And they even arrogantly said: Girls have the right to be from Dianbai!
It's one thing for SMMH to be a household name in the computer networking industry, but why are these girls from Dianbai idolizing it? And even having a fan club? Isn't that a bit ridiculous?
Er Ya said smugly, "Don't underestimate me! Who says we only follow singers and movie stars?"
Chen Xu asked carefully and found out. It turned out that a while ago, the art school teacher assigned Er Ya and the others an assignment: to choreograph a dance and perform it. While the other girls in the class were copying dance moves from the game Audition Online, Er Ya happened to be playing Jin Yong's Heroes at the time. There was a C-scene in Jin Yong's Heroes that was a scene from The Book and the Sword, where Princess Xiangxiang danced for Chen Jialuo.
The dance moves were naturally very beautiful, so Er Ya copied them directly, and in the end, she won first place in the performance.
For this reason, these young girls became madly in love with Jin Yong's martial arts novels, and from then on, they became fascinated with the mythical figure of SMMH.
Hearing this, Chen Xu tapped her again. He said, "Since you play Jin Yong's Heroes, how come you didn't know I was one of the game's developers? Shouldn't you be punished?"
Er Ya made a face at him and said, "If you don't know, you don't know! Hmph, although I knew that the game was made by a few people from your school, the ones who got the most exposure were Sister Gao Xiaojie and Sister Guan Yi. Who would care about you? You're not even handsome!"
After saying this, Chen Xu immediately felt extremely embarrassed and pretended to hit her. The little girl giggled and hid behind Tang Bixuan. Then, laughing, she pulled Tang Bixuan away. So, only Zhan Jing and Chen Xu were left.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.
When Chen Xu was alone with Zhan Jing, he always felt at a loss for words, and could only scratch his head and smile. He would say something rather pointless, "This little brat, I'm going to teach her a lesson later."
Zhan Jing smiled slightly and said, "Little girls are all like this. We were quite surprised to hear that she is actually your cousin. What a small world!"
Chen Xu chuckled, while Zhan Jing lowered her head and drew on the cake with a jam bag. After thinking for a moment, Chen Xu suddenly said, "Zhan Jing, your hacking skills are very good?"
Zhan Jing looked up, her bright eyes meeting Chen Xu's. Chen Xu shrugged and said, "This is what Gao Xiaojie said. You should know I've been active on the Red Hacker Battlefield lately. I heard you're a judge?"
Zhan Jing put down the jam bag in her hand, smiled helplessly, and said, "I knew she couldn't hide it. Hmm, my ID in the Red Hacker Alliance is Xuan Cao Jiang Li. You're ICE, right? I've seen your battles with others."
Xuancao Jiangli? Chen Xu had certainly heard of this very feminine name. There was a post she made in the Red Hacker Alliance's beginner's guide to Red Hackers!
Is Zhan Jing's skill level really that high?
So Chen Xu said, "Then find an opportunity for you to guide me. I've realized that there are really a lot of things I don't understand right now."
Zhan Jing smiled slightly and said that was no problem, then she frowned and said, "Actually, there are some things I don't understand either... Chen Xu, do you know who helped you compress the game models?"
Chen Xu's mind raced. He certainly knew who it was, but judging from Zhan Jing's tone, it seemed she knew too?
"Uh. Aren't they SMMH's friends? That's what they said themselves. Besides, I didn't see them do anything wrong. Is there a problem?"
Zhan Jingdi's expression turned serious. She said, "I don't know if my guess is true, and I don't dare to test it lightly... If it really is them, why would they help Xiaojie?"
Chen Xu tentatively asked, "What's wrong? Do you know who's helping us?"
Zhan Jing hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I guessed. Based on the name on that communicator, X. I can only think of one organization in the world that has this name and such power, a legendary organization, and their name is X."
Zhan Jing really does know X! A look of worry appeared on the girl's face as she said, "Based on what I know, X and SMMH are unlikely to be friends. I feel that their styles of doing things are very different, so it's unlikely they would become friends. I've already told Xiao Jie that it's best to have less contact with this X in the future, although I don't understand why they would help Xiao Jie."
