Wang Yidong said, "Yes, even 720 might not be able to find all the vulnerabilities. The real experts plug the vulnerabilities themselves. I never thought you had this skill. You've been hiding your true abilities."
Zhao Qiang blushed. "President Wang, this was actually an accident. The 720 works very well; it must be thanks to it." How could Zhao Qiang dare to admit it? That would expose the strange chip, and Wang Yidong, that big mouth, would never keep it a secret for Zhao Qiang. What if some research institute came and said, "This is ours; please return it to us"? Wouldn't Zhao Qiang be dumbfounded? Just now, he was happily envisioning using Xiao Wei to create a wonderful life as a genius repairman.
Wang Yidong chuckled: "If 720 had worked well, the previous groups wouldn't have returned empty-handed, and Zhang Chunjiang wouldn't have been so angry that he wouldn't have stopped going to work. Alright, Xiao Zhao, I won't ask anymore. Let's go. I won't treat you badly in the future. Do a good job."
Since Zhang Chunjiang didn't work all day, the night shift that was supposed to be shared by two people became Zhao Qiang's alone. This was good, as Zhao Qiang could browse the internet. He hadn't been to an internet cafe in all his years of college. Now, he was surfing the internet all by himself in a luxuriously decorated space of several dozen square meters, and he even had a two-megabit connection all to himself. That felt much cooler than being in an internet cafe.
Zhao Qiang is conflicted. On one hand, he trusts Xiao Wei and believes that the computer she repaired shouldn't have any problems. On the other hand, he doesn't believe it either. The data of Shiwu Finance Company is so important. If they suffer losses again because of his deception, the kind-hearted Zhao Qiang can't live with himself.
After thinking it over, Zhao Qiang decided to ask someone knowledgeable. He had taken screenshots of the scan beforehand, and all the data on them was complete. Although Zhao Qiang couldn't understand them, someone knowledgeable would surely understand. However, since it concerned hacking knowledge, Zhao Qiang wouldn't look for ordinary forums. He searched on Baidu and somehow clicked on a hacking knowledge website with only one word: "hacking".
Volume 1 [010] One Family's Joy, Another Family's Sorrow
Seeing that the website didn't have much traffic, Zhao Qiang figured that big websites might not have experts, and sometimes the more experts are, the more they like to show off. So Zhao Qiang just randomly registered an ID called 'Dark Night Legend'. Actually, he wanted to call it Black Night Legend, but the system wouldn't approve it. Later, he saw a post and realized that it was an administrator account.
The name "Dark Legend" wasn't meant to imply that Zhao Qiang was particularly cool; it was simply the name of a movie he had recently watched. It had no other meaning; it was just the word "dark" that immediately came to mind.
Zhao Qiang posted a thread titled "Newbie Seeking Advice," attaching a screenshot of the scan. This alone took him over half an hour; he knew very little about the internet and was figuring it out entirely on his own. In the thread, he asked experienced users for guidance on whether the scan result meant the other computer was truly hackable. Zhao Qiang then waited online. Because he was afraid Xiao Wei would misunderstand his distrust, he used the company's demo unit for internet access. After posting, Zhao Qiang went into the repair room, opened his laptop, and plugged in the network cable for Xiao Wei, as she had previously mentioned needing to be connected to the internet regularly to connect her to the outside world.
After chatting with his pet cat for a while, Zhao Qiang heard someone open the door and come in. He went out of the repair room to greet the guest. The person looked at the computer and left. Zhao Qiang then checked his post to see if anyone had replied. However, after refreshing the page, he saw two replies. This made Zhao Qiang furious. It wasn't that someone had found a problem, but rather that they were cursing the poster for being crazy.
"The original poster is an idiot, using photoshopped pictures to deceive people."
"Upon examination, the original poster (OP) is an idiot from Mars."
