Chapter 125: Cen Yongtian

March 15, 2015, would be a day etched into the history of the hacker world. Following the anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia, the country’s computer networks were hit by an unprecedented global data assault starting at noon that day. The immediate consequence was the total paralysis of their network infrastructure. Furthermore, due to Purple’s (the hacker alias of Leng Bingyan, meaning "Purple") infiltration of the Jakarta traffic management system, vast swaths of urban traffic were plunged into chaos.

Even worse, the rebooting of the management programs—which had been embedded with viral code by Bingyan—triggered a nationwide virus storm. Almost every machine infected by this virus experienced a blue screen or crashed within a second, or would reboot only to immediately face another blue screen.

In an instant, security experts worldwide threw themselves into studying the virus, yet its proliferation remained unchecked. Within a few short hours, the virus infected government office networks and subsequently spread to the general public. Through devices like USB drives, the virus replicated autonomously. To make matters worse, no antivirus software could detect it; even after infection, the software remained oblivious, misidentifying the virus as a standard system process.

The resulting damage was unprecedented. What kind of virus is the most terrifying? One with high destructive power? No, a virus that is covert and invisible to all security software is the most fearsome of all.

Through various channels, the virus eventually bypassed all security measures and infiltrated the military’s private networks. In a heartbeat, the entirety of Indonesia's military and its facilities were paralyzed.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian authorities finally received a formal note from the Chinese government. The tone was stern, abandoning the usual diplomatic condemnations and protests in favor of direct threats involving finance, economics, and diplomacy. This unprecedented pressure made it clear to them that the massive nation was truly enraged.

For reasons unknown, the virus was currently contained within Indonesia, but other nations with advanced network infrastructures felt precarious and were scrambling to find a way to decrypt the virus.

***

Inside an office building, a dozen people were gathered. A tall man with an upright, dignified appearance scanned the group and reviewed the report in his hands before asking one of the women, "Wuyue, are you certain that the hacker Purple is the same 'Frozen Tears' you know?"

The woman was strikingly beautiful, with soft features and an elegant physique. She was Shui Wuyue, whom Bingyan had met online. She looked at the man who had spoken, her expression filled with nothing but respect for this newly appointed leader of the Dragon Squad.

This Dragon Squad leader was a former special forces operative, possessing exceptional skills in sniping and reconnaissance, as well as mastery of ancient martial arts, having reached the sixth level of power. His name was Tang Lingjie. His long military career had endowed him with a level of composure and calm unimaginable to ordinary people, and he was exceptionally decisive in handling affairs.

Shui Wuyue met his cold, piercing gaze, steadied her nerves, and said, "I am certain that this Purple is the 'Frozen Tears' I know. I was attempting to breach the traffic management system at the same time, but I failed." As she spoke, a look of shame crossed her face. Since childhood, she had been identified as a computer prodigy and had undergone rigorous training. It was no exaggeration to say that her hacking skills were currently among the best in the country. It was precisely for this reason that she had been granted an exceptional appointment to the Dragon Squad, an organization reserved for those with immense power.

She had hoped to rely on her skills to achieve something great, only to encounter a Purple whose strength was far more terrifying than her own. Shui Wuyue still felt a lingering fear when thinking of Purple; even knowing the other person's instant messaging ID, she could not trace their IP address. Was that not proof enough of the gap between them?

Tang Lingjie understood her state of mind and did not press the issue. He offered a few words of quiet comfort before continuing, "Wuyue, if this were a direct combat situation, perhaps those of us who are 'men of violence' could be of use. But when it comes to tracking a mysterious figure in the digital realm, I believe that within our Dragon Squad, only your skills can do the job. Keep at it; do not belittle yourself. The task of finding Purple is yours. If you encounter difficulties, you may utilize the intelligence personnel from the Ministry of State Security."

Shui Wuyue nodded and accepted the mission, her mind already racing with how she might uncover Purple’s true identity.

Tang Lingjie turned to the others and said, "You should all be aware of the incident in Tianjin where a fire-element superhuman killed civilians. I will not dwell on it further. Although organizations like the 'Executors' have been established around the world, this happened in China, and the Dragon Squad cannot stand idly by. The latest intelligence indicates that the perpetrator, Cen Yongtian, has arrived in Beijing. Keep a close watch. If you can capture him, do so; if not, leave it to the Soul Squad. After all, the criminal's strength is too great for us to handle alone."

The others nodded. Tang Lingjie was correct; Cen Yongtian was already a sixth-level power user. Against such a formidable opponent, perhaps only Tang Lingjie himself in the entire Dragon Squad had a chance. Aside from Tang, the members of the Dragon Squad were generally fourth or fifth-level power users. The core strength of the original Dragon Squad had since been reorganized into the Soul Squad.

