The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 124 - 8: Drone 2

"Captain, this is more than just understanding our technology. He has to know the pros and cons of our gear inside and out to do something like that, right?" a team member, Pang De, said.

"It’s like he’s been through the Federation’s educational system. Only someone who has could come up with such a targeted solution so quickly.

He even applied mechanics and aerodynamics!

And judging by how he did it, he doesn’t even know professional Wind Magic. He relied on an ancillary skill to get the job done."

Another team member, Jicao, spoke while holding a tablet, rapidly building a 3D model to construct a tactical image.

He was running all sorts of analyses on the series of maneuvers Zhang Deming had just performed.

After a moment, his hands paused. Staring at the results on the tablet, he said in astonishment, "Captain, the results are in.

There’s a ninety percent probability the target has studied basic, entry-level mechanics and aerodynamics.

Comprehensive behavioral analysis indicates he fits the profile of a university student. The ’Tactical Intelligence System’ estimates he has a university degree."

Jicao spoke rapidly as he swiped the results into the air in front of them.

A string of analytical data instantly appeared on the three men’s tactical visors.

In their department, the Tactical Intelligence System had another name: the Chick-Magnet System.

It was invented by a super tech-freak in the Information Software Division for the sole purpose of picking up women.

Since it started as a passion project, he poured a lot of effort into it, making it extremely accurate. So far, it hadn’t made any major errors.

Pang De pulled up the system’s conclusions and said in disbelief, "A university education and homebody tendencies? How the hell did it come up with that?

A guy who can conduct an interrogation that brutal and has a mind that works like this... that’s a homebody? You’ve got to be kidding me.

The guy who made this system must be out of his mind. Or maybe all those code monkeys just sit in their offices all day, banging away at their keyboards without a clue.

With this damn temper of mine, I swear I’m sending a formal complaint letter to the Information Division the second we get back."

Jicao suddenly cut in, "Why not send an email?"

Pang De shot him a look like he was an idiot. "Are you stupid? The entire internal network was developed by those same guys in the Information Division.

I make it a rule to never let my opponent fight a battle they’re prepared for!"

Jicao: "..."

"Isn’t that... a little harsh? Everything we’re using right now is stuff the Information Division slaved over to create.

I heard a while back, their supervisor made some bizarre demands that drove a few of the colleagues developing the Quantum System to their breaking point...

Besides, don’t you think it’s impressive that they can build a preliminary profile in such a short time?"

"Impressive? Isn’t that their job?"

The two of them were the squad’s vanguards, and they were already in danger of getting sidetracked.

Shan Honglai frowned at the data for a long moment before saying, "If a system from the Information Division made it into our hands, it’s not going to have any major flaws."

Pang De stopped his bantering and looked at Shan Honglai. "Captain, you don’t actually think he’s one of ours, do you?"

Shan Honglai asked, "Any news on what I had you look into?"

Pang De nodded. "Got it. The reply from command was a little cagey. They said that based on the facial profile we provided, no such undercover agent exists.

But... they also mentioned that several of our current undercover agents have proficient Disguise skills, and two can even alter their own faces surgically."

Hearing this, Jicao’s expression soured. "So... they’re just passing the buck?"

Pang De nodded. "Looks like they’ve covered all their bases for plausible deniability. Captain, what’s our move?

Without the drone, we’ll lose his trail if we delay any longer."

Just as Shan Honglai was hesitating, all four of them froze.

It felt like a long time, but it had been less than a minute since the target had captured the drone.

The drone’s video feed was still active, and they could clearly see it shaking.

After landing back in the trees, the target started running while inspecting the drone.

A moment later, they knew what he was looking for. A young, almost boyish face appeared on their tactical visors.

The shaking and tumbling from moments before was, evidently, him searching for the camera lens.

This familiar action made the four squad members frown even more deeply. He was definitely no Hongmeng native.

The moment his face appeared squarely in the camera’s view, the four of them didn’t need a system analysis to sense it—this guy had the "skin" of Hongmeng, but a "core" from the Celestial Universe.

Even though some things still didn’t add up, Zhang Deming exuded an almost unconcealed air of a modern young man.

It was something that couldn’t be described, yet they all felt it clearly.

That alone was enough to make them hesitate.

After all, with the Celestial Universe Federation’s current level of technology, Interstellar travel wasn’t something an Ordinary person could afford. Anyone who made it here was either government-affiliated or backed by a major conglomerate.

"Well then... how about we turn this little hunting game around?"

Zhang Deming’s playful voice came through their earpieces, and combined with the expression on his face, he looked incredibly punchable.

"Captain, give the order. I really want to punch this guy!" Pang De said.

"He’s definitely one of us, right? In all our years here, how many people in Hongmeng understand our technology this well, let alone someone so young?

Is he trying to subtly hint at his identity? But this whole showing-off act... it just makes you want to hit him," Jicao said.

The sniper, ’Vulture’ Yiding, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. "I’ve maintained that the undercover agent theory is impossible.

I don’t know why you’re entertaining the idea, Captain, but never mind all the things that don’t add up.

Let’s just look at one thing. If he really were an agent, that program has only been active for about twenty years.

If our agents on the inside had an opportunity to get involved in a power struggle among core members of the Celestial Spirit Sect’s Inner Sect...

...their department would have been all over it, canceling our mission and ordering us to play along."

Shan Honglai shook his head. "Not necessarily. Communication with undercover agents is extremely difficult.

Otherwise, their department wouldn’t have given us such an obvious non-answer. They clearly just want us to be careful."

Yiding frowned at his words. "Regardless, I don’t want my first mission failure to be here."

For an ace squad like theirs, there was no such thing as a ninety-percent success rate. There was only one failure, and infinite failures.

At that, Shan Honglai turned to look at Yiding. "Alright, let’s move. But no kill shots. Leave some room to maneuver. If he’s really one of our own, he’ll know to play along."

The moment Shan Honglai finished speaking, all four men tapped their tactical visors. The special-issue combat boots on their feet suddenly folded and reconfigured like shifting shards of metal.

In an instant, they transformed into a pair of sci-fi-looking combat boots with a metallic sheen.

The four men leaped into the air. The soles of their boots ignited, and just like that, they were flying.

The boots, it turned out, had a short-range flying capability.

...

After suddenly striking and snatching the drone, Zhang Deming located the camera and spoke into it. "Well then... how about we turn this little hunting game around?"

Figuring his taunt had landed, Zhang Deming quickly destroyed the camera and shot away like a bolt of lightning.

"You’re luring them here on purpose?" Panx Juan’er asked in confusion.

Zhang Deming nodded. "Just like you said, their Artifact Refining techniques are incredibly advanced.

If this drags on, they’ll have more and more of an advantage as my Spiritual Power drains.

Now that I’ve gotten rid of their eye in the sky, we’re on a relatively even playing field when it comes to intelligence.

Under these circumstances, launching a decisive counter-ambush is a much better option than gambling on the slim chance that they won’t be able to track me.

Besides, they are heavily reliant on external visual feeds to use their abilities effectively. We rely solely on ourselves."

"But do you even know how many of them there are?" Panx Juan’er asked.

Zhang Deming replied, "I saw three earlier. Plus, someone took a covert shot at us as we were leaving, so that makes four.

If I’m not mistaken, they’re a six-person squad, just like us.

If they hadn’t gotten the drop on us right from the start, we wouldn’t be in this passive of a situation.

I fled earlier because I had no idea what I was up against.

But the intelligence you gave me has helped me confirm a lot of things. Taking on four of them at once? I don’t think it will be too difficult."