Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Chen Liangdong chuckled. “Miss Gu, your younger brother’s actions constitute a crime, violating national cyber security. Our counter-espionage department has repeatedly detected attacks on the same frequency band, and it has been confirmed to be your younger brother. While ordinary crimes may be exempted for budding talents, it doesn’t apply within the realm of national security.”
Gu Ci gaped.
Gu Ziyu didn’t bother with pretenses either. “I didn’t steal any of your information. I even helped intercept three messages from M Corporation, resulting in the capture of four spies. Don’t accuse me without evidence.”
Gu Ci applauded with an expressionless face. “Baby, you did a great job! I wonder what rewards the country has for you.”
Chen Liangdong applauded as well. “There will definitely be rewards. Miss Gu, rest assured that your baby has a strong sense of protecting our country, and I admire that.”
Gu Ziyu couldn’t help but spray his latte out of his mouth, giving Chen Liangdong a glare. Chen Liangdong was an old acquaintance of Gu Ziyu’s. In his past life, he had controlled the Black Hawk Group from behind the scenes. The Ministry of State Security believed that the Black Hawk Group posed a significant threat to cyber security and wanted to recruit them. The Black Hawk Group was originally registered in Country M and was beyond their jurisdiction. During the financial crisis, they had taken away a large sum of money from the domestic stock market, but everything was legal and legitimate.
While Chen Liangdong was coordinating with the people from the Black Hawk Group, he also had the technical department of the Ministry of State Security launch attacks against the Black Hawk Group. He wanted to find out who was behind their security systems. It had proven to be an impenetrable barrier. The two sides had been locked in a battle for nearly half a year. Gu Ziyu felt that this couldn’t go on, so he had to step in and negotiate.
An agreement couldn’t be reached. Chen Liangdong appeared to be approachable, with a kind face, but he was tough and ruthless in his methods. He was determined to completely destroy the Black Hawk Group and prevent a capital outflow crisis.
Gu Ziyu and Chen Liangdong had been locked in a battle for three years. When Gu Ziyu was nine years old, Chen Liangdong discovered his true identity. Gu Ziyu had expended a great deal of energy during those three years and aged almost ten years, only to find out that his opponent was a nine-year-old kid.
Chen Liangdong was immediately shocked by the revelation and was rushed to the hospital.
Upon waking up, he constantly tried to brainwash Gu Ziyu, hoping to make him serve the country. The two of them fell into a vicious cycle, trapped in a complex relationship of enemies despite their age difference.
“Speak, what do you want?” Gu Ziyu, who had battled against Chen Liangdong for several years, saw no need to hide his true self. He took control of the situation. “Sister, why don’t you go out for a walk? I’ll talk to him.”
“No, I want to listen,” Gu Ci insisted.
Gu Ziyu compromised, “Alright, old man, go ahead and speak.”
Gu Ci chuckled softly, “Darling, be polite and gentlemanly.”
Gu Ziyu sighed inwardly, “Mom, it’s just a habit.”
Chen Liangdong continued sipping his tea, his expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk. He could see who Gu Ziyu was, his character and temperament, and he could also see that Gu Ci had a way of dealing with him.
“Master Chen, what brings you to me?” Gu Ziyu forced a gentle and friendly smile.
“I want to recruit you into the MSS,” Chen Liangdong got straight to the point.
Gu Ziyu’s eyes almost rolled back in exasperation. Here we go again!
Gu Ziyu didn’t want to join the MSS in his previous life; he only wanted to be an antagonist, battling wits with old masters. Now that he had come to this life, it seemed like the cycle was starting again. Were they really this relentless in their pursuit?
“I’m not interested!”
“But darling, this is the MSS,” Gu Ci’s eyes sparkled with excitement. It was a matter of great pride to be recruited by the agency at the age of six.
Gu Ziyu innocently looked at Gu Ci, “But I’m Gu Ziyu.”
Does joining the MSS make Mom so proud? But I can build my own cyber kingdom. Why should I work for someone else?
“It’s really difficult to pass the entrance exam!” Gu Ci blurted out. She felt herself leaning toward Chen Liangdong’s side of the scale. She hadn’t expected that Chen Liangdong came to recruit her precious boy into the MSS. If he joined, all the things he had done would be wiped clean. Gu Ci counted the benefits of joining the agency, “It’s the most difficult position to get, and it’s a police position…”
“I still have to become a police officer? No, thank you!” Gu Ziyu didn’t have any interest in becoming a police officer. He liked being a homebody, sleeping in, and had no inclination for physical activities.
Chen Liangdong smiled and said, “We can relax the requirements for you.”
Gu Ziyu forced a smile, his expression devoid of emotion. Gu Ci didn’t force him either; they would meet the challenge head-on.
“I am genuinely eager to recruit talented individuals, and on behalf of the MSS, I welcome you, little darling. We are lagging behind Western countries in areas such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and internet defense. That’s why we have been cultivating our technical teams. From counter-espionage work to international cross-border tracking, anti-eavesdropping and investigations, and even defense during financial crises, we need cybersecurity talents,” Chen Liangdong said with a gentle smile. “Here, you will have access to national resources. You will have freedom, and being able to protect our homeland is every boy’s hero dream.”
“That makes me dangerous too,” Gu Ziyu responded without falling for it. In a few more years, he could achieve what Chen Liangdong promised. He didn’t need to sell himself to the country. “How should I put it? Defending the homeland… I don’t have such lofty ideals.”
Gu Ci remained silent, holding her latte, concealing a hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. In certain aspects, Gu Ziyu resembled Lu Zhiyuan—they were both untamed and rebellious.
“Five insurance and one housing fund, stable salary, the country will take care of you and provides accommodation for you. The average person starts working at 21 after graduating from university and retires at 65, receiving a salary for only 44 years. You can start receiving a salary at the age of six, gaining an extra fifteen years. Isn’t that a good deal?”
“Do I lack those fifteen years of salary from you?” Gu Ziyu licked the coffee from the corner of his lips arrogantly and asked, “You’re proposing using child labor. Have you ever read the labor laws?”
Gu Ci remained silent.
Oh, dear, how did you suddenly become so sharp-tongued? Weren’t you always lofty and believed in the saying “silence is golden”? You used to hate arguing with people and considered all disputes a waste of time, didn’t you?
“We can always relax… the standards for geniuses,” Chen Liangdong’s expression also became subtle, almost stumbling over the words “child labor.”
“Your legal and moral standards seem to be arbitrarily flexible. How impressive,” Gu Ziyu mocked expressionlessly. “Anyway, I’m not interested in joining the system.”
Chen Liangdong changed his strategy. “I checked the household registration system and couldn’t find any information about you. Did you erase your records? Are you hiding some past? Are you running away from someone? Or did you commit a crime?”
Gu Ci placed her coffee down and spoke seriously, “Ziyu is only six years old. How could he possibly commit a crime? He hasn’t caused any harm. Can’t we handle this matter with leniency?”
“How did Miss Gu come to know Gu Ziyu? You both share the same surname and bear some resemblance. Are you relatives?” Chen Liangdong looked at them with a teasing expression. “You seem to have a good relationship. However, we have also checked Miss Gu’s records, and in your eighteen years of life, there has never been any mention of Gu Ziyu.”
“I found him on the street,” Gu Ci innocently smiled. “He looks like me, and we share a similar fate, so I decided to take him in.”
“How fortunate,” Chen Liangdong expressed his regret. “Why didn’t I find such a genius?”
Gu Ziyu chimed in, “If you go out on the streets every day looking, you might still have a chance.”