I was just telling a story, why is the whole internet urging me to turn myself in?

The next morning, on the 68th floor of the Global Financial Center in the core area of ​​Jiangzhou CBD.

Sunlight streams unobstructed into the 2,000-square-meter Grade A office area through floor-to-ceiling windows that are six meters high.

However, apart from a few rows of unopened high-end ergonomic chairs and a dozen top-of-the-line alien workstations, the place was so empty that there wasn't a soul in sight.

Shen Feng, dressed in loose casual clothes, was leisurely surveying his territory with a cup of hand-ground coffee in his hand.

"Tsk, 20 million in overseas royalties. It hurts to pay 45% in taxes, but at least the money is well spent!" Shen Feng looked at the newly hung gold-plated signboard of [Hidden Culture Media Studio] and felt a sense of nouveau riche satisfaction.

"Ding-dong—"

Just then, there was a knock on the two bulletproof glass doors.

Shen Feng turned his head and saw a tall woman wearing a dark blue grid worker vest, a baseball cap, and black-rimmed glasses, standing outside the door holding a registration folder.

"Go in." Shen Feng raised an eyebrow.

The glass door opened, and Su Qing took a deep breath and walked in, trying to appear calm.

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Su Qing's heart still skipped a beat the moment she stepped onto the floor.

Whether it was her imagination or not, when the man turned around and looked at her, the originally spacious and bright office area seemed to darken instantly, and an invisible magnetic field enveloped her tightly.

Her calves even felt weak uncontrollably.

"New business entry inspection." Su Qing swallowed, trying to make her voice sound like an ordinary community worker. "Mr. Shen, your area exceeds 1,000 square meters. According to regulations, I need to check the fire exits and employee qualification registration records."

Shen Feng laughed.

The policewoman who ran away halfway through our hotpot dinner last night is here today, dressed in different clothes, checking my fire department? Has the Jiangzhou Defense Agency's scope of business become this broad?

Shen Feng didn't bother to point it out, and casually sat down on a sofa, crossed his long legs, and made a "please go ahead" gesture: "Captain Su—oh no, Grid Manager Su, feel free to check. This is a 100% law-abiding and legitimate cultural studio. Even the seals on the fire hydrants are new."

These words, which carried a hint of mockery, sounded like a condescending rebuke to Su Qing.

He knows who I am! He doesn't even bother to hide it!

Su Qing gritted her teeth, her gaze sweeping over the empty, high-end workstations, cold sweat beading on her palms: "Mr. Shen, you rented such a large space with tens of millions in registered capital, just to put in a dozen or so empty computers?"

"Of course not." Shen Feng picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said matter-of-factly, "I just posted a job ad, and I haven't found anyone yet."

"What kind of person are you looking to hire?" Su Qing leaned forward slightly. "A hacker to erase your online traces? Or a professional forger?"

Shen Feng was stunned for a moment, and almost burst out laughing.

What kind of cleaner are you?! I hired an assistant to post on Weibo and control comments, plus a technician who can fix computers and adjust live streaming audio equipment. How did that become a terrorist organization's division of labor in your mouth?

"As long as they are top-notch technical talents, we'll accept them all." Shen Feng put down his coffee cup and decided to play a prank on her, "As long as they're bold enough, I'll even hire someone who's been in jail. After all, talented people always have a unique past."

With a loud "boom!"

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Su Qing's mind.

He's insane! He's not even pretending anymore! He's not only going to build a criminal network in Jiangzhou's landmark buildings, but he's also going to openly recruit those extremely wicked people who have been released from prison!

Seeing Su Qing's increasingly pale face, Shen Feng waved his hand dismissively: "Alright, Su, grid worker, if you've finished your fire inspection, take care. I have an interview later."

Su Qing gritted her teeth, turned around without saying a word, and quickly left.

She feared that if she stayed any longer, the terrifying sense of oppression would force her to draw her sidearm.

Less than ten minutes after Su Qing left, the express elevator made a crisp "ding" sound.

A thin figure, carrying a faded and worn-out backpack, walked somewhat awkwardly into the hall.

The person who came was about seventeen or eighteen years old. His originally messy blond hair had been shaved into a clean buzz cut.

Shen Feng raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw the person who had arrived.

Hey, what a coincidence! Isn't this one of the thugs who almost got blown to bits by Li Donghai in last night's real-life version of "The Hidden Corner"?

Because he was under 18 and cooperated with the police as a key witness in solving the case, the Defense Agency exempted him from prosecution and released him. This was even reported on the news this morning.

