Chapter 117: Dancing Dragon

Beep—Beep—Beep— [Biotechnica Tower is entering lockdown mode. Combat drones will be activated. Please stay where you are and do not move.] [Biotechnica Tower is entering lockdown mode...] "What do we do now? I just counted at least 100 armed soldiers stationed downstairs! And that's not even counting those two Manticores!" "This is Biotechnica Tower! They actually opened fire directly!" Jackie asked as he ran, and V, annoyed by the questions, snapped back, "Stop talking! Shoot anyone you see!" "V, don't take it out on me." As they ran, Leo accessed the building's structural data that he had just copied from Koch's computer— "Target marked—there might be a few... Their hacker has tapped in, switching accounts." With Biotechnica Tower forced into manual emergency mode, Leo had to continuously switch between unsecured access ports to issue commands and retrieve information. Morton had provided Leo with 13 employee accounts, and it was clear that the enemy hacker had figured out they had entered through the windows. But the enemy didn't know exactly which accounts Leo had, so they were plugging gaps in the network as they found them. This was real-time cyber warfare, not a scripted battle like deploying daemons. In this environment, no one had spare computational power to run quick-break daemons. The computational power of hackers played a significant role— Leo's expression turned serious. The enemy hacker was exceptionally skilled, either naturally gifted or heavily augmented, or perhaps both. However, in cyber defense, the weaker side often doesn't realize they're the one that is losing until it's too late. Despite the intermittent flow of robot deployment information within the building, Leo still managed to get the data he needed— Even though there were differences in neural implants, Leo was still slightly ahead in practical terms! "Jackie, V, target location uploaded, get ready to fire!" The two rushed forward, raising their Achilles precision rifles— Two combat drones rounded the corner, but before they could lock onto their targets, they were taken out with a single shot each! However, just as the trio rounded the corner, they were met with gunfire! Bang bang bang—! The heavy sound of bullets piercing glass mixed with the shattering and falling of broken glass! Leo quickly ramped up the power of his Sandevistan, doubling both his processing speed and reaction time. V and Leo both ducked behind cover almost instantly! Jackie took two solid hits, stumbled to the ground, and clumsily retreated behind a pillar, frantically checking his body— "Jackie?" "Damn... I'm fine." Jackie checked the spots where he had been hit, and his clothes were already singed by the electromagnetic rounds. Fortunately, although the enemy was also using Achilles rifles, the bullets lost a lot of kinetic energy after piercing the reinforced glass, failing to penetrate the subdermal armor and only leaving dents. Realizing this, Leo suddenly shouted, "V, toss the Nekomata to Jackie! They can't get through Jackie's armor—Jackie, give us some cover!" Jackie and V quickly swapped weapons, with Jackie receiving the Nekomata sniper rifle. The violent rounds instantly punched through the glass— Bang! A soldier fell to the ground, their bullets proving ineffective against Jackie's reinforced armor. With this strategy in mind, V's actions became bolder. She activated her Sandevistan, dual-wielded pistols, and slid to the edge of the glass, firing almost point-blank! Bang bang! Two more soldiers fell, creating a temporary lull in the firefight, allowing Leo to dash through the combat zone and aim his Yinglong at the elevator— The elevator doors dinged open, revealing four neatly arranged Kang Tao drones inside, only to be met with a burst of Kang Tao smart bullets. A small EMP detonated inside the elevator. While the Yinglong's bullets were a bit soft for drones, the EMP's lethal power was undeniable, causing all four drones to collapse, and the elevator went dark! With the soldiers by the windows taken out, Jackie and V caught up, and the trio immediately rushed into the stairwell, heading for the 78th floor. Their target was on the 79th floor, but floors above the 79th were restricted to top-tier access levels, only available to high-ranking personnel like Koch— Unfortunately, Koch had already been ordered to go home, and her access had been revoked long ago. Even the access badge she had obtained only worked up to the 78th floor. For now, they had to reach the 78th floor and then figure out a way up. V quickly caught up with Leo, "Damn it—you didn't mention there'd be an ambush by the windows!" "That's Militech's own men, not on Biotechnica's subnet." This indicated that Militech's hacker and Biotechnica's hacker were operating on two separate