The System in Desperate Straits and a New Entry in the Little Notebook

The air in the conference room seemed to have frozen, its oppressive weight making it hard to breathe.

Director Li, the technical director, was deathly pale. His lips trembled as he read the summary of the white paper Genesis had released over and over, unable to believe it.

Lawyer Wang, the legal director, frowned deeply, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously as he evidently raced to work out a legal response.

Lin Chen stood in the corner, feeling a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. His limbs turned icy cold.

His mind was blank, with only one thought echoing wildly through it:

We're finished! Completely finished! The technology leaked! The company's biggest advantage is gone!

Huanyu Capital will definitely pull out! The other investors won't be interested anymore either! The company's going to collapse!

Overwhelming fear and despair swallowed him like a freezing tide.

It was as though he could already see the miserable scene: the company going bankrupt and being liquidated, himself being swept out the door, and President Yan utterly drained in body and mind.

What do I do? What do I do?! System! Big Brother System! Help!

In utter panic, he called frantically for the system in his mind, as though grasping at his last lifeline.

As if responding to his despair, the system's cold, clear notification sounded in his mind:

[Ding—A major crisis involving the host and an affiliated company has been detected: core trade secrets have been leaked.]

[Emergency mission issued: Crisis Reversal.]

[Mission requirements: Within 72 hours, assist the company in identifying the source of the technology leak and take effective measures to minimize losses and salvage the situation as much as possible.]

[Mission hint: Crisis is also an opportunity. The leaked technology may contain flaws or traps.

The [Information Insight] skill or relevant items from the System Shop may be used to assist the investigation.]

[Mission rewards: Determined according to the extent to which the crisis is resolved. Reward: 1,000–5,000 system points!

[Advanced Crisis Management] skill fragments ×3, one random rare item.]

[Failure penalty: 2,000 system points deducted, two existing skills randomly stripped away, a significant decline in the company's reputation, and a serious crisis for the host's career.]

Seventy-two hours! Find the source! Salvage the situation!

The system's mission was like a shot of adrenaline, jolting Lin Chen's nearly shattered spirits back to life!

There's still a chance! The system says there's still a chance! A crisis could also be an opportunity!

He forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and began thinking at breakneck speed.

Right! The system hinted that the leaked technology might have flaws or traps! And there's the Information Insight skill! The System Shop!

He immediately opened the system interface with a thought.

On his personal panel, the [Intermediate Information Insight] skill icon was lit up, showing that its cooldown had ended and it could be used again!

He chose to use it without hesitation!

In an instant, a cool sensation flooded his brain, and his thoughts became exceptionally clear and sharp.

Fragments of information about the technology leak rapidly came together and were analyzed in his mind.

The timing of Genesis releasing its white paper was too convenient! Right when our negotiations with Huanyu were deadlocked! That was definitely no coincidence!

Seventy percent similarity means it wasn't an exact copy. Could they have modified or optimized it based on ours?

Or... was the version they got their hands on incomplete to begin with?

The hacker attack... we blocked that attack, but could some of the data already have been stolen before then?

Or... is there a mole?

One possibility after another flashed through his mind. The Information Insight skill helped him quickly rule out some unreasonable lines of inquiry and focus on a few key points:

The timeline of the hacker attack, access records for the core data, the list of people who might have come into contact with the secrets...

At the same time, he quickly browsed the System Shop for items that might prove useful.

His gaze swept over the [Truth Potion], [Lie Detector], [Memory Rewind Scroll], and other items.

But they were expensive, routinely costing over a thousand points. He had only 250 points left and couldn't afford them at all.

Not enough points! What do I do?

He was frantic, his heart burning with anxiety.

Just then, he noticed an inconspicuous special-offer section in a corner of the shop. It contained an item on sale for a limited time:

[Clue Magnifying Glass: After use, performs one in-depth clue investigation on a designated target (person or object), with a relatively high chance of uncovering hidden key information or inconsistencies.

Original price: 800 points. Limited-time special price: 250 points!]

Two hundred and fifty points! Exactly everything he had!

I'm taking the gamble!

Lin Chen gritted his teeth and chose to redeem it without hesitation!

[Ding—250 points spent. Successfully redeemed [Clue Magnifying Glass].]

With the item in hand, he felt a little more reassured.

But how should he use it? On whom?

