A massive stream of data flowed through the probe into Andy's logic core.
It turned out the hard drive wasn't just a simple storage device; it was a functioning security intranet tactical terminal belonging to the Helios Group. It was originally connected via an encrypted channel to the command center in the Spire, uploading the vital signs and mission progress of the Cleaner squad in real-time.
Now that the team was dead, the terminal was in a semi-offline state, left unmonitored. To Andy, this was like a vault with an unlocked door and a "Welcome" sign hanging on it.
Andy didn't rush to read the encrypted files. Instead, he prioritized intercepting the real-time data packets still lingering in the cache. Shards of information flashed across his retina.
First was a mission briefing. The name of the issuer was highlighted in red: Jessia Hel.
Her title was Executive Director of the Underhive Development Department for the Helios Group.
The mission objectives were clear: Retrieve the biological specimen codenamed "Amethyst-03," recover the black box data backup numbered Box-772, and perform a "final cleanup" on all unauthorized personnel who had come into contact with the site.
"Final cleanup." Such a sophisticated term for what was, in plain Gothic, a cold-blooded silencing operation.
Andy committed the name to memory: Jessia Hel. If this woman was the mastermind behind this string of messes, she would be his primary target for future liquidation.
Next, Andy followed the terminal's background connection and traced it to an edge node of the Helios Group's security network. Although this node had low authorization—mainly used for field teams to download maps and update patrol routes—the volume of information was still immense.
A blueprint titled "Hel Spire Perimeter Defense Map (7th Edition)" appeared before Andy's eyes. While it was only a partial map, it clearly marked the locations of all automated sentry turrets from levels 12 to 15 of the Spire. It showed the dead zones, the blind spots for thermal imaging surveillance, and the maintenance hatches for the ventilation shafts. It even included the patrol rotation schedules.
Andy's processor whirred at high speeds, saving the map into his core database. This kind of intelligence couldn't be bought for any price under normal circumstances; now, it had been handed to him for free.
Just as Andy prepared to dig deeper—
Beep—!!
A sharp alarm blared within his logic layers. The black hard drive in his hand began to heat up rapidly. Red warning boxes popped up frantically on his retina.
[WARNING: ALL AUTHORIZED SQUAD VITAL SIGNS DETECTED AT ZERO.]
[WARNING: NO MANUAL DEACTIVATION COMMAND DETECTED FROM COMMANDER.]
[DEAD MAN'S SWITCH ACTIVATED.]
[SELF-DESTRUCT COUNTDOWN: 29, 28, 27...]
It was an incredibly vicious defense mechanism. Once it detected the death of the holder, the terminal would automatically overload its internal micro-fusion battery to prevent leaks, creating a high-temperature physical meltdown of several thousand degrees. Simultaneously, it would release a potent logic virus through the data interface, specifically designed to fry the neural implants or electronic brains of any would-be intruders.
If this had been an ordinary hacker, or even a Tech-Priest at Gamma-9's level, their brain matter would be boiling, or their systems would have crashed on the spot.
But Andy was an Iron Man.
His logic firewalls were eight hundred versions ahead of this drive's encryption level. This virus hitting his firewall didn't even cause a ripple.
As for the thirty-second self-destruct countdown? To a human, thirty seconds was short—barely enough time for a few last words. But to an Iron Man who calculated in nanoseconds, thirty seconds was enough to deploy an entire boarding tactic and write a new operating system on the side.
Andy didn't pull out the probe. On the contrary, he increased the data throughput. Since this terminal was already connected to the Helios intranet, he would leave a gift for Miss Jessia before it blew up.
Though Andy's fingers remained still, the data stream was aggressively attacking the edge node's firewall. He coded an extremely streamlined "Ghost Backdoor." It would disguise itself as a discarded temperature sensor data packet, hitching a ride on the garbage data streams of the Helios network. It would normally send no signals and occupy no bandwidth, remaining in a state of total silence. Only when Andy sent a wake-up command on a specific frequency would it activate, becoming an eye planted deep within the Spire.
