Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 164 - 164 84 Trading and Explosion

164: Chapter 84: Trading and Explosion 164: Chapter 84: Trading and Explosion Three minutes before the explosion of the high explosive bomb near Xiang Shan and eighteen minutes before the explosion of the EMP bomb by the Six Dragons Sect, Xiang Shan stopped in a stairwell.

His prosthetic eye flickered as he quickly asked in clear code, “Which of you is playing this joke on me?”

This must be because someone had discovered he was an anomaly, which is why they took over the surveillance authority of this lighting device.

If one wanted to achieve “unnoticed,” hacking into the surveillance system would likely be necessary.

But truth be told, that was no easy task.

Just as the Green Forest Stronghold could employ people with low modification rates and use primitive closed circuit systems to monitor anomalies, this building also contained certain surveillance systems designed to guard against hacking.

Since such monitoring consumed a significant amount of manpower, and protectors were especially short on “manpower,” measures like these were not implemented throughout the entire building.

But some key nodes definitely existed.

Xiang Shan wasn’t sure whether the stairwell had such surveillance (after all, Deborah and Carolina hadn’t mentioned it), so he had been very careful not to reveal his objective.

But now, he was being targeted.

In front of Xiang Shan, the power indicator light and activation light of a camera began to flicker.

It too was a clear message, very concise and efficient.

Translated roughly, it was: “Network Meditation Room (in the form of a question)”

Within a few flashes, this message was conveyed.

But Xiang Shan understood instantly and responded with a flicker of his prosthetic eye, “So it’s you.”

This hacker was the internal expert who had sent him the new version of the Network Meditation Room.

The internal expert said, “Continue up three floors, go to the stairwell door, and connect to the wireless signal through the nearest router.”

Having said that, he disappeared.

Xiang Shan continued upwards, then casually leaned on the door frame of the stairwell, his forehead against the frame (to others, it appeared as if the back of his head was against the frame), and connected to the WiFi.

Soon, a sensation completely different from the five senses surged into Xiang Shan’s mind.

A dialogue box popped up in Xiang Shan’s system.

Xiang Shan chose to proceed.

The internal expert typed directly over Xiang Shan’s field of vision, asking, “Are you the hero I met last time?

Why are you here?”

“Assassination,” Xiang Shan replied succinctly.

“Do you think this is necessary?”

“I witnessed injustices, someone must pay the price,” Xiang Shan said, “Moreover, saving Zhao by surrounding Wei is imperative.”

According to what Xiang Shan had seen and heard before, the confrontation between Recycling Station Town and Organization Z was solely because of a whim by Ya Pingning Zhao.

He had merely done it “for fun,” thus failing to collect the Gene Tax, resulting in the cancellation of protection for Recycling Station Town.

In subsequent events, “Silver Transmission Shaft” Lev and “Chain Missile” Gleayard were certainly the direct murderers, but the will of Young Master Ya Pingning also played a key role.

Many civilians, including Ms.

Yulia, lost their lives, and Ya Pingning was partly responsible.

If the death of this member of the Zhao Family could facilitate other strategic effects, then what reason was there to postpone this matter?

The internal expert was silent for a few seconds, then said, “Okay, but you need to do me a favor.”

Xiang Shan nodded, “Okay.”

After all, the other party had just helped him when he had just been revived… damn it, just recovered.

There was still a favor owed.

Moreover, as fellow members of Jianghu, there was reason to help each other.

“I’ve been following the Mona Knight Order’s research plans for years.

I was planning to wait for their final results before attempting to steal the core secrets.

But since you insist on assassination, things will have to change.

Security here will definitely be heightened afterward.

If the technicians detect my traces, it could even alarm King Aqini…”

At this point, Xiang Shan’s thoughts no longer followed the constantly appearing text.

A bizarre headache… as if the previously blocked neural areas within his brain were reconnecting to his thought processes.

It was an odd form of anger.

—Aqini… King… Jakub Hartman…

He pressed the weight of his prosthetic body against the door frame.

At that moment, Xiang Shan felt he should be breathing heavily, his heart beating rapidly, or his limbs becoming weak, producing a sensation of nausea.

But his prosthetic body perfectly corrected these aberrant commands.

No one could tell what was happening to him.

—An old dog…

Xiang Shan slammed his forehead hard against the door frame.

He had a habit of using this method to calm extreme emotions when he was still a natural person.

But this time, he received no tactile feedback.

Instead, it produced quite a loud noise.

The mysterious master seemed somewhat dissatisfied, “What are you doing?”

Xiang Shan glanced at the text left by the guy and replied, “Nothing much, just suddenly remembered an enemy I can’t share the sky with.

