Chapter 12: Uninvited Guest

  Location: Science Castle, IT Department Outer Corridor, Public Recreation Area, Central Hall

  Time: Morning following the day Thunderhawk triggered the alert

  Science Castle's morning was still precisely simulated by artificial systems, but an invisible sense of oppression had seeped into the air. During his routine patrol near the IT department office area, Thunderhawk discovered an unusual commotion. Several personnel in protective suits were carrying a stretcher out from inside, covered with a white cloth.

  A sparse gathering of IT employees stood around, faces written with fear and unease. Thunderhawk heard suppressed murmuring:

  "It's Liu... John Liu..."

  "What happened?"

  "They say it was sudden cyberbrain overheating... caused severe cyberbrain damage... couldn't be saved..."

  "My God, this is so sudden..."

  "I think he mentioned finding some system vulnerability a few days ago..."

  "Shh! You have a death wish? Stop talking!"

  John Liu was dead. The "dust" Black Cat had prophesied had been swept away. The official explanation was "accident," but the timing was too coincidental to be anything but chilling. This sharp, impulsive young technician who tried to prove himself before the Director had become a target for silencing because of his curiosity and possible contact with things he shouldn't have touched. His death was proof of the "cleanup program's" cold ruthlessness.

  Thunderhawk felt a chill. He couldn't investigate directly. But he noticed that near the walkway by Liu's usual workstation, at the base of a potted plant, there was an extremely inconspicuous data cable protective sleeve rolled into a small ball—a fluorescent green color not commonly used. This seemed to be one of Liu's personal habits.

  Taking advantage of no one's attention, Thunderhawk lightly nudged the small plastic ball into a corner with his foot, then picked it up while pretending to tie his shoelace. The plastic ball was hollow inside, but made of special material with some signal-shielding properties. It was like a makeshift, crude "information capsule." Had Liu, in his panic, left something behind using this method?

  Just as Thunderhawk was pondering this, a slightly teasing yet crisp voice sounded beside him: "Hey, security officer, did you drop something?"

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  Thunderhawk's heart jumped. He quickly closed his hand around the plastic ball and turned around. He saw a boy of about twelve or thirteen with a mess of black hair, grinning at him. In his hands was the latest model handheld gaming device, eyes full of cleverness and insight beyond his years. This was Joe, the son of a physicist.

  "Nothing, just trash," Thunderhawk remained composed.

  Joe shrugged, fingers operating rapidly on the gaming device, saying seemingly casually: "Brother Liu was actually pretty interesting, just a bit of a show-off. The day before yesterday he secretly helped me bypass the age restriction in the gaming area, said this broken system's firewall has backdoors everywhere, especially the data flow from 'Cornerstone'—messy as a pot of porridge, sometimes even 'bounces off walls' and reflects back." After saying this, he winked at Thunderhawk and, without waiting for a response, whistled and ran off.

  "Cornerstone"... data flow "bouncing off walls"... The information the child inadvertently revealed vividly described a possible firewall or abnormal data isolation zone! This was both confirmation and indication that before his death, Liu might have detected anomalies in Science Castle's core systems, even bragged about his discoveries to this clever child.

  Thunderhawk returned to his quarters and carefully examined the fluorescent green plastic ball. Under strong light, he discovered that the inner wall of the plastic had an almost invisible line of text laser-etched into it: "Log slice: Date [three days before Old Chen's attack] || Keywords: abnormal permission grant, Echo Protocol".

  This was clearly John Liu's final message! A specific log date and keywords! He had probably captured the abnormal record of Old Chen's ID card being granted ultra-high permissions during routine monitoring, and realized the so-called "Echo Protocol" (possibly related to the Babel organization), which brought fatal disaster upon him.

  Just as Thunderhawk was digesting these new clues, Science Castle's public broadcast system rang out with an authoritative female voice:

  "Dear residents and colleagues, I am Dr. Cassandra Walker, dispatched by the 'National Scientific Research Ethics Oversight Committee' to conduct a two-week routine ethics compliance assessment at Science Castle. The committee is highly concerned about the research environment and personnel welfare of 'Project Noah'. My assessment will be completely independent and transparent, with my office located on the east side of the central hall. Everyone is welcome to communicate with me through the appointment channel."

  The voice was full of credibility, with rigorous wording. Thunderhawk walked to the window, looking toward the central hall. There, a woman in a tailored dark business suit with a capable and composed demeanor was familiarizing herself with the environment, accompanied by assistants. She appeared to be in her thirties or forties, with elegant bearing, sharp yet restrained gaze—the complete image of a high-ranking official. According to regulations, Science Castle must unconditionally accept her inspection.

  Thunderhawk gripped the plastic ball in his hand. Liu's death, Joe's hint, the crucial log clues, and Dr. Cassandra Walker's high-profile entrance as an inspector... all clues and variables intertwined at this moment. The fog over Science Castle became even more impenetrable with this new "visitor's" arrival...