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Chapter 175 Hard to Choose
Su Wanqing sat at the conference table in the wine cellar and called all the members over.

The documents on the table were spread out, each page containing confidential materials left behind by Li Ming and newly handed-over data analysis.

Xiao Ran shifted his chair, Lin Che sat quietly at the end of the table, and Lu Zhao connected his computer to the desktop terminal, silently staring at the constantly changing numbers on the screen.

Su Wanqing glanced around and said slowly, "Li Ming proposed a collaboration, which has its advantages and disadvantages. I must hear everyone's opinion, so let's start with each of you."

Lin Che clasped his hands under the table, looked at Su Wanqing for a few seconds, and said, "Cooperating with the Cleaners is not safe. You've seen what they've done; we can't trust their bottom line. Even if they're willing to share information now, they might change their minds at the last minute. Especially their control over the infant experimental subjects—it's too dangerous."

Xiao Ran frowned slightly and said bluntly, "I've witnessed the ruthless methods of the Cleaners. Once they receive orders, they are extremely ruthless. Li Ming seems responsible, but there are hardly any reasonable people in his team. However, by giving up the listening privileges, he's essentially handing over half his life. People like that are either insane or being purged by their superiors. Cooperation is worth considering, but we must firmly maintain control. We must be able to make them back down at any time."

Lu Zhao didn't look up, comparing the document with the data. "Dawn's technical materials are very valuable. The theoretical arguments for element coupling match my observations. But they've kept part of the core principle hidden, and they only provided a paper copy, not first-hand experimental records."

Scientifically, intelligence is useful, but emotional factors shouldn't be involved in decision-making. I prefer to use their data to accelerate experiments, but all initiative must be in our hands. Humans can share resources, but security measures must be double-locked, and all communication channels should be severed if necessary.

Su Wanqing put down her pen and watched as everyone started arguing, the atmosphere around the table becoming tense.

Lin Che insisted on not cooperating, Xiao Ran emphasized taking the lead, and Lu Zhao valued data but was extremely concerned about information security.

Everyone had their own convictions, and no one spoke up as they argued back and forth. For a moment, only the occasional sound of the computer fan spinning could be heard.

Lin Che stared at the table and repeated, "You haven't seen the scavengers cleaning up crime scenes. All the bodies are gone within two hours. They have backdoor channels. Don't blame me for turning against you if you deal with them."

Xiao Ran cracked his knuckles and said coldly, "That's why we have to go through a dual-track approach. Cooperation is the banner, and surveillance is the bottom line. We can't let someone expose our secrets without us even realizing it."

Lu Zhao stared at the screen at the data from his simulation, then looked down and wrote a few lines of formulas on a piece of paper. "None of us can take on the whole picture, but without cooperation, we won't find a breakthrough. The Cleaners are ruthless; this isn't a matter for sentimental votes. If we're going to cooperate, the plan must be detailed, and every step must be guarded against. Don't trust anyone too easily."

Su Wanqing listened carefully to everyone's opinions without interrupting. When the discussion gradually subsided, she put away her pen and notebook, stacked the documents on the table, and stood up.

No one spoke; everyone wanted to know what she was planning to do.

After everyone dispersed to attend to their own business, Su Wanqing went up to the top floor of the villa alone.

The hallway was almost deafeningly quiet. She pushed open the stairwell door, locked herself in the attic, and sat on the old sofa.

Holding those crucial pieces of information in his hand, he went through everything from beginning to end.

She silently recalled: the beginning and end of the Eden Project, the origin of the Cleaners, the appearance of the girl with the child's voice, the changes in Lin Che's superpowers, the military's repeated pursuits, the data that Li Ming mentioned... everything matched up, but it was always missing the most core source of motivation.

Su Wanqing took stock of all the risks, thinking about the theft of military data, Dr. Zheng's copying incident, the theoretical loopholes in element coupling, and the anomalies in every action of the Cleaners... She kept calculating who she was willing to risk and how many lives she was willing to sacrifice.

No answer allowed her to be without guilt.

