Poison bait
The news brought by Li Ziqing was like a bomb exploding in the dead of night, making Li Ming's eardrums ring and his limbs go cold. The nerves that had just relaxed slightly because his parents' condition was stable and the "seed" on Wang Hao's side was safe were instantly tightened to the brink of breaking again.
Residual traces of a "mirror image"! Anonymous overseas forces! Evidence of a buyback!
Every word was like a poisoned dagger, aimed straight at his most fatal weakness. He thought he had completely erased all traces of the "mirror image," paying such a heavy price to gain a temporary respite, but he never expected that there would still be some who had slipped through the net, and that they had fallen into the hands of an unidentified third party!
Is this yet another, more insidious test by Zhang Lei? Is he trying to force him to confess completely, or testing his reaction? Or is there truly another force lurking in the shadows, like a vulture waiting to seize the value of its prey in its death throes?
Either way, it means he is far from out of danger.
"Was the phone conversation recorded? Did the other party propose a specific transaction method or amount?" Li Ming forced himself to calm down, his voice low and urgent.
Li Zi shook her head, still shaken: "There was no recording... I was too scared at the time. They only said they would give us 24 hours to consider and would contact us again afterward. They didn't mention any amount, only that... it depended on our 'sincerity'."
24 hours! Sincere!
Li Ming's mind raced. The other party possessed enough evidence to completely crush Zhang Lei and the "Seventh Research Institute," yet instead of reporting him directly, they chose extortion. This indicated they had ulterior motives—money, or something else entirely. Was this a crisis, or perhaps… an opportunity? A chance to shift the blame, or even use someone else's strength against them?
An extremely audacious plan, almost like playing with fire, instantly took shape in his mind.
He immediately instructed Li Ziqing to use the prepared anonymous SIM card to send a carefully encrypted and cautiously worded text message to the overseas number: "The authenticity of the evidence needs to be verified. The transaction must be absolutely secure. How do we establish trust?"
After sending the text message, he immediately began making arrangements.
First, he had to reassure Zhang Lei. He proactively called Zhang Lei's assistant, his tone carrying just the right amount of weariness and a hint of relief, as if he had finally "figured things out": "Please tell Mr. Zhang that he thanks him for his concern. I have indeed thought a lot recently, and I also feel that some of my previous ideas were too idealistic. From now on, 'Mingyu' will focus more on improving community services and content ecosystem under the guidance of the committee, and will no longer be overly ambitious. Also... regarding chess, my chess skills are shallow, and I'm afraid they won't meet Mr. Zhang's standards, so I dare not embarrass myself."
These words were both a statement of stance and a polite refusal of Zhang Lei's hints about "playing chess," indicating that he was content with the status quo and had no intention of causing further trouble. He hoped to lower Zhang Lei's guard and create space for his next move.
Immediately afterwards, he contacted Wang Hao, but this time he did not use any encrypted channel. Instead, he used the company's work email to send a regular work email about "the need to optimize a trivial backend function of the platform." However, at a specific point in the email, he replaced the password with extremely obscure characters that he and Wang Hao had agreed upon in their early years, conveying a brief message: "A hunting dog has sniffed out old clues, suspected to be a third party. Do not move, wait for investigation."
He needed Wang Hao to know that a crisis was imminent, but he absolutely could not make any proactive contact or take any action; he had to remain absolutely silent.
After doing all this, he took a deep breath and said to the still anxious Li Ziqing, "This matter ends here. Leave it to me. Remember, no matter who asks, you must not know that phone number, nor did you tell me. Go back and get some rest, and go to work as usual tomorrow."
Looking into his eyes, at that familiar light that became unusually calm under immense pressure, Li Ziqing's inner turmoil miraculously subsided. She nodded, asking no further questions, choosing to trust him unconditionally.
After seeing Li Ziqing off, Li Ming sat alone in the dimly lit living room. His parents were already asleep, and only his heavy breathing could be heard in the room. He was waiting, waiting for a reply from that overseas number, and also waiting for fate to take its next turn.
A few hours later, an encrypted text message replied: "Tomorrow at 14:00, log in to the following dark web address (with a complex string of characters) and use the specified key to enter the encrypted chat room. No exceptions."
The other party was very cautious and used the dark web and a one-time encrypted chat room.
The following afternoon, Li Ming arrived on time at the electronic reading room of a large public library in the city. Using a cleaned-up public computer, he followed the instructions, browsing unrelated web pages like an ordinary internet user. At the same time, in a hidden browser tab, he entered the dark web address and key.
An extremely simple, unmarked black chat window popped up.
Without any further ado, the other party uploaded a small, encrypted file.
"This is a sample. The decryption key will be sent later. After verification, show your 'sincerity'."
Li Ming's heart leaped into his throat. He downloaded the file and decrypted it using the key that was subsequently sent. When the file's contents were revealed before his eyes, his pupils suddenly contracted!
Inside were several fragments of pseudocode from early, unused algorithms from the "Mirror" lab, as well as screenshots of timestamp logs showing Wang Hao accessing an open-source code repository via an anonymous overseas server! Although they were just fragments, they were enough to prove that the "Mirror" lab once existed and had conducted explorations beyond "security boundaries"!
