Gamers Are Fierce

Tree Man?

Li Ang's expression was devoid of emotion. Everything in the digital world was an imagery based on material foundation.

The Tree Man summoned by Merlin was essentially a data attack technique like command intrusion, SQL injection, and MAC flooding, merely presented in a form that can be understood by the human brain due to the special existence of the digital world.

Boom—

The ground quaked and tore apart. From The Abyss that burned with flames, countless tree spirits clambered out, spreading as far as the eye could see, surging like a tide.

The Tree Spirit at the forefront was crushed underfoot by those in the rear, mercilessly trampled over,

forming a layered high army of tree spirits,

and in no time, fashioned a ramp at the foot of the skyscraper.

Thud!

Once again, Merlin tapped his long staff, casting a dark canopy over the entire city, forming countless black spheres,

from which Gargoyles, Harpies, Gryphons, and other monsters were released, diving toward the skyscraper where Li Ang stood.

Though a Grand Wizard's mana was strong, creating a massive data flood in such a short amount of time remained incredibly difficult.

Unless they came prepared,

anticipating someone would head to the Venezuelan network node searching for clues...

Could Thomas have been captured? Or did the informant foresee Thomas leaving a fallback?

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Li Ang stomped on the rooftop of the skyscraper.

Crack—

The concrete tiles forged from steel and cement shattered open, and Li Ang's figure shot like a cannonball directly toward Merlin in the distance.

A few Gargoyles dove vertically like fighter jets, trying to intercept, but were struck mid-air by the Tyrant Halberd,

either exploding on the spot,

or flying far off, crashing into the high-rise office building glass, rolling through the narrow corridors of the office floor, shattering numerous cubicle partitions.

The movements of the Gryphon and Harpies were more nimble, rushing swiftly forward, their razor-sharp claws gleaming as they evaded the Tyrant Halberd, reaching for Li Ang's back.

Enchantment System, Level 2 Psyche — [Inflict Pain]

Li Ang's inherent spiritual energy converted into a virus program, infiltrated the Harpy's brain,

making it tremble as if struck by lightning, its winged arms holding its head in pain, screaming loudly as it plummeted downward.

Enchantment System, Level 3 Psyche — [Minor Domination]

The pupil of a Gryphon suddenly turned murky, changing its dive direction, twisting its body, and lunging at its kind,

its dagger-like claws and sharp beak easily tearing through the unsuspecting throat of its comrade, along the neck, gutting it open wide,

turning the latter into a beam of white light.

The distance of a kilometer was covered in the blink of an eye. Merlin seemed surprised by Li Ang's rapid arrival, his face slightly changing as his hand lightly tapped the long staff,

constructing a heavy firewall forged of alloy in front of him.

As soon as the firewall touched the ground, it quickly self-replicated and proliferated,

in the blink of an eye, constructing an iron-cast defensive line around Merlin.

However—

"Boom!"

Amidst a deafening crash, a fist mark appeared on the firewall, incredibly clear.

Merlin's heart trembled along with the sound, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, his mind inexplicably chaotic.

What was going on?

Being a wizard walking the data plane, with a multitude of strange and varied methods,

however, in battles and skirmishes,

are usually conducted through ranged attacks, spell duels.

The one who can first penetrate the opponent's defense line,

circumvent or dismantle the firewall, exploit vulnerabilities, implant viruses, disrupt data, hijack domain names,

is the one who can claim victory.

Close-quarter combat is meaningless,

not only does it not increase the probability of breaching the opponent's defenses,

it instead exposes one to being seen through and finding flaws.

Merlin had never faced Sammaster directly, but from his interactions at the Coastal Wizard Association, he could sense the other should also be a traditional wizard,

how could it be that in just a day, his entire appearance and the habit of casting witchcraft had completely changed?

Bang!

Another punch slammed in,

The alloy-constructed firewall dented inward.

Immediately outside the firewall, the sound of laser cutting (Fingers Dissociation Technique) and pistol shots (Colt Revolver) echoed.

Merlin instinctively retreated half a step, the next moment feeling annoyed by his actions.

This was his home ground!