I can do what you asked.

Let’s settle it at that.”

What this fellow requested was for Xiang Shan to break into the vice captain’s office, help him steal the core data and several unpublished papers that the vice captain kept.

These items apparently would be very beneficial for the inner strength techniques practiced by the mysterious master’s lineage.

However, the data were saved in a standalone, unnetworked computer for analysis and were personally analysed by Mr.

Bengel, only occasionally undergoing remote guidance from the head captain.

In fact, His Excellency Ashur, the Holy Knight, did not need those specific pieces of data.

Bengel would analyse them and then report the results to him, and he would provide some directional guidance as needed.

The Mona Knight Order’s branch on Earth was just one among several under his command.

He couldn’t possibly know every piece of data in detail—at least, as long as his vice captains weren’t useless, as long as there were no unexpected anomalies in the data, it wasn’t necessary to upload the data itself in detail to him.

This was also to minimize the chances of the results being stolen.

Of course, when the final paper was published, the leading author’s credits would still bear the knight’s badge of His Excellency Ashur—this was non-negotiable.

The mysterious master had squatted for years without making a move, precisely waiting for these people to complete their research.

After all, as a weaker party, although Heroes did not lack technical personnel, they lacked the conditions for performing high-end experiments.

At least, if the Mona Knight Order had not completed their research, it would be very difficult for the mysterious master’s sect to gather the conditions needed to finish it.

Thus, he had to wait for the progress of the Mona Knight Order.

Now, Xiang Shan’s planning an assassination meant that every backdoor he had left behind could potentially be discovered.

The mysterious master must steal the data he hadn’t yet pilfered before that happened.

Since those data and Mr.

Bengel’s papers were stored together in a computer isolated from the network, he couldn’t steal them directly for the moment.

At this time, the best method was to let Xiang Shan, who had already physically breached the building’s security system, enter and steal the data.

He noticed that someone else had tampered with the traps he had left behind.

He found this quite strange—among these traps, there were a few backdoors so ancient that hardly anyone knew of them nowadays.

So, he traced these data and found several tampered cameras linked to Xiang Shan.

Since Xiang Shan planned a one-time violent action, some “traces” hidden within the hardware protocols were not completely erased.

It took this internal master ten minutes to follow these traces and find him.

In Pine Eagle City nearby, and among those who used ancient inner strength techniques, he knew only one.

After all, “The hardest cyberattack to defend against is storming into an office, finding an operational terminal, knocking out the operator, and taking over.”

And the floor where Mr.

Bengel’s office was located was very close to the floor where Ya Pining was.

For Xiang Shan, this was conveniently “on the way.”

However, the internal master did not leave a contact method, but instead requested that Xiang Shan upload the stolen data directly onto the network in blockchain format after he acquired them.

By then, he would naturally see it.

“Quite cautious,” Xiang Shan smiled and typed, “Then, here’s to a pleasant cooperation.”

“I will provide you with the most basic guidance, planning the route.

Also, inside this building, there may not just be you as an intruder.

There’s another trace of invasion.

Just that right now, he must have entered an area completely devoid of surveillance.

I can’t locate him.

His inner strength technique is also entirely different from yours.”

Xiang Shan said, “That’s great.

The more people come, the better.

Besides, I have something else to mention.”

“Please proceed.”

“I’ve set a timer on a bomb that will explode in the main server room in thirty seconds.”

Xiang Shan said this and continued walking upstairs.

Only now his pace quickened significantly.

………………………………

Yangtze Knight Daijiu Tai’a stepped out, leading a small squad of soldiers guarding the hallway.

The Secretary Officer upon seeing this said, “Your Excellency Yangtze Knight, do you have any instructions?”

“Nothing much…” Daijiu Tai’a replied, “I just plan to take a walk around to see the construction of the knight order here.

I don’t intend to leave the order’s gate.

There’s no need for you to follow.”

The Secretary Officer hesitated, “But my current duty…”

“I’m not leaving the Scientific Knight Order’s premises.” Daijiu Tai’a said, “Wouldn’t the Scientific Knight Order also be safe?”

“Well…”

As if to answer Daijiu Tai’a’s question, the Meiyimei Building suddenly shook violently, and a loud explosion echoed throughout the building.

Daijiu Tai’a was stunned, “What’s happening?”

No sooner had he spoken than the entire building’s alarm began to blare.

“Warning, warning, suspect explosion outside the main server room in the middle section of the building.

Suspected Hero intrusion, repeat, suspected Hero intrusion.”

“All-building level two alert.

All Scientific Knight apprentices immediately halt current tasks and return to the nearest rest area.”