"This thing hides hidden weapons. I've put a few silver needles coated with anesthetic. If aimed properly, they can take down an adult with a single prick," he explained, demonstrating. "The blade in front retracts to become a small pendant..."
"Ling Xiao, my son is still young," Huo Rou interjected, stopping him. "Put away your contraptions."
"Tch," Ling Xiao ignored her, smiling at An An. "Did you learn it?"
An An nodded.
"Smart son!" Ling Xiao clearly saw Qin Ningyi behind Huo Rou, but he habitually blurted out, "Take it for self-defense!"
Stuffing the item into An An's hand, he swaggered towards the office.
"I don't lack a dad," An An mumbled, following behind him despite taking the item.
Qin Ningyi picked him up, earning a glare from Ling Xiao.
Tch.
Having a child is impressive, huh? He has one too!
Even though he hadn't found the exact address yet, it was in Yu Chang City!
And it was a cute daughter!
Ling Xiao sat down at a computer, focusing intently on it. Huo Rou pointed him out to Qin Ningyi, giving a brief introduction: "He's Chinese from Country Y. He knows a lot. He's good at fighting."
Old Feng finished setting up all the environmental equipment and was about to leave with his bag.
Huo Rou checked the time. It was lunchtime. "Let's eat together before you go."
Old Feng shook his head, looking flattered.
He would love to, but there was an operation tonight. He hadn't even been able to book a spot at an internet cafe earlier, so he had to rush back to use his own computer.
"I'm sorry, Director Huo. We have things to do back there."
"Yeah, Director Huo, if we don't go back now, we'll be late," added Xiao Wu.
The two of them, followed by their staff, left quickly. Ling Xiao chuckled, "Are they talking about what we're going to do later?"
Huo Rou shrugged. "I have quite a few computers here."
"Yes, quite a few. Find someone to pack them for me tomorrow. All my staff have run off," Xiao Yu Da said grumpily to Huo Rou, looking up from watching An An operate the computer, noticing the lack of available labor.
"Alright, alright, let's go, time to eat!" Huo Rou waved dismissively. She could pack these things up in no time.
Zhan Qi Alliance's first offline base location was set at "Suan Tian Ku La" (Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy).
Even Tang Liu had...
As they were speaking, a loud "Master!" was heard from outside.
The people in the private room collectively broke out in a cold sweat. How could he still be so passionate and chuunibyo in real life?
Seeing their expressions, Qin Ningyi leaned over and asked, "Is that your disciple?"
Huo Rou nodded helplessly. "He's just a bit... hyperactive."
The hyperactive voice was abruptly cut off.
Then, he angrily exclaimed, "You did that on purpose, didn't you? Do you know this keyboard was a gift from my master? It's very expensive!"
A drunken voice slurred, "So what if it was on purpose? You've made my ears deaf!"
When Huo Rou and the others came out of the private room, they saw a young-looking boy hugging his bag, standing there indignantly.
Someone nearby sneered, "Kid, it's just a keyboard, why are you acting cute with our Master Zheng?"
"Hahaha." Everyone burst into laughter.
"This is my weapon! Do you understand how important tonight is?" Panda took a deep breath, still fuming.
"Who do you think you are? A keyboard as a weapon? Think you're one of those Zhan Qi Alliance guys?" another person said lewdly, dropping his chopsticks and crossing his arms to appraise him from head to toe.
"Get lost, you? Just an internet addict, right?" This person clearly knew a bit about computers, with a laptop beside him.
"I am!" Upon hearing the name Zhan Qi Alliance, Panda realized he was right there.
He was even in the veteran group.
This time, the laughter was uproarious.
"Who are you? Chi You? Hahaha..."
Panda's face turned red. He puffed out his chest and declared, "I'm Chi You's disciple! Panda!"
"Hahaha, Panda, you're killing me."
Huo Rou couldn't watch anymore. What was this kid arguing with a bunch of drunk people about?
She called out softly, "Zhao Chenyi, come in."
Hearing his real name, Panda turned and saw a cute girl.
The keyboard he was holding dropped to the floor. After a long pause, he let out a scream, "Ah!!!!"
At the entrance of "Suan Tian Ku La," someone pushed up his glasses with a look of disbelief. "Boss?"
When Panda and Keyboard, the two latecomers, sat down at the table, they were still struggling to accept it.
Ever since they found out Chi You was a woman, they often speculated about her appearance. She was capable of leading them to raid the M country's stronghold back then, so she must be middle-aged by now.
But in reality, the boss they had called for so many years was actually a soft and cute girl?!
It took them an entire meal to accept this fact. After dinner, an elder like Xiao Yu Da found a place to sleep.
Qin Ningyi carried the sleeping An An to Huo Rou's lounge. The other members of Zhan Qi Alliance followed Huo Rou to the office.
Everything was ready.
This night, no IT professional slept. This was their battlefield, for dignity, for the honor of IT people!
Huo Rou flexed her fingers and began typing code at lightning speed, without looking up, assigning tasks to the others. "Keyboard, make a crawler and send it over. Bifang, you're very familiar with enterprise network structures; I'll leave the companies to you. Qiongqi and Liu Wu, you two will attack their back end forcefully, make them crash properly."
"Yes," the individuals began working according to Huo Rou's instructions. Panda stood by, stunned. "Master, what about me?"
Huo Rou's lips curved into a smile. "You, just attack wildly."
Someone without method doing something without method would be most effective.
The other IT professionals contributed their strengths. Some of the huge mainframes and networks visibly slowed down.
Luo Chen and Old Wang, whose home networks were restricted, had both come to the company. As soon as they reached the corridor, they heard rapid keyboard typing.
"Someone's already here before us?" Old Wang walked suspiciously to the office door, saw Huo Rou and a group of people through the glass.
Their typing speed was incredible.
Luo Chen, with his sharp eyes, spotted Ren Zhen and Zhou Shijian. Both had appeared on the lists in international competitions. Zhou Shijian, in particular, was a university computer professor and had served special departments.
They watched these famous individuals, under Huo Rou's command, strike precisely where they were directed.