As night fell, only a small portable lamp was lit on the top floor. Su Wanqing sat under the lamp, her fingers tracing documents, her mind in turmoil.

Suddenly, a low voice came from behind: "Are you still hesitating?"

She paused, instinctively not turning around. Lin Che's "Night" personality had already appeared, sitting in the shadows by the windowsill, his voice hoarse. Night's voice was low and broken, "Dawn didn't lie, he did vouch for it himself. But he didn't tell the whole story. His team was abandoned by the higher-ups. He and those people were forced out, otherwise they wouldn't have taken so much risk with their authority. What he didn't mention is that he has a backup plan... I can tell he's prepared for both scenarios."

Su Wanqing didn't look up, only asking, "How much of his sincerity do you think can be trusted?"

Night only said, "Seven points. The remaining three points are waiting for us to make the first move."

Su Wanqing nodded without saying anything more, and Ye remained silent. However, both of them knew that things couldn't be explained by common sense.

She stared at the data for a long time, arranging and combining all the events and variables in her mind to deduce all the possible outcomes.

After a long while, she closed the file and stood up. Xiao Ran's footsteps were heavy as he approached the warehouse door downstairs.

Su Wanqing went straight downstairs, called everyone back, and arranged a tentative plan.

When assigning tasks, she laid out her thoughts simply in an extremely calm tone:

“We already have a general idea of ​​where the Cleaners' teams are located. This time, we've only agreed to cooperate on the surface, discussing data exchange and experimental conditions. Dawn will grant us access, and we'll use their information. However, Xiao Ran, you'll track their team's movement area and obtain the complete team member list and entry/exit information. Under no circumstances should you be discovered, and you're not allowed to encounter the main team.”

Xiao Ran simply replied, "Understood," without asking any further questions. Lu Zhao began preparing the information exchange equipment, restricting all data exchange to independent physical terminals, achieving the strictest data isolation.

Lin Che stood at the door, refusing to say a word.

After all the plans were finalized, Su Wanqing used a wireless device to send a signal to Li Ming, informing him that she agreed to partial cooperation, limited to the existing clues, and demanding that the scavenger team not cross the line or approach the room area of ​​the children's experimental subjects.

After a sleepless night, Su Wanqing returned to her study to quickly organize her notes. Suddenly, Lu Zhao's shouts came from downstairs.

He printed out the test data, crumpled it into a ball, and then smoothed it out. His voice was a little louder than usual: "The new element sequence in the child-voiced girl's body has begun to fluctuate intermittently!"
It's not a smooth change, it's an intermittent signal—like a coded sequence.

Lin Che rushed over upon hearing the commotion, leaning against the door as he inquired about the situation. Su Wanqing flipped through the test papers page by page, noticing that most elemental indicators showed slight periodic fluctuations, and some segments appeared to be cut into regular data fragments.

Lu Zhao braced his hands on the edge of the table, staring at the computer screen and frowning. "It's like some kind of remote wake-up sequence is at work."

Su Wanqing asked, "Is there anything unusual about her?" Lu Zhao replied, "Her appearance hasn't changed, but this signal pattern only appeared in the core database last time. I suspect it's a backdoor mechanism set up by Project Eden."

No one spoke; the air seemed to freeze. After a while, a few faint murmurs drifted down the corridor.

Lin Che frowned as he entered the room of the girl with the childlike voice. He heard her murmuring in her sleep, repeating the same few words over and over: "Apple tree... Gate of knowledge... Apple tree... Don't pick it..."

Lu Zhao showed the data sheet to Su Wanqing and whispered, "She triggered something in her subconscious. It seems there's some blocked information in her memory."

Lin Che returned to the doorway, his expression grave. "She kept saying the same things. Ye also sensed her extremely strong mental fluctuations, as if something was about to burst out."

Su Wanqing nodded and told Lin Che to stand guard outside the door. She silently copied down the coded data and memorized all the words the girl uttered.

Everyone else performed their duties, all changes were accurately recorded, and everyone was ready to deal with any emergencies.