The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 157 Biological Guard
At this moment, Yu Qing began to worry about Dang Gui and Yu Xuan, who were still living in seclusion in the Third Paradise.

He doesn't even dare to use Lingxi to contact Daji and the others anymore. Last time, he suspected that Lingxi's communication was no longer secure, so he dares not carry it with him.

The sounds of the recent explosions and the hissing of energy weapons seemed to still echo in his ears. The adrenaline of battle gradually faded, leaving behind deep exhaustion and a grim understanding of the situation. The enemy was omnipresent, ruthless, and technologically advanced.

He had the company's technicians take the Lingxi collar for repeated testing, but they couldn't even figure out its communication principle.

The method of using bioelectricity and the subtle resonance of quantum fields for long-distance communication is full of unknown black box elements, and any one of these elements could be eavesdropped on or even tampered with by more sophisticated technologies.

Are they safe in that isolated corner of the world? When was the last time we made contact? It seems like a long time ago.

They were almost completely unaware of the storm that had raged outside because of him, unarmed, and their only "modern" existence was perhaps Daji, this humanoid beauty...

He became extremely cautious. Contacting them directly would be tantamount to revealing their location to those hiding in the shadows.

Those madmen who dare to storm headquarters and use strategic weapons, would they show mercy to a few "natural" weak women and three humanoid girls? Absolutely not. They are likely to become the most effective bargaining chips used to coerce him.

He must know their current situation and ensure their safety, but he must never expose them in any way.

“Donghao,” Yu Qing’s voice was a little hoarse from the previous smoke and tension. He looked at Donghao, who was trying his best to restore the connections between the various systems.

"I want to retrieve the commercial-grade environmental monitoring satellite data for the Third Amusement Park area for the past three days, including meteorological, geological microseismic, and vegetation spectral analysis data. I want anything that can be obtained through any public channel."

Donghao was taken aback, not understanding why Your Excellency had suddenly become concerned about the weather and vegetation in that remote area, but she didn't ask further and immediately carried out the order. Soon, a bunch of dry data and fake-color satellite images appeared on the screen.

Yu Qing quickly scanned the document. His gaze wasn't really focused on the weather or geology, but rather on searching for an "anomaly"—an anomaly that could be manufactured and appeared to occur naturally.

"Is there a database of bird migration patterns in this area?" Yu Qing suddenly asked.

“Yes,” Ya Shi replied, having recovered from the previous attack, though her face was still somewhat pale. “Ecological research institutions have long-term observation data.”

“Very good. Find a special migratory bird species that will be passing over the Third Paradise soon, has a large enough population, and is sensitive to specific low-frequency sound waves.” Yu Qing’s mind raced.

"Chairman, you mean..." Dong Hao didn't know about Yu Qing's past, so he didn't understand.

“We can’t send any digital signals, but we can’t stop the birds from ‘naturally’ changing their flight paths, right?” Yu Qing’s eyes gleamed. “Daji isn’t an ordinary humanoid goddess; she has an extremely rich set of environmental perception and pattern recognition modules built in, far exceeding her daily needs. She might be able to notice this ‘anomaly’.”

"You plan to use an infrasound generator to drive flocks of birds to form special flight patterns at specific times and in specific airspace?" Donghao understood.

“Not only that.” Yu Qing walked to the control panel. “Daji has some very sensitive sensory interfaces reserved for her surroundings, one of which is the ability to sense extremely low-frequency geomagnetic fluctuations. When I first met her, she foresaw the hotel’s collapse…”

If we could create a weak, specific-frequency, seemingly natural geomagnetic disturbance at a known geological fault point nearly 100 kilometers away…

"This requires extremely precise calculations and control. Too little energy will go undetected, while too much energy may attract the attention of legitimate geological monitoring agencies," Ya Shi cautioned.

“Therefore, we need ‘Tianzhi’ to accurately simulate and control it.” Yu Qing looked at the supercomputing center that had just withstood the digital attack and was still recovering.

“We need to design a combination of ‘information’: unusual flight patterns of flocks of birds as ‘attention alerts’, and specific, subtle fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field as ‘encoded information’.”

To outsiders, this was merely a series of coincidental natural phenomena. But for Daji, who knew how to interpret them and had always been attentive to her surroundings, this was a crucial piece of information!

"Can she understand?" Donghao asked doubtfully.

