These so-called relays are actually chains of computers, centered around Siyuan's host machine. The first computer she directly controls is the first-level relay; the second computer indirectly controlled via the first-level relay is the second-level relay, and so on.

A long time ago, four layers of relays were nearly the limit for an intrusion, because restricted by network speed, the response time of the terminal became unbearably slow as the number of relays increased. But now, with the massive development of broadband and high-speed networking, extending the relay chain to seven or eight layers yields an acceptable speed.

In this intrusion, Siyuan employed a six-layer relay system—issuing commands through one computer to the next, cascading down to the sixth indirectly controlled machine, and receiving information back from the compromised computer. Because the target machine was equipped with a high-end firewall, when she touched the Qin Xue information, the firewall activated and sounded an alarm, immediately notifying the on-duty personnel who began to trace her intrusion in reverse.

However, for a seasoned hacker, counter-reconnaissance is a mandatory skill. Although the person conducting the reverse trace was also highly skilled, they tripped a trap Siyuan had set when breaching her fourth-level relay. Upon realizing she was being tracked, she instantly severed the connection to the next layer down and scrubbed all related traces of her presence from that host.

When the reverse tracer finally broke through the fourth barrier—successfully intercepting the permissions of Siyuan's third-level relay—they found absolutely no trace of the intruder’s data within that machine. He immediately understood that even using brute-force, unconventional methods to uncover the intruder’s identity would be futile, as another, even more thoroughly cleaned relay layer awaited him below, very likely followed by countless more!

For a hacker to achieve their objective, they must arrive without a trace; to ensure their safety, they must leave no trace behind!

This was the brilliance of Siyuan, and the fundamental reason Wang Zhuo allowed her to roam the internet so freely. He had absolute confidence in her technical prowess, especially since he knew she would never engage in activities that infringed upon the nation's core interests. Thus, even if there were top experts capable of dealing with her, they were unlikely to cross paths or engage in conflict with her.

Even the most brilliant minds have adversaries, but if that genius operates within a confined sphere, that sphere becomes their domain.

"This phone number—it belongs to Qin Xue’s…" After Siyuan detailed her near-miss with the counter-tracking to Wang Zhuo, he couldn't help but laugh wryly upon seeing the "landmine number" she provided.

Siyuan stuck out her tongue. "I knew it! Usually, checking someone's number doesn't provoke a counterattack. I wondered why this time I suddenly provoked someone—turns out I bumped into him."

Wang Zhuo chuckled. "That's the number of a high-ranking provincial official; it concerns state secrets. It would be strange if you could check that number casually."

"Now that we know who it is," Siyuan said with a nod, smiling, "we don't need to follow that thread anymore. But that person destroyed more than half of the relay system I spent half an hour preparing. I’ll have to rebuild it now."

Ning Yao, standing nearby, stared with wide astonishment. "Your preparation time for an intrusion only takes half an hour?"

"Half an hour from last week," Siyuan shrugged. "In this line of work, resources like that are kept ready; you can't just scramble them when needed—the risk is too high."

Since Ning Yao was involved in the core of this incident, Wang Zhuo didn't hide Siyuan's specialization from her. It was late, everyone else was asleep, and only the three of them remained in the room to continue their work.

Siyuan quickly rebuilt the relay, this time targeting the Jingying Group to steal all its valuable data.

What she meant by 'rebuilding' wasn't starting from scratch now; she had several alternative configurations for existing relays that she could link up in minutes. As for the one just sabotaged, restoration was impossible; she would simply create a new one when she had time to fill the gap later.

Ning Yao was truly having her horizons expanded this time, finally understanding why Wang Zhuo was so confident, not leveraging any social connections, but simply bringing in a young maiden to challenge the Ma family.

This invisible hand, if wielded correctly, could undoubtedly stir up massive upheaval.

After working for a while longer, Siyuan said, "You two should go to sleep. I have to pull an all-nighter; you don't need to keep me company."

Ning Yao went to bed, though only her pillow knew if she slept soundly. Wang Zhuo remained in the room, settling down to sleep beside Siyuan. The quiet midnight was filled only with the sound of light, rapid keystrokes echoing in the room. He slept deeply and soundly.

He woke after only four hours of sleep, just as dawn was breaking. Siyuan was still full of energy, in a state of excited fervor with her eyes gleaming.

"You’re up so early?" she asked, stealing a moment to smile at Wang Zhuo amidst her busy work. "I’ve transferred what I got to another computer. You can look now."

After only five minutes of review, Wang Zhuo slapped his thigh with delight. "This is enough! With this, the Jingying Group will lose a significant portion of its assets. If we go for mutually assured destruction, the Ma family will be forced out of the country and have to flee abroad!"

