The next morning, the Gotham Daily broke a major news story.
Dominic Sidney, the Falcone family's number two man, had been captured.
The Central Bank was the conduit for money and favors between Falcone and the city's upper echelon. As the bank's president, Sidney possessed many unpublicized secrets. If his mouth could be opened, American society could be turned upside down.
Suddenly, many high-ranking officials were restless.
The recently calmed city of Gotham felt like it was on the verge of another storm.
Luke glanced at the newspaper, curled his lip, and tossed it aside.
I turned Sidney into an idiot who only squats on the ground and counts ants. If Jim Gordon can extract intelligence from an imbecile's mouth, I, Luke Shaw, will call him the strongest man alive.
Gordon couldn't get the intel, so he must be pulling a stunt—using Sidney as bait to lure Falcone out.
It was a good idea, and highly likely to succeed.
Falcone wouldn't know his former subordinate had become an idiot. Upon hearing he was caught, he would be anxious. Even if he didn't act, the politicians behind him would force him to.
It was a stalemate.
Having figured this out, Luke stopped paying attention. What happened next in Gotham was irrelevant to him.
He had secured $800 million, Sidney took the fall, Roger Consius was neutralized, ShowMe was trending, and Emily had successfully risen in rank, likely becoming the head of the FBI's local East End office. With her protection, he wouldn't have to worry about the police bothering him. That's the power of dating an FBI agent.
As the mastermind, Luke was very satisfied with the current outcome and ready to move on to the next phase of his plan.
At ten o'clock that morning, after holding a full staff meeting, a somewhat bizarre recruitment announcement appeared on the ShowMe homepage.
Most of the job requirements were normal, except for the Technician and Presidential Assistant positions, which baffled people.
The requirement for the Technician was virtually non-existent, just two words: Genius.
Below it was a bolded annotation: "ShowMe is a genius company, and a genius company only needs genius technicians."
Listen to that tone—clearly an invitation to be smacked!
Compared to the Technician, the requirements for the Presidential Assistant were extensive, covering half a page.
Gender: Female (excluding trans individuals)
Age: 18–25 years old
Height: 167cm–177cm (5'6"–5'10")
Weight: 105lbs–135lbs
Appearance: Clean, proper facial features
Hair: Past the shoulders
Skin Color: None (i.e., not specified)
Education: University student or graduate, IQ above 125, proficient in at least three languages (including English), no criminal record, no bad habits, no drug history (including prescription painkillers, etc.). Work experience preferred.
Physical Condition: Physically robust, proficient in various fighting techniques, left punch strength no less than 500 lbs, right punch strength no less than 600 lbs. Practical combat experience preferred.
Special Requirement:No perfume!Annual Salary:$250,000
After reading the requirements, a question popped into everyone's head: Is this a beauty pageant? An assistant search? Or a bodyguard recruitment?
And what the heck was "No perfume"? You're looking for a female secretary, but you won't allow her to wear perfume? Isn't that just difficult for the sake of being difficult?
Are there even women who don't wear perfume these days?
The announcement immediately sparked controversy.
The Presidential Assistant position was somewhat understandable. With a salary of $250,000, it was high-income, so excessive requirements were perhaps normal. Men, after all, have their unique fetishes.
It was the Technician recruitment that ignited a firestorm, especially among Ivy League university students.
They were outraged that an internet startup like ShowMe would not specify educational requirements in its job posting. Such a practice seemed to violate social norms.
If every internet company ignored academic qualifications, what was the point of a university computer science degree?
Students and graduates alike left comments under the announcement, fiercely condemning ShowMe's "unfair" behavior.
Conversely, the hacker community was intrigued. Hackers' educational backgrounds varied widely, from graduates of famous schools to self-taught talents. The former sneered at the ad; the latter showed great interest.
The hacker circle wasn't small. They had all heard what kind of "talent" was in ShowMe's tech department. Zachs Berger, for example, had stolen bank money, been tracked by the FBI, and served two years in prison.
If someone like that could be ShowMe's technical supervisor, they could easily become the CTO!
The Grand Gauntlet
On the 13th floor of Sea Prosperity Tower, Zachs Berger stood awkwardly before Luke's desk.
