After stocking up at the maximum level, all the handsome men in the apocalypse are looking for suppo

Chapter 191 The Mystery of the Energy Core
A row of indicator lights in the control room were still flashing continuously; it was just past six o'clock.

Su Wanqing tapped her fingers on the table intermittently as she slowly flipped through the analysis document that R had left on the jade bracelet projection last night, all the while lost in thought.

"The Dark Guardian of the Heart of Energy..." she said in a low voice, as if afraid of being overheard by those outside the corridor.

Lu Zhao quietly moved his laptop closer, and a sketch of the fortress's layout appeared on the screen.

“I’ve checked the data. The main controller in the energy room did indeed have a special capacitor core embedded in it,” Lu Zhao said in a low voice, pushing the blueprints aside. “Last year, when the base was renovated and the main control module was upgraded, the manual specifically stated that the core was ‘heart-shaped and covered with a titanium blue shell.’ But that core was protected by a tight firewall, and any repair required two passwords and a physical key.”

Su Wanqing glanced at the jade bracelet. "The clue R left was to have us try to dismantle that thing?"

Lu Zhao nodded and replied softly, "The mission is difficult to keep secret. The core level requires at least four people to work together. Xiao Ran and Lin Che are still cleaning up the mess. We need to finish the investigation report first."

The door was pushed open, and Xiao Ran hurriedly walked in, casually tossing his tactical vest onto the chair.

He first gripped the shortwave radio, then said, "The patrol of the medicine warehouse yielded nothing, and Ding Zhiqiang didn't see anyone enter or leave even after guarding the area all night. We can't rule out the thieves' hideout being in the pipeline area. Have you made any progress on your end?"

Su Wanqing raised her chin and said decisively, "We must take down the core of the energy room. The clues R gave don't match up anywhere else; the heart shape only appears in the main energy control module. The difficulty lies in firewall permissions; we definitely can't get in through normal channels."

After listening, Xiao Ran rubbed the back of his neck and unconsciously lowered his voice: "Normally only the three main controllers have keys to the energy room, but the head technician happened to be helping out in the warehouse last night and only returned this morning. We should take advantage of the gap while no one is paying attention and try it once."

Lu Zhao lowered his head and pulled up the layout and path of the energy room door locks. "I've calculated the path. The last time the password was changed was last week, by Wang Kun. To open the door, you need to insert both keys at the same time, and then swipe the access card. Theoretically, Wang Kun and Li Lin each have one."

Su Wanqing half-closed her eyes, her fingers tapping faster. She slowly said, "Let's borrow the key from Wang Kun first, saying we need to check the voltage fluctuations and temporarily retest the emergency power supply. Lu Zhao and Lin Che will go with us, and Xiao Ran will cover for us outside. I'll register the technicians and make a record, dividing the work inside and outside."

After the three agreed on their plans, they went their separate ways. Xiao Ran first called Wang Kun to the small conference room.

He said the circuit was suspected of being interfered with by signals last night, and the main controller needed to be completely disconnected and inspected.

As Wang Kun listened, he suddenly slammed the keys on the table, complaining that he had just finished fixing the water pipes and now he was checking the energy tank again.

He patted his pocket and said, "The access card is here with me. I can help you out in half an hour. If the power goes wrong, even zombies can break in and cause trouble."

Lu Zhao and Su Wanqing exchanged a glance, said nothing, and simply nodded to Wang Kun.

Lin Che pretended to suddenly join the patrol team, and took the opportunity to grab a registration form, then carried it into the energy room passageway in a pretentious manner.

The energy passageway was deep and cramped, with a heavy metal door leading to a winding corridor more than twenty meters long, at the end of which was the main control room.

While Wang Kun was operating the door lock, Lu Zhao quietly slipped to the maintenance box, took a set of special key remapping signal devices from a hidden compartment, and hung them on his waist.

The door opened, and Su Wanqing was the first to step inside, her gaze sweeping over the various instruments and the main control terminal.

Inside the old-fashioned metal cabinet in the center, there was a device with a cyan casing that was indeed shaped like an irregular heart.

Lu Zhao pretended to test for leakage with a portable instrument, and slowly disassembled the cover in front of the firewall, revealing a faint blue light inside.

Beside him, Lin Che stood guard at the backup power source, occasionally answering the walkie-talkie to buy time, and sometimes diverting Wang Kun's attention.

Xiao Ran stood guard in the corridor outside the energy room and instructed through his earpiece: "Delay it for a few more minutes if you can. There are people outside watching the commotion, so don't arouse suspicion."

Su Wanqing entered three sets of unlock codes in the shortest possible time, and then used a key remapping device to disable the main control alarm.

Lu Zhao whispered to Lin Che, "Use that hook-shaped screwdriver, it's located about three centimeters to the left of the bottom right. Don't use too much force, it's very brittle inside."