Chen Xu deliberately asked, "What exactly is this 'X' organization? Are they terrorists?"
“They are more terrifying than terrorists.” Zhan Jing glanced at Chen Xu: “You’d better not ask this question anymore, because you won’t find any reports about this X in any mainstream media. It’s an organization that we can’t afford to mess with. So it’s better to keep a certain distance.”
Chen Xu felt a surge of satisfaction. Such a powerful organization was still completely under his thumb. So Chen Xu chuckled and said, "If they were really that powerful, why would they bother with us newbies?"
"I don't understand either, because no one can see the logic behind anything they do. But I still maintain the same advice: keep your distance from them. They're a bunch of weirdos there; they do things that ordinary people can't comprehend. Getting their attention is definitely not a good thing. They can easily push you to the top, but they can also erase you from this world at any time, without leaving a trace!"
It was rare to see Zhan Jing so serious, and Chen Xu said, "Really?"
Zhan Jing shook her head: "You haven't reached their level. You wouldn't understand. The reputation of the X organization has always been mixed. To them, ordinary human lives are like ants, easily crushed with a single step."
These words struck Chen Xu like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned.
Of course, Chen Xu was shocked not because of how powerful the X organization was... but because of himself!
From a certain height... human life seems as insignificant as an ant's...
Chen Xu asked, his voice trembling slightly, "Why is it that when they're at that level, they don't care about human lives? Are they all cold-blooded?"
Zhan Jing, oblivious to Chen Xu's unusual mood, sighed and said, "This has nothing to do with being cold-blooded. It's just that when your strength reaches a certain level, you naturally develop a feeling of looking down on all living beings. However, reaching that level is not something ordinary people can do. You have to understand that the enforcement rate of laws worldwide is at most 99.9%. There will always be a group of people at the top who are not bound by the law. And even if they wanted to, they couldn't."
Chen Xu understood; he finally understood why his mindset had changed.
This change was not sudden, but gradual... As his reputation with SMMH grew, and as he encountered a top-tier organization like X, Chen Xu's mindset naturally changed.
Indeed, his mentality is just like X's. Once his status has reached a certain level, he doesn't care much about the lives of ordinary people... especially enemies.
Chen Xu finally found the reason for his change in mindset, but he couldn't be happy.
I remember when I was drinking with Boss Wang Dong that day, he said something like, "People change, they gradually become more realistic."
Chen Xu remembers his reply at the time was: "Heh, are you going to do an internship, boss? Is that why you have so many feelings? It's okay, just think positively. Remember when we were in high school? We were all such troublemakers back then, but gradually our edges were smoothed out."
Wang Dong laughed and punched him lightly, saying, "You call that your sharp edges in high school? Let me put it this way, your sharp edges are just starting to grow now, and the four years of college are when they'll be worn down. Once you enter society, you'll find that you don't have any sharp edges left. Sigh, people always have to change."
But is this change ultimately a good thing?
In truth, Chen Xu knew in his heart that if—and I mean if—Guan Yi and Er Ya really did something, whether in the past or now, he would absolutely not let those bastards get away with it! The emperor's wrath can cause millions of corpses to float in the water; a commoner's wrath can cause blood to splatter three feet deep!
In the past, Chen Xu would have only chosen the latter option. If he really had to do it, he would probably grab a watermelon knife, go to their door, imitate that throat-slitting man, and chop those bastards to pieces! But afterwards, he would probably have to pay with his own life.
Even knowing the outcome, Chen Xu would still do it; he still had that much guts. He wouldn't be like some cowards who turn the other cheek after being slapped on the left, or whose wives are taken advantage of and who still bow and scrape, asking if the other person is satisfied.
Now, Chen Xu felt that killing them was just a matter of lifting a finger; he had countless methods at his disposal. Moreover, Chen Xu was certain that, given his SMMH identity, even if he wiped out the entire family of these scoundrels, as long as his true identity remained hidden, someone would definitely cover it up!
Chen Xu can guarantee this with absolute certainty!
Because of his SMMH status, all he has to do is tell the military: "I killed these people!" and someone will naturally take care of the aftermath... With such incredible power, he can enjoy this kind of privilege no matter which country he's in.
