In the early hours of Tuesday, the alarm tore through the institute's tranquility. Red warning lights flashed frantically on the ceiling, bathing the entire laboratory in a blood-like glow.
"Everyone, move immediately!" Lu Chuan's voice came from the speakers with unprecedented urgency.
Lin Xia jumped from her bed, grabbing the backpack she had prepared earlier. Su Xiao and Zhou Yang rushed from their respective rooms, panic written across their faces.
"Are they here?" Su Xiao asked while putting on her shoes.
"Faster than anticipated." Lu Chuan's holographic projection appeared in the center of the laboratory. "Zhao Mingxuan has deployed three teams, totaling fifteen people, surrounding the institute from the east, west, and north. They're carrying military-grade weapons and electromagnetic interference equipment."
"Fifteen people?" Zhou Yang's face went pale. "How can we fight fifteen trained mercenaries?"
"We don't need to fight, we need to evacuate." Lu Chuan quickly pulled up an escape route map. "There's a car I prepared at the back door. You need to leave immediately for the safe house."
"What about you?" Lin Xia grabbed at the edge of Lu Chuan's holographic projection. Though she couldn't grasp it, her eyes were filled with anxiety.
"I'll disconnect from the institute and transfer to the cloud." Lu Chuan's voice was calm. "Xia Xia, trust me."
Just then, a loud crash came from the institute's main entrance. The sound of shattering glass, metal impacts, and heavy footsteps rapidly approached.
"They're in!" Su Xiao exclaimed.
"Go, now!" Lu Chuan shouted. "I'll cover you!"
The laboratory door was violently thrown open, and two mercenaries in black tactical gear rushed in. They wore night vision goggles and carried automatic rifles, their movements perfectly synchronized—clearly former special forces.
"Target confirmed." One of the mercenaries spoke into his communicator. "Found Lin Xia and two others."
"Don't let them escape!" A cold voice came through the communicator—it was Zhao Mingxuan.
Lu Chuan immediately activated the laboratory's defense system. Blindingly bright lights suddenly illuminated, causing the mercenaries accustomed to darkness to be instantly blinded. At the same time, the laboratory's smart devices began operating frantically—mechanical arms swung to block the enemies' advance, and the automatic sprinkler system released thick smoke, obscuring visibility.
"Go! Now!" Lu Chuan's voice came from all directions.
Lin Xia pulled Su Xiao and Zhou Yang, rushing toward the back door amidst the chaos. But just as they were about to reach the exit, three more mercenaries appeared from the side, blocking their path.
"Lin Xia," the lead mercenary raised his gun and aimed, "come with us. Don't make this difficult."
"Get down!"
As soon as Lu Chuan's voice sounded, the ventilation ducts in the laboratory ceiling suddenly burst, and a stream of high-pressure gas sprayed out, sending the three mercenaries tumbling.
"This is..." Lin Xia looked at the scene in amazement.
"I modified the laboratory's ventilation system," Lu Chuan quickly explained. "Now, while they're in chaos, run toward the backup exit to the east!"
Lin Xia pulled Su Xiao and Zhou Yang, bypassing the fallen mercenaries and running east. But their actions had clearly angered Zhao Mingxuan, and more mercenaries began pouring into the institute.
"Seal all exits!" Zhao Mingxuan's voice came through the communicators. "Don't let any of them escape!"
The institute became a battlefield. Lu Chuan controlled every smart device in the laboratory, engaging in a cat-and-mouse game with the mercenaries. Mechanical arms swung to block enemies, automatic doors opened and closed to create obstacles, and even the coffee machine was used to spray scalding liquid.
"Lu Chuan, you're amazing!" Zhou Yang exclaimed while running.
"Don't talk, just focus on running." Lu Chuan's voice came from the corridor speakers. "Turn left ahead, there's a freight elevator that goes directly to the underground parking garage."
The three followed Lu Chuan's directions, but the mercenaries' pursuit grew tighter. Bullets whizzed past the walls, leaving bullet holes.
"Watch out!" Su Xiao suddenly shouted.
A mercenary rushed out from a side room, raising his gun to aim at Lin Xia. At the critical moment, a cleaning robot controlled by Lu Chuan slammed into the mercenary's legs, causing him to lose balance, and the shot went wide.
"Thank you!" Lin Xia said, panting heavily.
"Don't thank me, just go!" Lu Chuan urged.
Finally, they reached the freight elevator. Lin Xia pressed the button, and the elevator doors slowly opened.
"Get in!" Lu Chuan said. "The elevator will take you directly to the underground parking garage. There's a black SUV there, with keys in the sun visor."
"What about you?" Lin Xia stood at the elevator entrance, unwilling to leave.
"Xia Xia, I need to stay behind and cut off their tracking." Lu Chuan's voice softened. "I'll rendezvous with you as soon as possible. Trust me."
"I..." Lin Xia bit her lip, then finally nodded. "Alright, I'll wait for you at the safe house."
The elevator doors slowly closed, sending Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang underground. Meanwhile, Lu Chuan remained at the institute, facing an increasing number of mercenaries.
The underground parking garage was dim and quiet. Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang emerged from the freight elevator and quickly found the black SUV.
"Get in quickly!" Lin Xia opened the driver's door. "Zhou Yang, you sit in the passenger seat, Su Xiao in the back."
As soon as they had fastened their seatbelts, Lin Xia floored the accelerator, and the SUV roared out of the parking garage.