"Boss, do we really have to do this?"
Luke smiled and asked, "What's wrong? No confidence?"
"Of course I have confidence! The problem is, this approach is likely to draw the public's wrath."
"You're scared!"
"Of course I'm not scared!"
Zachs straightened up forcefully. "When it comes to computer technology, who is better than me, besides you?"
After the soft flattery, Zachs immediately deflated.
"Not being scared is one thing, but we can't offend everyone! There are plenty of skilled people in the hacker community. If they work together to cause trouble, the company might not be able to handle it."
"If you can't handle it, I will. Whose skills are better than mine, anywhere in the world?"
Zachs felt like hitting him with a brick.
Even if you're the boss, you can't be this reckless! People will die, you know!
Luke was done with the banter.
"Alright, go back and prepare. The first test is about to begin."
Zachs sighed helplessly and walked out crestfallen.
Great. Now I'll be famous, whether I want to be or not.
A few minutes later, an even more explosive announcement appeared on the ShowMe official website.
To provide a convenient channel for top talent, the ShowMe Technical Department hereby declares: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM, any ShowMe user can sign up to participate in a hacking challenge. Anyone who successfully hacks into the ShowMe resource repository will bypass all written and interview stages and become a direct ShowMe employee. ShowMe will not pursue legal action for any hacking activities conducted during this period. (Registration is open daily from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. The event is valid from August 2003 to September 2003.)
If the previous announcement was a provocation, this statement was a blatant slap in the face—a dual-handed, continuous attack that left everyone red and swollen.
The announcement was like a wealthy heir standing before a poor man and arrogantly declaring: I'm rich, good-looking, and fit. I have hundreds of millions in my bank account, and I drive Ferraris and BMWs. If you're unhappy, what can you do? Are you going to hit me? If you dare, I'll be your grandson.
As the poor man, what should you do? Take the insult, or fight back?
The greatest trait of a genius is defiance, especially geniuses in computer technology. They might be meek in reality, but they strike hard online. If you dare claim to be their "grandfather," they'll leave digital "feces" on your desktop.
ShowMe's statement blew up the entire internet industry and infuriated many experts.
In duels between masters, there is usually mutual respect and restraint. Now, ShowMe was throwing all conventions out the window, so no one felt obligated to be polite anymore.
Thus, a unique campaign of conquest began.
High-achieving computer science students from major universities, master hackers, FBI tech employees itching for action, programmers from other internet companies, and even some foreign hacking organizations all joined in.
At 12:00 PM.
Charlie rushed into the office.
"Boss, the number of registrants has exceeded two thousand! Zachs wants to know if we should terminate registration."
"Why should we terminate it?"
Luke smiled. "Out of two thousand people, no more than 10% have real skills. The rest are just bandwagon-jumping amateurs. Why worry about them?"
Charlie wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Boss, I don't understand why you published that statement. It's not like you."
Luke didn't hold back.
"I need to develop an Artificial Intelligence system. The process is extremely complex and cannot be handled by ordinary technicians. Only geniuses are qualified to work under me."
"Geniuses are rare. I don't have time to waste searching for them. I have to use this extreme method to dig them out of the crowd."
Charlie hesitated. "What if it all goes wrong?"
Luke laughed heartily.
"We grew up together. Have you ever known me to mess things up?"
"Alright," Charlie shrugged. He then changed the subject.
"There's one more tricky issue. Mrs. Helen sent an email demanding that we revoke the hiring requirements for the Presidential Assistant."
Luke looked confused. "Which Mrs. Helen?"
"Mrs. Helen is a prominent advocate for the women's rights movement and currently resides in Metropolis," Charlie explained, then added, "Boss, I think it would be better to revise the requirements. That woman is notoriously difficult. If she targets us, it's going to be a big hassle."
"Hassle my butt!"
Luke slammed his hand on the desk, enraged. "I'm looking for a secretary, and I have to watch someone else's face? Who does she think she is? The Queen Mother of the West, holding the Seven Fairies?"
"I'm not changing it. Let's see what she can do."
🗒️Note:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!