blueteamnovel Chapter 58 C-5916 [Information Worm]
Chapter 58 C-5916 [Information Worm]
A...worm?
Did it "eat up" the information in Director Harlan's office equipment?
After the simple, transparent worm gnawed a hole in the device interface, the screen went dark again.
Cheng Xu still remembers that when the screen lit up, the time displayed at the bottom was the exact time when the Yuanguangxing Branch found out that abnormal information had been leaked.
By rewinding the device's timeline to before the intelligence leak, Cheng Xu finally saw what had happened on the device.
The image of the strange worm he had just seen flashed through Cheng Xu's mind, and he felt a sense of familiarity about it.
As he readjusted the timeline of his office equipment back to the present, he searched his memory for information about the worm.
16:10...
16:11...
16:12...
Time was restored, and the hole on the device screen had disappeared, as if what he had seen before was just Cheng Xu's hallucination.
According to the information provided by Lancelot regarding the inspection of this equipment, the management bureau's professional maintenance personnel also did not mention the so-called "transparent worm".
However, Cheng Xu was basically certain that the worm's act of gnawing on the confidential intelligence folder inside the device was the root cause of the leak.
What exactly is this thing that can silently steal information from a device and leave no trace afterward?
Finally, after much contemplation, a name came to Cheng Xu's mind.
However, whether the facts are truly as he believes still needs further investigation.
He walked out of the room, took out his transparent tablet from his bag, activated the permissions of the Anomaly Management Bureau employee, and began entering specific keywords into the database.
"?"
Xue Zijing and Lansli, who were waiting outside the door, both looked on with question marks as they watched his smooth and swift movements.
But soon, the two exchanged a glance, seemingly realizing something, and quickly walked up to Cheng Xu.
"Young man Cheng Xu, have you made any discoveries?"
Lance didn't want to disturb Cheng Xu, who was busy, but driven by his concern for Harlan and his curiosity, he couldn't help but ask.
"Hold on."
Cheng Xu's hands flew across the transparent panel, and countless confidential documents accessible only to internal staff appeared before him.
After a moment, he stopped what he was doing.
"This is it!"
Cheng Xu suddenly realized something.
No wonder Harlan was just using his device as usual, and the information on the device was leaked without his knowledge.
No wonder the Yuanguangxing branch was unable to detect the leak channel.
He turned the transparent tablet in his hand around, displaying a highly relevant file on the screen to Xue Zijing and Lance Li.
"Alert level anomaly, C-5916 [Information Worm]?"
Xue Zijing's eyes widened.
Cheng Xu nodded: "Yes, based on my judgment, the reason why the classified information related to the [Cracks] was leaked is related to the [Information Worm]."
The "Information Worm" is a high-alert anomaly that exists only in the database but has not been contained by the Administration.
Its formation time, cause, and location are all unknown—overall, it is an unusual entity shrouded in mystery.
Regarding the [Information Worm], the Administration's archives mainly record a disaster event it once caused.
Around 3,800 years ago, the "Delta race," a digital life form living on a planet in interstellar space, suffered a catastrophic catastrophe.
Historically, the Delta people were a race similar to humans. With the development of science and technology and the invention of information technology devices, they embarked on a path of information-based consciousness for their entire race.
They integrate their consciousness into the device, existing as near-immortal digital life forms.
However, one day, the Delta race encountered an unprecedented disaster, and ultimately more than 99% of the digital life forms perished, with only a very small number of race members escaping to safety.
According to intelligence provided by Delta survivors, the thing that nearly wiped out their Delta race was the "Information Worm," later designated C-5916.
It is said to be a special kind of information-based life form, which Cheng Xu translated into his mind as "cyber life".
The fundamental reason it destroyed the Delta race was... that it treated the digital life form Delta race as its food.
That's right. As a cyber creature, the Information Worm feeds on all kinds of information data and information. In its eyes, the Delta Tribe is simply a delicious and plentiful meal.
When the Anomaly Management Bureau learned of the changes that had occurred to the Delta Clan, the [Information Worm] had already disappeared without a trace.
Because it did not have a physical form and did not reappear later, the Anomaly Management Bureau was never able to contain this anomalous entity.
The surviving Delta people were protected by the Administration in some way, and were able to start a new life and reproduce in a safe, information-based world.
In the Delta's description, the [Information Worm] looks like an ordinary, simple, elongated worm.
—It's basically the same as what Cheng Xu saw in the office equipment in Harlan just now.
Xue Zijing and Lance held their breath as they finished reading the information about the [Information Worm], and couldn't help but turn their gaze to Cheng Xu's confident eyes.
"I understand. I will report to Director Kober immediately and ask him to contact headquarters to verify the relevant information."
Xue Zijing's expression was solemn.
Although he still felt uneasy when he saw Cheng Xu after the Ge Lunxing incident, he chose to give absolute respect to the judgment of a terminal-level anomaly.
Lance looked at Cheng Xu and Xue Zijing as if they were monsters, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Okay, thank you for your trouble, Director Xue."
Cheng Xu stood up.
"I'm planning to check the containment log for [The Rift] at the Farlight Star branch. Please let me know when the results are in."
"clear."
Watching Cheng Xu walk away, Xue Zijing immediately took out his communicator, ready to dial Ke Bo's number.
At that moment, Lance's four hands were placed on his wrists.
"Wait, wait... Xue Zijing, how did he know it was an information worm that caused the leak? And why did you believe it so easily?"
In Lance's view, the two were simply a pair of people who dared to speak their minds and dared to believe their own beliefs.
With such limited information about the "information worm," how could Cheng Xu be so sure that it was related to this leak?
He leaned close to Xue Zijing's ear and said, "Hey Lao Xue, Cheng Xu... he's not some kind of illegitimate son of Director Ke, is he?"
"Huh?" Xue Zijing's brain almost exploded.
"Seriously, based on your and your Chengmingxing branch's attitude towards him, I'd believe you if you said he was Director Ke's illegitimate son..."
"That's not true, don't speculate."
Responding to his old friend like this, Xue Zijing thought to himself, "You absolutely mustn't say this shocking view in front of Director Ke Bo, otherwise I'm worried that the old director's health isn't good and he might just have a seizure."