Chapter 520
Feint to the East, Attack in the West
The entire equipment room was plunged into darkness instantly, with only the emergency lights casting a ghastly green glow. The guards who were watching were caught off guard, their guns twitching, unsure of where to aim.
Where is he?!
"Protect the knife team!"
In the chaos, Jiang Nian had already made his move.
He didn't rush towards Old Knife, but instead lunged at the nearest guard.
The darkness was an obstacle for others, but not for him.
The resonant blade sliced through the air, leaving three streaks of blue light. The three guards screamed and fell to the ground.
"Turn on the night vision goggles!" Old Knife roared.
Jiang Nian moved through the crowd like a ghost, each strike precise and deadly.
Five seconds later, seven guards fell. The remaining guards finally put on night vision goggles, but Jiang Nian had already retreated to the other side of the room.
"Chase!"
Old Knife was the first to rush out, but the corridor was also pitch black. The base's main power supply had been cut off, and the backup power supply had not yet fully started.
Which way did he run off to?
"do not know!"
"Split up and chase them!"
Jiang Nian didn't actually run far.
He pressed himself against the corner of the corridor outside the door, holding his breath. Only when the footsteps of the pursuers faded into the distance did he move in the opposite direction along the base of the wall.
Qin Lao's voice came through the communicator: "Jiang Nian! Report the situation!"
"Still alive." Jiang Nian lowered his voice. "We got the module."
"Where are Hailong No. 4 and the others?" Jiang Nian asked.
"They're heading this way," Old Qin said. "They rescued Manager Wang, but he said the module requires a dynamic password to be fully decrypted. The password is on his tablet in his office, but the tablet was taken by the Dawn team."
"where?"
"The database center is probably where Lao Dao is guarding."
Jiang Nian smiled wryly: "That's troublesome."
“There’s something even more troublesome,” Bai Yongxu’s voice interrupted. “The energy readings at the Greenland anchor point have risen by thirty percent in the past ten minutes. Dawn may be attempting a forced activation.”
"Don't they not have the key?"
“They are trying to crack it,” Qin Lao said. “Manager Wang said that the anchor point algorithm has three layers of encryption: biometrics, dynamic password, and physical module. Dawn has the module now. If we can pry the password out of Manager Wang, we can also try to get your biometric sample.”
“Then they will have the complete key.” Jiang Nian understood.
Footsteps came from ahead.
Jiang Nian darted behind the ventilation duct grille next to him.
Two guards rushed past, each carrying a powerful flashlight.
"The Blade team said the intruders might be in site B, and they want us to go reinforce them."
"Area B is so big, how are we supposed to find it?"
"Go ahead and search. Damn it, what a mess this night shift has become..."
Once they were out of sight, Jiang Nian emerged and continued onward.
According to the base layout diagram sent by Elder Qin, he is currently on the second floor of Area A, while the database center is on the third floor. There are definitely guards in the stairwell; he needs to find another way.
He looked up at the ventilation ducts on the ceiling.
Five minutes later, Jiang Nian climbed out of the ventilation duct and landed in a storage room on the third floor.
"Mr. Qin, what is the exact location of the database center?"
“Walk forward 50 meters down the corridor you are in, turn left, and go to the second door. But according to the thermal imaging, there are at least eight people inside.”
"Is Old Dao there?"
"Yes. And that woman with the twin swords is here too."
Jiang Nian frowned.
Forcing our way in won't work.
He needs help.
Where is Hailong No. 4?
"Two floors below you, they are coming up along the maintenance tunnel. They are expected to arrive at your area in five minutes."
“Tell them not to come to the third floor. Go to the first floor and create chaos.”
"Are you trying to use a feint?"
“Yes,” Jiang Nian said. “Have them make a big commotion on the first floor, the bigger the better. Lend the guards down there.”
"how about you?"
"I'll wait for my chance."
Communication ended.
Jiang Nian leaned against the wall, inspecting the equipment.
The resonant blade has 30% energy remaining, enough for one full-power burst. Twelve pistol bullets are needed; they must be used sparingly. The wounds on my body are still bleeding, but the marking system is slowly repairing them, and the pain has lessened somewhat.
He heard a faint explosion coming from downstairs.
Then came the alarm.
"First floor! Explosion on the first floor! All available personnel to proceed immediately to provide support!" the urgent voice on the loudspeaker announced.
The guards in the corridor began to move.
"Let's go! To the first floor!"
"But the database center..."
"The knife team is inside, they're fine. We need people on the first floor!"
The footsteps faded into the distance.
Jiang Nian counted to ten, then pushed open the door and went out.
The corridor was deserted. He walked quickly to the entrance of the database center and listened intently.
