Zeng Liang snorted coldly, "There’s an old saying: ’Money makes the mare go.’"
It must have been bought with cash.
Xu Jian thought for a moment and said, "The darknet has an international version, and on its international rankings, even Snow doesn’t make the list. Unfortunately, we can’t access the global network; otherwise, if we invited the world’s number one, we’d be sure to win."
Zeng Liang smacked him on the head, "You spendthrift! How much money would that cost? Even if we had the money, we wouldn’t throw it around like that. It’s just a school competition; no need for something so complicated. A Rain would be more than enough." Find the newest release on NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Speaking of this, Zeng Liang grew increasingly curious about the mysterious world of hackers. "So there’s a world number one? What’s their name? Tell me."
When Xu Jian mentioned the number one, his usually wooden expression became noticeably excited. "The uncrowned king of the hacker world – Phoenix – and undoubtedly the number one ranked on the darknet leaderboard. You know Tianlu Bank, right?"
Zeng Liang nodded, "Of course I know it."
Xu Jian’s eyes sparkled, "Tianlu Bank’s servers endure tens of billions of hacker attacks every day. If even the slightest vulnerability were exposed, it could cause unquantifiable losses to Tianlu Bank. Falling into a trust crisis would be catastrophic for them. Because of this, Tianlu Bank invests an enormous amount of resources and effort into its security systems. However, a few years ago, a famous international hacker organization publicly declared their intent to breach Tianlu Bank. You should know, their track record includes successfully hacking the supposed ’world’s most secure system’ in the Octagonal Building."
Zeng Liang sucked in a sharp breath, catching a glimpse of that thrilling battle through a few short sentences.
He couldn’t wait and asked, "Tianlu Bank is still standing strong now, even thriving. That organization didn’t succeed, did they?"
"Of course not. Because Phoenix was there, sitting in command. Not only did he successfully destroy their criminal stronghold, but he also led the development of the most sophisticated security system. Ever since then, any hacker trying to infiltrate Tianlu Bank is just dreaming."
Zeng Liang exclaimed, "This Phoenix is incredible! How old is he? Is he a man or a woman?"
Xu Jian shook his head, "He’s very mysterious. No one has ever seen his true face. But some big-shot profilers have speculated about him—said he’s a scruffy, middle-aged man in his thirties, with a beard, loves instant noodles and Coke, basically just another fat slob."
Zeng Liang coughed, "Regardless, someone like that is at the pinnacle of their field. Phoenix..."
Suddenly, Zeng Liang said, "Why’s he called ’Phoenix’ anyway? The phoenix is a unique mythical beast in our Hua Country’s culture. Could Phoenix be Chinese?"
"Some have analyzed that before. But as for the truth, only Phoenix himself would know."
Zeng Liang mused, "If we could invite Phoenix, Mr. Jiang would win for sure, hahaha."
Even he thought it was wishful thinking and started laughing as he spoke.
A mere high school pretty boy election—how could that warrant the involvement of someone as renowned as Phoenix? That would be too much overkill.
He put a hand on Xu Jian’s shoulder as they walked forward. "You know so much about hackers. Are you planning to study this field in college?"
Xu Jian grinned sheepishly, "I’m too dumb for it. My brother says you need talent to rise in the computer field; otherwise, you’ll just be a bottom-tier programmer. He wants me to study finance."
"And what about you? What do you think?"
"Qing University’s computer program is ranked number one nationally. Unfortunately, with my current grades, I don’t stand much of a chance."
"Don’t be discouraged; there’s still over two years left. Take it slow."
A smile appeared on Xu Jian’s face, "That’s why I’ve been trying to participate in more computer competitions. Scoring well in them will help with future applications, whether it’s for early admission or the national college entrance exams. There’s a CTF competition next month, and I’ve already signed up."
"CTF? A cybersecurity competition? You’ve got guts! When the time comes, I’ll cheer you on."
Xu Jian chuckled, "Thanks, Brother Liang."
When Zeng Liang returned home, he was glued to his phone—even when he went to the bathroom or ate. Mrs. Zeng couldn’t stand it anymore and tried to snatch his phone, prompting Zeng Liang to jump away instantly.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"You’re practically growing into your phone! Can’t you give your eyes a break? You’re only sixteen or seventeen, yet already sporting a prescription of five to six hundred degrees. If you don’t put the phone down, you’ll go blind sooner or later."
"You don’t understand. I’m waiting for a big-shot to come online. I’ve got something really important to do."
"Zeng Liang, if you dare play games, you’d better watch out!" Mrs. Zeng started searching for a feather duster, while the maid quickly hid it with great tact.
Can’t have the lady hurting her hands, after all.