The night was deep, and the air was thick with the scent of damp machine oil and lingering gunpowder. The police had just finished clearing the underground factory of "Yuancheng Technologies," and Su Wanqing and Lu Chenzhou had barely caught their breath before they began organizing and analyzing the seized evidence.
Lu Chenzhou sat at the corner desk in the office, flipping through one document after another, but he felt something was still missing. His gaze drifted over to Xu Zhengyuan's desk, the legal representative of "Yuancheng Technologies," and a gut feeling urged him to approach the desk and search again.
He yanked open a drawer but found it shorter than usual. His fingers tapped lightly on the bottom of the drawer, and there was a dull sound.
"There's a hidden compartment," he murmured.
A moment later, with the help of a screwdriver, a secret compartment popped open, revealing a black, heavily worn laptop. The laptop had no brand markings, and a white warning sticker was affixed to its cover, with only two letters written on it: ΩX.
"Su Wanqing, you need to come see this," he immediately called out.
Ten minutes later, Su Wanqing arrived with an electronic forensics kit. Upon seeing the laptop, her brows immediately knitted together.
"Non-commercial grade equipment, customized hardware protection. If unauthorized data access occurs, it will self-destruct." She quickly put on gloves. "But I can bypass the system's startup interface and extract the underlying data through mirroring."
She expertly connected the laptop to the forensics system, and as soon as the power was turned on, the laptop screen flashed a line of red text: "Enter authentication code, three incorrect attempts will immediately destroy data."
Su Wanqing didn't attempt to guess the code recklessly. Instead, she used bypass techniques to extract the internal storage chip's contents and transferred it to the "Codename: Deep Well" high-intensity decryption mainframe in the forensic center for processing.
The screen displayed a continuous stream of decoded data, and it lasted for a full two hours.
At 3:30 AM, a faint beep sounded from the Deep Well mainframe, and the files were successfully decoded. Lu Chenzhou and Su Wanqing exchanged a glance, both feeling the weight in their hearts.
The first file that popped up was an encrypted log directory—folders were organized by date, starting from six months ago to three days prior. The files were well-structured and the system was airtight.
"This isn't just ordinary terrorism," Lu Chenzhou muttered, "This is a well-planned, systematically executed commercial operation."
They opened a log file titled [Black Side Plan_Execution List]. Su Wanqing skimmed through it quickly, her face growing increasingly serious.
"This organization started with 'remote experiments' and has been conducting data testing and bomb experiments nationwide. Each time, they record their results, improvements, and the next steps in the system... It's like they're carrying out some kind of contractual mission."
"Someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes," Lu Chenzhou continued. "It's not them leading the operation."
Minutes later, Su Wanqing finally came across a critical log entry—dated three days ago.
[Mission Update]: Client instructions confirmed. Target shifted to the X City transport core—"Century Junction Hub." Execution time: 7:45 AM (morning rush hour) this Wednesday. Mode: Three-point detonation, plan named "Ω's Touch."
She gasped.
"That's the lifeline of our city's transportation system," Su Wanqing quickly opened the map. "Metro Line 1, intercity high-speed rail, and the long-distance bus terminal are all located there, with over 800,000 people passing through every day."
"And there's no closed-off management there. If an explosion occurs, it would cause a stampede and paralyze traffic—the consequences would be unimaginable."
Lu Chenzhou's face turned ashen. "They want to create maximum panic with minimal cost."
Even more alarming was a note in the log:
"If Ω's Touch succeeds, it will activate the subsequent three stages of the 'Mirror Plan.' Full-scale expansion tests will commence."
Su Wanqing transferred the file and encrypted it, sending it to the Central Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Ministry of Public Security's Intelligence Department. Lu Chenzhou immediately dialed the district chief's number, requesting the highest-level security protocol.
"We need to locate all explosive devices within three days and disarm all detonators," Lu Chenzhou looked at her. "We can't afford any more deaths."
By the time dawn broke, they hadn't rested. They urgently called together bomb disposal experts, the transportation management bureau, and key personnel from the city's surveillance systems for a closed-door meeting to devise lockdown and inspection plans.
Meanwhile, Su Wanqing continued sifting through the encrypted logs.
Suddenly, she stopped at a particular annotation—a copy of an internal letter, codenamed "Z-Alex", attached at the end of the file, signed by [K.S.].
"If you fail here as well, you will have to initiate the Ω Mirror Program and detonate everything from 'the inside.'"
She furrowed her brow. "From the inside?"
Lu Chenzhou leaned in, and they stared at each other for a long moment before almost simultaneously saying one name:
"An insider."
And the first stage of the Mirror Plan might—just might—be happening right under their noses.