There are people talking inside.
"Squad leader, something's happened on the first floor." It was the short-haired woman's voice.
"A diversionary tactic," Old Knife sneered. "There's more than one intruder. Tell the guards not to go down all the way; leave half of them on the third floor."
"Most of them have already gone down."
“Then lock the door,” Lao Dao said. “The database center has an independent power supply and air circulation system, which can last for eight hours. They can’t get in within eight hours.”
Jiang Nian's heart sank.
The door is made of alloy and has an electromagnetic lock. Forcing it open would take time, and Lao Dao must have been lying in ambush inside.
He needs another way in.
"Mr. Qin, are there any other entrances to the database center? Ventilation ducts? Inspection ports?"
"Scanning the structural diagram... Yes! There's a large vent in the center of the ceiling, 60 centimeters in diameter, leading to the central air conditioning unit room. But that room is on the fourth floor, and there's a guard at the door."
How many guards?
"two."
"enough."
Jiang Nian turned and rushed towards the stairwell.
The fourth floor was the equipment area, quieter than the lower floors. The corridor was filled with the mixed smell of machine oil and ozone. He found the door to the central air conditioning main unit room, where, sure enough, there were two guards.
Both of them were looking at their communicators, clearly paying attention to the commotion on the first floor.
Jiang Nian burst out of the shadows.
The resonant blade drew two streaks of blue light.
The first guard's throat was slit; the second had barely raised his gun when the blade pierced his heart. Both bodies slowly fell to the ground.
Jiang Nian gently pushed open the door.
The room contained a huge air conditioning unit, emitting a low hum. He looked up and found the vent leading to the database center.
It was 60 centimeters in diameter, enough for him to crawl inside.
However, the vents have grilles that are secured with bolts.
Jiang Nian used the resonant blade to cut the bolts, pushed open the grille, and crawled inside.
The pipe sloped downwards, and after about five meters, it descended vertically. He braced himself against the pipe wall with both hands and slowly slid down.
Voices could be heard coming from below.
"Knife Team, the intruders on the first floor are very cunning, they shoot and then move on. They've already wounded six of our men."
"Tell them to hold on," Old Knife's voice said. "The intruders' target is definitely here. The first floor is just a feint."
"So we're just going to stay here and keep guarding this place?"
"Wait." Old Dao paused. "I've already sent someone to retrieve Manager Wang's tablet. As long as we have the dynamic password, even if they manage to take back the module, it won't matter."
Jiang Nian stopped at the bottom of the vertical pipe and looked down through the grille.
The entire database center was laid out before them. It was a circular hall with a cylindrical server array in the center, surrounded by eight control consoles. Old Knife and the short-haired woman stood in the center of the hall, while six other guards stood watch at the entrance and in various corners.
The storage module was placed on one of the consoles, next to a silver tablet computer.
The tablet's screen was lit up, displaying a password input interface.
Jiang Nian calculates the distance.
From the vent to the control panel, it was about fifteen meters. In between were Old Knife and the short-haired woman, and six guards.
The success rate of forcibly seizing something is almost zero.
He needs to create chaos.
His gaze swept across the hall, finally settling on the server array.
The servers are running, and the indicator lights are flashing regularly. If we could overload them, or short-circuit them…
Jiang Nian pulled out the last two miniature electromagnetic pulse grenades from his tactical vest.
This was specially made by Mr. Qin; it has a small range, but it can paralyze electronic devices for thirty seconds.
Thirty seconds is enough for him to grab the module and the tablet, and then rush out.
But how do I throw it away?
The ventilation grilles are made of metal with very small holes, so grenades can't be thrown out.
He needs to open the grille.
But as soon as the grille is opened, the people below will immediately spot him.
Just then, the hall door suddenly opened.
A technician hurried in, carrying a data board.
"Team Leader, we've made progress in cracking the tablet's password," the technician said. "We analyzed Supervisor Wang's brainwave patterns, and he subconsciously reacted strongly to that string of numbers. Give us another hour, and we should be able to crack it."
“Too slow.” Old Dao frowned. “The anchor point energy reading has risen to 60 percent of the critical value. If it exceeds 80 percent, it will automatically enter the pre-start mode.”
“Then we need Jiang Nian’s biometric sample,” the technician said. “His genetic profile is in the tissue database, but the biometric key requires a live sample, preferably blood or tissue.”
“He will come,” Old Knife said. “The module is here, he will definitely come.”
As Jiang Nian listened inside the ventilation duct, cold sweat seeped from his palms.
They want not only the password, but also his blood.
After the technician left, the hall became quiet again.
Time passed second by second.
Jiang Nian glanced at his watch.
