Chapter 18: The Price of Survival

  The moment of decision arrived once more. Life and death paths often separated by a hair's breadth, and that hair now hung on the door that had devoured Lily Tang and struck down Kenneth Ryder.

  "Ten seconds..." Leon Schmidt repeated this suffocating time window, fingers rapidly tapping the control panel, conducting final simulation calculations. "Overload all capacitors, might hold. But the access point must be the main data stream interface behind that door. We need someone to go in and manually establish hard connection."

  Go in? Enter that violent data abyss?

  Everyone's gazes instinctively avoided that door. Lily's charred corpse seemed still before their eyes.

  "I'll go." Charles Du's voice wasn't loud, yet extraordinarily firm. He couldn't watch others sacrifice for him anymore. The boss was inside, the truth was inside, and the only way out was also inside.

  "No!" Samuel immediately objected. "You're not a technician, too dangerous!"

  "I understand interface protocols. I'm a brain-computer interface engineer." Charles looked at Leon and Anya. "Tell me what needs connecting and how. No one here understands neural signal and data interaction better than I do." This was a kind of professional obsession, also his only source of courage.

  Leon looked at him, seemingly weighing things, finally nodding: "He's right. Requires extremely fast reaction and intuitive understanding of access protocols. I can guide the hard connection operation remotely, but the person inside must be able to instantly understand and execute." He quickly stuffed a simple bridging device with several indicator lights and interfaces into Charles's hands. "Hold this. Once inside, I'll tell you where to connect. When the green light comes on, get out immediately! Only ten seconds!"

  Anya Sharma deeply synchronized her datapad with Leon's system, complex algorithm models already prepared on screen. "I'll be responsible for guiding deception signal generation and injection. Sophia, your deflection shield technology needs to be synchronously integrated. At the moment of signal injection, provide cover and shield system counterdetection."

  Sophia Rossi whistled: "Playing really big. Alright, I'll go crazy with you once." She walked to Leon's equipment, skillfully connecting several cables to a small, compact device—another of her hidden equipment pieces.

  Irina and Carmen once again took on security duties, but this time the pressure was unprecedented. They not only had to guard against unknown killers but also against possibly unpredictable backlash from the system itself.

  Samuel Jones took a deep breath, patting Charles's shoulder: "Be careful. We'll do everything to cover you."

  Charles nodded heavily, gripping the cold bridging device in his hand, walking toward that door to hell.

  Leon began countdown: "Energy overload initiating! Buffer force field preparing! Anya, signal guidance in position! Sophia, interference shielding synchronize! Three!"

  Charles stood before the door, able to feel the skin-prickling energy surge transmitting from behind.

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  "Two!"

  Leon forcefully pressed the button! A buffer force field stronger than before opened!

  "One! Now!"

  The door lock popped open again! Charles didn't hesitate for an instant, forcefully pulling the door open and squeezing inside sideways!

  Instantly, he seemed to fall into another world.

  No longer the car, but an endless, boundless data storm of madly spinning code and distorted colors! Enormous information torrents like billions of sharp blades tried to tear his consciousness projection apart! The deafening noise wasn't sound but data streams directly impacting thought in chaotic frenzy!

  He would almost instantly be swallowed by this abyss!

  "Charles! Lower left! Black interface!" Leon's voice came through the bridging device, faint yet clear, like a lighthouse in the storm.

  Charles gritted his teeth hard, resisting the pain that nearly tore him apart, gaze struggling to search. He saw it! In the relatively calm center of the storm (near where the confined light & shadow was located), a constantly flickering, physically formed data interface!

  He lunged toward it, fingers trembling from enormous pressure, nearly unable to grip the bridging device!

  "Hurry!" Leon urged.

  Just as Charles was about to insert the bridging device into the interface—

  A dark red, extremely sinister energy pulse, like a long-lurking venomous snake, shot not at Charles but directly at Anya Sharma, who was outside maintaining the force field and calculating signals with all her might!

  It was a killer! Source A or Source B! They chose this most critical moment to attack the most core technical personnel!

  "Anya! Watch out!" Carmen Ortiz was first to notice, crying out in alarm!

  But too late! Anya's entire mind was immersed in complex calculations, completely unable to spare attention for defense!

  Just at this critical moment!

  Anya Sharma suddenly raised her head, a trace of determination flashing in her eyes! She didn't try to dodge, but instead used her last strength to forcefully push her datapad forward, injecting the finally completed deception signal generation algorithm and all energy without reservation into Leon's system!

  Simultaneously, she used her own body to forcibly block before that deadly pulse!

  "Pfft—!"

  The dark red pulse instantly pierced through Anya's chest!

  Her body suddenly stiffened, datapad sliding from her hands, eyes rapidly dimming. But at the corner of her mouth was a trace of strange, satisfied smile, as if finally solving some ultimate puzzle.

  [Ding. Abnormal consciousness activity termination detected...]

  The sixth death announcement sounded halfway, seemingly cut off by some interference.

  "Anya!!" Samuel and Irina cried out in pain!

  And almost the same instant Anya sacrificed herself , Leon's system, having been injected with Anya's final calculation results and all energy, suddenly erupted with unprecedented brilliance!

  "Signal injected!!!" Leon's eyes were bloodshot, roaring hoarsely!

  The green light on the bridging device in Charles's hand suddenly blazed! He'd completed the connection!

  "RUMBLE—!!!"

  The entire train violently shook! As if about to fall apart! The data galaxy outside the windows twisted and changed color madly! Piercing alarm sounds echoed through every corner!

  [Warning! Core command conflict detected! System integrity compromised! Emergency deceleration procedure initiating! Destination coordinates recalculating... Error... Error...]

  The system's voice became intermittent, filled with noise!

  Success! The deception signal worked! The train was forcibly deviating from its scheduled route!

  But the price was heavy.

  Anya Sharma, that calm and wise scholar, traded her life and final calculation results for this slim chance at survival.

  Charles was thrown from the equipment room by violent shaking, bridging device flying from his hands. The door slammed shut again with a thunderous crash.

  The train rocked forward in mad trembling and alarm sounds, speed seemingly truly slowing.

  But no one's face showed joy, only the shock of surviving disaster and grief at losing a companion.

  Anya lay on the ground, gradually becoming transparent, finally disappearing. Only that datapad that had slid to the ground remained, screen still frozen on the finally completed, complex and beautiful algorithm model.

  The killer had struck again, eliminating a key figure.

  But a way out had finally been torn open a crack.

  The price was blood and sacrifice.