Chapter 210: Storm Activates
July 1st, noon.
About half an hour after arriving at the computer room, the takeout was delivered.
Lin Xiuyuan and Krystal came down from the second floor and returned to the living room on the first floor.
Carrying the takeout in, the two of them ate at the dining table, continuing to chat about the explosive progress they had just made.
“I plan to find a suitable time in a few days to release the evidence,” Lin Xiuyuan said in a low voice, biting on his chopsticks, his eyes still burning with a mixture of excitement and vigilance.
Krystal stirred her drink, her tone laced with a hint of hesitation, “Xiuyuan, have you considered finding Dispatch to expose it?”
Lin Xiuyuan looked up, his eyebrows slightly raised, “You mean Dispatch?”
“Yes.”
Krystal nodded, then raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Although Dispatch has become more entertainment-focused in recent years, they never shy away from sensational news that has a ‘social justice’ angle.
And they actually have a dedicated channel internally for ‘sensitive sources.’ On the day of the exposure, they’ll even write the paparazzi’s filming script for you.”
Then, her tone paused slightly, and her gaze became a bit more serious, “And, the most important point. If they handle this, at least you won’t have to show your face, saving you a lot of trouble and danger.”
Krystal actually knew very well what she was trying to persuade him to do.
She wasn’t timid, but when faced with something that could involve such deep and dark secrets, she genuinely didn’t want Lin Xiuyuan to put himself in danger.
Yet, she couldn’t bear to see those girls who had been ruined disappear, especially Kim Sae-ron, that young girl; she had met and talked to her, and she was very cute.
So, if she could help without putting Lin Xiuyuan at risk, that would be the best outcome.
Lin Xiuyuan smiled at her, his voice low and gentle, “Are you afraid I’ll get into trouble?”
“I’m afraid something will happen to you,” Krystal’s speech slowed down, and her voice lowered a bit.
She paused, then continued, “Although you’re dealing with the him from 2013, someone who can commit murder in the US in 2025, I really can’t bet on whether he was already well-established in 2013.”
Her gaze was fixed on him, serious and insistent, “I’m not gambling, and I don’t want you to gamble either.”
Lin Xiuyuan chuckled lightly, but his gaze also shed its earlier lightness, becoming calm and sharp.
Then he nodded, “I understand, I’ll plan it out these few days. If Dispatch is willing to step in, that would be best, of course. But before that, I also need to prepare for the follow-up.”
“Hmm?” Krystal looked at him.
“For example, flying to a few overseas cities.”
Speaking of which, Lin Xiuyuan’s tone shifted, becoming as calm as if he were describing a technical drill, “Find an apartment to rent, get a clean computer, and set up a few proxy servers. Then gather some botnets, assign local IPs, release the evidence, and then hire promoters.”
As he spoke, he stirred the soup in his bowl, his eyes gradually turning cold.
But when he looked up at Krystal, a hint of a smile and gentleness returned, “This way, you won’t have to worry anymore, right?”
Then he stated coldly, “I don’t believe that no matter how capable Kim Soo-hyun is, he can reach into so many countries. And in 2013, he probably didn’t have the capital background yet, right?”
Krystal looked at him without speaking, but the subtle worry and unconcealed pride in her eyes conveyed more than a thousand words.
After a moment of silence, she asked softly with a hint of reluctance, “So, according to what you said, you won’t be free for the next few days, Xiuyuan?”
“Yes.”
Lin Xiuyuan nodded, “The sooner this is handled, the better, because according to the timeline provided by Kim Sae-ron’s family, it should be this year or next that the bastard started manipulating that young girl. The sooner we put him away, the fewer victims there will be at least.”
Lin Xiuyuan never considered himself a righteous person. But if he could protect a few girls, and even future lives, with just a little effort.
Then he naturally wouldn’t be stingy with his actions.
It was nothing more than clicking a mouse and typing on a keyboard online; he was happy to get involved in such a small matter.
This could also be considered a small reward to society for obtaining the “Time-Space Door.”
Krystal understood his thoughts too. She looked at the young man before her, her gaze growing gentler, with an indescribable emotion welling up in her eyes.
She stopped eating, put down her chopsticks, and to Lin Xiuyuan’s shocked gaze, ducked under the table.
In the afternoon, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains onto the wooden floor, dappling it with light and shadow.