The Sea Dragon No. 4 crew is creating chaos on the first floor, but it won't last long. Once the Dawnbreakers react, they will strengthen the defenses on the third floor.
We must act now.
He took a deep breath and made his decision.
No more grenades.
Use a more direct method.
Jiang Nian grabbed the edge of the grille with both hands and pulled hard!
"Crack!"
The sound of metal tearing was particularly jarring in the hall.
"Up there!" The short-haired woman looked up immediately.
Jiang Nian had already jumped down from the ventilation duct.
He landed at a height of fifteen meters, tumbling to dissipate the impact. The moment he rose, the resonant blade was already drawn, hurtling straight at the control panel containing the modules and tablets!
"Stop him!" Old Knife roared.
All six guards opened fire simultaneously.
But Jiang Nian was too fast.
He moved like a shadow through the bullets, his resonant blade dancing like a blue light curtain, deflecting most of them. In three seconds, he had reached the control panel.
He reached out with his left hand to grasp the module and the tablet.
Just as their fingertips were about to touch, a dark red scimitar slashed horizontally!
It's that short-haired woman.
Jiang Nian retreated hastily, the blade grazing his chest and tearing open his combat uniform. Another curved blade immediately followed, aimed for his throat.
Dual-wielding style, as fast as the wind.
Jiang Nian raised his knife to parry.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The clanging of metal was as dense as rain. The short-haired woman's swordsmanship was extremely sharp; her two swords worked together flawlessly, forcing Jiang Nian to retreat repeatedly.
"Knife Team!" she shouted, "Get the stuff!"
Old Knife has already rushed towards the control panel.
Jiang Nian gritted his teeth, took the heavy blow head-on, used the momentum to turn around, and kicked the server rack next to him.
The heavy frame tipped over and crashed down on Old Knife.
Old Dao had no choice but to retreat.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Nian lunged at the control panel again. But the short-haired woman was already in front of him, her twin swords crossed, blocking all routes.
“I am your opponent,” she said coldly.
"I don't have time to play with you."
Jiang Nian suddenly changed tactics.
Instead of trying to break through, he retreated rapidly while raising his pistol.
It's not targeting women with short hair.
Instead, they aimed at the fire sprinklers on the ceiling.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three nozzles exploded, unleashing a torrent of high-pressure water mist. The entire hall was instantly enveloped in the mist, and visibility plummeted.
"He's trying to take advantage of the chaos!" Old Knife roared. "Guard the door! Don't let him get away!"
But Jiang Nian had no intention of running away.
He moved through the mist, the marking system allowing him to clearly perceive the location of everyone.
A guard stood three meters to the left, nervously looking around.
Jiang Nian approached silently, and the resonant blade pierced through from behind. The guard groaned and fell to the ground.
The second guard turned around upon hearing the sound, but the fog was too thick to see anything. Jiang Nian had already circled around to his side and slit his throat with a single stroke.
The third one, the fourth one...
Short screams and thuds of people falling to the ground could be heard continuously from within the mist.
"He's hunting us!" a guard cried in terror. "I can't see him!"
"Turn on the ventilation system!" Old Knife commanded.
However, the ventilation system needs time to start up.
That's enough time.
Jiang Nian had already dealt with five guards, leaving only Old Knife, the short-haired woman, and the last guard at the door.
The mist began to thin.
The three stood back to back, warily looking around.
"Come out!" Old Knife roared, "What's the point of hiding like this!"
Jiang Nian walked out from behind the server rack.
Soaked to the bone, his combat uniform clung to his body, blood mingling with firefighting water dripping down. Yet his eyes remained sharp, the blue light of his resonant blade standing out starkly in the mist.
“One-on-one,” he said. “If you win, the stuff is yours. If I win, the stuff is mine.”
Old Dao stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.
Do you think I'd agree?
“You will,” Jiang Nian said, “because you also want to kill me with your own hands.”
silence.
The short-haired woman frowned: "Team Leader Dao, don't fall for it. Let's attack together and finish this quickly."
“No.” Old Dao pushed her away. “He’s right. This is between him and me.”
He stepped forward and grasped the dark red longsword with both hands.
“Do you know?” Old Knife said, “You could have killed me on the platform that time. If that cut had gone in two centimeters deeper, I would have died. But you held back.”
"I regret it," Jiang Nian said.
“Me too.” Old Knife laughed. “I should have shot you right then and there.”
The two moved at the same time.
This time, there were no tests; they went all out from the start.
Old Dao's swordsmanship was bold and sweeping, each strike accompanied by the sound of wind cutting through the air.
Jiang Nian's resonant blade was as fast as lightning, targeting vital points. (End of Chapter)