Chapter 82: Cat and Mouse

No one knew why Masked Sheep had gotten involved again, but it was not impossible. If he had struck some deal with the American CIA, and this maritime incident was tied to a nasty U.S.-Russian clash, then nothing was out of the question.

Zhou Dongyun said solemnly, “Are you absolutely sure it was Masked Sheep?”

Xiaoma replied, “You asked, I answered. I’m not getting paid for this, and I’m not about to sign some grand pledge.”

Zhou Dongyun thought about it and felt he had a point. It was already good enough that he was willing to speak up in what seemed like a responsible manner.

The thought that she might, in her lifetime, still have the chance to analyze Masked Sheep up close left Zhou Dongyun strangely energized.

So she looked as though she were facing a grave enemy and said to Tian Jia on the other side, “Hurry up and open my access. This is no simple matter. Something even bigger may happen very soon.”

Tian Jia shook his head. “Thank you, Professor Zhou, for your enthusiasm, but you needn’t trouble yourself.”

“You…” Zhou Dongyun could hardly believe he was still putting on an act at a time like this.

With his head lowered, Tian Jia busied himself with the computer, crackling away at the keyboard as he said, “Don’t think you’re the only one who can do anything. And don’t think that bringing in a restroom attendant will intimidate me. Stop trying to scare people. You know nothing about power. Masked Sheep was sentenced to life imprisonment. How could he possibly be out again under the most complete judicial system in the world?”

Zhen Yuqi gave a look of amused disdain. “So you think your American daddy’s legal system is the best?”

“Of course it’s good. You’ve been brainwashed by your side so thoroughly you’re an idiot. You know nothing about power.” Tian Jia kept up his mysterious air of confidence and superiority.

At that, Xiaoma, Zhen Yuqi, and Zhou Dongyun all wore dark expressions.

But there was nothing they could do. The man’s mouth was truly filthy; calling him trash would not be unfair. Back when he was at Xiamen University, he had been expelled from the Party for remarks almost identical to “your side,” and had nearly been expelled from school as well.

A person’s character is basically impossible to change. Zhou Dongyun no longer wanted to argue these pointless issues, and said with a frown, “Enough, Tian Jia. Stop while you’re ahead. No one likes discussing values with you, but let’s stick to the facts. I, Zhou Dongyun, believe there’s a real possibility that Masked Sheep was involved in this incident. Open my access now. Let us study it together. I’m not trying to bully anyone by claiming authority. I can point out the underlying signatures for you.”

Tian Jia continued to shake his head with contempt. “Don’t treat me like a child. Don’t go fishing for shadows and overinterpreting everything. I think the maritime incident was just a coincidence. They have nothing to do with each other. It was merely an electronic malfunction on the Poseidon, and it just happened to coincide with the usual tensions between the Americans and the Russians. Do you think the Poseidon’s system is some laptop connected to Wi-Fi in a shut-in’s room? Hacked at the drop of a hat? The Poseidon uses satellite bandwidth. Before you came, I already looked into it. Those were American satellites, operated by an independent company, with the highest security classification. Do you think that’s the kind of bureaucratic communications system you’re used to?”

“Besides, their whole system has hardware-level protection, and it’s under a natural shielding cover. How are you supposed to break in? How are you supposed to hack it? I don’t believe anyone can do that. Even if Masked Sheep has come out, the world has changed day by day and technology turns over fast. After so many years in prison, he’s probably half an idiot by now. You expect him to pull off that kind of engineering?”

As soon as he said that, everyone there changed color.

Technically, it was indeed very difficult, but that was not the main point. The real problem was that the man’s words were so foul they were nearly unbearable.

If Zhen Yuqi had had a gun, she would have wanted to shoot him dead. That bastard claimed to be a national high-tech enterprise while making money from government outsourcing and the public, all the while using the mindset of “I am your father” to screw both the government and the entire nation.

Zhou Dongyun’s face was livid, but she still forced herself to remain patient and stick to the facts. “I know it sounds fantastical, but you’re obviously arguing against it just for the sake of opposition. Once you go to extremes, you turn into an idiot. Suppose it has something to do with the Americans’ warship and the Russians’ strategic bombers. There would inevitably be CIA involvement. Would they need to hack satellites? This could be settled with a phone call. Does it really need to be as complicated as you’re making it? Do you have even the slightest understanding of what the CIA is like? Does hardware-level protection and shielding have to be breached from the outside? You’re wrong. If it were just some shut-in’s computer, he might really be able to defend it, but Poseidon is such a vast space, with such a complicated and densely populated environment. It looks airtight, but where there are people, there are flaws. To a certain extent, with the help of specialized equipment and an insider, launching an electromagnetic attack and infiltrating Poseidon’s system is entirely possible.”

“Stop talking nonsense. And don’t tell me a phone call can settle satellite affairs. You think the way your side’s bureaucrats do business is the standard?” Tian Jia shot her a glance. “So this is where your reputation and scholarship come from? At such a shallow level, you still have the nerve to carry a title like that? Fake experts and armchair professors—that’s exactly what people like you are. You’re starting with a conclusion and then forcing the process to fit it.”

Xiaoma was also about to speak, but Tian Jia raised a hand again and sneered, “Enough, restroom agent. Don’t make a fool of yourself. Don’t treat Masked Sheep like your father. This所谓 commercial contract is just a formality. People already said it was an electronic malfunction and they still don’t believe it. The big shots on Poseidon insisted on some third-party commissioned investigation. What could they possibly dig up? This constant conspiracy thinking is terrible. A malfunction is a malfunction, and a coincidence is a coincidence. If this contract didn’t pay so well and was so easy to earn, do you think I’d be bored enough to play along with their nonsense?”

Zhou Dongyun said, face dark, “So what you mean is that as long as the money is paid, that’s enough. The investigation is just a show, a way to fool people? That’s how your so-called independent and responsible high-tech company operates?”

On this point, Tian Jia waved his hand arrogantly. “Don’t start going in circles. I’m not an independent company. I’m a national enterprise, influenced by your side’s nation. It’s only natural that my corporate culture is rotten too. If it’s gone crooked, what can I do about it?”

Just as the argument was becoming irreconcilable, there were some unusual signs, triggering the firewall’s alert rules.

Not only did many of the workstation staff notice, Tian Jia noticed it too.

To a certain extent, Zhou Dongyun had been right: Tian Jia was extremely quick to react. Even while distracted by the argument, he was also the first person on site to detect signs of a system intrusion.

So Tian Jia no longer bothered speaking. His fingers flew over the keyboard like invisible hands. Then he gave a soft exclamation and muttered, “Caught a little fool…”

A beautiful woman hurriedly rose to her feet. “Boss Tian, the firewall rules have failed. Has it gotten in?”

Looking at the screen without raising his head, Tian Jia said, “Don’t make noise. I see it... Interesting. Then let’s play with him a little. He wants to stir up trouble, but how does he know it isn’t me who’s catching him?”

Zhou Dongyun said, eyes blazing, “Are you crazy? Stop the power and shut the system down!”

Tian Jia waved her off impatiently. “If you don’t like it here, get lost. No one asked you to stay.”

Another technician hurriedly stood up. “Boss Tian, it’s accessing memory data. There’s a risk of data leakage.”

Still typing rapidly, Tian Jia said coldly, “I see it. What’s there to panic about? With such massive memory data, I’ll just keep him entertained. One missing packet won’t matter. That’s my rule. He wants my data; how does he know I don’t want his? It’s been a long time since I played like this.”

Seeing how calmly he handled it, the others stopped saying anything.