Reality Programming Association

Chapter 123: Chapter 51: Super Node and the Slumbering Rabbit

After hearing Yu Xian’s plan, the other end of the line fell silent for a long time.

”Wen Xiao?” Yu Xian asked, a little nervous.

”Is this idea... too naive?”

”This idea... is brilliant!”

The two of them had spoken in unison, leaving Yu Xian stunned for a moment.

”Huh?”

”Yu Xian! You’re a genius! How did I not think of this?!”

Wen Xiao excitedly explained:

”I kept thinking about how to crack that black box patch, figuring we had to crack it to ’disinfect’ the system. My mindset was stuck on ’confrontation.’ But I forgot—that patch was just an add-on in the first place!”

Her voice was filled with a surprise she couldn’t contain.

”Since it’s detachable, we don’t actually need to crack whatever malicious code is inside. We can just throw it out and replace it with our own ’clean parts,’ can’t we?”

”Exactly, that’s what I was thinking, but I wasn’t sure if it was feasible. It’s like... if one piece in a set of toy blocks is broken, we just need to replace it.”

Yu Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

”This way, even though there’s still the potential risk of ’source memory confusion,’ that would likely take a long time to manifest. This gives us more time to counter it.”

”Then we won’t just be movers, we’ll be a filter!” Wen Xiao said with a laugh.

”We’ll ’clean’ all the resources that get widely distributed in our Rabbit Hole. Then the Rabbit Hole will no longer be a breeding ground for the virus, but rather...”

”...the only safe haven on the entire internet,” Yu Xian finished, his tone firm.

”Yu Xian, thank you,” Wen Xiao said softly.

”For what?”

”If we had really gone ahead and built that resource site, I would have done it with you for the greater good. But I still would have struggled with it. I would have felt like I was doing something wrong.”

Wen Xiao’s voice sounded more cheerful.

”But now... I feel like we’re doing the right thing. Something we can do with a clear conscience.”

Yu Xian also smiled. Before hanging up, he remembered something and added:

”Oh, right, Wen Xiao, about this, don’t tell Old Shi and Shao Yiyi yet.”

”Why?” She was clearly taken aback.

”Aren’t we all in this together? Don’t you trust them?”

”It’s not that I don’t trust them, it’s just...”

Yu Xian considered how to explain. This was the reason he hadn’t brought it up during the meeting.

”I got this file from a friend at the School of Life Sciences. It’s a core secret of their lab, and she took a huge risk just by giving it to me. To protect her, the fewer people who know, the better.”

His tone became serious.

”Every person who knows increases the risk of exposure. I... have to be responsible for her.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

”Is it... Senior Sister Yang Yiyi?”

Wen Xiao suddenly asked, her tone unreadable.

Yu Xian froze. ’How did Wen Xiao know? I don’t remember ever telling her the name, did I?’

But on second thought, he had a good idea of how. ’Yesterday, when they were eating stone pot fish, Shi Zuozhou must have mentioned his senior sister’s name and the MCH neurons, and Wen Xiao must have remembered.’

’He remembered thinking she wasn’t very sharp when they first met. But now it was clear that not only was she highly skilled professionally, she also had an incredible memory.’

”Yes, it’s her,” Yu Xian said frankly.

”The situation is complicated. You have to help me keep this secret for her.”

”Oh... okay.” Wen Xiao’s voice dropped.

Even through the phone, Yu Xian could feel the mood shift and sense Wen Xiao’s disappointment.

’But he understood. Wen Xiao probably felt that not telling Shi Zuozhou and Shao Yiyi was hiding something from their friends—a sign of distrust.’

’But with his senior sister’s life on the line, those feelings seemed less important by comparison.’

”Wen Xiao? Are you... okay? When the time is right, I will tell them.”

”I’m fine. I promise, I’ll keep it a secret for you.” Some warmth returned to Wen Xiao’s voice.

”Good. Thank you.” Yu Xian sighed in relief.

”It’s fine. Well... I’m hanging up. I have to get back to coding.”

BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—

The call ended abruptly before Yu Xian could even say goodbye.

Yu Xian looked at his phone screen and sighed.

’Asking this kind-hearted girl with the bun hairstyle to hide things from her best friends was definitely putting her in a tough spot. He’d just have to find a way to make it up to her and apologize later.’

Yu Xian called Senior Sister Yang Yiyi again to update her on the plan for the Rabbit Hole and modifying the audio files. His senior sister agreed, but reminded them to be sure to add a protective shell and encrypt the MCH source file. This would prevent anyone with ulterior motives from noticing any differences or clues that set it apart from the other ”public bus” audio files.

Not long after the call ended, the phone screen lit up again. It was ”Uncertainty Robot.”

Yu Xian quickly opened it. Wen Xiao had sent a link to a document: ”Audio_Resource_Preprocessing_Specifications_and_Process_Template_v1.xlsx”. Below it was a single line of text:

”Process them according to these standards.”

Staring at the message, Yu Xian’s guilt intensified. ’It’s obvious the kind girl with the bun is really angry now.’

”Got it, thank you. And sorry for putting you in a tough spot with the secrecy,” he replied.

Her only reply was an ellipsis.

Yu Xian sighed but decided not to dwell on it. This wasn’t the time to be sentimental.

He had to get the first batch of ”ammunition” ready before the Rabbit Hole went live.

He got out of bed, tidied up a little, and ate something.

He sat down at his computer and opened the spreadsheet Wen Xiao had sent.