He had no idea.

Just as he was fully absorbed in the system interface and his own analysis, his excessive tension and concentration caused him to mutter unconsciously. His voice was extremely low, but in the deathly silent conference room, it was faintly audible:

"...The timing... a mole... access records... Clue Magnifying Glass..."

Yan Qingyue was suppressing towering anger and anxiety as she arranged emergency countermeasures:

"Director Li, investigate the access logs for all core data immediately!

"Focus on unusual access around the time of the hacker attack and during the past week!

"Lawyer Wang, prepare the legal documents and look into whether we can sue Genesis for infringement of trade secrets..."

She suddenly broke off, her sharp gaze shooting toward Lin Chen in the corner!

She seemed to have heard him muttering something just now.

As Yan Qingyue's icy gaze swept over him, Lin Chen was jolted out of the system's world. He shuddered in fright and hurriedly lowered his head, shouting in his mind:

Oh no! President Yan looked at me! Did I let something slip?!

Yan Qingyue frowned deeply at his flustered appearance.

What's this guy muttering to himself about now?

She had no time to look into it, so she continued assigning tasks:

"...Also, initiate an internal review immediately. Everyone who has had access to the core code, including the technology department's senior management, is to be questioned!"

After issuing her instructions, she wearily rubbed the spot between her brows.

Her gaze swept over Lin Chen again by chance. Though his head was lowered, his eyes flickered, and he seemed to be thinking rapidly about something. He was like a different person from the despairing man he had been moments ago.

Strange... why does he seem... less panicked?

A trace of doubt flashed through Yan Qingyue's mind.

But with crises pressing in on all sides, she had no time to dwell on it.

Yet the moment she looked away, the pressure of her gaze temporarily lifted from Lin Chen, and the taut string in his mind loosened slightly. An absurd thought popped up beyond his control:

President Yan looks... scary when she's angry, but she's so imposing too... the way her brows are knitted and her lips are pressed tight... and when she rubbed her brow just now, her chest seemed to... uh... rise and fall with her breathing...

If I could marry her... with such a capable and beautiful wife, holding her while we slept at night would definitely...

The instant the thought flashed through his mind, Lin Chen snapped back to his senses, wishing he could give himself two hard slaps right then and there!

Lin Chen! Are you fucking crazy?! The company's about to go under! And you're still thinking about this?! Are you even human?!

His face instantly turned the color of pig liver, and he lowered his head even further, cursing himself roundly in his mind.

But how could that fleeting change in his expression and his extremely faint, almost inaudible gasp escape Yan Qingyue, who had been keeping an eye on him out of the corner of her eye?

Yan Qingyue was startled at first. Then, relying on a woman's terrifying intuition and her knowledge of his previous misdeeds, she instantly guessed what filthy thoughts were running through this guy's head again!

An indescribable surge of shame and fury rushed straight to her head!

It nearly made her lose her composure on the spot!

Lin! Chen!

The company is facing a catastrophe that could wipe it out! Everyone is run ragged!

You! How dare you, at a time like this, still think... think about that sort of thing?!

And... and you even want to marry me?! Hold me while you sleep?!

You're truly... beyond saving! Your lust knows no bounds! You deserve ten thousand deaths!

She trembled slightly with anger, digging her nails deep into her palms before she could barely suppress the urge to flip the table on the spot.

She took a deep breath and forcibly dragged her attention back to the crisis at hand, but she had already made a heavy mark against Lin Chen in her heart!

Fine! Very good! Lin Chen! Just you wait!

Once we get through this crisis, you'll see how I deal with you!

This time, I'll make sure you never forget the punishment as long as you live!

She continued chairing the meeting without a change in expression, but the chill radiating from her seemed to lower the temperature of the entire conference room by another few degrees.

Director Li and Lawyer Wang exchanged glances. Did the killing intent coming from President Yan seem even stronger?

Was it because the technology leak had become more serious?

And Lin Chen, the culprit, still had no idea that he had once again been hopping around in front of the gates of hell.

As he repented frantically in his heart, he racked his brains over how to use the skill and item he had just obtained to find that sliver of hope within seventy-two hours.

In his desperate situation, the system had given him hope, but his own "courting death" had unwittingly dug an even deeper "pit" for him.

The "punishment" awaiting him would probably far exceed his imagination.