Merlin's expression was fierce as he wielded his magic wand at the center of the spherical firewall,

In the dark sky, black clouds suddenly descended, generating a torrential thunderstorm, indiscriminately striking around the firewall.

In an instant, the high-rise building's walls shattered, concrete and steel fragments plummeted, crushing a ground full of Tree Men.

The spherical firewall, having lost its support, hung solitary in mid-air.

It didn't kill.

Using the tree spirits and black clouds as eyes and ears, Merlin could see his opponent in a Dragon Head White Lab Coat,

At the moment the thundercloud descended, the figure melded into the ground (Phase Boots), hiding under the spherical firewall, avoiding the storm, now hanging like a gecko at the bottom of the firewall.

That is... here!

Merlin's sharp gaze locked on a spot within the firewall space, with a swing of his magic wand, the alloy-constructed firewall immediately extended several metal spikes like a hedgehog, piercing towards Li Ang hanging outside.

Screech!

The metal spikes tore through the fragile White Lab Coat, revealing the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat hidden beneath,

Li Ang was flung downward as if hit by a speeding train, finally managing to adjust his posture and stabilize his balance twenty meters above ground.

"..."

Li Ang looked up at the heavily fortified firewall in the sky.

The Origin of Life powers naturally unleashed, healing the pain in his chest.

He slowly exhaled a cloud of turbid air, as the Spiritual Energy within his body gradually flowed from slow to fast.

Time is limited.

The fact that Merlin could ambush and defend here showed he was prepared, and all resources of this network node could be called upon.

The dark sky based on the physical network equipment of the real world was already set up,

Li Ang couldn't get the computing power support from the Social Security Agency, prolonging time would lead to certain defeat,

The most critical thing is, the Mailman hasn't taken action yet,

Every second of delay is giving the Mailman the space to implement his final plan.

Must make haste and finish the battle quickly.

Huge changes were now happening amidst a mass of Tree Men below,

A large number of tree spirits extended limb branches, intertwined with each other, rapidly forming thirteen giant Tree Men over nine meters tall.

The giant Tree Men's legs rooted into the soil, stout arms smashed through city streets, picking up massive stones, flinging them at Li Ang.

Li Ang's hand conjured a Minor Master Ball, casually tossing it,

Accompanied by a lightning-like white flash, the grotesque and hideous Fenix Pit Beast appeared in the data world.

"Roar!!"

Leaping out of the Pokeball, the Fenix Pit Beast roared furiously to the sky, its circular mouth filled with jagged teeth dripped green, poisonous, viscous saliva.

"Roar! Roar! Roar?"

The Fenix Pit Beast's endless roars suddenly halted,

This low-intelligence creature lowered its head, dumbfoundedly gazing at the dozens of circles of plant vines wrapped around its waist, unclear about what had happened.

"You're the one, Fenix Pit Beast."

Li Ang encouraged his Pokémon, wielding the plant vine whip in hand,

The end of the whip wrapped around the Fenix Pit Beast, instantly shooting out like the hammer part of a Meteor Hammer, directly colliding with the massive stone thrown by the giant Tree Men.

Bang!

The stone smashed onto the Fenix Pit Beast's spine, shattering into fragments,

The virus program contained within the stone seeped into the Fenix Pit Beast's skin surface, making it let out a pained scream.

"Well done, Fenix Pit Beast."

Li Ang praised his Pokémon, swinging the Fenix Pit Beast to crush countless flying stone fragments,

Meanwhile, he stepped on invisible steps generated by Cloud Ascending Ladder, rushing upwards towards the firewall sphere.

It's time.

Li Ang furiously twisted his wrist, forcefully throwing the vine Meteor Hammer that had been charged to full power,

The Fenix Pit Beast, already disoriented and semi-conscious, crashed headfirst into the firewall surface, its stocky head stuck in the wall, while its limbs instinctively clawed at the surface of the firewall sphere to prevent itself from falling.

The monster had just been used as a Meteor Hammer by Li Ang, being smashed around by boulders. Dazed and confused, its vicious nature was triggered,

secreting copious amounts of toxic saliva from its oral cavity,

its webbed claws desperately scratching at the spherical firewall, producing a sharp, tearing noise.

