The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The city air after the rain carried a damp, earthy smell, and even through high-performance soundproof glass, the bone-chilling cold seemed to penetrate every pore.

This is a temporary base located in a converted old industrial area. Originally a server room for a design company, it has now become the Alien Guild's temporary combat command center. The low-frequency hum of several servers intertwines in the empty space, creating a chilling background sound.

Su Wan sat at the control panel, her hands flying across the mechanical keyboard, data cascading down the screen like a waterfall. Her face was paler than usual, and a fine layer of sweat beaded on her forehead. The blue screen glow reflected on her tightly furrowed brows, making her appear exceptionally stern.

"Still not working?"

Li Haotian stood behind her, holding a freshly opened can of iced black coffee. He gently shook it, and the ice cubes inside made a crisp sound as they hit the metal can.

Su Wan didn't turn around, but bit her lip, her voice dry: "This 'Divine Grace Trust' is practically an impenetrable fortress. I've tried more than three types of overflow attacks, and even used the backdoor program Qin Yue left behind, but as soon as I touch their core account area, what comes back isn't code, but a huge torrent."

"Torrent?" Li Haotian frowned and placed the coffee beside her.

"It's a data deluge, and it's aggressive." Su Wan took a deep breath and abruptly stopped typing. A red warning box popped up on the screen with a burning skull icon on it.

In that instant, the originally dark blue screen suddenly turned crimson.

"Watch out!" Su Wan exclaimed, quickly severing the physical connection to the host computer.

Even so, the spare monitors in the server room flickered wildly for a moment, then exploded all at once with loud bangs. A burnt smell instantly filled the air.

Li Haotian reacted swiftly, pulling Su Wan back a few steps to avoid the flying glass shards. Xiao Hei, who had been sleeping atop the server rack, was also startled awake by the sudden turn of events. Its fur stood on end, a low growl escaped its throat, and its golden eyes were fixed on the smoking screens.

"What the hell is this thing?" Su Wan gasped for breath, looking at the pieces of scrap metal with lingering fear. "This is definitely not an ordinary firewall."

"It seems our bait not only attracted fish, but also alerted the submarine in the deep sea." Li Haotian narrowed his eyes, looking at the wisp of smoke still rising, his expression becoming even more solemn.

With trembling hands, Su Wan reopened a laptop, her last backup machine that hadn't been affected. She quickly checked the logs from earlier, her face growing increasingly grim.

"That counterattack data just now... its structure was too perfect." Su Wan pointed to a string of residual code traces on the screen, her voice trembling slightly. "Human hackers couldn't write something like this. Its reaction speed is in the millisecond range, and it has the ability to learn and self-mutate in real time. This is not only the work of an expert, but also the work of AI."

"AI firewall?" Li Haotian repeated in a low voice, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

This level of technology is far beyond the capabilities of an underground cult or a mad biologist. It requires massive computing power, expensive hardware, and, most importantly, top-tier algorithm talent.

"We were wrong before." Li Haotian turned around, walked to the broken window, and looked at the city outside that had just been ravaged by a torrential rain. "Apocalypse Bio was just a decoy, or rather, just a peripheral testing ground. The 'Divine Grace Trust' hidden behind them is the real behemoth."

He recalled Professor Chen's crazed state before his death, and those grotesque human experiments. If Professor Chen was a madman wallowing in the mud, then the one who controlled the divine grace and trust was a god sitting on a cloud, looking down upon all living beings.

"This isn't a disorganized rabble, nor is it a smuggling ring." Li Haotian's voice was as cold as ice. "This is a massive organization with top-tier resources. They have money, technology, and even more advanced data weapons than we do. Su Wan, if I hadn't pulled you back just now, your brain might have been burned out by the overload of electricity."

Su Wan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and gave a wry smile: "I know. This level of confrontation is like using a pistol to shoot down a tank. Our technological reserves are not on the same level as theirs."

A brief silence fell over the room. Only Xiao Hei jumped down from the rack and nuzzled Li Haotian's trouser leg, seemingly trying to soothe the tense atmosphere.