Therefore, Chen Xu would suddenly feel murderous intent. Moreover, he would feel that killing was perfectly justified and that he could do so with a clear conscience.
But if that's the case, would I still be myself?
Chen Xu was somewhat confused. He wasn't someone who disregarded life; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to great lengths to find a treatment for Liu Lingtian after he contracted rabies. So, for a student like him, or rather, the kind of person who was basically harmless and beneficial to society, this thought made him feel somewhat panicked.
What infuriated Chen Xu even more was that the mere thought of this matter made him feel extremely uncomfortable... Want to kill someone? That's no joke!
Luckily, Er Ya was with Guan Yi at the time, otherwise she would definitely have been taken advantage of. She was only fifteen years old! And she was his own cousin!
Furthermore, if Guan Yi hadn't been quick-witted that day, would those people have actually done it? They probably would have. They only escaped because Guan Yi discovered the two women beforehand. And those bastards, although they didn't have the chance to do it, they had the idea and wanted to carry it out… just for that, they really deserve to die… Even the law has a crime called attempted murder; it doesn't mean that someone who goes to kill someone with a knife, fails, and is subdued becomes the victim!
Therefore, Chen Xu still felt that merely breaking a few of those guys' ribs was hardly a punishment.
And when he felt he had the power to punish these guys, he became even more restless.
Seeing Chen Xu's uncertain expression, Zhan Jing asked, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
After thinking for a moment, Chen Xu recounted the events involving Guan Yi and Er Ya, and then said, "I think the lesson they learned was far too lenient. Let me put it this way, I have certain connections that could cripple these girls, and I'd like to do so, but I don't know what you'll think if I do it."
Zhan Jing frowned her beautiful brows. As a girl, she naturally knew the consequences if something like this really happened... it would probably be worse than death for her. So she asked, "What kind of punishment do you want for them?"
A hint of savagery flashed in Chen Xu's eyes as he said, "Of course we can't let them off easily. At the very least, they should be crippled to the third degree so they can spend the rest of their lives in a wheelchair!" Looking at Zhan Jing's calm eyes, Chen Xu's momentum softened as he said, "Um... don't you think I'm being too ruthless?"
Zhan Jing nodded slightly: "A little, but if you can handle the beginning and end cleanly, I don't mind if you do it."
"Huh?" Chen Xu was stunned by the answer. In his opinion, Zhan Jing should be a very gentle and kind girl. Such girls are usually afraid of trouble. Even if they are hurt, they will choose to endure and keep the peace if it is not too serious.
Zhan Jing gently brushed her hair aside and said, "I'm a girl, so I naturally know how painful it is for a girl to be victimized when something like this happens. Even if it doesn't happen, it can still be considered attempted rape. Letting these people off easily isn't a good choice; otherwise, they'll forget the pain once the wound heals, and more girls will be hurt." She paused, then continued calmly, "However, I'm not foolish enough to expect you to resolve everything through legal channels, especially something like this. Without evidence, it's better to settle privately. Although I don't want you to get involved in this kind of trouble, Mingmei is your cousin, and it's probably impossible for you, as her brother, to sit idly by. So, I can only give you this advice: don't give them any leverage."
After saying that, the girl winked mischievously.
Chapter 141 Opening
Chen Xu had always thought that Zhan Jing was a gentle and tender woman. Compared to Gao Xiaojie, who was like a wildcat, she was probably more like a girl from the Jiangnan water towns.
However, Chen Xu only realized today that he was wrong, and quite terribly wrong at that.
This woman appears quiet, but in reality, she's like a Spartan woman who, as her husband and son go to battle, hands them a shield and says, "If you don't win, I'd rather you come back lying down!"
Chen Xu finally understood the lyrics... It turns out that every girl is extraordinary!
So Chen Xu said somewhat dejectedly, "Girls probably don't like guys who are violent and pick fights, right?"
Zhan Jing smiled slightly: "Generally speaking, I would naturally dislike it, but it depends on the occasion. If you only have a verbal altercation with someone, and then you call someone over and beat them up so badly they end up in the hospital, I have a lot of contempt for that kind of person, because they don't know their own strength and are petty and narrow-minded. But in the kind of situation you just described, if you don't take action, I would think you're not a man."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu smiled, a very happy smile.
