"Unbelievable, XO actually breached Turing."
"Not human, how on earth did he do it?"
"Is the UN ganging up on the US?"
"He's a god we can only dream of becoming."
"This is the pinnacle of hacking!"
…
Data continued to scroll on the screen, making it seem like a group of amateurs marveling at the work of a skilled craftsman. Yet, those who uttered these words were not just any hackers but top-tier professionals, at least within their own countries.
Grace Wang remained silent, observing XO's hacking methods. For the first time, she felt an unfamiliar sense towards computers.
Lost in thought, her phone rang on the desk.
"XO also breached our General Staff Department?" Grace spoke softly.
"Yes, it appears to be someone from our country."
"I understand. I will do my best to locate XO and speak with him."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Ending the call, Grace took another sip of her now cold milk, lost in thought.
…
Leon Chen lay on his bed, enthusiastically browsing the internet. Headlines on major portals like Tencent, Sina, NetEase, Xinhua, and Reuters blared the news.
Technology Section:
"The Fall of the Fifth-Generation Computer Myth!""There Are No Invincible Programs, Only Incompetent Designers!""XO Breaks into the Hacker's Tombstone, Creating a Historical Miracle!"
News Section:
"U.S. Defense Secretary Gomez Announces: Fifth-Generation Computer Development Indefinitely Halted!""White House Spokesperson: National Network at Highest Alert—XO Conquers an Entire Nation!""FBI Confirms: XO is a Federal Fugitive, Bounty Could Reach $100 Million!"
Entertainment Section:
"Professor Yang Calls for Electroshock Therapy for XO's Excessive Internet Addiction.""An Influencer Vows to Marry XO...""The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Claims: The Forty Million Miss Green Dam will be XO's Nemesis!"
…
Every major portal around the world featured headlines that made people tremble. Since the rise of network media, no one had ever caused such a synchronized response worldwide. The mysterious hacker XO had achieved it.
Seeing the overwhelming topic coverage on the internet, even the usually low-key Leon couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Though Leon had no interest in stunts like masturbating atop the Empire State Building or shouting "King of the World" on the Titanic's deck, the sense of accomplishment from influencing the global network was unparalleled.
At the same time, numerous posts emerged from people claiming to be XO. Amusingly, these posters would tearfully apologize thirty minutes later, saying, "Sorry, boss XO."
Leon chuckled, knowing these imposters had been hacked by other hackers—if you claim to be XO, surely you can handle a minor intrusion, right?
Leon was engrossed when Michael Fang walked into the dorm, flopped onto his bed, and groaned.
The dorm mates were used to this. Leon quipped, "Got rejected again?"
"I'm miserable, little bro." Michael hugged Leon.
"Get off me! People might think we're a couple," Leon exclaimed.
"Come clean, little bro, do you remember that pure junior you brought on the first day of school?" Michael asked.
Leon recalled the awkward kiss and nodded, feeling guilty.
Michael didn't notice and lamented, "It's terrible. She rejected me."
"What? You confessed to Lily Lin?" Leon sat up.
Michael scoffed, "Such a pure girl is like a panda in college. Who doesn't like her? Dozens confess to her daily."
"I had no idea," Leon scratched his head.
"Little bro, when you brought her, did you notice anything different about her?" Michael asked suddenly.
Thinking of Lily Lin's wild delusions, Leon nervously replied, "She's just an ordinary junior, very shy, nothing special."
"Are you bad-mouthing her just because she rejected you?" Leon teased.
"Damn it, I heard from her dorm mates that Lily Lin already has a boyfriend," Michael fumed.
"Really?" Leon said calmly, though his eyes showed a hint of regret.
Michael accused, "Leon, you're so indifferent. Such a pure junior already taken, and you don't care? Apparently, her boyfriend kissed her right in the dorm room in broad daylight. Now, all the guys who like Lily want to kill her boyfriend. But he's never shown his face."
"This is a blatant provocation to all us single men! How dare he defile our pure junior on her first day of college!"
"Don't you agree, little bro?"
"Little bro, why do you look so pale? Are you pregnant?" Michael joked.
Leon cursed internally. The "boyfriend" who kissed Lily Lin was him!
Since hearing this news from Michael, Leon lost interest in his internet triumphs. He shut down his computer and gazed at the girls' dorm across the corridor.
Thinking of that kiss, Leon felt guilty. A decent girl had been tarnished by him, leading to all sorts of gossip. Anyone would feel like a jerk after apologizing and running off.
What an irresponsible man.
Leon scratched his head in frustration. Tomorrow was Sunday, so Lily Lin should be free from military training. He decided to talk to her.
The next morning, Leon was still asleep when John Wu shook him awake.
"Get up, little bro, something big happened."
"What's the big deal? I didn't hack the US Department of Defense," Leon mumbled.
"Damn it, little bro, what are you dreaming about? The school weekly came out, you're a celebrity now," Daniel Zhang laughed.
While brushing his teeth, Leon remembered his dorm mates mentioning that his outburst might make it into the school weekly. He hadn't taken it seriously then.
Thinking about it now, if it really made the paper, it could be troublesome.
The school weekly was run by journalism students from H University, distributed every Sunday across the campus. It allowed students and staff to catch up on campus news. Thanks to the weekly, many students became famous, and some secrets were exposed.
Because of the gossip-loving journalism students, interesting tidbits like the Isabella Xiang admirer story were uncovered. Thus, the school weekly became a must-read for everyone on weekends.
Typical Sunday conversations went like this:
"Hey, did you see the school weekly? Some girl slipped on my banana peel and fell into a ditch, hilarious!"
"Really? I knew about it last week."
"Huh? You're from the journalism department?"
"I'm that girl."
"Ouch." Someone covers their face.
Following the principle of "tragedy is me accidentally cutting off my little finger; comedy is you falling into a sewer," the weekly was both loved and hated.
Regardless, the school weekly was wildly popular, with other schools imitating it to add entertainment and monitor campus behavior.
Anyone featured in the weekly was guaranteed to be the most famous person on campus for at least a week.
At the news bulletin board downstairs, a crowd had already gathered.
"Make way for H University's new celebrity," Daniel Zhang shouted.
The crowd parted, their eyes practically shooting fire at Leon.
Leon was puzzled. Was it necessary to react like this to a few loud shouts?
"Little bro, you're worse than an animal!" Michael Fang shouted, tears in his eyes.
Leon was even more confused until he saw the school weekly's headline.
Honestly, Leon had seen too many headlines about XO recently, so he subconsciously thought the school weekly would follow the trend. But he had greatly underestimated the journalism students' creativity.
The headline featured two photos, one of Lily Lin looking shy and another of a side profile, looking quite handsome. Despite the eye area being pixelated, anyone familiar with Leon would recognize him instantly.
But what was more striking was the title: "Passionate Kiss with Pure Junior on First Day—H University's Most Badass Senior Emerges…"
Holy crap!!!