Ss1 Part2

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

“Don’t be evil.”

By the time Xiang Chen understood Google’s infamous motto, it was already too late. (TL: Apparently, this really was Google’s motto. I live under a rock, so I had no idea.)

He had constructed more than half of the infrastructure supporting the dark web by the tender age of 17, and he still holds the contact information to several private arms dealers. Currently, he was studying how to integrate AI into a certain country’s missile system. The latest program sent to “0” will enable clients to bypass government radars and sneak into certain countries without raising any flags. This was all in preparation for an upcoming mass genocide.

“Sow evil seeds, reap evil fruit. The seeds were not planted by me, and the fruits were not eaten by me.” He took a sip of milk then bit into a slice of supermarket bread. Lounging in a simple T-shirt and shorts, the youth looked at the three obtrusive words emblazoned across his monitor.

“Therefore, I have done no evil,” he rationalized to himself.

The tender-looking youth moved his mouse to close the strange pop-up screen.

He was just a tool. With or without him, the world would still revolve around the same axis. If they didn’t use him, they’d just use someone else—there were thousands of tools at their disposal waiting to see the light of day (TL: more like the dark of night).

—Tools did not need judgment. Good and evil had no meaning for them.

Xiang Chen’s IQ was off the charts—his thought processes were extremely rational. His one and only desire was to reach the perfect solution. He will design programs and set up servers for any organization just to challenge himself. All he ever wanted in life was to solve more mysteries and explore new heights—he wanted to reach places no man had ever reached before.

Money was of no consequence to him, and he didn’t care about the repercussions. He could be sent to the deepest circle of hell, as long as it was interesting, he wouldn’t even bat an eye.

He just wanted more tasks—new tasks that can push his boundaries. If he could garner just a little satisfaction, that would be enough for him.

Even if the satisfaction was only momentary, it would still be better than nothing.

To hell with what their purposes were.

He had lived in abject boredom and emptiness for far too long. Mundane day-to-day life could not fill his inner void. The thought of living another day like that terrified him.

However, as he took on more and more tasks, they began to become more and more repetitive. He could feel boredom steadily encroaching again.

In the closed-off basement room, the teenager’s fingers flew across his keyboard.

A dialogue box suddenly popped up in the middle of the computer screen.

0: Reroute through multiple IP addresses.

0: Your dad has been looking everywhere for you. I was almost caught by some of his men just now.

17: Why the fuck is he looking for me? I have so many major indictments hanging over my head; does he want to throw away his civil career?

0: How do I know??

0: It’s a good thing I picked you up.

0: We’ve known each other for many years, so I’ll remind you out of goodwill,

0: The organization will not give you a chance to leak any secrets.

0: I don’t want to have to be the executioner.

0: You be careful, and behave yourself.

Xiang Chen’s fingers paused on the keyboard. His eyelids shuttered, concealing his gleaming pupils.

He had never met 0 in person. They had connected by chance on the internet.

Before that life-changing encounter, he was just a normal child. He had studied in school and received average grades—the kind that would neither attract beatings from his parents nor give them unrealistic expectations.

The only caveat was that his entire existence was a big boredom fest: life was boring, school was boring, and his family was even more boring.

From a young age, the youth had very little desire. He was confident that nothing in life could ever give him any pleasure or make him feel otherwise. The speed at which he learned was too fast. He could easily master anything he encountered. Nothing could ever hold his interest for long.

Life was so boring.

Until he met 0.

At the time, he had just begun to program. It was unthinkable, but there had been a problem he was unable to solve. So, he turned to the internet for advice. 0 responded on a whim and discovered his extraordinary intelligence. The rest was history.

At the time, his father was busy with running his bureaucratic office and neglected his family. His mother was easy-going and wasn’t too strict on him. She even asked him to call an unfamiliar fitness coach, “Uncle”.

Then came 0. He was only a few years older, but he gave him recognition, encouragement, and guidance in programming until he was proficient enough to stand on his own two feet. Eventually, he even surpassed 0, who was once known as the industry legend and had dominated the entire internet sphere.

He was still young then, but he was faced with one of the biggest tests in life: he had climbed the top of his profession; there was no one to guide him and no one to tell him how to proceed; he had grown too fast… Where could he go from here?

Without realizing it, he was descending deeper and deeper into the abyss.

TL Woes:

See y’all again later tonight… We’ll be back to our usual 😉 programming.

XX Umi Yuki

Other resources: Character List

Like this:Like Loading...