Ten minutes later.
Crack!
Magnu twisted the sentry's neck.
They had already extracted the information they needed.
Wenna reported over the comms:
"We've obtained preliminary intel. The base's security perimeter is divided into six zones. The further in you go, the stronger the defences. We're currently in the outermost layer."
"Each security zone has a sentry outpost. A single officer oversees all sentries in that sector. According to the interrogation, these officers can log in to the base's intranet. So once we reach the sentry outpost, we can use the officer's computer to browse the base network and collect detailed intelligence."
"This sentry has already revealed the location of the outpost. No point delaying—requesting immediate action."
Ye Fan hesitated. Delay meant risk. Sentry shifts followed strict schedules—within twenty‑four hours at most, the enemy would discover this one had been killed. But as long as they secured the intel, being exposed was acceptable. Hai Xia's army was marching in force; there was no hiding that. Their objective was to learn the defence layout and military strength of Dark Crow Valley Base.
However, if Wenna succeeded, the members of Bureau 13 hiding in Ravenwood Town might risk exposure. A dead sentry and the arrival of outsiders on the same day—even if Bureau 13 didn't have time to act—might still draw suspicion.
At this critical moment, Ye Fan made the rational decision.
"Action approved. Move to the enemy outpost immediately."
Wenna nodded, disposed of the body, and led the team forward.
Ye Fan exhaled slowly, pulled his gaze from the monitor, and glanced towards Bureau 13's office. He shook his head slightly. His decision wasn't about favour or dislike—it was for the mission. He would notify Bureau 13 shortly.
In this line of work, who doesn't face risk?
Before dawn, Wenna's team located the sentry outpost.
It was a small, well‑hidden cabin in the woods, resembling a hunter's shelter.
The team approached quietly. Magnu pulled a sonic detector from his pack, pressed it against the cabin wall, and activated it. A black‑and‑white scan appeared, showing three human figures—one lying on a sofa, two at a table eating a late‑night snack.
Wenna held up her fingers and counted down silently.
Three, two, one—she burst forward, smashing through the window. Her teammates followed instantly.
The three enemies were completely unprepared. Startled, they leapt up, but before they could shout or draw their pistols, well‑trained Hai Xia operatives dropped them with three tranquiliser darts.
The operatives then searched the cabin and the men. A hidden compartment in the wall contained a safe. Another operative found a security clearance card on one unconscious man—clearly an officer's credentials.
"This is our target." Wenna's expression brightened. This man was the one in charge of the outpost. His name, written on the card, was Roman—a black man.
They tied Roman up and injected a stimulant. As he slowly regained consciousness, Magnu slapped him across the face to wake him faster and growled:
"Tell us the safe's password if you want to live!"
Terrified by the heavily armed operatives surrounding him, Roman trembled and immediately complied—no sign of stubborn loyalty.
The safe opened smoothly. Inside was a specially made laptop—not any commercial brand.
They powered it up. A login screen appeared, requiring the ID card and a password.
Roman cooperated and logged in. A cheerful jingle sounded, and a welcome message popped up:
"Ta‑da‑da‑daaa! The Sprout Fool‑Proof Helper is at your service~"
Ye Fan, who had been drinking coffee, sprayed it everywhere.
Every Hai Xia operative at the scene twitched in disbelief.
The tone… absolutely did not match the situation.
"So… so cutesy…" Ye Fan croaked, unsure whether to laugh or complain.
Interface menus appeared one after another. Roman's access level was low, so he could only view a small portion. Wenna and the others could see numerous locked logs belonging to the base, and everyone felt a surge of excitement.
Those logs contained all the intelligence on the base.
"I'll take over." Ye Fan instructed Magnu to slot a special chip into the computer. At the outpost, the screen in front of Ye Fan instantly synchronised with the laptop.
Ye Fan's expression suddenly grew serious. His fingers flew across the keyboard like butterflies darting through flowers, typing furiously as lines of code poured down like a waterfall.
First firewall—breached!
Second firewall—breached!
Third firewall—breached!
Internal dynamic password—cracked!
Permission restrictions—broken!
Ye Fan smiled faintly. As a veteran hacker of Hai Xia, he possessed hundreds of virus attack programmes. Aside from a few monsters lurking on the dark web and the mythical "unplug-the-network‑cable technique", no one could block his intrusion.
Within three minutes, all the sealed documents had been opened. Only then did the enemy's hackers react, frantically deleting files. Ye Fan, meanwhile, began backing them up at high speed. Both sides raced against time.
Soon, all data on their side was wiped. Ye Fan's laptop simply wasn't powerful enough—despite his skill, he managed to save only 28%. The base's deletion protocol always started with the most classified material.
But it was enough. What Ye Fan had captured included the base's defence layout, internal structure, military terrain, and a large number of logs.
"Job done—return," Ye Fan breathed out in relief.
This act of intelligence theft would certainly put Dark Crow Valley Base on high alert, but since they'd retrieved the intel, exposure no longer mattered.
Still, Ye Fan felt something… odd.
It all seemed a little too smooth.
…
"Sir, the outer network has been breached."
At Dark Crow Valley Base's intelligence control room—its walls covered with screens—a staff member reported calmly.
The deputy director, Ji Jie, was a tall, gaunt man with a sinister look. Unhurriedly, he stepped before the monitors and asked in a slow, composed tone,
"What data was taken?"
"Base experiment logs, internal structural diagrams, base coordinates, sentry shift records…"
The staff member listed more than a dozen critical pieces of intelligence. Despite the intrusion, no one in the room appeared alarmed.
"The intruders—could they be from Hai Xia?"
"The bait's been scattered. Now we just wait for the fish to bite." Ji Jie's lips curled into a mocking smile—the expression of a hunter watching prey fall into his trap.
Ji Jie then went to the director's office to report to Pan Kuang.
"A hacker just infiltrated the outer decoy network. Most likely Hai Xia. We may face a military incursion soon."
Pan Kuang was carefully wiping a dark, gleaming long blade with a handkerchief. The blade was cold as an autumn lake—straight, broad, and wrapped with cloth at the hilt. The mottled, dried bloodstains made it clear the weapon had seen years of use and taken many lives.
Pan Kuang focused solely on polishing the blade, as if nothing else in the world mattered. Without even lifting his head, he asked coldly,
"What do you think we should do?"
Ji Jie cleared his throat.
"Although the enemy only obtained the decoy intel, the base's existence has now been exposed. I recommend requesting permission from the Leader to evacuate—take all equipment and data with us, and before retreating, inflict as many casualties on the enemy as possible."
"Hmm." Pan Kuang replied calmly, "If you need me in combat, just say the word."