As the highest intelligence agency in the United States, the FBI encounters hacker attacks every once in a while, but this is the first time it has been hacked like today.
Anger spread throughout the department.
Everyone was eager to find the hateful thief.
…
Queens basement.
Luke took out four hundred dollars and put it on the table.
"Buy some decent clothes and come to work at ShowMe at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't be late."
Zack stared blankly at the computer screen, and only came to his senses when the door closed. He hurried to the computer used by Luke to check the data records.
Thousands of lines of source code formed a framework that had never been seen before. The more I read, the more shocked I was. When I reached the last few lines, the screen suddenly darkened and a white sickle pattern popped up.
"grim Reaper!"
Zack was horrified.
The pattern flashed by, all the data was cleared, and the computer went into a blue screen.
"It's over!"
Zack slumped down in his chair, clutching his hair with both hands, feeling extremely annoyed.
Death is a legend in the hacker world. He emerged ten years ago and challenged the whole world single-handedly. He put ducks on the UK official website, drew women on the French official website, drew buttocks on the Brazilian official website, and left feces on the Italian official website... It caused a huge uproar at the time, and hackers from all over the world were dispatched, and even formed a temporary alliance.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find the man's IP address. The only useful clue was the white sickle.
"Could he be the god of death?"
"No, ten years ago, that kid was at most six or seven years old and had never touched a computer."
"If it's not the Grim Reaper, how could it have a white scythe?"
"Maybe I should check out ShowMe."
…
After leaving the basement, Charlie couldn't help but say,
"Boss, aren't you going to take the computer back?"
"That's a meeting gift."
"What if he doesn't come?"
Luke opened the car door and smiled, "He'll be here."
Charlie shrugged and sat in the driver's seat. He couldn't understand where the boss's self-confidence came from, but dozens of practices had proved that the boss was always right.
"Where to go next?"
"Gotham!"
In a dilapidated rental house in the suburbs of Gotham City.
Robert Downs sat dejectedly on the sofa, with a bottle of wine hanging beside him, his face covered with beer foam, and no one knew how much he had drunk.
Looking at his shabby appearance, no one would have thought that he was the CEO of a listed company.
Reality is always full of surprises.
A few years ago, Robert and his friends founded an investment company that provides financial services to wealthy people. With the connections accumulated over the years and extraordinary vision, the company quickly became a well-known company in the industry.
After going public, money rolled in and Robert transformed himself into a famous young entrepreneur.
As the saying goes, people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being fat. In Gotham City, a place with simple folk customs, a rich man without background is equivalent to an innocent young woman without clothes.
Because of a financial dispute, he angered Falcone, the Gotham City gangster boss, and then everything went wrong.
Blackmail, extortion, intimidation...all kinds of means emerged one after another. After only two weeks, Robert collapsed. The elders could not stand the life of fear and left one after another.
A thriving company can go from being unemployed to having no one available in the blink of an eye.
Robert had to file for bankruptcy and live a homeless life.
The moment he pushed open the door, Luke wondered if he had come to the wrong place. The shabby and damp house didn't even have a decent piece of furniture. Garbage was thrown everywhere, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of alcohol.
Luke covered his nose and frowned.
"Are you sure he lives here?"
Charlie nodded.
"This is the address on the email."
"All right!"
Luke tiptoed into the living room, looked at the middle-aged man lying on the sofa several times, frowned and said,
"Robert Downes?"
I called out several times, but there was no response.
"Charlie, go get a basin of water from the kitchen."
A basin of cold water was poured on him, and the middle-aged man who had been intoxicated for many days suddenly woke up.
"Who are you? Who let you in? Leave now, or I'll call the police."
"If the police were useful, you wouldn't be in this situation."
Luke found a clean place to sit down and said calmly, "Long time no see, Mr. Downs."
Robert wiped the ice water off his face, his eyes hesitant. The boy in front of him looked so familiar.
"Luke Xiao?"
"You can recognize me, it seems your brain is still intact."
"What do you want from me?"
"I don't like talking to people who stink. Go take a shower in the bathroom and talk to them again in ten minutes."
Robert's face froze, and he felt a little embarrassed. He used to be a respectable man, and he never thought that one day he would be chatting with others wearing clothes picked up from the trash can.
"Sorry, wait a moment."
Robert rushed into the bathroom.
Charlie looked around. Whether it was the moldy cheese in the trash can or the piles of wine bottles in the corner, they all made him feel uncomfortable.
"Boss, are you sure you want to find a homeless person? Maybe even a thief."
"That's not important. The key is ability."
Ten minutes passed quickly, and Robert came out of the bathroom, having changed into a fairly presentable T-shirt.
Luke didn't want to waste time in this environment, so he said directly,
"Do you know ShowMe?"
"Of course, it's on my priority list."
After washing up, Roberts seemed to have found some memories of the past, and his tone became calm.
"Tell me what you think of it."
"Is this considered an interview?"
Luke nodded. "ShowMe is short of a financial director. You're a potential candidate."
As soon as the words fell, Robert became excited, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.
"Are you sure...you want to...hire me?"
"I said, backup."
"All right!"
Robert took a breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and said word by word,
"In recent years, with the development of information technology, computers have become widespread. Many people own computers, and computers connected to the Internet have formed a huge internet platform, an untapped world. At this time, your ShowMe has arrived, filling the gap and opening up new markets. If you develop it well and form a monopoly, you can become a new economic giant like the Wayne family and the Luther Group in the past."
Luke secretly admired that he was indeed a rising star in the financial world, with a unique vision.
"You're talking about advantages, what about disadvantages?"
"Economic chain!"
Robert looked straight at Luke, hoping to see some confusion on that too-young face, but unfortunately, Luke remained calm from beginning to end, as if he already knew everything.
"I've observed ShowMe's operating model. It's a cutting-edge business model. Traditional companies are extremely focused on profit; without profit, they have no value. ShowMe is different. They attract users and capture the market with free services. However, as they scale, costs skyrocket, and profits remain zero. The only way to change this is to introduce paid services like membership and advertising, but doing so would likely drive existing users to other social apps."
Luke nodded. "Well said, keep going."
Robert drank some water to moisten his throat.
"If we want to resolve funding issues without damaging the company's prospects, operations and investment become key links. Good operations can seize market resources and prove value. We can then use this intrinsic value to negotiate with consortiums and venture capital firms, ensuring that we attract investment without losing control of the company."
"I don't know much about the operation of internet companies, but capital operation is my forte. Give me a chance and I will prove my worth."
Luke held his chin, said nothing, and seemed to be thinking.
Robert shuddered, feeling a little nervous for some reason. Although the young man in front of him had a handsome face, his expression and behavior did not look like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy at all. He was too calm, like an old fox who had experienced the world and it was difficult to guess his thoughts.
After a while, Luke raised his head and asked,
"How much did you cheat Falcone out of?"
Robert's cheeks twitched violently, and his eyes flashed with resentment and unconcealable fear.
"You dare to take the money of the Gotham boss? I have to say, you are very brave."
Luke stood up.
"I like bold helpers. Come on, follow me to the metropolis. In six months, I will help you solve your debt problem."