As the thought quickly passed, Leon Chen immediately realized that Grace Wang was just testing him.
Why is she doing this? Leon wondered, but he put on a puzzled expression. "Are you asking about the hacker battle?"
"Yes."
"Then you're asking the wrong person. I'm a hacking novice and couldn't even meet the minimum entry standards to join the Computer Society." Leon's response was truthful. During his freshman year, he had tried to join the most popular club at H University, but joining the Computer Society was no easy task. To gain entry, one had to breach the society's firewall and access the internal network.
It sounded simple but was extremely difficult. The first hurdle was the server's password, which used a randomized code system that changed every few seconds, making it impossible to obtain from someone else. Even if one managed to enter the server, they would still face a test from a senior member of the Computer Society.
Only one out of ten members could make it through.
Leon was among the other nine.
Grace nodded. "You did a great job boosting morale during the final showdown. Are you interested in joining the Computer Society?"
An invitation from the president of the Computer Society?
Leon shook his head. "No, thanks." With his data manipulation ability, hacking battles no longer intrigued him.
"I have a question for you. You know about XO, right?"
"Yes. Anyone who goes online knows about this 'god'," Leon nodded.
"What do you think the name XO stands for?" Grace continued.
This question made Leon wary. She seemed to be probing, and he felt a shiver. Could she have figured it out? Her intuition was terrifying.
"XO? Sounds like a brand of liquor," Leon answered, echoing online theories.
On the internet, many tried to decipher XO's name, offering countless interpretations from theological, psychological, lifestyle, and cognitive perspectives. Even Leon, who coined the name, didn't expect it to spark such speculation.
The internet is full of bored people.
XO was a famous brand of cognac, and most people believed the real-life XO must enjoy drinking it.
Leon's answer seemed cliché, but Grace ignored it and pressed on, "Do you think XO is from our country?"
Is she still testing me?
Leon didn't understand why Grace had this suspicion. However, being a top member of the Paranormal Investigation Society, he knew how to play mind games, logical reasoning, and verbal tricks. Unless he faced the society's president, he believed he could outplay anyone.
Might as well have some fun.
"I hope he's from our country, but I think XO might be an American setup."
"Why do you say that?" Grace asked, intrigued by this new theory.
"It's simple. During the hacker battle, when the US side was losing, their attack data suddenly vanished, and all attacked web pages were restored. I may be a novice, but even I know hackers can't pull off something like that. It had to be a program left by the US. Secondly, to control the fifth-generation intelligent computer, you, as the president of the Computer Society, should understand this better than I do."
Grace looked thoughtful. "Go on."
"And the US panic attack of thirty-one minutes seems like an orchestrated drama. If it were the US Department of Defense, it would be a simple task. All things considered, the US is likely staging a self-directed act."
"But what about the nationwide news pop-ups? The US can't control our entire country's network!" Grace showed a hint of curiosity.
"Reverse thinking makes it less mysterious, President," Leon said, getting into the flow. Spinning a story was easy for him. "First, none of us can know the exact status of nationwide internet users. Second, it might be a deliberate rumor spread by certain paid agents."
"The US leads the world in network technology, and they've waged cyber warfare against our country multiple times. If they manipulate and hype the psychology of internet users, creating an 'emperor's new clothes' scenario, they can control public opinion."
"An emperor's new clothes theory. Interesting," Grace seemed somewhat impressed. "So you think the nationwide pop-up phenomenon was exaggerated and fabricated?"
"I believe so. Or perhaps they prepared for this battle in advance, embedding a program in our computers, or leaving a backdoor in Microsoft's operating system, triggering those alerts at a specific time. But that's just my guess."
Leon finished, admiring his storytelling skills.
"Why would the US stage such a battle?" Grace asked.
"The threat narrative!" Leon replied, summing up the motive.
Grace was silent. If a hacker could breach any nation's secrets and control the network, it would pose a significant threat to other countries.
It was a double-edged sword.
"Leon, your theory is impressive. It's the most convincing I've heard," Grace smiled.
Leon's heart skipped a beat.
A beautiful woman's smile could be deadly.
"But your theory makes it sound like you're XO himself, having designed everything."
Leon kept a straight face. "I'm a member of the Paranormal Investigation Society. Our president often says, 'Look beyond the surface to see the hidden truth.' I'm just parroting his words."
"Interesting. I might visit your society someday."
Leon breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry for keeping you so long."
"Most people would be thrilled to talk to you this much," Leon replied.
"You're not like most people, are you?" Grace observed that Leon had no ulterior motives toward her, which she found admirable.
"Let's get back to the matter at hand. How do you explain the incident with Lily Lin?"
"She's my girlfriend. I just lost control for a moment," Leon answered helplessly.
Just when Grace thought Leon could control his desires, he proved otherwise. She quickly regained her composure. "I'll have this matter investigated thoroughly. Even if she's your girlfriend, that behavior was inappropriate. Agreed?"
"No objection."
"If anything interesting comes up, I'll seek you out again, Mr.Detective," Grace smiled.
"I was just rambling."
"Rambling that gains approval is also a skill."
Leon didn't know whether to feel lucky or not for impressing the legendary beauty of H University with his fabricated story.
As he was about to leave, Grace suddenly asked, "Leon, do you think XO will attack our country's military network again?"
Leon turned back, feigning confusion while laughing inwardly.
This beauty was still probing. The word "again" implied that XO had already attacked the national network, a fact that had never been reported.
Playing word games with me? Even if you're the top beauty at H University, you're still too green.
"Has XO attacked us before?" Leon said seriously. "If true, it must be another US ruse. I even admired XO, but I haven't heard any reports."
"I heard it somewhere. Maybe someone made it up to discredit him," Grace replied nonchalantly.
"Oh."
As soon as Leon left, Grace's eyes showed a hint of bewilderment.
She sat down, opened a document on her laptop.
It contained an analysis:
"Hacker code name: XO, meaning analysis: unrelated to English, liquor, etc., possibly a metaphor. Identity speculation: Judging by the hacker battle, XO seems passionate and impulsive, possibly between 18-22 years old, or a university student. Attack method and personality analysis: …"
"Leon? Am I overthinking this?" Grace muttered, rapidly typing a note: "Remark: Possibility of creating network panic not ruled out…"