After arranging Krystal, Lin Xiuyuan nestled into the swivel chair in the computer room, his fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard, searching the 2025 internet for various contact methods of high-level personnel at Dispatch in 2013.
Emails, old Twitter accounts, abandoned interview backstages, and even a few vague employee gossip posts…
Of course, he didn’t need to exert himself to dig up this information.
Lin Xiuyuan simply utilized AI for deep retrieval, and then chunks of information automatically peeled away a dusty labyrinth for him, calmly and precisely piecing together the path to the “past.”
After more than two hours, he finally compiled the most probable chain of contacts.
He then encrypted and packaged all the clues, uploaded them to a spare USB drive, and got up to go to the third floor.
Looking at Krystal, who was lying quietly on the bed after finishing, Lin Xiuyuan walked over, bent down, and gently kissed her forehead before turning to leave and returning to his 2013 apartment.
Back on this side, he quickly packed his luggage, then directly booked the fastest flight to Singapore.
As night fell, the plane landed in Singapore.
Lin Xiuyuan carried only a backpack, without checking any luggage.
After leaving the airport, he didn’t stop and took a taxi directly to the city center.
In an apartment not far from the commercial district, Lin Xiuyuan rented a one-bedroom apartment for the long term with cash.
He then went to a nearby second-hand store and bought a used laptop from a brand for females that had very minor flaws, before returning to the apartment.
That night, he didn’t contact anyone else. He just sat alone in the room, testing the proxy server lines, debugging the anonymous submission platform, and confirming the network encryption was complete.
At two in the morning, he finally leaned on the sofa and fell asleep.
……
The next afternoon, July 2nd.
Lin Xiuyuan took another flight to Thailand.
On this side, he again rented a local house near a government residential area for the long term, and anonymously purchased a brand new SIM card and a spare router.
He never said much, just calmly completed everything.
In just a few days, Lin Xiuyuan had set up at least three anonymous network submission jump points in Southeast Asia, ensuring each one was completely disconnected from his real identity.
Lin Xiuyuan wasn’t a particularly advanced hacker; he only knew a little, and with the cover of these three real jump points, it should be enough.
After all, he wasn’t trying to hack into military servers or the White House database; he shouldn’t have any top hackers bored enough to chase him, right?
……
Until the evening of July 5th, Lin Xiuyuan’s flight arrived in Magic City.
The airport lobby was brightly lit, bustling with people.
Outside, lightning flashed, and rain poured down.
He had no umbrella, so he walked out of the terminal with his bag, preparing to call for a taxi.
Just then, his phone in his pocket vibrated.
Taking it out, he saw that it was Park Ji-yeon.
Lin Xiuyuan knew about T-ara’s endorsement of Spicy Hot Pot in Magic City and was aware that they had taken on more commercial performances after that day, so they hadn’t left China yet.
However, he hadn’t planned to contact Ji-yeon, as his return to China was only to establish a location, rent a place, and after everything was set, he would immediately fly to Seoul.
But the moment that familiar name popped up on the screen, Lin Xiuyuan instinctively pressed the answer button.
“Hello, Ji-yeon~”
“Hello, oppa, you’re back in Magic City?” Park Ji-yeon’s voice was filled with a bit of excitement.
She knew Lin Xiuyuan’s whereabouts these past few days to some extent. Although she couldn’t figure out what he was busy with, since they were in the same city, it would be too impolite not to meet for a meal.
After all, due to her work, she hadn’t seen Lin Xiuyuan for a while.
There were many things Park Ji-yeon wanted to ask her oppa.
Lin Xiuyuan pursed his lips, paused for two seconds, then softly replied, “Yes, just landed.”
“You landed but didn’t contact me, you planned to sneak back to Seoul after you were done, right, oppa?”
Her tone carried a lighthearted complaint, her voice trailing off, playfully teasing him with a hint of a blush, then her tone shifted.
“I’m driving over to pick you up now, can you wait for me?”
Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the night outside, raindrops falling diagonally on the terminal’s glass, the runway reflecting a hazy sheen under the wet lights.
He frowned slightly and said, “You don’t need to go to all that trouble. Just give me your location, and I’ll take a taxi. It’s dangerous to drive in such heavy rain at night.”
Park Ji-yeon on the other end seemed to sense the subtle change in Lin Xiuyuan’s tone, so she didn’t insist further, just responded briefly and hung up the phone.
