The next morning, the news of Qian Siming’s arrest exploded like a bomb among the limited number of people in the base who knew the truth.
When Zhao Weimin heard that Qian Siming had been arrested, he was so shocked that the enamel mug in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, but he didn’t care at all.
His face was deathly pale, and his voice trembled: “How could this be? Is it a misunderstanding? Ever since his son… his son died abroad…”
He poured all his energy into his work, rarely taking a break. How could he…?
Lin Su placed a technical report on the table, her tone so calm it was almost cruel, instantly silencing all the noise: “Engineer Zhao, do you remember the last time the core computer malfunctioned?”
My conclusion at the time was that someone had left a backdoor and was even provoking me to sign.
Zhao Weimin’s lips trembled violently: “It was…it was him who did it?”
“It was him!” Lin Su nodded, his gaze sweeping over every core researcher present. “What’s more serious is that he taught this flawed technical framework to the entire team as advanced technology.”
“If we hadn’t introduced new security algorithms in time, the core data of the entire base would have been practically useless to our potential adversaries.”
One sentence sent everyone plummeting into an ice cave.
That way, the base would be like a sieve, and anyone could come and take whatever they were interested in.
Exhausted, Zhao Weimin slumped onto a stool, covering his face: “How could he do this? We built this base together, how could he want to destroy it?”
Zhao Weimin stood up, unwilling to accept this: “Where is he? I want to go and ask him, how can he face the Party and the country like this?”
They are being supported by the state here, how can they betray the country?!
The person who found it most unacceptable was Researcher Pan, who had practically grown up with Qian Siming.
He always regarded Qian Siming as an older brother, and when he learned that Qian Siming’s son had passed away abroad, he even said that he would ask Qian Siming’s son to take care of him in his old age.
It turns out he was lying; his son wasn’t dead at all, he just didn’t want to come back because he wanted to live a better life.
Researcher Pan staggered, his voice tinged with the fury of utter betrayal: “How could he betray the organization’s trust? How could he betray my dead father!”
“Now is not the time for sadness.” Lin Su interrupted the swirling vortex of emotions. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable decisiveness.
“The two most urgent tasks are: First, immediately conduct a thorough search of all key areas of the base, especially the areas where Qian Siming frequently operates, to look for any physical eavesdropping devices that may have been installed. Second,”
She looked toward the server room. “I must immediately check all the core computers to see if they have hidden logic bombs or data-stealing viruses.”
Her clear instructions were like a bucket of cold water, waking everyone from their reverie.
“Eavesdropping device? Virus?” Zhao Weimin muttered, his face drained of all color. Was this some kind of relentless pursuit, determined to destroy them all?!
He looked around the familiar office. Every desk, chair, and piece of equipment had once been a testament to their hard work, but now they all seemed to be shrouded in a suspicious shadow.
“Old Pan, Old Li, we…” Zhao Weimin looked at the core researchers, his voice hoarse.
They had been through so many days and nights together, how could Qian Siming treat them like this?
Researcher Pan leaned heavily on his cane, tears streaming down his face, yet he forced his head to stand tall.
“Investigate! We must investigate thoroughly! We can’t let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch, and we can’t let the enemy’s dirty hands reach into our hearts!”
A tragic and resolute atmosphere permeated the group.
Without further ado, they immediately sprang into action, driven by the pain of betrayal and the determination to defend the base. They began organizing manpower to conduct a thorough search of all key areas of the base.
Lin Su then went straight back to the core computer room.
She sat at the control panel, the cold light from the screen reflecting off her expressionless face.
Because Qian Siming was extremely familiar with computer operations, he had very high system privileges on the computer. If he had any ill intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, lines of code scrolling smoothly across the screen as she began a deep virus scan and system log tracing.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Go in.” Lin Su said without turning her head.
Gu Beichen pushed open the door and entered, followed by two communications soldiers carrying specialized equipment.
He first glanced at Lin Su, who was completely focused, and then gave instructions to the soldiers: “According to the pre-arranged plan, focus on checking all network interfaces and peripherals, especially the terminals that Qian Siming frequently uses.”
“Yes, Commander!”
The soldiers immediately began their work, their movements swift and professional. These men were recruited from those around them; they were all skilled technical personnel.
Gu Beichen walked to the side and behind Lin Su, maintaining a distance that was neither disturbing nor obstructing her view of the screen.
Without any pleasantries, he cut straight to the point, his tone purely businesslike: “Translator Gu, the search has begun. Based on Qian Siming’s movements, we’ve initially identified several key areas. What have you found?”
Lin Su’s gaze remained fixed on the screen, her tone equally calm: “A deep system scan is underway, and no large-scale infectious virus has been detected so far.”
However, several abnormal access records were found in the core logs, and the timing of these records closely matched the previous “unexpected” failures. I have already exported the data and will send it to you later.
“Okay.” Gu Beichen nodded. “External physical investigation takes time, especially inside some precision equipment. Searching there may affect your work progress.”
“Acceptable, safety first,” Lin Su replied briefly.
The conversation ended there. Only the tapping of keyboards and the faint hum of the instruments remained in the computer room.
The two were alone in the room, yet they remained silent, as if an invisible wall separated them.
While inspecting the area, Platoon Leader Zhan secretly glanced back at Regiment Commander Gu, and then at Translator Gu.
Commander Gu stared unblinkingly at the translator, Gu, though it was anyone’s guess whether he was looking at the screen or at the translator himself.
Right now, he felt like a cat was scratching at his heart, leaving him in a state of utter turmoil!
He observed them for several days, and the two men spoke very formally, as if their embrace on the plane was just his hallucination.
This is truly unbelievable!
Are these two people truly in love, or are they heartless?!
Love is truly baffling!
While Platoon Leader Zhan was still observing, he was startled when Gu Beichen glanced at him, and he immediately squatted down and pretended to check something.
Gu Tuan’s senses are too sharp! I only glanced at him secretly, and he caught me.
That was a real miscalculation!
Waaah~~ He doesn’t want to feed the pigs!