Chapter 94: Pinhole Cameras and the Walking 500,000

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Bang!

Tang Rui felt the car shake, and a sudden force pushed from behind.

“Damn.”

He had been rear-ended.

Tang Rui was utterly dumbfounded. He hadn’t slammed on the brakes or anything like that.

He was simply waiting to make a left turn at a red traffic light, and yet, he had been rear-ended.

He opened the car door and stepped out, intending to question the driver behind him.

“What were you thinking?”

As he stepped out of the car, he saw the door of the BMW behind him swing open, and a pair of elegant black legs emerged.

Then, a beautiful woman with wavy hair stepped out of the BMW.

“Am I right? I’m really sorry. 1 just received a message and got distracted. I take full responsibility.”

The beautiful woman with the wavy hair approached him with a very apologetic attitude.

He looked at the beauty in front of him and caught a whiff of her perfume.

Tang Rui couldn’t even vent his frustration.

“You were driving in high heels? How did you even get your driver’s license?”

Glancing at the Valentino shoes on her feet, Tang Rui managed to squeeze out a sentence.

“Sorry, 1 just got off work and forgot to change my shoes.”

The beauty continued to apologize.

What else could he do? He could only chalk it up to bad luck.

He had encountered a female driver.

“Don’t block the road. Move to the side and wait for the traffic police,” Tang Rui sighed, feeling helpless.

“Alright, I’ll make the call. It’s entirely my fault,” the beauty quickly agreed.

And so, with less-than-stellar driving skills but a decent attitude, Tang Rui returned to his car. He passed through the traffic light and parked on the roadside. The beautiful woman followed suit, parking her BMW behind his car.

“I’ve already called the traffic police. They’re on their way.

Here’s my phone number. If there are any issues with the insurance, feel free to call me directly.”

After parking her car, the woman walked over to Tang Rui and handed him her phone number.

At this point, the buttons on her trench coat had been undone, revealing her office attire: a white shirt, a black skirt, and black stockings.

Tang Rui couldn’t help but steal a glance at the tight buttons on her chest.

It was as if he had witnessed something incredible.

Don’t get the wrong idea.

In Tang Rui’s eyes, that button on her chest seemed to be emitting a faint red light.

A camera.

A button camera?

Tang Rui gasped in shock.

All thoughts of the accident faded from his mind, and he felt a shiver down his spine.

Was this woman even remotely decent? Who would put a needle-sized camera on a button?

She might have caught sight of Tang Rui’s realization, as she hastily adjusted her clothes, not bothering to conceal her ample bosom. In fact, it made her figure even more striking.

Good heavens.

It was a mix of rejection and attraction.

Tang Rui quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be flustered as he saved her number in his phone.

Just as the woman was about to say something, Tang Rui suddenly spoke up.

“It’s quite cold today, and you’re not dressed warmly. You should wait in your car for the traffic police.”

With that, he opened his car door, got in, and left the bewildered beauty behind.

She stood there momentarily, before turning to return to her own car.

Tang Rui stole a glance in his rearview mirror.

Then, he instructed Celia, his Al assistant, “Celia, access the Skynet System using Li Shuyao’s account. Use the license plate and facial recognition to gather information on this car and the person involved.”

“Alright, I’m searching…”

The results were staggering:

1792 messages found.

2382 messages found.

3662 comments found…

Countless pieces of information began to be sorted, but they were all fragmented.

“Celia, organize the information for today and arrange it by time.”

“Alright, it’s done.”

Tang Rui perused the information and found that the earliest message was from 10 AM. It detailed the woman driving a BMW through a traffic light in Qinhuai District. There were photos taken at various traffic lights along her route, and she eventually disappeared at Xinjiekou.

She reappeared past 4 PM, driving from Xinjiekou through the river tunnel to Jiangpu, and ultimately to the intersection where the rear-end collision had occurred.

She had parked on the roadside for half an hour and only drove away when Tang Rui approached.

There was no need for further explanation. She had intentionally rear-ended him at the intersection with the red traffic lights.

Clearly, she was no ordinary person.

She belonged to the realm of the unknown, which Tang Rui referred to as the “500,000 walkers.”

Celia, initiate a comprehensive data search across the entire network. Dig up all available information on this person.”

“Okay, searching now. The computing power is insufficient. Estimated time required is 629 days.”

Tang Rui was frustrated. He needed a more powerful computing system. He contemplated building a server or using a supercomputer and server cluster to maximize his computing capacity.

“Let’s start by searching for images and videos and then collating and associating them.”

Tang Rui adjusted his instructions, hoping to expedite the process.

“Order changed. Searching in progress. Estimated time: 15 days and 20 hours.”

“Utilize all available computing power in the network.”

“Calculating power is being mobilized. Cloud computing network data analysis and summary completed. Images and video data are sorted out. Searching for relevant information.”

As Tang Rui glanced at the stack of pictures displayed on his smart glasses, he noticed a significant detail: a photo taken at the university entrance.

California International University?