Inside the firewall, Merlin felt his heart grow anxious,

as he waved his magic wand, summoning another thunderstorm.

Lightning as thick as a barrel struck directly on the head of the Fenix Pit Beast, striking four times in a row before splitting the head of this tenacious biological weapon, causing it to let go of the firewall and fall freely downward.

Finally, it was killed.

Merlin heaved a sigh of relief, yet instinctively felt something was amiss...

"I found you."

The eerie voice echoed above Merlin,

as Li Ang squatted atop the spherical firewall, extending a massive, web-like mass of plant vines from his body that firmly wrapped around the firewall,

while he himself peered through a small, less than two-centimeter-wide hole, observing Merlin inside the firewall.

The firewall was capable of controlling the flow of information entering and exiting the network, allowing, denying, and monitoring information,

and Merlin could formulate spell-casting strategies based on external changes, meaning his firewall was not completely isolated from the outside,

where there is an exit, there must be an entrance.

Since there was an information entry point, it just needed to be found.

Vines generated by Swamp God Power suddenly exerted force, swiftly tightening around the firewall like a hug,

preventing it from expanding or changing shape again,

as the dark barrel of the Colt Revolver aimed straight at the information flow entrance, targeting Merlin's head.

Bang——

The shot rang out, transforming Merlin into a beam of white light,

and the firewall in mid-air subsequently dissipated,

leaving only the Gryphon and Tree Man, which acted as automatic antivirus programs, still launching attacks against Li Ang—albeit without a commander, they turned sluggish and dull.

Li Ang stepped onto the Cloud Ascending Ladder, raising his arm,

as the beam from the Fingers Dissociation Technique and the Colt Revolver fired simultaneously, striking the dark canopy,

tearing open a gash in the canopy devoid of its controller.

With the information restriction lifted,

several figures descended from the sky, landing around Li Ang.

These people, all dressed in suits and wearing sunglasses, were not enemies or other wizards but were staff from the American National Intelligence Agency's Cyber Security Department.

The American intelligence agency had always been disinclined toward data plane walkers, but had been compelled in recent years to hire a few wizards due to the need for network protection,

and had initiated training courses within the department to cultivate its own data plane walkers.

However, a major characteristic of a grand wizard is extreme sensitivity to external information, possessing a high degree of creativity and meticulous logical reasoning, emotional, believing in intuition while being able to rationally perceive the external world and oneself....

Talents like these are extremely rare,

and cannot be nurtured simply through training and selection,

moreover, staying at a cyber security department, working as a public servant, clocking in and out of work at set times, handling affairs mechanically, would also stifle and weaken this talent.

In short, forced labor suppresses nature,

wizards trained by various intelligence agencies can never be as potent as those who have grown wildly and freely in the grassroots.

One of the suited wizards surveyed the devastated city, saying in a deep voice to Li Ang, "Mr. Sammaster, we have been dispatched by the Social Security Bureau to support you..."

"We'll talk later."

Li Ang did not become angry due to their delayed support (the dark canopy could disrupt assistance),

directly interrupting the other's words, he propelled himself off the invisible stairs, diving toward the Venezuelan Data Center.

This area was the site of a major battle last night, traces of the confrontation between Thomas and Merlin still lingered today.

Overlooking the data center, Li Ang let the Swamp God Power dig three feet deep, streaking closely over the ground.

The wizards from the Social Security Bureau also descended, frowning as they asked, "Mr. Sammaster, have you discovered the identity of the mailer?"

"No, but soon."

Li Ang casually tossed out a handful of plant seeds,

and leapt up again, aiming toward the location of the Light Network Tunnel, "Follow me."

His voice echoed in mid-air,

the wizards from the Social Security Bureau exchanged glances, both angry at their disregard and being beckoned around,

yet helpless as their superiors instructed them to heed Li Ang's command,

they had no choice but to follow quickly, shouting up to Li Ang, "Mr. Sammaster, where are we heading?"

The face hidden beneath Li Ang's Dragon Head Mask was expressionless. "Jet Propulsion Laboratory."

He understood why Brown Murphy appeared at the entrance of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the start of the mission...