“Daji has strong learning and reasoning abilities. And…” Yu Qing paused, “there were some unspoken codes between us regarding natural omens… I hope she still remembers them.”

This is a bold, audacious plan with an uncertain success rate. It relies on the opponent's disregard for "natural phenomena," on Daji's far beyond-expected perception and interpretation abilities, and on a bit of luck.

The plan was swiftly implemented. Sheng Tian utilized a highly secretive geological exploration energy node hidden in the distant mountains of the Third Paradise, as well as several directional infrasound transmitters deployed on high-altitude stealth aircraft.

On the first day, a flock of snow geese passing through the area, gently guided by infrasound, unusually circled three times over the Third Paradise, forming a blurry ring that lasted for about ten minutes before continuing their southward flight. This phenomenon was enough to attract the attention of a keen-eyed humanoid maiden.

The next day, a weak, artificially created geomagnetic disturbance occurred a hundred miles away, following a predetermined pattern. Its energy fluctuations were cleverly concealed within the background noise of solar wind activity.

Yu Qing and his team waited anxiously in the control center. They couldn't receive any responses proactively; they could only hope that Daji would understand and perhaps somehow "write" their current situation into the environment for them to observe and interpret.

Several hours passed, and nothing unusual happened.

Just when everyone thought the plan had failed, Donghao, who had been monitoring the satellite data, suddenly shouted, "Something's changed! The small reed bed by the lake on the east side of the Third Amusement Park!"

High-resolution satellite images show that a large patch of reeds by the lake has been partially pressed down, albeit artificially and seemingly naturally. It wasn't a chaotic mess caused by the wind; rather, it formed a clear, simple number "3"—the symbol of "safety" agreed upon by Yu Qing and Daji!

Almost simultaneously, another monitoring report showed that the soil moisture in a small area by the lake rose abnormally in a short period of time. The evaporation pattern indicated that it was a temporary mark that someone had splashed with lake water, shaped like a simplified cloud (the meaning behind Yu Xuan's name).

There were no digital signals, no energy transmission. Only the most basic environmental changes, but they conveyed a clear message: "We are safe, all is well."

Yu Qing let out a long, long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders finally relaxing. They were safe. Daji understood his message and responded in the same discreet way. This almost primitive form of communication, transcending modern technology, had become the safest information channel in this era of high-tech confrontation.

He no longer needed to worry about their safety. But this relief lasted only a few seconds before being replaced by a deeper anxiety. Successful communication was only a temporary measure; there was no guarantee that the opponent wouldn't notice the anomaly in the environmental signals in the future.

He could not entrust their safety to luck or the negligence of his opponents. He had to prepare for the worst and send out a covert force to protect them.

However, who should be sent? Traditional security squads, humanoid combat units, or even the most advanced stealth units could all leave technological traces. He had already experienced the enemy's technical reconnaissance capabilities; any conventional military deployment could become a signpost pointing to the Third Paradise.

He needs a completely "unexpected" presence—a force that won't trigger any high-tech sensor alarms, yet can still provide effective deterrence and early warning.

His gaze inadvertently swept across a corner of the holographic screen, where a briefing from Shengtian's life sciences division was displayed—a progress report on the "Regional Ecological Balance Assistance Project."

The report mentions using genetically modulated insect and bird communities with specific behavioral patterns to help restore biodiversity in specific areas.

A bold idea flashed through Yu Qing's mind like lightning.

“Ya Shi,” he began, his voice regaining its usual calm, “when we acquired ‘Nature’s Healing’ Biotechnology Company, didn’t we take over their project codenamed ‘Forest Demon’?”

Ya Shi quickly retrieved the information: "Yes, Your Excellency. The 'Forest Demon' project aims to influence the behavior of small and medium-sized wild animals in a specific area to a limited extent by releasing special pheromones and guiding sound waves, so that they avoid areas with dense human activity and reduce conflict. It is a relatively marginal ecological project."

"I remember the report mentioned that they could even guide bee colonies to build nests of specific shapes, or make flocks of birds gather at specific times?" Yu Qing pressed.

"It is feasible in principle by simulating natural enemies, food sources, or courtship signals. However, practical applications are very complex and extremely unstable, so it has remained in the laboratory stage."

“Instability… Sometimes, instability is the best disguise.” A barely perceptible smile appeared on Yu Qing’s lips. “Activate the highest level of authority for the ‘Forest Demon’ project. But not for ecological protection.”

