Chapter 35: National Security

People always harbor a sense of wishful thinking, always believing that when they engage in petty theft, no one will ever know.

After carefully securing the evidence, Li Ping'an acted as if nothing had happened, feigning complete ignorance. He planned to wait for the virus to be implanted into a new device and transmit its location, revealing the identity of his enemy, at which point he would hand Sun Yutong over to the authorities.

However, events gradually began to spiral beyond Li Ping'an's expectations.

On the other side, after leaving the innovation and entrepreneurship incubator base, Sun Yutong walked toward the campus exit with her backpack, moving at a leisurely pace. She acted as if she had simply gone out for dinner and was returning to school afterward, convinced that her actions were completely undetectable.

From an excellent observation point atop a high-rise building, a man in plain clothes holding binoculars suddenly spoke:

"Hound, Hound, this is Falcon. Target 3 has made physical contact with a student from Tsinghua University. A handover is suspected."

"Hound received."

"All units, attention. All units, attention. A handover is suspected, and there is a risk of national secrets being compromised. Execute the takedown ahead of schedule. Repeat, execute the takedown ahead of schedule."

"Copy!"

"Copy!"

On the bustling street, pedestrians who had been walking normally suddenly turned and lunged at others nearby. To the shocked eyes of the onlookers, the arrests were completed in mere seconds. Similar operations were unfolding all across the capital.

"Ministry of State Security. No photography. Thank you for your cooperation."

From the arrest to the flashing of credentials to the withdrawal, the entire process took less than a minute. By the time the bystanders realized what had happened, the State Security agents were already gone.

"Terrifying. Why does it feel like there are spies everywhere?"

"Don't even mention it. Right now, you look like a spy to me."

"You're the spy! Your whole family are spies!"

"Damn it, your whole family are the spies!"

Watching the two grown men suddenly erupt into a petty argument, the bystanders simply pulled out their phones to record, never suspecting that these two could be real spies. After all, such a genuine, crude way of cursing—how could they possibly be spies?

Inside a car with privacy film, facing four or five gun barrels, the captured spy finally quieted down, no longer shouting. At this moment, finding a way to end his own life was perhaps the best possible outcome.

In the car, a man with a physique that practically screamed "muscle" held the flash drive recovered from the spy and sneered, "Confess. What kind of materials did you steal from Tsinghua University?"

The spy, already aware of his fate, closed his eyes and remained silent.

At this moment, the young man sitting in the passenger seat, wearing glasses and playing with a tablet, handed it over. "Captain, here is the information on that student from the Bureau."

"Sun Yutong, female, 22 years old. Currently interning at Smart Cube Technology Co., Ltd. in the campus innovation and entrepreneurship incubator base."

The captain glanced at the file; based on the information alone, there was nothing suspicious. It was the profile of a very normal student.

"Coordinate with the school and bring that student back to the Bureau."

"Understood!"

Ten minutes later, Sun Yutong, who had just returned to her dormitory, was startled by a knock on the door. Those who have done no wrong fear no knocking at the door. Having done exactly what she had today, Sun Yutong felt extremely guilty and was terrified by the sound.

"Sun Yutong, what the hell are you doing? Why did you lock the dorm door?"

Hearing her roommate's voice, Sun Yutong let out a sigh of relief. "Coming, coming! What are you yelling for?"

Outside the door, the girl who had just spoken hurriedly retreated to the side, her face pale as she looked at the four or five people holding handguns. Oh my god, this was far too intense—so intense that she could barely handle it. She never imagined that one day she would be involved with the Ministry of State Security, or that her roommate would turn out to be a spy. She silently thanked her roommate for not killing her over the past few years!

As soon as the door opened, the agents rushed in, pinning Sun Yutong to the ground without a hint of gentleness. They immediately slapped the "silver bracelets" on her wrists.

"Take her away."

Sun Yutong’s face was deathly pale. A moment later, regaining her senses, she began to scream.

"What right do you have to arrest me! This is a women's dormitory! You men have no business running in here; I’ll report you for voyeurism! This is an illegal arrest!"

Seeing the students gathering in the hallway, the captain frowned.

"Ministry of State Security."

With those three words and the display of their credentials, within seconds, the entire hallway was empty, save for Sun Yutong’s roommate, who stood there all alone. Who would want to get involved with State Security? No one wanted to be "invited for tea."

The terrified Sun Yutong continued to shriek. "Isn't it just copying some company files? Why are you arresting me? Even if you are, that’s a job for the police! Besides, I’m a girl—what’s wrong with copying some company documents? Aren't you guys making a mistake?"

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was attentive. At a gesture from the captain, a team member took off a smelly sock and stuffed it into Sun Yutong's mouth.

"Mmph-mmph-mmph!"

Sun Yutong shed tears of grievance. A smelly sock! How could they do this! A complaint! She absolutely had to file a complaint!

"Hound" pondered Sun Yutong’s words. His initial deduction was that the data on the flash drive was likely from that Smart Cube Technology company. But... what kind of information would exist at a student incubator company that would be worth a spy stealing? This left Hound feeling somewhat puzzled.

Back at the Bureau, Hound immediately handed the flash drive to the Information Division, requesting they verify the contents. At the same time, he reported his preliminary deduction. At State Security, no clue could be overlooked; even a mere suspicion had to be verified.

Under the cover of night, Li Ping'an was still completely unaware that Sun Yutong had been captured, or that the flash drive—which had been booby-trapped with a reverse-engineered virus—had fallen into the hands of the Ministry of State Security and was now sitting in their Information Division.

Safe in his dorm, Li Ping'an was still waiting in high anticipation for his AI-driven virus to infiltrate the "enemy's" computer, transmit back the location, and reveal which company was so desperate to get their hands on the AI learning algorithms from his virtual pet game.

...

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Don't you know? State Security was arresting people at the school gate tonight!"

"Oh my god, I heard after they caught someone, they even went into the 19th-floor women's dorm!"

For a time, every class chat group was buzzing with excitement, discussing the night's events. Not long after, every class counselor, having received notice from the school, immediately set the groups to "mute" mode and informed the students that discussion was strictly prohibited. Consequences for violators would be at their own risk.

However, Li Ping'an, who was still busy "transporting" AI code, remained blissfully unaware. If he had known, he probably would have been terrified. Even more dire was the flash drive with the virus. The virus inside... would not be easy to crack.

Ministry of State Security, Information Division.

"Holy mother of god! It’s got a virus!"