Wang Kun feigned compliance, saying, "Are you sure it's just an electrical leak? I wonder if the troublemaker from last night sneaked in here and caused panic throughout the fortress."

Su Wanqing feigned composure: "The fluctuations in the entire base's power lines are related to energy, and no one can afford to be careless."

Just then, Xiao Ran's deep voice came through the earpiece: "Two people pretended to be repairmen and went to the supplies area, and Li Lin has also disappeared."

Su Wanqing glanced quickly at Wang Kun and steered the conversation back to the testing, "Please double-check the current data. If there are no abnormalities, sign the record."

Lu Zhao suddenly took out the heart-shaped core capacitor and quickly put it into the insulating box.

A row of red lights illuminated on the main control panel. He quickly skipped the checks and shouted, "The backup capacitor is off. The main control can be restored in three minutes."

A strange tension began to rise in the air. Wang Kun suddenly moved closer to the equipment box, one hand reaching into his pocket. Lu Zhao whispered to Su Wanqing, "We've got the stuff, but we have to change the exit route."

Su Wanqing raised her hand to give instructions and quietly pressed the communication button on her wrist: "Plan B, see you at the back door."

Just as I circled back to the energy room corridor, a series of hurried footsteps came from the back passage. The steel door was pushed open with a "bang," and two people wearing maintenance vests rushed in, blocking the passage exit on the left and right.

Xiao Ran reacted quickly, immediately drawing his short stick and shouting, "Who gave you permission to come? The energy zone is currently under closed-off inspection. Get out of the way!"

A man in a vest refused to back down and instead flicked his sleeve, revealing a small stun gun.

Lin Che stood in front of Su Wanqing, his voice extremely low: "Don't do anything rash. There are surveillance cameras outside the energy room. If you make a move, something bad will happen."

The other person quickly approached Wang Kun, his face showing the calm of facing an enemy.

Su Wanqing stepped aside to shield Lu Zhao, protecting the core in her arms. Seeing this, Wang Kun suddenly took a half-step back, his face expressionless.

Xiao Ran shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Wang Kun, come out here right now!" As soon as he finished speaking, the man in the vest raised his hand and pointed the stun gun at Lu Zhao. Without thinking, Su Wanqing pulled Lu Zhao away, and her elbow knocked over the first aid kit next to her.

Lin Che took the opportunity to stop another person who approached, and pulled out a riot spray from the first aid kit with his right hand.

"Don't move. If they get any closer, press the alarm."

The air froze for a few seconds, then the sound of more footsteps slowly gathered from the other end of the passage.

At that moment, Wang Kun suddenly turned around and sprinted into the passage, the communicator on his sleeve slipping to the ground.

He had only taken two steps when Xiao Ran, who had been lying in ambush, twisted his arm behind his back.

The patrol team's temporary members rushed in and pinned Wang Kun to the ground.

The stun gun slammed onto the energy floor.

Lu Zhao steadied the insulating box while glancing down at Wang Kun.

Wang Kun was panting, his lips twitching, and he didn't say a word. Xiao Ran asked, "Wang Kun, who exactly are you?"

Su Wanqing locked the main control terminal, pulled Lu Zhao and Lin Che back a few steps, and the patrol team members subdued the other two maintenance personnel who had infiltrated the area.

The only sounds in the air were heavy breathing and the lingering alarm.

Wang Kun was dragged out of the energy room. Lu Zhao hid the core. Su Wanqing patted the corner of her clothes and said, "The energy core is in our hands. Wang Kun has been exposed. He is one of Dawn's men."

No one said a word, and the team members outside the energy room returned one after another to check their equipment.

Lin Che asked softly, "The core isn't damaged, is it?"

Lu Zhao wiped his forehead with his sleeve, picked up the insulating box and said, "It's okay, the outer shell isn't scratched."

The patrolmen escorted Wang Kun from the energy passage to the small conference room in the fortress.

Su Wanqing gripped the insulating box tightly and turned to Xiao Ran at the other end of the underground passage, saying, "We must dig out Wang Kun's background tonight, no matter what. He must know more."

There was a few seconds of silence in the conference room before Lu Zhao exhaled and said, "The energy core has been acquired. How should we activate it? Should we test it now?"

Su Wanqing took the jade bracelet, turned the protective lock and said, "Hide it first. We haven't found out Wang Kun's identity yet, so no one else can make any rash moves."

Lin Che rubbed his wrists and said, "The Energy Core is in a very important position right now, so don't make it public yet. Wang Kun still has accomplices who haven't shown themselves yet, so we have to be careful."

At the conference table, everyone was engrossed in their own calculations. Further down the corridor, people were discussing how Wang Kun had been subdued.

Suddenly, someone outside the door patted the table and said that Wang Kun's behavior tonight was too strange, and that he might have scouted the place in advance.

Su Wanqing ignored all of this, clutching the energy core tightly to her chest, her eyes fixed on Wang Kun's back.