The anonymous call about the explosives was made by Su Mo.

He wanted to prevent the bombing and dig deeper into the story behind Venus Eden Garden.

But he didn’t want to get into any trouble.

So, he chose this most convenient and safe method.

Now the bombing has been stopped, regardless of who planted the explosives, the other party will surely have the next plan.

Next, it’s just waiting to see how things unfold and waiting for the other party to slip up.

Su Mo didn’t stay long at Venus Eden Garden and prepared to return to Edge Mansion.

Before leaving, his gaze inadvertently swept over the crowd, suddenly catching a somewhat familiar figure.

But now the area outside the garden was full of people, and that person seemed to be deliberately avoiding him, passing by in a flash, and he couldn’t see clearly who it was.

Su Mo scanned a few more times, but the person was nowhere to be found, so he could only leave.

Returning to Edge Mansion, Su Mo saw Future rushing into the elevator towards the lab and followed.

Su Mo walked into the lab, seeing Future and a few people busy, asked, "What’s going on, why the rush?"

Future looked up and said, "Boss, you’re here. Sigh... several computers have been remotely locked by hackers, demanding ransom in Moon Currency, a million per unit."

"What?" Su Mo asked angrily, "Do you know who it is? I’ll bust him myself!"

Future said helplessly, "If we knew, would they still be called hackers..."

Su Mo: "Then what do we do, we can’t actually pay, can we? If we give in once to extortion, we’ll be seen as easy targets, and hackers worldwide will come after us."

Future: "It’s okay, no need to pay. Our security software is a top-tier commercial version purchased from Rick Company, and these are Rick’s information security experts, they will handle it."

The security expert greeted Su Mo: "Director Su, this is a relatively rare new ransomware. We’ve already studied it and can handle it, it’ll be resolved shortly."

"Regarding the defense against this virus, we’ll add it to the firewall database immediately after we return. Please update it on your end then."

Su Mo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Rick’s firewall software costs over a million a year for commercial use, utilized by major enterprises and even government departments, capable of defending against all mainstream viruses.

If they encounter rare new viruses, they dispatch 24-hour standby security experts to address them immediately, with no major issues so far.

Over a million a year is expensive, but it’s definitively worth its price.

However, Su Mo still felt a bit frustrated.

The most potent Black Extinction Virus in the whole Dawn Realm was in his hands, yet no one could use it.

Instead, they were extorted by a bunch of rogue hackers.

It’s really infuriating!

Su Mo muttered to himself, "Virus expert... when will my virus expert ever appear..."

"Ring ring ring." At this moment, his phone rang.

"Hello."

The call was from a contact he had met not long ago, inviting Su Mo to have a late-night snack.

Since the rapid expansion of the Edge Mercenary Corps, Su Mo had rarely personally executed missions, spending more time on interpersonal engagements to steer the team in the right direction.

This intermediary was very well-known, with a wealth of resources on hand, making it necessary to maintain good relations.

Su Mo accepted the invitation and headed to Flower Language Street for a late-night snack.

...

[Lakefront Business District, Flower Language Street, Late Night]

Flower Language Street is a bustling bar street in the Lakefront Business District of New Moon City, featuring rich Japanese decor.

The low buildings were adorned with lantern-like neon lights, with traditional wooden signs painted with delicate cherry blossom patterns, red shoji wallpaper pasted outside, and girls in kimonos flashing sweet smiles at passing tourists, as if they had returned to an ancient era.

In the deep night, while other city areas were quiet, Flower Language Street was at its liveliest.

In the bars, dancers passionately performed on stage, sake bottles neatly lined the bar, and with the accompaniment of traditional taiko drums, bartenders used unique techniques to mix delectable cocktails.

Cherry-red neon lights illuminated the revelers’ clamor and merriment, some singing loudly in the bars, their heads bobbing to the taiko sound.

Others, arm in arm with friends, wandered through the bustling streets, laughter erupting in waves, immersed in the allure of nightlife.

At this time, Qi Ling was also on Flower Language Street, standing alone beside a streetlight, silently playing with her phone.

This young girl was like a versatile doll, having just worn a lolita dress in a villa, now already switched to a fall-winter JK uniform.

Qi Ling stood at 167 cm, neither too petite nor intimidatingly tall, just the perfect height for a girl.

She wore a clean and neat white shirt, covered by a beige knitted V-neck sweater, with a 42 cm pleated skirt revealing her slender legs.

Her exquisite feet were clad in pristine new JK leather shoes, white knee-high socks tracing the contour of her ankle upwards, wrapping around her thighs, leaving a slightly cute mark.

Her attire brimming with youthfulness, silvery long hair that seemed dreamlike, doll-like delicate features, jewel-like amber eyes, and the cat-like smiling lips...

Qi Ling looked like a girl stepped out of a comic book, her beauty feeling somewhat unreal, compelling passersby to stop and admire.

Some looked at Qi Ling with the eyes of admiring art, while others harbored profane thoughts.

A drunken man in a striped suit, holding a sake bottle while drinking, walked by with a drunken demeanor.

He suddenly noticed Qi Ling under the streetlight, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Driven by alcohol, a malicious thought rose in his heart, and he deliberately staggered closer.

As he got nearer, just as he intended to stroke those white silk-clad legs, Qi Ling suddenly spoke.

"Mister, I’d advise you not to touch me."

Still looking at her phone, Qi Ling said monotonously, "That striped suit you’re wearing indicates you’re an employee of the Nuoshi Group, right? After all, only their winter work attire could be this old-fashioned."

"You’re balding with few hairs left, wearing a checkered shirt under the suit, and blue-light blocking glasses, clearly a programmer."

"Looking at your age, over forty, to still be employed in such a job market suggests your coding skill is pretty solid, at least a P7, earning over a million a year."

"Your ring finger shows a thin ring mark left by a wedding ring. You’re married but deliberately removed the ring recently, to flirt with young girls while drinking."

"Oh right, P7 and above programmers of the Nuoshi Group work at the headquarters on the 28th floor, Number 6 Wisdom Road. If someone causes trouble there, calling you a pervert who touches others’ thighs, you’d be in big trouble."

Qi Ling pressed the confirm button on her phone, then looked up at the stunned man, her amber eyes filled with amusement:

"Mister, you wouldn’t want your wife to divorce you over this, would you?"