The email was sent.
Lu Xingye leaned back in his chair, fingers interlocked behind his head, staring at the ceiling of his rented apartment.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
The only sound was the low hum of Tony's oversized chassis and the faint ticking of the wall clock, each second passing like a countdown.
He had just thrown a stone into a raging sea.
Whether it would sink silently or trigger a tsunami… that depended on how sharp the sharks were.
"Boss," Jarvis's calm electronic voice sounded, "your actions have already attracted attention."
"Already?" Lu Xingye raised an eyebrow. "That fast?"
"360 Security's internal mailbox has been accessed by seventeen senior engineers in the last three minutes. Kingsoft Security's emergency response group has marked your email as highest priority."
Jarvis paused for half a second.
"That is… unusual."
Lu Xingye chuckled softly.
"Of course it is. Everyone else is still dissecting the Trojan's shell. I sent them the knife that cuts straight to the core."
He glanced at Tongtong's laptop on the desk.
The cute orange cat wallpaper looked innocent, completely unaware that its owner's computer had just become the key to a nationwide cyber crisis.
"Jarvis," Lu Xingye said calmly, "estimate the ransom scale."
"Understood."
Data streams flickered across Tony's monitor.
"Current ransom demand per device: 10 Dragon Coins."
"Estimated infected devices nationwide within 24 hours: 80–120 million."
"Potential illegal revenue for the attacker: 800 million to 1.2 billion Dragon Coins."
Lu Xingye's expression hardened.
"So this isn't some underground hacker showing off."
"This is organized crime."
"Yes," Jarvis confirmed. "And based on the encryption logic and propagation strategy, this Trojan was not written by a single individual."
"Likely a small team."
"Or," Jarvis added, "a test run."
Lu Xingye's fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
"A test run…" he murmured.
That meant something worse could be coming.
At that moment—
Ding!
A sharp notification sound rang from his laptop.
An email reply.
Sender: 360 Security Emergency Response Center
Subject: URGENT: Verification Request Regarding Submitted Anti-Ransomware Solution
Lu Xingye straightened instantly.
He opened it.
Dear Sir,
We have reviewed the demonstration video and partial code you submitted.
Our technical team confirms that your solution directly targets the encryption mechanism of the ransomware and achieves full data recovery without payment.
However, due to the severity of the situation, we request an immediate live verification or source-level explanation.
If your solution is confirmed, 360 Security is willing to discuss exclusive acquisition and compensation beyond standard industry rates.
Please respond as soon as possible.
Lu Xingye exhaled slowly.
Hook.
Line.
Sinker.
Before he could reply—
Ding!
Another email arrived.
Sender: Kingsoft Security — Core Technology Division
Subject: Invitation to Emergency Technical Meeting
Short.
Direct.
Aggressive.
We require immediate confirmation of your solution's authenticity.
If valid, Kingsoft is prepared to negotiate on-site or remotely, including joint press release rights.
Time is critical.
Lu Xingye smiled.
A dangerous, satisfied smile.
"Jarvis," he said softly, "how long until this Trojan's author realizes their encryption has been cracked?"
"Based on network monitoring and behavioral analysis," Jarvis replied, "approximately two to four hours."
"Once antivirus samples begin circulating, they will know."
Lu Xingye nodded.
"Good."
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the city.
Lights glittered like a sea of stars.
Millions of computers.
Millions of panicked users.
And somewhere in the darkness, someone was counting Dragon Coins… unaware that their golden goose had just been strangled.
"Jarvis," Lu Xingye said, his voice steady, "prepare a clean demo environment."
"Yes, Boss."
"Also," Lu Xingye added after a pause, "start tracing the ransomware's command-and-control servers."
Jarvis was silent for a fraction of a second longer than usual.
Then—
"Boss," he said, "this will cross from defensive cybersecurity into active counter-hacking."
Lu Xingye's eyes reflected the city lights.
"I know."
He smiled faintly.
"But they crossed the line first."
At that moment, his phone vibrated.
Caller ID: Junior Sister Tongtong
Lu Xingye answered.
"Senior!" Her voice was excited, almost bouncing. "My computer is completely fixed! Everything is back! You're amazing!"
"That's good," he replied calmly.
"Senior," she hesitated, then said softly, "the teachers said the ransomware still hasn't been solved… Did you… really fix it yourself?"
Lu Xingye looked at Tony's glowing core, at the scrolling data, at the emails piling up.
"Yes," he said.
"I fixed it."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then Tongtong whispered, half in awe, half in admiration:
"Senior… you're kind of terrifying."
Lu Xingye laughed.
Outside the window, the city slept uneasily.
And tonight—
A nameless student had just stepped onto the stage of a cyber war that would shake the entire nation.