He turned to Chang Sheng and Dong Hao: "The 'guards' we are going to send are neither people nor machines, but the forest itself."

Under Yu Qing's detailed instructions, a top-secret operation was quietly launched.

Several micro-aircraft, specially camouflaged, coated with radar-absorbing materials, and with extremely low engine noise, flew at very low altitudes over the mountains under the cover of night, arriving at a predetermined coordinate about fifty kilometers outside the Third Paradise.

Instead of deploying any weapons or personnel, they released millions of "seeds" that were almost invisible to the naked eye.

These "seeds" are not plants, but nanoscale diffusers carrying specific pheromone capsules and miniature bio-batteries. They drift with the wind, like real pollen or spores, silently covering an entire forest with a radius of about thirty kilometers centered on the Third Paradise.

The scent of the pheromones was adjusted to be almost identical to the smell emitted when a certain common local fungus rots, so it would not arouse any animal's alarm.

These information pheromones, combined with the extremely weak geomagnetic fluctuations of a specific frequency released by Shengtian through hidden geological nodes (slightly different from the frequency used for previous communications, to avoid association), began to subtly influence local wildlife.

Several groups of wild boars, which were originally scattered and had a fierce temperament, began to be unconsciously guided to the vicinity of several key passages on the outskirts of the Third Paradise. Their territorial awareness was subtly enhanced by pheromones and geomagnetic signals, and they became unusually sensitive and aggressive to any unfamiliar smells or vibrations.

Tens of thousands of venomous snakes and highly poisonous insects, whose nests are "marked" by pheromones, have their activity range invisibly restricted and directed around the paths that might lead them into the Third Paradise. They become more restless and irritable than usual.

In the air, thousands of birds of prey (such as eagles and falcons) were attracted by the simulated prey signals and the comfortable magnetic field environment. They began to circle and build nests with unusual activity in the airspace above and around the Third Paradise, forming an invisible low-altitude monitoring network.

Any unidentified large flying object that intrudes will first be subject to the "curious" scrutiny and possible attack of these aerial overlords.

This force, composed of the original inhabitants of the forest, has no electronic signals, no metallic reactions, only the most primitive life activities and territorial instincts.

Their existence is part of the environment, and it is difficult for any high-tech reconnaissance method to link this "ecological anomaly" with human-made military deployments.

But for any intruder attempting to approach the Third Paradise undetected, the forest will become fraught with danger, where every step could trigger a charge of wild boars, an attack of venomous snakes, or a swoop of birds of prey.

Daji's extraordinary environmental awareness might allow her to detect these "ecological changes" that are harmless or even protective to them, but she will not point them out; instead, she will become even more vigilant.

Meanwhile, about 300 miles away from the Third Paradise, in a desolate mountainous area with a complex geological structure (possessing numerous natural caves and strong geomagnetic interference), Sheng Tian's small team, disguised as a "geological exploration team," made a high-profile entry.

They set up obvious seismic wave monitoring instruments and large drilling equipment, and intentionally or unintentionally "leaked" information to a small number of local residents and possible surveillance satellites, claiming that they had discovered "a strong signal of rare late ancient civilization activity" in the area, possibly an unrecorded sacrificial center or refuge.

They even used holographic projection technology at night to create a brief, blurry illusion in a remote valley that seemed to be the flickering of some ancient energy remnant, and "accidentally" allowed some aged gravel engraved with blurry Guliye symbols to be "discovered".

The scam wasn't perfect, and even seemed somewhat contrived. But its purpose was precisely to attract the attention of the "Purifiers" organization and its remnants, who were extremely sensitive to information related to "Guriya."

A location in a desolate area, seemingly hiding secrets and showing obvious signs of human activity, is far more likely to arouse the desire of voyeurs than a secluded place that truly needs protection but appears unremarkable.

Yu Qing's strategy was to use a completely "natural" force composed of wild animals to silently protect the real target; at the same time, to create a seemingly important but "flawed" false target in the distance to mislead potential threats.

Having completed all these arrangements, Yu Qingcai once again turned his gaze to the strategic situation map on the main screen. His concerns about the Third Paradise were temporarily suppressed; now, he could focus more intently on mobilizing all of Shengtian's resources to deal with those hidden behind the "Red Eye" badge.

What are those guys' true motives? Are they really the same as the "Purifying Brothers"? Right now, let alone finding them, we haven't even fully figured out their intentions...

(End of this chapter)