"F*ck! F*ck!"
Karl couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at his small computer screen, swearing from the bottom of his lungs.
On the screen, the bright red flag was dynamic, fluttering as if a breeze swept by.
Each flutter was like a tidal wave, crashing into Karl’s face.
It was almost suffocating him!
"This is impossible!"
Karl still couldn’t accept the outcome, "Lin Chuan’s attacks, five times in a row, have been easily intercepted by me. I fully decoded all the programs, how could he possibly break through my defenses in an instant?"
His murmured, dejected voice slowly dissipated within the cramped confines of the car.
It was late at night, the moon had set, and the stars were sinking.
The autumn air was thick and cool to such an extent that in this deserted corner, even the sound of insects was hard to hear. Only the nearby sounds of passing vehicles on the highway occasionally pierced the silence with their rushing roars.
Nobody responded to Karl.
Oh no!
His small computer responded to him!
Zzzzzt!
Without time to think too deeply, his small computer, his ’old comrade’, suddenly made a sizzling electrical noise.
The red flag on the screen was glitching, stuttering.
Zzzt—
A continuous low humming noise suddenly filled the car, causing Karl some ringing in his ears.
1, 2... less than two seconds.
The acrid smell of something burnt assailed Karl’s nostrils. He stared with wide eyes, trying to pick up the small computer.
But then, he suddenly felt a scorching heat on his leg.
In the dim night, wisps of smoke quickly seeped out from the small computer. Karl cursed ’f*ck f*ck’ while hastily opening the car door, tossing his ’old comrade’ onto the ground.
His small computer was toast!
The night shrouded in mysteries, silent and still.
The small computer’s smoke continued to spread, but fortunately, it didn’t catch fire. Since it was a suburban area, nobody noticed him either.
But at this moment, Karl had no mind to think about it.
His brain was completely blank!
Thud!
He punched the car’s hood with a heavy blow, and the hood got dented. The pain shooting through his fist brought him back to reality from the ’event of disbelief.’
He then sat back in his car, hands on the steering wheel, his expression complicated.
Anger, desolation, melancholy, confusion... perhaps all these emotions were present!
He just couldn’t fathom it.
—Where exactly did he lose?
Ring ring ring!
A phone’s ringing broke the silence. He glanced at it—it was a special number.
It was from someone at AW headquarters coordinating operations with him, a dedicated contact for cross-communication.
Sigh—
Karl let out a heavy breath and answered the call, "The flag has appeared again; have you found out why?"
On the phone, a young voice spoke with some urgency, "The computers involved in the attack on the 720 Company just now all went down, a few guys got burned from their computers catching fire. Boss, you okay?"
"I’m fine! What’s wrong with me!"
Karl immediately retorted, his tone fierce, even a little hysterical.
The young man was startled by Karl’s voice and immediately replied, "Boss, just checking you’re alright."
"What caused the computers to catch fire?"
Karl took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"We immediately sought assistance from another department. They are helping us with the analysis, the results haven’t come back—"
The youth paused as if someone was speaking to him on the other end.
After a while, he continued, "Boss, we got the results—it was because, in that instant, the opposing side breached our protective program, planted a prolific virus that replicated massive amounts of code in a short time, loading constant garbage data, causing CPU overload, so..."
"I get it!"
Karl’s face darkened, his voice weighted in gravity.
That young man asked, "Boss, what’s our next move?"
Karl thought for a moment, then replied, "First compile all the data from this network attack and defense, analyze the situation, thoroughly investigate how Lin Chuan breached our protection program in an instant!"
"Got it! Give me two days!"
The young man responded immediately.
Karl fell silent for a long while, then suddenly said, "Nevermind, don’t bother."
"Boss, why?" The young man sounded confused.
"Don’t ask too much, leave the rest to me!" said Karl with resolve.
Then, he hung up the phone.
Karl took out another phone, opened the chat with Li Qing, and sent a message: "Director Li, I took some medicine, feeling a lot better now, I’ll head back to help at the company right away!"
About five seconds later.
Li Qing replied, "Karl, the battle is already over!"
"Over?"
Karl feigned ignorance.
"It’s a pity you didn’t witness the Chairman’s divine intervention—if you had, that would definitely be an absolute highlight moment for anyone in the network security field!" Li Qing’s response was filled with praise for Lin Chuan.
But to Karl, each character was a glaring stab.
Because Lin Chuan’s divine intervention was a heavy slap in the face!
And the one slammed was Karl himself!
Karl couldn’t help but punch the steering wheel again before replying, "The Chairman is that strong? Didn’t you say it was a top hacker organization in the world?"
"Can they be stronger than the Chairman?" Li Qing was a big fan of Lin Chuan, speaking frankly.
"It’s such a pity not having witnessed the Chairman’s miraculous maneuver." Karl feigned disappointment and continued messaging, "Director Li, would you mind telling me how he defeated the hacker organization? I’m itching to know!"
"I’m afraid if I tell you, you’ll become a loyal fan of the Chairman!" Li Qing joked.
"Haha, I’m already a fan of the Chairman!"
Karl’s mouth twitched viciously several times.
F*ck!
I’m a top ten hacker in the world; how could I possibly admire him?
Even if he is the world’s number one hacker, is there a huge gap between the first and the tenth?
And!
Karl didn’t at all believe that Lin Chuan was like him, one of the world’s top ten hackers.
After all, in the circle of top hackers, each elite hacker was coveted by countless powerful forces and organizations, willing to offer unimaginable stakes!
Just completing one or two jobs could match the income of the entire 720 Network Security Company for a whole year!
