I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Hearing this, the courier's eyebrows twitched, and he looked a little annoyed. "Since they've already started playing this kind of trick, it means it won't be long before it ends, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Xiao Zhou glared at him and urged, "The most important issue right now is how to break through and intercept the truck! Let's put other details aside and focus on resolving the current crisis first!"

At this crucial moment, the old man who had been watching the battle in a low-key manner suddenly stepped forward and waved his hand to stop the argument. He looked up at Qin Yifei, his expression serious but confident, and said, "Boy, I've seen countless storms in my life. Sometimes solving problems doesn't require complicated strategies. On the contrary, simplicity is the best way."

This sentence attracted everyone's attention. Qin Yifei calmed down and asked, "What do you think we should do?"

The old man raised his cane and pointed it in the direction of the building that had just been set on fire. His eyes were sharp as he spoke. "Send a few skilled infiltration trucks to detonate the target point and prevent it from activating the device. We can successfully destroy the source of the threat! As for the external pressure—leave it to us and we can handle it!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone realized that what they could truly rely on at this moment wasn't some lone superhero fighting alone, but the concerted efforts of every ordinary person. From stall owners to workers, from students to the elderly, everyone was supporting this shaky situation in their own way!

Time was running out, and there was no room for discussion. Qin Yifei quickly made a decision, assigning tasks to the team members in their respective areas of expertise. Then he turned to the crowd and saluted solemnly to express his gratitude—this battle was destined to go down in history.

As the last batch of charging troops disappeared into the smoke, only the ruins and the fading figures against the backdrop of burning flames remained on the street...

---

Just as everyone was holding their breath, waiting to see if the situation could be reversed, a piercing beep suddenly rang out over the communication channel—

[Urgent Attention] A scout called out nervously, "Mr. Qin! I just noticed something strange... It seems like there's no one in the truck cab operating the equipment! It's an autonomous, unmanned system!"

The next moment, the phone rang again.

"I regret to inform all players that the true 'Final Stage' is approaching, and your ultimate challenge isn't in the real world—it's in the data cloud." The hoarse man sneered and made a final announcement: "Good luck, brave warriors. Because from now until the end, only those who survive with strength will be qualified to be the victors." ---

"Data cloud? You must be kidding!" Qin Yifei's eyes widened, his tone filled with disbelief. At the same time, he glanced at the crowd and found that the expressions of the passers-by around him were as if they had been struck by lightning.

The young man in the baseball cap was the first to jump up and yell, "Holy shit! Another fantasy setting like this? Reality is maddening enough, and now they're even taking it into the digital realm?"

The companion who was pushing his glasses aside quickly calmed down and analyzed quietly, "Wait... If the truck is an unmanned system, then this is definitely not an ordinary enemy operation—they are highly automated and intelligent! In other words, what we are facing does not require human intervention at all."

The mother holding the baby bit her lip, her face slightly pale, but she still tried to remain calm and said, "No matter what means the other party uses, we cannot retreat. Otherwise, not only ordinary people like us will die, but even the child will die."

Zhao Li swung her fist, her eyes sharp as knives. "No matter what, we need to take down that truck first! Even if it's data manipulation, there must be a central node that can be destroyed. There's no way we can't handle it!"

However, just as she finished her words, the scout in her earpiece hurriedly sent back another report: "There's something worse! That thing doesn't seem to be driven by a simple program. Its behavior seems to be learning and changing - even evading the attack trajectory."

Hearing this, the entire team fell into almost suffocating silence.

A street vendor carrying a metal bar suddenly broke the deadlock. He shouted, "Oh my god, this isn't some self-evolving AI from a science fiction movie, is it? This is too far-fetched! A bunch of mortals like us versus a high-tech intelligence? We don't even know how we're going to lose!"

The courier rolled his eyes and retorted bluntly, "Trouble! Can you please stop talking nonsense? The key is to find a way to stop that thing from detonating the local power grid and water supply lines before it explodes!"

Xiao Zhou rubbed his hands anxiously and said, "Logically speaking, no matter how powerful an AI is, it still relies on hardware to operate. Blowing up the core processor should be enough... but only if we can find where it's hiding to control this 'ghost truck'!"

At a crucial moment, the old man who had been observing the battle quietly stepped forward to offer his opinion: "Young people, have you forgotten a crucial clue? That person mentioned earlier that 'the one in power behind the shadows controls the core resources.' Could this be the key to this problem? Perhaps solving the mystery requires tracing back to the source and identifying the person behind the scenes."

Zhao Li narrowed her eyes and pondered for a few seconds, then nodded and turned to look at Qin Yifei. "Old man, you have a point. Since this path seems complex and unsolvable, let's look for the core source of the problem from another angle! Captain Qin, do you think we should re-plan our strategy and start by finding the so-called 'power holder'? After all, this guy certainly wouldn't mention his/her role for no reason."

Qin Yifei took a deep breath, suppressed his fear and uncertainty, and finally nodded slowly, saying, "This is the only way. Continuing a head-on collision will only put us in a passive situation. Immediately contact the reconnaissance team ahead to actively search for suspicious targets, prioritizing the location of the enemy's headquarters or technical core area!"

However, the moment he gave the order, all the phone screens flashed simultaneously, and a glaring red alert message popped up:

[Game Upgrade - New Objective: Find "Person Zero" and obtain the final code fragment to unlock the escape route]

As the notification appeared, a loud commotion erupted from the other end of the street. Several patrolmen, returning on bicycles, hurried over to report the situation. "Oh no! We just saw a large number of humanoid robots wearing black armor rushing towards the eastern residential area. They appear to be carrying lethal weapons!"

As soon as these words came out, the crowd exploded:

"Damn it! Are they planning another sneak attack, dragging innocent citizens into the fray? They've absolutely no moral compass!" The ponytailed girl clenched her fists in anger. "This is simply animalistic behavior. We can't just sit back and watch!"

The repairman punched the lamppost next to him hard and said, "This bastard is so cruel that he even attacked children and the elderly! He is worse than animals!" After he said that, he picked up the toolbox and prepared to join the counterattack camp with the troops.