Jia Bei's knuckles whitened around his phone. "Find the bastard. Break his hands. No code, no future."
Sun Peng's eyelid twitched. "You'd land us all in prison!"
The room bristled—programmers exchanged uneasy glances. Sensing resistance, Jia Bei backtracked. "Just… motivate him. Scare the tech nerd into cooperating."
Reluctant nods circled the room.
Highway to Jinling
Chen Wan white-knuckled the wheel as a coal truck loomed beside them, its overloaded cargo swaying like a drunk titan.
"Speed up or drop back," Li Mu urged. "Middle lane's a death wish."
"I can't!" Her voice trembled. "What if it topples?"
Li Mu checked the odometer—30 km/h. At this rate, they'd reach Jinling by midnight. "Pull over. I'll drive."
"You? No license!"
"Ever heard of farm tractors?" He flashed a grin. "CVT transmission, all-wheel drive—this Audi's easier than milking cows."
Against her better judgment, Chen Wan swerved onto the shoulder.
Beijing, 2:00 PM
Jia Bei slammed his fist on the desk. "Proxy servers! U.S., Japan, Korea—guy's a ghost!"
The IP trails led nowhere. Even their bribed forum admin couldn't pierce the digital veil.
Sun Peng massaged his temples. "Pack it up. We're done."
"Wait!" Jia Bei's eyes gleamed. "New game leaks—Legend of Mir. We pivot. Rebuild."
Silence. Then, the clatter of keyboards resumed—desperation's melody.
Behind the Wheel
Li Mu merged seamlessly into traffic, the Audi humming at 80 km/h. Chen Wan gaped as he overtook trucks with surgical precision.
"Where'd you learn this?"
"Internet cafes." He deadpanned. "Racing simulators."
She snorted, tension melting. The skyline blurred—Jinling's outskirts ahead.