143: Physical hacking! Using a siren as a modem, I'm playing music in your head!

"Psh—"

Accompanied by the hiss of the pressure balance valve opening, the murky seawater in the airlock was rapidly pumped dry by high-power pumps.

The heavy inner hatch slowly slid open.

Jiang Ran stepped in, still carrying the only remaining Siren prisoner like a bag of trash.

"Clang."

He casually tossed the half-dead cyborg onto the cold metal dissection table.

This Siren was completely ruined.

Its thrusters had been damaged during its earlier struggle, and the liquid breathing pump on its back made a dying "gurgle."

On that pale, bloated face, the originally emotionless dead fish eyes were now filled with garbled code named "fear."

It twitched all over, trying to scratch the table with its remaining mechanical claws, desperate to escape this oppressive man.

"Don't move."

Jiang Ran pinned down the back of its neck with one hand, as if pinning a turtle trying to flip over, his tone flat:

"Move again, and I'll crush the other side of your skull too."

The Siren instantly stiffened, not daring to move an inch.

"Ugh... this thing is really disgusting up close."

Old Chen leaned in for a look and immediately covered his nose, backing away two steps.

Without the cover of seawater, the thing looked even more hideous and pathetic.

Pale skin and black metal interfaces were forcibly stitched together.

Yellow tissue fluid and black engine oil seeped from the wounds, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

"Dr. Su, you're going to interrogate it?"

Old Chen looked at Su Qingyu, who followed in, and asked somewhat skeptically, "This thing's tongue has been cut out, and half its brain is sliced off.

It only knows how to follow orders and kill; what can you possibly get out of it?"

"Who said I was going to ask questions?"

Su Qingyu pushed up her glasses; she wasn't holding a scalpel.

Instead, it was a thick, black-and-gold data probe connected to the main control computer.

She walked to the dissection table, her gaze at the Siren devoid of any pity, only the coldness of looking at a piece of broken hardware:

"To the Ark, it's not a soldier, just a terminal." "Since it's a terminal, it has an interface."

Su Qingyu reached out and brushed aside the Siren's wet hair.

Revealing a standardized nerve data interface flashing with red light on the back of its head.

That was the "backdoor" the Ark used to instill mission commands into these biochemical weapons and monitor their status in real-time.

"What are you doing?!" Old Chen looked at the terrifyingly thick probe.

"Physical hacking."

Su Qingyu didn't hesitate for a second, her wrist suddenly exerting force.

"Psh!"

Accompanied by a tooth-aching sound of piercing flesh, the thick data probe was violently and precisely thrust deep into the interface at the back of the Siren's head, directly connecting to its remaining cerebral cortex and control chip.

"Zzzzt—!!!"

The Siren instantly erupted in a shrill electronic shriek.

Its entire body convulsed violently as if hit by high-voltage electricity, and a puff of charred white smoke billowed from the cooling vents on its back.

Its eyeballs rolled back frantically, and the light in its pupils began to flicker at an extremely high frequency.

"Connection established."

Su Qingyu ignored its pain and turned to look at the large screen nearby, her hands becoming a blur on the keyboard:

"zero, use this organism as a springboard to reverse-trace the signal source."

" Parsing the encryption protocol... Handshake successful."

"Identity spoofing: Siren unit-07 (Critical condition, standby mode)."

On the screen, the red chains that originally represented the Ark's encrypted firewall instantly disintegrated.

This living Siren was like a stolen key.

Easily opening the seemingly impregnable communication gates of the Ark's deep-sea fleet.

A massive stream of data poured down like a waterfall.

Tactical maps, the status of each ship, and even the Commander's real-time voice communications.

Everything was displayed without reservation on the black iron's screen.

"That is its value."

Su Qingyu patted the Siren, which had stopped moving and had completely become a "humanoid modem."

A cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth:

"Now, we're not just watching them."

"We are inside their heads."

..."Access complete. Audio decoding in progress..."