This was a girl with strong opinions, not the quiet, trouble-averse type he had previously imagined. And it was precisely because of her words that Chen Xu's inner conflict was instantly resolved.
Yes, some people deserve to be punished, but why hesitate to punish them when you have the power to do so? Those bastards who tried to take advantage of Guan Yi and Er Ya—if they succeeded, who would suffer the consequences? What if we teach them too little, and they forget the pain once the wound heals and go on to harm other girls?
Of course, Chen Xu had no interest in the messy things that happened in this circle. He'd heard too many stories about girls who didn't know how to respect themselves or who just made a living off their bodies, so he naturally didn't want to get involved. There's nothing wrong with things that are consensual, but some people who resort to underhanded tactics deserve to be condemned!
This is a matter of degree.
A real man should have a broad mind. Someone who threatens to wipe out an entire family over a trivial argument is an idiot! But if someone actually does something like that and remains indifferent, then that person is a coward!
Chen Xu's mood immediately improved.
The knot in his heart had been untied, yes. He now vaguely felt a sense of "superiorness," but this feeling hadn't fundamentally changed him. Enough was enough; there was no need to endure any longer. If it came to the point of action, what was wrong with using his current status to intervene? Even if it meant killing someone… of course, whether or not to kill would be a matter for later. But what was wrong with teaching them a lesson?
Stay true to yourself. Do what you're supposed to do. If someone bullies those around me, then there's no need to be polite when it comes to retaliating!
Having figured this out, Chen Xu felt much better. He nodded gratefully to Zhan Jing to show that he understood, and she gave him a faint, encouraging smile. Chen Xu called Guan Yi over and said, "Where are those people who tried to take advantage of you and Er Ya last time? Give me their names and identities."
Guan Yi was taken aback and said, "Are you ever going to stop? Didn't I already say it was fine?"
"We can't just break a few ribs and call it a day!" Chen Xu said sternly. "They need to stay in the hospital for at least a year or two. Don't worry. I won't kill anyone. We'll just find someone to break their limbs now, and then break them again three months later when the bones have healed. We'll keep doing this for two or three years."
Guan Yi rolled his eyes at him and said, "How come you're even more ruthless than me?"
Chen Xu said, "A petty person is no gentleman, and a ruthless person is no true man. I now realize that these two sayings can really be put together! Okay, never mind that, give me those names, or I'll go ask Er Ya."
Guan Yi stopped him, saying, "Alright, alright, really, you don't need to go. Hey, let me finish. If you beat them up again now, I guarantee they'll be meeting their maker right away." Then, Guan Yi became a little embarrassed and said, "Those guys have been in the intensive care unit for three months and haven't come out yet, so..."
"So?" Chen Xu broke out in a cold sweat and said, "How heavy a blow did you use?"
Guan Yi said, "I really didn't hit them very hard. There were four of them in total, and I broke two ribs in each of them. A beer bottle was smashed in their foreheads. That's all I did. At most, they'll suffer mild concussions and fractures. But my dad..."
Chen Xu said "Oh," realizing it was Grandpa Guan.
Looking at the old man's imposing, unassuming demeanor, Chen Xu could imagine how furious he must have been upon learning that his daughter had almost been taken advantage of. No wonder those guys had stayed in the ICU for three days straight. Chen Xu remarked, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Guan Yi pinched him and said, "If they had said that earlier, wouldn't you think I have violent tendencies?"
Chen Xu broke out in a cold sweat. Before he figured this out, he might have thought that way, but now he smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll fully support you. With guys like this, you can't show any mercy!"
Truly, a petty person is no gentleman, and a ruthless person is no real man! What kind of man acts if he is timid and hesitant?
At this moment, Guan Yi said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about such unpleasant things. Um, the performance is about to start, aren't you going to come and join the fun?"
show?
Curious, Chen Xu followed them out and discovered that a rather large wooden platform had been erected in front of the shop, with a large stereo system brought in next to it. Chen Xu sweated a bit and asked, "What's going on here?"