In the distant sky, there is a star that flickers and shines in the dark night.
Zhuang Li was standing on the balcony enjoying the night breeze, holding a glass of milk and a small piece of cake.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a door opening and closing from the balcony next door, and then an orange light came on.
The warm light shone on Zhuang Li, and also warmed his originally cold eyes.
He immediately pulled out his phone, curled his lips, and sent a message: [Where's the interview I promised you? I'll starve to death without a job.]
[Come over now, my team is here.] The reply came quickly.
Zhuang Li gulped down the milk in one gulp, changed into a well-tailored suit, smoothed his fluffy curly hair, and tied the most exquisite tie. Then he picked up a computer and slowly knocked on the door of the next room.
The door opened, revealing a large living room filled with people, all dressed in crisp military uniforms, exuding a battlefield-stained, sturdy aura. They all turned toward the door, their faces dignified, wary, and questioning.
If an ordinary person faced this kind of scene, he would probably fall to his knees as soon as he showed his face. However, Zhuang Li walked into the living room leisurely, chose an empty seat in the middle, sat down slowly, crossed his long legs, placed his hands on his knees, leaned back, and every cell in his body showed ease and comfort.
He was surrounded by a group of military leaders, and opposite him sat Le Zhengming.
"These are all my colleagues. If you can pass the interview successfully, they will also be your colleagues, so don't be nervous." Le Zhengming comforted him in the softest tone possible.
"I'm not nervous." Zhuang Li slightly curled the corners of his crimson lips.
When he wasn't smiling, he looked extremely cold, but once he smiled, that intense gorgeousness and the evil spirit running in his bones could no longer be concealed.
Everyone's brows furrowed at this moment, their gazes darting like knives. It was obvious, judging from their outward appearance, that they were very dissatisfied with Zhuang Li.
A lieutenant general in his twenties with an elegant demeanor said in a deep voice, "General, if you let him apply for the position of Chief Cybersecurity Officer, what will I do in the future?"
It seems that there is a power conflict between his functions and the position that Zhuang Li is applying for.
"If he is more capable than you, you can be his assistant." At work, Le Zhengming never considers the so-called human relationships.
The lieutenant general pursed his lips, seeming dissatisfied, but he did not raise any further objections. This man had come to apply for a job, and whether he could successfully join the general's team was still unknown.
Of course, Zhuang Li's political vetting was flawless. Due to his previous marriage, he was now cornered by the Gong family. While his hacking skills seemed impressive, he wasn't qualified to join the campaign team. What truly forced the team to compromise was Le Zhengming's insistence and forceful recommendation.
"You can ask whatever you want to ask now." Zhuang Li leaned back in his chair leisurely and said as if he was the host.
Le Zhengming lowered his eyes in thought, but the lieutenant general spoke first: "You are here to apply for the position of Chief Cybersecurity Officer, so show us your skills."
"Show me my skills?" Zhuang Li raised his eyebrows and asked with interest.
"Why, is it difficult?" the lieutenant general sneered.
"No." Zhuang Li suddenly stood up and walked towards Le Zhengming.
Everyone put their hands on their backs, where their gun holsters were. If Zhuang Li made any unnatural move, he would be shot to pieces in the next second.
But Le Zhengming raised his arm, turned his palm over, and made a downward pressing motion.
The men, their guns already half-drawn, were forced to pull them back, then stared at Zhuang Li with eager eyes. This small detail revealed the authority Le Zhengming held within the military. His word was final.
Zhuang Li walked smoothly to Le Zhengming, leaned over, and with one hand on the armrest of the sofa, he half-encircled the man in his arms. With the other hand, he gently stroked a small scar on his forehead and whispered tenderly, "200X, Iraq, Baghdad rescue, shrapnel scratch."
Le Zhengming froze. Years in the war zone had instilled in him a wariness that made him intolerant of strangers approaching, yet he couldn't push the young man away. To him, this man was the most special person.
The young man's fingertips still carried the coolness of the night breeze, but the instant they touched, they sent a fiery electric current into Le Zhengming's capillaries. These veins slowly burned and boiled, staining the thin white scar pink, but his face remained as resolute as a rock.
Looking at his visibly red scar and earlobe, Zhuang Li narrowed his eyes in amusement. His fingertips continued to stroke down, touching the back of his neck, where there was also a scar several centimeters long.
"200X, Northern Ireland, Operation Bann River, dagger slashes, comrades betrayed."
Zhuang Li's fingertips moved around to Le Zhengming's chest, gently touching his heart through the countless medals, and continued to whisper: "200X, Palestine, Operation Black Fire, bullet pierced through. That time, you stayed in bed for three months."
Then came the shrapnel wounds in the abdomen, and various scratches, falls, bullet wounds, and so on in the legs.
Zhuang Li carefully counted every action Le Zhengming had participated in, every drop of blood he had shed. This information was one of the military's top secrets, inaccessible to anyone without sufficient authority.
According to the military's investigation report, Zhuang Li was indeed an orphan, with no family, no friends, and no powerful background. He had lived for 32 years without showing any suspicious or unusual characteristics.
