Gu Ya smiled indifferently and said, "Is there a possibility that you saw it wrong."
"I stayed in the observation room the entire time until I finished my report."
"Do you want to check?"
The man stared closely at Gu Ya for a moment, then said, "Alright, have a pleasant evening."
Gu Ya nodded and smiled, then turned to leave.
After the two had run far away, another man suddenly wondered aloud, "But who would be wearing a work uniform on their way out of work?"
The two immediately stopped in their tracks. One of them grabbed the walkie-talkie and said, "Swiftly search for observer Zhuang Feng! The target is near the elevator entrance on the minus 18th floor! They are escaping via elevator!"
Gu Ya quickly shed his work uniform and ran to the elevator entrance. He indeed intended to "take" the elevator.
The elevator slowly ascended to the minus 16th floor.
Outside the elevator, armed personnel had already gathered, their guns trained on the elevator.
Everyone held their breath.
The cabin door slowly opened.
It was empty.
"The elevator is empty, repeat... continue the search."
"The surveillance has not been repaired, and the backup surveillance is also broken!"
"Report for reinforcements! Secure all exits."
"This is underground! He can't possibly fly away."
"Where did he go! Find him quickly! No one is allowed to leave until he's found tonight!"
Meanwhile, Gu Ya stood above the elevator.
He had used [Code Tampering] to switch the elevator to maintenance mode and then lowered it halfway.
After opening the shaft door, he quickly jumped onto the top of the elevator.
Now, the 15th-floor shaft door was in front of him.
He only needed to deploy a drone, observe the situation outside, and once it was safe, he could leave.
Ten minutes later, Gu Ya calmly arrived at observation room 64.
"Benefactor, where are we going?" Hong Fei asked.
"Taking you home," Gu Ya replied faintly.
Following the map, Gu Ya led the two women to a ventilation shaft.
This ventilation shaft was not large, only allowing one person to pass through.
Gu Ya summoned his exoskeleton armor and flew up, pulling open the grate.
After landing, he retrieved two safety belts and secured them to Shang Lian's shoulders.
"The safety belts are three meters long, so the exhaust won't burn you. It should take about two minutes to get out," Gu Ya told Shang Lian.
Hong Fei asked, "Benefactor, what about me?"
"Sit on my shoulders."
Gu Ya said this as he crouched down.
He chose this as a compromise.
Carrying or hoisting two people would inevitably make one of them unstable, leading to bumps and bruises.
Hong Fei shyly straddled Gu Ya's shoulders, holding tightly onto his head.
Gu Ya stood up steadily and flew into the passage.
Two minutes later, the three of them emerged from an abandoned ventilation room on the surface and, using the map, found a locked back door to escape the He City Society.
In the afternoon, Gu Ya brought them back to the Alliance's new community. After settling them in, he hurried back home.
He needed to review the data he had copied, and he had to do it alone.
Gu Ya still harbored a shred of suspicion towards Zeng Lang.
Zeng Lang was a man of great cunning.
He had sought help when he was in distress, but once he gained power, he might immediately turn his back.
Ungrateful people were everywhere.
Gu Ya's help was, in essence, helping himself, his original self.
Now, he was somewhat looking forward to meeting his original self.
He wondered what kind of person he would be.
Opening the data, Gu Ya carefully searched for information about himself.
As Ling Ling had said, Gu Ya's information was indeed meticulously recorded in the database.
[005x-b clone variant]
[Lost five years ago]
[Its characteristics...]
"Lost five years ago..." Gu Ya murmured.
The same time his original self disappeared. Was it a coincidence?
It shouldn't be. Gu Ya didn't remember taking his sister to the spare parts station, nor did he remember the old man who saved them.
There was also something easily overlooked but perplexing upon deeper thought:
The He City Society had strict security.
Gu Ya, with his system skills, could move freely.
How did the four of them escape five years ago?
There was more profound intelligence to be uncovered behind this.
Gu Ya closed his eyes and thought quietly.
He should go back again, crack the hidden system of the Gene Biology Department, and search the deeper information repository.
...
Sunlight streamed through the white sheer curtains, gently falling on Zeng Lang's face.
Zeng Lang put down his book and glanced coldly at Cai Yi on the hospital bed.
Eight years ago, shortly after his mother's death, Zeng Lang was forced to live with his elder brother.
The household servants were insincere.
Only this youth, close to his age, treated him as a friend without regard for gain or loss.
As they grew older, their relationship evolved; a friend gradually became a subordinate.
Cai Yi was capable and loyal.
He was the first to notify Zeng Lang of his elder brother's death.
Over the years, he had indeed helped Zeng Lang a great deal.
"Young Master, you still suspect me," Cai Yi said weakly, looking at Zeng Lang.
Zeng Lang asked impassively, "When did Xuan Heyi start hunting you?"
"The night you escaped. I hid in many places and stole someone's identity card to flee the Upper City."
"I went to the Proletariat Alliance, but they turned me away."
"I was cornered by Xuan family assassins, and only then did I come to the academy."
"If I hadn't stumbled upon you, Young Master, I would be dead by now."
