67: I'm going to lose, you can do whatever you want

Shen Yuan looked at Tian Ming pitifully; she was too timid, having peed her pants from fright last time. This time, she absolutely refused to let Tian Ming leave.

Tian Ming had no choice but to sit down. The two of them just sat there, watching the self-check program scan data on the computer screen.

"It's been powered off for too long, so the self-check is very slow. Be patient!" Shen Yuan said, opening her own computer and connecting to the server room's management computer.

Tian Ming sat beside her, staring blankly at the ponytail on the back of her head.

After more than ten minutes, Tian Ming, bored, asked, "Why isn't it ready yet? Why don't we do something?"

Shen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. She forced a smile and asked, "What can we do? Like...?"

"Like play a game and bet on who wins."

Shen Yuan opened Minesweeper on her computer and said, "Play this, interested?"

Tian Ming thought, since sitting idly was boring anyway, he said, "I can play, but what if you lose?"

Shen Yuan confidently said, "How could I possibly lose? If I lose, you can do whatever you want!"

A mischievous smile appeared on Tian Ming's face as he said, "Really? You mean I can do whatever I want?"

"That's right. I've never lost at this game. Let's play the hardest Minesweeper. Whoever clears it in the shortest time wins," Shen Yuan said.

Tian Ming nodded, "Alright, as you wish!"

"Wait, what if you lose?" Shen Yuan asked.

"Whatever you want!" Tian Ming said, equally unconcerned.

Minesweeper is actually a very simple game, a logic puzzle, but to play it quickly without hitting a mine, it really tests one's brain's computing ability.

Shen Yuan clicked her mouse, looking at the dense grid of small squares. Shen Yuan said, "First round, you go first or I go first?"

Tian Ming smiled and said, "You go first, I'll see your skill."

With ninety-nine mines, Shen Yuan operated with a flurry of clicks. In her state, she seemed to barely need to think.

She cleared it in one go, taking only one minute and thirty seconds. Tian Ming was stunned. This wasn't just about having a brain but no chest; it felt like Shen Yuan's entire being was a brain.

This game has a tiny bit of luck at the beginning when clicking the minefield, just don't hit a mine. The rest is purely a test of the brain's calculation speed.

Tian Ming moved the computer over and started playing Minesweeper. His brain was actually not bad now, with strong memory, but his logic was still a bit lacking.

It took him about five minutes to clear it. Clearly, in the first round, Tian Ming lost.

Shen Yuan looked at Tian Ming rather smugly, "How about that, convinced? I told you, no one can sweep faster than me."

Tian Ming sighed slightly and said, "A bet's a bet. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Shen Yuan tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "Accompany me for an all-nighter in the Laboratory once!"

"All-nighter? Just the two of us?"

Shen Yuan sensed the double meaning in Tian Ming's words, glared at him, and said, "Don't think too much, it's just like hand-making satellites and airships."

"Oh, no problem then! Let's have another round. I'll go first this time."

In the second round, Tian Ming took three minutes and fifty seconds, while Shen Yuan took one minute and twenty-three seconds.

Tian Ming again earned an all-nighter. In the third and fourth rounds, Tian Ming also lost.

It wasn't until the fifth round, with Tian Ming still going first, that he finished in one minute and fifty-nine seconds.

Shen Yuan suddenly felt a bit nervous. Her boss was improving too fast, getting quicker each time. If they kept playing, she would definitely lose.

She turned to look at the self-check progress; it was already ninety percent. She then said, "We'll stop after this round. You already owe me four times."

Tian Ming nodded and said, "Alright, your turn!"

Shen Yuan picked up the mouse and clicked. This time, her luck was too bad; she directly clicked on a mine. Shen Yuan was instantly dumbfounded and quickly said, "Doesn't count, doesn't count. Hitting a mine on the first step, that's not my skill."

Seeing the little girl trying to renege, Tian Ming said, "Alright then, you can try again. But if you hit a mine on the first step again this time, you can't renege anymore."

Shen Yuan said with a giggle, "No way, my luck isn't that bad. Watch me!"

As Shen Yuan clicked the mouse, bang! Again, she hit a mine on the first step.

Tian Ming burst out laughing and said, "See? Heaven wants you to lose, so you have to lose. You've won four rounds against me, it's about time I won one, right?"

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Tian Ming propped his chin, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he said, "How about you dance for me?"

Shen Yuan shook her head like a rattle drum. As an engineering girl, she had no idea how to dance!

"I can't!"

Tian Ming smiled and said, "You can't even just wiggle your butt a bit?"

"No, it's too embarrassing, too shameful," Shen Yuan refused.

"Then it's no fun. You're reneging. I wouldn't have played with you if I'd known. The previous bets are canceled," Tian Ming said.

"That's not fair! When I won against you, I didn't make it so hard for you. As my boss, shouldn't you consider what's within my capabilities? I've never learned to dance. Can't you ask me to do something that doesn't require much skill?" Shen Yuan complained.

Tian Ming rolled his eyes and said, "What do you mean 'no skill'? Then just kiss me. That requires no skill."

Shen Yuan's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. Seeing her like that, Tian Ming helplessly shook his head.

"Never mind, never mind. The previous bets are also canceled..."

Smooch!...

Before Tian Ming could finish speaking, Shen Yuan quickly pecked him on the cheek, then immediately turned away, not daring to look at him.

"The previous bets cannot be canceled!" Shen Yuan's face was as red as an apple, but her tone was quite firm.

Ding-dong!

The storage server had finished restarting. Shen Yuan immediately turned around, her fingers flying across the keyboard, with Tian Ming watching beside her.

On the management software, a dense array of categorized numbers made one's scalp tingle.

Shen Yuan frowned and said, "The data is encrypted; it needs to be decrypted."

"Then what do we do? It won't be a wasted effort, will it?" Tian Ming was afraid he had come all this way for nothing.

Shen Yuan shook her head and said, "No, the research institute itself is the institution with the highest security measures. Remote data storage would employ strong encryption. Local reading needs to prioritize efficiency, so this encryption is only superficial and can be cracked. The data itself is not encrypted; as long as the surface layer is broken, the data can be read directly."

Tian Ming sighed in relief and said, "Then let's start cracking it!"

Shen Yuan gave Tian Ming a glare and said, "You think cracking is child's play? How could it be that easy? There are backup blank disks in the data room. I'll copy it back there and then crack it. We don't have the conditions here."

Tian Ming nodded. For areas he hadn't ventured into, he never presumed to question or argue. Professional matters should be left to professionals.

Shen Yuan operated while saying, "Based on the retrieval directory, I'll copy a portion back first. It will take three hours."

"Why so long?"

Shen Yuan looked at Tian Ming and said, "Hardware bandwidth is limited. What can I do about it? This server is over thirty years old; it hasn't been replaced. It's an old one."

Clang! A sound came from the corridor outside the archive room, startling Shen Yuan.

"What was that sound?"

Tian Ming said in a low voice, "Don't be scared. It should be coming from outside. I'll go check."