The evidence is real! The other side has indeed been caught red-handed!
After the initial shock, an unusual calm took over. The evidence presented by the other side was carefully measured, threatening without revealing the most crucial information, clearly indicating they were waiting for a better offer.
Li Ming didn't immediately make an offer. He typed in the chat box: "The evidence is authentic. But its value needs to be assessed. What do you want? Money, or something else?"
After a moment of silence, the other party replied, "We are very interested in your unfinished 'decentralized ecosystem network' concept. We need the complete architectural design, as well as... your 'priority access' to all future research and development results in this direction."
Li Ming was shocked! The other party actually knew about his nascent "decentralized ecosystem network" concept?! This was far more than just catching the tail of the "mirror image"! It meant that the other party's understanding of him might have penetrated into all his recent thoughts and plans!
Was there a problem with Wang Hao? Or... were there eyes around him that he hadn't noticed?
A chill ran down his spine. He felt as if he were invisible, standing under countless searchlights.
He forced down his turbulent emotions and replied, "The idea is still immature and has limited value. As for future results, it's just an empty promise. Let's talk about something more practical, like a sum of cash that will satisfy you."
He tried to bring the deal back to a purely monetary level, avoiding being tied to uncertain future plans.
However, the other party seemed to have seen through his thoughts: "Mr. Li, we know you better than you think. Cash is certainly attractive, but we value future potential even more. These are our terms. Accept, or... we'll pack these 'samples' and send them separately to Mr. Zhang of Leiyao Capital, and to that 'Seventh Research Institute' you mentioned. You have ten minutes to consider."
Ten minutes!
Li Ming stared at the cold ultimatum on the screen, feeling sweat soaking his back. Accepting meant being bound to this mysterious overseas force, becoming a pawn in their quest to uncover future technological trends, and possibly even being used against Zhang Lei and the "Seventh Research Institute"—a situation potentially even more dangerous than it was now. Refusing meant immediate disgrace and utter ruin.
This is a choice between two bottles of poison.
Time ticked by. Li Ming's brain was working at its limit. He suddenly realized that this might also be an opportunity? A chance to turn the tables and get rid of this hot potato?
A resolute glint flashed in his eyes. He quickly typed in the chat box:
“I can agree to your conditions. But there is one condition: you must prove that you have the ability to ensure that these ‘old evidences’ and our future transactions will not be discovered by any third party, especially Lei Yao and the ‘Seventh Research Institute’. If you can’t even do that, there is no point in talking about cooperation.”
He passed the buck back, while simultaneously making an almost impossible demand—that the other party prove their stealth capabilities surpassed Lei Yao's and the Seventh Research Institute's surveillance network.
The other party seemed to be angered by this request, or perhaps they realized Li Ming's probing, and replied with a cold tone: "Are you testing our patience?"
“No, I’m assessing the capabilities of my partners.” Li Ming remained unyielding. “If you can’t do it, then the deal is off. Go ahead and send out your evidence, and see if I fall first, or if you are exposed first.”
He was gambling! He was gambling that the other party's elaborate extortion was not merely aimed at destroying him, but rather had some other scheme. He was gambling that the other party also feared Lei Yao and the "Seventh Research Institute"!
The chat room fell silent for a long time. The other person seemed to be weighing their options.
Just as the ten-minute time limit was about to expire, the other party finally replied, but the content stunned Li Ming:
"We can demonstrate your demands with actions. Within three days, you will receive a 'gift'—part of the evidence chain regarding Zhao Zhen's 'Zhenhua Trade' using Lei Yao Capital's resources to engage in data monopoly and unfair competition. This is enough to temporarily divert some attention and can be considered a 'deposit' for our cooperation."
"As for the complete architecture draft, I'll give you a week to prepare it. I'll contact you again then."
After saying that, without waiting for Li Ming's response, the chat room was instantly closed, and all records disappeared without a trace.
Li Ming sat in front of the computer, motionless for a long time.
Instead of directly demonstrating their ability to remain hidden, the other party chose to present Zhao Zhen's "dirt" as a "gift" and proof? What does this mean? Is it a way to shift blame? Is it a show of force? Or... a more complex signal of goodwill and cooperation?
This mysterious overseas force acted in a way that completely exceeded his expectations.
He had originally planned to use this crisis to "inadvertently" reveal the existence of the evidence to Zhang Lei, thus diverting the blame and making Zhang Lei deal with the extortionist. But now, the other party had proactively offered up a weapon to attack Zhao Zhen?
The situation has become even more unpredictable.
He felt as if he were trapped in a huge, dark labyrinth with many participants, where every step could trigger an unknown trap, and the torch in his hand could only illuminate the small area beneath his feet.
Was the "gift" to Zhao Zhen real or fake? Was it a lifeline or a deeper trap?
He didn't know.
But he knew that from this moment on, he would not only have to struggle to survive under the watchful eyes of Zhang Lei and the "Seventh Research Institute," but also have to deal with an even more mysterious and unpredictable overseas force.
The road ahead is destined to be even more perilous and unpredictable.
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