Zhao Qiang's hands trembled with anger. Were the quality of small websites really that bad? Zhao Qiang considered seeking help again on larger websites, but he was still furious. He casually replied, "Whoever photoshopped this, may their whole family die!" Then Zhao Qiang closed his browser, losing all interest in seeking help on other websites. Little did he know that the Red Star scanner could indeed detect system vulnerabilities. Given the date of his screenshot and the version of Red Star scanner he used, it was impossible for it not to have detected vulnerabilities, unless the machine had been patched by an expert. But there might not be one or two such experts in China, and even if they did, they wouldn't be foolish enough to post and boast. No wonder people criticized him for using photoshopped pictures to mock others.
If Zhao Qiang were to scan the sample machine again, he would surely find a flaw, but he was in no mood to deal with it anymore. He returned to the repair room to continue chatting with the cat. Anyway, Wang Yidong would take care of everything. At most, the financial company would recover 3,000 yuan in compensation, while he would only have to return 300 yuan in bonus. What was the big deal?
With a creak, the shop door was pushed open. Zhao Qiang peeked out and saw Ma Xiaohua. He glanced at his watch and said, "Sister Ma, you're not here for the early shift, are you? The late shift hasn't ended yet."
Ma Xiaohua's usual smiling face was gone. She said, "What's the point of going to work? It's infuriating! Zhao Qiang, come with me to a hotel!"
Zhao Qiang was so frightened that he quickly retreated into the repair room. Ma Xiaohua was amused by his actions and said, "I just had a fight with my husband. You go ahead and do your work. I'll go online for a while." As she spoke, Ma Xiaohua picked up the sample machine mouse that Zhao Qiang had just turned on, clicked for a few minutes, and then, probably worried about her child at home, threw the mouse down and said to Zhao Qiang in the repair room, "I'm going home to continue arguing with that jerk. You watch the shop."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, Sister Ma, I think you shouldn't be angry anymore. How can a couple not quarrel? Taking a step back will make everything better."
Ma Xiaohua said, "Fine, I'll listen to you, but that bastard has to give way!" With that, Ma Xiaohua stormed off again. Zhao Qiang returned to the repair shop but hadn't even sat down when the shop door was pushed open again. This time it wasn't Ma Xiaohua who had returned, but Zhang Chunjiang, who reeked of alcohol.
Zhao Qiang hurriedly came out to greet him. After all, Zhang Chunjiang was his mentor. "Engineer Zhang, what brings you here? I'll be on duty tonight."
Zhang Chunjiang shoved Zhao Qiang and said drunkenly, "Zhao Qiang, you...you fixed the finance company's computer?"
Zhao Qiang nodded and said, "I guess so. So far, they haven't called to say what the problem is."
Zhang Chunjiang said, "I...I don't believe it! How...how did you do that?"
Zhao Qiang's heart tightened. He couldn't let Zhang Chunjiang know about Xiao Wei, otherwise his laptop would be in danger. After all, most of the parts were "gifts" from Zhang Chunjiang. Besides, having a repair assistant like Xiao Wei would definitely anger Zhang Chunjiang. He absolutely couldn't let him know.
"I... I didn't do much. I just did what Boss Wang said and installed 720 antivirus software." Zhao Qiang did indeed install the software on the finance company's computers, so he wasn't lying, and he said it with a bit of confidence.
Zhang Chunjiang shoved Zhao Qiang: "Who are you trying to fool? If 720 can solve the problem, even dogs can chat with people. I know exactly how capable you are. The vulnerability that the hacker used to attack the finance company is currently unsolvable. Why am I so unlucky? The hacker stopped attacking as soon as you arrived. I guarded the place all morning and couldn't stop him. This is so unfair!"
After saying this, Zhang Chunjiang suddenly burst into tears. It seemed that he was in a bad mood, and even a setback made him like this. Zhao Qiang, on the other hand, had no ulterior motives. Zhang Chunjiang's crying made him feel bad, as if he had taken away something precious. Reluctantly, he took out three red bills and said, "Engineer Zhang, don't cry. I'll give you the bonus that Boss Wang gave you. Please stop crying. It wouldn't look good if someone came in and saw us."
