Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 595 Clues interrupted

When Han Zu first saw the resurrected corpses in the video, he immediately thought of what he had witnessed in the town. However, after careful comparison, he discovered that the two resurrections were different. The crazed townspeople in the town were resurrected immediately after their deaths, for some reason. This suggests they must have been affected by something long before their deaths, perhaps through diet or other factors. Furthermore, based on the experiences of that time, the town was home to a large number of second-generation synths whose identities had been replaced. These resurrections likely only occurred to second-generation synths and those who had undergone unexplained mutations.

But the body in the morgue was different. According to the contractor's equipment, it had been dead for over a year. Even if it had been kept in a refrigerated chamber, the activity of its cells had long since completely disappeared, and it didn't possess the same conditions as the people resurrected in the small town. Furthermore, the body's ability to be revived was clearly closely related to the metal container in the scientist's hands.

Because of the noise at the end of the second video, Han Zu couldn't hear what the scientist said to the resurrected corpse. He initially thought the corpse was also a synthetic being, and the scientist was speaking his word key. But after watching it several times, Han Zu abandoned this idea because the duration of their conversation clearly exceeded the expected length of a word key. It seemed more like the scientist was giving the resurrected corpse some kind of command.

Han Zu used the contractor's equipment to search all the surveillance footage in the city at the time, based on the body's appearance, to try to trace the body's movements. At the same time, out of suspicion about the two videos, Han Zu investigated the source of these videos.

Searching all the surveillance footage took some time, but the source of the footage was quickly identified. It was confirmed that the two videos were not captured by the officers' phones at the time, but rather were captured using a less common spy device and then transferred to the phones. Furthermore, testing revealed that these videos used a unique storage technology that compressed and decomposed the entire video, then embedded the compressed fragments into other files.

To put it simply, these two videos have been encrypted and require specific restoration technology, or ultra-high-tech equipment like contractor equipment, to discover these two videos. This also means that the college student from whom Han Zu obtained the information should not have known about the existence of these two videos.

Now that this was clear, the investigation could continue. Due to the unique nature of this storage technology, Han Zu could reverse engineer the footage to its original state before it was integrated by the contractor's equipment. Based on the size and location of these compressed fragments, he could determine which other forces might be using the same encryption method. Quickly, through calculations using the contractor's equipment, Han Zu identified several forces using similar encryption methods.

There are many forces using similar encryption, generally associated with conglomerates and families. Scandals often occur among these groups, or someone deliberately films these scandals and uses this information to blackmail them. However, these conglomerates or families are still quite powerful, so the so-called intelligence used for blackmail needs to be properly stored. This way, as long as there is no conflict, those who exploit this information can use it to ensure their own safety. However, although the encryption method used by these people is similar to that of the two videos, there are still significant differences, which can be ruled out.

Then there are the militaries of some small nations, who use this type of encryption to conduct espionage. Their encryption is more similar to that used in the two videos. However, the difference is that their encryption isn't as complex as the two videos. Normally, these small nation militaries use only a dozen or so layers of encryption, while the two videos use dozens. While the basic algorithm is the same, the level and order of encryption differ significantly, which can be used to rule them out.

After eliminating one force after another, the truth was gradually being revealed. After a few minutes, Han Zu found a force whose encryption method was almost exactly the same as that of the videos at both ends. Whether it was the basic algorithm, the degree of encryption, or the order of encryption, there was almost no difference. This force, which used a method extremely similar to that of the videos at both ends, was a not-so-famous biopharmaceutical company, Biovivo Pharmaceuticals.

Han Zu's investigation of the company revealed some peculiarities. First, although it was a biopharmaceutical company, it hadn't published any drug development in the thirteen years since its founding. While its pharmaceutical factory was still in operation, it primarily produced other licensed, conventional drugs. The company was not small, located somewhere in northern North America, within Canada. Based on their performance, they resembled a large-scale pharmaceutical production facility more than a biopharmaceutical company. Most of their employees were not researchers.

Secondly, the biopharmaceutical company's location isn't remote; just east of it lies a large commercial city. Due to its proximity to the city and the numerous tourist attractions near the pharmaceutical company's address, the area attracts a large number of tourists and visitors. Furthermore, due to its architectural style, the pharmaceutical company itself is a popular tourist attraction. Because of this, information about the pharmaceutical company is abundant and transparent. Yet, even such a company, known for its complete lack of secrecy, routinely employs this type of encryption.

The encrypted data wasn't secret at all; it was simply the drug production line schedule, drug transportation route information, and employee leave schedules. These weren't things that needed to be encrypted, so when Han Zu learned of this, he was naturally very confused. After a careful inspection, he discovered that the company truly had no secrets. And just like that, Han Zu's suspicions were completely broken.

"No target detected."

Coincidentally, the contractors hadn't found any clues about the resurrected guy in the city. So far, there's been no news about the scientists.

"Should we go ask that college student again..."

There were clues about the scientists, but without follow-up intelligence, the investigation could not be continued for the time being. Just as Han Zu was thinking about whether to go find the university student to ask again, he found that the monitoring system in his base had sent a prompt.

"A logged-in guest has been detected."