Wasn’t that a sham university linked to Ying-chan’s family?

Considering the day’s events, Tang Rui needed no further confirmation of who might be behind this.

Who else but Ying-chan?

After some time, the traffic police finally arrived. They took photos and prepared to assess responsibility.

“I apologize for taking up your time,” the woman said sincerely.

“No worries. It won’t take long,” Tang Rui replied.

“How about 1 treat you to a meal as an apology?”

“No need. I still need to head home later.”

“What about tomorrow or the day after?”

“I might not have the time.”

Tang Rui awkwardly chatted with this woman involved in a 500,000-yuan operation.

Meanwhile, Celia continued to analyze data from the internet. As more data poured in, Celia’s search for relevant information became faster and more efficient.

Unbeknownst to the woman with the wavy hair, her foundation had been laid bare by Tang Rui, who was diligently collecting data as he waited for the traffic police to complete their investigation.

Once the responsibility had been established, Tang Rui drove back home. Upon arriving, he turned on his computer and began organizing and saving the information obtained by Celia.

The internet never truly forgets. Many things that are deleted might not disappear entirely but are stored in hidden corners of cyberspace.

“It’s time for dinner. Wait… What are you looking at?” Li Shuyao, who had been watching a drama, came over to Tang Rui’s side and noticed the woman’s photo on his computer screen.

“Look at this spy.”

“Spy?”

“Yes, on my way back today…”

Tang Rui explained the situation to her.

Upon hearing this, Li Shuyao frowned in concern. “Why don’t we hire some bodyguards? I’ll ask my grandfather to find capable individuals.”

“No need, I already have someone to protect me.”

Tang Rui shook his head.

During his investigation on the Skynet System, he had realized that he was being followed.

He checked the time and discovered that the car had started following him only after he had finished his shooting practice at the Middle Easterners’ place.

The car had the license plate of the Provincial Forest Research Institute, but it was a known front. Everyone recognized it.

After dinner, Tang Rui was busy for over an hour. He had found information on eleven individuals linked to the 500,000-yuan operation. One of them was using a Huawei phone, which puzzled him.

“Why would someone with a 500,000-yuan operation use a Huawei phone?”

Celia had almost unearthed the person’s entire life through that phone. With a higher level of skill, more valuable information could have been uncovered.

“Head inside; I’ll make a call,” Tang Rui told Li Shuyao, who was watching TV.

“Alright,” Li Shuyao replied, obediently heading inside.

Tang Rui went outside and knocked on the window of an Audi parked nearby.

“What is it?” The person in the car rolled down the window, his face exuding coldness.

“Thanks for your hard work. Come over for a cup of tea.”

Tang Rui extended the invitation.

The man’s icy demeanor instantly softened. “Mr. Tang, when did you discover us?”

“Just tonight.”

“We’re disciplined and have limited contact with you.”

“Ying-chan already has her sights on me.”

“What did you find?”

“Come inside, have a seat, and 1’11 explain slowly.”

“Alright, I’m relying on you then.”

Both occupants in the front and rear seats of the Audi exited the car and followed Tang Rui into his house.

After enjoying a cup of tea, they asked Tang Rui for more details.

Tang Rui showed them the woman’s information involved in the car accident.

The more they examined, the more somber their expressions became.

“We apologize for not performing our job adequately. I’ll report this to our department.”

“Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of information. I followed the leads and found a lot of data.”

Tang Rui shared more data, revealing that the woman had two friends who had recently visited Ying-chan. These friends had boyfriends, one of whom was a researcher at the Institute of Fine Mechanics and the other at the Institute of Optics. He then traced their connections to other friends.

As Tang Rui revealed the information, the two men’s expressions grew increasingly grim.

Li Shuyao’s voice caught their attention. “I don’t think you’ve seen it all. Look at this folder.”

She had entered the room and was looking at the computer screen, shocked by the information displayed.

The folder contained detailed information on the entire operation, with plenty of evidence to support their actions.

“Mr. Tang, this information is invaluable. I must report it to my superiors immediately. We also need to take this evidence with us.”

“That’s not a problem, but the information I’ve found is still incomplete. I haven’t checked their bank account information or the companies they work for yet.”

“We’ll investigate these matters thoroughly. No one will escape.”

“Can you notify me when you make an arrest? I’d like to witness the situation.”

“That’s not something we can decide.”

With the information copied, the officials left Tang Rui’s house. He then went upstairs to rest.

“Why is your shoulder bruised?”

“I was at the shooting range today and got hit by the gun’s recoil. Lin bought some medicine, but I haven’t applied it yet.”

“Where is it? I’ll get it for you.”

“It’s downstairs, probably on the shoe cabinet near the door.”

Li Shuyao retrieved the medicine for blood circulation and applied it to Tang Rui’s shoulder.

“Be gentle; it hurts,” Tang Rui groaned.

“It’ll get better soon. Hang in there,” Li Shuyao comforted him.

After applying the medicine, Tang Rui went to bed. He didn’t have the energy for anything else and needed rest..