Chapter 524
Infiltrating the Anchor Point Core
Where is the entrance?
Old Dao stared at the screen in the control room, his finger tracing the surface of the 3D structural diagram.
The internal structure of the anchor point is as complex as a maze, with nested compartments and passages marked with all sorts of incomprehensible codes.
Jiang Nian walked to another screen and brought up the real-time monitoring.
Sixteen split screens displayed images of different areas of the anchor point. Most of them were empty corridors and equipment rooms, with only the huge spherical space in the central area shining with a blinding blue light.
"The core control room," Jiang Nian pointed to the spherical space, "but how do we get there?"
On the structural diagram, there are three possible paths from their current location to the core control room.
“A ventilation duct.” Old Dao pointed to an almost invisible dotted line. “It’s eighty centimeters in diameter and runs through the entire anchor point structure. The exit is at the maintenance access port on the top of the core control room.”
"Can we walk?"
“Theoretically, yes.” Lao Dao pulled up a scan of the inside of the pipe. “But there’s a laser grid inside the pipe, one every ten meters. There are also temperature sensors that will trigger an alarm if they detect an abnormal heat source.”
“There’s no time for detours,” he said. “We’ll go through pipes. How do we handle the laser mesh?”
"I have a way."
Old Dao pulled out two palm-sized devices from his backpack. "These are laser jammers developed by the organization. They can create a three-second blind spot. But each one can only be used once, and we only have two."
"How many grids can it pass through?"
"There are six laser grids in the pipeline. Two jammers can only handle two of them."
Old Dao paused for a moment, then said, "We have to force our way in."
"The laser grid is scanned 20 times per second."
Lao Dao pulled up the parameters, "But the mesh itself has gaps, about five centimeters wide. If you time it right, you can get through."
“A five-centimeter gap.” Jiang Nian glanced at his shoulder width. “I have to turn sideways.”
"And you can't touch the pipe wall," Lao Dao added. "There are pressure sensors on the pipe wall. If you touch it, the alarms at the entire anchor point will go off."
Jiang Nian remained silent for a few seconds.
"Walk."
The two left the control room and followed the corridor to the entrance of the ventilation duct.
The entrance cover is secured with bolts and is severely corroded.
Old Dao used his tools to unscrew the bolts, and the cover plate fell to the ground with a loud bang, echoing loudly in the silent passage.
The two froze, listening intently.
There was no alarm.
"You're lucky."
Old Dao said in a low voice and was the first to crawl into the pipe.
The inside of the pipe was narrower than expected. Eighty centimeters in diameter may sound like a lot, but when actually crawling, the helmet and equipment could scrape against the pipe walls at any time.
The temperature is even more troublesome.
The deeper you climb, the higher the temperature gets. The numbers on the mask's display started at fifteen degrees and quickly reached thirty degrees.
"The anchor point's cooling system is operating under overload."
Jiang Nian's voice came through the communicator, accompanied by a faint static, "The temperature in the core area is at least 150 degrees Celsius."
"Can the deep-sea suit withstand it?"
"The design limit is 200 degrees Celsius, but the duration cannot exceed ten minutes."
The two crawled about fifty meters inside the pipe before the first laser grid appeared ahead.
The red beams of light intertwined into a dense net across the pipe's cross-section, with mesh sizes not exceeding ten centimeters.
As the beam of light sweeps across, there are subtle refractions in the air.
"Ready." Old Dao took out the first jammer, set the parameters, and said, "I'll count to three."
The jammer is thrown out and activated in mid-air.
An invisible wave spread out, causing the laser grid to twist and flicker for a moment before finally going out.
"quick!"
The two sped up and climbed across the grid area. Three seconds later, the laser turned on again, but it was too late.
"We've passed the first one," Old Dao said, panting. "The second one is twenty meters ahead."
Sure enough, after climbing twenty meters, another laser grid appeared.
“We can’t use the jammer anymore,” Jiang Nian said. “There are only four grids left, and we only have one jammer left. We have to save it for the hardest level.”
"Then how do we get through this?"
Jiang Nian stared at the grid's scanning pattern.
The red beam of light moves in a regular pattern, from left to right and from top to bottom, forming a cycle.
Each cycle lasts approximately two seconds, with a brief 0.3-second window during which all the beams converge at the center of the tube, creating a brief gap.
"See that gap?" Jiang Nian said. "0.3 seconds, enough for a person to squeeze through."
"0.3 seconds?" Old Dao frowned. "Impossible. It takes at least one second to go from lying down to getting up, passing through, and then lying down again."
"What if you roll sideways?"
Jiang Nian gestured, "Maintain a sideways posture, and roll with force the instant the gap appears. 0.3 seconds is enough to roll over an 80-centimeter section of the pipe."
