The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

Chen Wei's message came the next morning.

When Lin Che arrived at the office, it was drizzling in Hangzhou. It wasn't heavy, just a light drizzle. The raindrops were barely visible on the car window, but you could see a film of water when you wiped the windshield.

Cars on the road were moving slower than usual, and there were queues at the traffic lights. Hangzhou is always congested on rainy days.

He waited at an intersection for two red lights before crossing.

After parking the car and going upstairs, I sat down in the office, turned on the computer, and three icons lit up on the desktop.

Lv4, Abyss-v4, Screenshot_20221226.

"African Exploration" is now available in Lv4.

The dark blue folder was still on the left side of the desktop, zipped up, and hadn't been touched since it was placed there yesterday.

Everything is the same as yesterday.

My phone vibrated.

WeChat.

Chen Wei.

The message was another long one.

He probably sent all the long messages he's ever sent in his life this month; the total number of words he sent in the previous few years didn't even equal the amount sent this month.

"Ark has officially ended its dormancy. All six accounts have resumed normal operation, the fund chain has been fully restored, internal reconciliation has been completed with no anomalies, and the SEC monitoring label remains unchanged at Observation. It is expected to be automatically downgraded to Archive in three months."

The Ark awoke.

It's not thawing, it's not recovery, it's waking up.

Thawing means "the ice has melted," recovery means "the function has returned," and waking up means "coming back to life."

The Ark's freeze, investigation, reduction, and hibernation, which began last year, have officially ended today.

All six accounts are operating normally.

The financial chain has been fully restored.

No abnormalities were found during internal reconciliation.

Chen Wei used the phrase "no abnormalities," just like He Wei used.

Two people from completely different fields used the same word to describe the same state.

SEC's label has changed from Active to Observation, and is now expected to automatically downgrade to Archive in three months.

Archive means "to archive" and is the lowest level of concern for the SEC.

Once the investigation, observation, and archiving are completed in three steps, the case can be closed.

The Ark, with its $1.2 billion size, has begun to breathe again.

He flipped down.

The story isn't over yet.

"The source of the unusual inflow into the BVI account has been identified, but the situation is quite complex and requires a face-to-face discussion."

It has been confirmed.

The source has been found.

Four sums of money, over three months, totaling less than five million, all from "unknown" sources.

Chen Wei said, "We investigated, but couldn't find anything," and also said, "They're not one of our people," and "They don't seem like enemies either."

After that 37-second phone call, Lin Che put the BVI matter aside and waited for Chen Wei to make progress.

There's progress now.

But "the situation is rather complicated and needs to be discussed in person."

Chen Wei did not use the word "complex".

His vocabulary includes "normal", "abnormal", "processed", and "pending confirmation", but not "complex".

"Complex" is a word that requires context to understand, and all of Chen Wei's communication methods are aimed at making things clear without needing explanation.

His choice of this term indicates that the origin of the BVI cannot be explained in a single sentence, and it is likely not appropriate to discuss it on WeChat.

WeChat records these messages, which pose a risk of screenshotting and potentially being seen by third parties.

Chen Wei's choice to speak in person indicates that the sensitivity of this information exceeded the security boundaries of written communication.

Say it face to face.

Let's talk about it face to face.

He continued scrolling down.

The last line of the message.

"Furthermore, Fang Yuan contacted me once."

Lin Che's finger stopped on the screen.

Fang Yuan had contacted Chen Wei.

Fang Yuan is the core developer of the engine, and Chen Wei is the operator of Ark.

These two people had almost no interaction within the framework of Weiguang.

Fang Yuan manages Abyss's code and algorithms, while Chen Wei manages Ark's funds and accounts.

One is at the technology level, and the other is at the financial level.

The only connection between them is Lin Che.

We might exchange greetings when we bump into each other in the dim light, but we won't have any work-related conversations.

Why did Fang Yuan go to find Chen Wei?

He remembered what Fang Yuan had said in the office.

"If it generated itself, then the 20% that is retained is not the algorithm, but its will."

Fang Yuan is pursuing the essence of Abyss.

He is investigating all systems, data, and operation records related to Abyss.

Ark is an extension of Abyss; Abyss provides predictions, while Ark executes trades.

If Abyss has a "will", would there be any trace of it in the Ark's transaction records?

Fang Yuan went to see Chen Wei, most likely to investigate this.

may.

He wasn't sure.

But this speculation sent a chill down his spine.

It's not fear.

It is a form of vigilance.

Fang Yuan is getting closer and closer.

He replied to Chen Wei with three messages.

First message: "The matter of the Ark has been received."

Article 2: "We'll discuss the BVI matter in person another day."

Article 3: "What did Fang Yuan talk to you about?"

He waited about a minute after sending the third message.

Chen Wei replied quickly.

"He asked me if there were any non-human-triggered events recorded in the Ark's operation logs."

Not triggered by human intervention.

Just as he guessed.

He replied again.

"What did you reply?"

Chen Wei's reply consisted of only two words.

"No."

No.

There are no records of non-human-triggered events in the Ark's operation log.

This is a fact.

The Ark is a financial tool designed by Lin Che. All operations are performed manually. Abyss only provides predictive data and does not directly control the Ark.

But Fang Yuan might not believe it.

A person who already believes that Abyss has "will" will not stop just because the operation log says "no".

He will continue searching.

Lin Che put down his phone.

The drizzle outside the window was still falling, and the water droplets on the glass slid down along invisible paths, one after another.

The rain washed the glass curtain wall of the office building across the street until it shone brightly, reflecting the grayish-white sunlight.

The Ark awoke.

BVI will be discussed in person.

Fang Yuan had contacted Chen Wei.

Three messages, three things.

The first two are good news: the Ark has come back to life, and at least there's a resolution for BVI.

The third piece of news is neither good nor bad news.

It is a signal.

Fang Yuan is moving.

He was approaching an answer in his own way.

Once he finds this answer, it will change many things.

Lin Che was unsure whether he hoped Fang Yuan would find him or not.

But he knew Fang Yuan wouldn't stop.

He picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip.

The water was poured yesterday and cooled overnight; it has a slightly metallic taste.

He frowned, poured the water into the small trash can next to the wastepaper basket, and went to the water dispenser to get a hot cup.

Steam rose from the hot water. He stood by the window, holding the cup. The cup was too hot to handle, so he switched to his other hand.

The rain outside the window was lessening, and a small patch of cloud dispersed, revealing a brighter grayish-white layer behind it.

The sun is about to come out.

After the rain stops, Hangzhou's winters occasionally bring a particularly clear sunlight that shines on the wet roads, making them glisten with moisture.

He was waiting for that sunlight.