But now, the investigator in charge of investigating Zhuang Li was stunned. He gradually realized that his assessment of this little man was completely wrong.
Zhuang Li's previous online battle with Zhu Jianrui on MIK might not have been a petty sparring match between father and son, but rather a crushing display of superior hacker power. It's just that these outsiders couldn't see his true value and completely ignored it. Who would pay special attention to a minor hacker attack on a small entertainment company?
However, the information Zhuang Li was describing couldn't be described as trivial. It was war secrets stored in the highest-level national defense system, accessible only to leaders above the rank of general.
Zhuang Li blurred many details, giving only the time, place, and reason, but this was enough for everyone to see his abilities. He could investigate Le Zhengming's entire life so thoroughly that, if he chose, everyone present would be transparent to him.
Finally, he placed his hands on both sides of Le Zhengming's sofa, looked into his eyes, and said slowly: "You are a hero of this country, and that position can only belong to you." He pointed to a billboard erected on the mountainside.
Everyone looked in the direction of his finger, and saw that the billboard had photos of Gong Xuanqi and Le Zhengming displayed on the left and right, with a line of inflammatory words written on the top - The future is in your hands, please make your choice.
"I choose you." Zhuang Li moved closer, his nose almost touching Le Zhengming's, and said seriously, "You must be in my future."
In the previous world, after Xuan Ming left completely, he gradually understood what this man, whose presence was like air, meant to him.
He is my constant companion, my meticulous caregiver, and the figure who is always waiting in the corner when I look back.
It was also after Xuan Ming's death that Zhuang Li, who had never known how to write the word "regret", truly understood how painful it was.
So he spent his entire life protecting everything closely related to Xuan Ming.
Therefore, in this world, Xuan Ming must exist in his future.
Le Zhengming only needed to lean back slightly to evade the man's lock. But he couldn't move. Under the man's gentle gaze and scorching breath, he felt his hardened heart slowly melting, the fluid in his veins constantly evaporating, erupting into a fierce, hot stream.
Zhuang Li caressed every scar on his body, making him throb and tremble. He was afraid, not because he was timid, but because he wanted to hug the man in front of him regardless of everything.
The last sentence that Zhuang Li said, which was almost a confession, fell on Le Zhengming's heart like a burning coal, burning him so much that he almost groaned.
Le Zhengming clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his inner thoughts, and then said in an extremely hoarse voice: "You passed the interview."
Every battle he participated in was a top-secret mission. Without the highest level of authority within the Ministry of Defense, Zhuang Li couldn't possibly have known such detailed information. His only access to this information was through hacking into defense systems, decrypting classified files, and downloading local files. His hacking skills were beyond anyone's expectations.
Zhuang Li did not show any joy or complacency, but just stared at Le Zhengming for a long time, until the other's ears turned red enough to bleed, then he suddenly chuckled and stood up straight.
The bigwigs sitting around him had already subsided their disdain, but were now even more wary. Zhuang Li had already demonstrated through his actions how dangerous he was. If he could hack into the national defense system, he could hack into the missile system, and he could even hack into anyone's computer and learn all the secrets...
Fortunately, he was planning to join our team, not the opponent's. Thinking of this, the bosses breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhuang Li walked backwards to his own sofa and slowly sat down, his long legs lazily crossed. His deep eyes swept over everyone, his thin lips opening and closing as he called out to each one: "Hello, Chief Liaison Officer, Lieutenant General Yang Yunfeng; Hello, Chief Operating Officer, Lieutenant General Li Tai; Hello, Chief Advisor, General Sun Zhe..."
He could accurately call out the name, position and rank of every person present, and among these people, five or six had previously worked in secret agencies and had never appeared in any public occasion.
In other words, before applying for the job, Zhuang Li had already thoroughly investigated Le Zhengming's team through extraordinary means.
This was undoubtedly a show of force. Even Gong Xuanqi might not be able to find out what talents Le Zhengming's team had recruited.
If Zhuang Li wanted to, he could even dig out all the forces that secretly supported Le Zhengming and make a list.
The big guys who originally planned to give Zhuang Li a warning: "..."
Le Zhengming, feeling incredibly lost at Zhuang Li's departure, pursed his lips and smiled silently. For some reason, he enjoyed watching Curly Hair get humiliated.
The lieutenant general said, still unwilling to give up, "You are indeed a highly skilled hacker, but you must understand that hacking into a network and building network security are not the same thing."
Zhuang Li completely ignored him, clapped his hands, and ordered, "Now that I've taken office, everyone, please start cooperating with me now. Take out all your smart devices: computers, tablets, phones, Bluetooth devices, and connect them all to the intranet."
He opened the laptop that had been at his side and easily hacked into Le Zhengming's private network.
The lieutenant general who built this network with his own hands and thought it would never be broken: "..."
Le Zhengming quickly tilted his head and pressed his lips together, barely suppressing the smile that was spreading across his face. He didn't know why, but the sight of Zhuang Li controlling the entire situation seemed so familiar to him.
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