pjbooks Chapter 412 Two Lines!
Chapter 412 Two Lines!
Zhang Yan stared at the message Qin Xiao had sent.
Below the Antarctic ice sheet.
three days ago.
Thermal anomaly detected in 0.3 seconds.
He put down his bowl of porridge and opened the system for comparison.
The coordinates of the thermal anomaly and the position of the fifth door have an error of no more than 200 meters.
The timing was exactly around the time he was repairing the second fracture in Shennongjia and the time when someone outside the door was pushed out.
It not only turned to the third door, it also went to "look" at the fifth door.
0.3 seconds. Gone and gone. Like scouting.
Zhang Yan replied to Qin Xiao with two words: "Keep a close eye on them."
When I went upstairs, Nie Qingcheng had already finished showering and was leaning against the headboard flipping through the notebook from 1943.
My hair is half-dry and still dripping wet.
"There's something going on in Antarctica." Zhang Yan handed over his phone.
Nie Qingcheng glanced at it but didn't ask for details.
She turned a page in her notebook and pointed to the fifth point of light on the hand-drawn topology map.
"Let's talk about the plan first."
Zhang Yan sat down next to her.
"The efficiency of the two gates, the third and the fifth, should be increased to over 65% each. The average efficiency of all six gates should exceed 60%, and the jump protocol should be activated."
"The third door is in the Sahara. Helios's territory." Nie Qingcheng closed her notebook. "Last time you took the Stardust and covered up the traces, they didn't notice the theft. But what did they do after you left?"
Zhang Yan retrieved the intelligence summary. Four days after Zhang Yan left, Helios conducted a comprehensive inspection of the facilities: reviewing surveillance footage, checking access control logs, and inventorying every item in the warehouse. The conclusion was that everything was normal.
But they were still worried.
"A frequency lock has been installed." Zhang Yan pointed to the line marked in red. "Between the third and fifth underground levels, any energy fluctuations originating from the same source as the Heart of Heaven will be triggered directly when they approach within twenty meters."
Nie Qingcheng showed no surprise.
"That meteorite is the calibration anchor point for the third gate; it cannot be moved. If you want to repair the third gate, you must operate from the same spot. The frequency lock is essentially blocking you."
Zhang Yan nodded. "A direct assault is unrealistic. Helios's private army is no less powerful than the regular army, and making too much noise would alert many parties."
Nie Qingcheng picked up her phone. On the screen was an open financial report.
Helios Group. Annual Report.
"A market capitalization of 380 billion euros. Even Qingcheng International can't afford it."
She said "I can't eat" in a very flat tone, not like she was giving up.
"But I don't need to eat it."
Nie Qingcheng pulled out another document: a chart showing the shareholding structure of Helios's parent company.
"The controlling shareholder is the Swiss-registered Shieldstone Foundation. One of the foundation's articles of association states that any single entity holding more than 15% of the shares can request independent due diligence on the investee companies."
Zhang Yan understood. "You buy 15% of the shares."
"It's not necessary to acquire the company. You only need to submit an acquisition offer. After the offer is submitted, there is a statutory review period of 21 days. During the review period, the acquiring party has the right to apply for due diligence on the target company's core assets."
"Does due diligence access extend to the fifth basement level?"
"Normally not." Nie Qingcheng locked the screen and looked at him. "But Helios had a research grant from the EU Framework Fund last year. The Framework Fund has transparency clauses—for any research project using public funds, the acquiring party has the right to inspect all relevant facilities during due diligence."
Her eyes were very bright.
"The research project on that meteorite used EU funds. Legally, my due diligence team has access to the facility where the meteorite is stored, including the five underground levels."
No infiltration. No frontal assault. Walk in head-on.
"What about the frequency lock? It triggers when the Heart of the Celestial Craftsman gets close."
"You join the due diligence team as a joint research consultant. The Heart of the Craftsmanship doesn't need to be activated upon entry—the frequency lock's trigger range is 'within 20 meters,' not 'for internal use.' Once you enter the warehouse, the lock will bypass you."
Zhang Yan went through the logic. The frequency lock was set on the channel, the outer defense line. It was activated once someone entered the warehouse, completely bypassing the lock.
