Outside the Plan

In the dimly lit private room, five people sat quietly around a round table. Four of them were in a subtle standoff with the person sitting opposite them.

The waiter who had just entered saw the strange scene, his legs suddenly went weak, and then he hesitantly placed coffee in front of each of them.

"Thank you, you can leave now."

After all the drinks were served, the young man waved his hand, letting the waiter leave and closing the door.

Then, he took a sip of the coffee in front of him and said in a low voice, audible only to those beside him, "I assume you've all had a chance to examine the software I developed."

SB and CZH exchanged glances. SB took out a pack of cigarettes and distributed them to everyone.

"No need, I have my own."

Guo Dazhuang waved his hand and placed his own pack of cigarettes on the table.

He didn't know the identities of the people beside him, so how could Guo Dazhuang be sure their cigarettes were safe?

CZH, on the other hand, spoke up, "Your product certainly has potential. If you're looking for investment, we're willing to buy 40% of your company's shares for 200 million."

Zhan Fei glanced at the two in surprise. He had expected them to confront him about the previous threats, given their imposing arrival. To his surprise, they didn't mention it at all, their focus shifting directly to the software.

There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests...

Zhan Fei sighed inwardly and quickly spoke, as if the opportunity might slip away if he hesitated.

"In that case, I'm also willing to purchase 10% of your company's shares for 50 million. I believe that's a fair price, isn't it?"

It wasn't that Zhan Fei was being magnanimous; even an outsider could see the potential of this software.

There wasn't a fool in the room. On the way here, Zhan Fei had thoroughly studied this translation software, even contemplating stealing its core algorithm.

However, no matter what method he tried, he couldn't even crack the software's shell, forcing him to reluctantly give up and come here.

"I'm sorry, I'm only selling a total of 8% of the shares, and only for this project."

Yet, even upon hearing the promise of hundreds of millions, the young man across the table remained unfazed. "2% for each person, and no more."

Hearing this, they exchanged glances again. CZH then spoke in a negotiating tone, "Just this project? Your company isn't accepting any other financing? No one turns down money, right?"

"Actually, money isn't the issue."

The young man shook his head. "The reason I'm accepting financing at such a low price is because I value your influence in the IT industry. Otherwise, do you think my translation assistant is really only worth 500 million?"

Zhan Fei and the others fell silent.

"Furthermore, my team is currently developing another translation software, a simultaneous translator capable of conversation. If it's successful, I'm confident it will render the profession of translator obsolete."

What a bold claim!

They all suddenly looked at the young man in front of them, as if trying to see through him.

While everyone knew that the profession of translator would eventually be replaced by artificial intelligence, no one had dared to say it out loud until now.

However, if these words came from this mysterious young man, it seemed perfectly normal.

After all, he possessed hacker technology that could easily defeat them, and the Little X Translation Assistant proved his astonishing achievements in the field of artificial intelligence.

More importantly, if this were all a scam, expending so much effort just for tens of millions would be far too costly.

He could have easily deceived tech giants like Microsoft or Apple instead of targeting them.

"Therefore, with an investment of 10 million now, I'm confident I can provide you with more than tenfold returns in the future."

"What I need from you is to protect my company while it's still vulnerable, to prevent it from being acquired. That's why it's limited to just the Little X Translation Assistant project. Otherwise, wouldn't I be losing out?"

The young man spread his hands, explaining meticulously, "This is why I invited you all here. There's no threat or extortion involved. If you're still not interested in this project, you can leave now. I promise X will never appear before you again."

"..."

A heavy silence fell over the private room once more.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhan Fei finally stood up. He said, "In that case, I agree to invest in your company's project. Have your people get in touch with me. I'm available these few days."

With that, Zhan Fei turned and walked out of the room.

"We're the same."

SB and CZH also stood up and walked towards the exit. "You can also consider our suggestion. If your company is willing to sell shares, remember to find us."

After the three of them left, only the young man and Guo Dazhuang remained in the room.

"Mr. King, have you considered my offer?"

"I initially thought you were just a decoy, and the real X wouldn't show himself this early."

Guo Dazhuang, sitting at the table, stared intently at the young man. "But when I saw your composure and confidence, I finally believed it. I believe you are the X who defeated me."

"You flatter me."

The young man picked up a cigarette and played with it. "However, what if I told you I'm not actually X?"

"What?"

Guo Dazhuang raised an eyebrow. "No, you are X. I've reviewed all your records. A freshman at the School of Life Sciences at Shangdu University of Communications. You recently published two academic papers as the corresponding author on autologous stem cells, astonishing the entire biology community and earning you the title of genius. Am I correct?"

The young man applauded. "I never intended to hide it. It's not surprising that you could find this out."

"But I never expected your identity as a hacker to be so well-concealed. No matter how I investigated, I couldn't find the slightest clue."

Guo Dazhuang sighed, "If I hadn't witnessed your hacker skills, I would have thought you weren't part of the hacker community at all. But the evaluations people give you are spot on; you're not just a genius in biology, but also in computers."

"Enough with the pleasantries, King. Tell me your choice," the young man urged.

"I choose to refuse."

However, Guo Dazhuang suddenly spoke up, "Surprise! The one thing I can't stand is being threatened. Everyone must pay the price for their actions; that's my life's motto!"

The young man was slightly taken aback at his words, then looked directly at Guo Dazhuang. "I'm truly sorry. If that's the case, I formally apologize for my previous actions."

"Too late."

Guo Dazhuang stood up and shook his head. "I'm not a businessman. Running a company is just a hobby. My true identity is a hacker, and you've crossed my bottom line."

"Are you declaring war on me?"

The young man's expression gradually turned cold.

"That's right. I'm different from those three. I don't care about monetary gain, because I already have more money than I can spend."

Guo Dazhuang sneered, "I'm not just a hacker; I even have some friends in the underworld. So don't even think about threatening me with my past scandals, or I can't guarantee your parents won't have an accident."

Upon hearing this, the young man didn't get angry. Instead, he sighed, "I was too naive. The human heart is truly an unfathomable thing."

Guo Dazhuang snorted, adjusted his jacket, and turned to leave.

"You forgot your cigarettes."

But just as Guo Dazhuang was about to push the door open, the young man behind him spoke again.

Guo Dazhuang paused.

But at that moment, several fluorescent lamps on the ceiling of the private room suddenly went out with a 'pop'.

Instantly, the room plunged into darkness.

"What's going on? A power outage?"

Guo Dazhuang turned in surprise, only to see the mysterious young man sitting quietly in the dark, his silhouette barely visible.

"Are these your cigarettes? I hope you don't mind if I have one."

In the darkness, the silhouette opposite raised his right hand. With a click, a large flame ignited out of nowhere, illuminating half of the young man's face.

In the interplay of shadow and firelight, the young man's face flickered in and out of view like a phantom...

Guo Dazhuang's expression shifted from fierce to stunned. He could only see a small flame flickering, like stars in the sky.

One, two, three...

The plot in the last few chapters has been a bit boring, but this is just a transition. Things will get exciting again soon!