Chapter 211 – Sophia's Whereabouts, Business Prodigy

“When things reach their extreme, they reverse. When the sun burns out, ‘she’ may continue in another form.”

At this point, Ye Kuang declared bluntly, “I firmly believe in these four words passed down by our ancestors.”

Elder Qi: “Then could you discuss the proportion…”

Ye Kuang: “I don’t know either.”

Instantly, the venue inevitably buzzed with murmurs, clearly choked by this statement.

Duke Zhou: “Alright, everyone, that’s all I have to say. Next, let’s invite Elder Qi to talk about the concept of spacetime.”

Clap, clap, clap!

At that moment, the Elder directly pulled Ye Kuang out of the inner hall, seemingly breaking into a cold sweat from his wild speculations.

“Why are you pulling me, Elder?”

“I… I was afraid you’d keep spouting nonsense. You really are a mad visionary…”

“Hehe…” Hearing this, Ye Kuang couldn’t help but grin widely. “Isn’t this an exchange conference? Everyone shares their views. If it works out, isn’t that a good thing?”

Hearing this, the Elder couldn’t help but raise his hand as if to slap him, but then withdrew it.

Ye Kuang: “…”

Elder: “Alright, let me ask you something. What is your relationship with that anomaly Sophia?”

As he asked this, the Elder’s gaze was clearly scrutinizing.

To this, Ye Kuang replied without hesitation, “We’re merely passing acquaintances. Why do you suddenly ask, Elder?”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise. “You already knew!”

Elder: “Since you already know, I won’t beat around the bush. We’ve documented all your activities to ensure your safety and prevent unforeseen possibilities. We had no other choice.”

Ye Kuang: “I can understand, though it’s a bit hard to accept.”

At this point, his expression suddenly changed. If all his previous suspicions were just overthinking, now he finally understood that everything had been under someone’s watchful eyes.

Thinking of this, he suddenly said, “If you compare me to others, you’re mistaken. Although my heart is a mix of good and bad, I must tell you, or all of you, that I am different from others. My ambition lies among the stars and the vast sea!”

Hearing this, the Elder couldn’t help but sigh inexplicably. “I hope you truly understand.”

Ye Kuang: “But please rest assured, Elder. If I ever do anything dangerous, I’ll be no different from those villains!”

After saying this, his gaze fixed firmly on the Elder before him.

“Alright, I hope you can keep your word.” The Elder sighed again and said, “Alright, let’s set this aside for now. Next, I want to talk about Sophia’s whereabouts.”

“Please go ahead,” Ye Kuang said.

The Elder then took out a specially made phone, tapped a few buttons, and handed it over.

Ye Kuang took it, looked it over repeatedly, and couldn’t help but voice his doubt. “Are you saying Sophia is likely a member of this so-called Southern Dipper Star Palace?”

Hearing this, the Elder nodded.

Ye Kuang: “What’s the issue with that?”

He had to ask this because the label on the phone clearly read “extremely mysterious.”

Elder: “Do you really understand? This Southern Dipper Star Palace has existed for nearly a hundred years. As for its internal specifics, we still know nothing to this day. That’s rather intriguing.”At this point, the Elder couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have any way to contact Sophia?”

Ye Kuang couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by this question, then let out a bitter laugh: “That day, she only left behind a strand of black hair, speaking merely of romantic sentiments—when did she ever leave contact information?”

But as soon as the words fell, he continued, “However, if I do happen to encounter her, I will certainly notify you, Elder.”

The Elder gave a slight “Hmm,” clearly having no solutions himself.

After all, a deeply hidden network expert possesses extremely strong self-protection instincts. Once they intend to hide, it’s practically impossible for anyone to track them down.

Ye Kuang: “Then what does this mean?”

As he spoke, he casually pointed at the Business Prodigy Scarlet Rose label, evidently quite puzzled.

The Elder: “This? It’s a recently listed company. The talent within is nothing short of astonishing.”

At this, the Elder added offhandedly, “If you look further down, you’ll understand.”

Hearing this, Ye Kuang had no choice but to continue reading, and he couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

The webpage was essentially a plain text file containing language tags.

When a network language can be learned and applied for righteous purposes, it poses no harm. But once it falls into the hands of those with ill intentions and is used for illegal activities, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Seeing this, Ye Kuang couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

The Elder: “Do you see now? This is exactly what I was about to say. This company has grown too fast—abnormally fast. Everyone who can enter is a top-tier expert in the world, and that’s somewhat terrifying!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Elder felt compelled to explain the intricacies of this cyber world to Ye Kuang.

Ultimately, what appears to be an interplay of machine code and devices is, in reality, illusory.

The Elder: “Those who study technology all seek high salaries, but over the past two hundred years, the unknown realms of the network around the world have been like purgatory.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Kuang suddenly asked, “Is no one managing this?!”

“Manage?” The Elder found these words as laughable as the world’s most absurd joke and said sternly, “If the world had no networks, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, without networks, there would be no security. The real pity is that not everyone’s hearts and minds are aligned!”

At this, the Elder pointed one by one at the products of network technology, introducing each in turn.

They ranged from deeply embedded kernels to exploiting vulnerabilities for petty theft and spreading rumors—all for the sake of profit and gain. Is there anything they wouldn’t do?!

This was, so to speak, Ye Kuang’s first exposure to such a shocking cyber world.

“Now, do you understand what we’re truly worried about?” The Elder sighed inexplicably, “You and I are mere mortals, yet we lead extraordinary lives. If this is not a chance encounter, then it must be fate.”

As his words faded, the Elder pointed at “Southern Dipper Star Palace” and “Business Prodigy Scarlet Rose,” tapping each in turn before saying with concern, “I hope I’m overthinking this…”