As zero's cold notification sound fell, a burst of noisy and chaotic human voices suddenly erupted from the speakers in the Command cabin.

It was no longer the encrypted "beep" sounds.

But the most genuine, most defenseless panic from within the Ark's "Poseidon" fleet.

"—Calling Siren Squad! Calling Siren Squad! Please respond! Damn it, why is it all dead air?!"

"Sonar team! Haven't you found that target yet?

That huge whale signal was clearly right here just now!"

"Sir, could it be a ghost signal?

Or... or have they already sunk?"

"Shut up! Keep searching!

Even if you have to turn this seabed upside down, find it!

That's the 'prototype' the higher-ups specifically asked for!"

Listening to the waves of roars and questioning.

Old Chen couldn't help but shrink his neck, but then a voyeuristic smirk appeared on his face:

"Heh, these bastards are panicking.

Weren't they quite something when they were hitting us with torpedoes just now?

Why are they acting like headless flies now?"

He leaned in close to Jiang Ran and whispered, "Boss, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Let's just listen quietly and wait for them to show a weakness.

For example, if some idiot exposes their broadside, we'll give 'em a nasty one?"

In Old Chen's view, this was a standard "information asymmetry" tactic.

The enemy is in the light, and I am in the dark.

Moreover, I can hear the enemy's combat deployments; this battle is practically impossible to lose.

"Eavesdropping?"

Jiang Ran leaned back in the command chair, fiddling with an old coin he had pulled from somewhere.

The coin flipped back and forth between his long fingers, making a crisp metallic clinking sound.

He listened to the voice of the frantic Ark Commander in the headset.

A meaningful curve slowly formed at the corner of his mouth:

"Old Chen, you lack imagination."

"What's the fun in just hiding in the gutters and eavesdropping?

That's just how rats behave."

"Since we're going to counterattack, we have to make it unforgettable for them.

I want them to tremble from their very bones every time they dive and every time they hear the sound of the deep sea from now on."

Jiang Ran suddenly gripped the coin.

With a "snap," he pressed it onto the armrest, a cruel pleasure flickering in his eyes like a hunter teasing his prey:

"Since we're here, we have to say hello to the host."

"zero."

"Present."

"Since we've got the key, you can do more than just 'listen,' right?"

Jiang Ran's voice was as gentle as if he were taking song requests: "Can you take over their public broadcast system? All of it."

"Attempting privilege escalation..."

Data streams flashed frantically on the screen, and a few seconds later, the originally red permission lock turned into a comfortable green.

"Fleet-level broadcast permissions for the 'Poseidon' fleet acquired.

I can override the bridge broadcasts, individual headsets, and bunk speakers of all their ships."

"Very good."

Jiang Ran nodded with satisfaction, his fingers lightly tapping a few times on the virtual keyboard.

He pulled up an audio file from the database:

"The atmosphere is too tense right now; it's not suitable for catching up."

"Play some music for them to relax."

"Music?"

Su Qingyu was stunned for a moment, looking at the file Jiang Ran had selected, her expression becoming somewhat strange:

"Are you serious?

At a time like this... playing this?"

"Of course."

Jiang Ran smiled slightly and pressed the confirm button:

"Nothing is more suitable for the deep sea than this."

"Let the show begin."

...Ark deep-sea fleet, flagship poseidon-01.

The atmosphere in the Command cabin was so oppressive it was almost dripping.

The only sounds were the monotonous, nerve-wracking "ping—ping—" from the sonar.

And the faint hum of the air conditioning vents.

Fleet Commander Colonel Recker stared intently at the empty tactical screen in front of him, his eyes bloodshot.

The feeling was absolutely terrible.

It was like trying to catch a rat in a pitch-black room where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

You could clearly hear it breathing at your feet just a moment ago.

But in the blink of an eye, it had vanished into thin air.

"Reporting, sir, the sonar array has swept the entire sector... still no echo."

