As night gradually fell, the camp returned to a quiet stillness, with only the faint sound of windblown sand brushing against the tents.

  Rebecca emerged from the makeshift washroom, her damp hair cascading over her shoulders, her eyes carrying a faint unease. While bathing, she had felt as though something was in the corner—a tiny but unusually persistent bug had been circling her, as if observing her every move.

  Back at the comms station, Rebecca had just sat down when Lila burst through the door, waving a small metal box she had assembled herself, her face brimming with excitement. “Check this out—I used some scrap parts and electromagnetic shielding principles to make something awesome. It can jam nearby electronic signals and detect hidden devices. Pretty cool, huh?”

  Before Rebecca could respond, Lila plopped the box on the table and proudly pressed the start button. With a low hum, a faint “pop” suddenly sounded in the air—a small bug dropped straight onto the table, its wings still trembling weakly.

  Rebecca’s expression shifted, and she carefully picked it up to examine it closely. The metallic sheen of its shell and the tiny lens were unmistakable, and her face darkened immediately. “This isn’t a bug at all—it’s a micro-camera from the tech department. I’ve seen prototypes of this kind of nanoscale surveillance device.” She lowered her voice. “Lila, how long has it been here?”

  Lila’s face also grew serious as she immediately grabbed her terminal and started typing. “I’ll check right now… there’s a signal residue. This thing was being remotely controlled.” Her gaze sharpened. “Are you saying we’re being watched?”

  Rebecca didn’t answer, her eyes turning calm and alert as she quickly placed the camera into a sealed container. “Find out its signal source immediately—I’m worried this problem is worse than we think.”

  At Federation Corp’s tech department, Derek Voss sat at the main console, staring at the footage transmitted by the “fly cams.” The screens clearly displayed everything in Ashen Valley—the busy figures of the miners, the Dawn parked by a dune, even the blurry outlines of Ethan and the others sitting around a campfire. A smile played on his lips as he muttered to himself, “These brainless barbarians really have no defenses at all, do they?”

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  Suddenly, the feed from Camera 5 jolted violently before dissolving into a screen of harsh static, the signal indicator in the corner of the screen switching from green to red in an instant. Derek’s face darkened immediately. He quickly typed a series of commands, pulling up the signal waveform for a closer look, grumbling under his breath, “Low-frequency electromagnetic pulse? Since when did those hicks in Ashen Valley learn that trick?”

  He stood up slowly, turning to the young technician beside him with an impatient tone laced with disdain. “Hey, Peter, Camera 5 is down. Hurry up and check the location of the signal disruption—don’t tell me you can’t even handle something this small.”

  Peter, visibly nervous, began typing rapidly on the terminal, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Manager, the signal was interrupted by interference. The coordinates… it’s near the comms station. This wasn’t accidental damage—it’s likely someone used electromagnetic shielding tech to disable the camera.”

  A barely noticeable glint flashed through Derek’s eyes before he let out a cold hum, speaking casually, “Near the comms station? Hmph, a troublesome spot. Forget it.” He waved a hand dismissively. “We’ve still got four other cameras—losing one won’t matter.” As he spoke, he shifted his gaze to the motionless bionic figure in the center of the room, his expression turning proud. “Gray Rat M-17 is a masterpiece our team built from scratch. It took three months of reinforced learning to perfectly replicate every move of that old geezer McCollum. Right now, it’s working and chatting in the mining area like nothing’s wrong—no one can tell the difference.”

  Peter immediately nodded in agreement. “Yes, manager. M-17’s disguise is flawless. Those missing miners were also taken care of by it as per instructions—no one suspects a thing.”

  Derek nodded with a cold smirk, his eyes returning to the other camera feeds on the screen. “And these ‘fly cams’—nanoscale tech, less than five millimeters in diameter. Just scatter them around, and no corner of Ashen Valley can escape my sight. With this operation, what can Boss Kane possibly complain about?”

  He glanced at Camera 5’s static-filled screen again, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. “But this one wandered too far, didn’t it? What a hassle. Peter, you need to be more careful about this.”

  Peter pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to explain. “Manager, the cameras do have a limited transmission range. I’m not sure how it got so far from the main unit, Gray Rat M-17, and then ran into interference…”

  Derek cut him off with a wave of his hand. “Enough. Just be more careful next time—keep them near M-17, and don’t lose any more. Victor only cares about results, not extra trouble. Got it?”

  Peter quickly lowered his head. “Yes, manager. I’ll adjust the range and enhance signal control and encryption right away.”