Claude stopped typing and rubbed his sore fingers, smiling.
"What a tough battle!"
The Chinese hackers had performed well. After all, it was the homeland of the legendary Queen's. Their computing skills were impressive, but the national strength disparity was still evident.
"Claude, we won."
A message popped up on his screen from a fellow top-tier hacker in America.
"Yes, we did!" he replied, glancing at his watch. It was midnight in China.
"The divine hacker didn't show up this time."
Claude could almost see the disappointed look on his partner's face. He felt the same. Besides avenging their previous humiliation, their greatest curiosity was challenging the identity of that mysterious hacker.
"Seems like he isn't from China after all. Maybe some radical American, haha," Claude laughed.
"Who knows what the government is up to. I think he's one of our own," his partner agreed.
"It must be America targeting another communist country," another hacker chimed in.
The conversation quickly turned to the mysterious hacker. The more they discussed, the more excited they became, unanimously believing it to be the former hacker god Kevin Mitnick or his apprentice.
Their logic made sense.
American computing had long surpassed global standards, especially with the advent of the fifth-generation computer.
If China could produce a famed hacker like Queen's a decade ago, it stood to reason that America could produce an even greater hacker now, right?
They chatted merrily, even planning to meet up for champagne to celebrate.
But then, something unexpected happened.
All their attacks vanished in an instant. All data reverted to its original state. The American hackers, on the brink of final victory, suddenly found things spiraling out of control.
Countless attack scripts disappeared. Previously conquered websites were restored. Even the "Lover's Kiss" virus, their proud creation for this mission, was automatically eradicated by the computers.
It was as if someone was controlling everything.
Claude and his team frantically typed away, but their screens froze, unresponsive to any commands.
A single message appeared on the screen, leaving them dumbfounded.
"You know what? It's rude to disturb others' sleep. It's very late here in China."
Claude was stunned.
What was happening????
...
The multimedia classroom was filled with an air of disbelief. Students blinked their eyes hard, afraid it was an illusion, a dream!
"Ouch!" A student screamed after being pinched hard by someone nearby.
It wasn't a dream!!
The building erupted in cheers.
"God! God… God really appeared…"
"Oh my God, is this real?"
"Praise be to God!!!"
The students shouted wildly.
"Is this really God? This is unbelievable. He showed up and immediately dealt with the American hackers," Michael Fang said, dumbfounded. Just moments ago, they had been on the verge of collapse, yet with the appearance of that hacker, everything was instantly restored.
It was as if the nearly four-hour-long hacker war had been a ridiculous illusion.
Could tens of thousands of hackers not compare to his single move?
It truly was the work of God.
Maybe because of this miraculous recovery, the hackers no longer questioned how God had done it. They just flooded the internet with praises for God, expressing their ecstatic feelings, even though none of their commands were being executed. The screen only displayed one active data.
That was the hacker known as "God."
"Chinese hackers, you did well. To hold out until midnight against America's fifth-generation computer, you did not disappoint me!"
"I didn't want to step in, but your perseverance moved me!"
"Haha, Leo, it's all thanks to you. We almost gave up," Daniel Zhang said, giving a thumbs-up. Others looked at Leon Chen with gratitude.
Leon Chen smiled.
Who would have thought that the seemingly calm boy in front of them was the one controlling God's every action?
" Claude and all your team members, you chose the wrong day for a foolish provocation, and for that, I express my deep regret!!"
"Finally, this young master is from China!! "
Seeing this message, the crowd speculating on who Claude was became even more excited. They wanted to run naked through the streets to celebrate this tremendous news, even though they had no idea who Claude was.
Claude stared in disbelief: when had this hacker monitored his computer, seeing through their encrypted chat completely?
A chill ran down Claude's spine.
Was this a monster?
"Let's call it a day. I'm tired and need to rest, thank you!" Leon Chen decided to leave one last line of data with a name—XO!
Then he shut down Data Manipulation, and the entire network resumed normal operation.
Perhaps scared by Leon Chen's terrifying ability, there was no further response from America. The Red Nation also ceased hostilities. The other students obediently shut down their computers, satisfied as they left the classroom, chatting about everything God's hacker XO had done that night.
XO!
God finally had a name.
"Haha, it seems our country is truly full of hidden talents," the old principal laughed.
"Indeed, indeed," the head of instruction, clueless about the miracles of hacking, just echoed the principal's sentiments, knowing that if the principal was happy, he should agree.
The old principal paid him no mind, simply sighing, "That girl finally has a rival."
Tonight, no one would sleep!
Claude felt like a drowning man, slumped in his seat, his eyes vacant.
His computer regained control, but the recent events made him feel nauseous just looking at it. He gagged, running to the bathroom to vomit.
As he retched, he swore: never again would he want to face that ancient red nation with its 5,000-year history.
...
In a boudoir.
A young girl gently closed her laptop.
She bathed, changed into a golden silk nightgown, climbed into bed, and turned off the lights.
Calmly, as if nothing had happened, she quietly drifted into a sweet dream, the slight curve of her lips hinting at pleasant dreams.
...
Some were ecstatic, some were nauseous, some remained calm, while others wore a satisfied, sinister smile.
At the UIEW in the Pentagon.
McRae was tensely watching the screen as hundreds of staff worked busily.
Finally, after a long while, the satellite images froze.
The room erupted in excited cheers.
"Got it!!! AI has successfully traced the source of the data anomaly!" McRae shouted in excitement.
"Where is it? Is it really someone from Red Nation?" General Dawson asked sternly.
"XO was right after all…" McRae answered, crestfallen.
The final AI calculation results—
Huahai University!!