Psychics don't die from gunfire

Chapter 886 [Save Me!]

Sever the dragon vein.

"If we actually did that, I feel like we'd be infamous for all eternity," Song Shi said, stroking his chin.

"Aren't you going to do it?" VE raised an eyebrow.

"—That would be perfect!"

Song Shi raised his index finger and waved it: "Wearing fine clothes in the dark is like returning home in glory. If I don't do something big, how will the Eastern Continent Republic know I'm back?"

"And to be honest, I've never enjoyed the [surveillance network] thing. VE, would you like something that's constantly watching you?"

"Uh...uh...uh..." VE made a disgusted face, speaking faster than she thought: "Anyone who wants to monitor others should be sent to the gallows, except for me."

"All cybersecurity departments should be disbanded!" she declared, then continued, "All technology should be open source! Cryptocurrency-based is the best!"

—The last military discussion meeting ended some time ago.

Unsurprisingly, the "Dragon Vein Severance" plan received a high number of votes in favor and naturally became the core strategy of the New Order Federation for the next stage of the Eastern Continent Republic.

This strategy is kept extremely secret, and currently only about a dozen people have the right to know about it. Under their command, this expeditionary force is slowly operating in conjunction with the New Order Federation homeland, preparing for the preliminary work.

Song Shi listened in on the initial plan.

The Eastern Continent Republic comprises nineteen prefectures and provinces. The number of distributed nodes supporting the [Surveillance Network] is conservatively estimated to be over ten. Undoubtedly, their exact locations are a top secret of the Eastern Continent Republic.

If it were a typical large domain, VE, as the king of the abyss at depth 6, could, with a little effort, see from the big picture to the small details and understand its general structure, and figure out the distribution of each node.

However, the [Monitoring Network] is different.

It covers every aspect of the Eastern Continent Republic, exposing everything about every citizen to its gaze and allowing it to control them at will. Even those "thoughts" that should be hidden deep within, known only to oneself, are mercilessly dug out by the [Surveillance Network] following the slightest clues in the subconscious.

The Ming Dynasty's penal code was established.

It was precisely by relying on this all-pervasive control that it established a deeply rooted order in the Eastern Republic for the high-ranking officials in the court, turning the system of "nine classes of citizens" into an unbreakable shackle hanging over the heads of everyone under the powerful families.

This is man-made stagnant water, extremely static—

However, beneath the surface, the essence of the "surveillance network" is exactly the opposite! Every moment, every instant, it flows with massive amounts of data, and terrifying information is managed by it with unparalleled technical capabilities, turning it into countless judgments.

—The surveillance network is like a ceaseless, intricate river or sea, with extreme changes within it!

Even with VE's abilities, facing such a constantly changing creation, one would feel at a loss, confused, and blinded.

If I had to say, if the "Awakened One" Zenrucha was still alive, she would be quite adept at dealing with this kind of thing, able to subtly and silently infiltrate the demonic [monitoring network] and locate the positions of each distributed node.

But she's already dead.
Even if she hadn't died, the New Order Federation wouldn't have dared to let her do that.

Otherwise, after a while, the surveillance network might indeed be cracked, but the citizens of classes 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 who are strongly bound to it will probably only have "Lord Setsuna" on their minds.

"So the current problem is how to determine the location of the distributed nodes."

Song Shixin said.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that VE's projection had disappeared, leaving him all alone on the rooftop of the building.

This question isn't particularly difficult, but it's not exactly easy either.

If the goal is simply to disrupt the distributed nodes—yes, I don't know exactly where they're located, but one thing is certain: each of the nineteen counties and provinces of the Eastern Continent Republic definitely has them.

The fifth ring of the Great Source, the True Spirit that has reached the second stage, is qualified to sink the entire county and province into the sea and land. If it wants, it can turn it into a pure, lifeless, barren wasteland.

Nineteen prefectures and provinces, nineteen fires.

No matter how well a distributed node is hidden, no matter how deeply it's concealed, it will still be burned to ashes in the indiscriminate flames. But I don't want that.

For example, "Yu Lai" was destroyed in her previous life. If she is destroyed again in this life, wouldn't she have been reborn for nothing? Wouldn't her fifth ring of psionic energy be the same as her fourth ring?

Thinking of this, Song Shi couldn't help but click his tongue.

If the True Spirit [Hongyuan Tianchi] is already complete, why go through all this trouble? Unfortunately, no matter how much I study it, I always feel it's missing a little something, not quite there yet.
There's a rather awkward feeling of being stuck.

This feeling was quite unfamiliar to me, at least; I'd only experienced it twice before. Once was when I was at the peak of the fourth ring in my previous life, trying to break through to the fifth ring, and the other time was this time.

The last solution was to venture into the Empire alone, fight Renata Clemens, awaken the [True Spirit] amidst the attention of the masses, and shatter his destined death.

And this time.
Song Shi sat cross-legged against the wall, letting the high-altitude air currents scatter his gaze as he looked down. So much time had passed; Mangxing Plain had been completely controlled by the New Order Federation, and the curfew had been lifted. However, a noticeable sense of bewilderment still lingered in the expressions of many.

Not everyone can adapt to new changes quickly. Humans are creatures who crave comfort zones; old ideas and new order are like fire and water, and the intense conflict between them leaves them feeling lost and disoriented.

"Um"

Song Shi glanced around casually. To be honest, although Mangxingyuan was a resettlement area, it had always been "devoted to the king's rule and grateful for the emperor's grace," and believed that the local culture of the Eastern Continent was the best in the world.

From architectural style to pedestrian accessories, everything here imitates the Eastern Continent. Compared to the chaotic and energetic atmosphere of the former [Enterprise Alliance], this place is more to Song Shi's liking.

Please help me.

Song Shi's phone rang once. He took it out and glanced at it.

Um.?

Almost simultaneously, out of the corner of my eye, a woman with crimson pupils and disheveled hair suddenly appeared. The projection of "Nightmare" VE had returned.

Please help me.

Please help me.

Please help me.

Please help me, please ...

Almost the next second after I started "reading," the communication burst down onto the screen like a flood breaking through a dam, with notification sounds ringing incessantly.

Finding no response, the frantic communication paused for a second before new words finally appeared.

Help me!

Just then, a hand reached out; it was VE's hand, and she remained expressionless.

It was clearly a remote projection, theoretically having no ability to interfere with matter, but the moment she grabbed Song Shi's phone, the latter flashed with a series of electric sparks and exploded on the spot with a crackling sound.

"Speaking of which," Song Shi hesitated for a moment, "did you hear anyone talking just now?"

“I didn’t hear you,” VE said coldly.

“Hmm.” Song Shi nodded. “I also think it’s just my imagination.”

A breath later, the same bell rang again from another pocket of Song Shi's coat.

"Ah, I have a backup phone." Song Shi shrugged. "It's not safe to only bring one. It would be bad if I lost it."

[Help me! Damn it! Help me! I've found singularity technology!]

Song Shi suddenly stood up!

Without delay, we must immediately go to rescue our loyal, reliable, consistent, and emotionally stable friend, Ogden Christopher!
(End of this chapter)