Chapter 13

Fiyue and Qin Yue really played the role of a couple for half a day. They held hands and strolled from the Olympic Park all the way to the Forbidden City, and Qin Yue seemed to still be enjoying it. But after the morning, Fiyue turned back into that block of dead wood that hadn't changed in a thousand years.

Fiyue, the block of dead wood, dragged his sister around for the rest of the afternoon, but the romantic atmosphere of the morning was gone because they had to look for jobs. Unfortunately, the only people willing to hire them, who were both under 16, were the auntie at the parking lot and the old man at the newspaper kiosk, and 500 yuan a month was far from Fiyue's expectations.

In the evening, the two disappointed siblings, with sore feet, sprawled on the sofa at home, looking at each other.

They were at a loss for words.

Fortunately, heaven still gave them a chance. First, Qin Yue saw an advertisement for a pianist position at S.T.A.Y. Restaurant. She lied about her age and went to the interview with a hopeful heart. Although she passed the first round, she was caught during the interview. Just as she was about to leave, the hall manager called her back. After a long explanation, Qin Yue learned that while she was playing the piano, a Frenchman from the headquarters in France was inspecting the place. The Frenchman was so captivated by her piano playing that he forgot how to walk. After the performance, the Frenchman went crazy looking for the pianist, but because of his high status, he was accompanied by senior officials. By the time the order reached Qin Yue, she was about to leave.

In the end, Qin Yue stayed at S.T.A.Y. as a temporary pianist, working 4 hours a day during the summer, with flexible hours. The hourly wage was 100 yuan, and if she wanted to work overtime, she would still be paid. This wage was low for a truly high-level pianist, but for a 16-year-old girl who was worried about saving money to buy a computer, it was a fortune. Qin Yue, of course, accepted the offer.

Then it was Fiyue's turn. He received a call from someone named Qian Lai, who said he was the older brother of the uncle who had cheated him out of the patent for the detachable stapler for 10,000 yuan a few years ago. He said the stapler was worth much more than 10,000 yuan and wanted to give Fiyue some compensation. Fiyue nonchalantly told him not to worry about it, that 10,000 yuan was fine, as it was just a casual invention. But Qian Lai took it to heart and called again the next day to ask if Fiyue had any other patents he could buy. Fiyue had quite a few strange inventions, both dangerous and not, but he hadn't applied for patents, so he refused. Perhaps Qian Lai saw Fiyue's potential, as he hoped Fiyue would work for his company. Fiyue told him he was a high school student and could only work during the summer. He thought Qian Lai would give up, but he underestimated the determination and enthusiasm of a successful businessman. In the end, Fiyue was persuaded to work as an intern researcher at Qian Lai's company, with a weekly salary of 1,000 yuan plus a 10,000 yuan bonus for each project. Fiyue didn't really expect the bonus; he was more interested in the 1,000 yuan.

When the middle school exam results came out, Fiyue scored 561, and Qin Yue scored 563. Qin Yue was proud of the 2 points she scored higher than her brother for a whole week, and her music was cheerful for a week. The direct result was that the dining speed of people eating at S.T.A.Y. increased significantly, which puzzled the market researchers.

Then Fiyue finally got to work with truly sophisticated large instruments at Qian Lai's company, which was called the "Jialong Group Life Tool Improvement Laboratory." Qian Lai was the big boss of Jialong International, who topped the list of the richest individuals in Asia last year. Jialong International was the second-largest business empire in Asia, after Maple Group, with a total economic value far exceeding the third-place Mitsubishi and fourth-place Samsung.

Jialong International focused on heavy machinery and high-precision instruments, while Maple Group focused on software, hardware, and advanced materials. Together, they supported the international market of high-tech in the country. Thanks to their existence, the country had shed its title of a major processing nation for decades and had become a leader in high-tech. In this sense, they were the pillars of the country.