Old Dao did the calculations: "Theoretically feasible, but the timing needs to be precise to the millisecond. A little too early or a little too late, and it'll be cut into pieces."
"I'll give it a try."
Jiang Nian adjusted his posture, leaning against the bottom of the pipe. He closed his eyes, and the marking system operated at full power, sensing the energy fluctuations of the laser grid.
One second, two seconds...
It's now!
He exerted his strength suddenly, and his body rolled out like an arrow released from a bow.
The red beam of light grazed almost to the tip of his nose, scorching a wisp of smoke from his combat suit. But he succeeded, rolling to the other side of the grid.
"It's your turn," Jiang Nian said, turning around.
Old Dao tried to imitate Jiang Nian's posture, but his shoulder was injured, and his movements were obviously stiff.
The moment Lao Dao rolled out, his wound reopened, slowing his movements by half a beat.
A laser beam swept across his calf.
The outer armor of the deep-sea suit melted through, instantly charring the skin underneath. Old Knife groaned, barely managing to suppress a cry.
"How is it?" Jiang Nian asked anxiously.
"I won't die." Old Dao gritted his teeth and crawled to the safe zone. "Let's continue."
The two continued on their way.
The pipes began to slope downwards, and the temperature continued to rise. The mask indicated that the outside temperature had reached forty-five degrees Celsius, and sweat soaked through the inner lining.
A third laser grid appeared in front.
This time, the mesh is not planar, but a three-dimensional spherical mesh that completely seals off the pipe cross-section.
“A jammer,” Jiang Nian said. “We can’t get past this.”
Old Dao took out his last jammer, set it up, and threw it out.
The two quickly passed through the three-second blind spot.
"Three rounds left." Old Dao glanced at the countdown timer. "Fifty-seven minutes. Is that enough time?"
"We must make it in time."
The fourth grid was relatively simple, with meshes 15 centimeters wide. The two found their opportunity and passed through smoothly.
But something went wrong with the fifth passage. Just as Jiang Nian was about to pass through, the entire pipe suddenly shook violently!
"What's going on?!" Old Dao grabbed the pipe wall to avoid being thrown out. "Anchor point energy overload!" Jiang Nian stared at the soaring data on his mask. "The core temperature has exceeded 180 degrees! The vibration is the cooling system operating at its limit!"
The vibration lasted for ten seconds before stopping.
However, the scanning mode of the fifth laser grid has changed.
The original regular cycle was disrupted, and the beam of light began to move randomly, without any discernible pattern.
"This is troublesome." Old Dao's face was grim. "The random mode can't calculate the gap."
Jiang Nian stared at the darting red lights, his brain racing.
The marking system senses not only the position of the beams, but also their energy flow trajectory. Although it may seem random, every mechanical system has an underlying logic.
“Wait a minute,” he suddenly said. “It’s not completely random. Look at the changes in the energy intensity of the beam; there’s a periodicity.”
What cycle?
“The intensity alternates every five seconds.” Jiang Nian quickly analyzed, “During the weak light period, the beam energy decreases by 30%, and the speed also slows down by 20%. Although it is still chaotic, the gaps will be larger.”
Old Dao looked at his broad shoulders: "I can't make it. You'll have to continue alone."
"No. It takes two people to install the explosives, and all four points need to be placed simultaneously for enough time."
"What should I do?"
Jiang Nian stared at the grid, then looked at the pipe wall.
“There’s a risky way,” he said. “The laser is emitted from a transmitter on the tube wall. What if we could destroy the transmitter?”
"How can it be damaged? Touching the pipe wall will trigger the alarm."
"Don't touch it." Jiang Nian drew his resonant blade. "Use energy impact."
The blade glowed blue, but the energy was only 12%, barely maintaining the vibration.
“Three meters away, the launcher is on the left side of the tube wall.” Jiang Nian estimated the angle. “I need to destroy both launchers at the same time with one strike, otherwise the rest will go into alert mode.”
Jiang Nian adjusted his posture, kneeling on one knee and holding the knife with both hands.
The energy of the marking system surged to his arm, and a pale golden light was faintly visible through the deep-sea suit.
The blue and gold light of the resonant blade blended together, emitting a deep hum.
The blade thrusts out, not through physical contact, but by releasing energy.
A pale blue shockwave shot out, piercing through three meters of air and accurately hitting the two laser emitters on the tube wall.
The transmitter casing shattered, and the red light went out.
But the other four transmitters responded immediately, and the beam density increased instantly!
"Get down!"
Jiang Nian fell to the ground, the beam of light grazing his head. Old Dao was a step too slow; a beam of light sliced through his back, melting a gash in his deep-sea suit.
