Chapter 112: Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

The expressions of everyone on site froze. The live stream’s chat also went eerily silent.

Xie Zheng stared at his little lover, his expression… a bit bewildered.

Xie Zheng never imagined that Little Elf would actually be his wife’s alternate identity!

The reason he had confidently confronted the investigators was because he knew that the attack from the previous night was absolutely not Little Elf’s doing. Little Elf had mentioned being seriously ill and staying in a medical capsule, with no intention of appearing at the technology competition.

Although Xie Zheng hadn’t interacted much with Little Elf, he trusted his judgment of people. After all, Little Elf had created a highly valuable antivirus software. If money had been the motive, it could have been sold abroad for a much greater profit. The decision to sell it domestically, sacrificing such significant profits, indicated that Little Elf had good character.

Therefore, Xie Zheng hadn’t doubted the information Little Elf had shared. He believed that if he could get in touch with Little Elf, the hacker could easily perform a live reverse-tracking demonstration, exposing this blatant conspiracy in front of the entire world. This would not only clear the Hua Country team of suspicion but also reveal and publicly punish the real culprits.

But all of this was based on the assumption that Little Elf was still in the medical capsule.

And now… Little Elf was actually here with them…

Xie Zheng felt that he, someone who had prided himself on being smart his whole life, had just done something incredibly foolish. There was also an unspeakable feeling of being wronged—his spouse had kept such a big secret from him!

—

Fang Ziyang’s heart was also racing as he met his husband’s gaze, feeling incredibly guilty.

He swore he hadn’t meant to keep this secret from Xie Zheng. When he initially created the Little Elf persona, it was purely for a one-time deal—he just wanted to sell the software to raise some quick cash and then disappear.

Who could have predicted that fate would have the Dragon King’s temple flood, leading family to clash with family!

Especially back then, when he had no idea that Heavenly Scourge was Xie Zheng’s alias. Feeling safe behind his pseudonym, he had spoken freely and recklessly, leaving behind a mountain of embarrassing chat logs…

After he found out that Xie Zheng was Heavenly Scourge, he was even more reluctant to come clean, firmly keeping his identity as Little Elf under wraps.

Until now, he hadn’t used this persona for over a year, thinking his disappearance was perfectly logical. But who could have guessed that his husband would be so loyal to his friends and hold Little Elf in such high regard!

In fact, Fang Ziyang had known this situation would arise because he was the one who had instructed Shi Liangchen to make it happen. His plan had been to use one of his old aliases to put on a live hacking demonstration for the world, showing off his skills and taking out one of his opponents while disrupting the already shaky alliance of the major powers.

But he hadn’t expected his embarrassing secret to be revealed so suddenly…

“Are you the one with the codename ‘Little Elf’?!”

The investigator, realizing the situation, suddenly had a gleam in his eyes, filled with excitement. They hadn’t truly intended to take any severe action against the Hua Country team today; their plan was merely to find an excuse to remove the official team members, thereby preventing them from participating in the team competition tomorrow.

But now, they were handed such a surprise, delivered right to their doorstep. What was this? This was the perfect case of “No effort required to find what you’re looking for.”

Now, how could the Hua Country team argue their way out of this and refuse the investigation?

Professor Yu and the others realized this as well, and their faces changed with concern.

Xie Zheng wanted to say something to salvage the situation, but he quickly noticed Fang Ziyang subtly shaking his head.

Fang Ziyang took a deep breath, stepped forward, and smiled lightly,

“Yes, my online codename is ‘Little Elf.’ So, as for the accusations you’ve just made, I do not accept them. Moreover, I strongly suspect that this is a deliberate and despicable plot aimed at our Hua Country team, with the intention of preventing us from competing.”

Though everyone might understand the underlying situation, knowing it in their hearts and stating it openly are entirely different matters.

