"Under non-essential circumstances, crossing the border of Area A is strictly prohibited, except in the following situations:"
"I. When the personal safety of citizens of our district is seriously violated in Area A, and the relevant departments in Area A refuse to provide assistance, it becomes necessary to conduct a cross-border rescue."
"Second, if a suspect involved in a major criminal case flees to Area A, and the relevant departments in Area A refuse to cooperate, making cross-border pursuit necessary;"
"Third, other situations where irreconcilable conflicts arise with the government of District A due to concealment, deception, violence, etc., and it is necessary to cross the boundary line."
Looking at the three messages, Yi Heye seemed to understand something. After a long while, he sent a message to Song Zhouzhou that very night.
The person who answered the phone was his AI assistant. Upon hearing that it was Yi Heye, Song Zhouzhou picked up the microphone himself again.
"Hello? What's the matter?" Song Zhouzhou asked.
Yi Heye thought for a moment, but didn't dare to speak clearly. He only said vaguely, "SHEEP will be live in a couple of days. Keep an eye on things... I mean, pay more attention to what's happening in section A of the live stream. I'm not just referring to SHEEP."
Song Zhouzhou was silent for a moment before saying, "I know, your Director Li has already called and told me."
Yi Heye paused for a moment in surprise. He was right; Director Li had also been silently on his side.
Song Zhouzhou said, "Don't worry, even if you didn't tell me, I would still take such a big matter very seriously."
In the following days, everyone was on high alert. The Security Department and the Artificial Intelligence Administration launched round after round of emergency drills, and the border defense forces in Area A secretly increased their garrison strength.
—Before the live broadcast even started, a fierce competition was already unfolding in the shadows. Only SHEEP remained silent, leading some to suspect that he was just throwing out a smokescreen to fool the group while he hid and watched the chaotic mess unfold.
Just as some people were laughing and joking about forming a group to bypass the Great Firewall, and had even prepared props and made plans in a seemingly professional manner, on the fifth night, this guy who had been pretending to be dead for several days finally suddenly appeared in the public eye.
This was the peak viewing time at noon, and just like last time, a live stream room whose IP address could not be located suddenly appeared on various live streaming platforms and instantly occupied the top spot on all the lists at an astonishing speed.
In an instant, the same image appeared on projection screens throughout the streets and alleys, on everyone's mobile phones and computers, and on all electronic devices with screens inside shopping malls.
"Hehe!" In the video, a little lamb wearing a top hat, a tuxedo, and a monocle descends from the sky, giving everyone a very gentlemanly hat-tipping salute. "It took a while to hack the cameras, sorry to keep you all waiting!"
Then the scene behind him changed, and the pure white background suddenly turned into a pleasing lush green.
Behind him was a private garden even more beautiful than the scene in the photo. There were rare tree species that were almost extinct in the three districts, as well as beautiful rare birds that no one had ever heard of. The vast expanse of green made Yi Heye, a man who had seen a lot of the world, hold his breath.
This is much better looking than the inferior imitations in Fang Chunyang's game, clearer than the private garden he secretly photographed while following Jian Yunxian, and more realistic than the slideshow they played at the AI sanatorium.
Just like the marketing headline says, this place is simply paradise on earth.
"Welcome to Area A—the beautiful 'ideal land'."
Chapter 151, number 151
SHEEP's appearance was far too high-profile; it was as if he wanted the whole world to stop what they were doing and just focus on him.
But none of them are pushovers. All these days of emergency rehearsals were to ensure that they could assemble as quickly as possible and enter combat mode the moment he appeared.
The moment the red alert was sounded, the Security Department, the AI Management Bureau, the Cybersecurity Center, and all other relevant departments that could be connected immediately proceeded according to the rehearsed plan.
Yi Heye was also summoned to the temporary operations command center.
The overt objective of this operation remains the capture of S-class fugitive SHEEP. Only those within the operation know that, beyond the symbolic capture plan, the true focus is the meticulously planned and comprehensive "aftermath," with contingency plans for every possible scenario.
Their real purpose was to take the opportunity to break through that high wall and find out the truth of the matter.
The mission was so urgent that even Song Zhouzhou himself came to the command center to await instructions.
He was pale-faced, clutching his laptop, huddled in the far corner of the auditorium, a huge pair of sunglasses perched on his nose to block the view of others. His AI wife, LOPO, with her pigtails and a puffy dress, stood behind him with her hands on her hips, shielding him from any unwanted conversation.
At this moment, on the large screen in the command center was a sheep's face that would give everyone present nightmares. It stood smiling in the corner of the screen, with a breathtakingly beautiful expanse of blue water behind it.
"Let's take a look at our residents and the town where everyone lives." The little lamb turned around, and the scene switched to a town.
Accustomed to the visual stimulation of skyscrapers and bright lights, the sudden shift in the scene to a relaxed and leisurely town, detached from industrialization, gave everyone a momentary sense of traveling through time.
