Chapter 336 – Earth Escape
Xi Chunzhi picked up the drink on the table and took a sip. After tasting it, she found it a bit sweet, so she decisively set it down and pointed to the drink in front of Tu Ran. “You should like this. Try it.”
Tu Ran glanced at the pink liquid in the wine glass, picked it up, and took a sip. It was indeed to her taste, but now was not the time to enjoy a drink.
“The estate where Xie Xie’ao lives is controlled by an artificial intelligence named ‘Jie.’ Once I get close to the estate, it will detect me. I killed Xie Zhao, and now Xie Xie’ao must be very wary of me. He has many ability users around him, and once ‘Jie’ detects me, the ability users will launch a collective counterattack.
They know my abilities inside and out, and with ‘Jie’s eyes everywhere, they’ll be in the shadows, while I’ll be exposed. I don’t have confidence in getting the upper hand against them.”
Xi Chunzhi rested her elbow on the arm of the sofa and supported her chin with her fingers, thinking deeply. “So, it’s better to destroy Jie’s mainframe first, cut off their eyes, and then we can strike them one by one.”
Tu Ran nodded.
“However, if Jie’s mainframe is destroyed, will Zero take over? If it’s just replaced by another AI to manage the estate’s security, we don’t need to waste energy on one mainframe.” Xi Chunzhi quickly grasped the key point.
At this moment, she didn’t know that Zero had self-awareness and had always been on the same side as Tu Ran.
She still considered Zero to be on the enemy’s side.
“Yes, ‘Jie’s’ system is built on top of Zero. Once it’s destroyed, all the permissions in the estate will be replaced by Zero,” Tu Ran looked at Xi Chunzhi, pressed her lips together, and before Xi Chunzhi could speak, she added, “Zero… will help us.”
Xi Chunzhi was taken aback, not fully understanding what Tu Ran meant by that. “It will help… us?”
“Yes, it has already been modified and now takes orders from Xie Xu.”
Xi Chunzhi immediately sat up straight, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Are you saying that Zero, the super AI officially serving the entire Federation, is actually Xie Xu’s personal AI?”
If that were true, it meant that the entire Federation was under Xie Xu’s surveillance. He could know anything he wanted to know. Not only that, with Zero’s authority spread across the Federation’s forty-two states, Xie Xu could accomplish anything silently and without leaving a trace.
Tu Ran nodded silently.
Xi Chunzhi slumped back against the sofa, staring blankly ahead, still processing the revelation.
Tu Ran didn’t disturb her and quietly sipped her drink.
When Xi Chunzhi finally recovered, they continued discussing their next steps.
The problem was how to locate Jie’s mainframe without alerting anyone.
When Tu Ran revealed that she had a complete map of the estate, Xi Chunzhi confidently patted her chest, declaring that she would handle it.
She called her subordinates through her communicator.
A man and a woman pushed the door open and entered.
From her seat on the sofa, Tu Ran immediately noticed the green light screens above their heads.
[Void
Description: The user can turn their physical body intangible, appearing as a void-like presence. Invisible to the naked eye and undetectable by machines, they are as impervious as air. The user can also partially re-materialize their body to silently and explosively overpower enemies.
Level: Intermediate
Note: Beware of creatures with highly sensitive senses of smell.]
The man only had one light screen above his head—he possessed a single ability.
The woman, however, had two.
[Earth Escape
Description: The user can traverse underground like an earth dragon, moving freely and without restriction.
Level: Advanced
Note: Always monitor your mental power; don’t let the ground become your final resting place.]
[X-Ray Vision
Description: Well-known, no detailed explanation required.
Level: Primary
Note: Can only see through one barrier at a time.]
Tu Ran lingered for two extra seconds on the words [X-Ray Vision], understanding why Xi Chunzhi had summoned them.
The man’s [Void] ability was self-explanatory. He could enter the estate unnoticed and would be responsible for scouting its above-ground areas. The woman’s [X-Ray Vision] and [Earth Escape] abilities worked in tandem, allowing her to burrow underground and, when only a single barrier separated her from the estate’s subterranean spaces, use her vision to observe the interior.
Xi Chunzhi assigned the two to split into two teams, each following the map’s instructions to locate the mainframe.
Tu Ran’s role was simply to wait.
The report came back quickly.
In just an hour, the woman, named “Huo,” called in and sent Xi Chunzhi a marked blueprint.
Huo had been lucky. She had burrowed to the estate’s deepest point, reaching the seventh underground level. After circling the exterior of a room, she used her [X-Ray Vision] to peer through the wall, spotting a massive and complex machine inside.
She described the machine’s appearance, and Tu Ran heard Zero’s voice in her ear: [That’s Jie’s mainframe.]
The mainframe was located.
The next step was to destroy it.
Tu Ran and Xi Chunzhi stood up and followed Huo out.
It was seven in the morning.
The sky was overcast, and the air was damp.
It was yet another day of gloomy, indecisive rain.
The three arrived in the forest encircling the estate.
Huo took Tu Ran’s hand, traced a complex gesture with her other hand, and enveloped them in a white light. In the next second, the two vanished, leaving behind a fist-sized hole where they had been standing.
Such a tiny hole for two people to pass through was beyond the realm of abilities—it felt like something out of a fantasy tale.
Xi Chunzhi stretched out her leg to kick dirt from the edges of the hole into the center, covering it up.
Tu Ran, experiencing the sensation of being a “mole” for the first time, kept her eyes tightly shut. Dirt fragments kept flying onto her face. She wanted to open her eyes and see what the underground world looked like, but the flying soil made it impossible.
Tu Ran instinctively wanted to retrieve a helmet from her storage space, but every time she reached out, her fingers touched the uneven walls around her. The tunnel was extremely narrow—just managing to bring her down here was already a feat for Huo. There was no room for her to put on a helmet.
She had no choice but to keep her eyes tightly shut and hold onto Huo’s hand as if her life depended on it. She feared that if she let go for even a moment, she might be left behind underground, buried alive without even the need to dig a pit.
Following closely behind Huo, they dashed through the tight underground passage. By Tu Ran’s estimate, they had been running for about fifteen minutes when Huo suddenly stopped. Due to inertia, Tu Ran stumbled forward and bumped into a wall.
Huo quickly pulled her back and released her hand.
Only then did Tu Ran open her eyes to take in the scene before her.
It was a man-made wall.
The air underground was thin, making it difficult to breathe. Without speaking, Huo lightly tapped the wall with her fingers and gave Tu Ran a meaningful look.
They had arrived.
Behind this wall was Xie Xie’ao’s office.
Tu Ran nodded.
According to the map Zero had provided, Xie Xie’ao’s office within the Xie estate was located on the third underground level.
She couldn’t understand why someone would willingly choose to work underground instead of in the comfort of an above-ground office. The level of caution he displayed was truly extraordinary.
Leaning against the wall, Tu Ran put a bit of distance between herself and Huo to breathe more easily. She raised a hand and pointed to her eyes.
Is Xie Xie’ao inside now?
Huo stared at the wall for a few moments before shaking her head.
He wasn’t.
Tu Ran frowned. According to the schedule Zero had provided, Xie Xie’ao was supposed to be in his office by 7:30 in the morning.