Zhang Chunjiang pushed away the three red bills Zhao Qiang offered, "I don't want them! I don't need the money! I'm just lonely..."
Zhang Chunjiang lay on the display stand, sobbing uncontrollably. Zhao Qiang didn't know how to comfort him. In truth, Zhang Chunjiang's condition was partly his fault, but Zhao Qiang had no other choice at the time, which put him in a difficult position. After trying to persuade him for a while, Zhang Chunjiang didn't improve; instead, he became even more impulsive. Zhao Qiang could only return to the repair room and let Zhang Chunjiang calm down by himself.
Although Zhao Qiang was hiding in the repair room, he didn't dare to use the laptop openly. Afraid of being discovered by Zhang Chunjiang, he closed the screen and put it into standby mode. He listened to the sounds outside. After Zhang Chunjiang cried a few times and there was no response, he stopped. Then he clicked the mouse randomly for about ten minutes before pushing open the shop door and leaving. Only then did Zhao Qiang breathe a sigh of relief. He had offended this nominal master this time, and he wouldn't have a good time in the future.
"Xiao Wei, come out, let's continue our chat." The surroundings finally quieted down, and Zhao Qiang opened his screen to summon the adorable cat. Thank goodness for it, otherwise how would he pass the lonely night shift?
"Xiao Wei, Xiao Wei," Zhao Qiang patted the laptop, but there was no response. Zhao Qiang's head buzzed. Oh no, Xiao Wei is gone! Could it be because the highly intelligent program that he plugged in the network cable ran along the cable?
Zhao Qiang grabbed the network cable and started searching along it. He was desperate and grasping at straws. Xiao Wei was his guarantee of a happy life. This highly intelligent cat could help him fix his computer. In just over a day, it had easily earned Zhao Qiang three hundred yuan, and the profits it generated for Wang Yidong were even more considerable. If it disappeared, Zhao Qiang would feel like banging his head against the wall.
"Master, what are you doing?" A kitten's voice suddenly sounded from the laptop. Zhao Qiang threw down the network cable and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You finally came out. I thought you ran away!"
Xiao Wei was both amused and exasperated: "Master, I was just looking at information on the internet in this world. My program is designed to allow me to drift off, you know. How could I possibly run away? I can't leave that chip. Besides, even if I did run away, how could you find me through the network cable?"
Zhao Qiang chuckled awkwardly, "Isn't it just that I'm worried sick? You... won't leave me, will you? My future happiness depends entirely on you."
Xiao Wei said, "No, unless you throw me away."
“Of course not, I’ll dream about having you with me,” Zhao Qiang said. Then he asked, “What if someone else uses my computer? Would you help them?”
Xiao Wei said, "Master, it's not as simple as you think. I've already scanned your information. If the user doesn't match the comparison in the database, I won't appear on my own. Do you think I'm a free volunteer?"
Zhao Qiang patted his chest: "That puts my mind at ease. Let's continue our conversation. You said you can also repair hardware, how did you do that?"
Xiao Wei said, "There are two problems that are troubling me when it comes to hardware repair. One is the method, because I am missing a lot of parts, so the old methods are definitely not working, so I need to find another way. The other is the energy problem. If it is just a simple repair or modification, this power adapter can still handle it, but if the repair or modification area is large, it will not be able to withstand it."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Is there a solution? Or can I get you a better power adapter?"
Xiao Wei said, "There's no need to replace it, because all laptop power adapters in this world are pretty much the same. I'm considering controlling the molecular structure of external hardware by releasing energy to achieve the purpose of repair or modification, but I've lost too much data, and I can only recall it little by little based on the data left over from the chip's operation, so it will take some time; as for the energy problem, I think I can accumulate it, that is, store the energy in my chip in normal times, and release it when needed, so as to avoid the problem of insufficient power from the power adapter."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's so profound. I need time to slowly digest what you're saying, but as long as you don't leave me, none of this matters. In the future, when I open my own shop, we'll make big money every day just like Wang Yidong!"
