mobius, the world's number one hacker.
His identity was a mystery, his actions enigmatic.
Most hackers pursued vast sums of money or the challenge of superior technology.
Mobius was neither.
He seemed to appear out of nowhere, making a sensational debut, and then proceeded to constantly stir up trouble.
Yes, that was exactly it: constantly stirring up trouble.
And specifically targeting them.
Everyone in the organization loathed the mention of Mobius's name, their teeth grinding in anger. Yet, Mobius always seemed to be one step ahead, aware of all their plans.
And Mobius himself would vanish into thin air after causing mischief.
All their organization could do was to retreat promptly, even resorting to cutting off limbs to survive.
Over the years of clashes, they had been consistently on the back foot, in a state of disarray.
Mobius's arrival in Finland this time had provided Tarik with a convenient opportunity, narrowing down all possibilities.
The focus was ultimately narrowed down to three individuals.
Bai Yuqi, Gu Yaoyang, and Xia Qingtian.
At this very moment, Tarik had already eliminated Bai Yuqi through algorithmic analysis.
Now, only Gu Yaoyang and Xia Qingtian remained as potential candidates.
The initial wave of excitement had quickly passed. Now, Tarik was left with a complex mix of emotions.
If the final determination was Gu Yaoyang, then it would be straightforward.
He would simply be eliminated.
But what if it was Xia Qingtian?
The thought of Xia Qingyu's mysterious adoration and closeness to Xia Qingtian made Tarik feel a suffocating unease.
If it truly was Xia Qingtian, then his actions would likely earn him Xia Qingyu's hatred for a lifetime.
On one side were his adoptive father's orders, and on the other was Xia Qingyu.
Tarik felt a severe headache coming on.
This was truly agonizing.
"Hoo…" Tarik took a deep breath, raked his fingers through his hair, then furrowed his brow, his knuckles tapping a rhythm on the table.
After a long while, he finally made up his mind.
When dawn broke, he would personally go and meet them.
He would have a good chat with Xia Qingtian and Gu Yaoyang.
After that…
He would make his decision.
Meanwhile, at the crystal's observation port, Xiang Xueyuan's brow was deeply furrowed.
The crystal's energy was immensely powerful, unfathomably so. The current monitoring was limited to analyzing partial data.
Recently, anomalies in the crystal's energy data reports made it impossible for him to perform a precise analysis.
First, the energy surged to an unprecedented peak. After a brief fluctuation, it had maintained for a few days before declining at a visible rate.
The current readings had dropped close to the anomalous data threshold.
How could this be?
Xiang Xueyuan and his team of researchers had conducted numerous estimations and experimental tests, but none could explain this phenomenon.
If the readings continued to drop until they reached zero…
Xiang Xueyuan's ears rang. He abruptly closed his eyes, unable to bear imagining such a scenario.
If the readings continued to plummet to zero, rendering the crystal completely useless scrap, then…
What would his years of effort, his years of dedication, even mean?
In a daze, Xiang Xueyuan thought of Aunt Liu and Xia Qingyu.
When he opened his eyes again, Xiang Xueyuan's expression returned to its usual gentle and amiable demeanor, his gaze resolute.
Yes, at this juncture, fate bringing Xia Qingyu back into his life was perhaps meant to rescue him.
To help him.
In the current situation, Xia Qingyu might be the catalyst for breaking through this impasse, his miracle.
With this thought, Xiang Xueyuan took a deep breath and glanced at the time.
"Tomorrow, I will bring Qingyu here again."
Xiang Xueyuan's gaze shifted. Regardless of Xia Qingyu's thoughts, he needed to make her understand his stance.
She was his daughter; this was something Xia Qingyu could never escape.
If the Xia family became a useless burden binding Xia Qingyu, he would not hesitate to sever those ties entirely and send that family to the underworld.
As long as Xia Qingyu was obedient and remained solely his good daughter.
That would be enough.
The next day, after waking up, Xia Qingtian stretched lazily. Seeing Lei Xirui's unguarded sleeping face, his mood brightened considerably.
Who wouldn't want to see such a well-behaved and adorable little beauty upon opening their eyes?
Tiptoeing out of bed, Xia Qingtian freshened up. Seeing that it was almost time for breakfast, he then gently woke Lei Xirui.
Rubbing her eyes, Lei Xirui climbed out of the covers. Sleepy-eyed, she sat like a duck and softly wished him good morning. This earned her an overwhelmingly warm embrace from Xia Qingtian.
After finally tidying up and sitting at the dining table, Lei Xirui shyly greeted everyone.
"Siri, this is delicious," Shi Xingwu pointed to the plate in front of him. "As expected, meat is king!"
"Who's like you, with muscles on their mind?" Xia Qingtian chuckled, pouring a cup of hot milk for Lei Xirui. "Have some hot milk first."
"Thank you, Qingtian ge," Lei Xirui smiled shyly.
"So cute," Aunt Liu couldn't help but exclaim, cupping her face.
"Right!" Xia Qingtian knew Aunt Liu would definitely appreciate Lei Xirui's charm.
"Heh, it's good for you to eat more since you're so thin," Xia Honglang said with a hearty laugh, flipping through the newspaper. "I haven't read a newspaper in years. It's estimated that even newspaper stands will be demolished in China next year."
"Paperless office work is indeed a trend," Gu Yaoyang said, sitting opposite Xia Honglang and looking at his tablet. "Some companies are already signing contracts online through apps."
"That's right. Physical documents aren't very convenient for storage, and their confidentiality is also questionable," Bai Yuqi agreed. "However, the security of paperless systems is mainly effective against amateurs."
"Cloud development is indeed very beneficial for online workers," Li Xiaozhong nodded, putting down his milk cup.
"I personally prefer paper. When reading, I prefer physical books over e-books," Xia Qingtian interjected, taking over the conversation. "However, for traveling, e-books are indeed more convenient."
"Me too," Lei Xirui, adhering to social etiquette, added a comment to echo the other's opinion at the appropriate moment, then turned her gaze to Shi Xingwu.
If social etiquette were to be followed, Shi Xingwu should also say something.
Seeing Shi Xingwu eating without speaking, Lei Xirui worried he might commit a social faux pas and proactively prompted him, "Shi Xingwu, what about you?"
"Huh? Me? What about me?" Shi Xingwu looked up at Lei Xirui at that moment and said, "Siri, why aren't you eating meat yet? If you don't eat meat, how will you grow muscles? Your small frame needs to eat more meat! And carbs, sufficient intake of carbs and protein is healthy too!"
"Ah?" Lei Xirui was stunned, completely unprepared for Shi Xingwu's response.
"You eat your own food and mind your own business," Li Xiaozhong glared at Shi Xingwu. What else did this guy know besides carbs and protein?
This muscle-bound idiot.