Zeng Lang nodded, took a ranged pistol from his waist, and placed it on the bedside table. He said menacingly, "If you want to prove your loyalty, show me."
"Kill me, or kill yourself, the choice is yours."
Cai Yi glanced at the gun in confusion and calmly said, "Young Master, this is the infirmary. Firing a gun will cause trouble."
Zeng Lang stared at Cai Yi, unmoved.
Cai Yi gave a bitter smile, exerted himself to prop up his upper body to a semi-reclining position, and slowly picked up the gun. He said, "Young Master, after all these years, you're still the same."
As he spoke, Cai Yi aimed the gun at Zeng Lang.
"I am an orphan, sold to the Xuan family. Xuan Wei didn't dislike me and brought me to the Upper City."
"Since meeting you, I truly feel that my life has meaning."
Cai Yi held the gun, staring at Zeng Lang.
"Young Master, take care!"
Cai Yi's gun suddenly swiveled and pointed at his own temple. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Zeng Lang's eyes did not blink, staring intently at Cai Yi's face.
With a "click," the gun didn't fire; it was an empty cartridge!
Cai Yi's expression shifted from despair to hesitation, then to shock. Finally, he smiled with relief.
"Don't rush," Zeng Lang revealed his characteristic smile and said slowly, "the next shot is live."
This was Zeng Lang's psychological tactic. Cai Yi might be just the first piece on his father's chessboard, or even a pawn to be sacrificed.
Therefore, the first empty shot was intended to dismantle Cai Yi's resolve to carry out his mission.
The second shot was the true test of Cai Yi's loyalty.
After experiencing extreme fear and despair, people would experience temporary psychological disorientation and would unhesitatingly grasp any hope of survival. Killing Zeng Lang was his hope for survival.
Cai Yi's smile vanished. He stared at Zeng Lang and raised the gun again, aiming at his own temple.
"No matter how many times, my loyalty to you, Young Master, remains unchanged."
The gun still didn't fire.
Zeng Lang watched Cai Yi with amusement. Cai Yi pulled the trigger a third time, a fourth time... until the gun jammed, never firing a live round.
Cai Yi, however, smiled and said, "Young Master, have you forgotten? I am a firearms expert."
"From the moment I picked up this gun, I knew it contained no live ammunition."
With that, Cai Yi retrieved a miniature standard pistol from under the pillow and tossed it to the foot of the bed.
"Young Master, now it's your turn. Kill me or spare me."
...
A silent night, fraught with hidden dangers.
In the vast hilly terrain,
three mechas flew rapidly across the night sky.
On the ground, sparks began to appear.
Suddenly, five missiles rose into the air, shooting directly at the three mechas.
"The enemy has taken the bait!"
"They revealed themselves, hahahaha!"
"..."
The three mechas swiftly executed evasive maneuvers and deployed flares to disrupt the missiles.
Simultaneously, their back thrusters ignited, diving rapidly towards the source of the sparks.
On the ground, the areas that had initially shown sporadic sparks suddenly blazed with light.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't pure fire, but the back thrusters of mechas.
Roughly counted, there were over fifty.
As thunderous roars reverberated across the land,
fifty mechas rapidly ascended, charging headlong towards the three mechas in the sky.
A fierce battle unfolded in the pitch-black night.
The three mechas were like top swordsmen, leaving a trail of explosions wherever they went.
The light from the explosions illuminated the darkness,
revealing the appearance of the three mechas.
One was deep blue, one was white and green, and the last was pink.
The battle lasted only ten minutes,
and all fifty mechas were annihilated.
Deep into the night, three mecha pilots emerged from their cockpits, assessing their spoils.
A tall boy among them, one hand on his hip, the other arm around a shorter boy, laughed heartily and said, "Lan Jing! This mission was very rewarding. You deserve the greatest credit, a first-class merit!"
Lan Jing coldly pushed away the tall boy and said, "All talk, Li Fang. Those three mechas were chasing me, and you stood by and watched."
A short girl emerged from the darkness, wearing a tight-fitting pink pilot suit, her figure curvaceous. She said impatiently, "Hurry up with the inventory and withdraw quickly."
Li Fang smirked and said, "Tao Na, we owe a lot to your intel this time."
At that moment, the chest plates of the three simultaneously lit up, displaying three different codes.
The three inputted the codes into their communication bracelets.
Li Fang pouted, gave a wry smile, and shook his head. "My superiors have assigned me to Xianxia City. What about you two?"
Lan Jing said coldly, "Everlasting Tempest, Leaked Sea Campaign."
Tao Na's face instantly flushed red, and she whispered, "Wu, Wuhe City..."
Li Fang exclaimed excitedly, "Nana, I heard you have a childhood engagement in Wuhe City..."
"Shut up!" Tao Na yelled, then turned towards the pink mecha.
Li Fang looked at Tao Na and said regretfully, "I don't know when we'll meet again after this separation. Lan Jing, remember to keep in touch!"
Lan Jing gave a cold "hmph" and walked towards the deep blue mecha.
Five minutes later, the three mechas flew off in three different directions.
Their afterburners vanished into the night sky.