After breaking up with my boyfriend, I made a fortune and rose rapidly in my career.

The kernel interface of the military platform.

Chen Ping took the phone away from his ear; the call was over. The last sound lingering in the receiver was the faint whistling of the server room fans slowing down on Gu Weizhen's end.

He stared at the electronic display screen at the end of the corridor, where white letters flickered, announcing a trivial meeting the following day. The letters distorted in his eyes, reforming into two words: Sky Shield.

This net was deeper and tougher than he had anticipated.

Chen Ping turned around, not heading towards the elevator, but quickly turning into the fire escape staircase. His leather shoes clattered heavily on the concrete steps, the sound amplified in the empty stairwell.

Instead of going downstairs, he went upstairs.

On the top floor, the rooftop door was locked. He stood behind the door and dialed Lin Shaofeng's encrypted private line.

"Shaofeng, notify Pei Xiangyang of the Second Technical Division of the Provincial State Security Department. Bring the complete set of physical link tracking equipment and immediately go to the central computer room on the first basement floor of the office building. I need to see him within five minutes."

"Understood." Lin Shaofeng agreed immediately.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ping turned and went downstairs. He took two steps at a time, his shadow stretching long and thin in the dim light.

Four minutes later, in the central computer room on the basement floor.

The technician on duty stood in the doorway, looking troubled. "Deputy Secretary-General Chen, this is a core, critical department. Entry requires approval from both Secretary-General Qin and the administrative office..."

Before he finished speaking, Pei Xiangyang strode out of the elevator with three national security technicians. They carried silver flight cases, the national security emblem printed on them.

Pei Xiangyang showed his credentials, didn't even look at the technician, and nodded directly to Chen Ping.

"All the equipment is here."

Chen Ping stepped aside. "Port number 3F-East-017, I need to know which network cable it's physically connected to, which room it leads to, and which socket it's connected to."

The temperature in the server room was very low, and the air conditioning felt like it was blowing on your skin. Rows of server racks flashed green indicator lights, and a buzzing noise filled the entire space.

The national security technician opened the flight case and took out a handheld network cable finder. One end was connected to the switch matrix, and the other end began searching through the cables.

The technician on duty stood there, pale-faced, unsure what to do with his hands. He secretly took out his phone to report to his superior, but Pei Xiangyang glanced at him, and the technician's hand trembled, almost dropping the phone.

"Signal found." A technician looked up.

The technician pointed to the top of a row of cable trays, where a gray Cat5e network cable was tied separately in a corner, its route turning towards the pipe well on the other side.

"Follow me." Pei Xiangyang unplugged the cable finder and walked out following the markings on the manhole.

Chen Ping followed behind.

The group walked through the underground corridor and stopped in front of a fire door. A bronze plaque hung on the door: Provincial Government Development Research Center.

This is the provincial government's think tank, responsible for policy research and report drafting. The center has a diverse staff, including both permanent employees and external experts and interns, making it one of the most mobile departments in the entire building.

Pushing open the door, you'll find a huge open-plan office area. Hundreds of workstations are neatly arranged, but the office is currently empty, with only the light from the computer screen savers flashing in the darkness.

The technician's cable finder kept beeping, the sound getting louder and louder, and the signal getting stronger.

So the group walked past row after row of office cubicles, finally stopping in front of a communal desk by the window. At this point, the cable finder stopped beeping and started emitting a long, continuous sound.

Upon seeing this, the technician crouched down, searched the cable tray under the table, and then pulled out the end of the gray network cable.

This is the place.

Chen Ping looked at the desk. It was clean, with only a computer and a telephone for making internal calls; there were no other personal belongings. The computer keyboard and mouse were the ordinary kind, looking quite new and unused.

Chen Pingfang thought this place was perfect for launching attacks. Anyone could sit down and use it. Since the system didn't require an account or password, or verify identity, attackers could simply use it and leave without leaving any trace.

"Seal off this place," Chen Pingfang said. Because the office was quiet with few people around, Chen Pingfang's voice was particularly clear.

Then Chen Ping turned his head and looked out into the corridor. He saw Fang Xudong running towards him from the elevator. Fang Xudong's forehead was covered in sweat, indicating that he had rushed over after hearing the news.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen...you wanted to see me?" Fang Xudong gasped for breath, his eyes darting away, not daring to look at the plainclothes state security personnel.

Chen Ping pointed to the office area. "From now on, this area is under the control of the National Security Bureau. You, go and get a personnel registration form and a pen."

Fang Xudong was stunned for a moment, not understanding.

"I want you to personally guard the entrance," Chen Pingfang said, looking at Fang Xudong. "Make a complete record of everyone who has entered or left the Development Research Center in the past 24 hours. You need to write down their names, their departments, and the specific times they entered and left. Don't miss a single one."

This is using Fang Xudong, who is out in the open, to uncover the hidden accomplices behind the scenes.

Fang Xudong's face instantly drained of color. His lips trembled; he wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

"Did you understand?"

"I...I understand." Fang Xudong pulled a crumpled notebook from his pocket and then a pen from his shirt pocket. As Fang Xudong walked toward the door, Chen Ping clearly saw that the hand holding the pen was trembling slightly and uncontrollably.

The commotion in the office area quickly alerted the people upstairs.

Several cadres from different departments came downstairs upon hearing the news, standing at a distance in the corridor, peering out and whispering amongst themselves. The newly arrived Deputy Secretary-General Chen had made another big move, this time directly sealing off an entire department.

Amidst the noise, a steady footstep approached from afar.

Qin Daguan's secretary parted the crowd and strode to the front, followed by Qin Daguan, whose face was ashen.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, what exactly is going on?" Qin Daguan's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "This is the Provincial Government Office, not your National Security Bureau's interrogation room. Have your people withdraw immediately and restore normal office order! Don't you care about the image of this organization?"

Qin Daguan immediately exerted pressure, attempting to use the politically correct image of government agencies to intimidate people.

Chen Ping ignored Qin Daguan's questioning, simply raised his phone, turned the screen up very bright, and handed it to Qin Daguan.

The screen displays a data chart with a very steep red peak curve.

"Secretary-General Qin, do you recognize this?"

Qin Daguan squinted, unable to understand the technical parameters on it.

"This is the load curve of the Jiangsu power grid last night. Just an hour ago, someone used the computer in this office to issue unauthorized commands, almost paralyzing the Jiangsu power grid and burning out the core server of one of our key national projects."

Chen Ping put his phone away, took a step forward, and moved closer to Qin Daguan.

"The other party's script clearly states that the next target is to control the central power distribution system of the provincial government building."

Chen Pingfang's voice was very soft, yet it shocked everyone.

"Secretary-General Qin, answer me a question," Chen Pingfang asked, staring into Qin Daguan's eyes and emphasizing each word.

"If the electricity in the governor's office also burns out, who will take responsibility, you or me?"