Ex-wife becomes the world's number one hacker

Qin Heming lowered his head and smiled, then looked up again, his magnetic voice clearly echoing in the warehouse:

"Former head of the Eighth Division, Jian Mang."

Jiang Yin's breath hitched, her gaze fixed on Qin Heming's straight back: He was that godlike sword light.

Lu Xun and Chen Mo exchanged a glance, their pupils suddenly contracting.

Only Lin Xiyue sat slumped on the ground, her mind wandering, her gaze blankly fixed on a certain spot on the ground.

"Oh?" Yu Maolin raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his expression.

"You're 'Sword Aura'? That famous 'Sword Aura'?"

Before he could finish speaking, a look of doubt crossed his face again: "How did you become a 'former section chief'? Did you get promoted? Or...?"

Qin Heming loosely clasped his hands in front of him, his magnetic voice carrying a hint of candid laughter:

"Thanks to your 'Operation Eye-Luring,' I misjudged the intelligence, putting Yin Yin in danger. I have been dismissed."

Yu Maolin let out a hoarse laugh, even clapping his hands and leaning forward:

"Ha...hahaha! I actually managed to bring down the famous 'Sword Aura' with my own hands. What an unparalleled glory!"

A moment later, the laughter abruptly stopped, and his gaze turned cold: "So now, in what capacity are you standing here?"

"An informant." Qin Heming's expression remained unchanged, his voice steady as always:

"For the past four or five years, I've been tracking you—Old A—as an informant for the Eighth or Ninth Division."

Jiang Yin's heart sank: an informant meant no official identity, no direct official support or cover, no protection of their actions, no immunity... and no way out. The hardships and risks involved were unimaginable.

"No wonder." Yu Maolin's smile faded.

"So, that 'climbing into bed' scene on the cruise ship back then was all fake, and you guys actually fooled her. And you, you managed to hide her right under my nose for four years... You're really something."

"Come out, everyone," he suddenly raised his voice, bowing his head and clapping his hands heavily twice.

"Meet the 'kings' of the intelligence circle and take a good look at how 'outstanding' you are in your work."

From the darkness on both sides came the muffled thud of boxes scraping the ground and the sound of footsteps.

Four people emerged from the shadows, while two or three others stood on top of the stacked shipping containers, looking down at them.

They were all dressed in black, each holding a light submachine gun with the muzzle lowered and their posture wary.

Qin Heming looked up and smiled at the figure slightly turned to the side on top of the container:

"Hu Chen, the gun is crooked, straighten it."

His tone was as casual as if he were instructing his assistant to proofread documents in an office, and he even nodded slightly.

"Yes, that's it."

He glanced around and then asked, "Where are Lao Xu and Lao Ye?"

Hu Chen paused almost imperceptibly, his voice tightening: "They... are waiting elsewhere."

The two of them exchanged questions and answers, their tone still resembling that of a superior and subordinate reporting to each other.

Qin Heming turned his head and smiled gently at Jiang Yin: "Yinyin, take a closer look. These people on the ground are all old acquaintances."

Using the dim light, Jiang Yin carefully identified them one by one, her heart skipping a beat: "Aunt Wang? Butler Cheng? Butler Qi?"

Qin Heming raised his hand and pointed to the darker area: "And there's that one, the gardener at the old house, Xiao Feng."

"You—" Jiang Yin suddenly understood. These people were all spies that Yu Maolin had planted around Qin Heming over the years.

At this moment, they shed their humble servant demeanor, stood up straight, and revealed a sharp and capable air between their brows.

Aunt Wang, in particular, had a straight back and looked as if she were more than ten years younger.

Seeing that Jiang Yin was staring at her, Aunt Wang pursed her lips:

"Madam, you have such a good acting skill; you portrayed the pain so realistically. As a woman, I truly felt sorry for you."

Yu Maolin snorted: "No, given Heming's style, he always strives for absolute certainty. Yinyin wasn't acting; she genuinely didn't know."

He turned to Qin Heming, his face darkening: "Heming, are you playing dirty tricks?"

Qin Heming smiled faintly:

"It was just a lucky accident. I didn't know you had infiltrated my family and company so thoroughly before; I only became suspicious after the cruise ship incident. By the time I confirmed it, nothing could be changed. Any slight movement would have been discovered by you. You really have a lot of leeway for the Qin family."

"Who told you to be so capable? I've always been skeptical of your claims about running out of inspiration." Yu Maolin's tone was as casual as if he were chatting with someone.

"In addition, given the Qin Group's influence in your country, both economically and politically, its intelligence value is significant, so it's normal for it to receive preferential treatment."

Qin Heming snorted lightly: "That's why I said, you're ruthless. You could even lay a hand on an old friend of so many years. Does Grandma Yu know?"

Yu Maolin waved his hand: "No, you're ruthless enough to risk your life for this."

Qin Heming shrugged helplessly:

"What can I do if I'm not ruthless? If you keep targeting her, she won't survive if I don't eliminate you."

"I'd rather she hate me than let you... put her brain in a culture medium and put it on the shelf."

"But you are so cunning, you have wasted so many years of my life and made Yinyin suffer so much for nothing."