"Since we can't break through head-on, let's try a different approach." Li Haotian squatted down, patted Xiao Hei's head, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Since they want to put up the 'God' signboard, they must need followers, transactions, and circulation. The more secretive the organization, the more inseparable it is from the dark web."

Qin Yue walked in through the side door, carrying two takeout boxes; the commotion had clearly attracted her. She glanced at the mess on the floor and raised an eyebrow: "Were we challenged?"

"They kicked pretty hard," Su Wan said irritably. "The other team has AI."

"Wow, high-end setup." Qin Yue wasn't surprised. She placed the lunchbox on the table, casually pulled an encrypted USB drive from her pocket, and plugged it into Su Wan's spare computer. "Since the front door is blocked, let's see if there's any news from the back garden. I just posted 'Alien Guild' sniffing programs on several top dark web black markets to see if anyone is interested in our 'business'."

As soon as he finished speaking, a black envelope icon suddenly popped up on the screen.

It was an extremely rudimentary interface, devoid of any fancy decorations, with only a line of pixelated text flashing:

You have a new email from "The Faceless Ones".

Su Wan and Li Haotian exchanged a glance. In this circle, "Faceless Ones" usually refers to those intelligence dealers who operate at the top of the dark web. They have no names, only code names, and they sell everything from state secrets to evidence of murder.

"Open it," Li Haotian ordered in a deep voice.

Su Wan's fingers were a little stiff, but she still pressed the Enter key steadily.

There was no lengthy text, no encrypted password, and the email only contained a single image.

The image loaded very slowly, as if it were being transmitted from an extremely distant land. As the pixels were pieced together bit by bit, an invitation exuding an air of luxury appeared in the center of the screen.

The background was a deep, dark black velvet, embroidered with intricate, ancient patterns in dark gold thread. It was not any known religious symbol, but a twisted, seemingly writhing spiral pattern, with a half-open eye at its center, exuding a suffocating eeriness.

Below the design, a line of text is printed in elegant cursive English:

[You are cordially invited to the "Gift of God" Autumn Auction. Time: Seven days from now. Location: Void coordinates 42.]

In the bottom right corner of the invitation, there was an inconspicuous signature—a stamp stained with blood, from which one could vaguely discern an abbreviation: SGT.

"Divine Grace and Trust..." Su Wan gasped, "They actually dare to post this kind of thing on the dark web?"

"This is not only a provocation, but also a ticket." Li Haotian stared at the half-open eye, a cold smile curving his lips.

They destroyed Apocalypse Biotechnology, ruined Professor Chen's "masterpiece," yet the other party not only wasn't angry, but instead sent an invitation. What does this mean? It means that in the other party's eyes, their destructive behavior was nothing more than a trivial incident, and might even be seen as a "certification of strength."

"Void coordinates 42, that's a luxury cruise ship in international waters, outside of any legal jurisdiction," Qin Yue said casually while eating her boxed lunch. Clearly, she had already investigated the location's background. "Several clandestine trade fairs are held there every year, but this is the first time I've heard of 'Divine Grace Trust' making a public appearance."

"They think we are qualified buyers, or... qualified goods." Li Haotian reached out and gently touched the eerie eye on the screen with his fingertips.

"Shall we go?" Su Wan asked, her fingers still trembling slightly, clearly still shaken by the AI's earlier counterattack.

"Since we can't get them to open the door, let's wait for them to open the window." Li Haotian straightened up, his gaze passing through the broken window to the distant, bustling lights.

The city remained gleaming, as if all evil existed only in the shadows. But Li Haotian knew that beneath that glamorous exterior lay a city riddled with holes.

"This email is the knife they've handed us," Li Haotian said in a low but firm voice. "Since they want to play, we'll play along to the end. This time, I'm going to completely overturn their pedestal."

The night wind outside the window whipped up the shards of glass on the ground, making a soft scraping sound. Little Black let out a short bark at his feet, as if responding to his master's fighting spirit.

The shadow of divine grace and trust has fallen, but in this darkness, a blade named "Li Haotian" is being quietly drawn, sharper than ever before.