Chapter 73 – Into the Nest
The Central Medical Archives stood like a fortress at the heart of City A—white walls gleaming, cameras sweeping with rhythmic precision, and security thicker than the Ministry of Defense. But Bai Xueqing didn't flinch.
She stood at the edge of the rooftop opposite the building, wind tousling her hair as she scanned the facility through binoculars. Beside her, Mo Chen was already working on the access feed.
"We have a five-minute window once you enter," he muttered. "After that, internal AI will detect an anomaly."
"Plenty of time," Xu Yanshang said from behind, dressed in a white technician's coat and holding a forged ID badge. His expression was cold, focused, and beneath it—restless guilt.
Xueqing studied him for a second. "You sure you want to do this?"
He didn't hesitate. "They used my work to build this trap. I should be the one to burn it down."
Lin Nuo's voice crackled through the comms. "Entrance C secured. If anyone asks, you're a late-shift AI technician doing diagnostic tests."
"Roger that." Yanshang slid his hood over his head and started down the maintenance stairwell.
Xueqing turned to Mo Chen. "We move in when he sends the signal."
Mo Chen nodded. "We'll be right behind him. You sure about not going in with him?"
She glanced at the towering archive. "Too obvious. Oracle would expect me to lead the charge."
A beat of silence passed.
"And if this is a trap?" he asked quietly.
Her eyes sharpened. "Then we turn it into theirs."
---
Inside the Archives, Yanshang moved like a ghost. The sterile halls and humming servers were all too familiar. Every beep echoed a memory—of long nights coding under pressure, of messages from shadowed figures, of a past he had helped build.
He reached the restricted lab and slid his badge.
The door unlocked with a soft click.
Inside, a sealed terminal hummed behind a glass case. It was elegant, compact... deadly. The Oracle's master node, cloaked under the guise of medical AI.
He approached, pulled a drive from his pocket, and inserted it into the console.
"Beginning extraction," he whispered.
But before he could start the override, a voice rang through the room.
"Well, well... you finally came home."
Yanshang froze.
From the shadows emerged a tall man in a charcoal suit, gloves glinting under the fluorescent lights—the same man Qiao Lan had described. The Gloved Man.
"You're earlier than expected," Yanshang said, masking his fear.
"And you're dumber than I thought," the man replied, stepping closer. "You betrayed Oracle. That's not something we forgive."
Yanshang slowly reached toward the keypad. "I'm not asking for forgiveness."
The Gloved Man lifted a gun. "Shame. Because all I brought was punishment."
---
Outside, Mo Chen's screen lit up.
"He's triggered the decoy encryption. He's inside. But... someone else is, too."
Xueqing's expression turned ice-cold. "It's him."
"The Gloved Man?"
She drew her coat tight, voice low and lethal. "No more games. We go in now."
Mo Chen handed her a silent pistol. "Thought you'd never say it."