"You're the Xiaoyu who instantly submitted his resume on the job search platform to apply for the position of technical director and personal assistant?" Shen Feng looked him up and down with great interest.

"Bang!"

Without any warning, Xiao Yu's knees buckled and he knelt down three meters away from Shen Feng!

Shen Feng was startled and almost spilled his coffee on his Armani suit.

Are Gen Z job seekers this picky these days? They don't even submit a resume, they just bow down first?!

"Grandmaster!" Xiao Yu trembled violently and suddenly raised his head.

Last night, the moment Li Donghai lit the lighter, he thought he was going to die.

But right there in that cramped cold storage room, he heard the man's voice through the tactical operator's headset.

Those few casually stated laws of physics transformed into a raging storm that tore through hell, forcefully pulling them back from the clutches of death!

After Xiaoyu got out, the first thing he did was to use the hacking skills he had learned over the years in underground internet cafes to frantically reverse trace the IP address.

As soon as he got close to the edge of that secret job posting, he was drawn in by some mysterious force!

"Sir...no, Grandmaster!" Xiao Yu stammered excitedly, "I...I know about the internet! I can hack into the firewalls of half of Jiangzhou's underground casinos, and I even know how to make a dark web gateway! Just say the word, and I'll do any dirty work!"

As he spoke, he unzipped his backpack, pulled out a worn-out secondhand laptop, and began frantically typing on the keyboard with his hands like phantoms.

Less than ten seconds.

A crisp "snap" sound.

"Master, look! I just turned off the three LED screens in Jiangzhou Municipal Square and replaced them with your live stream QR code pre-heating poster. No one will be able to find the IP address within three minutes!" Xiao Yu turned the screen towards Shen Feng with a face full of enthusiasm.

Shen Feng: "???"

Shen Feng was completely numb.

Holy crap! Does this kid have some kind of serious illness?! I spent 20 million to clean up my identity, wanting to be a law-abiding, tax-paying, high-quality private entrepreneur, and you come here and hack the big screen in the city square?!

But seeing Xiaoyu's expectant eyes, Shen Feng took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the thousand curses running through his mind.

I have to say, this kid's hacking skills are truly a treasure.

It will be an excellent tool for dealing with online trolls in live streams and building private firewalls.

Most importantly, children who have just escaped death have an alarmingly high level of loyalty.

"Alright, get up. Don't kneel down all the time. This is a legitimate company." Shen Feng tapped the table with his finger. "From today onwards, you are the Chief Technology Officer of this studio."

"Fifty thousand a month. The only requirement is that without my permission, put away your hacking tricks and do things the proper way. Understand?"

Upon hearing "a monthly salary of 50,000," Xiaoyu suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly turning red.

But in his own imagined perspective, the phrase "legitimate means" was magnified infinitely.

The master meant that we no longer need those low-level hacking intrusions at our current level. We need to use reasonable and legal rules to achieve a dimensional reduction attack!

This is true high-IQ criminal aesthetics!

"Understood, sir! I will never allow any tainted data to be traced back to you!" Xiao Yu suddenly stood up straight, his face flushed with excitement.

Shen Feng nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, go pick a workstation. First, go buy me two iced Americanos, with ice but no sugar."

Just as Xiaoyu excitedly ran towards the elevator to buy coffee.

Inside the Defense Agency's monitoring and command vehicle, parked in a secluded spot downstairs at the Shanghai World Financial Center, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Su Qing stared at the footage switched back from the building's internal security camera, looking at the buzz-cut young man who had just stepped out of the elevator with a fanatical expression, and her breath seemed to stop.

"Captain Su..." Liu Jianguo, the deputy captain beside him, was trembling even as he held out his cigarette. "Isn't that the kid among the three eyewitnesses in the cold storage last night, the only one who knows anything about hacking?"

Shen Feng's words from ten minutes ago, which sounded like a devil's whisper, resonated in Su Qing's mind once again.

[I'll hire anyone with top-notch technical skills... even those who've been in jail.]

"He's not joking... he's absolutely not joking!" Su Qing slammed her hand on the dashboard. "Less than a day! The first crucial piece has already been placed! That brat is even willing to risk his life for him!"

"Notify the Director!" Su Qing grabbed the dedicated communicator. "Shen Feng's headquarters is up and running! He's recruited his first Chief Cleaner; he's going to build an intelligence empire in Jiangzhou that even we can't infiltrate!"