networks, with Militech's hacker acting as a bridge, connecting the two combat networks. If Leo could breach that hacker's gateway, he could use them as a springboard to hack into Militech's systems. This kind of bridging demonstrated the hacker's confidence. And they had every reason to be confident; MaxTac had the most advanced ICE as firewalls, so as long as the hacker didn't screw up and MaxTac's headquarters wasn't physically compromised, they were virtually untouchable. "Damn it... so what if they've got good gear? Twelve drones outside the stairwell, positions marked, prepare to take a detour!" The instructions appeared in Jackie and V's cyberoptics— The two immediately tossed their weapons, switched to their Achilles rifles, and charged out of the stairwell, firing instantly! Smart bullets and railgun rounds fired to the left, while the trio quickly ducked into a room on the right. The precise firepower deployment left the line of defense vulnerable on the right, forcing the drones to reposition— All the drones in the building were converging on them, making a direct assault impossible! But Leo only needed to buy a few seconds. Jackie switched back to the Sadara, aimed at a nearby wall, and fired—according to the building's structural diagram, this wall was weaker and easier to breach! Bang! The bullet turned the wall into Swiss cheese, then Jackie holstered his weapon, and with a powerful punch from his Gorilla Arms— Boom! He smashed a large hole through the wall! The drone's line of defense tightened, but the trio had no intention of taking the normal route! This unconventional path wasn't accounted for in the defense plans! The hacker had to spend time readjusting the defenses— But he was a hacker, not a battlefield commander! The trio's advance was slow yet steady, and despite all the drones being deployed, they always found a gap! Boom! Another wall was breached as the trio burst into an office near the outer wall. The Manticore reached the windows again, but the trio didn't stop, smashing through the door and continuing deeper inside. This building was massive, and the Manticore was being led in circles—they would take a long time to fly across the building! The enemy was not being contained by the encirclement! The commander on the VTOL cursed loudly, "What the hell is going on? What are these hackers doing? It feels like we're running around naked on the battlefield! Why aren't the containment doors being deployed?!" Explosions rocked Biotechnica Tower. On the MaxTac VTOL, Inspector Rory asked with great interest: "So many of you can't handle a few small-time crooks? What's going on inside?" The hacker frowned, though it was hidden under the tactical visor covering his eyes. "There's a hacker on the other side, and they've got Biotechnica's access codes. Their processing speed is incredible, and Biotechnica's hacker can't stop them. The containment doors are stuck, only the stairwells and elevators are sealed. I can't trace the intrusion route, but I can tell the hacker is using the building's personnel to gather troop deployment information. Their tactical knowledge is impressive, and their combat skills are strong. Militech's men might not be able to take them down—before they run out of ammo." Upon hearing this, a smile tugged at the corners of Inspector Rory's only visible part of her face. "Impressive." Yes, everyone in the vehicle found it amusing, not alarming. Even the Militech commander who was cursing felt more embarrassed than concerned. After all, the enemy consisted of only three people. Once their position was exposed, no matter how they infiltrated, they couldn't leave quietly using the same method. The external forces weren't entering the building out of consideration for Biotechnica itself, maintaining relative restraint. But once the enemy left the building, they'd have to face the full lockdown forces on the ground, not to mention the two Manticores in the air—they wouldn't let them go. As for the battle inside, there were only three of them, how much ammo could they have? Their advantage had a time limit. To be honest, Inspector Rory was eager to get in on the action, but the corporation had its own plans—though things were different now. The collateral damage was likely increasing, and Biotechnica might change its mind. Moreover—these three were formidable fighters, exactly the kind of talent MaxTac needed. "HQ, the target's combat capabilities need reassessment. Requesting permission for early engagement." Rory then told the hacker, "Forget about what's happening inside for now. Connect with the investigative unit, I want to know what they've been up to outside." The hacker complied, his armored suit retracting to reveal large heat sinks across his back. He then connected to the deep-dive interface.