The Chongli Cult had listed three ways to kill Gu Ya:
First, suppress his abilities with a restraint jar and then kill him.
Second, inject Gu Ya with a mental inhibitor called "Alpha Rui," which could erase memories according to the injector's choice.
Third, transform Gu Ya into a "pupal person" using the experimental "Haiyang" and control him.
Apart from the third method, which was an impending crisis, the other two posed no threat. Gu Ya breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his thoughts back to the present. The biggest problem before him was still finding Fu Yafang's whereabouts.
Gu Ya installed an encrypted backend in the central intelligence server, configured it for highest privilege, and linked it to his encrypted communication for easy access. He hid the backend code amidst tens of millions of program lines, disguised to prevent easy detection. Finally, Gu Ya gave this backend code a resounding name: [Lai Jing · Private Channel for Law Enforcement Misuse]. As an extra precaution, Gu Ya embedded a self-destruct virus program. If the "Lai Jing · Private Channel for Law Enforcement Misuse" was cracked by a system expert, it would unconditionally access the highest authority of its descendants and initiate self-destruction. At that point, all stored intelligence would be revealed simultaneously, and the entire server backend would be overwhelmed by billions of pieces of intelligence. Not only that, but it would begin sending data to all terminals in the Black Star Empire, regardless of whether they belonged to civilians, rulers, or hidden agents of various countries.
Still uneasy, Gu Ya materialized three powerful thermobaric bombs, also linked to the program. If these "three brothers" detonated, the entire military intelligence bureau's air would be rapidly depleted, generating temperatures of several thousand degrees. Not only steel, but even volcanic rock could be burned through.
"Is there anything else I should be worried about..." Gu Ya pondered.
Suddenly, Hei Yang's voice came through, "Master, I have good news and bad news."
"I've intercepted three anonymous intelligence reports, all from an unknown address, and one of them is an introduction to newly recruited personnel."
"Guess who I found?"
Gu Ya detested riddles and rebuked coldly, "Spit it out if you have something to say."
"Master, I've never had the experience of farting."
"Talk too much and I'll beat you to death!"
"I'm talking, I'm talking! It's Fang Yue Dalian, Fu Yafang's alias in Black Star," Hei Yang exclaimed excitedly.
Gu Ya was not shocked by this information; instead, he was unusually calm. "What about the other two intelligence reports?"
Hei Yang narrated, "The other two: one is about the recent activities of Special Unit Nine in Shanhai City, and the last one is about you."
"Black Star has begun cooperating with the Chongli Cult."
Gu Ya's heart thrilled, and he chuckled sinisterly, "Finally found it."
The feeling was akin to losing a key at home, searching for days without finding it. Gu Ya had performed a "whole house cleaning" and even "bought new furniture" to "find the key." After days of turmoil, he finally found the key in the laundry basket! The mysterious address, the intelligence department targeting Special Unit Nine, and the Chongli Cult – everything matched.
"Can you find the location of that unknown address?" Gu Ya asked.
Hei Yang replied aggrievedly, "I'm sorry, Master, my abilities are insufficient."
"Tell me the sending terminal locations of these three intelligence reports. You don't need to search for the locations of the Black Administration Building's secret communication devices. Come to me, monitor and save military intelligence regarding the invasion of Xianxia."
"Alright."
Instantly, Hei Yang zipped over to Gu Ya's side. Upon receiving the terminal addresses, Gu Ya quickly vanished into the data stream. These three anonymous intelligence reports were still transmitted through secret communications. Black Star's system experts had hidden the sending address but not the terminal address. But Gu Ya knew they wouldn't be so foolish. This terminal address was likely just a signal relay station on the data transmission route. But it didn't matter; if they could send it once, they could send it again. All they needed to do was wait behind the terminal address.
As expected, another intelligence report from an unknown address arrived at the terminal, but it instantly passed through a simulated electronic converter, entered a secret channel, and flew to the next terminal. It didn't even give Gu Ya a chance to react.
"Damn it, so fast!" Gu Ya quickly embedded a delay command behind the terminal, which could simulate "communication congestion" and cause data to stop for 0.01 seconds. Although this was risky, Gu Ya had to take the chance for success.
In less than five minutes, another intelligence report from an unknown address was sent. This time, Gu Ya successfully grasped the tail of the intelligence and was led to the next data terminal point. However, the simulated electronic converter was like an insurmountable wall. The intelligence could pass through instantly, but Gu Ya had to go around. By the time Gu Ya bypassed the converter and reached behind the terminal, the intelligence had long since vanished. Moreover, behind each converter, there were thousands of communication channels, like entering a hall with thousands of "alloy gates" that needed to be opened one by one to search.
Of course, there were two clumsy methods to solve the difficulty. First, place a delay command behind each terminal, but this method was very risky; communication delays at all terminals would inevitably alert Black Star's system engineers. Second, wait directly behind the terminal, track the new intelligence to the next terminal, and continue waiting. But this method was too time-consuming, and time was precisely what Gu Ya lacked.
The only way to solve the problem once and for all was to transform into a simulated electronic signal and traverse the converters freely. However, neither Gu Ya nor Hei Yang could achieve this. It was like asking the world's fastest sprinter to walk through a wall; unless the wall was shattered, there was no way to pass through. Furthermore, Hei Yang's deep binding with the Xi Shen Yi Weng limited him to uniqueness and prevented self-replication. Due to his own limitations, Hei Yang had not yet found all the secret communication terminals within the Black Administration Building.
All clumsy methods were infeasible; the only option was a dangerous shortcut. Tens of thousands of data streams flowed like a surging flood. Gu Ya stood amidst the data torrent, holding his breath and pondering, like an unyielding sculpture in a colossal wave. After a long while, Gu Ya made up his mind and said softly, "I'll have to suffer some physical pain."
"Hei Yang, come here!" Gu Ya roared coldly.
Hei Yang nimbly flew back to Gu Ya's side and said timidly, "Mas... Master, where have I failed to satisfy you? If you have something to command, just tell me, don't shout. I... I'm scared..."
Gu Ya said coldly, "The four-dimensional world can bypass events and directly traverse to the result."
"Uh... yes, but it can only traverse events between one decision and the next," Hei Yang answered timidly.
Gu Ya nodded, his eyes resolute and his tone firm, "Then let's go to the imaginary domain and skip the search, directly reaching the result and finding the final data terminal."
"No, Master!" Hei Yang shouted in panic.
"Unless you can master Xi Xi, communicate with me across dimensions."
"Then, using the Xi Xi channel, use the consciousness anchor placed on me to pull yourself back to reality!"
"Last time, it was because I was in the four-dimensional world, and Bai Ying and I could open the Xi Xi channel to pull us back."
"If you go... you might not be able to come back..."
"And... and..." Hei Yang hesitated, not daring to continue.
Gu Ya said coldly, "And what!"
"If your decisions are too far-reaching and variables increase, it will require multiple event traversals, and the Xi Shen Yi Weng may not be able to protect your three-dimensional consciousness..."
"You might... die..."
Hei Yang's words were not without reason. Entering the four-dimensional world could instantly solve the problem, but it was extremely dangerous. With the slightest mistake, one might embark on an endless journey through space-time, or one's consciousness might dissipate in four dimensions. The best luck would be to be eroded by the fourth dimension, leaving behind a trace of fragmented consciousness to become a conscious life form. However, Gu Ya had already carefully considered all the dangers. And he had already made up his mind.
Gu Ya slowly looked at Hei Yang, his eyebrows raised in a questioning expression, and asked, "Who said it was me going?"
Hei Yang tilted his head, "Huh?"