Chapter 16 Chapter 16: Two Meteor Strikes
Xia Linfei’s first impression on Su Yuan was beauty mixed with wildness, a stunning face radiating untamed energy. That subtle ferocity was every man’s dream to tame. But as they talked, Su Yuan’s view shifted. Xia Linfei seemed to radiate raw confidence, veering toward outright boldness. Now, she felt utterly fearless.
She acted without hesitation.
This was the real Xia Linfei.
Su Yuan could not explain why she sensed this so strongly. Some people simply carried that aura.
“Xia”
“Did I not say call me big sister Xia. Already forgetting”
“…Big sister Xia, do you have a boyfriend”
Xia Linfei gave her a sly half smiling look. “What, trying to charm your sister”
“No”
Su Yuan’s mouth twitched. Xia Linfei’s polished image had completely shattered in her mind.
“Alright, no more teasing. Your sister is actually quite reserved” She leaned in conspiratorially. “But since you asked, I am single. No boyfriend yet. If you want to pursue me, better hurry”
“I will think about it later”
Su Yuan refused instantly, expecting anger. Instead, Xia Linfei’s expression shifted like a chameleon’s. She beamed. Su Yuan found it oddly charming. They had only known each other half a day, yet they were already joking about marriage. It felt strangely comfortable.
Flyer pay was settled daily, no delays. Saving Xia Linfei’s contact, Su Yuan marveled at how easily she had gotten a beautiful girl’s number. Ji Yehan and Gao Jun would die of envy when she told them.
“Su Yuan, it is getting late. Glad I met you today. Call me sometime”
“Will do”
Dusk fell. The daytime bustle faded as the land finally breathed after hours of scorching heat. Insect chirps replaced car engines. The entire campus rested under the scent of night blooming flowers.
Room 330, Building 17.
“Oh yeah”
Ji Yehan glanced up to see Su Yuan waving a fist triumphantly, phone in hand. What had gotten into him now.
Su Yuan popped a lollipop into her mouth, fingers flying over her knockoff phone. She had just logged into the school’s academic system. Her Calculus make up exam results were posted, ninety three points.
If she had scored this well during finals, she would be a model student. But greatness always came late for her. Her brilliance only awakened during the retake.
“Good news” Ji Yehan asked, noticing her radiant smile.
“The make up exam. I got ninety three”
“That high” Ji Yehan was stunned. He had assumed she would barely pass.
“Of course” Su Yuan preened like a peacock, then tossed an unopened lollipop at him. It bounced off his head. “Your tone sounds surprised I would score this well”
“Not at all” Ji Yehan offered a sheepish smile, picking up the candy.
“Here. Bought it at the campus store” Su Yuan, in high spirits, forgave his disrespect.
Gao Jun’s keyboard clattered to a stop. He hit the final key.
“Good job. Done”
“How is it going. Is the software ready” Su Yuan lunged toward his computer.
“Obviously. Ever doubt the master” Gao Jun grinned proudly.
“Here is your reward” Su Yuan pulled another lollipop from her pocket. Peering at the packaged software on his screen, she asked, “How do we use it”
“Simple. Watch”
Ji Yehan joined them as Gao Jun clicked to run the program. A black command window appeared, gathering system data before flashing Capture. Gao Jun typed Y, then launched the official dial up client. The software recorded every step.
When finished, he closed the official program, copied the generated text file to a special folder.
“This capture created fifty pairs of authentic network account credentials” Gao Jun explained. “In theory, a router can reroute traffic to bypass telecom monitoring, supporting fifty computers on one account”
He opened a browser to test it. Success.
“Perfect. I will try it later” Su Yuan praised him, then returned to her desk. She booted her laptop, reconnecting to social media after days offline.
The internet overflowed with information, fast spreading news that let people stay home yet know the world. But much was distorted or sensationalized. Separating truth required wisdom. As the saying went, rumors die with the wise. But how many truly were wise.
On the campus forum, one post caught her eye, a story about seniors eating chilled watermelon while watching freshmen drill. Comments raged against the perpetrators’ cruelty, but many admitted they would do the same.
Another thread caused a bigger stir. On September second, a celestial object struck Earth. Binhe City stargazers reported a fireball streaking across the sky. Many claimed to hear a massive boom.
This was unusual. Though small meteors hit Earth yearly, five to ten times annually, none had ever landed near Binhe. Curious netizens researched and found, even the entire Donghai Province had only one recorded strike, in nineteen ninety two, in Su Yuan’s hometown, Haizhou.
This rare event drew citywide attention.
“A meteor in Binhe. Good thing it missed campus. We would all get days off otherwise” Su Yuan treated it as gossip.
“Not a meteor” Gao Jun corrected. “A military satellite”
Su Yuan frowned. “Satellite. Everyone online says meteor”
Ji Yehan shook his head. “Do not trust everything online. Ask Gao Jun. His dad is a lead researcher at a military institute. He would know”
Su Yuan remembered Gao Jun’s father’s position. Someone in tech would have insider knowledge, especially about a Binhe incident. “Gao Jun, tell us”
“I do not know details” Gao Jun admitted. “But I overheard Dad’s phone call. Definitely a military satellite. No idea which country’s. It crashed here. The military seized the unburned parts and formed an elite team for reverse engineering. Dad is on it. Still no updates”
“Whose satellite was it”
“Who knows”
Gao Jun leaned in, lowering his voice. “And get this, even the nineteen ninety two Haizhou crash. That was a satellite too. American. The United States argued with us for months. They even sent special forces to steal parts back. Our leaders were furious, but it happened during a leadership transition, so it got buried”
“Seriously”
This was secret history. Su Yuan never imagined her quiet hometown had witnessed a silent battle between nations.
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