Volume 1 [011] Wang Yidong Makes Extra Money
In the dead of night, Zhao Qiang, a boy in dormitory 404, was sleeping soundly when Luo Xiaowei, a girl in dormitory 404 across the way, was woken up by her phone. A text message had arrived: "Xiaowei, please help me find out who was online at Home Inn Computer Company at 7:56 pm on September 20th. We can talk about the specific reason later online."
Luo Xiaowei glanced at the time on her phone; it was already 1 a.m. on September 21st. After thinking for a moment, she typed a text message: "Let's chat online now. I'll turn my phone on right away, otherwise I won't be able to sleep soundly tonight."
She quietly got up. It wasn't too cold in September, so Luo Xiaowei only wore a nightgown, her cleavage barely concealed. She looked sexy sitting at the table, opened her laptop, logged into QQ, and typed two words to her friends: "Go ahead and say it."
The other party sent a website link first. Luo Xiaowei clicked on it and took a look. At first, she didn't think much of it, but with her intelligence, she quickly discovered the problem and asked the other party, "Are you sure this screenshot hasn't been photoshopped?"
"Yes, I've checked it repeatedly. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth investigating."
Luo Xiaowei said, "There is indeed something strange. The Red Star scanning software is definitely effective. The fact that the system did not detect those three vulnerabilities means that an expert has patched them. And according to you, one of the patches is currently unsolvable."
The other party said, "That's why I asked you to investigate. Currently, I can only find that the picture was sent from a computer belonging to a company called Rujia Computer Company. The boss's name is Wang Yidong. Please help me find the person who sent the picture. I think having him join the 'black' website will definitely be beneficial to the website's future development."
Luo Xiaowei said, "Okay, but such an expert might not be willing to join your website. I don't think the chances are very high."
Zhao Qiang, who had received bonuses for two consecutive days, skipped class on Tuesday and arrived at the company early in the morning. To his surprise, he found that Wang Yidong was already there, even earlier than Ma Xiaohua! This was unprecedented.
Zhao Qiang pushed open the door and entered: "Good morning, Mr. Wang."
Wang Yidong was fiddling with the surveillance host. He was naturally worried about leaving such a large business in the shop, so 24-hour monitoring was a must. While reviewing last night's records, Wang Yidong said, "Go to the repair shop and get a motherboard battery. That Zhang Chunjiang, I asked him to replace the surveillance host battery last time, and he still hasn't done it. Look at this ridiculous time, not a single one is right. Daytime is marked as nighttime, and nighttime is marked as daytime. He really disappoints me!"
Zhao Qiang went to the repair room to get the motherboard battery. Wang Yidong turned off the monitoring host and opened the case. "Zhao, do a good job. I see that you seniors don't have much to do in your studies. Come and work for me full-time. I'll pay you 2,200 a month."
Zhao Qiang was naturally happy, but he knew his own abilities very well. He couldn't openly discuss using Xiao Wei for repairs, as it would be difficult to do it full-time. So Zhao Qiang said, "President Wang, thank you for your appreciation, but I think it's better to wait until I get my diploma. Maybe one day the school will be stricter, and then I won't be able to skip classes to work so easily."
Wang Yidong didn't force the issue and said, "Okay, let's do it like this for now. Don't worry about the salary, I won't treat you unfairly." As he spoke, Wang Yidong removed the battery from the motherboard, installed the new battery, and then booted up the computer to load the BIOS default settings. He also changed the time and ran the monitoring software after entering the system.
"This is really strange. Someone actually offered a high price to buy our surveillance footage from last night. Are they out of their mind?" Wang Yidong said as he copied files to the USB drive. He finished in a few seconds, unplugged the USB drive, and said, "I'm going to earn some extra money. You take care of the shop."
