Chapter 135 - 113: Encrypted Data
Chapter 135: Chapter 113: Encrypted Data
Qin Shiwei’s expression was grave. "Yaoyao, are you planning something?"
Shu Yao shook her head.
"I’m not planning anything... except for what concerns our son." However, she then added, "I brought you here because I also wanted to talk to you about Zone 9."
Qin Shiwei’s heart sank. He bypassed the more important topic of Zone 9 and asked, "Why couldn’t you say this in the Federation?"
"Because it isn’t safe. I can tell you right now, every corner of the Federation is filled with danger. Believe me or not, that’s all I’m going to say," Shu Yao said in a low voice. "Until this crisis is resolved, I can’t tell you too much about the Battle of Ice City or Zone 9. Let’s just keep things as they are. It’s better for all of us."
"Also, be careful of those who strongly support the immigration plan. And... artificial intelligence."
Qin Shiwei was speechless.
’There’s more to the Battle of Ice City than I thought.’
’And the situation in Zone 9 seems far more dire than the Imperial Family imagines.’
Shu Yao’s face was grim. "The Imperial Family is beset by crises on all sides. Instead of having your brother, His Majesty, focus his attention on Xiao Juzi, you should have him eradicate all the threats surrounding him.
"As for having Xiao Juzi formally return to the family, my attitude and his own wishes are one thing, but the most important factor is whether you can provide him with a safe and secure living environment.
"His Majesty and the Empress have been together for over twenty years and haven’t been able to produce an heir. If Xiao Juzi is officially recognized, he’ll become the Crown Prince. Will he even have the chance to grow up? Have you ever thought about that?
"I gave birth to him and raised him, but not to become your sacrificial lamb. Also, you can stop looking for some Master of Pharmacy in the Lower Star District to treat the Empress’s condition. Now that she’s pregnant, it means her death is not far off!"
Qin Shiwei was taken aback. "How did you know...?"
"Because the person you’re looking for is standing right in front of you!" Shu Yao crossed her arms, revealing her secret identity to him. "And it’s not just you looking for me. There’s another faction, one that’s hidden itself very well, that probably wants to eliminate me.
"I received some information a few days ago and wanted to tell you all this. You transferred Luo Xingyu from the Seventh District to Zone 2. Was it because of the Master of Pharmacy?"
"That was a factor, yes. But Vice District Chief Luo is very capable in his own right." After admitting this, Qin Shiwei couldn’t help but ask, "Do you two know each other?"
"We’ve met," Shu Yao said. "He was the chief of the Seventh District and had probably heard of my existence. Back then, his sister-in-law was critically ill, and he used every connection he had to get a bottle of life-saving medicine from me.
"I delivered the medicine to him personally. But unfortunately, for someone who was terminally ill, even my medicine couldn’t work miracles. It only prolonged her life by two years.
"I only met him that one time, and I was well-disguised. After that, I always had someone else deliver the medicine to him. Even if he saw me again, he wouldn’t recognize me."
Qin Shiwei paused for a moment, then said, "He’s a Beastman. His sense of smell is very keen."
"I’m not worried about that." Shu Yao smiled. "Every time I leave Zone 9, I come fully prepared. I use a unique fragrance to mask my own scent."
Even if someone were to follow that unique fragrance to Zone 9, they would be thrown off by the overwhelming stench of the junkyard.
Qin Shiwei said, "He’s also looking for you, for the sake of his wife and unborn child."
"I know." Shu Yao had already sensed it at the Imperial Hospital that morning. "I’ve already handled it."
’The questions he should ask, he couldn’t. The questions he shouldn’t ask... he didn’t know where to begin with them for the moment.’
With no more questions to ask, Qin Shiwei said, "Now, can we get to the main event?"
Watching the man draw closer and closer, Shu Yao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She glanced at the time.
"At six in the evening, I have to go pick up my mom and Xiao Juzi. We have a little over four hours..."
Without another word, the man forcefully silenced the rest of her sentence between his lips.
##
「Meanwhile, at the main brain maintenance station.」
An engineer wearing thick glasses reported, "Sir Antoine, we’ve tracked a data packet from the main brain leaving the Federation along with the Commander-in-Chief."
Antoine was engrossed in a food show, and he seemed displeased at being interrupted. But after hearing his subordinate’s report, a dark look clouded his deep brown eyes.
He suddenly smiled. "The Commander-in-Chief is traveling alone, isn’t he? To ensure his safety, check what he’s been doing since he left the Federation."
The subordinate, seemingly accustomed to obeying without question, lowered his head to check the data sent back from the main brain to the server. To his surprise, he found—
The data was encrypted!
Looking at the locked file, Antoine narrowed his eyes as if watching a child’s magic trick, a cold, mocking smirk on his face.
"Move." He ordered.
The engineer quickly stepped aside.
Antoine took over the controls himself. His fingers flew across the console, and he cracked the encrypted file in a matter of seconds.
Inside the file, the video feed was completely black, as if corrupted. There was only a single, very clear audio track:
"Ngh... ah..."
"Right there..."
"No, don’t..."
A woman’s... suggestive voice, stimulating the senses.
’Just imagining the scene was enough to get anyone worked up!’
No wonder the main brain censored the video and even encrypted the data packet!
Antoine and the engineer were speechless.
An awkward silence fell over the room.
Antoine closed the file in a split second and stiffly issued a command to the blushing, awkward engineer beside him:
"Find out who the woman in this audio is!"
The young engineer gave a slow nod, hesitated, then stammered with a red face:
"Sir Antoine, actually... uhm... I don’t need to check. I can tell you who that woman is."
Antoine was losing his patience. "If you know, then spit it out!"
"Uhm... well..." The young engineer’s face turned even redder. "It’s a very famous... adult actress from the extranet, Min Ya."
Antoine was speechless.
’As a veteran nerd, how could he not know the great Min Ya!’
The young engineer was positive. "Sir Antoine, I can confirm that woman is Min Ya. Her voice... it’s a perfect match!"
Antoine was speechless.
’So...’
’The Commander-in-Chief took a main brain data packet and left the Interstellar Federation... just to piggyback on the extranet and watch porn???’
’What is wrong with this world?!’
Antoine returned to his seat and began questioning his reality. The food on the show could no longer hold his attention.
His mind wandered, lost in a daze.
’When did the Commander-in-Chief get interested in the affairs of men and women? Isn’t he supposed to be ascetic and aloof?!’
After a long while, he turned off the food show and pulled up the Commander-in-Chief’s latest medical records from the main brain’s database.
All the data points were normal, as always. No anomalies.
Still uneasy, he contacted his younger brother, Yerman, and probed for information under the guise of casual conversation:
"My dear brother, how have you been getting on lately, following the Commander-in-Chief around? Made any progress?"
Yerman whined pitifully, "Mr. Qin doesn’t love me anymore! He might... have another woman on the side!"
Antoine’s heart skipped a beat. A hint of curiosity crept into his voice. "Which family’s woman is so lucky?"
"If I knew, I wouldn’t have said ’might’," Yerman said, dejected. "He disappears every other day. He’s probably sneaking off to meet that woman behind my back again!"
Antoine laughed and consoled him, "The Commander-in-Chief is a man, after all. I wouldn’t be surprised if he really did bring home a Commander’s Wife one day. You just do a good job following him and use this as a chance to hone your skills."
"I know!" Yerman was well aware of his role.
’He was just a spy, planted by the Austin family to keep an eye on the Commander-in-Chief!’
’But as long as it meant he could be close to the Commander-in-Chief, he was more than happy to be used by his family in this way.’