The days following Oracle's shocking revelation were a period of tense, focused silence. The usual chatter in the Oracle Alliance forums continued, but within the inner sanctum of [Channel: Zero], the three core members had retreated into their respective domains, each preparing for the new, treacherous war they now faced.
Hephaestus's workshop became a vortex of creative fury. The mission parameters were clear: stealth, subterfuge, non-lethal engagement. It was a challenge he hadn't tackled in years, a departure from his usual work of forging weapons of spectacular, awe-inspiring destruction. He reveled in it.
After three days of nonstop work, he announced the completion of the infiltration kit. He uploaded the schematics and a series of high-resolution images to the channel.
The first item was a pair of sleek, black combat boots. Hephaestus: I call these the 'Nyx' Boots, after the old goddess of night. The soles are a composite weave of carbon fiber and a synthesized variant of an Abyssal Shadow-Panther's hide. They don't just dampen sound; they actively absorb the user's spiritual energy signature. Wearing these, you'll be a ghost to ninety percent of all commercial sensor systems.
The next image showed a set of small, metallic disks. Hephaestus: 'Silence' Grenades. Not grenades in the traditional sense. They don't explode. When activated, they release a localized, three-second electromagnetic and spiritual energy pulse. It will fry any unshielded cameras, microphones, and low-level sensors in a ten-meter radius without tripping any central alarms. Non-lethal, non-destructive, just pure, beautiful silence.
The final, and most important, item was a small, metallic device shaped like a predatory insect. Hephaestus: And this... this is the 'Leech'. The Ghost-Stream data sniffer. It's my masterpiece. It has micro-filaments that can interface with any known data port. Once attached, it will begin its work. Oracle's code is... a thing of terrifying beauty. It's not software; it feels alive. It will bleed their secrets without them ever knowing they've been cut.
He packed the complete kit into a sleek, anonymous carrying case made of non-conductive alloy. Hephaestus: The toys are ready. I've sent the package to the General's designated dead-drop point. Try not to scratch my work.
While the craftsman forged his tools, the strategist laid out the chessboard. In his quiet tea house, Old-Man-Jiang worked his own, more subtle craft. His network, a web of contacts and old debts cultivated over fifty years, was his weapon.
He analyzed the intelligence from the Oracle Alliance's "Project Chimera." The crowd-sourced data, when filtered through his experienced eyes, painted a clear picture. He combined this with information from his own sources—a quiet word with an old subordinate in the city planning department, a coded message to a contact in the power grid administration.
Slowly, the location of the enemy began to resolve from the fog of uncertainty. He narrowed down the potential location of the Prometheus Initiative lab to three large, officially abandoned pharmaceutical factories in City T's heavily polluted industrial sector.
He uploaded his findings to the channel. Detailed maps of the sector. The official patrol routes of the city guard (and where the blind spots were). Potential infiltration points, from storm drains to forgotten maintenance tunnels. Exfiltration routes. He had accounted for every variable he could conceive of. The stage was set.
Su Liying knew nothing of this high-level planning. She was operating on her own, driven by a burning need to understand the truth. She had seen the new bounty, the call to find a secret lab in City T. She saw it not just as a mission for the Alliance, but as a personal challenge from Oracle—from Qin Mo.
She threw herself into her own investigation, using the tools available to her. Her access to the government's environmental monitoring database was a key. For days, she sifted through terabytes of mundane data, searching for a needle in a digital haystack. And then, she found it.
A correlation. All three of the abandoned pharmaceutical factories that General Jiang had identified showed the same two anomalies. First, a minute but regular thermal bloom that occurred precisely at 3:15 AM every night—the tell-tale sign of a hidden ventilation system purging excess heat from an underground facility. Second, trace amounts of a specific, incredibly rare chemical reagent in their wastewater outputs—a reagent whose only known use was in high-level genetic recombination and cellular cloning.
She had independently confirmed the location. And she had narrowed it down. One of the factories, the "Blue Peacock Pharmacy," showed thermal and chemical readings that were nearly fifty percent higher than the other two. That was the primary nest.
Her heart pounded with excitement. She knew she had to share this. This was her proof. Her contribution.
She logged into the Oracle Alliance platform. With meticulous care, she wrote up her findings, presenting the data, the correlations, and her final conclusion in a clear, professional report. She posted it on the "Intel Exchange" board under her handle, Crystalline_Mind.
[ANALYSIS: Anomalous Thermal and Chemical Signatures in City T Industrial Sector - Potential Link to Bounty 2001]
Her post immediately drew the attention of the platform's most active analysts. They praised her meticulous research and logical conclusions. Nomad-Lead, seeing the post, felt a jolt of shock. This new initiate... she had just done in two days what had taken the General's entire network a week to figure out. The level of talent in this Alliance was proving to be terrifying.
In his bedroom, Qin Mo had observed it all. He had seen Hephaestus's pride in his craft. He had seen Jiang's meticulous strategy. And he had seen Su Liying's brilliant, independent investigation converge on the exact same truth.
Her public post had changed the equation. It was a risk; the enemy could be watching. But it was also an opportunity. It provided the perfect, public justification for the mission. It was no longer a shot in the dark based on a secret command from Oracle; it was a targeted strike based on a brilliant piece of analysis from a member of their own community.
He made his decision. He would use her, and in doing so, he would elevate her.
For the first time since the platform's creation, the user Oracle made a public post, replying directly to her thread. The entire Alliance platform froze as the legendary name appeared.
Oracle: This analysis is exceptional. The correlation is confirmed and your conclusion is accurate. Crystalline_Mind, your contribution has significantly accelerated the operational timeline. You have been awarded 200 Contribution Points for your exemplary work.
A second line appeared, this one directed at his hidden commander. Oracle: Nomad-Lead, this intelligence is now your primary vector for executing Bounty 2001. The target has been confirmed. Proceed immediately.
The message sent a shockwave through three different people.
In her room, Su Liying stared at the screen, her hands trembling. A public reply. From Oracle himself. He had seen her work. He had validated it. He had rewarded her. She was no longer just a girl with a secret; she was now a recognized, key player in his grand, hidden game.
In her base, Lin Mei read the new directive. The final piece of intelligence was locked in, confirmed by the mysterious Oracle himself. She looked at the sleek, black case of new gear forged by Hephaestus. She looked at the meticulous maps provided by Jiang. She stood up, her face a mask of cold determination. "Gear up," she said to her assembled team. "We move out in one hour."
And in his bedroom, Qin Mo closed the screen. The pieces were all in place, orchestrated to perfection. His unwitting scout had provided the perfect casus belli for the attack. The hunt for the truth within the Silent Lab was about to begin.