Impossible.
That was Zhou Hongwei's first reaction.
No—that was the only reasonable reaction.
A ransomware Trojan that had paralyzed tens of millions of computers nationwide, one that had forced hundreds of security companies into emergency mode, one that his own elite R&D department couldn't even analyze properly—
And someone claimed they had already developed a dedicated killer software?
Within half a day?
That wasn't confidence.
That was madness.
Or fraud.
Yet the video…
The damn video refused to lie.
At the same time.
360 Security Technology Inc. Headquarters.
Zhao Ming sat frozen in front of his monitor.
As a network investigator, he had reviewed thousands of submissions—plug-ins, SDKs, shady scripts pretending to be "optimization tools." Ninety-nine percent were garbage. The remaining one percent was barely passable.
But this email?
It was different.
Too clean.
Too direct.
No exaggerated marketing language.
No begging tone.
Just a short sentence:
I have completed the development of Ransomware Trojan killer software and intend to sell it to your company.
And then—
Video proof attached.
Zhao Ming's fingers trembled slightly as he clicked play.
The screen showed a computer infected with the ransomware.
The black-and-white skull.
The countdown.
The payment QR code.
Then a USB was inserted.
A small executable ran.
No flashy interface.
No fake progress bars.
Just one line:
[Target identified. Executing removal.]
Three seconds later—
The skull vanished.
The system recovered.
All encrypted files restored.
Zhao Ming swallowed hard.
"This…" he whispered, "this is real."
He didn't dare delay even a second.
Tablet in hand, he sprinted out of his cubicle and rushed toward the R&D department.
Inside the R&D department, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Empty coffee cups.
Red eyes.
Whiteboards filled with crossed-out code structures.
Zhou Hongwei stood in the center of the room, his expression dark.
"How could this happen again?" he snapped.
"Another failed build?"
Engineer Su, head of R&D, wiped sweat from his forehead and shook his head.
"The Trojan uses polymorphic encryption and distributed mutation logic. It's unlike anything we've seen before."
"I don't care," Zhou Hongwei said coldly. "You have 24 hours."
"We are a network security company. If Security Guard cannot be the first to kill this Trojan, our reputation will collapse."
"Overtime tonight. Everyone."
"If anyone cracks it first, the company will reward them heavily."
The pressure was crushing.
Then—
"CEO!"
Zhao Ming's voice cut through the room like a knife.
Zhou Hongwei turned sharply.
"What is it?"
Zhao Ming panted, holding up the tablet.
"Someone has already developed the killer software."
The room fell silent.
Dead silent.
"What?" Zhou Hongwei thought he had misheard.
"I received an email," Zhao Ming said quickly. "A civilian developer. He claims he has already completed the killer software."
Engineer Su laughed bitterly.
"That's impossible."
But Zhao Ming had already pressed play.
The video replayed.
Once.
Twice.
By the third time, no one spoke.
Zhou Hongwei's pupils contracted.
"This… is real," he said slowly.
Not because he wanted to believe it.
But because he had no choice.
"Contact him immediately," Zhou Hongwei said, his voice firm. "No matter the price, we buy it."
"We cannot let our competitors get their hands on this."
Minutes later, inside the CEO's office.
The call connected.
"I am Zhou Hongwei, CEO of 360 Security Technology Inc."
His voice was calm, controlled—but urgent beneath the surface.
"Is what you said in the email true?"
On the other end, Lu Xingye's voice was steady.
"It's true."
"Details in person," Lu Xingye continued. "I'll send you the address."
Then—
The call ended.
Silence.
Zhou Hongwei stared at his phone.
"…He hung up?"
Zhao Ming blinked.
For a moment, Zhou Hongwei froze.
Then—
He laughed.
Softly.
"This young man," Zhou Hongwei said, eyes sharp, "is confident."
Not arrogant.
Not desperate.
Confident.
His phone vibrated.
A text message arrived.
Rose Milk Tea Shop, next to Yanjing University.
Yanjing University?
Zhou Hongwei frowned.
"A professor?" he muttered. "Or a student?"
Either way—
He didn't hesitate.
"Prepare the car," he said. "We're leaving now."
Two hours later.
Traffic jam.
Accident on the highway.
The clock ticked past eleven.
By the time Zhou Hongwei arrived near Yanjing University, it was already late at night.
He called.
No answer.
Again.
Still nothing.
His anxiety grew.
"What if…" Zhao Ming hesitated, "what if he already sold it?"
Zhou Hongwei clenched his jaw.
"That cannot happen."
But reality didn't care about his authority.
At 12:30 a.m., he finally gave up.
"We'll contact him tomorrow."
"I just hope…" he said quietly, "…we're not too late."
Meanwhile.
In a small rented apartment not far away.
Lu Xingye leaned back in his chair and stretched.
Crack. Crack.
His business plan lay completed on the desk.
Software first.
Rapid expansion.
Hardware next.
Military industry—later.
With Jarvis, software was no longer an industry.
It was a one-man factory.
One software per second.
Who could compete?
Lu Xingye lay down on the bed, a faint smile on his face.
Then he picked up his phone.
Several missed calls.
Same number.
CEO Zhou Hongwei.
"So fast?" Lu Xingye muttered, surprised.
He chuckled softly.
"It seems they really can't sit still."
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, he would name his price.
And this—
This was only the beginning.