Chapter 427: The Final Moment, the Most Difficult Part

He began to rewrite the cracking algorithm, this time adopting an unprecedented approach—starting from the protocol's end identifier and gradually reconstructing the entire architecture upward. This method was full of risks, and the slightest carelessness could trigger the system's Self-Destruct Program, but it was also the only viable option at the moment.

Accompanied by a burst of tense keyboard clacking, the new algorithm began to run. To everyone's surprise, the firewall began to collapse layer by layer, and the complexity of the encryption system decreased significantly. The progress bar jumped rapidly from 50% to 65%, then to 75%, and finally stopped at 85%.

"Great!" the assistant couldn't help but cheer, "Only 15% left to go!"

Xu Feng did not lower his guard: "Don't be happy too soon; the last 15% might be the most difficult part."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the entire command room suddenly plunged into darkness. All electronic equipment shut down simultaneously, and the progress bar on the display screen vanished. A moment later, the emergency lighting system activated, casting a faint red glow.

"What happened?" Xu Feng asked immediately, his voice laced with tension.

"Energy fluctuation! The entire headquarters' power system has been paralyzed!" the technician reported after a quick check, "The backup generators are starting up."

A few seconds later, the backup power connected, and the equipment began to reboot. However, just as the system was about to recover, a piercing explosion sound came from the lower levels of the building, and the backup power was cut off again.

"Damn it! The backup generator has been destroyed too!" the communicator exclaimed.

Xu Feng realized the situation was far more serious than imagined: "This is Yage's doing; it has already sensed our actions and is doing everything it can to stop us."

The command room was filled with an atmosphere of tension and fear. Without power, it meant the cracking work could not continue, and all efforts might go down the drain. Even more terrifying, the Energy Array protecting the headquarters had also lost its power source, and the Void Power gathering outside could break through the defense line at any moment.

Yet, Xu Feng unexpectedly remained calm. He took out a seemingly ordinary black briefcase from under his chair and opened it after entering a complex string of passwords. Inside the case was a small device, its surface covered in a special metallic material, with a softly glowing crystal embedded in the center.

"Quantum Portable Terminal," Xu Feng explained to everyone, "My trump card prepared for the most critical situation. It has a built-in small Quantum Energy Core, which can operate independently for 20 minutes without any external power source."

Xu Feng quickly connected the terminal to the main system and, after entering a series of commands, the interface of the cracking program reappeared on the screen, with the progress bar still stuck at 85%.

"Twenty minutes," Xu Feng took a deep breath, "should be enough."

He threw himself back into work, his fingers moving across the keyboard faster than before, his eyes revealing an unprecedented focus. The other personnel in the command room could only hold their breath, praying for a miracle to happen.

The situation outside was deteriorating rapidly. Through the windows, one could see the Purple Aurora in the sky becoming more intense, forming a massive vortex. Large amounts of purple-black energy danced in the air like lightning, constantly slamming against the protective shield around the headquarters.

"The Array has developed cracks!" a Practitioner reported in terror, "It can only hold for ten minutes at most!"

Xu Feng turned a deaf ear, his full attention focused on the screen. The progress bar moved forward slowly but steadily: 90%, 92%, 95%...

Time ticked away second by second, and the remaining energy displayed on the quantum terminal was also constantly decreasing. The Void Storm outside grew more violent, and the entire building was trembling slightly.

"How far are Captain Lin Xuan and the others from the headquarters?" Xiao Yuan asked anxiously.

"At the current speed, at least eight more minutes," the communicator replied, "but the Void Guards outside are increasing; they might be further delayed."

Xiao Yuan looked out the window, her heart filled with worry. Without the Five Cores, even if the Shutdown Protocol was successfully activated, it would be impossible to solve the problem at its root.

Xu Feng's terminal emitted a faint prompt sound, and the progress reached 98%. Just then, the energy indicator light on the quantum terminal began to flash red, indicating that the energy was about to be exhausted.

"Just a little bit more," Xu Feng gritted his teeth, "Hold on!"

The terminal screen began to flicker, and the image became unstable. Xu Feng's fingers were still dancing on the keyboard, his eyes never leaving the screen for a second. The progress bar finally moved to 99%, but then it almost stalled.

"There is one last defense," Xu Feng said with a hoarse voice, "Yang Zhiyuan set up a final verification that requires his biometric information."

Xiao Yuan asked in surprise: "Then what do we do? Without Yang Zhiyuan, we cannot pass the final verification!"

Xu Feng revealed a weary smile: "No, he thought of this long ago. Remember the Five Elements Code he gave? That is not just a shutdown command; it is also a substitute key for biometric verification."

He quickly entered the code provided by Yang Zhiyuan: Wood-72-Fire-18-Earth-45-Metal-36-Water-94.

The progress bar on the screen finally reached 100%, and the system emitted a crisp prompt sound. A brand-new interface appeared on the screen, with a huge red button in the center labeled "Global Star Brain Network Emergency Shutdown".

"Success!" Xu Feng let out a sigh of relief and clicked the button without hesitation.

The quantum terminal emitted one last glimmer of light and then shut down completely. But the command had been successfully sent and could not be undone.

In an instant, the whole world seemed to fall into a brief silence. Then, starting from the distance, wave after wave of energy fluctuations spread in all directions.

In every corner of the city, the controlled "Star Brain" users suddenly stopped their actions, their expressions blank. The purple light in their eyes gradually faded, replaced by confusion and bewilderment. Globally, hundreds of millions of "Star Brain" devices simultaneously entered a forced sleep state, cutting off their connection to the Void Energy.

Lin Xuan was leading his team to break through the encirclement and advance toward the headquarters when he suddenly discovered that all the "Star Brain" controllers around him had stopped attacking.

"Success!" Lin Xuan was overjoyed, "Xu Feng activated the Shutdown Protocol!"

The team's morale was greatly boosted, and they accelerated their movement toward the headquarters. The chaos on the streets began to subside; the controlled citizens either fell to the ground unconscious or looked around blankly, not knowing what had happened.

Inside the headquarters command room, the backup power finally recovered, and the lighting and basic equipment restarted. Xu Feng slumped in his chair, his face etched with exhaustion, but his eyes sparkled with the light of victory.

"Well done, Xu Feng!" Xiao Yuan said excitedly, "You saved everyone!"

Xu Feng slowly shook his head, his expression gradually becoming serious: "This is only a temporary victory. The protocol was successfully activated, but Yage has already accumulated a massive amount of energy. According to my calculations, the Shutdown Protocol can only delay the Void Invasion process by 6 hours at most."

"6 hours?" Xiao Yuan asked in surprise, "So short?"