Pei Su’s voice sounded in her ear. “I have handed the City Key to you, but it cannot be used yet.”
“It still needs to be activated.”
Su Wan looked at the faint smile on Pei Su’s face and sneered inwardly.
“Commander Pei is right. Sincerity for sincerity; it’s only fair.”
She paused and sighed. “Since you’ve put it that way, I can only comply.”
Pei Su ordered someone to bring a device similar to a tablet computer. Su Wan took it and began typing on it.
“ZX-0741-Destruction-Twilight,” “CT-3328-Winter-Arrival,” “FR-5512-Terminal-Eternal”...
She wrote whatever came to mind, making it all up as she went. It was all fake anyway.
Su Wan wrote quickly, her fingers dancing across the screen as lines of code flowed from her fingertips.
After writing ten sets, Su Wan’s fingers hovered over the screen and stopped.
Pei Su was leaning back in his chair, squinting as he watched her input the data. Seeing her stop, he spoke up. “Miss Su, why have you stopped?”
Su Wan looked up at Pei Su, a faint smile curling at the corners of her mouth. “Commander Pei, I was thinking—if I write all the codes at once, would you go back on your word?”
Pei Su was stunned for a moment before he laughed. “Miss Su, you must be joking. I am a man of my word. Why would I go back on it?”
Su Wan shook her head, her voice calm. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Commander, but this City Key is currently nothing more than a useless ornament. It has no practical significance.”
“Giving you all the codes would be equivalent to handing over Terminal Station’s core systems to you.”
“If you get the codes but don’t activate the City Key—”
She paused, leaving the sentence unfinished, and gave Pei Su a meaningful look.
Pei Su’s brow furrowed slightly, but it soon smoothed over.
“Then what is your meaning, Miss Su?”
Su Wan placed the tablet on the table. “It’s simple. Commander Pei, activate the City Key for me first.”
“Even after the City Key is activated, I won’t have management rights until the authority transfer is performed, right?”
“And since I haven’t handed over all the codes yet, the initiative remains in my hands.”
“This way, both of us have something to rely on, and neither can take advantage of the other.”
“What do you think, Commander Pei?”
Pei Su looked at Su Wan, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he nodded. “Miss Su makes a valid point.”
He turned to those behind him and ordered, “Bring the City Key activator.”
In less than three minutes, a secretary walked in carrying a palm-sized, silver-white metal device.
The device was square with several grooves on its surface. A pale blue display screen was embedded in the center, surrounded by a ring of fine indicator lights that were currently blinking with a faint blue glow.
Pei Su took the device and placed it on the table.
He pressed his right index finger onto the fingerprint recognition area on the side of the device, then picked up the silver City Key with his left hand and gently placed it into the central groove.
Ding—
A crisp notification sound rang out, and the blue indicator lights around the edge of the device began to flash rapidly.
Pei Su’s gaze fell on the display screen, which was showing the progress of the City Key’s activation in real-time.
“City Key activating... Please wait...”
The progress bar on the screen began to advance slowly.
Ten percent, thirty percent, sixty percent, eighty percent, one hundred percent—
Ding—
“City Key activation successful.”
With a long beep, the City Key popped up from the groove, a faint silver halo appearing on its surface.
The halo lasted only an instant before vanishing, and the City Key returned to its previous dull, matte texture.
Pei Su handed the City Key to Su Wan, his voice deep. “Miss Su, you may continue.”
“Once all the codes are entered, I will perform the authority transfer immediately.”
Su Wan nodded and picked up the tablet to continue typing.
“Since Commander Pei has fulfilled his promise, I will not go back on mine.”
Her fingers moved swiftly across the screen as she explained while typing.
“These are the operating codes for the medical bay’s surgical robots...”
“These are the movement instruction codes for the patrol robots...”
“These are the codes for the supply warehouse’s inventory management system...”
“...”
“This is the access password for the core control room...”
Su Wan’s fingers paused briefly as she entered a string of extremely complex characters on the screen.
She set down the tablet and rubbed her fingers, then looked at Pei Su. “With this password, you will be able to enter the room that only I can access and inspect the core management equipment.”
Pei Su sat across from her, watching the codes Su Wan had entered. The smile on his face grew deeper.
“Miss Su, you are indeed meticulous in your work.”
Su Wan smiled slightly and said frankly, “I won’t hide it from you, Commander Pei. I haven’t written the operating codes for the eight butler robots of Terminal Station yet.”
“The butler robots are the core of Terminal Station’s operations. In other words, this set of codes is the most critical one.”
Pei Su looked somewhat displeased. “Miss Su, what is the meaning of this?”
Su Wan placed the tablet on the table and leaned back in her chair, looking at Pei Su with a calm gaze.
“Commander Pei, I have already written over twenty sets of codes, covering almost all of Terminal Station’s systems.”
“Although the City Key has been activated, the authority transfer has not yet been performed, so I am still uneasy.”
“This most critical set of operating codes for the butler robots is my final trump card.”
She paused and said word for word, “I need you to perform the authority transfer now.”
Pei Su stared at Su Wan for a few seconds and then laughed.
In that smile, there was admiration, helplessness, and an indescribable sentiment.
“Miss Su, you are the most cautious young person I have ever met.”
The authority transfer for the City Key required the personal authorization of the City Defense Force Commander.
Using the same silver-white metal device, Pei Su tapped the screen a few times and entered the unique authorization password of the City Defense Force Commander.
“Authority transfer in progress... Please wait...”
The progress bar on the display began to move slowly.
Ding—
“City Key authority transfer successful!”
At that moment, Su Wan’s mental power clearly captured an invisible wave of energy spreading out from within the City Key, like an invisible net stretching toward the Outer City.
【Ding! City Key activated. External authority has been transferred. Current City Key holder: Su Wan.】
【All City Defense Force garrisons, government departments, public facilities, communication networks, defense systems, and weapon systems in the Outer City have recognized this item as the sole credential of authority.】
Su Wan looked at the prompt on the system panel, a smile finally curling her lips.
Pei Su handed the City Key to Su Wan and said in a low voice,
“Miss Su, from this moment on, the Outer City belongs to you.”
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