“Zero Seven Three…”

“I am [Key].”

The voice was strange, appearing out of nowhere, ringing out with the punctual chime of the grandfather clock.

Lin Lin's just relaxed nerves tensed again in an instant.

Until he was sure… this voice was not a hallucination, but had entered his mind through some [path].

This is… a mental link?

“Key…”

He recalled the brief meeting in the conference room, the not-so-tall youth who had appeared amidst countless gazes.

“I want to talk to you…”

That wisp of mental fluctuation continued to transmit gently, as if inquiring about his willingness.

Lin Lin conveyed his agreement.

The next moment.

His consciousness was enveloped by a torrent, the familiar sensation of “entering” the conference room, but this time it was faster, yet gentler.

The conference room had been closed.

Since the last summons, members of the Guwen Association had been unable to enter the mental link. This was a protective measure put in place after [Key] appeared, and everyone was waiting for the day the conference room would reopen.

He thought it would be a large-scale meeting.

But Lin Lin never expected that there would only be two people in the conference room.

Himself.

And [Key].

…

…

Lin Lin sat on one side of the long table, examining the current environment of the conference room… Well, the lighting was still dim, but the atmosphere was much better than before. Every previous meeting had a sinister feeling.

After looking around, he looked towards the end of the long table.

In this conference room, the two were not far apart.

But they seemed to be separated by thousands of mountains and rivers… The youth sitting at the long table was shrouded in mist, like a mountain, like an abyss.

“[Key] has access to the mental links of everyone in this conference room… He can actually contact me directly…”

Even now, Lin Lin was still thinking about the voice that had appeared in his mind.

This was too surprising.

“Just as you thought…”

The youth opposite him seemed to have mind-reading abilities, explaining with a smile, “I can contact every ‘Wandering Soul’ in the conference room, and I also have the authority to call meetings at any time. However, the voice just now can only reach the range that the Deep Sea can cover.”

Being exposed, Lin Lin subconsciously froze.

The “tall man” with the code name 073 in the conference room, sat in a somewhat awkward posture.

This was a truly terrifying ability…

“You can think of it as… I enjoy unique privileges within the Deep Sea network.”

Gu Shen smiled slightly, “After all, the existence of this conference room is an extraordinary product hidden under the eyes of the [Deep Sea]. It's very reasonable… right?”

“…”

The tall man narrowed his eyes and did not respond.

“You can rest assured about one thing, everyone wears a mask… I can't take it off, and I can't find out who's behind it.” Gu Shen said softly, “Respecting secrets and keeping secrets is the foundation of trust for us to sit here and talk.”

Hearing this, Lin Lin relaxed his posture slightly.

For the Guwen Association, [Key] was a legend they had been searching for twenty years without success. Before its true appearance, no one believed it was real…

And after [Key] appeared, everyone's mood became very complicated.

They were both expectant.

And inevitably disappointed.

The legendary [Key] was supposed to save the shattered hopes of the Guwen Association, but the person who showed up seemed to be just a young boy… Could such a person be trusted?

“I hope… that one day in the future, everyone can sit in this conference room, take off their masks, and be honest with each other.” Gu Shen said with a smile, “Rather than cold code names, I would rather see your faces.”

A very beautiful wish.

However… things that sound beautiful are often not as good as people imagine.

“The conference room may collapse at any time. Each of us is an independently surviving spark. Under these circumstances, preserving ourselves is the most sensible approach.” Lin Lin said calmly, “No one wants to leave a record in the Deep Sea… Even if you are [Key], I still advise you to maintain the highest vigilance. Our enemy is the entire Federal Government.”

“Very good advice, I will keep it in mind…” Gu Shen said, “But I have good news to tell you, the conference room that could collapse at any time has been restored to stability.”

Lin Lin always had a string tight in his heart.

Over the years, every meeting has been nerve-wracking.

No one knows what will happen tomorrow… In this vast deep-water area, every system self-check, upgrade, and search is a silent battle of life and death.

Entering this meeting requires great courage.

And those who join the association wear masks not because of suspicion… but for their own safety.

Even if the data information is destroyed after each meeting, no one can guarantee that the mainframe that gathers the extraordinary computing power of the five continents and constantly breaks through itself will not piece together the fragmented truth one day in the future.

Gu Shen said, “Including the previous meeting records, those data remnants that were generated… I have also cleaned them up. I have carried out the destruction at the very bottom of the [Source Code], and no one will be able to find the [Past] here.”

This was actually a very reassuring thing to say.

Hearing this, Lin Lin looked at the youth and felt relieved.

He did not make small talk, nor did he exchange pleasantries, but went straight to the point and asked, “You contacted me alone… it's not just to say these things, is it?”

Gu Shen smiled wryly.

As expected of the North Continent, simple and direct.

So he didn't beat around the bush.

“I want to ask you for a favor.” Gu Shen took out the list and said slowly, “There are some materials here that can only be obtained in the North Continent… I wonder if you have a way?”

Lin Lin did not take it, but narrowed his eyes and stared at Gu Shen.

“You know… I'm from the North Continent?”

“I have a contact person in the real world, who is the one in charge of the 'Red Gate'.” Gu Shen had long expected 073's reaction, and said gently, “You are the second visitor to this conference room after it was repaired. This is not a randomly selected lucky audience.”

This is a carefully selected free laborer, right?

Lin Lin took the list.

He glanced at it and said in a deep voice, “I can get these materials…”

He agreed very readily.

But then, Lin Lin put forward his own conditions, “But I want to see you, to see what kind of sacred being the legendary [Key] is.”

The biggest problem in this conference room was trust.

As [Key], an existence who had never participated in a meeting but was recognized as a “leader”… Gu Shen could only contact Lu Nanzhi now.

After layers of severe suppression and slaughter, the Guwen Association members scattered in the five continents had a trust in “strangers” as thin as paper.

And Gu Shen.

Was the biggest stranger.

“It's a very reasonable request… In fact, I don't want to hide my identity in the real world, because I'm just a small character.”

Gu Shen sighed softly and chose to be honest.

He smiled and continued, “But you and I both know that now… it's not the time yet. Perhaps you know this better than I do, because your identity is more sensitive. You are in the North Continent, with power and influence. I think I can even directly call you Mr. Lin… Mr. Lin, even if I show up, you won't show up, and you won't believe that the person who shows up is the [Key] himself. Under such circumstances, docking can only make the trust relationship even worse, right?”

Lin Lin also smiled, “Interesting… What do you want to do?”

“The masks between us need to be slowly approached before they can be slowly revealed. This takes time and contact.”

The entire scattered Guwen Association was like this.

If wisps of wildfire want to gather, they must unite.

Gu Shen said sincerely, “After this transaction is completed smoothly and safely, perhaps you will be able to guess who my contact person is… This transaction is not about anything else, it's only about trust.”

Lin Lin narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and slowly raised his head.

“Okay, I promise you, what are the details of this transaction…?”