Someone bought the CCTV footage from Home Inn Computer Company last night? What's the purpose? Zhao Qiang thought about it for a few minutes but couldn't figure it out. Anyway, he hadn't done anything wrong last night, so he wasn't afraid of anyone checking the CCTV footage. Zhao Qiang put the question out of his mind and started cleaning. Not long after, Ma Xiaohua arrived. Seeing her smug look on her face, he guessed that her husband had really given in last night. Less than half an hour later, Zhang Chunjiang surprisingly came to work early, but he didn't say a word and went into the repair room, ignoring the two people outside.
Meanwhile, Wang Yidong was making a transaction with someone, and no matter how hard Zhao Qiang racked his brains, he would never have guessed that the other party was actually Luo Xiaowei from the same school! Wang Yidong took out a USB drive and threw it over, saying, "It's all in here, pay up."
Luo Xiaowei is tall and slender, with a ponytail, wearing a designer sportswear outfit and a small bag slung over her shoulder. She opened the bag, took out a small laptop, turned it on, plugged in a USB drive, and said, "Of course I want to inspect the goods."
Wang Yidong didn't care. It was just a video file with no real value anyway. He could record it for her every day if she needed it. He only glanced at it before Luo Xiaowei frowned: "What's going on? The times marked on it are all wrong!"
Wang Yidong shrugged: "I'm sorry, Ms. Luo, the battery on the monitoring host motherboard has been dead for a while. I'm too lazy to change the time every time I turn it on, so this is how it is. Please bear with it. But don't worry, I replaced the battery and calibrated the time this morning. The time will definitely be accurate if you need this kind of video again in the future. And I can give you a 20% discount for bulk orders."
The security camera was pointed directly at the sample machine used for internet access last night. Luo Xiaowei could only see three people operating the machine, but the specifics of their actions were obscured by their backs, and the time was also out of order, making it impossible to deduce who they were from the posting times. If the security camera hadn't had its motherboard battery replaced and its time calibrated, she could have used the current time on the camera to calculate the exact time the three people used the sample machine last night, but now all evidence seemed to be gone.
Seeing that Luo Xiaowei's pretty face was somewhat distorted, Wang Yidong hurriedly said, "Miss Luo, you're not planning to back out, are you?"
Luo Xiaowei copied the file to her laptop, unplugged the USB drive, took out her wallet, counted out five hundred yuan, and handed it to Wang Yidong. "OK, we're even now. I hope you can keep this a secret."
Wang Yidong chuckled as he accepted the money. "Don't worry, anyone who's willing to pay is my customer. Customers come first!"
Wang Yidong happily hopped on his electric scooter and left, while Luo Xiaowei was dejected. She returned to her dorm, turned on her computer, went online, and then sent the video to the other party. Of course, she didn't forget to explain the time issue and grumble about how much she felt sorry for the 500 yuan.
The other party replied, "How can we calculate that? All three of them are suspects now."
Luo Xiaowei replied, "I asked a friend this morning. Home Inns Computer Company's technology and financial strength are not very good. Although Wang Yidong has been running a computer company for some years, he is very cunning, but his technology is very average. He definitely doesn't have the ability to patch the operating system himself."
"Hehe, the boss wasn't even here last night, so he's definitely out of the running."
Luo Xiaowei continued her analysis: "Ma Xiaohua is the type who is all looks and no brains. Her understanding of computers is limited to sales. Technically, she is a complete novice. She is only one level better than the average user."
"Hehe, Xiaowei, you have a prejudice against people with big breasts. Are you implying that you're talking about me?"
Luo Xiaowei said, "How could I dare? There are only two people left now. One is Zhang Chunjiang, a technician at Home Inns Computer Company, and the other is Zhao Qiang, a part-time worker from our school. It seems that he doesn't know much about computers. I heard that he can't even make ends meet. He is the only person in the dormitory without a computer and never goes to internet cafes. So I suspect that the person who posted this might be Zhang Chunjiang."
"Your analysis is very insightful. I'll leave it to you then. I'll reward you handsomely once it's done."