The Sonar Chief's voice carried a hint of trembling: "The target's last known position only has rocks and turbulence.

Is it possible... it was accidentally damaged by the previous torpedoes and has sunk into the sediment at the bottom of the Trench?"

"Impossible."

Colonel Recker gritted his teeth, the electronic pen in his hand nearly snapping. "That's the 'Perfect Subject' the higher-ups ordered us to capture, a monster capable of withstanding the pressure of the abyss."

"How could it have sunk so easily?"

"It must still be nearby, hiding in some gutter and watching us."

"Where is the Siren Squad?"

"Why haven't they responded yet?"

"Is that group of Cyborgs completely useless?"

"The Siren Squad's signal... remains in a 'wiped out' state."

The Communications Officer answered cautiously, "They might have encountered strong magnetic interference..."

Just as Colonel Recker was about to roar and curse these useless fools...

"Zzz..."

A sudden, intrusive sound of a live microphone crackling echoed through the Command cabin without warning.

This was followed by a rhythmic, lazy, and soothing piano prelude.

"Ding~ ding-ding~ ding..."

Then, a magnetic and penetrating saxophone solo.

Accompanied by the characteristic hissing background noise of an old vinyl record.

Extremely abrupt and utterly out of place, it echoed through the warship's Command cabin, which was filled with the scent of slaughter.

It was 'Fly Me to the Moon.'

A romantic, relaxed piece of jazz music that usually appeared in high-end restaurants or on dates.

At this moment, however, it was like an absurd ghost echoing inside a nuclear submarine two thousand meters deep in the ocean.

"..."

The entire Command cabin fell into a deathly silence instantly.

Everyone was stunned.

The Sonar Chief took off his headphones and looked around blankly;

The Helmsman's hands froze on the control stick;

Colonel Recker's mouth hung open, his curse stuck in his throat.

"Who is it?!"

It took a full three seconds for Colonel Recker to react, roaring in a rage, "Which bastard is playing music on the tactical channel?!"

"Do you want to be court-martialed?!"

"Comms soldier! Cut it off immediately!"

"Find the signal source!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Communications Officer lunged at the console in a panic, his fingers frantically pressing the cut-off button.

However, not only did the elegant jazz music not stop, it grew louder and even began to sound more clear and stereoscopic—

Because it was no longer just coming from the headphones, but had directly taken over the entire ship's public address system.

Not just "poseidon-01."

The entire submarine formation, including the two other wingmen, was now immersed in this absurd ocean of jazz music.

"I... I can't cut it off, sir!"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on the Communications Officer's forehead, his face as pale as paper. "This isn't an external interference signal!"

"This is... this is an internal broadcast!"

"The signal source is using a 'Fleet Command' level highest priority key!"

"The system has identified this as a 'Chief's Speech.' My... my authority isn't high enough to mute it!"

"What?!"

Colonel Recker felt his scalp go numb.

A Command key?

How was that possible?

This was two thousand meters deep; they couldn't receive signals from the surface at all!

Unless... unless the person sending the signal was right among them.

Just then, the lazy jazz music suddenly softened, becoming background noise.

A strange, young male voice with a hint of playful mockery...

...came clearly through the broadcast, as if speaking right into Colonel Recker's ear:

"Good evening, gentlemen."

The voice was very soft, mixed into the soothing saxophone background music.

Yet, like a cold steel needle, it instantly pierced Colonel Recker's eardrums and reached his brain.

"Who?! Who are you?!"

Colonel Recker roared into the microphone, his hand instinctively reaching for the pistol at his waist.

As if the speaker were right behind him in the shadows.

"Don't be nervous, Colonel."

The male voice remained unhurried, even carrying an elegance and composure as if he were tasting red wine.

"Who I am isn't important."

"What's important is... you've been looking for me for so long, turning this sea area upside down."

"You even went as far as to use those disgusting things like the 'Siren' to knock on my door."

