CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30 DEMON CLAN BASE

EDITOR: ENDLESSFANTASY TRANSLATION

"I know," Wang Lan said solemnly.

This encryption method was considered very clever and secure by the general public, but for Wang Lan, one of Sky Blue Star’s top hackers, breaking this type of encryption was no problem.

However, there’s a saying: even the cleverest housewife can’t cook without rice.

Even though Wang Lan knew that with the right tools, she could break the password in minutes, all she could do was sigh.

"If only I had brought my Xiao Ai. This kind of password would only take Xiao Ai three minutes."

"You can crack passwords?" Xu Xiangwen asked Wang Lan in surprise.

"With the right tools, yes. Without them, no. It seems we’ll have to notify the garrison and ask them to send an expert to crack it."

"There’s no need for such trouble," Jiang Xinyu said indifferently as she pushed Wang Lan aside. She took out a necklace from her bosom, pulled it, and a USB plug popped out from its center.

Jiang Xinyu expertly inserted the plug into the computer’s port. Instantly, a dialogue box popped up on the computer screen.

"Master, Ice Snow at your service."

"Break this computer’s access for me," Jiang Xinyu quickly typed in the command.

"Okay, please wait..."

Witnessing this, Wang Lan let out an exclamation, "So it was you..."

But under Jiang Xinyu’s warning gaze, Wang Lan chose to keep her mouth shut.

Wang Lan usually had good self-control and didn’t show excessive emotion in general situations. Even the last time she faced danger in the secret place and realized it was the work of the Demon Clan, her emotions hadn’t fluctuated much.

But at this moment, Wang Lan’s blood pressure soared.

So it was you... it really was you! I’ve finally caught the culprit in person.

The history between Wang Lan and Ice Snow went back to the third grade. Half a year after Wang Ling disappeared, an artificial intelligence program suddenly appeared on Wang Lan’s computer.

At that time, Wang Lan was shirtless, playing a game to relax, when Ice Snow popped up from the bottom right corner. The first thing it said was, "Oh, I finally got in."

The second thing was, "Could you put on some clothes?"

The program didn’t interfere with Wang Lan, but it watched her every move like a ghost. When Wang Lan was doing homework and managed to solve a Demon King-level difficult problem, Ice Snow would suddenly control her computer’s speakers to ask, "How did you think of this solution?"

The study room would be silent, with only Wang Lan working hard on problems, when suddenly a ghost-like voice would appear. If Wang Lan’s heart hadn’t been strong enough, it probably would have scared her into quitting.

While practicing Star Martial Skills, drenched in sweat, Ice Snow would occasionally pop up with a piece of advice. Although Ice Snow never caused trouble for Wang Lan, being constantly monitored by an unknown entity was unbearable for anyone.

After that, Wang Lan started to teach herself programming and everything about computers. It took her three years to independently develop the intelligent lifeform Xiao Ai and finally remove Ice Snow from her home.

During those three years, Wang Lan was under Ice Snow’s domination. Sometimes, even when sleeping, she felt as if, in the dark night, a pair of eyes were coldly watching her.

Although her private room had no cameras or other surveillance, which prevented her from being photographed naked, she had been dominated by Ice Snow for so many years. Even Xiao Ai hadn’t been able to track down Ice Snow’s whereabouts or origins.

Wang Lan had thought that since she had eliminated it, she might as well let bygones be bygones. However, she hadn’t expected to discover the culprit under these circumstances. And she could hardly believe that Jiang Xinyu was the one responsible!

After learning her mother’s identity, Wang Lan had even suspected for a time that military personnel were monitoring her.

"The hacking is complete. Ice Snow has acquired the highest authority," the familiar electronic voice suddenly came through the speakers, stirring Wang Lan’s memories once again.

Jiang Xinyu, as if nothing had happened, swiftly worked on the computer. If not for her slightly red ears, one might really believe she felt no embarrassment at being caught.

Wang Lan gnashed her teeth. You little witch, I’ll remember this. When we get out, we’ll settle this properly!

"The computer has been cleaned, but Ice Snow found some deleted data and is restoring it," Jiang Xinyu said lightly after working for a while.

"Restoration complete. Experimental data folder found... Would you like to open and play?"

"Open and play!"

Suddenly, a large retractable screen descended in the center of the lab, and soon, the screen lit up.

"The fifth-generation gene warrior experiment record begins!" a deep voice resounded. Along with the voice, a fully enclosed metal cage appeared on the screen.

In the metal cage, bound to one wall, was a Demon with arms like Mantis Blades. Its appearance was very similar to the creatures in the cultivation tanks outside. Its carapace, resembling the armor of ancient warriors, was sensibly distributed over its body, with sharp, blade-like spurs protruding from all its joints.

"What are you going to do? What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!" Amidst frantic shouts, a cage slowly descended from above the secret room. Inside was a human Star Martial Warrior, who, judging by his clothes, appeared to be one of the Trialists who had entered the trial ground.

"Li Gang, male, twenty-nine years old, peak Star Shine Stage, skilled in war blade combat. Comprehensive combat evaluation: Professional Grade A-."

When someone appeared, the humanoid Demon Clan warrior suddenly fixed its blood-red eyes on the person in the cage. Its Mantis Blades whirled aggressively; if not for its body being restrained by steel straps, it might have immediately charged at Li Gang to tear him to shreds.