This time,
even though Lin Chuan had defeated Karl once again, Karl still didn’t acknowledge Lin Chuan’s overall strength.
He thought that Lin Chuan must have a unique expertise in virus program research.
Next time, he just needed to block Lin Chuan’s virus and counterattack to completely crush him!
At that moment,
Li Qing replied, "Karl, Director Lin’s operations are hard for me to express in words. Tomorrow at the office, I’ll explain in detail how he tore through that so-called top-tier hacker organization, you’ll find it immensely beneficial!"
Karl’s mouth twitched, "Good, very good!"
The conversation ended.
Karl’s fist clenched so hard that his veins popped out!
Infuriated!
But also powerless!
On the other side,
Lin Chuan, having dealt with AW’s assault, was already back home.
For him, it was merely a trivial matter.
He didn’t need anyone or any organization to fight network battles, not even the world’s top hacker organization AW!
However, AW did respond very quickly.
After Lin Chuan breached their defense program and implanted a super virus, they immediately cut off all their servers.
A kind of resolve akin to cutting off one’s limb to save oneself!
Of course, they had to sever connections, or Lin Chuan would have wiped them out in one fell swoop.
"Thank goodness, I’ve fought many offensive and defensive battles in the Virtual World, amassed a lot of protective programs, and have many virus programs. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight."
Lin Chuan thought, sitting back in front of his computer.
At that moment.
Someone sent Lin Chuan a message immediately: "Idol, the battle this time ended even faster than the last!"
Of course, it was his ultimate fan Angelina!
She had watched the entire battle and even did a small live stream on Dark live.
The live stream was wildly popular.
The only slight regret was that it was too short—many people hadn’t even realized what was happening and hadn’t felt sorry for Lin Chuan when AW had already been defeated!
In fact, some viewers claimed that AW had already fallen from their pedestal in the top-tier hacker circles.
"I wasn’t prepared last time, so this time, fighting on my home turf, the effect was much better," Lin Chuan said with a laugh.
The first time, he had counterattacked at Little Landlady’s uncle’s internet café.
It happened abruptly.
This time, although there was some urgency at the 720 Network Security Company, Lin Chuan had prepared hundreds of programs, ready for anyone’s attack!
Bring one, deal with one!
Come, and it’s just like handing out vegetables!
"You definitely have some techniques you haven’t revealed in the novel!"
Angelina replied confidently.
Lin Chuan, half-leaning back in his chair and relaxed, allowed a smile to appear on his face, "I’ve hidden a little bit of technique."
Many techniques to be exact, not fully displayed in the Virtual World.
So, in the novel, they weren’t fully showcased either.
"Idol, how about I become your disciple?" Angelina suddenly blurted out.
Lin Chuan was taken aback, "You’re already a core member in HK, and your skills are solid, do you still need a mentor?"
"I’m serious!"
On the other side of the network, Angelina had a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Serious?" Lin Chuan laughed, feeling it was a joke among friends.
Angelina smiled, then typed out another line:
"Of course, I’m very serious!"
"You’re in North Bear, I’m in Han River; it’s not easy to teach you too much," Lin Chuan said with a laugh.
"What if I come to Han River?"
Angelina suddenly suggested.
"With your status, is it convenient for you to come to Han River?" Lin Chuan asked, with a hint of surprise on his face.
"My status is perfectly legitimate, okay? HK is kind of semi-official now, just more overt, plus I don’t do anything harmful—heaven forbid! Why wouldn’t it be convenient?" Angelina pouted slightly as she laid out a long explanation for Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan scratched the back of his head and laughed, "As long as you come, I’ll teach you."
"You said it!"
Angelina looked at Lin Chuan’s message and beamed a smile.
"HK’s business is bustling, I reckon you won’t have much free time to come to Han River," Lin Chuan laughed.
"/giggle.jpg"
Angelina just replied with an emoji.
Lin Chuan chuckled.
This Angelina was probably just joking, like friends promising to treat each other to a meal.
— I’ll treat you next time.
Next time could be postponed indefinitely, perhaps even to the next life.
The night grew deep, time to sleep.
The next day.
At the break of dawn, a hint of pale lavender gradually tinged the sky, merging with the distant, rolling hills, the mountain peaks veiled in a thin mist, ethereal and delicate, as if a scene from a subtle ink painting.
Anling was in the south.
The cool morning was devoid of northern bleakness, with the air filled with the fresh fragrance of flowers and grasses. Underneath the Zhongcheng Building stood rows of osmanthus trees, and as soon as Lin Chuan stepped out of the car, he was greeted with the rich scent of sweet osmanthus, as well as the sight of Xia Qingqing in her pale yellow long skirt.
"Qingqing."
Lin Chuan greeted.
Xia Qingqing’s eyes lit up as she hurried over, "Director Lin, I heard you won a great battle last night?"
"You guys are well-informed?" Lin Chuan was a bit surprised.
"It’s not that we’re well-informed. Last night, our Cyber Security Detachment detected a large-scale foreign IP attack on you. I was ready to support you all night. I had just gotten downstairs when I got the notice from the captain that the battle was over!" Xia Qingqing said with a beaming smile.
"Haha, thanks for the support!" Lin Chuan laughed.
With that, they stepped onto the elevator.
"By the way, do you remember the Old Street Factory District?" In the elevator, Xia Qingqing suddenly said.
"Old Street Factory District, weren’t they taken down?"
Lin Chuan frowned.
Xia Qingqing nodded and continued, "Yes, do you remember their leader Old Bao?"
"Old Bao, I remember."
"The group behind the Old Street Factory District is called the Baisheng Group."

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