293: Chapter 293 Who gave you the guts?

Chen Shuyu said softly, "Should we pause the lottery first?"

Lu Li shook his head. "No need. Don't spoil everyone's fun."

He picked up his phone and tapped the screen with his fingertip. "Tech Director Dou Bao."

A second later, the phone screen lit up. Xiao Dou AI's voice rang out in Lu Li's earpiece. "I am here."

Lu Li's voice was very soft. "Access the core machine for tonight's lottery program. Check the lottery algorithm, logs, permission records, temporary injected code, and external call interfaces. Focus on the two-million cash prize pool."

Xiao Dou AI paused almost not at all. "Connecting. Permission verification complete. Access to core machine complete. Scanning program integrity."

A dozen seconds later, Xiao Dou AI's voice sounded again. "Abnormal code segment detected."

Lu Li's gaze dimmed. Su Qingxue looked at him. "Did you find it?"

Lu Li gave a hum. "Someone stuffed a Trojan horse into the lottery program."

Chen Shuyu's expression darkened. Qin Xue also looked coldly at that table.

Xiao Dou AI continued to report. "The abnormal code was injected via maintenance permissions. Injection time: 6:42 PM tonight. Function: Temporarily increase the winning weight for designated employee IDs. Total list of winning targets: four people. HR Deputy Director Zhao Qiming, Channel Director Sun Yao, Procurement Deputy Director Liu Wentao, Regional Manager Gu Yuanshan. Involved maintenance account: Lottery System Temporary Maintenance Group, Engineer Shao Kai."

Lu Li placed his cup on the table. The bottom of the cup tapped the table lightly, making a very soft sound. "Call the people from the maintenance group over."

Secretary Wang Qiuge nodded immediately. "Yes."

A few minutes later, the three engineers responsible for the on-site maintenance of the lottery system were brought to the side hall. The banquet hall remained lively. Robot waiters continued to serve dishes. The lottery on the light screen did not pause. Outside, laughter and chatter continued, but the side hall was quiet to the point of being oppressive.

Lu Li sat on the sofa. Su Qingxue sat beside him. Chen Shuyu, Qin Xue, and Secretary Wang Qiuge were all there. The three engineers stood opposite them, their faces looking somewhat pale.

Lu Li raised his eyes to look at them. "Who maintained tonight's lottery program?"

One of the young engineers immediately said, "Mr. Lu, the three of us are responsible for it in shifts."

Lu Li nodded. "Who touched the core machine at 6:42 PM?"

The three of them changed expression simultaneously. The engineer on the far left, named Shao Kai, clearly panicked for a moment. Although he lowered his head quickly, that moment was already obvious enough.

Lu Li looked at him. "Shao Kai."

Shao Kai's shoulders trembled. "Mr... Mr. Lu."

Lu Li's tone was calm. "Are you going to tell me yourself, or shall I have Tech Director Dou Bao project the logs, screen recordings, permission links, and your operation fingerprints onto the main stage?"

Shao Kai's face instantly turned ghastly pale. The two engineers beside him also looked at him sharply. "Shao Kai, what did you do?" "You didn't actually tamper with the program, did you?"

Shao Kai's lips trembled. "I... I didn't..."

Lu Li smiled. "Think carefully before you speak. Tonight is the day before New Year's Eve; I didn't want to deal with this kind of thing during such a lively time. But if you make me waste time, I don't mind making this matter turn out quite ugly."

Su Qingxue did not speak. She only looked coldly at Shao Kai. Chen Shuyu's expression was also very grim.

Sweat began to form on Shao Kai's forehead. He opened his mouth, and finally, unable to hold on, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down. "Mr. Lu, I was wrong. I really didn't mean to."

Lu Li said indifferently, "Not on purpose? Did the Trojan horse run into the core machine by itself?"

Shao Kai's voice trembled. "It was Director Zhao. HR Deputy Director Zhao Qiming. He came to me and said it was just to change the lottery weight and wouldn't affect the big picture. He said two million was nothing to the Group. He also said that even if it was discovered, the upper management would at most just ask them to return the money and nothing more. He also threatened me, saying that my post-New Year regularization review was in his hands, and if I didn't help, he would make me get out of Guanghui Technology."

Secretary Wang Qiuge's expression changed. "Zhao Qiming used your regularization to threaten you?"

Shao Kai lowered his head, his voice growing smaller and smaller. "He also gave me 200,000. He said after it was done, he would give me another 300,000. I was confused for a moment..."

Lu Li looked at him. "Who else?"

Shao Kai swallowed his saliva. "I don't know how they divided it specifically. But the list Zhao Qiming gave me had four people. HR Deputy Director Zhao Qiming, Channel Director Sun Yao, Procurement Deputy Director Liu Wentao, Regional Manager Gu Yuanshan. He said these four people had all greeted each other, and told me to just raise the winning weight, and after the lottery was finished, just clear the abnormal code."

The side hall fell silent. Qin Xue sneered. "They sure know how to pick their time. The Group's New Year's banquet, Mr. Lu is splashing cash, and they also want to fish a profit from it."

Chen Shuyu frowned. "Only two million. For this bit of money, they'd gamble away their future?"

Lu Li said slowly, "It's not a question of two million. It's that they think two million is too little, so little that even if it were discovered, the Group wouldn't bother to pursue it."

After saying this, he stood up. "Secretary Wang Qiuge."

Secretary Wang Qiuge answered immediately. "Mr. Lu."

Lu Li said indifferently, "Call HR Deputy Director Zhao Qiming, Channel Director Sun Yao, Procurement Deputy Director Liu Wentao, and Regional Manager Gu Yuanshan over. In addition, notify Legal, Internal Control, and Security. Preserve all logs, chat records, account transaction flows, and on-site surveillance. Keep Shao Kai in separate custody to cooperate with the investigation."

Shao Kai lifted his head abruptly, his face full of panic. "Mr. Lu, I've already confessed; I really know I was wrong. I am willing to return all the money. I..."

Lu Li looked at him. "Returning the money is what you should do. It doesn't mean you didn't do it."

Shao Kai was completely speechless. Soon, Zhao Qiming and the other three were invited into the side hall by Security. When they first entered, there were still forced smiles on their faces. Zhao Qiming even tried to play dumb. "Mr. Lu, Ms. Su, is there something going on?"

Lu Li looked at him without speaking. Secretary Wang Qiuge directly projected the core logs and Shao Kai's confession record onto the air imaging screen in the side hall.

The smile on Zhao Qiming's face froze bit by bit. Sun Yao's face instantly turned white. Liu Wentao subconsciously took half a step back. Gu Yuanshan looked sharply at Shao Kai, his eyes filled with annoyance. Shao Kai kept his head down, not daring to look at them at all.

Zhao Qiming still wanted to speak. "Mr. Lu, is there some misunderstanding here?"

Lu Li said indifferently, "Misunderstanding? Would you like to explain yourself why your four employee IDs appeared in the lottery program?"

Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Qiming's forehead. "I... I don't know."