Initially, Fang Ziyang hadn’t planned to be so assertive, but given the current circumstances, he had no choice but to stand firm. If his identity as Little Elf was exposed, certain people would undoubtedly try everything they could to eliminate him. After all, he had orchestrated a massive cyber event back then, and even though no evidence was left behind, there were certainly many who still harbored a grudge against him.

The investigator’s main objective today was to apprehend someone; they weren’t interested in listening to any excuses or arguments.

“Mr. Contestant, your suspicions are understandable, and we do not deny any of your defenses. However, these matters need to be investigated and verified. Last night’s attack caused significant damage and involves malicious competition related to the competition. We must protect the rights of every team and conduct a fair and impartial investigation on every suspect…”

The investigator wore a mask of righteous indignation, but it was clear he was being hypocritical.

Fang Ziyang scoffed,

“Fair and impartial to every suspect? Can you guarantee that you’ll ‘fairly and impartially’ uncover the truth before tomorrow’s competition? If we are ultimately proven innocent, how will the competition organizers compensate us? Will the competition be postponed? Or restarted?”

“Or… is it that the competition organizers think Hua Country is easy to bully, and they can just squeeze us however they please?”

With these words, the investigator’s expression shifted again.

Although that might have been exactly what he was thinking, it was certainly not something he could admit in front of the entire world. Such an admission would be blatant discrimination, not only angering the people of Hua Country but also inciting public outrage from other nations.

After all, although Hua Country is often hindered internationally, it is still considered a significant power. If even Hua Country can be bullied so easily, what hope is there for other, slightly weaker nations? Admitting to such a thing in front of the entire world is out of the question.

The investigator immediately put on a serious smile and said, “You’re overthinking it, Mr. Contestant. We’re just following the rules. All the current evidence points to your involvement. Please trust in our ability; if you are proven innocent, the competition organizers will surely provide a satisfactory response.”

Compensation is something to be dealt with later; that’s for the higher-ups to worry about. His job is simply to carry out their orders. And if Little Elf really is a member of the Hua Country team, those in charge will surely take full advantage of this situation.

“But we don’t need compensation after the fact,” Fang Ziyang replied with a cold smile. “Fine, if you want to talk about evidence, let’s do that. Are you certain that the classified databases of M, A, and H countries were attacked last night?”

“Yes, we are absolutely certain.”

“And what were the exact times of these attacks?”

“Sorry, that information is classified. It’s not appropriate to discuss it here. If you have any doubts, you can clarify them in the investigation room,” the investigator replied. He wasn’t sure where Fang Ziyang was going with these questions, but his instincts told him it was time to end this conversation. His tone became more severe, signaling his desire to wrap things up quickly.

But why should they comply when they have no reason to?

“Alright, I won’t ask any more questions. So, it all happened last night, right? However…” Fang Ziyang turned to the camera, showing a helpless expression. “However, I spent the entire night in my room playing Go. I didn’t touch my computer at all. Your so-called evidence doesn’t hold up. I have every reason and right to refuse your ‘invitation’ to the investigation room, don’t I?”

“Mr. Contestant, whether or not you touched your computer last night is something we’ll investigate. Your word alone isn’t enough to clear this up,” the investigator replied, growing impatient. He felt that the Hua Country team was stalling for time due to the live broadcast. If he had known this would happen, they would have kept the reporters out and just taken the person away.

“But I have evidence.” Fang Ziyang raised his phone. “Go is our national treasure, a game that greatly benefits logical thinking. There’s a saying in our country: ‘The onlooker sees more clearly than the player.’ So every time I play, I like to record the process.”

“So… if I provide the video now, I believe I should be allowed to refuse your current ‘invitation’ to investigate, given our crucial match tomorrow, correct?”

“Of course, if there’s a real need for our team to cooperate with the investigation, we’ll be more than willing to do so after the competition.”

The investigator’s expression changed drastically. If Fang Ziyang truly had such a video, they wouldn’t be able to take him away in front of the entire world. Insisting on it would seem overly excessive, especially when he could prove his innocence and had an important match the next day.