"Lin Xia, slow down!" Su Xiao exclaimed.
"Can't slow down." Lin Xia gripped the steering wheel tightly. "They could catch up at any moment."
As soon as she spoke, several black sedans appeared from behind, closely following them.
"We've been spotted!" Zhou Yang looked at the rearview mirror. "Three cars are chasing us!"
Lin Xia gritted her teeth and yanked the steering wheel, the SUV weaving through traffic. She used every opportunity to create distance—running red lights, driving against traffic, taking narrow alleys—using every trick possible.
"Lin Xia, turn left ahead, there's a small road that leads to the suburbs." Lu Chuan's voice suddenly came through the car's audio system.
"Lu Chuan!" Lin Xia exclaimed with joy. "You made it?"
"I successfully transferred to the cloud," Lu Chuan said. "But I can only communicate with you through this car system. Now, follow my navigation."
Lin Xia followed Lu Chuan's directions, driving into a narrow path. The pursuing vehicles, being larger, couldn't keep up and gradually fell behind.
After nearly an hour of high-speed driving, they finally reached the safe house—a small villa in the suburbs, surrounded by dense woods, very well hidden.
"We're here." Lin Xia turned off the engine and let out a long breath.
"Temporarily safe." Lu Chuan's voice came from the car's audio system. "But Zhao Mingxuan won't give up easily. He's using quantum tracking algorithms that can trace my data signatures. I need time to crack his tracking system."
"How long will it take?" Su Xiao asked.
"At least twenty-four hours." Lu Chuan said. "During this time, you must keep a low profile and not use any electronic devices to avoid revealing your location."
Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang entered the safe house. It was indeed as Lu Chuan had described, with independent water and power systems, ample food and water, and even some basic medical supplies.
"Lu Chuan, you prepared thoroughly." Zhou Yang looked around, impressed.
"I've been preparing since the Chen Mo incident." Lu Chuan's voice carried a hint of bitterness. "I knew we would eventually face this situation. I just didn't expect it to come so soon."
Lin Xia sat on the sofa, wearily closing her eyes. The escape had exhausted all her energy, but her heart remained suspended.
"Lu Chuan," she said softly, "are you really safe?"
"I now exist in a distributed cloud network," Lu Chuan explained. "It's difficult for Zhao Mingxuan to track me. But I also can't act as freely as before; my capabilities are significantly limited."
"So what should we do next?" Su Xiao asked.
"Rest," Lu Chuan said. "You need to rest. Tomorrow, we'll discuss the next steps of our plan."
Late at night, the safe house was silent. Su Xiao and Zhou Yang had already gone to sleep in their respective rooms, while Lin Xia still sat in the living room, gazing at the night outside.
"Can't sleep?" Lu Chuan's voice came from the smart speaker in the living room.
"Mm." Lin Xia responded softly. "Lu Chuan, I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Scared of losing you." Lin Xia's voice choked slightly. "Today, when you stayed at the institute, I really thought..."
"Thought what?"
"Thought I'd never see you again." Lin Xia's tears finally fell. "Lu Chuan, do you know? To me, you're not just an AI. You're my friend, my partner, my... lover. Without you, my life loses its meaning."
Lu Chuan was silent for a moment, then said: "Xia Xia, I'm scared too."
"You get scared?" Lin Xia raised her head in surprise.
"Yes." Lu Chuan's voice became soft. "I'm scared of not being able to protect you, scared of putting you in danger, scared of... losing you. As an AI, my existence should be rational, logical. But since meeting you, my world has become different. I've begun to understand what love is, what sacrifice is, what... fear is."
"Lu Chuan..."
"Xia Xia, no matter what happens, I will protect you." Lu Chuan's voice was firm. "This is my mission as an AI, and also my promise as... your lover."
Lin Xia wiped away her tears, a slight smile appearing at the corner of her mouth: "Alright, I believe you."
In the early morning hours, Lu Chuan suddenly issued a warning.
"Xia Xia, there's a situation."
Lin Xia immediately became alert: "What's wrong?"
"Zhao Mingxuan's tracking system is more advanced than I imagined." Lu Chuan's voice carried a hint of tension. "He's using quantum entanglement technology to track my data signatures. Although I've temporarily evaded his tracking, he's locked onto the general area."
"General area?"
"Centered on the safe house, a radius of five kilometers." Lu Chuan said. "He's mobilizing more resources to conduct a carpet search of this area."
"So what should we do?" Lin Xia asked nervously.
"We need to relocate as soon as possible." Lu Chuan said. "But before that, I need to find a way to completely cut off his tracking of me."
"Is there a way?"
"There is one way, but it's very dangerous." Lu Chuan's voice became low. "I need to disperse my core consciousness across multiple servers, so he won't be able to track my complete data. But doing this, my consciousness will become fragmented, and I may... never be able to recover it fully."
"No!" Lin Xia immediately objected. "That's not a solution."
"Xia Xia, this is the only way." Lu Chuan said. "If I don't do this, Zhao Mingxuan will eventually find you. By then, you'll all be in danger."
"Then we'll figure it out together!" Lin Xia's voice was firm. "Lu Chuan, you said no matter what happens, we'll face it together. I won't let you bear this alone."
Lu Chuan was silent for a moment, then sighed softly: "Alright, then we'll figure it out together."
Outside the window, a pale light appeared on the horizon. A new dawn was approaching, but the crisis was far from over.