Fiyue was quite excited when he learned he would be working at Jialong International. He thought he would be working on something like a mobile suit, but when he reported for duty, he found out he was responsible for improving household machinery, which disappointed him. However, this disappointment didn't last long. When he learned that each researcher had their own laboratory and he would have one too, his disappointment turned into anticipation for the laboratory and his future research life.

Thus, the two siblings spent their summer immersed in their favorite pursuits, somewhat dazed.

Both of them earned a lot of money, but the goal of buying a computer was no longer necessary. Over the two months, Fiyue designed a magical 270° total-reflection spherical prism and improved the pipeline shape of the K-type water pump, increasing its efficiency by 23%. These two projects removed the "intern" title from his position, and every full-time researcher received a large computer from Jialong Group for use at home. This powerful machine was much better than the ones on the market, though the 2-cubic-meter case was a bit large. Fortunately, there was an empty room on the second floor.

School was about to start, and Qin Yue planned to quit her job as a pianist, but the hall manager, Ms. Liu, gave her a silver card from S.T.A.Y. and told her that she was always welcome to play whenever she had time, and she would still be paid. Qin Yue, moved, played from noon until 10 p.m. on her last day, and when Fiyue picked her up, she was so tired that she fell asleep on his back.

Fiyue also submitted an application for a leave of absence from the company, and the relevant departments, already briefed by Qian Lai, gave him the green light. However, he was required to submit at least one improvement project per year, and it was no longer limited to household machinery.

Finally, the two siblings, completely relaxed, stared at the 40,000 yuan that had been added to their bank account, completely at a loss as to how to spend such a large sum of money.

"Should we buy a camera? The one at home is from 2000," Qin Yue suggested.

"That's a good idea, but I think we should first get your harp, Xiao Nu, serviced. Her strings are probably worn out," Fiyue said.

"Ah, yes," Qin Yue nodded, troubled. "But I checked, and there are no harps like Xiao Nu on the market, and I don't know how to replace the nylon strings."

"Do you know the frequency of each string?"

"Of course, I can tune them with my eyes closed."

"Then it's easy. I'll get some reinforced strings from the company tomorrow. Oh, you should come with me, I don't know if the frequency of the reinforced strings is the same as the original ones."

"Okay."

...

In the end, the 40,000 yuan wasn't spent at all because Fiyue received a camera from the company that could record experiments. It could also serve as a camera and even a brick. The pretty sister at the counter said that every researcher received one, and Fiyue hadn't gotten one because the warehouse was out of stock.

Fiyue's image, carrying nylon strings and a brick-shaped camera, made Qin Yue laugh for a while, but Fiyue didn't mind. He chose to forget about Xiao Nu until his sister finally asked him to help after two days. Fortunately, the reinforced nylon strings were still nylon strings, and after replacing the old ones, Xiao Nu's sound seemed even clearer. Fiyue said it was like a second spring for the old lady, and he was bitten by his angry sister.

After the commotion, Fiyue was put to bed by his sister. Qin Yue hadn't played for her brother for almost two months.

Looking at her sister, who seemed to radiate a sacred light, Fiyue suddenly had the urge to record this moment. He went downstairs to get the camera and recorded her performance, planning to save it on the computer to reminisce later.

But this saving led to trouble.

========================= The Line of Trouble =========================

Jialong International's computers were advanced, but that was in terms of hardware. Fiyue, a complete computer novice, had only downloaded a few recommended defense programs, including Little Red Umbrella, Little Lion, Little Box, and Little Shield. One day, he found that these programs weren't very effective.

Because a large text document suddenly appeared on his desktop, with a line of text: "Bro, the girl is nice, I took her." And the video of his sister playing the harp was deleted. Although the hacker hadn't completely deleted the video and had only moved it to the recycle bin, the message was enough to make Fiyue furious. After all, a protective brother who is angry for his sister is quite terrifying.

