The search results spanned dozens of pages. Leon felt a bit helpless as he flipped through the profiles of various departments at Huanghai University. This was going to take some time.
It was already late by the time he left the library. When he got back to the dormitory, he saw his three roommates standing in the corridor, braving the cold wind. They looked like they had seen a savior upon spotting Leon.
"Thank God you're back, Leon," one of them exclaimed.
"What's going on?" Leon asked with a smile.
"Just go inside and see for yourself," Michael Fang said with a mix of admiration and resignation. "You've really hit the jackpot recently."
Leon was even more puzzled. What could possibly make these guys too scared to go back to the room?
The answer became clear as soon as he stepped inside.
Sitting on his bed was a girl, casually playing with a laptop on her knees. Her long, smooth black hair flowed down her shoulders, and her legs, even when resting, appeared strikingly long.
Leon was in awe of the scene before him. The girl sensed his presence and looked up, causing Leon's admiration to come to an abrupt halt.
Grace Wang.
"Sorry for the intrusion. I didn't have your phone number, so I had to come find you," Grace said, her bright eyes peeking over the top of her sunglasses.
Leon immediately became alert but kept his expression neutral. "What's the matter, President?"
Grace closed her laptop and stood up. Leon realized that Grace was nearly as tall as he was, standing well over 1.7 meters. Her figure was perfect, and the tight jeans accentuated her long, beautiful legs—comparable to the world's top models.
"Let's go for a walk," Grace said nonchalantly.
"Uh..." Leon glanced at his roommates' eager faces and swallowed his refusal.
Walking alongside Grace on the university's well-known Lovers' Path, Leon couldn't help but marvel at the situation. He never imagined he'd be strolling next to the university's legendary beauty president. If someone had told him this would happen, he would have said it was an impossible dream.
Grace had made some discreet modifications to her appearance, and the dim light helped conceal her identity. Other students glanced at her, admiring the tall, attractive girl and throwing envious looks at Leon.
After walking silently for a while, Grace stopped and indicated a nearby bench.
Leon, unsure of her intentions, sat down. Grace frowned slightly, took out her phone, and pointed it at Leon, pressing a button. Leon, having recently learned about frequency control, realized that Grace was doing the same thing—jamming nearby signals. Had she detected the bug?
Leon was slightly surprised but kept his composure. Grace was clearly more capable than she appeared.
"Have you heard about the XOKO incident?" Grace asked, sitting next to Leon and placing her laptop between them.
Leon saw the content on the screen, which matched what he had anticipated.
"Is this really XO?" Leon feigned ignorance.
"It has his style. Forcing the website's program to change and lock down—XO's hacking skills are beyond imagination," Grace said calmly.
"Did you seek me out just to tell me this?" Leon doubted Grace would be so trivial.
"Do I really bother you that much?" Grace asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course not. You're the university's number one beauty. I'd love to spend time with you, but it's late, and you live off-campus. If there's something you need to say, please get to the point," Leon responded quickly.
Grace nodded, understanding. "Your analysis last time made sense. I want to know, with XOKO's high-profile appearance this time, what do you think the underlying message is?"
This truly stumped Leon. He couldn't exactly say that XO was just trying to slap some five-cent nationalists in the face. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Could it be that the US is intentionally releasing this data to mislead other countries' intelligence?"
Grace pondered, then asked, "Leon, do you think it's possible that the US staged all this to lure out highly skilled enemy hackers?"
"What do you mean?" Leon sensed that this question was the crux of why Grace sought him out tonight.
After some hesitation, Grace explained, "What if the US created XO's exploits to indicate they possess critical technical data, thereby attracting top hackers from other countries to find XO and capture them all?"
Leon was momentarily stunned but quickly realized the implications.
He hadn't anticipated that his actions had drawn the attention of government and military. It made sense—accessing Turing-level data could significantly advance a country's technological capabilities.
Leon swore he had patriotic intentions but also understood the global upheaval his exposure could cause.
He wasn't sure why Grace was asking him this. Perhaps she still suspected his identity or wanted confirmation. The immediate challenge for Leon was how to convey that XO had a patriotic heart too.
While Leon could infiltrate military networks and present the data, most countries had physically isolated their classified networks following America's defeat. Even with data manipulation, entry was impossible, and that approach wouldn't inspire confidence.
After some thought, Leon replied, "It's very possible. I've heard of the Queen who nearly triggered World War III—a formidable hacker."
"Yes," Grace said, her tone tinged with regret.
"But there's another possibility," Leon continued. "XO might be making such a grand gesture hoping to draw attention from our own country."
"There are countless possibilities in every situation. Who knows?" Leon added.
Grace pondered this.
She stood up and thanked Leon. "I appreciate your insights. I shouldn't have bothered you with such trivial matters."
"No problem, it's my pleasure, President," Leon replied, waving his hands.
"Just call me Grace," she said with a gentle smile.
""Your Chinese name has an interesting meaning, Wangfei, meaning princess.", Leon said.
Grace did not respond, but simply smiled faintly.
Before parting, Grace asked for his phone number.
Leon provided it.
Walking back alone along Lovers' Path, Leon's phone buzzed.
"Let's keep in touch. Grace."
Seeing the message, Leon felt a mix of emotions.
Oh my god, he thought. I just got the number of the university's top beauty, something countless guys would dream of.