“However, I believe that to avoid any misunderstandings, the sooner we handle this investigation, the better. As the accused, we can’t tolerate being falsely accused like this. It greatly affects our national image. Therefore, I volunteer to demonstrate my skills live and catch the culprit. How about that?”

Without waiting for a response, Fang Ziyang turned to the camera, smiling, “Friends from the various live-streaming nations, I don’t think my suggestion to prove our innocence is unreasonable, right? After all, this concerns our national honor, not just my personal reputation.”

The idea of witnessing a top-tier hacker in action, live, was almost unthinkable!

Not to mention how exhilarating and intriguing it would be for the general audience, for those who understood the technology, this was an incredibly valuable learning opportunity.

The viewers in the live streams weren’t concerned with all the details; they were there to watch the competition. Although national pride was on the line, what they cared about most were the match results and the various exciting incidents that occurred during the event.

Immediately, similar comments started flooding the live stream chats across different countries:

“Ahhhh, not unreasonable at all! I support this!”

“Whether innocent or not, being detained for investigation would be a stain. It’s best to clear things up on the spot!”

“I want to see this; it’s so thrilling!”

The audience members from different countries were eager for excitement, practically cheering for the drama.

Even the ordinary viewers from M, A, and H countries didn’t see any issue with Fang Ziyang’s request and suggestion. Although they looked down on Hua Country, they were more concerned about finding out who truly attacked their national databases. If they didn’t get to the bottom of it this time, wouldn’t it mean that the real culprit could escape and pose a future threat?

The investigator’s expression turned grim, unsure of what to do next. This situation was even more unexpected than Fang Ziyang’s sudden revelation of his alternate identity.

But Fang Ziyang never intended to let them lead the conversation.

“Jin Yu, please upload the video of my Go game from last night to the internet.”

“Professor Yu, could you personally ask a few hotel security guards to ensure the hotel’s electricity and internet are stable?”

“Assistant Chief Zhang, could you arrange for someone to secure the site to prevent any disturbances?”

“Zhao Kairui, Yuan Zhuoting, please help set up a data shield. Although our skills are good, if someone tries a data flood attack, it could slow down our pursuit.”

“And finally…” Fang Ziyang turned to Tang Xun and Xie Zheng with a smile, “Brother, darling, shall we catch the culprit together?”

“Of course,” Tang Xun agreed without hesitation, his expression dark. Anyone who dared to bully his brother was his greatest enemy!

Xie Zheng didn’t say anything but nodded and went into the room to get his computer. However, before going in, he gave Fang Ziyang a deep look that clearly said, You little trickster, just you wait.

Fang Ziyang clutched his heart, feeling guilty…

Meanwhile, in a meeting room, a group of men in suits and ties watched the live stream, their faces showing signs of concern. They exchanged glances, and one of them couldn’t hold back and turned to the relaxed-looking Moer James, who was sipping wine.

“Mr. Moore, are you sure there won’t be any problems with this? Leaving Fang Ziyang aside, Tang Xun is no simple character. And while we don’t know much about Xie Zheng’s abilities, if he’s being brought in, he can’t be weak either. What if…?”

“There won’t be any ‘what if,'” Moer replied, narrowing his eyes. He then looked at Shi Liangchen, “Shi, I should trust in your abilities, right?”

This time, Shi Liangchen didn’t respond immediately. His usually calm expression finally showed some seriousness.

Seeing this, Moore‘s gaze grew more dangerous. “Shi, I think your sister needs better treatment.”

Shi Liangchen’s face subtly changed at these words. After a minute of silent contemplation, he met Moore’s gaze and said, “I need two more assistants.”

With that, Shi Liangchen stood up and walked into the next room filled with computer equipment.

Seeing his reaction, Moore smiled with satisfaction, but his eyes were venomous as he sent a text message:

[Ensure that Shi Meijing is securely detained.]

In the room, Shi Liangchen calmly stared at the computer screen, gently touching the bracelet on his right wrist, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips.

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