Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

The incident at the library left Li Chen distracted on his way back to his dorm.

My mind was filled with the image of Yan Xi hiding behind a book, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The queen, who is usually as cold as ice, actually gets shy when she is called out by the administrator.

This unexpected cuteness is simply irresistible.

Push open the door to 302.

The three roommates were huddled together, laughing so hard they were doubled over, looking at something.

"What are you doing?"

Li Chen threw his backpack on the bed.

Wang Qiang raised his head, and the smile on his face instantly became meaningful.

"Oh, you're back?"

He waved his phone.

"Someone just posted on the campus forum that a couple was caught doing something under a table on the fifth floor of the library by the administrator."

"We're guessing who it is."

Li Chen's face instantly darkened.

This news spread way too fast!

How long has it been?

"Stop making wild guesses."

He walked to his seat, sat down, and turned on his computer.

"Hurry up and get ready, come with me to a competition on Saturday."

"Contest?"

Chen Mo pushed up his glasses.

"What competition?"

"Geek Night: National College Student Cybersecurity Attack and Defense Competition"

Li Chen brought up the official website of the competition and turned the screen towards them.

"Raymond Lam gave me an admission ticket and asked me to help him get a participation certificate."

"A prize of 100,000."

Zhao Zixuan's eyes lit up.

"One hundred thousand? That's a lot."

"But these kinds of competitions are usually held in teams, right?"

"right."

Li Chen nodded.

"I plan to take you in teams of three to five."

"I?"

Wang Qiang pointed to himself.

"Old Li, are you kidding me? With my skills, wouldn't I just be a burden?"

"Let it drag on."

Li Chen shrugged.

"Anyway, I can play by myself. You guys can just go and broaden your horizons, and help me move my equipment while you're at it."

"Alright!"

Wang Qiang slapped his thigh.

"Then I'm fine with it!"

Chen Mo pondered for a moment.

"What kind of tests are usually given in these kinds of competitions?"

Penetration testing, reverse engineering, cryptography, web security...

Li Chen counted on his fingers.

"Basically, all the offensive and defensive tactics that can be thought of will be involved."

"However, the core format is still CTF capture-the-flag competition. Whoever breaches the opponent's server first wins."

"That sounds exciting."

Zhao Zixuan was eager to get started.

"Okay, count me in."

"Then it's settled."

Li Chen closed the webpage.

"I'll prepare some tools and scripts in the next few days. Just follow my instructions."

"Oh, right."

Wang Qiang suddenly remembered something.

"Did you tell your sister-in-law?"

"If she contacts you on Saturday, you won't be able to escape."

Li Chen was stunned for a moment.

Yes.

Yan Xi hasn't given us any updates yet.

He quickly took out his phone and sent a message to Yan Xi.

There's a competition on Saturday, so it might be a busy day.

My phone vibrated shortly after I sent the message.

What competition?

[A hackathon, focusing on cybersecurity attack and defense.]

[Bonus of 100,000.]

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

Go ahead.

【but……】

Li Chen stared at the screen, waiting for her to continue.

If you win, you have to treat me to dinner.

If I lose, you have to treat me to dinner.

Li Chen smiled.

This logic is brilliant.

"It's more worthwhile for me to win."

You wish!

Yan Xi sent an eye-rolling emoji.

If you lose, you have to cook for yourself.

Prepare a table full of dishes.

As Li Chen read the message, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

This woman was saying she wanted to punish him.

Actually, she just wanted to eat his cooking, right?

【make a deal.】

After replying, he added another sentence.

But I won't lose.

"Then I'll wait."

Yan Xi sent her last message.

Go to bed early and don't stay up late.

Li Chen placed his phone face down on the table.

I turned to look at my roommates.

"Alright, stop sitting there."

"From now on, special training."

Over the next few days, dormitory 302 completely transformed into a mini hacker training camp.

Li Chen found past competition questions online and went through them one by one with his three roommates.

Wang Qiang was responsible for the most basic information gathering and social engineering.

Zhao Zixuan is learning how to build and maintain servers.

Chen Mo specializes in cryptography and reverse engineering.

Although the three have varying skill levels, under Li Chen's tutelage, they can at least avoid holding the team back.

Li Chen himself focused on core offensive and defensive techniques.

He wrote a set of automated penetration testing tools.

It can scan for vulnerabilities in a target system and generate attack plans in a short time.

The core of this tool is the AI ​​algorithm he learned in Professor Liu Yidao's laboratory.

Machine learning allows programs to "understand" the nature of vulnerabilities on their own.

Instead of simply matching feature codes.

This approach is absolutely a game-changer in the current cybersecurity field.

Friday night.

Li Chen finished typing the last line of code.

I stretched.

"Done."

He stood up and stretched his stiff neck.

I turned to look at my roommates, who were already fast asleep.

Wang Qiang was lying face down on the table, drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Zixuan lay down on the bed without even taking off his shoes.

Chen Mo was still awake, but his glasses were askew, and he was staring blankly at the screen.

"Go to sleep, everyone."

Li Chen patted Chen Mo on the shoulder.

"There's still a tough battle ahead tomorrow."

Chen Mo nodded.

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes.

"Old Li, do you think we can really win?"

"able."

Li Chen's tone was very confident.

"As long as I'm here, I can definitely do it."

This is not arrogance.

It's not about confidence, but about self-confidence.

He was well aware of his own abilities.

In this field, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Chen Mo watched Li Chen's retreating figure.

Suddenly, I realized that this roommate, who usually seems a bit carefree and irresponsible, is actually quite something.

In certain situations, it can be really reliable.

……

Saturday morning.

The four packed their gear and took a taxi to the competition venue.

The final of Geek Night was held at a five-star hotel in the city center.

The organizers booked the entire conference hall.

A banner was hung at the entrance, displaying the logos of various sponsors.

Li Chen swiped his admission ticket and led his three roommates into the venue.

A considerable number of people had already gathered inside.

Most of them are elite teams from various universities.

Some are debugging equipment.

Some were discussing tactics.

Others were probing each other's backgrounds.

"Holy crap, this is a big deal."

Wang Qiang muttered to himself.

"Why do I feel like we're just here to get ourselves killed?"

"Don't be a coward."

Zhao Zixuan patted him on the shoulder.

"With the fierce god here, what are we afraid of?"

Li Chen didn't speak.

His gaze swept across the room.

They quickly identified several teams that seemed relatively strong.

One of the teams was wearing matching black uniforms.

The logo has a skull printed on its chest.

That's the team from Linjiang University of Science and Technology.

Last year's runner-up.

The other one is Tsinghua University from Beijing.

The captain was a tall, thin man who wore wire-rimmed glasses.

He looks very polite and refined.

But Li Chen could sense that this person was not simple.

"Attention all contestants."

The announcer's voice came over the radio.

"The match is about to begin. Please take your positions."

Li Chen led his roommates to their seats.

The four computers are already set up.

There was also a whiteboard next to it, used to record tactics and progress.

Are you nervous?

Li Chen asked.

The three exchanged a glance.

They all nodded in unison.

"Being nervous is a good thing."

Li Chen smiled.

"But don't be afraid."

"Remember, you just need to do your own thing."

"Leave the rest to me."

His voice wasn't loud.

But it inexplicably makes me feel at ease.