghu wouldn’t come when they hear the call?

If we didn’t come, what kind of Jianghu people would we be?”

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand, “The alert can be called off now, they’re one of us.”

Sounds of rustling.

Cui Hai knew, in the darkness, who knows how many gun muzzles were quietly withdrawn.

Only then did Cui Hai turn to look at the other people.

There were three other Heroes present.

One of them was sitting in the corner with what seemed like a damaged head.

Another Hero had a left hand that didn’t match the rest of his body, apparently a civil-use prosthetic found in haste.

Oko noticed his gaze and smiled, “Did a big job recently and got some damage.”

“A big job?”

“Killed an official.”

Then, the Hero with a missing arm spoke up, “Brother Oko, won’t you introduce us?”

Oko then introduced the matters concerning Redstone Gate through the chat channel and said to Cui Hai, “This gentleman here is called Gofrey, known for his ‘Wandering Soul Palm.’ His close-combat capabilities are astonishing.

It was he who led us to storm the corrupt official’s residence and smashed his Biological Brain to pieces a month ago.”

Cui Hai exclaimed, “So it’s ‘Wandering Soul Palm’ Brother Gofrey, I have long admired your reputation.”

Gofrey grunted and said, “It’s just friends’ kind words.

Despite all the praise, I didn’t manage to kill that official more swiftly.”

He seemed to be in low spirits.

Oko shook his head and chuckled bitterly, “Back then, there were six of us; two fell in there, and everyone else was injured.

Brother Gofrey has been carrying a lot of guilt since.”

Oko then pointed to another person, “This is my Disciple, Red Hand.

You haven’t met before but have chatted online a couple of times.”

Red Hand bowed his hands to Cui Hai and said, “Brother Cui, it’s been a long spiritual acquaintance.”

The last Hero sitting in the corner with the Firearms just bowed his hands and said with a smile, “My motor functions are impaired, so I won’t stand up for greetings.

Call me Wenren, just Wenren.”

Cui Hai was astonished: “It turns out to be ‘Defending Justice Gun’ Yuan Wenren, Heroine Yuan?”

Yuan Wenren was not a figure from this region but a famous Hero from North Asia.

The place was rich in iron ore resources and thus one of the industrial bases, where the government’s power was considerably stronger than here.

Before Yuan Wenren’s Martial Arts had fully developed, she was pursued by the government’s Houndhawk to that region.

Relying on the complex environment of the factories, she gradually honed her exquisite Spear Skill that allowed her to snipe and eliminate enemies while on the move.

What was most commendable was that this Hero had always been known for her sense of justice and frequent activity.

Whenever she encountered injustice, she would pursue it to the end, hence her moniker “Defending Justice Gun.”

The nickname also praised her astounding Spear Skill, with incredibly true trajectories.

Yuan Wenren smiled, “Nothing remarkable.

As you see, I’m injured…”

Gofrey added, “Indeed, we didn’t expect the local Scientific Knight Order to have such a strong foundation; they managed to cut off our retreat at the crucial moment.

If it wasn’t for her covering us, Hero Yuan wouldn’t have been cornered by three Heavy Prostheses.”

Oko also expressed regret, “If only I’d practiced my external strength more diligently…”

The Flash Speed Sect also prioritized Inner Strength in its approach.

When these heroes went to do the “big job,” he and Yuan Wenren were coordinating outside.

“If it hadn’t been for a master who unexpectedly acted at the critical moment and hacked the control of several Prosthetic Bodies in a row, we might have fallen there,” said Yuan Wenren in her still-cheerful tone, though it was unclear whether it was her optimistic nature or the voice package parameter.

“That could be considered a gain.

After that, I asked Brother Oko to help investigate; we found out that the local Scientific Knight Order’s research was not low-level at all.

They have a project directly affiliated with the Galapagos Sanctuary.”

“The local Scientific Knight Order might have a rather marginal project within some larger scheme.

If you consider it important, perhaps the funding and research resources are limited.

But if you say it’s unimportant, it’s still part of a larger project with a certain standing.

If we can find a way to strike there, might we not be able to force Amilcare Zhao to come to their rescue immediately?

