“So, you don’t know anything at all?”
Bayard: “Dad, didn’t you say it yourself? A leader just needs to know how to give orders.”
The man was so angry he let out a bitter laugh: “Your stupidity never fails to amaze me. You went through all that trouble, got involved with the Meta Group, only to end up doing all the work for someone else’s benefit. Tsk, good thing I never had any expectations for you.”
Without a second thought, the man turned and left, not even bothering to scold him anymore.
That meant he was completely giving up on Bayard.
At the same time, the Federation convened an emergency military meeting. Attendees included the ring leaders of the six stellar rings, the military commanders of each military region, the Minister of Education, and senior chiefs of staff from each district.
Melina, as the Minister of Education of the Fourth Stellar Ring, as well as the organizer and primary person responsible for the Star Network examination field, acted as the host of this meeting.
She distributed various investigation records, witness interview transcripts, and other materials to the attendees’ smart devices.
“Regarding this major incident during the Star Network exam: 65 examinees experienced mental energy disorders and lost consciousness after the test. 754 examinees are trapped inside the examination field.”
Not a single flicker of emotion crossed the attendees’ faces.
Although the number of examinees involved was large, for each military region, the number of soldiers wounded or killed in a single battle is in the tens of thousands.
So, fewer than a thousand trapped examinees? This really wasn’t a big deal. It hardly warranted such a high-level meeting.
The military commander of the Sixth Stellar Ring raised an eyebrow impatiently. The battle on the planet Morrison wasn’t over yet; the Empire was extremely tenacious. He didn’t have time to waste here. “Is that all?”
Melina sped up her speech: “No! It’s more serious than that. Nüwa did not construct an extra credit question examination field. That area appeared out of nowhere. Even worse, we can’t establish contact with the examinees trapped inside.”
“What about Nüwa?”
Inside the Star Network, Nüwa is a god.
A trace of exhaustion appeared on Melina’s face: “After repeated checks, Nüwa’s conclusion is that she was hacked.”
“Ha?! That’s impossible. Nüwa is the most powerful artificial intelligence the entire Federation came together to build. Her core is housed in… ahem, what I mean is, unless someone directly attacked her physical body, there’s no way a hacker could breach her firewall.”
In a flash, [Nüwa] came online.
“Thank you all for your trust in me, but I regret to inform you that I have indeed lost control over the extra credit question examination field.”
The conference room erupted in an uproar.
[Nüwa] is an incredibly important partner, whether in daily life, economics, politics, or military affairs.
If something happened to her, the Federation would be in serious trouble!
The expressions on everyone’s faces were grim, like never before.
Cassian’s heart was shattering. His prized student, his Stardust Plant Manipulator, hadn’t even had the chance to report to school yet, and now she was trapped in the Star Network!
He asked urgently, “Nüwa, can you trace who the hacker is?”
If they couldn’t take down the hacker on the Star Network, then they’d have to eliminate them physically.
[Nüwa]: “Unfortunately, I cannot trace them. Currently, we’ve only found out that Bayard ordered the Meta Group to tamper with the examination pods. The Meta Group’s engineers left a backdoor in the Star Network connection interface, and the hacker used that backdoor to enter the examination field.”
Cassian pressed further: “Is it possible that Bayard is behind this?”
[Nüwa]: “He doesn’t have the ability.”
Everyone’s faces darkened. This was a huge mess!
Who was this mysterious hacker that appeared out of nowhere? What did they want? Why did they enter the examination field? How much further could they go?
Everything was unknown.
And that unknown was the most terrifying part.
The military commander of the Sixth Stellar Ring rubbed his bald head and asked in a deep voice, “Nüwa, can you contact the examination field?”
[Nüwa]: “No. I’ve clashed with the hacker three times on the Star Network. They are very powerful. I only managed to regain surveillance control.”
That meant she could only see what the examinees were doing, but couldn’t control the field, send them messages, or force them to log out of the Star Network.
Cassian, eyes red, asked reluctantly, “Just how powerful is this hacker?”
