The First Signs of a Conspiracy (Part One)

When it came to bringing things back to reality from the alternate world where the Decepticons were, Sun Cheng had indeed speculated about it before.

After all, during his previous crossing, he had absentmindedly brought his iPhone 5 into that world.

Sun Cheng had also considered the possibility that it could work in reverse. After discovering that he could store his iPhone 5 inside Frenzy's body, he had kept the phone there ever since.

What he had not expected was that this time, instead of bringing his iPhone 5 back, he had brought back the Level 2 [Core] that he had also stored inside the body.

"I actually brought it back?"

After realizing what he had brought back from the alternate world, Sun Cheng felt a vague joy he could not quite explain, but even more than that, he felt restless and uneasy.

Though he had not spent much time around mechanical lifeforms like the Decepticons, their evil and power had left a deep impression on him in those few short days.

Just imagine it: even Frenzy, whom he had possessed, had been equipped with only the lowest-grade [Core], yet it could invade the entire world's internet in an extremely short time. If it were replaced by a Level 2 Decepticon with considerable combat ability, one wrong move could lead to a disaster.

Although having a [Core] did not mean he could immediately cultivate a Decepticon, it meant that the most important stage was nearly complete. All that remained was to construct a body for it and activate the [Core].

"This thing is way too dangerous!"

Restless, Sun Cheng hurriedly put it back into his pocket. Then, still feeling uneasy, he took it back out and tucked it into the inner pocket beneath his clothes.

Even so, he still felt so on edge that merely staying outside began to make his skin crawl.

So after quickly unplugging the USB drive from the computer tower in front of him, Sun Cheng could no longer remain in the office. He immediately got up and prepared to return to his dorm.

He locked the door and quickly left the office.

As he walked through the spacious campus, the youthful energy of the students passing by, their laughter and chatter, and the warmth of the sun hanging high overhead eased some of the irritation in his heart.

It gradually made Sun Cheng realize that this was no longer that oppressive and dangerous alternate world, and that he was merely an ordinary college student—not a spy, let alone a robot.

Passing the cafeteria, he rubbed his constantly growling stomach and took a five-yuan note from his meager cash to buy himself a boxed meal.

His scant savings undoubtedly brought the debt crisis he had pushed to the back of his mind rushing back, making Sun Cheng clearly realize that even the real world he regarded as a paradise was not as comfortable and warm as he had remembered it while in the other world.

Bang!

Pushing open the door, Sun Cheng finally returned to his dorm. He set the boxed meal on the table and turned on his laptop. First, he went to the washroom across from the dorm to wash his hands. When he came back, he did not forget to shut the door behind him before pouring himself a glass of water and returning to sit at his computer desk.

After he had discovered and removed the trojan, his laptop had returned to normal and no longer crashed for no apparent reason.

After taking a sip of water, Sun Cheng began to think seriously.

A debt of nearly one hundred thousand yuan was no small sum for most college students, and Sun Cheng was no exception.

Previously, he had probably been swept up in the excitement of starting his own business, which was why he had repeatedly chosen to take on debt. Without his recent trip to the alternate world, he might not even have been able to calm down and seriously reflect on it yet.

But now, although he ate as he thought, his mind was clearer than it had ever been.

First, there was the startup itself—it had been a joke from beginning to end.

The idea had been viable, but the plan had been far too crude. As the main initiator, Sun Cheng had clearly been unqualified.

Not only had he failed to fully understand the risks from the very beginning, he had not even signed a clear agreement defining each member's responsibilities and liabilities within the startup team.

After that, the other partners had openly or covertly joined forces to squeeze Sun Cheng out of the technical team. Not only had he failed to share in the sole benefit of that failed startup—the improvement of his technical skills—he had also taken upon himself the hardest and most difficult task of raising money.

Thinking about it now, he really had been stupid enough.

Most of the debts had been borrowed in his own name. Later, under his roommate's persuasion, he had even foolishly taken out a sizable campus loan.

As a result, after the startup failed, everyone else could simply walk away, but he, the main initiator, could not escape. Not only had he been saddled with all the debt, but he also had to bear all the ensuing negative consequences.

If Sun Cheng had been thinking clearly, he would never have touched those predatory campus loans even if it killed him.

There had been far too many news reports exposing such cases in recent years. Weak government oversight in this area had allowed large amounts of gray-market capital and private usury to operate openly under the guise of campus loans, ruining countless people.

Of the several campus loans he had taken out in his own name, the lowest monthly interest rate was 5%. The loan borrowed in the startup team's name had an annual interest rate as high as 25%. Probably only the muddleheaded version of himself back then would have fallen for it and signed those contracts, leaving himself with so much trouble.

A debt of nearly one hundred thousand yuan was no small amount. With Sun Cheng's current financial means, there was no way he could repay it unless his family helped settle it.

However, the moment that thought surfaced in his mind, he immediately dismissed it.

Sun Cheng did not want his family to know about this, not because they could not afford the money, but because of his special status—he was adopted.

That was right. Sun Cheng was merely an adopted child.

It was said that his biological parents had both died in a car accident when he was still young, and neither side of the family had been willing to raise him. That was how Sun Cheng came to be adopted by his current family.

Although his adoptive parents had treated him well and had never hidden his background from him, Sun Cheng still did not want to cause them any more trouble. He decided to shoulder this burden himself.

"Troublesome. So what I need to consider next is how to get this money as quickly as possible."

After quickly finishing the boxed meal, Sun Cheng still did not feel full. Frowning, he got up and threw away the food container, then returned to his computer to consider once more how he could make money.

Time always passed especially quickly when one was not paying attention.

In the blink of an eye, the horizon had turned red. It was already evening.

After fiddling with his computer all afternoon, Sun Cheng stretched his arms and yawned. The worry on his face had been replaced by a faint smile.

"What a fascinating experience. Is this an effect of crossing between worlds?"

Looking at the completely refreshed interface on his computer screen, Sun Cheng's smile widened.

The last time he had returned to the real world, he had unexpectedly discovered that his computer skills had suddenly improved tremendously, leaving him utterly baffled at the time.

While thinking about how to quickly raise money to pay off his debts, Sun Cheng recalled this matter once more and decided to give it a try.

As it turned out, his guess was finally confirmed.

Perhaps due to possessing Frenzy and absorbing his memory data, his computer skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

The Windows XP operating system on his computer became his practice project. In just one afternoon, Sun Cheng not only fully localized it into Chinese, but also used Windows 10 as a reference to give its interface a degree of visual polish.

Moreover, while retaining most of its functions, he ruthlessly streamlined XP's code. Not only did he replace several default Microsoft programs—including the inhumane design known as Internet Explorer—with better software, he also deleted nearly all Windows components that most users would never use in their entire lives.

After such extensive streamlining, the completed improved XP system not only had a more attractive interface, but its size had also been compressed from the original 4 GB to exactly 1 GB.

"Not bad. This is definitely better than those stripped-down XP systems on the market!"

Satisfied with his first creation, Sun Cheng gave himself a silent thumbs-up and quickly turned it into an installation package.

Just as he finished saving it, he heard a knock at the dormitory door. Then a familiar young man's voice called out, "Cheng, you there?"

The smile on Sun Cheng's face froze at once.

PS:

There will be a few chapters of real-world plot. It won't be long, but the story needs it.

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