88: Chapter 88 Awesome!

To crack a program, one must first extract the program files; only after obtaining the files can a breakthrough point be found to begin a detailed analysis.

But Ning Hao was stuck on this very first step.

The icon-like program in front of him had no executable files at all! It seemed to be purely an icon, a simple shortcut.

If this shortcut's size weren't close to 4 GB, Ning Hao would probably have been fooled by it.

Frowning deeply, Ning Hao rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. In fact, over the past few days, he had tried every method he knew to test it, but unfortunately, there were no useful results.

This program was like a cold-hearted girl; no matter how hard he tried, she remained completely unmoved, not even giving him a chance to strike up a conversation.

If he couldn't even strike up a conversation, how could they happily bond and express love?

Now, only one last resort remained.

Ning Hao looked at the icon on the computer screen, feeling a bit hesitant.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had been extremely cautious over the past few days, only working on the cracking process after hours when no one was in the office. To prevent the program's creator from leaving a backdoor in the USB drive, he even disconnected from the internet before every attempt.

But now...

Thinking of the tone and content of the voice he had just heard, Ning Hao gritted his teeth hard.

He plugged the network cable back in, connected to the internet, and opened the packet monitoring software. After configuring it carefully, he ensured that if any unknown data was sent, he would be notified immediately and could cut off the network.

Having done all this, he finally opened the Penguin software and looked at a dark icon on it.

He clicked it and typed.

"I need your help with something. Reverse-engineer a program's source code. Reward is 10 million."

After typing, he stared at the unresponsive chat box, calmed his mind, and waited quietly.

Time passed second by second. A few minutes later, the chat box flashed, and a line of text appeared in the reply interface.

"Program, time."

Ning Hao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied.

"A relatively complex control system program. I need the results within a day."

The other party's reply appeared again.

"Usual place. Send it over."

Ning Hao breathed another sigh of relief. It seemed the other party was very satisfied with the price. He quickly opened a web browser, typed in a strange URL, opened a website, linked the program, and clicked upload.

One minute... two minutes...

An hour later, while Ning Hao was working, he suddenly noticed that the previously gray chat box had suddenly lit up. He clicked it open, and a line of text caught his eye.

"Where did you get this program?!"

...

Meanwhile, at the W City branch of the Chen Group.

Uncle Chen was sitting in his office on the top floor. In front of him, a small tablet displayed Chen Zhongxuan's face, who looked rather annoyed at the moment.

"What on earth does this Wang Shuo want to do? For his sake, I even kept those experts from the association in the dark, yet he goes and exposes himself! Does he think he's hidden himself too well?!"

"Fine, I won't bother with him anymore! I'd like to see how he's going to handle the provocations from those experts and the media!"

After speaking angrily, Chen Zhongxuan's expression became a bit strange.

"Did he really say that about the Chen Group?" Chen Zhongxuan asked.

"He indeed said that."

Uncle Chen, who had quietly watched Chen Zhongxuan vent his anger, gave a firm nod.

"This kid..." Chen Zhongxuan was slightly speechless. "He's trying to dig a hole for me. And now that he's dug it, I have no choice but to play along."

Uncle Chen weighed his words.

"He is just young man; perhaps he doesn't understand."

"Doesn't understand?" Chen Zhongxuan snorted softly and said, "If it were anyone else, I might believe it. But him... Heh, this kid is as sharp as a tack."

Uncle Chen was left speechless.

"The words are out, and so many reporters heard them. It will probably spread across the entire market tomorrow," Chen Zhongxuan sighed. "He never lets me catch a break, never lets me catch a break."

Thinking of how the stock market, which had finally stabilized, was about to face another bloodbath, Chen Zhongxuan felt a massive headache.

"The program was developed by him. Perhaps he really does have some evidence in his hands."

"It would be great if he actually had evidence, but even if he does, I doubt it would implicate Chen Yuqiong." Chen Zhongxuan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "To catch a snake, you have to hit its vital spot. Now, we haven't even hit the snake, but we've already beaten the grass."

Uncle Chen remained silent. In these matters, he had always known his place and never interfered.

"How did the reporters react?"

"They blocked the door all afternoon, but I didn't show my face," Uncle Chen said.

"Yes," Chen Zhongxuan nodded. "At this stage, we can only give it the cold treatment. I'll discuss it with Yuren and release some official statements. Until then, you will have to bear with it, Bangguo."