[Nüwa] paused for an unprecedented three seconds before finding the right words: “Like omnipresent water… no, that’s not right. Like the sea. Each attack comes wave after wave, ceaseless and unending.”
Within the ordinariness lay lethal intent, within the gentleness lay the power to overturn the heavens and destroy the earth. Every attack and every defense was filled with artistic beauty.
[Nüwa] was full of admiration. What a remarkable opponent, with a very distinctive personal style.
The military commanders of the six stellar rings set up a private channel and discussed for a long time, but still couldn’t come up with a solution.
They couldn’t locate a physical entity, and they didn’t know the hacker’s objective. The only possible way to catch them was on the Star Network.
But even [Nüwa], the god of the Star Network, had failed. The Federation’s overwhelming military might was useless on this kind of battlefield.
This was a truly frustrating standoff.
Originally, Melina was just trying to be a quiet observer, but she received an urgent message and had to interrupt the leaders’ discussion: “Report, latest update. The 65 examinees… have all suffered brain death.”
Silence spread through the conference room.
Cassian’s breathing became shallow and rapid. To avoid being kicked off the Star Network by [Nüwa], he tried to take deep breaths.
“Nüwa, if over 700 examinees die inside the examination field… will they experience brain death in reality?”
Nüwa: “Correct. The probability of this happening is 99.9%.”
Cassian disconnected.
He couldn’t handle the shock! His prized student was trapped, with no one to hear her cries for help, no one to respond to her pleas.
Melina and the Minister of Education of the Third Stellar Ring felt like dying.
What if those examinees thought they had entered an extra credit question and figured, ‘If I die, I die, at least I’ll pass the exam’? What would they do then?!
Melina asked reluctantly, “Nüwa, is there really no way to inform the examinees of their current situation?”
Nüwa: “I am sorry, my capabilities are limited.”
To make matters worse, the parents of the examinees staying at the Great Whale Hotel, having received news from some unknown source, were gathering various media outlets and causing a scene in front of the Parliament building.
Gabriel’s mother held up a banner and shouted, “I want to see my child!”
“That’s right! Hald came out, so why can’t I see my son?”
“We demand the truth!”
The public outcry was as fierce as ocean waves. Various media outlets turned on their live streaming equipment, broadcasting the scene in real time on the Star Network. Because the situation was so absurd, the number of viewers kept climbing.
Melina was pushed forward again.
She straightened her back, raised her hand, and pressed it downwards, signaling for everyone to quiet down. “One at a time. I will answer your questions truthfully.”
Gabriel’s mother was the first to grab the right to ask: “Is my son Gabriel okay? Why won’t you let him out?”
“Unfortunately, among the examinees who left the examination field early, 65 have suffered brain death. Gabriel is one of them.”
Gabriel’s mother’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
A reporter grabbed a microphone: “May I ask, will you end the exam early to allow the remaining 700-plus examinees to return home safely?”
Melina’s voice was heavy: “I’m very sorry, but the examination field has been hacked. We have lost contact with the examinees.”
Lin Chiyang snatched the microphone and asked urgently, “If examinees force their way out of the examination field, or die during the exam, will their real-world selves be affected?”
This question was critical. The parents held their breath, listening intently to Melina’s response.
“According to [Nüwa]’s analysis, yes, they will be affected. The most likely outcome is brain death.”
Boom! The scene exploded. The parents of the examinees burst into wails.
Lin Chiyang didn’t let go of the microphone. He stared intently at Melina, his voice hoarse: “What action has the Federation taken? Will you give up on the examinees?”
Melina said firmly, “The Federation will absolutely not give up on any single examinee. We are doing our utmost to rescue them and striving to establish contact with them as soon as possible.”
Lin Chiyang’s face was tense, his whole body radiating murderous intent: “And if you don’t manage to establish contact? Is there a backup plan?”
Melina didn’t dare look at Lin Chiyang: “The best rescue is always self-rescue. We have to trust in the abilities of the examinees. Among them is a specially admitted student of the Central Military Academy, the heir apparent chosen by Marshal Chu.”