This "visitor" was Christina. It seemed she had already completed the examination to determine if there were any remaining nanorobot sequences in her body. Now back at the base, Han Zu saw Christina's raised middle finger pointing at various areas of the room on the surveillance system, her tattered clothes, and the serious injuries she bore. He understood that his attempt to cut off her escape route had succeeded.

"Hey!! I know you can hear me, do you have any healing equipment here?! Give it to me, or I'll die and you'll be in trouble!"

Although Christina didn't realize that the surveillance equipment at the Hanzu base wasn't conventional technology, but rather the contractor's global surveillance technology, meaning there were no cameras at all, any device in the base, even a toaster, could transmit data as long as it was connected to the overall system. But Christina probably assumed that the cameras were simply hidden, which was why she was waving and shouting at various locations on the second floor of the base.

"Assessment completed, no fatal injuries found, current health level: 89%, remaining energy: 33%."

Although Christina was shouting vigorously, Han Zu could tell from her waving and loud voice that, even without the contractor's equipment assessment, she was injured, but not nearly as seriously as she'd claimed. At most, these injuries were minor, with only a few scrapes of flesh torn off. For those of them, accustomed to an exciting life, any injury was considered minor, as long as they weren't missing a limb or dying instantly. This was especially true for someone like Christina, who had survived the research facility.

Although her health wasn't seriously damaged, the contractor's assessment indicated that Christina had indeed consumed a significant amount of energy. Han Zu was well-versed in the negative effects of energy loss on the body. If Christina could continue to cooperate smoothly, as someone with extensive knowledge of the Feidenan family's inner workings, she would undoubtedly be extremely important to Han Zu. Therefore, Han Zu naturally couldn't let her continue to endure. So, Han Zu activated the base's broadcast system, spoke to Christina, and began to return to the base.

"Wait, I'll be back soon. There's a silver metal platform on your right that looks like a stone coffin lid. Lie down on it first."

"Is this a medical device? Why does it look like a dissecting table?! How long will it take you to get back?"

"One minute... No, about forty seconds."

"Then I'll wait for you for a while."

"Didn't you say you were going to die?"

"Exaggeration, it's called rhetoric, don't you understand?"

"walk slowly."

Han Zu's current speed was naturally fast, and he soon returned to the base. After meeting Christina, he first used his perception ability to scan Christina and found that the energy in her body was very chaotic, and it was obvious that she had experienced a huge energy loss in an instant.

"You're such a jerk! You could have solved the problem with the nanorobot sequence right here at the base, but you had to take me out and use me as bait!!"

"Correct."

"I knew you wouldn't admit it... Huh????"

"You're right, I did it on purpose."

"No...you don't even...say anything?"

"Why are you making excuses? Didn't I tell you before that I still don't trust you for now?"

"...You must be mentally ill. Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. First, tell me which equipment here is used for treatment. By the way, do you have any spare clothes?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's this thing that looks like the lid of a stone coffin."

Han Zu extended a hand and pointed at the metal platform nearby. It indeed looked like the lid of a stone coffin, except it was made of metal. And Christina's description was correct; the surface of the metal platform did have slightly curved grooves, remarkably resembling some kind of dissection operating table. Despite its strange appearance, Han Zu wasn't lying; this thing was indeed a medical device.

"..."

"What's with that expression on your face? Is what I said weird?"

Looking at the "coffin lid" next to her again, Christina turned back to look at Han Zu. Han Zu's tone was normal, and Christina was ready to listen to him and lie down, but when she turned around, she saw the smile on Han Zu's face, which almost said in words "I'm obviously fooling you".

"Phew... stop laughing, it's so ugly."

"Anxious!"

Although Han Zu seemed completely unruly, Christina believed his unruly behavior might be a test of himself. Perhaps it was a test of his credibility, or perhaps something else. Of course, there was also a small possibility that he was just playing a trick on himself. But Christina didn't think Han Zu was truly that unruly.

Christina's idea wasn't entirely correct, but it was close. Han Zu reasoned that if Christina had ulterior motives, then she wouldn't dare lie down there with his obvious deception. If her injuries were fake, or deliberately inflicted, the coffin lid would be exposed if it turned out to be a medical device. If Christina truly intended to cooperate, then even if the medical device was a trap, she wouldn't hesitate to lie down there. Christina knew that if she truly intended to cooperate, she would become a very important person to Han Zu. Given Han Zu's character, he would never allow such a significant figure to die in vain; it would be a huge waste of resources.

"Scanning for damage..."

"Scanning for damage..."

"The treatment process has begun..."

When Christina took a deep breath, stripped off her tattered clothes, and lay down on the medical platform, both of them understood. Han Zu knew that the other party was indeed willing to cooperate. And Christina also realized that she had become a key figure.

"Um...are you sure these gases can heal me...Oh, it's okay."

"You can think of this as a powerful first aid spray. Don't worry, this first aid spray is completely harmless. It won't cause any negative effects on your body if it gets on any part of your body... Oh, and no, you may feel a sudden sense of fullness after the treatment is complete, but that's harmless."

"Okay then, let's continue talking about the Feidenan family?"

"Let's wait until your treatment is complete. By the way, the other machines are also making clothes for you to wear. After all, I guess you definitely don't like being naked."

"How long will that take?"

"It won't take long. Your injuries aren't serious. They're minor at best. It'll probably take a few minutes."