[WRITING PROGRESS: 45%...]
The hard drive grew hotter, and the anti-corrosive coating on Andy's hand began to smoke.
[WRITING PROGRESS: 78%...][SELF-DESTRUCT COUNTDOWN: 5, 4...]
Andy remained steady as a rock.
[WRITING COMPLETE.][STEALTH PROTOCOLS ACTIVE.]
The moment the countdown hit "1," Andy yanked out his data probe. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the glowing, red-hot hard drive high into the air.
BOOM—!!!
The drive exploded violently twenty meters above the ground. The energy released by the fusion battery overload turned into a brilliant white fireball. The shockwave kicked up dust and rattled the wreckage of the already-scrapped armored vehicle.
Nearby, Gamma-9 and the guards were struggling to lift the heavy crystal corpse into their truck. Hearing the explosion, their hands shook, nearly dropping the priceless specimen. They looked back just in time to see Andy's silhouette standing under the light of the fire, one hand pointed toward the sky.
Gamma-9's single eye, which had just partially recovered, widened instantly. From his perspective, the scene was steeped in religious symbolism. The Archmagos had extracted an invisible demon from the heretic machine. The demon had tried to resist, tried to corrupt the Archmagos' soul. But the Archmagos had suppressed it with supreme willpower and, at the final moment, cast it into the heavens to be purified by holy fire.
"Praise the Omnissiah!" Gamma-9 couldn't help but want to kneel again. "What a powerful rite of exorcism!"
Andy shook his slightly scorched fingers and looked back at the group of religious fanatics who were once again getting carried away with their own awe. He didn't bother explaining the dead man's switch or the logic virus. Explaining high technology as a divine miracle saved a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"Stop staring," Andy pointed at the corpses on the ground. "Pick up those Hellguns. They're good stuff. And the Carapace Armour on them—even if some are smashed, we can strip them for parts. Especially the power packs; those are high-energy laser batteries. We can modify them to power our heavy laser cutters."
Andy had grown so used to the lean times that he saw resources in everything. Twelve Hellguns—the standard equipment for Stormtroopers. Although these guns had incredibly high energy consumption, they were very effective against heavy armor. Equipping Gamma-9 and his men with them would raise the Vault's firepower by an entire tier.
Then there was the black Carapace Armour. It was far superior to the stamped steel plates the Vault currently used—lightweight, sturdy, and made of ceramic composites that could stop large-caliber solid slugs. Even if they were damaged, Andy could use STC repair protocols to fix them with memory alloys and industrial rubber.
Gamma-9 and the others perked up the moment they heard there was loot to be gathered. Fearful as they were of exploding hard drives, they had zero resistance to the prospect of scavenging gear.
A few minutes later, the battlefield was picked clean. Not even a reasonably intact screw was left behind.
Andy did a final check on the cryogenic stasis pod containing the crystal corpse. The indicator light was still green, meaning the cooling system was still functional. Inside, the "Amethyst Man" lay silent, that bright red heart still beating at an agonizingly slow pace.
"Let's go."
Andy slapped the truck door. The twin engines of the Underhive Joyride roared to life once more. The convoy kicked up a cloud of dust as it headed back toward the Vault.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Andy glanced in the rearview mirror at the smoking ruins of the Helios factory. The ruins were like a massive scar carved into the earth of the Underhive.
Admittedly, the Helios Group had taken a massive loss this time. A three-billion-credit factory was gone, a Cleaner squad was wiped out, core data and specimens were snatched by Andy, and he had even opened a backdoor in their intranet.
But Andy knew this was just the beginning. The executives of Helios, especially that woman named Jessia, certainly wouldn't let this go. Next time, they might not send a light assault squad, but a true heavy-duty force—perhaps even a private army hired at great expense.
But... so what?