The houses here are generally two or three-story detached houses, scattered on the ground like stars in the sky, but upon closer inspection, their style is surprisingly uniform.
The camera focuses on a stone-paved road flanked by a retro-style market town. Perhaps intentionally to protect the view, the camera doesn't capture people's faces at all, only showing the backs of people leisurely walking by—just watching their slow pace, you can feel the ease and comfort of the place.
"It's pretty ordinary, right? There aren't the mountains of gold and silver that everyone imagines. Apart from the fresher air, there's nothing special about it," Xiao Yang said. "There aren't as many high-tech facilities here as outside, nor are there the lively entertainment venues that everyone likes. The pace of life here is very slow, and the level of industry is very low. People who are used to the fast-paced life outside will find it hard to adapt to this place."
Several shots focused on the residents of Area A; although their faces were not shown, their behavior was captured quite clearly.
The commander standing nearby asked Yi Heye, "Can you tell? Is it a human or artificial intelligence?"
Yi Heye stared intently at the image, his brows furrowed, but after a long time he still couldn't make a judgment: "It's too blurry, and you can't see the face clearly..."
After a long, reluctant pause, he said, "Although these actions and behaviors don't seem unusual, some advanced artificial intelligence simply won't give itself away in places like this."
That's right, I'm talking about Jian Yunxian, who almost slipped through my nose. If this group of people were his doing, it's no surprise that it would be hard to tell just by looking at their backs.
The live stream in the video is still ongoing.
"What I just showed you was the residential area in Zone A. Now I'll show you our science and technology development center."
The lamb turned around, and the scene cut to a group of strangely shaped buildings. These buildings included oddly shaped glass rooms and factories connected by many pipes. He hardly needed to explain; based on the stereotypes people had from movies and TV shows, they could guess that these were laboratories carrying out strange projects.
"Because of internal confidentiality, I cannot take you inside for a visit," Xiao Yang said. "But I hope you know that the scientific research results obtained in this small area have saved you from many dire situations."
The next second, the screen displayed an internal showcase of the research center's achievements—
"Key pollution recovery technologies during periods of severe pollution, brain-computer interface components upon which information leaps forward, and basic aviation lane designs for building aerial cities..." Xiao Yang said while quickly flipping through the slides, "Actually, you can see all of these on your government's internal website. There are so many technologies that you simply cannot achieve independently. The reason your city can develop so rapidly is inseparable from the critical technical support from Area A time and time again."
SHEEP's remarks are indeed based on evidence. The technologies he mentioned that led to unprecedented leaps outside the Great Firewall were indeed transferred from Area A. The government outside the Great Firewall has never hidden this fact. Many viewers who experienced these overwhelming news reports and feedback have a deep impression of them.
"Unlike the outside world's emphasis on industrial development, the A District government has always adhered to the development philosophy of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Here, there is unpolluted soil, vast forests and water sources, and many very precious endangered species—"
The lamb took off its hat and waved it at the screen, and the scene switched from a distant view to a close-up of a species conservation base.
At first glance, this place looks like a forest park, still maintaining the lush and verdant basic color scheme of the previous scene. All around are towering giant trees that reach into the clouds, and the ground is covered with various shrubs with different flowers.
However, upon closer inspection, one can see that each tree here is tagged with an electronic label indicating the experimental species. The label displays basic information and real-time data about these species. Behind the label, tiny tubes extend under the bark, presumably to deliver nutrient solution to sustain life.
"Damn..." someone cursed in the room, pointing at a white flower on the screen and saying, "That's a Huagai wood!"
Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath—Manglietia indicum has been listed as an endangered species for many years, and it disappeared after a period of severe pollution. Not long ago, relevant conservation departments were still discussing whether it should be listed as an extinct species.
As the camera zoomed in, everyone fell silent—it wasn't just the *Magnolia denudata*; this experimental base also preserved and cultivated many rare, extinct plants and animals. The critically endangered were isolated and protected in special petri dishes, while those in relatively milder conditions were placed in protected areas, where ecological cultivation was restored as much as possible in a semi-open natural environment…
“During the period of severe pollution, we rescued a number of endangered species in time and created a suitable environment for their protection and cultivation. But even so, they are still on the verge of danger. A slight change in temperature or the invasion of an alien pathogen could cause these creatures to disappear from this world completely.”
"This is also one of the reasons why Area A is not convenient to open to the public. The ecological cycle is far more fragile than people imagine. It can no longer withstand the slightest disturbance. In order to protect this precious gene pool, we must protect this wall."
An ordinary standard of living, a vital scientific research stronghold, and a gene bank that sustains hope...
It has to be said that what SHEEP presented to everyone this time was so positive that it almost completely dispelled the public's doubts and made them give up the idea of climbing over the wall to enter.
"I'm showing you around here today because I really want to dispel any prejudices you might have about this place," said Xiao Yang. "I want to tell you that this is not the place you imagine for easy enjoyment; it's a land that bears heavy responsibilities."