"Damn it!" Old Knife gritted his teeth, "Four more!"
“One attempt won’t solve it.” Jiang Nian stared at the remaining launchers. “We’ll have to try again.”
However, the energy indicator light on the resonant blade started flashing, with only five percent remaining.
“Not enough,” Old Knife said. “The energy is too low; the shockwave can’t penetrate the launcher’s armor.”
Jiang Nian looked at the blade, then at his own hand.
"Perhaps we don't need a knife."
He retracted the resonant blade and placed his hands on the bottom of the pipe.
The marking system unleashed its full power, and pale golden light, like vines, spread along the tube walls, silently approaching the remaining transmitters.
"What are you doing?" Old Dao asked in surprise.
“Energy penetration.” Jiang Nian gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead. “It directly interferes with the transmitter’s internal circuitry. But it takes time, and it can’t be interrupted.”
A pale golden stream of light wrapped around the first transmitter.
The red light from the transmitter flickered a few times and then suddenly went out.
The second one, the third one...
Just as the optical stream was about to contact the fourth transmitter, the entire pipe vibrated violently again!
"Hold on!" Old Knife roared.
Jiang Nian gritted his teeth and persevered, but the vibrations disrupted the energy flow. The pale golden light began to erratically, and the fourth transmitter, instead of extinguishing, erupted with an even stronger red light!
Get out of the way!
Old Dao lunged forward, knocking Jiang Nian aside.
The beam of light swept past the two of them, melting deep grooves into the pipe wall.
"It's locked onto us!" Old Knife rolled away to dodge. "We have to destroy it!"
Jiang Nian regrouped his energy, but time was running out. The launcher was charging, preparing for the next salvo.
At this critical moment, Lao Dao made a crazy decision.
He pulled out a dagger, not to throw it at the launcher, but to stab himself in the thigh!
"What are you doing?!" Jiang Nian exclaimed in surprise.
"Blood!"
Old Dao gritted his teeth, drawing blood as he pulled his dagger out. "The diving suit is torn; blood will seep into the pipes. The pressure sensors will detect the liquid and trigger the drainage procedure. When the drainage procedure starts, all non-essential systems will pause for three seconds!"
Sure enough, blood seeped into the gaps at the bottom of the pipe.
A few seconds later, the alarm sounded: "Liquid leak detected. Initiate emergency drainage."
Suddenly, drain outlets opened at both ends of the pipe, releasing a powerful suction. The red light from the laser emitter flickered a few times and then went out.
"Now!" Old Knife roared, "Crawl over there!"
The two struggled against the airflow from the drainage system to climb over the fifth grid area.
Thirty seconds later, the drainage process ended, and the laser turned on again. But the two were already on the other side.
"How are you?" Jiang Nian asked, looking at the wound on Lao Dao's leg.
"We can still hold on." Old Dao used quick-drying gel to treat the wound. "Hurry up, there's only one last grid left, and then it's the core area."
The two continued crawling.
The temperature had risen to 60 degrees Celsius, and the deep-sea suit's built-in cooling system was running at full capacity, but the scorching heat outside could still be felt.
The sixth laser grid has appeared.
This is the most difficult one.
It wasn't a net, but an entire wall of light, completely sealing off the pipes. The beams of light were so dense that almost no gaps were visible.
"We can't get through," Old Knife said in despair. "At this density, not even a mouse can squeeze through."
Jiang Nian stared at the wall of light and suddenly noticed a detail.
The wall of light did not always exist.
It flashes once every ten seconds for 0.1 seconds.
When it flashes, the beam will go out completely, but the access port at the top of the pipe will open slightly.
"That's the maintenance window," Jiang Nian understood. "During system self-checks, it briefly disables defenses and opens the inspection port. Is 0.1 seconds enough for us to squeeze in?"
"One tenth of a second isn't even enough time to react," Lao Dao said. "Let alone climb into the maintenance port."
What if we could predict it in advance?
Jiang Nian pulled up the data he had observed earlier. "The self-check cycle is once every ten seconds, which is very regular. We can count the time and sprint at full speed at the 9.9-second mark. One-tenth of a second is enough to rush through the light wall area and crash directly into the inspection port."
"Collide?"
“Yes.” Jiang Nian pointed to the access panel. “That’s an upward-opening cover, secured with a magnetic lock. If we hit it with enough speed, the impact should be enough to break the lock.”
Old Knife calculated the speed and distance: "It will take 1.5 seconds from startup to hitting the cover. But the light wall will only be off for 0.1 seconds, leaving us exposed to the laser for 1.4 seconds."
"Therefore, cover is needed."
He looked at Old Knife: "We'll have to gamble on how fast we are." (End of Chapter)