The pressure on the old Hero would also be lessened.”

——Huh?

Cui Hai’s mind suddenly flashed with inspiration.

That old senior, upon learning that the Redstone Gate was sending reinforcements to the old hero, immediately turned and charged in this direction…

And before that, he had also obtained the memories of that venomous woman, Deborah Zhao…

——Was this what the senior had in mind from the start?

“Old Cui?

What’s the matter?

Why the silence?” Oko called out twice.

Cui Hai shook his head, “It’s nothing, just suddenly remembered something…”

Oko, however, asked, “Old Cui, I haven’t had the chance to ask you, where have you been for the past half year?

When I heard that most of your Redstone Gate were annihilated, I was extremely worried.

They say your master and the big senior sister of your sect, Lin, have both perished.

With no word from you for half a year, I thought you were gone too.”

Cui Hai said, “It’s a long story.

My junior sister Huang Ouguang and I fled into the wilderness, and then we received assistance from a noble person…”

Just then, everyone suddenly stopped chatting.

After a brief pause, Gofrey exclaimed, “Is the noble person you mentioned this one?” As his voice arose, he flashed forth, closing in on Cui Hai’s surroundings, and swiftly launched his hands like phantoms.

…………………………………

Xiang Shan walked slowly, approaching a crossroads, and then stopped, humming an unrecognizable tune.

Seconds later, as expected, a martial artist with a heavy prosthesis clad in a black cloak walked past him.

He called out, “Wait a moment, brother.”

The man paid him no heed, only quickening his pace.

Xiang Shan executed a sliding step, and with a sway of his body, blocked the man’s path, reaching out to grab the shoulder of the black-cloaked cybernetically enhanced person.

The man raised his hand to block the move and said, “Jianghu person?

Or Green Forest?”

This was his way of indicating that he was neither a Jianghu person nor from the Green Forest.

“Friend, what are you pretending for?” Xiang Shan said, “I’m sure of it.

Although your method of signal interception is pretty good, using several decoys to mask your actual location.

But I eventually figured it out, you’re not remotely reading the signals, but rather, you’re close by, relying on the hardware’s vibrations to retrieve information.

After seeing the connections of those decoys, most people wouldn’t think to check the transmission protocol’s components.”

“And around here, it seems like you’re the only one using a high-performance prosthetic body, aren’t you?”

The cloaked person sighed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, mate.

I’m just a passerby from a martial arts school, uninterested in these murderous affairs of Jianghu.

Now, let go of me, I need to leave.”

With that, he swayed his body, stepped out, and attempted to leave.

But Xiang Shan was not about to let him go that easily, continuously changing his stance to block the strange hero’s path of escape, saying, “Friend, no need to be so cold, right?

We’re all part of Jianghu.

There are some things I’d like to ask you about.

Besides, judging by your methods, you’re definitely not one of the government’s houndhawks.

They don’t need such techniques to intercept information; they’d simply read openly from a distance.”

“Since you’re not a houndhawk, why then do you only watch those young people, yet allow them to stay in this dangerous place?”

“I told you, you’ve got the wrong person,” the cloaked figure huffed, assuming a stance as if ready to fend off Xiang Shan with his fists.

Xiang Shan stepped back, raising his hands and saying, “I have no ill intentions.

Look…”

Suddenly, both of them were startled.

High-pitched ultrasonic waves suddenly filled the air.

The ultrasonic waves didn’t boast significant lethal force.

They could cause discomfort to those less cyberized, but couldn’t effectively harm cybernetically enhanced people with proper protective measures and the ability to absorb mechanical waves with their external armor.

It was a means of detection, a way to seek out enemies.

Additionally, a special note.

Jianghu people do not engage in such active detection measures.

“Active detection” means releasing a certain type of wave, then observing the feedback after this wave collides with other objects and bounces back.

Like a bat, for example.

This mode of detection can yield very detailed information.

But there’s a catch.

Active detection requires you to emit something first before you can get feedback.

Whatever you release, be it mechanical waves or electromagnetic waves, can be sensed by the enemy.

This means you must expose yourself first.

Only houndhawks are fond of doing this.