"Similarly, I would also like to convey a point of view to everyone." It once again took off its hat and bowed, looking up at the camera with an extremely solemn expression. "Please, everyone outside the wall, always hold on to one belief: no matter what difficulties and obstacles you encounter, never give up, because there will always be a Noah's Ark here carrying the flame of hope and the light of life, which will arrive in time when people need it."
As soon as this insightful and elevating statement was uttered, the gifts in the live stream almost exploded. The initial doubts and insults disappeared, replaced by praise and emotional declarations from everyone for his final post.
Fans started writing heartfelt essays for him, and those who had wailed about unfollowing him are now excitedly coming back.
They chanted that SHEEP was a messenger of justice, thanked SHEEP for being willing to answer everyone's questions, and echoed SHEEP's call to action, jointly advocating the slogan "Keep hope, keep rationality, keep distance."
SHEEP himself also performed admirably. He didn't act pretentious and annoying as usual. Instead, he answered everyone's questions and doubts as much as possible. His emotional intelligence is much higher than that of normal people. Speaking nicely and winning everyone's favor is a piece of cake for him.
Even the people in the command center looked at each other in bewilderment, seemingly swayed by his words. In the entire room, only Yi Heye and Pei Xiangjin remained, their brows furrowed, fundamentally unwilling to accept SHEEP's explanation and statement.
As the live stream was nearing its end, it seemed that the pent-up public resentment was about to be completely resolved by the live stream. At this moment, Song Zhouzhou, who had been huddled in the corner, suddenly turned around in a panic and looked at the restless crowd. He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn't overcome his psychological barrier and couldn't speak at all.
Yi Heye keenly caught his expression and immediately flipped over the table to look.
When Song Zhouzhou saw the person rapidly approaching in front of him, he instinctively shrank back in fright. LOPO also bravely spread his arms to block the aggressive Yi Heye, looking ready to fight at any moment.
Song Zhouzhou only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw clearly who the rapidly approaching human was, and asked LOPO to move aside.
Yi Heye suddenly rushed to his side, demanding in a hawkish manner, "Have you discovered anything?"
As long as the other party is Yi Heye, Song Zhouzhou can withstand even if the house is blown up. He nodded and said, "I've been doing data tracking, and it seems I've detected some anomalies..."
Yi Heye's eyes lit up: "What do you mean?"
“This live stream is very likely fake,” Song Zhouzhou said.
Author's Note:
The false stumbling blocks on Mei Zong's road to success: Yi Heye and Pei Xiangjin.
The real stumbling block that caused Mei Meiyu to stumble and fall: Song Zhouzhou.
Chapter 152 (Number 152)
Yi Heye had been waiting for these words for far too long, and the air around him instantly seemed to boil over.
“If you say it’s very likely, then it’s definitely true.” Yi Heye knew Song Zhouzhou’s excessive caution all too well. “Is there any way to expose him now?”
"I need a little more time..." Song Zhouzhou said while rapidly typing on the keyboard, "Could you please find a few people to ask me a few questions in the live stream to keep him from ending the broadcast..."
Upon hearing this, Yi Heye immediately looked up and called out, "Director Li! Get a few people to stall SHEEP. Song Zhouzhou is saying this live stream is fake!"
These words exploded in the noisy crowd, instantly silencing all discussion and hesitation. Everyone stood there, stunned, not knowing what had happened.
Yi Heye didn't give these people time to react, and waved to Pei Xiangjin, who had already stood up: "Let's go!"
Without saying a word, Pei Xiangjin immediately understood and prepared to set off.
Zhou Wenkai realized something was wrong and immediately yelled, "Hey? Where are you guys going?!"
Yi Heye said without turning his head, "You guys just stay here and assist Song Zhouzhou, don't worry about us!"
Zhou Wenkai quickly chased after them, his face pale with anger: "Who gave you permission to disobey the organization's arrangements and act on your own?!"
Two violent individuals determined to leave were no match for Director Zhou, a mere office clerk with thin arms and legs. Yi Heye and Pei Xiangjin completely ignored his attempts to stop them, their speed in rushing out the door undiminished.
Zhou Wenkai's arm was almost broken from being bumped by the two men. He was furious and picked up his walkie-talkie to call for someone to stop them, but he was stopped by Director Li, who was standing next to him.
"Wen Kai, let them go," Director Li said. "I'll cover for them if anything happens."
As they spoke, Yi Heye and Pei Xiangjin had already flown downstairs.
Yi Heye jumped onto Xiaoming's back of the car first. Just as he started the engine, he turned around as if he remembered something and looked at Pei Xiangjin with wariness and disdain.
"I don't give rides in this car, you'll have to figure out how to get there yourself." Yi Heye moved back, taking up his seat so Pei Xiangjin wouldn't get a ride.
Pei Xiangjin had no intention of getting in his car, but this time she was annoyed by the guy: "...Damn it? Who the hell wants to ride in your piece of junk?!"