Chapter 152: Entering

With the cat's help, even though branches in the waves were scarce, Zhang Wenda eventually found a sufficient amount.

When he climbed back onto the giant computer's "head" with a large bundle of suitable branches, even Tang Xingxiong couldn't help but be surprised by Zhang Wenda's efficiency.

This time, however, Zhang Wenda spoke first. He was genuinely afraid her next task would be to have him finely mince ten pounds of cartilage into paste.

"Um, Aun—Boss, our team can't just be the two of us, right? Three at most, counting Saber. Are there any other colleagues? How about I go get acquainted with them?"

It looked like Zhang Wenda was spooked by Tang Xingxiong's show of authority and was looking for an excuse to slip away.

But Zhang Wenda's real thought was, 'Approaching Tang Xingxiong directly is bound to make her suspicious. It would be better to start with her subordinates for a little preliminary probing.'

"Fine. Go find Experience Dragon. I'll let you off the hook for today."

The name was incredibly strange; Zhang Wenda couldn't imagine anyone naming their son that. But when he arrived at the door, he found the man himself to be even stranger.

The man was huge, at least four hundred pounds, with a thick gold chain, a bald head, and a few gold teeth. His eyes, fixed on Zhang Wenda, were full of hostility. "The hell you lookin' at? What do you want?"

"Tang Xingxiong just recruited me. We'll be colleagues from now on. I look forward to working with you." Zhang Wenda extended his right hand, which was covered in sickles, then thought better of it and quickly pulled it back.

"Kid, what's with you?" The man sized Zhang Wenda up and down, his eyes filled with distrust.

"You must be joking, sir. I've got some skills. Perhaps we could have a little test?" Zhang Wenda's body began to turn somewhat ethereal.

"Let's not. I'd rather not have Old Tang on my case if I break you."

"Wait, sir, are you from the Northeast or something? Why do you talk backwards?"

"None of your business where I'm from. Honestly." The man started to shut the door, but Zhang Wenda grabbed it, and chunks of the wooden door were instantly sliced off.

"Sir, don't be in such a hurry! I still have questions. I'm new here and need to ask about a few things. What are our main tasks? What do we do on a daily basis? I want to be prepared."

"Tasks? Isn't it all for that damn computer? Go ask someone else, don't bother me." With that, Experience Dragon slammed the door shut.

'The computer?' Zhang Wenda turned his head to look at the gigantic, old-fashioned CRT monitor inside the mobile fortress of the Knight.

Zhang Wenda had noticed it the first time he came here.

'But I always thought it was just part of the scenery. I never paid it much mind. So the thing Bureau 507 wants me to investigate is in there?'

Recalling how Tang Xingxiong had deliberately built her nest on the very top of this computer, Zhang Wenda suddenly felt there was more to it.

Under the pretext of visiting his new colleague, Zhang Wenda carefully observed the entire computer, but from the outside, there was nothing to see.

Perhaps the only suspicious thing was the crack in one corner of its screen. Black-and-white static constantly flowed out, forming a small river on the Knight's back that eventually trickled over the edge and onto the cyber-plains of Thought Tide 13.

Night deepened, and the Knight, once bustling with people, gradually grew quiet.

On the bed, Song Jianguo was coiled up like a pretzel, his head touching his feet as he slept with preternatural flexibility. This didn't bother Zhang Wenda in the slightest. He leaned against the window, cautiously watching the conspicuous computer in the distance and the black Crow that constantly circled above it.

All these anomalies, combined with the intelligence he'd gathered today, made it obvious that something was wrong with that thing.

'Should I…?' An impulsive thought popped into Zhang Wenda's head uncontrollably.

'I don't need to destroy anything. I just need to find out what's inside, report back to the Third Line, and my mission will be complete. My uncle can get out of this safely, too.'

But Zhang Wenda quickly suppressed this unrealistic idea. 'No, Tang Xingxiong's Crow is watching it constantly. And I can't be sure there aren't other hidden lookouts. Approaching it to investigate without knowing the specifics is just too dangerous.'

Just as Zhang Wenda made up his mind to play the long game—to follow Tang Xingxiong and secretly gather intel—he suddenly saw a figure flash past the river of black-and-white static. A figure holding white lilies.

Who else could it be but his uncle, whom he hadn't seen in days?

As if sensing Zhang Wenda's gaze, his uncle gave him a look from behind his sunglasses. He tilted his neck toward the crack where the black-and-white static flowed out, then pointed a finger at it.

'Huh? What does that mean? The crack is an entrance? He wants me to go in?'

More surprising than his uncle's sudden appearance was the fact that he seemed to know Zhang Wenda wanted to get inside. 'Does he know about my infiltration mission?'

While Zhang Wenda was trying to figure out what his uncle wanted him to do, he watched as the man leaped to the top of the highest nearby building and, from who knows where, pulled out a large, white plastic megaphone.

As Zhang Wenda stared, dumbfounded, his uncle cleared his throat, did a "testing, testing" into the megaphone, and then aimed it at the top of the computer and bellowed, "Tang Xingxiong! I love you! Tang Xingxiong! I love you!"

There was no telling which Thought Tide that megaphone came from, but it was incredibly loud, its sound echoing across the entire Knight and waking everyone up.

Seeing it was the work of Foolish Biao, no one stepped in to stop him. Instead, they watched with schadenfreude, ready for the show.

"What's he doing? Didn't they break up ages ago?"

"So damn noisy! It's that idiot Biao again. Didn't he go to another outpost? Why is he back on the Knight?"

"Ah, Foolish Biao... Heh heh, now this is going to be a good show."

Whether they were cursing, enjoying the spectacle, or even booing along, everyone on the Knight had their attention completely drawn to him.

And at that moment, Zhang Wenda had already reached the edge of the river of black-and-white static.

Zhang Wenda didn't know why his uncle was holding off Tang Xingxiong for him, but he was certain the man would never harm him.

Seeing his uncle already down on one knee, spouting cheesy romantic lines, Zhang Wenda didn't hesitate for a second and slid into the river with extreme speed.

The moment the black-and-white static covered his entire body, Zhang Wenda felt an uncontrollable tremor rack his frame, as if every nerve had been struck.

Fortunately, he adapted quickly. As soon as he could barely move again, under the cover of his uncle's massive farce outside, Zhang Wenda crawled along the riverbed toward the crack in the giant computer.

The black-and-white static was completely opaque, giving Zhang Wenda the perfect camouflage.

Just when Zhang Wenda could no longer hold his breath, he finally slipped through the crack.