Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

[11:20 AM · Top floor of InterContinental Hotel]

"Fuck! What happened?!"

A foreign hacker screamed in terror, frantically typing on the keyboard, but the screen froze on a bizarre looping interface.

"Mr. Gu! Our traffic has been swallowed up! Not only has the system not crashed, but it has also traced back to our C2 server! It's forcibly writing junk data!"

Gu Nan frowned and strode over: "What did you say? Cut the connection!"

The voice just fell.

A line of English letters appeared in the center of the screen:

Welcome to Jiangcheng, Mr. Gu.

[X]

Arrogant.

This is a direct slap in the face to Tianlong Group!

"Mr. Gu..." The assistant, sweating profusely, stared at the tablet computer with a trembling voice.

"As for Lu's stock... because the logistics network wasn't disrupted, there was no real panic. Lu Zhenhua has already reacted and mobilized ample funds to strongly support the stock price. Our attempt to dump the stock... failed, and we instead lost a large number of shares."

Not only did he fail to intimidate Xie Wang, but he also lost both his wife and his army.

"Thank you, Wang..."

"Fine, since you insist on courting death, then I'll accompany you to Jiangcheng and have some fun."

He stood up.

He turned around, walked to his desk, picked up his phone, and dialed Gu Tianlong's number.

"Beep—beep—" The call was answered quickly.

"Gu Nan? Why are you calling me at this time? Did you manage to get the deal with the Lu family?"

Gu Tianlong's voice came through the receiver.

"There was a slight mishap, but it's nothing serious." Gu Nan looked out the window at the snow-covered Jiangcheng.

"Dad, I remember you said before that you had something on Director Zhang at the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau, right?"

Gu Tianlong on the other end of the phone was taken aback: "Zhang Jianguo? Why are you asking about him? Gu Nan, let me remind you, don't be so presumptuous and mess things up."

Gu Nan's lips curled into a cold smile:

Give him a call.

"Just say that I, Gu Nan, am new here and would like to invite Director Zhang for a cup of tea. I have something to discuss with him... something small."

……

【2:00 PM · Tingyuxuan Teahouse】

The sandalwood incense wafts gently, and the water boils softly.

The sliding door to the private room was pushed open.

Zhang Jianguo, the director of Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau, walked in dressed in plainclothes, his face somewhat gloomy. He glanced at the young man sitting in the main seat, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Young Master Gu, your father just called me. I took leave and came secretly. Is there anything I can't say over the phone?"

"Director Zhang, please have a seat." Gu Nan pushed over a freshly brewed cup of Da Hong Pao tea, his tone gentle.

"It's just a cup of good tea for you."

Zhang Jianguo sat down but didn't touch the cup of tea:

"Young Master Gu, let's not beat around the bush. I've already managed to get Liu Qiang, the guy who slashed someone with a knife, released on bail despite immense pressure."

"What is the Gu family planning to do now?"

"Director Zhang, you're being too polite. Now that you've taken the first sip of tea, there's no reason to stop so easily."

Gu Nan chuckled, pulled a brown paper bag from his briefcase, and pushed it in front of Zhang Jianguo.

"When I first came to Jiangcheng, I needed to establish my authority for a project, but unfortunately, a clueless kid blocked my way."

Gu Nan's slender fingers tapped on the file folder:

"I would like to ask Director Zhang for a small favor: could you arrange a suitable place for him to stay?"

Zhang Jianguo opened the file folder with suspicion. Inside was a photo of a boy wearing a No. 1 Middle School uniform and a black USB drive.

"Thank you for your blunder!" Zhang Jianguo glanced at the so-called "list of evidence" on the USB drive, his expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up.

"Gu Nan, are you crazy?! You want me to arrest a high school student and then frame him for commercial espionage and hacking?!"

Zhang Jianguo was trembling with rage: "This is a society governed by law! You're sending me to my death!"

"Sending them to their deaths?"

Gu Nan didn't get up. He leaned back in his chair, took out his phone from his pocket, opened a video, and turned the screen towards Zhang Jianguo.

"Director Zhang, I heard that your son is studying abroad and is doing very well, but... the mess he's made of overseas seems to be getting bigger and bigger."

The video was dimly lit, accompanied by deafening bass.

Zhang Jianguo's son, whom he always regarded as his pride, was lying unconscious on a sofa in a high-end nightclub abroad.

There was some illegal white powder in front of him, and he was holding two scantily clad girls in his arms.

The final scene shows clear footage of his son allegedly participating in an illegal street race, crashing into a luxury car, and fleeing the scene.

Zhang Jianguo felt his blood run cold instantly. He stared intently at the screen, his legs went weak, and he slumped back into his chair, his face ashen.

"Fine, you're using this to threaten me again, aren't you?"

"If these things fall into the hands of the local police, your son's life will be ruined. Not to mention, if this video appears on the desk of the Jiangcheng Discipline Inspection Commission, Director Zhang, your official hat will probably be worn out as well."

Gu Nan picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

"Whether or not to arrest someone is your business, Director Zhang."

Zhang Jianguo trembled violently and closed his eyes in despair.

……

Xinghuo Network Technology Co., Ltd.

In the old town, in an office that has been renovated from a traditional hair salon.

"We won!! We fucking won!"

Zhou Zixu slumped in his chair, staring at the Lu's Logistics green channel on the screen, now completely restored to normal, and excitedly ran a hand through his hair.

"Mr. Xie, your reverse logic bomb was brilliant! Not only did Gu Nan's side fail to hack in, but we also managed to burn out the C2 server!"

Lu Wen was so excited that his face turned red. He rushed over to give Xie Wang a bear hug, but Xie Wang kicked him away in disgust.

"Don't go crazy."

Xie Wang leaned back in his gaming chair, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and a hint of nonchalant ease shone through his cold and sharp eyes. "Just routine stuff."

Just then.

"squeak--"

Three black Maybachs stopped at the entrance of the alley where the dilapidated company was located.

Several bodyguards in black quickly got out of the car and opened the door of the middle car.

A middle-aged man strode into the gates of Xinghuo Network.

The imposing aura of a seasoned business leader instantly silenced the cramped office.

"Dad... Dad?!" Lu Wen instinctively straightened up.

"Why did you come in person?"

Lu Zhenhua, Chairman of the Lu Group.

Lu Zhenhua ignored his son and instead surveyed the dilapidated office, where even the ceiling was yellowed, with an extremely imposing gaze.

Finally, his gaze locked onto Xie Wang, who was sitting in front of the computer wearing the school uniform of No. 1 Middle School.

"Gu Nan's actions this afternoon were extremely ruthless."

Lu Zhenhua walked up to Xie Wang, his voice deep and resonant, carrying a hint of barely perceptible admiration:

"Tianlong Group, in conjunction with several speculative investors, frantically dumped shares in the secondary market."

Lu Zhenhua looked at the perfectly functioning dynamic defense matrix on the screen:

"However, the logistics network has not only not been disrupted, but its defenses are now ten times stronger than before."

He turned his head and, for the first time ever, revealed an approving smile:

"Lu Wen, you've invested in an amazing company this time."

Lu Wen's eyes welled up with tears. This was the first time in twenty years that he had received such formal recognition from his father.

Lu Zhenhua turned around, took a checkbook from his assistant, and signed a string of numbers with practiced ease.

"That two million is the contract payment for the logistics network."

Lu Zhenhua stared intently at Xie Wang:

"But this 30 million is my personal angel round investment in 'Spark Network' by Lu Zhenhua. I want 20% of your shares."

"Do the three of you have the guts to take this company and really fight it out?"