Don't Even Think About Zero

Xiao Di, Le Qin, and the other pioneers stood outside the guards' perimeter, craning their necks to peer into Songwu Base.

And... Diao Hongzhi and his crew were there to watch the spectacle.

The moment Tu Ran and her two companions emerged, Xiao Di and the pioneers who had come out earlier couldn't wait to rush forward, only to be stopped by the guards.

In the end, Tu Ran's trio sprinted across the entire plaza, putting distance between themselves and the danger zone.

Xiao Di threw her arms around Min Tao, her voice trembling. "Brother Tao... you finally made it out... and Sister Tu Ran, Xiao Yunhe—you're all alive. Thank goodness."

Shen Yunhe: "..."

Xiao Yunhe? What kind of bizarre nickname was that?

In stark contrast to Xiao Di's warm, joyful reunion, Diao Hongzhi leaned against a patrol car, glaring at Tu Ran with venom burning in his wide-set eyes.

"What a lucky bitch—can't even kill her!" He clenched his fist and slammed it against the patrol car door twice in frustration.

The door didn't budge.

His lackey beside him tried to soothe him. "Minister Diao, she still has to stay in our Pandalim District. There'll be plenty of chances to deal with her. No need to rush."

Whether it was the "Minister Diao" that hit the right note or the words "our Pandalim District" that stroked his ego, Diao Hongzhi's expression softened slightly. He patted the lackey's shoulder. "Xiao Li, after all these years, you're still the one who understands me best."

"Of course. I owe my position entirely to your promotion, Minister. It's only natural that I devote myself wholeheartedly to your interests."

As they traded pleasantries, a dazzling golden light burst through the evenly spaced transparent windows on Songwu Experimental Base's shell, like some VIP making a grand entrance. Then a dull thud came from underground, shockwaves rippling outward. People in the plaza staggered, swaying left and right.

The tremors lasted nearly five minutes. Perhaps the beetle-shaped building's soundproofing was excellent, for there was no deafening roar—just a series of muffled thuds.

After five minutes, the ground stopped shaking. Thick black smoke began to seep up from below, along with swirling dust. The beetle-shaped structure seemed to have sunk a few inches.

Tu Ran didn't linger on it. Whatever happened next was none of her business.

She turned to the other pioneers. "Let's go."

"Yeah!"

The group marched in a loose formation toward the patrol car parked on the east side of the plaza.

They had ridden to Songwu Experimental Base in that Executive Department patrol car.

Diao Hongzhi was standing on the east side of the plaza, so Tu Ran and her team inevitably crossed paths with him on their way to the car.

Diao Hongzhi stared at Tu Ran, smirking with pure sarcasm and contempt.

As Tu Ran passed him, she stopped.

The pioneers behind her halted too, all assuming she was about to confront Diao Hongzhi.

Min Tao tugged at her sleeve, signaling that this was too public for anything rash. When night fell, they could find a spot without surveillance, throw a sack over Diao Hongzhi's head, and beat him senseless without inviting trouble.

Tu Ran shot him a reassuring look, then turned to the lackey behind Diao Hongzhi, completely ignoring the man himself.

"Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask—what's your position in the Security Department?" Her tone was warm and friendly.

The lackey instinctively glanced at Diao Hongzhi, who gave him a "handle it yourself" look. "D-Deputy Minister," he stammered.

"Well, congratulations in advance."

"Congratulations for what?" The lackey was taken aback.

"Congratulations on your imminent promotion." Tu Ran's smile was radiant.

Promotion? Deputy Minister moving up... wouldn't that make him Minister?!

The lackey panicked, looking at Diao Hongzhi in alarm. "M-Minister... I never meant..."

Diao Hongzhi's face turned green. "Tu Ran, what are you implying?!"

Tu Ran acted as if she hadn't heard him, walking off. Before leaving, she cast a sidelong glance at him from head to toe.

In that brief instant, the contempt in her eyes was a hundred times more scathing than anything Diao Hongzhi had thrown her way.

Watching it all, Xiao Di thought: Sister Tu Ran's eyes have got some serious bite! That look was pure humiliation!

Diao Hongzhi ground his teeth so hard they creaked.

Even after watching Tu Ran and her group drive off in the patrol car, he still hadn't calmed down.

The lackey didn't dare breathe too loudly, hands clasped in front of him, head bowed. Normally, when the Minister was angry, he'd offer sweet words to soothe him, but now he didn't dare utter a sound. Years of toadying had taught him one thing: today, he was screwed.

The patrol car rose smoothly into the air. Tu Ran sat by the window, turning her head slightly to see the scene below through the glass.

She watched Diao Hongzhi and the deputy minister, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at her lips.

She hadn't said those words just to irritate Diao Hongzhi.

She was giving him a warning.

How did a deputy minister become a minister? By making sure the current minister died, of course.

"You're going to kill Diao Hongzhi?" Xie Xu's voice cut in abruptly.

Tu Ran started. She'd almost forgotten that her earpiece was still connected to him.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" Tu Ran said.

Her voice wasn't loud, and the helmet's soundproofing meant no one else in the patrol car could hear her.

Xie Xu replied, "No problem."

A beat later. "As long as you're clean about it."

"Zero is the real problem," Tu Ran murmured.

With Zero around, she'd have to dodge all those cameras, which took a lot of effort.

Tsk. She'd still have to find a way to get rid of Zero.

She half-closed her eyes, scrolling through the memories of Xie Hong she'd absorbed.

Zero's mainframe was located in Pandalim District at—

"Don't even think about Zero."

Tu Ran's train of thought was interrupted.

"Do you have telepathy or something? We're miles apart, and you can still read my mind?"

"Your thoughts are easy to guess. The way you said 'Zero' gave you away," Xie Xu said from the other end.

Tu Ran: ...Fine, she'd been too hasty. She'd have to be more careful next time.

"Why not let me go after Zero? It's a pain, isn't it? Its eyes are everywhere, its ears are everywhere. Every move we make, every word we say gets recorded. If we want to do anything, we have to waste time and energy hiding from it. That puts us at a disadvantage. I think we need to find a way to deal with it."

"If you eliminate one Zero, there'll be another. The Federal Government loves creating super AIs that can watch everyone."

Xie Xu's voice was as cold and flat as ever, his mind razor-sharp—calmer than a machine.

"You should know that with the Federation's resources, rolling out a new super AI wouldn't take long. Are you planning to destroy every AI they ever make?"