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The core area of the laboratory was permeated with a cold metallic scent, and the footsteps of Ye Feng and Chen Xi echoed in the empty corridor. They moved cautiously, wary of disturbing any potential guards.
"It should be that room up ahead," Ye Feng whispered, his gaze fixed on the heavy metal door at the end of the hallway.
Chen Xi nodded and pulled out the access card he had stolen earlier, gently swiping it over the sensor at the door. The red light turned green, accompanied by a soft beep, and the heavy metal door slowly slid open.
What came into view was a dauntingly large machine, far bigger than Ye Feng had imagined, almost occupying the entire center of the room. The surface of the machine was covered in complex wiring and blinking indicator lights, surrounded by several control stations with screens flashing various data and images.
"This is the machine controlling 'Identity Trade'?" Ye Feng gasped, having never seen such a complex device before.
"That's right, a masterpiece of the 'Puppet Master'," Chen Xi said as he approached one of the control stations, his eyes shining with focused determination. "I'll handle breaking into the system; you keep watch at the door."
Ye Feng nodded and turned to lean against the wall by the entrance, his eyes scanning the corridor outside. His palms were slightly sweaty, and his heart raced in his chest. Every minute felt stretched out, time dragging painfully slowly in this tense atmosphere.
"How's it going?" Ye Feng asked quietly as he glanced back.
Chen Xi's fingers danced over the keyboard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "The system is more complex than I anticipated, but I'm working on breaching its first firewall."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside. Ye Feng tensed up, ready to react at any moment. The footsteps stopped around a corner, as if someone was talking there. He held his breath and tightened his grip on the stun baton hidden at his waist.
"Damn it!" Chen Xi's low curse from behind broke Ye Feng's concentration.
Ye Feng quickly returned to Chen Xi's side. "What's wrong?"
Chen Xi pointed at a dialog box that had popped up on the screen. "I need an eight-digit password to access the core system. I've tried several common combinations, but none worked."
"This password must be in the hands of the 'Puppet Master'," Ye Feng frowned, deep in thought.
At that moment, a memory suddenly flashed in his mind. It was from when he was playing the role of the wealthy heir, Li Jiaming, and he had overheard a conversation at a private party. Two people in lab coats were quietly discussing something in a corner, and one of them mentioned a string of numbers, claiming it was the emergency access code for the new system.
"Wait! I might know the password." Ye Feng's eyes lit up as he leaned forward and typed the numbers into the keyboard: 27359148.
The progress bar on the screen began to fill rapidly, and then a line of green text appeared: "Welcome to the Core Control System."
"Oh my god, how did you know that?" Chen Xi looked at Ye Feng in astonishment.
A wry smile appeared on Ye Feng's lips. "I overheard it while playing Li Jiaming. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I never expected it would come in handy now."
"Luck is also a part of skill," Chen Xi said, taking a deep breath and immediately focusing on the task at hand. "Now I need to quickly modify the Identity Trade program to leave us an escape route."
Ye Feng returned to the door to keep watch, but his heart was anything but calm. He thought of those forced to trade identities, recalled his extravagant life as Li Jiaming, and reflected on his current situation of being hunted. Everything would change because of their actions tonight.
The moonlight outside slanted across the ground, outlining Ye Feng's tall figure. In that moment, he felt an odd sense of tranquility, as if he were in the eye of a storm.
"We did it!" Chen Xi's voice broke through Ye Feng's thoughts.
Ye Feng quickly walked back to the console and saw lines of code and several blinking icons on the screen.
"I've modified the protocol; now we can control our identities through this device," Chen Xi said, a long-lost smile spreading across his face. "Not only that, but I've also implanted a backdoor program so that even after we leave here, we can control it remotely."
Ye Feng felt a wave of dizziness wash over him as he braced himself against the edge of the console and took a deep breath. "Does this mean we won't be controlled like puppets anymore?"
"Theoretically, yes," Chen Xi nodded cautiously. "But the Puppet Master won't sit idly by; once he discovers that the system has been tampered with, he'll definitely take action. We need to be prepared."
Ye Feng stared at the flickering data streams on the screen, a mix of emotions swirling within him. Once, he was just an ordinary person living a mundane life; now, he found himself at the center of a storm that would determine the fate of countless lives.
"I need to confirm something," Ye Feng hesitated before asking, "Will this allow everyone whose identity has been traded to regain their freedom?"
Chen Xi shook his head. "No, it's not possible. The system is too complex. I can only create a way out for ourselves. To fully liberate everyone, we need more time and resources."
Ye Feng fell silent for a moment, then said resolutely, "Then we will buy time and find more resources. This is just the beginning."
Just as Chen Xi was about to respond, an alarm blared throughout the laboratory. Red warning lights began to flash, and the humming of machines grew frantic.
"Damn it, someone has discovered us!" Chen Xi quickly pulled a small storage device from the computer and stuffed it into his pocket. "We have to leave now!"
Ye Feng glanced at the monitoring screen on the console; several individuals in black uniforms were rapidly approaching their room.
"Back door!" Ye Feng pointed to a small door in the corner of the room, an emergency exit they had scouted beforehand.
The two dashed toward the exit as the alarm grew louder behind them. Ye Feng pushed open the door, revealing a narrow passageway. He gestured for Chen Xi to go first, following closely behind while carefully closing the door.
As they ran through the dark corridor, Ye Feng was filled with conflicting emotions: fear, excitement, worry, hope... but one thing was certain: tonight's actions had changed the rules of the game; they were no longer mere pawns moved at will on a chessboard.
At the end of the passageway, a sliver of moonlight shone through—their beacon of hope for freedom.
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