"That is nothing. I just think you are worrying too much, Master." Uncle Chen smiled slightly. "Wang Shuo is a very sensible and thoughtful young man. Given his relationship with the young miss, he surely wouldn't do anything detrimental to the group."

"Relationship?"

If he hadn't brought it up, it would have been fine, but mentioning this made Chen Zhongxuan quite angry.

"It's fine if he has nothing to do with Xiner, but if he does, I'll break his legs! That brat!"

The video call disconnected.

Uncle Chen shook his head with a wry smile. Men...

He picked up the slightly cooled teacup on the desk and took a gentle sip.

He looked out the window, his brow furrowing solemnly once more.

A storm is coming...

On the other side, at the Software Park.

Xu Kexin looked at the man reading a book in the lounge area with a hint of helplessness. She stood up and refilled his tea for the n-th time.

"Thank you," the man said politely, his eyes never leaving the pages of the book.

"You're welcome." Xu Kexin glanced at the book in his hands. It seemed to be a magazine, but unfortunately, it was entirely in English. She had long since forgotten everything she had learned in school and couldn't recognize a single word.

"What is this you're reading..."

"Oh, it's a Science magazine." The man smiled, finally paying attention to Xu Kexin. "Do you know when Wang Shuo will be back?"

"I don't know either," Xu Kexin replied with some embarrassment. This was already the n-th time the man in front of her had asked the same question.

"I've already called the boss, but there was no answer. He's probably busy."

The man nodded and raised his wrist to check the time.

Seeing that the man intended to keep waiting, Xu Kexin quickly said:

"Professor Qian, why don't you head back first? It's not certain if the boss will come to the office tonight. If he does, I'll tell him to go find you."

Go back? Professor Qian Qidong shook his head resolutely. What a joke! If he could have waited peacefully at the university, would he have needed to run all the way here? For months, he had suffered through agony, constantly worrying about gains and losses for so long, and now he had finally obtained a tiny bit of concrete information. At a time like this, she wanted him to go back? How could that be possible!

Besides, if Wang Shuo really was the person he thought he was, then he felt he could accept going to any length. For something like this, he had to see the person with his own eyes and ask them in person to put his mind at ease.

Xu Kexin was frustrated. How could this man be so stubborn! It was already 7:30 PM! An hour had passed since she was supposed to get off work. Her mom had even set up a blind date for her with a guy tonight. If she arrived late, wouldn't she seem unladylike? Her first impression would be completely ruined!

Returning to her seat dejectedly, Xu Kexin propped up her head with her hands and watched Professor Qian Qidong continue to flip through the magazine he had been reading all afternoon.

Just then, a beautiful figure entered Xu Kexin's field of vision. It was as if Xu Kexin had seen her savior; forgetting her complaints and annoyance, she quickly rushed toward the figure.

"Sister Liu! You're back!"

...

A certain warehouse on Jiulong Road.

Wang Shuo opened his eyes somewhat blankly, unable to react for a moment. The groggy feedback in his brain made him a bit slow. The knowledge he had just transmitted and learned was still constantly replaying, giving him the illusion of being back in the Humanoid Race society.

Fortunately, the glaring fluorescent light tubes on the ceiling and his surroundings quickly made him realize where he was.

"Zero, what time is it now?"

"It's 11:43 PM, sir. Five hours and thirty-seven minutes have passed since you fell asleep."

"Is that so?"

Wang Shuo shook his head. Over five hours had passed, but to his perception, it felt like only a dozen minutes.

Fortunately, this time wasn't too long, and no accidents occurred. Aside from his mind being a bit foggy, there didn't seem to be any other side effects.

With this, Wang Shuo gained some insight. It seemed that the Knowledge Infusion itself was also a form of "cultivation." Through his continuous use, his Brain Domain was becoming more and more adapted with each data transmission.

But whether this was a technological method of the Humanoid Race civilization or humanity's own immune response, Wang Shuo couldn't figure it out for the time being.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided not to think too much about it for now. Wang Shuo's mindset had always been very optimistic. He began to carefully recall the results of this Knowledge Infusion.

A moment later, Wang Shuo opened his eyes again, his eyes shining brightly. He let out a breath and uttered a heartfelt exclamation:

"This time... is absolutely incredible."