"When did you start preparing?"
Nie Qingcheng took a sip of water.
"When you connect to the core of the main control gate 1200 meters underground."
When he risked his life to access the main control door, she was already paving the way for what lay ahead.
Is a 21-day review period enough?
"Entry to the facility only requires one attempt. How long will it take you to repair the third door?"
"With a locksmith's help, it takes four to six hours."
"I'm not just giving you the chance to get in," Nie Qingcheng said, putting down her water glass. "Once the due diligence team is inside, Helios must cooperate by granting him access. My legal team will create enough procedural disruptions on-site to give you at least eight hours."
Zhang Yan didn't press the matter further. She said eight hours, and that meant eight hours.
"I'll handle the Sahara. You go to Antarctica. We'll pursue both routes simultaneously."
Zhang Yan nodded.
"Logistics in Antarctica?"
"Qin Xiao has already relayed the message to Qin Changfeng. The military's Antarctic research station can provide support, but it's still 1,200 kilometers from the station to the target area, requiring specialized transportation. I'll finalize the details with Qin Changfeng tomorrow morning."
Her phone lit up again. A contract template sent by her legal team. It was 1 a.m.
Nie Qingcheng glanced at it, replied with a voice message, and then turned her phone face down on the cabinet.
That's all for today. Time to sleep.
Zhang Yan didn't move.
He was looking at the system panel.
After the balancing operation was completed, the efficiency of the six gates stabilized. The lowest efficiency was 43.1%, and the highest was 65.3%. At the previous attack speed, it would take a little over thirty days to reach the danger zone.
But a line of red text appeared at the bottom of the system panel. He saw it while having porridge in the living room. Nie Qingcheng wasn't there at the time.
"A change in energy activity pattern detected outside the gates: the attack target has shifted from a single point to multiple points. Currently, the nodes being actively consumed simultaneously are: the second gate, the third gate, and the fourth gate."
It no longer targets the weakest point for concentrated attack.
At the same time, I'm eating three different things.
Zhang Yan recalculated. With all three gates being used simultaneously, the average daily efficiency decreased from 0.08% to 0.2%.
After 21 days, the average efficiency dropped from 52.3% to 48.1%.
We're further away from the 60% activation threshold.
Nie Qingcheng's takeover offer also has a 21-day review period. 21 days is not a buffer, it's a deadline.
"What are you looking at?"
Nie Qingcheng's voice came from the side.
Zhang Yan turned off the panel.
"Calculate the Antarctic timeline."
Nie Qingcheng stared at him for two seconds.
You promised you wouldn't hide anything.
It wasn't a question. It was a reminder.
Zhang Yan closed her eyes briefly. She had just finalized her dual-track plan, and her legal team was still working overtime in the early hours of the morning.
I'll tell you tomorrow morning.
Nie Qingcheng reached out and brought up his system panel projection. She had data synchronization permissions.
The small red characters were clearly visible in mid-air.
"Multiple attacks. 0.2% per day. 48.1% after 21 days." She read it out word by word.
Zhang Yan did not explain.
Nie Qingcheng's fingers clenched the bed sheet for a moment, then quickly loosened.
"So 21 days isn't a grace period. It's a deadline."
"right."
"You plan to carry this number to Antarctica all by yourself."
It's not a question.
In the darkness, her voice was very soft.
"Wake me up at five tomorrow morning. The acquisition offer will be submitted ahead of schedule. The legal team will draft a framework tonight, and we'll go through the formalities tomorrow morning. You're leaving for Antarctica the day after tomorrow."
She rolled over, turning her back to him.
"Also, next time the system pops up a red message, you have thirty seconds to read it yourself. In the thirty-first second, I need to see it simultaneously."
"it is good."
My breathing calmed down.
Zhang Yan closed his eyes and went through the timetable one last time in his mind.
We're departing the day after tomorrow to repair the fifth gate in Antarctica, which will take four to six days.
Upon returning, I immediately joined the due diligence team to enter Helios and repair the third gate.
Two lines. 21 days. Efficiency drops by 0.2% per day.
He has to repair it faster than it can chew.