"Li Gang, your current mission is to kill the Biochemical Demon Soldier before you. Of course, you can also choose not to resist and be eaten by the Demon Soldier," the voice rang out.

Suddenly, the cage imprisoning Li Gang opened, and two war blades were thrown at his feet.

"You may begin now."

"Who are you? Bastards! How dare you conduct human experiments!"

"The Biochemical Demon Soldier will be released in five seconds."

The moment the voice faded, Li Gang suddenly grabbed the war blades at his feet and instantly charged toward the restrained Biochemical Demon Soldier. Just as Li Gang launched his attack, the restraints on the Mythical Demon Soldier abruptly released.

"ROAR—"

In the blink of an eye, Li Gang was locked in combat with the Demon Soldier. Li Gang’s close-combat skills were incredibly solid. Even Wang Lan had to admit that in a face-to-face confrontation, Li Gang could kill her in less than five minutes.

But in the experimental records, Li Gang’s strength was not on the same level as the Mythical Demon Soldier’s. Li Gang’s blade couldn’t penetrate the Demon Soldier’s defenses, and his Star Martial Skills were easily dodged. However, each of the Demon Soldier’s attacks made Li Gang dance on the edge of life and death.

In less than a minute, the Demon Soldier’s Mantis Blade struck bizarrely, instantly gripping Li Gang’s shoulder and pulling him close. The Demon Soldier opened its gaping maw, and with a CRUNCH—

Jiang Xinyu and the others hurriedly turned their heads away; the scene was too bloody and brutal.

Xu Xiangwen clicked his watch and quickly found Li Gang’s information. "Li Gang, entered the primary trial field for trials in 5015. Went missing in the Snow Spider Zone three days later. Presumed dead."

"It seems now that Li Gang was captured by the Demon Clan for experiments."

In the footage, Li Gang was quickly devoured by the Biochemical Demon Soldier. Then, the Demon Soldier suddenly went berserk, violently attacking the alloy walls of the chamber. The video cut off there.

But immediately after, that neutral voice came from the video again, "The seventieth experiment of the fifth-generation Biochemical Demon Soldiers begins."

This time, the sealed space contained three restrained Biochemical Demon Soldiers. These Demon Soldiers appeared extremely agitated, their bodies twisting at an even higher frequency.

Similarly, a cage was lowered from above, but this time, it held five Star Martial Warriors.

"The purpose of this experiment is team combat."

Xu Xiangwen quickly found information on this squad too; it was a Pioneer Star Martial squad that had gone missing at the end of the year, three years prior. They had planned to improve their skills in the trial field before the new year, but the entire squad met their end here instead.

The fight began quickly. When the experimenters released the three Biochemical Demon Soldiers, they didn’t immediately attack the Star Martial squad. Instead, they suddenly started killing each other. The Star Martial squad stood aside and watched coldly.

After two Demon Soldiers were killed and the remaining one was riddled with wounds, the Star Martial squad swarmed and killed the injured Biochemical Demon Soldier. But even after claiming victory, the Star Martial squad wasn’t granted the rights of victors; they were soon knocked unconscious by a toxic gas, and then the screen went blank.

"Biochemical weapons have a serious flaw: they lack rational thought, instinctively attacking individuals who seem most threatening. In the eyes of the Biochemical Demon Soldiers, there is no difference between enemy and kin. Apart from themselves, all others are enemies."

"Although the strength of the Demon Soldiers meets the Empire’s requirements, such flawed Demon Soldiers cannot be deployed on the battlefield. Doctor, you must overcome this problem."

"Of course, I already have a general direction. The current ecological situation of the Demon Soldiers is very similar to that of the Snow Spiders. Snow Spiders also don’t differentiate between friend and foe and will even devour each other. However, Snow Spiders are able to coexist peacefully and can unite to fight like a legion. My idea is to introduce Snow Spider genes into the Biochemical Demon Soldiers and to create a Spider King-type commanding Biochemical Demon Soldier."

"That’s a possibility, but how do we control the Biochemical Demon Soldiers? Even if the commanding type is still a Biochemical Demon Soldier, how do we ensure it obeys our orders and issues commands accordingly?"

"That requires my research..."

Again, the video ended, but the player quickly began playing a new experimental video.

"After a year of breakthroughs, we have finally found a way to control Biochemical Demon Soldiers. Now, we will proceed with the one hundred and thirtieth trial of the Biochemical Demon Soldiers."

The screen lit up, still showing the fully enclosed surveillance room. But this time, the Biochemical Demon Soldiers inside were not restrained; they were all standing quietly together.

"Issue the command!"

What had been a solemn scene suddenly turned ridiculous before Wang Lan and the others. The lineup of more than a dozen Demon Soldiers quickly formed ranks and then danced in unison.

Accompanied by music, a group of Biochemical Demon Soldiers performed a sensual dance. If this were to spread to Bilibili, it would definitely cause a bloodbath, and Bilibili’s "virus library" would gain a new "source of all evil."

But despite the farcical imagery, Wang Lan and the others couldn’t laugh. It meant that the Demon Clan had overcome the flaw in the Biochemical Demon Soldiers. They possessed powerful individual combat abilities and strong obedience, and such Biochemical Demon Soldiers could be mass-produced continuously.

If war were to break out, this would be a nightmare for human Star Martial Warriors.ŸŸŸ