Fiyue decided to find the hacker. To achieve this goal, he bought a bunch of books about hacking from the bookstore. With his newfound wealth, he no longer carefully selected books as he used to with his sister; he bought anything he thought would be useful.

But the knowledge in books is static, and Fiyue soon discovered that the knowledge in the books was similar, while the methods of hacking attacks were endless. After reading the books, he still couldn't find a way to trace the hacker. Undeterred, Fiyue began to seek help from various sources. He became a diligent and curious newbie on hacker forums like Red Hacker Alliance, Green Alliance, and Chinese Hacker Alliance, and the cybersecurity department of Jialong International gained an unofficial permanent member.

Fiyue even skipped the two-week military training after the start of school. Although his sister was puzzled by his recent behavior, she trusted her brother and chose to help him, on the condition that if he didn't go, she wouldn't go either. Fortunately, the principal of Bayi High School seemed to have some influence, and with his help, Fiyue and Qin Yue easily got a two-week leave after the start of school.

With his sister's support, Fiyue's hacking skills improved rapidly. He also discovered that he had a unique talent in this area; every program he wrote was successful, and he had an inhuman insight into system vulnerabilities. This unique talent quickly made him a skilled offensive hacker. As for defense, was it important? Pulling the network cable was better than any defense program.

On a dark and windy night, Fiyue, with a sinister smile, aimed at the few clues left by the hateful hacker and launched his unique infiltration attack. The hacker, who was not a newbie, quickly realized someone was attacking him, and a fierce network battle began.

Let's leave Fiyue's struggle for a moment and see what's happening in a military family compound in the southern part of the capital. The compound, actually called the National Security Protection and Defense Department (NSPD), was unmarked.

====================== The Line of NSPD ==========================

At that moment, a hall in the NSPD was brightly lit, with a mess of colored wires on the floor. A thin, bespectacled man was furiously typing on a keyboard, sweating profusely, while a crowd watched.

"Wow, IP communication protocol, another new vulnerability, Kong Liang, block it quickly!"

"Another one, this time from the video information channel, and it's a new one. Kong Liang, who did you offend recently? Why is this guy targeting you?"

"Shut up, how should I know?" The thin man took a sip of water through a straw, never taking his eyes off the screen. "I only stole a video from a computer novice recently. Damn, this time it's the GPU. How many vulnerabilities does my computer have? What the hell is going on?" Clearly, he was already frustrated.

Although the crowd was laughing, they were also on high alert. They knew that the person who was causing trouble this time was not easy to deal with. Kong Liang's hacking skills were among the best in the NSPD, and if he couldn't handle it, they probably couldn't either.

At this moment, a 1.7-meter-tall beauty walked in from another room. Her deep blue office dress accentuated her curvy figure, and her long hair was tied up, with only two strands left loose on either side. Her features were harmoniously arranged, and at first glance, she seemed quiet, but a closer look at her eyes revealed a lively and mischievous spirit. She must be a clever girl.

"Boss." "Big Sister." "Big Sister Boss." The crowd greeted her.

"What's going on? Why are you all gathered here and making so much noise?" The beauty looked at the screen and frowned.

"Kong Liang must have done something wrong. Now someone is targeting him, and he can't hold on. The person's skills are clearly much higher than his," one of the crowd explained.

"Okay," the beauty nodded and walked over, pulling Kong Liang out of his seat and sitting down herself. A series of crisp keyboard clicks filled the room.

Kong Liang got up from the floor, looking relieved, and joined the crowd.

===================== The Line of Return ======================

On Fiyue's side, he suddenly found himself in a tough battle. The opponent's strength was much stronger, and the fierce counterattack completely disrupted his rhythm. Gradually, his advantage was reduced, equalized, and then surpassed, and he began to lose.

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Fiyue sighed and was about to pull the network cable. But at that moment, the attack stopped, and a text document suddenly appeared on the desktop. The title was just a few words.

"Can we talk?"

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