Chapter 66 Defense Upgraded Again! Fully Automated Fire Control System in Place
Huo Yuan's snap was sharp and crisp.
Before Zhao An could react, Lu Ting was already grinning, leading several burly brothers straight to the basement level two warehouse.
When they returned, the four of them were huffing and puffing, carrying several heavy metal briefcases.
The cases had a matte black moisture-proof coating, with a few bullet marks still visible on the corners.
"Clang."
The heavy cases slammed onto the marble floor, shaking the coffee cups on the coffee table.
Huo Yuan walked up, pressed his thumb onto the sensor area, and entered a long string of garbled code as a password.
"Hiss—"
With the sound of the pneumatic seal popping open, the lids slowly rose.
Inside lay several master control panels emitting a faint blue glow, along with a complete set of radar sensor probes.
"Holy crap!"
Zhao An, who had been limping on one leg, suddenly seemed possessed by a medical miracle.
He hopped over on one leg, practically draping himself over the edge of the case.
"Is this... is this the US military's latest 'Asura Eye' all-weather fire control hub?"
His eyes were practically popping out of his head, and his hands were trembling as if electrified; he wanted to touch it but didn't dare.
"I've only seen the neutered version of this thing in top-secret internal blueprints. You guys actually managed to get the original?!"
Huo Yuan leaned against the back of the sofa, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and clamped it between his lips.
He didn't light it, his tone nonchalant: "Just a pile of scrap metal. Can you install it?"
"Yes! Absolutely!"
Zhao An's voice cracked with excitement as he turned and grabbed his brother, Zhao Ping, who was still gnawing on a roasted chicken.
"Ping, stop eating! This is the highest-level motor circuitry you'll ever touch in your life. Get to work!"
Lin Xingwan watched the two brothers' fanaticism and raised an eyebrow in satisfaction.
She turned and called out into the internal intercom.
"Duoduo, bring your gear to the first-floor hall. I've got a big job for you."
Less than a minute later, Qian Duoduo, sporting a bird's nest hairstyle and wearing flip-flops, scurried out clutching two custom-made laptops.
"Boss, whose network are we hacking? The official shelter or those warlords?"
The otaku fatty looked excited; the keyboard seemed to come alive in his hands.
"Hack my ass." Lu Ting slapped the back of Qian Duoduo's head and pointed at the cases on the floor.
"Big Sis wants you to link the underlying logic of this fire control system to our base's AI."
Qian Duoduo looked down, and his eyes went wide.
He scrambled onto the carpet, his hands flying across the keyboard, leaving afterimages.
Cascading code scrolled wildly across the screen.
"Goodness, this firewall is as thick as a city wall, but it won't stump me!"
Over the next twelve hours, the entire Xingchen Base became a massive, precision gear.
Everyone was running at full capacity.
Zhao An dragged his broken leg around, sweating profusely as he directed operations with a megaphone outside.
"The firing port of the No. 2 bunker is off by three centimeters! Readjust it!"
Zhao Ping, like an agile monkey, crawled into the narrow ventilation ducts to install neural sensor wires.
Lu Ting led the mercenaries of the Sky Wolf Squad, acting as the most hardcore movers.
Six-barreled Gatling heavy machine guns, gleaming with a cold, hard metallic luster, were installed on elevating platforms.
Automatic grenade launchers were hidden behind decorative panels in the rockeries and on the roof.
Lin Xingwan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor, overlooking it all.
Seeing those pitch-black gun muzzles cleverly hidden in every corner of The Fortress, she felt more and more confident.
This was a true iron tortoise.
Whoever dared to take a bite would definitely shatter all their teeth.
By evening, the temperature outside was still like a giant steamer, and the horizon was red as if it were bleeding.
Qian Duoduo slammed the Enter key and let out a long, heavy breath.
"Boss! The underlying code has been completely rewritten, and system permissions have been bound to your fingerprint and voiceprint!"
The fatty wiped the sweat from his face and proudly patted his chest.
Lin Xingwan walked to the central control console and pressed the master control button with her fair finger.
"Hum—"
A low sound of mechanical operation emanated from underground, spreading through the walls to the entire villa.
"Xingchen Defense System, officially online."
The cold, female AI voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying an aura of absolute lethality.
Just then, the radar on the big screen suddenly locked onto a red dot.
"Warning: Unidentified flying object detected over outer zone C. Distance: 300 meters. Approaching."
Everyone's hearts tightened.
Lu Ting instinctively reached for the assault rifle at his waist.
"Don't be nervous. Let the system handle it itself." Lin Xingwan waved her hand, her eyes fixed on the screen.
The image zoomed in.
It was a mutant wild bird driven mad by the high heat. It was larger than an eagle and was diving toward the base, flapping its wings.
It had clearly smelled the scent of meat drifting from the kitchen exhaust vent.
"Target in range. Requesting fire command." The AI voice was devoid of emotion.
Lin Xingwan spat out a single word: "Granted."
As soon as she spoke, the flower bed in the green belt on the right side of the villa suddenly flipped open!
A hidden Gatling machine gun turret rose into the air instantly, its pitch-black barrels completing a thermal imaging lock in 0.1 seconds.
"Shhh—"
There was no deafening gunshot, only the dull friction sound of the motor spinning at high speed.
In mid-air.
The mutant bird that was still diving didn't even manage to let out a scream.
A dozen large-caliber bullets precisely pierced its body.
A mist of blood exploded, and tattered feathers spiraled down onto the scorching asphalt road, instantly burning to ash.
"Gulp."
A synchronized sound of swallowing echoed through the hall.
Lu Ting's eyes widened as he watched the scene of the instant kill on the screen, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back.
"Big Sis... at this rate, even a fly flying in would be blown to bits, right?"
This accuracy, this reaction speed—it practically leaves no chance for survival.
Zhao An leaned against the wall, laughing like a madman.
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect! Now, even if a regular reinforced company came to attack, they wouldn't be able to step a single foot into our courtyard!"
Huo Yuan walked to Lin Xingwan's side, his deep gaze filled with undisguised admiration.
He leaned down to her ear, his voice deep and alluring.
"My Queen, are you satisfied with this gift?"
Lin Xingwan curled her lips into a stunning smile and turned to look at him.
"It'll do, I suppose. I'll give you credit for this."
Everyone in the base breathed a sigh of relief, their nerves, which had been stretched tight all day, finally relaxing.
Chef Li was already bustling in the kitchen, preparing to make a big feast to celebrate.
However, just when everyone was immersed in a sense of absolute security.
"Beep—woo—beep—woo!"
An extremely sharp and short alarm sound pierced the relaxed atmosphere without warning.
The edges of the central control console screen flashed with glaring red warning boxes.
"What's going on? Are there enemies?"
The languor around Huo Yuan instantly dissipated. His eyes were cold as knives, and he gripped the handle of the gun at his waist.
"It's not an external enemy! It's... it's an internal life support system alarm!"
Qian Duoduo scrambled back to the keyboard, his ten fat fingers clattering away.
He stared fixedly at the jumping data on the screen, his face visibly draining of color, turning deathly pale.
Even though the temperature in the hall was a comfortable 26 degrees, cold sweat dripped from his chin.
Lin Xingwan sensed something was wrong and walked over quickly.
"What exactly is the matter?"
Qian Duoduo swallowed a dry mouthful of saliva and turned his head, his voice filled with undisguisable panic.
"Boss, it's bad... The high heat outside has completely evaporated the city's underground water network. The water pressure has dropped to zero!"
He pointed to a red curve on the screen that was dropping in a straight line.
"Even our backup deep water well can't draw a single drop of water now!"