"Li Wei," Qin Yu suddenly spoke, her voice unusually calm. "Do you remember what you said the first time we met?"
Li Wei paused for a moment. "What?"
"You said that technology should make the world a better place." Qin Yu stood up, looking directly at him. "Back then, you weren't like this."
"Shut up!" Li Wei's hands trembled. "That was all in the past!"
"No, you know deep down." Qin Yu took a step forward. "Everything you're doing now is just revenge against this world because you feel overlooked and ignored..."
"I said shut up!" Li Wei shouted hysterically.
In that instant, Qin Yu suddenly lunged toward the control panel. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she shouted, "Now!"
I immediately understood her plan. I pulled out the flashbang I had prepared earlier and threw it in Li Wei's direction.
"Bang!" The blinding light illuminated the entire room. Li Wei instinctively fired his weapon, but he missed.
"Got it!" Qin Yu exclaimed excitedly. "I used his biometric data to disable the access lock!"
It turned out she had been stalling for time, waiting for Li Wei to lose control of his emotions. Because only while speaking could the voice recognition system gather enough data.
"Damn it!" Li Wei roared as he charged toward the control panel. But it was too late.
"Transmission complete," Zhang Lei's voice echoed in the headset. "We have obtained all the evidence! Including his new system design and records of those underground transactions!"
At that moment, the door to the control room was burst open. The SWAT team surged in.
"Don't move!"
Li Wei glanced around, realizing he was surrounded. Yet a strange smile remained on his face. "You think this is the end?"
He suddenly tore open his suit, revealing explosives strapped to his body.
"Everyone back away!" the SWAT Captain shouted.
"The end? No, this is just the beginning..." Li Wei's finger moved toward the detonator.
"Bang!" A gunshot rang out.
Li Wei's arm was hit, and the detonator fell to the ground. It was Qin Yu! She had picked up the gun from the floor without anyone noticing.
"It's over," she said softly.
Li Wei collapsed to the ground, dazed. "Why... why can't you understand..."
The SWAT team quickly subdued him. I walked over to Qin Yu, watching the countdown on the screen: it had stopped.
"Thank you for your hard work," I said softly.
She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "Finally... finally, we can start over."
Two months later.
Origin Awakening World underwent a complete overhaul and reopened. This event marked a significant turning point in the history of the virtual economy. Countries began to pay attention to the regulation of virtual worlds, and new laws were introduced one after another.
Li Wei and his accomplices were sentenced to heavy prison terms. That ambitious conspiracy ultimately became evidence in court.
Qin Yu accepted an invitation from the new team of Origin Awakening World to lead the reconstruction of the platform's security system. She stated that she aimed to transform it into a truly safe and transparent virtual world.
As for me, I returned to DCT to continue my work as a Security Engineer. However, there was now an additional item on my desk: the USB drive that once contained the deadly program. It served as a reminder that in this era where the virtual and reality intertwine, everyone must remain vigilant.
Because in unseen corners, there are always those trying to change the rules of the game. And our duty is to safeguard the bottom line of this world.
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