Chapter 79
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Chapter 79: The Whirlpool
“This… are you okay?” Zhang Zhiyuan couldn’t help but ask out of concern as he watched his colleague sink deeper into depression on their return flight.
“I don’t want to do this job anymore,” Choi Jeon-eun murmured.
“Huh?” Zhang Zhiyuan was taken aback. Just a short while ago, she had been encouraging him enthusiastically. How could she thinking of quitting now? “Come on, don’t joke like that! You’ve just joined my team!”
“I used to think that even if I wasn’t a true genius, I was at least halfway there,” she sighed, her head sinking in the small tray table in front of her. “ When it came to network technology, there were few challenges that could baffle me. But now… what am I really worth?”
“I’m nothing.”
“If you were really ‘nothing’, how could you have been recruited by the International Criminal Police Department? You should know that your position was highly competitive with many top professionals in the industry.”
“What top professionals? They’re all nobodies too.” She let out a muffled sigh, “Everyone I’ve encountered so far, whether ethical or malicious hackers, is absolutely insignificant compared to this person!”
“Uh, so you think that Paradise is truly formidable now?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked cautiously.
“Not just formidable, do you understand what this means?!” Choi Jeon-eun raised her head, her voice rising several pitches. “He completely fabricated evidence that didn’t existed out of thin air, he made someone carry the blame for a crime they never committed! If we hadn’t contacted the Chucheng’s police, these video recordings alone would have been enough to convict him in the court!”
“I’ve reached out to the Big Data Center, but they have no record of their system being hacked whatsoever. Each video contains raw data. Is it possible for humans to pull off such a feat? I have thought about it and came to only one conclusion. Paradise manipulated every frame of video that captured this individual—every camera that saw him obeyed with his commands. But to achieve such control goes beyond mere technical skill, Do you understand what i just said?” Her excitement grew as she spoke. “In a certain sense, anyone capable of doing so can be considered as a god of the internet!”
“He is not omnipotent,” Zhang Zhiyuan instinctively rejected the term ‘god.’
“Yes, I’m not saying he’s omnipotent either. But believe me, if he were willing to showc off his skills online and shape his image a bit, every person studying computer science would revere him like a god, and become his most devoted disciple,” Choi Jeon-eun lamented. “At that point, even I might find it hard to resist admiring him. If I want to completely eliminate this possibility, I will have no choice but to leave this field.”
Zhang Zhiyuan was rendered speechless.
He realized that there were no words of comfort he could offer. The predicament she was facing was similar to the confusion he had once experienced. When faced with these seemingly impossible feats, one cannot help but doubt oneself.
“So… do you believe that Paradise exists now?”
“I do,” Choi Jeon-eun replied without hesitation. “I’ll believe everything you say right now.”
“Hey, cheer up!”
“I mean it. Besides, I think it’s impossible for you to even find Paradise in reality.”
“Why?” he asked, frowning.
“It’s very simple. If all methods of identification based on network become ineffective, how will you confirm his identity? Even national ID cards are connected online.” Choi Jeon-eun lowered her head again. “If we rely solely on human efforts to search for him, finding this imposter among billions of people seems no less daunting than chasing after a pipe dream.”
After hearing this, there was a long silence that followed.
The plane flew through the night sky, its windows shrouded in darkness. Most of the passengers had already fallen asleep, leaving only the loud hum of the engines in the cabin.
Zhang Zhiyuan looked at his colleague, but instead saw his own reflection in the window. Realizing that her years of study were nothing but a joke must have been an even harder blow than he had imagined. Choi Jeon-eun still had the energy to complain, which meant that she had quite a strong psychological resilience.
However, that might not be enough.
Perhaps there was only one way to help her fully recover from the confusion caused by these events: “Do you want to see Paradise for yourself?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked softly.
Choi Jeon-eun’s shoulders trembled slightly when she heard what Zhang had just said.
“Let me tell you about my experience… If we consider Paradise as a game, I bet it’s definitely the most thrilling game in the world.” Starting from his first encounter with the Glorious Fortress, he recounted in detail his story of burning down the theater, commanding Zhou Zhi against overwhelming odds, robbing trains in the midst of fog, and finally sacrificing himself along with many enemies in a final stand.
Her colleague turned her head slightly to look at him, revealing half of her eyes.
“…That’s just too unfair.”
“Yes, such an incredible world shouldn’t be enjoyed by me alone.”
“But the ticket costs one million dollars… Even if I sold myself, I wouldn’t have enough money.”
“I’ll find a way,” Zhang Zhiyuan winked at her. “I believe that only after you experience it firsthand will you understand the truth that ‘No matter how mysterious and powerful Paradise may seem, it is far from being omnipotent.’ ”
He paused briefly before adding, “It needs us.”
“Don’t break any laws now!” Choi Jeon-eun finally raised her head again.
“How could I be involved in illegal activities?” Zhang Zhiyuan smiled reassuringly. “There’s no guarantee that this will work, but I’ll try my best. How about that? Of course, you have ti be part of the International Criminal Police Department for this opportunity; other jobs won’t suffice.”
“I can tell you’re trying to make me feel better.” She pursed her lips, her tone filled with skepticism, but there was a subtle change in her eyes. “Well then, I guess I’ll reluctantly give you a chance.”
***
By the time Zhang Zhiyuan returned from Chucheng to the North Hall, it was already 3 A.M. After dropping Choi Jeon-eun off at her home, Zhang Zhiyuan didn’t go back to his house, but went to the bureau.
He entered the small room that had been specially set up for accessing the Paradise game and turned on the light.
Unlike the public security forces, the International Criminal Police Department didn’t have round-the-clock police officers, so there was no need for night shifts. Zhang Zhiyuan lay down on the soft chair which he had used earlier to enter the game, silently enjoying this peace and quiet.
At this moment, his mind was in a strange state. Even though he was miles away, far from Paradise, unable to even touch its periphery, he felt as if it was right next to him.
After waiting for a while, he took out his phone and dialed the same number as before. This time, however, he also turned on the front-facing camera.
The endless ringing echoed endlessly through the silent night. Just as he began to suspect that the feeling of closeness was just his imagination, the call suddenly connected.
But there was no sound coming from the other end.
“I know you’re watching me, aren’t you? You’re aware of everything, including that I reported about Paradise to my superiors, that I’m investigating you, and that we went to Chucheng but came up empty-handed and arrested someone who has nothing to do with you. You’ve seen it all!”
“Perhaps everything I’ve done is futile, and maybe it’s difficult for me to fully understand the scope of Paradise in this lifetime. Nevertheless, I still want to talk to you, just as I did last time… Not to negotiate terms, but to discuss our mutual interests!” Zhang Zhiyuan raised his voice a bit, his thoughts becoming clearer, “The reason you approached the International Criminal Police Department is simple. You needed someone to solve those serial murder cases! Wealth alone cannot satisfy all your needs; you want more talented individuals that can assist you! Next, you plan to set up a medical supplies company, maybe even turn the Cathedral into a hospital. These aren’t tasks that ordinary people can easily accomplish in a short period of time. You require even more specialized experts for this!”
“And the people you’re looking for… we have plenty of them here!”
Suddenly, an eye appeared on the phone screen!
Immediately after that, Zhang Zhiyuan felt his surroundings distort as objects around him stretched out and shadows expanded wildly like a whirlpool engulfing him. Eventually, he was completely engulfed in darkness.
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