This is not my original work; I am merely providing a translation.
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Inside the rental apartment, Chu Tian closed the Hacker's Forum webpage after his brief exchange with Wang Xiaofeng. He leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
There was no need for him to be on guard. Chu Tian acknowledged that Wang Xiaofeng was a skilled hacker his homemade firewall was proof of that. However, the gap between their abilities was vast. Chu Tian was so confident in his skills that he believed even if all the professional hackers on the Hacker's Forum teamed up, they still wouldn't be able to track him.
But Wang Xiaofeng wasn't Chu Tian's main concern. What puzzled him more was how he had suddenly acquired such extraordinary computer skills.
After some reflection, Chu Tian's thoughts landed on one person: his classmate, Yang Rong.
He carefully recalled everything that had happened that evening. Nothing unusual had occurred except for helping Yang Rong remove a computer virus. He also remembered that his newfound abilities had manifested right after Yang Rong called him an "expert hacker."
Could Yang Rong be the reason for this?
The thought sent a chill down Chu Tian's spine. He couldn't help but think of the web novels he had ghostwritten. In those stories, the main characters often had extraordinary abilities. Could Yang Rong be like one of those protagonists? Specifically, did she possess the ability of word-realization where whatever she said would come true?
But that didn't seem likely.
Chu Tian had been Yang Rong's classmate for half a month now, and he felt he knew her fairly well. While her looks and figure were average, she had a pleasant temperament and a simple, straightforward personality. When he had questioned her earlier, her reaction suggested she had no idea about the change in him.
Could it be that Yang Rong doesn't realize she has this ability? Or was her simplicity just an act, and she was actually far more cunning than she appeared?
But that didn't make sense either. If she were so shrewd, why would she help him, of all people? They were just classmates. There was no reason for her to gift him such a life changing ability.
This hacking skill wasn't just a gift it was something that could secure Chu Tian's future. It was the kind of ability that could provide for all his basic needs for the rest of his life.
Did she have feelings for him?
No, that didn't add up either. Yang Rong already had a boyfriend. Although the Nursing Department was overwhelmingly female, Yang Rong had been in a long-term relationship with her high school sweetheart. Even though they attended different universities, their relationship seemed strong. Chu Tian had often overheard them exchanging voice messages and phone calls.
Could it be that Yang Rong simply wanted to help him out of kindness?
A flood of questions swirled in Chu Tian's mind, all centered around Yang Rong. He considered calling her to ask directly, but a glance at the clock told him it was already past midnight. She was probably asleep by now.
Forget it. He decided to wait until tomorrow to find an opportunity to subtly ask Yang Rong about what had happened. If she truly possessed the ability of word-realization, it would be both incredible and terrifying.
With that thought, Chu Tian shut down his computer, climbed into bed, and drifted off to sleep.
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Early the next morning. 6:30 AM.
After waking up and completing his morning routine, Chu Tian sat down at his computer and turned it on.
*Holy!
His hotel registry software had been used 82,118 times overnight.
Chu Tian was stunned. The increase was staggering. The Hacker's Forum had around 50,000 daily active users, yet in less than eight hours, his program had been used over 82,000 times. This didn't make sensehow could the usage surpass the number of active users?
Something was off.
Frowning, Chu Tian began typing rapidly on his keyboard.
Ten minutes later…
Chu Tian stared at his screen, speechless. He had initially suspected that Wang Xiaofeng had tampered with the numbers, but his investigation revealed that wasn't the case. Wang Xiaofeng had spent the entire night trying to track him but hadn't breached his program.
Instead, the real reason for the high usage was that people were using his software to make a profit for themselves.
Chu Tian discovered multiple identical IP addresses that had used the program dozens or even hundreds of times. The most frequent user, a high schooler named Li Xuan, had used the program 170 times. Li Xuan was acting as a middleman, charging his friends $11.50 per search. Of that amount, $7 went to Chu Tian, and Li Xuan kept $4.50 for himself.
Li Xuan wasn't the only one doing this. Many others had used Chu Tian's program dozens or even hundreds of times to make money.
"Damn!"
Chu Tian rubbed his chin, both amused and impressed. "I never imagined the forum was full of such resourceful people. They've found a way to profit from my program. This has truly broadened my horizons."
While he had created the software, he hadn't anticipated people using it as a business opportunity. It was no wonder his program had been used over 82,000 times in just eight hours.
Business opportunities really are everywhere.