The voice on the broadcast paused, followed by a contemptuous laugh.

"In the end, I was right under your noses, yet you're still venting your anger on rocks and air."

"That's a bit... disappointing."

"Where exactly are you?!"

Colonel Recker felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

This feeling of being completely controlled and watched made him nearly go insane.

He frantically gestured to the sonar operators, signaling them to track the signal source. But the sonar operators only shook their heads in despair.

The signal source covered all frequency bands, as if coming from all directions at once; it was impossible to locate... "Want to know where I am?"

Inside the black iron Command cabin, Jiang Ran looked at the three red dots on the screen that had begun to spin in confusion, the smile on his lips growing colder.

He leaned forward slightly, closer to the microphone, and lowered his voice.

As if he were telling the climax of a horror story:

"I'll give you a little hint."

"For a submarine, where is the biggest blind spot?"

Colonel Recker was stunned. A submarine's blind spot?

That would be the noise zone of the rear propellers, but there was clearly nothing behind them... No!

Besides the rear, there was also... "It's directly overhead."

Jiang Ran's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a suffocating sense of pressure.

"Look up, gentlemen."

"I am above you."

The moment the words fell, Jiang Ran's finger slammed down on the Enter key.

"zero, Holographic Acoustic Decoy, activate!"

"Position: two hundred meters directly above the enemy ships!"

"Zzz—!!!"

In the waters directly above the Ark formation.

A miniature buoy, which Jiang Ran had quietly released during his previous glide, suddenly erupted with an extremely powerful acoustic pulse.

This pulse, specially modulated, appeared in the sonar's echo imaging.

It instantly simulated a giant metal object over eighty meters long with a mass of five thousand tons.

Moreover, this "object" was diving vertically from above with a terrifying acceleration that defied common physical sense!

"Beep beep beep—!!!"

The sonar screen of the Ark flagship instantly turned blood red.

"Warning! Extremely strong echo signal detected directly overhead!"

The Sonar Chief was so frightened he fell right out of his chair.

Pointing at the huge light spot on the screen that was smashing down like a meteorite, his voice cracked and changed pitch:

"It... it's above us! It's diving!"

"5 seconds until contact!"

"Oh god! That's... that's a ship smashing straight down!!!"

"Above us?!"

Colonel Recker jerked his head up to look at the thick titanium alloy ceiling.

Although his gaze could not penetrate it.

He felt as if he could already sense the terrifying pressure of ten thousand tons of seawater mixed with steel smashing down.

It was the Grim Reaper's scythe falling from the sky.

All his composure, all his tactical training, completely collapsed at this moment.

"Emergency surface evasion! Fast!!!"

"All torpedo tubes to maximum elevation! Blind fire overhead! Shoot it down!!!"

"Boom—!!!"

The deep sea boiled.

Accompanied by Colonel Recker's hysterical command.

Three Poseidon-class nuclear submarines poured all their fury onto that non-existent "ghost" overhead almost simultaneously.

Dozens of heavy anti-submarine torpedoes trailed long wakes.

Like a meteor shower flowing upstream, they plunged headlong into the giant acoustic phantom two hundred meters above.

This was followed by a series of violent explosions that even made the seabed seismographs jump.

Terrifying shockwaves raged, turning the waters upside down.

The holographic decoy buoy was instantly vaporized in the first round of strikes, leaving not a trace behind.

But the millions of bubbles and chaotic turbulence generated by the explosions...

...formed an even larger, more impenetrable white blind spot on the sonar screens.

"Direct hit! Sir! The echo signal has disappeared!"

The Sonar Chief shouted excitedly as he watched the signal drop to zero in an instant, not even having time to wipe away the nosebleed shaken loose.

"Huff... huff..."

Colonel Recker leaned against the command console, his chest heaving violently, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

He stared fixedly at the slowly dissipating explosion cloud.

But he felt none of the pleasure of killing his prey; instead, an inexplicable sense of unease welled up in his heart.