After concluding the briefing, Tang Lingjie dismissed the meeting. As the group walked toward the door, he added, "We do not know who the Executor in Beijing is, but if you happen to encounter them dealing with Cen Yongtian, we shall step aside."

Every Executor carried a badge to prove their identity. Beyond registering contact information with the Executor Guild, they left no record of their address or true identity. Thus, Executors were incredibly mysterious existences; one recognized the badge, not the person.

Tang Lingjie ordered his team to avoid interference, firstly out of concern that his members were no match for Cen Yongtian, and secondly, because he knew Executors did not commit evil—especially the Chinese ones. Under the joint leadership of the government and the cultivation world—though with the cultivation world having sealed their mountain gates, it was fair to say the government held the reins—it was just unclear which department was in charge of these matters.

That night, the darkness was hazy. On a path in a residential complex, streetlights flickered—no one knew when these nearly defunct lights would finally be repaired.

Standing before a small building, Leng Bingyan looked up. She knew Cen Yongtian was in the vicinity. In the dead of night, she quietly slipped out of her window, motivated by the two-million-yuan bounty on his head.

From the local underworld contacts in Beijing, she knew Cen Yongtian had been active in this area. She was now playing a waiting game, hoping her luck would hold and she would stumble upon him.

The night air carried a somber chill that was hard to perceive during the day. A cold wind blew, stirring her fine, soft hair. Her shoulder-length purple hair flowed freely; Leng Bingyan had shed her daytime disguise.

As an Executor, she always presented herself in her female form, as it helped her better conceal her true identity.

A black shadow flashed ahead. Leng Bingyan’s eyebrows arched. "Has he appeared?" Her figure flickered like a bat in the night, cutting through the darkness in an instant.

She landed on the balcony of a residential building, three stories above the ground. She saw the shadow slip into a room inside.

Stepping into the room, she found a simply furnished apartment. It was small, like a rental, cramped with a bed and a few cabinets. The messy clothes suggested the owner was not one for tidiness.

Leng Bingyan saw a man in his thirties lying on the bed, his face covered in stubble, looking utterly dejected. She took out the dossier and compared it; she was certain the man before her was her target, Cen Yongtian.

Cen Yongtian lay on the bed, exhausted. Days of hiding had left him physically and mentally frayed. He had only been in the room for a short while before falling into a deep sleep.

His eyelids twitched. He sensed something was wrong. Even in his sleep, he remained vigilant. For a sixth-level power user, he would never give an enemy an opening, even while dreaming.

Leng Bingyan closed in on him; he was her objective for the night. Her purple sword appeared in her hand with a sharp "shing," its faint violet light making the dark room look eerie.

The purple sword struck toward Cen Yongtian with blinding speed, but to her surprise, it missed. The man on the bed had vanished just as the blade was about to strike. "Qimen Dunjia?!" Leng Bingyan exclaimed. That Cen Yongtian knew the art of Qimen Dunjia was truly unexpected. If she wasn't mistaken, he must have sensed her the moment she entered the room using some mysterious mystical technique he had laid out.

"A cunning old fox, indeed!" Leng Bingyan remarked with a hint of admiration. Her momentary carelessness had allowed him to escape. But she did not pause; she quickly pursued him in the direction of his flight.

They reached a spacious park within the complex. Following him, she saw the man waiting there in the distance. He had stopped running and chosen to face her. Did he think he was capable of defeating her?

Stopping in the park, the two stood ten meters apart, assessing one another. After about half a minute, Leng Bingyan spoke first: "Cen Yongtian, you cannot escape. Today, you will be brought to justice!"

She saw a cold smirk appear on the man’s face. He said dismissively, "I suppose you must be the Executor from Beijing." Seeing her nod, he continued, "Since I could escape the Executor in Tianjin, I have the confidence to escape the one in Beijing as well. But I never imagined the Executor of our capital would be a woman—and a beautiful one at that! Enough talk, bring it on!"

Cen Yongtian took a combat stance, and in a flash, two roaring fireballs appeared in his hands.

The fireballs burned with a crimson glow. Fortunately, it was the middle of the night, and no one was passing through the park, or this would have surely been front-page news the next day.

When Cen Yongtian uttered the words "beautiful woman," Leng Bingyan’s anger flared. People could say anything else about her, but that sensitive term was off-limits!

Holding her sword, she stared coldly at the man before her. In the next moment, he would be nothing more than a corpse!

Cen Yongtian was startled, clearly sensing the formidable aura emanating from Leng Bingyan. His heart sank; he realized this would likely be a grueling battle. She was truly different from the other Executors!