"Hmph," Yu Maolin pointed at Lin Xiyue, who was slumped on the ground:

"If these idiots hadn't almost killed Yinyin, forcing me to come back and clean up the mess myself, you would never have caught me."

"Didn't you lower your guard against me because of her?" Qin Heming retorted, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"That's how I managed to find out everything about you?"

"However, you don't have much sincerity towards this daughter either. You used her to steal the system and divert attention from your problems. You've been a truly ruthless father." Qin Heming chuckled.

Before the words were finished, Lin Xiyue, who was on the ground, trembled and suddenly woke up.

She suddenly leaped to her feet and lunged at Yu Maolin, screaming shrilly:

"You villain! You've used me! You want to destroy me—"

Yu Maolin raised his hand to block Lin Xiyue's outstretched arms and glanced at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo flashed behind her and precisely struck the back of her neck with the edge of his palm.

Lin Xiyue paused, then softly leaned into Chen Mo's arms, where he placed her on a long wooden box beside him.

Yu Maolin rubbed his temples, his voice weary:

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you... A fool is a fool after all."

"Back then, I found her a top-notch tutor, but she didn't study hard and stole her senior's thesis right before graduation. I should have known better; how could you possibly be interested in someone like that?"

He paused, then lowered his voice:

"Blood ties... can sometimes be blinding."

"However, although she is my daughter, compared to Yinyin... she is insignificant. If necessary, she should be sacrificed."

"Don't pretend you're doing this for Yinyin's sake," Qin Heming's eyes were sharp as knives.

"What do you want to do with her? Dare to say?"

"What is there to be afraid of?" Yu Maolin stood up from the box, took two steps forward, and waved his arms in the air:

"What I am engaged in is a cause that benefits all mankind. I don't care if people misunderstand me; I am on the right path."

Qin Heming sneered: "The righteous path? Your 'righteous path' is kidnapping geniuses, conducting live experiments, and exploiting their intellectual resources?"

"This is a choice we have to make!" Yu Maolin's arms trembled slightly, and his voice suddenly rose:

There are too many idiots on Earth; there's no way to "purify" them all. The only way out is to "elevate" them.

"Genius is a rare resource bestowed upon Earth by heaven, belonging not to any individual. Even if one ultimately loses their life, if they can raise the human IQ by as little as 0.01, it would be a leap in evolution!"

Then, he suddenly pointed his hand at Qin Heming and Jiang Yin.

"This is the mission of you geniuses, the supreme glory bestowed upon you by heaven."

Bloodshot veins appeared in Qin Heming's eyes as he said sternly:

"Who gave you the right to take someone else's life?"

"This was a planned and premeditated murder."

"No matter how grand the words are, they cannot cover up the fact that you tortured living people to death in the name of 'evolution'."

"Of course, the process may be painful," Yu Maolin said calmly, as if he were describing tomorrow's weather.

"But it is crucial that we fully record the physiological and psychological data of geniuses during near-death and death moments."

"And the brains of geniuses after they die," a hint of barely concealed greed crept into his voice.

"It will be the most precious raw material for producing 'intelligence essence'."

"Human evolution is a continuous process of sacrifice, and someone always has to step forward and make the sacrifice."

Even though she already knew about the crimes of the Dark Lab, hearing these outrageous statements still made Jiang Yin feel nauseous and almost vomit.

"Uncle Maolin," she suddenly spoke, her voice cold and clear.

"Stop talking about 'humanity' all the time. All you've done, including taking my system, isn't it all ultimately for Country A?"

Yu Maolin suddenly turned around and stared at her:

"Why can't your genius brains work more strategically? The world needs an absolute strongman to rule it. Only in this way can lasting peace be achieved."

"The strong conquer, the weak are exploited, but in return, order is achieved. Peace is expensive, and that's fair."

"And that strong one can only be our country, A."

He raised his hands high, looking up at the explosion-proof light covered with insect corpses and dust, as if performing some kind of dark conversion ritual.

Jiang Yin was chilled to the bone by these remarks and retorted with a cold laugh:

"Your Country A? Uncle Maolin, have you even forgotten your ancestors? But since you keep saying it's for your Country A, are you willing to lie on the lab table yourself?"

"That's right," Qin Heming nodded in agreement, his tone mocking, "You are the genius among geniuses. It took us a lot of effort to catch you."

Yu Maolin froze, slowly lowered his arm, and his face darkened.

"It's too early to say. What makes you so sure you can catch me?"

Qin Heming smiled and sighed softly:

"After all these years of planning, if I still let you escape... I'll have no face to mention the name 'Sword's Edge' again."

Yu Maolin chuckled softly, his somber voice echoing through the warehouse:

"You really think I only gave you a small boat? That's just a smokescreen, a 'scapegoat' specifically designed for you to take the blame for."

"See, I told you to moor your boat somewhere else? The person on your boat was just a stand-in. I never follow the path you set."

He stretched his shoulders and sat back down on the box:

"I have...other plans."

Before he could finish speaking, a deep and oppressive rumble suddenly came from the roof.

The steel beams trembled, and dust fell like an avalanche.

The explosion-proof light swayed violently in the intense wind pressure.

A blinding beam of light pierced through the crack in the roof, and the shadow of the propeller swept across the ground.

Yu Maolin looked up, his smile sinister.

"They're here."

"Hahaha--"