Chapter 385: Chapter 268: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

"In short, just like I said earlier..." Su Mo cleared his throat and began clapping, "Let’s all welcome our new member, Qi Ling!"

In the meeting room of the Edge Mansion, several core members had gathered. Su Mo continued clapping while Qi Ling stood behind him, sticking her tongue out playfully at the dazed crowd, offering a mischievous grin like a little naughty cat.

Dongdong was the first to snap out of it, scratching his head in confusion, "Wait a minute, boss, I don’t understand. Didn’t you slap her a few days ago and left her with a mark?"

Su Mo blushed with embarrassment, "Do you have to bring up that embarrassing incident?"

Qi Ling clapped her small hands, widened her eyes, and said, "Dongdong, I almost forgot you mentioned that! Mo Mo, you can’t just hit me and get away with it. How are you going to compensate me?"

Su Mo was at a loss and sighed, "Well, how about this, you can slap me too, and we’ll call it even."

Qi Ling: "Sure, bring your face over."

Su Mo leaned forward, ready to be hit.

*Smooch.*

Qi Ling left a kiss on his cheek.

The meeting room erupted, with some clapping and others hooting.

"Wow, this girl is something else!"

"Boss, aren’t you going to kiss her back?!"

"So, this was a trick to lure the dog into a kill trap?"

Su Mo was caught off guard by Qi Ling’s public "attack," blushing down to his neck, "What are you doing?! Our one-day couple game ended, let’s be serious..."

Qi Ling giggled, wrapping her arms around his, "I am serious~"

Su Mo cleared his throat and returned to the main topic: "Anyway, Qi Ling will be our software engineer, focusing on information security."

Future clapped happily, "Fantastic! We won’t have to deal with those rogue hackers anymore! You have no idea how annoying it was to be harassed by them every other day."

Mentioning hackers reminded Su Mo: "Qi Ling, what happened to the virus you spread?"

Qi Ling: "It’s gone."

Su Mo: "Uh... what do you mean ’gone’?"

Qi Ling: "I set a command in the virus: when all hunting targets lose vital signs, it executes a full self-destruct."

"So from the moment Luo Mingsheng died, the virus disappeared."

...

[New Moon City Government Center, Public Security Bureau Emergency Command]

"Acting Council President, we’ve conducted another round of checks and confirmed the Nemesis virus is entirely gone."

"The Air and Space Assault Forces reported all previously uncontrolled drones are now under command, and they are accounting for swarm losses."

"The ground combat units are the same; all battle robots have entered silent mode. The logistics engineering department is proceeding with recovery operations."

"We hadn’t even studied the Nemesis or figured out strategies before it vanished? Why?"

"I think, maybe it fulfilled its purpose..."

Listening to the uninterrupted stream of good news from his subordinates, Sikinkov felt dizzy, unsure if this was reality or a dream.

He had been ready for a brutal war, even instructing frontline soldiers to write their last wills, preparing to sacrifice themselves to destroy those out-of-control war machines.

Yet overnight... it was all over?

Gradually, Sikinkov regained his senses, remaining vigilant: "Do not relax. Instruct the information security team to conduct a thorough investigation and request assistance from the Capital City, bringing in more experts to ensure no latent virus remains."

"Also, how is the progress with the anti-information crime team? Have they found the mastermind behind this? Even a long list of suspects would help."

"We need to give the public an explanation! So many people died; we can’t just say the virus is gone and move on!"

Objectively, the death toll from this virus incident was not high.

Just three or four hundred.

About the monthly death toll from violent crimes.

But the mastermind’s method was too heinous, directly controlling military machines to kill, which was a slap to New Moon City’s authorities.

Moreover, many of the deceased were social elites.

If this incident isn’t explained publicly, the court will challenge New Moon City’s administration.

Amid Sikinkov’s crisis handling, an assistant rushed in, "Acting Council President, the anti-information crime team reports that the hacker who created the Nemesis virus has surrendered!"

"What?!" Sikinkov lost count of how many times he was shocked today.

Escorted by elite agents, Sikinkov went to the central detention area to see the surrendering hacker.

It was a young man, wearing a black hoodie, hood pulled over his head, with a stubbly face and a look of dejection and indifference.

After inspecting the young man, an agent reported, "No dangerous items on him."

Sikinkov approached, frowned, and asked, "Who are you?"

The young man looked down and said, "Benjamin, you should’ve heard my alias, Scorpion."

Sikinkov’s eyes narrowed.

Scorpion, a well-known hacker in recent years, had infiltrated numerous city security systems and repeatedly posted on the dark web openly challenging the World Government, notoriously daring.

Sikinkov: "You created the Nemesis virus that swept through New Moon City this time?"

Benjamin: "Yes, it was me."

Sikinkov: "Why did you do it?"

Benjamin gave a brief chuckle, which somehow seemed bitter, "For fun."

Staring into those sorrowful eyes, Sikinkov seemed to see right through them to the soul.

He gestured for everyone else to leave.

Soon, only the two remained across from each other, separated by iron bars.

Sikinkov: "You’re lying; you’re not the mastermind."

Benjamin: "I am."

Sikinkov: "You’re a skilled hacker, but your most famous act was hacking into the computer during a City Council President’s work meeting to play pornography on the big screen."

"You’re skilled, but merely skilled. To execute a city-wide virus attack of New Crescent City’s scale, sorry, I think you’re not up to it."

Benjamin’s gaze grew more mournful, his bitter smile saying, "I told you, it was me. Just convict me and leave it at that, don’t say more."

Just as Sikinkov was about to speak, his phone rang.

Seeing the number, his expression changed, quickly answering, "President Zhao..."

He listened for a long time, his demeanor shifting from bewildered to profound, and finally to resignation.

The call ended.

Sikinkov sighed, giving Benjamin a long, deep look.

Benjamin maintained his tragic smile, silently gazing back.

Sikinkov exited, approached the anti-information crime team outside, and solemnly said, "Regarding the Nemesis virus incident, confirm the mastermind is the hacker with the alias ’Scorpion,’ Benjamin Thomas. Detain him, and proceed with the judicial process."