Luo Xiaowei said, "Forget about the reward, just stop sighing in front of me. Why did you have to start a website? Aren't you just asking for trouble? Fine, I'll skip class today so you can do the investigation. Are you satisfied now?"
Volume 1 [012] Luo Xiaowei's Charm
At Home Inns computer store, Zhao Qiang and Ma Xiaohua were working together to persuade a customer. After more than an hour of relentless persuasion, the customer finally succumbed and obediently took out 4,600 yuan to buy a Lenovo mid-range computer. These days, computers costing 5,000 or 6,000 yuan are rare. After all, the speed was sufficient, and there was no need to waste resources unnecessarily.
Watching Zhang Chunjiang with a stern face go home with the customer to install and debug the equipment, Ma Xiaohua and Zhao Qiang clapped hands: "Done! I'll treat you to lunch."
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't you need to go home and cook for your husband anymore?"
Ma Xiaohua said, "From now on, I won't tolerate his bad behavior anymore. He'll handle it himself!"
Around 11 o'clock, Ma Xiaohua went out to buy groceries: a plate of dried green beans, a plate of braised pork, a plate of stir-fried lotus root slices, a plate of spicy pig ears, two bottles of beer, and three steamed buns. The aroma of the food was irresistible, and Zhao Qiang's mouth watered as he ate.
Ma Xiaohua tidied up her desk, spread out a newspaper, laid out the food, and handed Zhao Qiang a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks, saying, "Don't be shy with me, or I'll get mad at you. The beer is for you, and you can have two steamed buns. How about that? You've completed the task, haven't you?"
Zhao Qiang felt a little embarrassed about being offered free food and drinks, but Ma Xiaohua was a very outgoing person, and if he tried to be polite with her, he would definitely get scolded, so Zhao Qiang didn't say anything. However, since he was new to the job and didn't know much about drinking, he asked, "Sister Ma, is it safe to drink this during work hours? It wouldn't be good if Boss Wang found out."
Because the computer company doesn't close at noon, eating in class is allowed, but there are no rules about whether drinking is allowed or not. Zhao Qiang is afraid of being criticized or even losing his job, which is why he hesitated.
Ma Xiaohua said, "If I say it's okay, then it's okay. Besides, aren't you enjoying yourself with Boss Wang lately? What's a little drink? Just don't get drunk and affect your work this afternoon."
Although Zhao Qiang didn't drink every few days like his classmates, he was in good health and could easily drink three or four bottles of beer. With the assurance of Ma Xiaohua, who was at the vice president level, Zhao Qiang ate and drank to his heart's content. The two were busy eating and drinking when Zhang Chunjiang pushed the door open with a creak. Zhao Qiang, with a piece of braised pork stuffed in his mouth and a beer bottle in his hand, stood there stunned for a moment. What was Zhang Chunjiang up to? It was almost midnight, and according to usual, he should have been home for dinner long ago.
Ma Xiaohua casually beckoned, "Engineer Zhang, come and have some. There's a bottle of wine I'll leave for you."
Zhang Chunjiang's face looked even worse than in the morning. He hesitated for a few seconds before finally walking over, grabbing a beer, and Zhao Qiang hurriedly helped him open the bottle cap. Zhang Chunjiang then gulped it down!
Ma Xiaohua was taken aback, then asked, "What's wrong, Engineer Zhang? Is something on your mind?"
Zhang Chunjiang coughed twice, forced to stop, and said with red eyes, "Sister Ma, tell me, what did I do to deserve this? Why have you been so unlucky lately? Okay, I guess I'm just unlucky about the things at the finance company, getting tricked by that damn hacker. But just now, I ran into a woman who also tried to fool me, saying some website was doing a survey and that she'd treat me to dinner if I cooperated. I'll go to hell with her! After I filled out the survey form, she said she had something come up and just disappeared. Am I, Zhang Chunjiang, really that unlikable? Does she think she can deceive my fragile feelings just because she's pretty? I've never genuinely liked a girl before. Does she have absolutely no respect for me?"