----

Unaware of what actions the email person had taken in the real world,

The wizards from the Social Security Agency were noticeably more respectful,

They didn't take Li Ang to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's server, but instead led him to the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which was connected to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory server.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA for short, is an administrative agency under the Pentagon, established in the late 1950s.

Those were special times, with the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War heating up, and the American public's fear reaching its peak,

The best way to overcome fear is to face it,

At that time, the American public believed that maintaining a leading position in science and technology was key to determining the outcome of future wars,

As a result, DARPA was formed by top experts and scholars from various disciplines. Its initial mission was to prevent America from suffering technological breakthroughs from other powers, and to create technological breakthroughs against hostile forces,

Innovations such as the internet, semiconductors, the UNIX personal computer operating system, lasers, and the GPS global positioning system can all be traced back to DARPA's independent projects.

Li Ang stood in front of DARPA's headquarters building, took a deep breath, and under the escort (and supervision) of the Social Security Agency wizards, walked towards the DARPA entrance.

The panel at the main entrance spat out a passkey, allowing Li Ang to access the DARPA server,

Permitting him to use the Advanced Research Projects Office's processor,

Computing power flowed in continuously, and Li Ang, standing in the hall, could clearly feel his strength exponentially expanding,

The plant vines beneath his skin cheered instinctively,

Even involuntarily broke through the skin, piercing the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat, and stretched freely.

If someone pulled open Li Ang's White Lab Coat at this moment, they would surely see countless plant fibers rapidly wriggling on the surface of his body.

Fortunately, the pleasure of power expansion came quickly and went just as fast,

Li Ang steadied his mind, controlling the plant vines to retract beneath the skin.

"Mr. Sammaster."

The suit-clad wizards of the Social Security Agency, all with tense faces, spoke rapidly, "We are allowing you to use the supercomputer, allowing you to access the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's server—according to what we know, you tried to hack there just this morning.

But you have to explain your reasons to us."

"It's very simple because I suspect that the email person is not on Earth."

Li Ang took a step forward, holding the limited passkey, heading towards the port representing the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"The email person's most prominent feature is that no matter with whom he communicates, he has to use a typewriter, and every conversation has a delay ranging from several hours to a week.

The form he exhibits is as if the data processor he owns has an extremely slow computation speed.

Of course, you've also seen his destructive power,

It's impossible to hack your systems with just an old machine.

So why does he set up communication delays?"

The wizards of the Social Security Agency opened their mouths, "He doesn't have enough time in the real world? He can only log onto the network for short periods?"

"That's possible."

Li Ang shook his head, "But don't forget, the military coup in Venezuela could be considered swift and decisive, with no lag or delay.

The real world is more complicated than the data plane,

Living people are not data; they have their own thoughts, ideas, and experiences,

The email person can accomplish a military coup within just a few days,

It not only requires long-term, meticulous planning from him,

But also requires real-time command and control during the most critical days, without neglecting or delegating to automatic programs—otherwise, traces of his control would be instantly detected by grand wizards like us."

"Is it possible that it's the email person's accomplices handling it?"

A wizard in a suit thought for a moment and asked, "For instance, Merlin could handle the unified dispatch of Venezuela's armed forces."

"Merlin doesn't possess such capabilities. The greater possibility is that the email person can observe the real world in real-time, but he also experiences a slight delay in time, such as a few seconds or minutes."

Li Ang said, "To prevent wizards of the same level from noticing, he has to deliberately exaggerate the time lag, packaging himself as a typewriter."

"Wait, a few seconds?"

A wizard in a suit was stunned, "How is that possible? Current near-Earth orbit communication satellites..."

"...can control latency below 100 milliseconds, even down to 80 or 70 milliseconds, and the global delay won't exceed the standard line."

Li Ang completed the latter half of the sentence for the wizard and calmly said, "But what if the email person isn't on Earth?

If he's on a large space station in geosynchronous orbit, there would be a delay of 120 to 150 milliseconds,

And on more distant medium or small space stations, the delay would be even higher.

Once he shows a consistent time delay in front of top-level wizards, he would immediately expose his location and even reveal his real name.

So, he's not on the ground but in the sky."