At first glance, the data seemed unremarkable, but upon deeper inspection, the hidden machinations were shocking. If this material fell into the hands of foreign media, it would be a heavy shell fired by opposing forces against the nation. If it circulated among the populace, it could ignite a storm sweeping through public opinion and popular sentiment.

This demonstrated the classified nature of the material and, indirectly, Siyuan's painstaking efforts throughout the night.

This was an internal ledger detailing the connivance between officials and businessmen to plunder state assets and seize the interests of the common people. It didn't require the Audit Bureau's involvement; even a middle school student would question how the Jingying Group made money so easily. This was the nuclear weapon against them, capable of reducing the Ma family to utter ruin or, at the very least, leaving them severely crippled.

"Is this enough?" Siyuan still seemed a little unsatisfied. "It's only the middle of the night; most of their senior executives' computers are powered down. If I gathered data for another full day, I could get even more detailed information."

"Well done!" Wang Zhuo praised with a smile. "Then leave the rest for the daytime. You go clean up now, get some sleep, and we’ll deal with other matters this afternoon."

"But you urgently need this stuff…" Siyuan hesitated slightly.

"What we have now is sufficient," Wang Zhuo cheerfully pointed to the document list on the computer screen. "Stop arguing and hurry up."

Only then did Siyuan comply, heading to shower and brush her teeth. When she emerged from the bathroom, Wang Zhuo had already prepared a fried egg sandwich, hot milk and oatmeal porridge, and a washed and peeled apple for her.

After enjoying this blissful breakfast, she nestled into Wang Zhuo's embrace, lightly grasping the treasure that had once sent her into countless states of ecstasy, and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

During breakfast time, Wang Zhuo finally picked up his phone and dialed Qin Xue.

After a few pleasantries, Qin Xue inquired with some resignation, "You put the man in the hospital, and then there was complete silence. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to cause you trouble," Wang Zhuo said with a thick skin and a smile. "But since the Ma family called you directly, if I don't explain, won't I be letting them play the victim first?"

"The Ma family isn't as rotten as you think," Qin Xue stated irritably. "I already know the general outline of what happened. That punk, Ma Yong, provoked you first, and then you inflicted a minor injury on him, requiring hospitalization and general anesthesia. Is that correct?"

"Roughly so." Wang Zhuo replied curiously, "Did the Ma family tell you this, or did you investigate yourself?"

"I can't be bothered to investigate your petty squabbles," Qin Xue huffed. "Fighting over a woman, and then having the matter brought to me—you actually have the gall to do something like that?"

"Hey? That's not how it happened..." Wang Zhuo explained, caught between laughter and tears. "What do you mean fighting over a woman? Ning Yao is my friend, and also the director of a TV series I invested in filming—she’s practically my employee. Someone insulted her right in front of me; if I didn't stand up for her, wouldn't I be a complete coward?"

Qin Xue, having status and standing, certainly wasn't going to debate such trivialities with him, so he just grunted and changed the subject. "Now that the man is injured, even if you were initially in the right, his injuries are severe, meaning you went too far. The Ma family conveyed through the Kong family that they want an explanation from you. What are you going to do?"

"An explanation?" Wang Zhuo smiled. "That Ma Qiang is definitely not the type to back down just after getting an explanation. As a precaution, I've prepared a small gift for him, which I’ll let you review first."

Wang Zhuo rarely leveraged influence, but that didn't mean he wouldn't utilize the resources around him; otherwise, Shengshi Dynasty wouldn't have grown to its current scale. This time, involving a behemoth like the Ma family, it was impossible not to borrow influence from the Qin father and son, so he naturally brought up the topic.

"A gift? It’s a loose thread on Ma Qiang, isn’t it?" Qin Xue’s voice held a tinge of disappointment, as if seeing iron that couldn't be forged into steel.

"Don't look down on me," Wang Zhuo quipped, a smirk on his face. "What is a small fry like Ma Qiang? This is something substantial enough to make the Ma family pack up and relocate to the other side of the globe. Do you want your people to come collect it, or should I deliver it to you?"

Qin Xue was choked into silence. Wang Zhuo had dropped the honorifics while speaking, and he couldn't miss the unmistakable tone of smug satisfaction.

The brat had assaulted someone and was still acting so arrogant. Qin Xue had no desire to waste more time on him and said irritably, "I'll send Wan Jun to pick it up. Wait for his call!"

Smack! The call ended abruptly. Secretary Qin, seated before his meal, angrily slammed his chopsticks down. "Siqing, pour me another bowl of porridge!"