Chapter 87: A Small Trouble

In Haishi, Wanghai District.

Liu Di lay on a rock, gazing at the seagulls in the sky while observing the codes in his eyes. The reason he stayed here was because of a small unexpected problem that had arisen.

Meanwhile, at the Haishi branch of the Huaxia Network Security Bureau, Sun Mingdong, the leader of Network Security Group 1, was frowning as he stared at the screen in front of him. The screen displayed a video from the previous night at 8:03 PM, when the entire Wanghai District in Haishi suddenly plunged into darkness. Following this, dozens of networked speakers near Huitian Square began to emit sounds. Then, the streetlights, seemingly out of control, started lighting up one by one, forming a path.

Sun Mingdong lit a cigarette, scratching his already greasy hair. This emergency had kept his Network Security Group 1 up all night. He had been watching this video for three hours straight.

"This is unbelievable! Who could have such capabilities?" Sun muttered. "Someone who could hack into our Haishi power control system? And then forcibly control the streetlight system? The most baffling part is, how did they simultaneously control so many speakers? This is a blatant act of defiance, a direct challenge to our Haishi Network Security team!"

With a loud thud, Sun Mingdong stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. Turning around, he shouted at his team, "It's been all night! Have you found anything? Either 帝一 (Emperor One) or this hacker—find me at least one of them!"

At that moment, a sleep-deprived network security officer suddenly looked up. "Team Leader, I found it! The hacker—I've locked onto their IP!"

"Really? Great!" Sun Mingdong rushed to the computer. "Where is he? Give me the address—I'm going to personally bring him in!"

The officer hesitated and then said, "His address...is on top of the Egyptian pyramids..."

"What? Nonsense!"

Sun Mingdong was short-tempered, and hearing this made him furious. 

"Team Leader, please calm down. It's likely a fake address, and it keeps changing..."

The officer pointed at the screen, "Look... he's now in the Arctic..."

"I..." 

Sun Mingdong's face turned purple with anger, his words stuck in his throat. "Is he playing with me?"

"However, Team Leader, he left a backdoor open. We should be able to communicate with him," the officer suggested, pointing to an input window on the screen.

Suppressing his anger, Sun Mingdong sat down slowly. He knew it was time to engage in a battle of wits with this hacker, to try and trick him into revealing his location. After pondering for a while, Sun typed out a simple greeting, "Hello..."

But before he could hit send, a message from the hacker appeared: "Hello, Team Leader Dong."

*Gasp*...

How does he know my name? Sun Mingdong thought, his heart skipping a beat.

"Sorry for the trouble. I just wanted to give my friends a surprise yesterday, so things got a bit out of hand."

Seeing this message, Sun Mingdong felt even more frustrated. *Out of hand?* You blacked out the entire Wanghai District!

The hacker continued, "But luckily, it didn't cause any real damage."

Indeed, there was no significant damage, and they even saved some electricity. But my boss is furious and has given me 12 hours to catch you! Sun Mingdong struggled to keep his composure, slowly typing, "Indeed, no major issues. If you cooperate and come to the station for a brief interview, where are you located?"

The hacker simply replied, "Heh."

Just as Sun Mingdong was about to smash his keyboard in frustration, another message came through with a data packet that automatically opened. 

Suddenly, a flood of data appeared on the screen—first, a series of orderly numbers, then a picture. Lines crisscrossed the map like a spider's web, connecting cities.

*What is this?* Sun Mingdong's pupils contracted sharply.

These numbers—bank account numbers! And these lines—are money transfer routes! The hacker messaged again: "Team Leader Dong, I understand you're currently investigating a major money laundering case?"

Stunned, Sun Mingdong instinctively replied, "Yes."

Recently, there had indeed been such a case involving over 10 billion yuan. However, the perpetrators had top-tier network experts, and the money disappeared without a trace as soon as it entered the network. Sun Mingdong's team had been investigating for a month without any success. They hadn't recovered a single yuan or found a single lead, which had left him deeply frustrated.

"This is the information I've helped you find. It includes all the accounts where the money was transferred and the routes it took. Of course, I've also listed the final storage locations of the money—it's now divided into 40 accounts in Swiss banks."

"I believe with this, you should be able to close the case, right?"

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded. Someone could trace this? And in such detail? This person was clearly a master—a top-tier genius! This level of expertise was far beyond hacking into Haishi's power grid. After all, tracking these money transfers involved international networks and bank systems. Some of the tech-obsessed researchers in the room couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

"This should let me make amends, right?"

The hacker messaged again. Sun Mingdong's fingers trembled slightly. The information before him was invaluable—justice was priceless! Sun Mingdong typed, "On behalf of the Network Security Bureau, I thank you for your help. But! Right and wrong are separate matters. You can't just get away with hacking into the Haishi power grid!"

"Forgive me for being blunt, but do you really think you can catch me?"

Sun Mingdong's face turned green at the sight of those words... Indeed, with such skills, there really wasn't anyone in the bureau who could catch him!

"Let me make amends, and maybe we can even become friends."

The hacker messaged again. Feeling utterly helpless, Sun Mingdong finally asked, "May I know your name?"

After several minutes, the hacker replied, "帝四 (Emperor Four)."

Sun Mingdong slammed his desk with a fist. "It's confirmed—he's Chinese and a fan of 帝一 (Emperor One)!"

Five minutes later, Sun Mingdong registered 帝四 (Emperor Four) in the database, then printed out his name and stuck it on his desk. Staring at it for a long moment, Sun Mingdong grabbed a marker and wrote down the danger assessment provided by the database: 帝四 (Emperor Four), an international grandmaster-level hacker! Threat Level: SSS.

Taking a sip of tea, Sun Mingdong narrowed his eyes. "Well, well. I swear I'll catch you one day, or I'll spend the rest of my life on your trail!"

Back on the reef, Liu Di stretched lazily. Finally, that's sorted out! Next time, I'll have to keep a lower profile!

After adjusting his clothes, Liu Di glanced at Haishi in the distance. "Now, it's time to deal with that small fry Ouyang Fengyu. Then I'll wait for the big fish, 'Phantom,' to reveal itself. Once that's done, the troubles with the Yan family should be just about over!"