Zhang Yi always monitored the changing external situation, as it directly affected the safety of his future life. He might have been overly cautious, thinking powerful organizations wouldn't attack his shelter, but he had to prepare for everything.
"Xinxin, come and see your new equipment!" Zhang Yi called out, standing up from the sofa and motioning for Yang Xinxin to follow him to the supercomputer room.
Yang Xinxin wheeled herself into the control room, eyes lighting up at the sight before her. The setup was so luxurious it felt like being in outer space. Wang Siming, who pursued luxury, had even installed OLED screens on the control room floor. A blue light flowed like a galactic river, and the large control panel's buttons were neatly arranged.
"From now on, the network security here is your responsibility!" Zhang Yi said, patting her shoulder. He couldn't help but glance at her immobile legs. Despite her polio and paraplegia, Yang Xinxin was a genius hacker—perfect for this role.
Yang Xinxin nodded, rolling her wheelchair to the control panel. Zhang Yi granted her secondary access, allowing her to maintain network security without altering the core system.
Without a word, Yang Xinxin placed her white hands on the control panel and began working like a pianist. Black and blue panels filled the large screen, code flashing rapidly. Unable to understand, Zhang Yi stood beside her, watching with interest.
Yang Xinxin had scanned the shelter’s network in under ten minutes. "Are there any vulnerabilities?" Zhang Yi asked.
Yang Xinxin replied, "This Galaxy Light system, from ten years ago, was the top personal network system. It's incredibly powerful and can still outperform most systems worldwide. Its AI is excellent, theoretically making it invulnerable."
"In the past two weeks, the system has faced thousands of attacks. If not detected in time, the entire network could collapse in a month."
Zhang Yi's eyes narrowed. His suspicion was confirmed. After the Lu Fengda incident, the shelter had drawn the attention of capable adversaries.
"Can you fix the vulnerabilities and block these attacks?" Zhang Yi asked.
Yang Xinxin smirked. "Brother Zhang Yi, don't forget my specialty!"
As a world-class hacker, network security, especially offensive tactics, was her forte. Though her opponents were skilled, they were no match for her.
"Fixing vulnerabilities is easy. I’ll also set up a new encrypted network. Stop using the old router—wireless hacking is too simple."
Zhang Yi agreed. "Do as you see fit!"
In no time, Yang Xinxin completed her task and looked up with a smile. "Brother, I’m done!"
Zhang Yi praised her, "Xinxin, you’re amazing!"
Yang Xinxin, pleased by his praise, added, "That was just simple maintenance. But now, I’ll find out who’s trying to hack us."
She licked her lips, excited by the challenge of counter-hacking. Taking on more difficult tasks was instinctual for a top hacker like her.
Zhang Yi thought for a moment before asking, "How confident are you? What’s the risk if you fail?"
Curious about the organization spying on him, Zhang Yi preferred gaining information over direct attacks. Yang Xinxin responded, "It's hard to say without knowing their exact strength. So far, their attacks haven’t been very strong."
"But don't worry. Even if I can’t break into their network, I can hide my tracks well enough to avoid detection."
Satisfied, Zhang Yi nodded. "Alright, go ahead!"
If someone provoked him, he’d retaliate. As they spoke, Zhou Ke'er’s panicked voice echoed outside. "Zhang Yi, something's wrong! A... a monster!"
Zhang Yi and Yang Xinxin exchanged glances. "That cat of yours seems very attached to you," Zhang Yi joked.
Yang Xinxin tilted her head. "It probably trusts only me among humans. Worried about me, it followed us here."
Zhang Yi noticed the cat following them. He intended to tame it as a weapon and now was the time to do so to prevent further casualties.
"Let's check it out!" Zhang Yi said, pushing Yang Xinxin’s wheelchair out of the control room.
Zhou Ke'er, pale and trembling, clung to Zhang Yi’s arm. "Zhang Yi, there’s a huge monster outside! It's meowing at the window."
"Keran said Xinxin needs to go to it. It followed her here."
Zhang Yi reassured her, "Don’t worry, it’s Xinxin’s friend. Let’s go see."
They pushed Yang Xinxin to the living room and saw the monster cat outside. Its huge red eyes glowed in the night, staring into the house. It meowed, not aggressively but as if urging them to come out and feed it.
Upon seeing Yang Xinxin, the cat sat quietly in the snow, looking almost like an oversized pet despite its sharp, steel-like fur.
Yang Siya hid behind a table, watching it cautiously, while Zhou Ke'er stayed close to the glass window but kept a safe distance. The cat’s calm demeanor reassured them somewhat.