Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon-Chapter 201 - 200 The Final Countdown

Chapter 201: Chapter 200: The Final Countdown

Chapter 201 -200: The Final Countdown

Beifu, Integrated Emergency Control Center conference room.

Gao Wei, Xue Quan, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Cui Zhen’en sat at one end of the round table, while facing them was a display screen that occupied half of the wall. More than a dozen decision-makers were linked to the conference through an encrypted network, their avatars all black silhouettes with question marks, clearly indicating their identities and positions were confidential.

“Just now, we received a notification from Paradise, saying that an emergency situation has emerged in another world, and that Paradise needs to take extraordinary measures to deal with it, hoping we could cooperate. What exactly is going on?” Gao Wei, as the chairman, was the first to ask.

To be honest, he was truly startled by the message from Paradise—not because of the content of the notice but because the computer screens of all the research units in the control center suddenly changed to the same image: a red and black Sichuan opera mask and a letter that popped up on its own. This was undoubtedly a big breach for the security department, considering that only a few researchers were aware of Paradise, and heaven knows how many people clicked on the envelope and read its contents. Fortunately, the control center was semi-enclosed, so if the security department had one-on-one talks, this leak could still be plugged.

He just hoped that Paradise would not contact them in such a startling manner in the future.

“Let me start, and if there are any omissions, the two comrades can supplement,” Xue Quan began, turning on his microphone and briefly recounting the recent situation at Magnificent Castle. “Before the forced interruption, I saw that Huiqiu Mine had already floated into the sky, its perimeter indeed surrounded by a rapidly expanding circle of red light.”

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Evil God, heretical cultists, bizarre methods of death, perpetual fog… These terms sounded so distant and even hallucinatory that it was hard to imagine they would be discussed in such a formal meeting.

However, precisely because of this, not a single person in the room dismissed Xue Quan’s report as the rantings of a lunatic; instead, they were all seriously digesting its contents.

Although materialism was challenged in the other world, seeking truth from facts was always a principle deeply engraved in the hearts of all decision-makers.

“Do you have anything to add?” Gao Wei looked at Zhang Zhiyuan and Cui Zhen’en.

“That’s pretty much it,” said Zhang Zhiyuan with a nod, “I did enter the lower levels of the mine but was a step too late and failed to obtain more valid information. Also, another point is that the Glowing Stone Vein produced by this mine is the stone that was rewarded for the exchange.”

“I see,” Marked as avatar number two, one voice spoke up, “I heard that this kind of stone can become a superconductor under specific conditions, so self-suspension wouldn’t be a problem—could it be for this reason that the entire mine ascended into the sky? Perhaps that heretical cult follower activated the vein in another way.”

“We understand the situation now, but what exactly is this response measure from Paradise? What aspects do they need our cooperation with?” Number one with the question mark inquired.

The three of them looked at each other and shook their heads in turn.

Xue Quan said, “The truth is, we aren’t quite informed. The situation happened very suddenly, without almost any sign, and we were thrown back into this world. We were still discussing the situation when suddenly the notice to convene this meeting arrived.”

At that moment, Zhang Zhiyuan’s phone vibrated.

He picked it up and said with some surprise, “It’s a message from Paradise, saying they have made a video of this part of the content. We just need to prepare a pair of VR glasses and connect to the network to watch it.”

“How is that possible? This conference room should be a signal-blocking zone, how did Paradise send a message in here?” Gao Wei instantly felt a chill down his spine. He was now the contact director for the control center, and not having good security was grounds for reprimand. They’d held many meetings here before without any reaction from Paradise—new communication technologies should be able to prevent eavesdropping.

“So Paradise can hear us talking now?” Avatar number ten flickered, “The room blocks electromagnetic signals and there are no cameras installed… so there’s only one possibility if someone is seeing and hearing us. One of the attendees among us must be from Paradise.”

These words immediately made the atmosphere in the room tense.

Number One laughed, “Since they’ve come, they’re guests, and we should treat them well. I’m impressed with Paradise’s technical prowess for being able to infiltrate to this point. However, what I admire even more is their restraint—they can move freely through the network, which naturally could have a significant impact on the world, and I think we can continue to trust in this self-discipline. If you can hear me, perhaps you’d like to come out and say hello.”

His voice was calm and confident, immediately dispelling the suspicious mood in the room.

The last question mark lit up, and at the same time, the avatar on the screen turned into a mask, “You’re right, it seems I’m better placed to dispel everyone’s doubts here.”

Zhang Zhiyuan and Cui Zhen’en were shocked.

The identity of the attendees was supposed to be absolutely confidential. How did Paradise not only know who they were in advance but also manage to replace them secretly?

“I have to ask,” said Number Ten, “what’s the status of Number Fifteen right now? Theoretically, quantum encrypted communications shouldn’t be able to be eavesdropped on.”

“Rest assured, he’s just not connected at the moment.” The masked figure replied, “As for the decryption method, I can’t reveal it just yet, but you should be able to figure it out pretty soon.”

“I understand now. He didn’t eavesdrop; he simply bypassed the defense.” Number Three suddenly spoke up.

The other attendees also expressed their realization.

“Umm… can someone explain it to me?” Cui Zhen’en muttered under her breath, glancing at Zhang Zhiyuan.

The latter gave her a look, “You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?”

“I guess it’s the satellite,” Xue Quan said in a low voice.

“The satellite?”

“Yes, even though the quantum communication satellite can transmit encrypted messages, its control is still managed by the conventional network at the satellite center. I guess Paradise can’t actually decrypt the communications; they just directly infiltrate the satellite to achieve the same effect.”

“My god… doesn’t this create a vicious cycle?” Cui Zhen’en exclaimed. The tools for sending invasion-free messages can be invaded themselves, and even if you think of replacing those tools, you’d face the predicament that the tools for making those tools have the same defect. Unless the entire communication equipment and network system is replaced from scratch, it’s impossible to be completely immune.

“Your thoughts are indeed quite sharp,” Chaoyang no longer concealed this fact, because human society now can’t possibly abandon the cheap, user-friendly, and technically mature Internet and microwave communication technologies. Perhaps even a hundred years from now, it will still be the mainstream method for short-range communication. “However, time is running out for that world, so it’s better we don’t get bogged down in these details. Missing the key moment not only means destruction of the city, but also the loss of mineral resources.”

Those seated, the decision-makers, all knew that the superconductive fusion reactor core project, codenamed 907, had been officially initiated and had entered the prototyping stage. To increase the likelihood of success, it would certainly be more prudent to simultaneously make multiple prototypes for comparative trials, which would require an increased supply of Yaoshi.

If possible, they did not want anything untoward happening to Paradise.

“How much time did you say we have left?” Number Two asked.

“A day and a half… or even less,” Chaoyang stated his estimate, “This is already a rather optimistic assessment.”