A few seconds later, a location was sent to his phone.
Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the location, put away his phone, walked out of the airport, got into a taxi, and headed towards the city.
About forty minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of a high-end hotel in the city center.
The night rain was still falling, drizzling, as if trying to wash the entire city clean.
The hotel lobby was paved with dark marble, the polished floor reflecting the lights. Occasional water marks were quickly wiped clean by diligent cleaning staff, still faintly revealing the dampness of the rainy night.
The attendant at the door, with a professional smile, led him to the elevator to go upstairs.
The elevator went directly to the landscape restaurant on the sixteenth floor. It wasn’t large but was exceptionally quiet.
Under the soft, warm lighting, wooden dividers and frosted glass created a perfect sense of privacy between the booth seats.
By the window was a floor-to-ceiling window. Magic City in the rainy night was like a flowing oil painting, with hazy lights and colors from neon advertising screens bleeding into colorful halos in the mist.
In a booth by the window, Park Ji-yeon and Ham Eun-jung had been waiting for a long time.
“Oppa~ Over here.”
Park Ji-yeon smiled and waved at him, her eyes filled with bright anticipation.
Lin Xiuyuan walked over, sat opposite them, took off his jacket and casually draped it over the back of the chair. He ordered a hot soup and a simple dinner.
Perhaps it was because of the rainy night, but there weren’t many customers in the restaurant. Several booths were vacant, and Lin Xiuyuan’s table was even more isolated, as if naturally enveloped in a quiet barrier by the night rain.
The food arrived quickly, and as the waiter left, Park Ji-yeon casually asked.
“Oppa~ What’s going on with you these past few days? So mysterious, and you went to several places.”
Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the two ‘followers’ in front of him, did not evade, but said in a low voice, “Setting up a few jump points to send that idiot Kim Soo-hyun to prison.”
He didn’t add much preamble, but his tone was extremely certain.
When Park Ji-yeon and Ham Eun-jung heard his words, they exchanged glances. The expressions on their faces gradually shifted from surprise to astonishment, and then to a hint of irrepressible excitement.
After all, having been to 2025, they also knew the ins and outs of Kim Sae-ron’s incident.
“It’s… him?” Ham Eun-jung’s voice was very low.
Lin Xiuyuan nodded.
The two didn’t press further; the occasion was inappropriate, and the risk was too high.
But the anger and excitement in their eyes couldn’t be hidden. Both understood what Lin Xiuyuan was about to do, and that this time it wasn’t a joke.
The topic was dropped, and the air in the brief silence was slowly filled with the aroma of warm tea.
A few minutes later, Park Ji-yeon smiled again and made a joke, breaking the atmosphere, “Oppa, I heard from your older sister that you’re involved with that old woman at the villa, is it true~”
As she spoke, she deliberately rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, her eyes filled with teasing and probing.
Lin Xiuyuan, who was drinking soup, almost spat out the soup, then looked up at Park Ji-yeon opposite him, “Who… who said that?”
Before he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Ham Eun-jung beside her.
Ham Eun-jung lowered her head, pretending to be focused on drinking water, avoiding eye contact.
After all, how could a new follower directly expose the sect leader’s secrets?
Although she didn’t do it on purpose.
“Oh~ So you mean… you’re not?” Park Ji-yeon chuckled slyly, her eyes narrowing.
Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn’t help but laugh, his tone tinged with helplessness, “That was an accident, just an accident.”
It was indeed a bit of an accident; he hadn’t expected Big Dragon Cub to be so proactive and uninhibited.
Divorced married women are truly the best.
Park Ji-yeon watched him, shook her head with a smile, and didn’t press further. Instead, she reached out with her chopsticks and picked up a piece of beef for him, her tone subtly meaningful.
“Oppa, I’m not saying anything about you, I’m just… worried you’ll eat something bad and get a stomachache.”
As soon as she said this, Ham Eun-jung next to her playfully and helplessly patted Park Ji-yeon’s arm, “Ji-yeon ah.”
Lin Xiuyuan also cleared his throat, pretending not to understand the deeper meaning behind “eating something bad.”
Park Ji-yeon hummed softly, no longer teasing him. She then seriously began to introduce the situation of the “chain Spicy Hot Pot” brand to him.
Over the past month, with aggressive promotion, the brand’s directly managed stores had rapidly expanded across China.
Leveraging T-ara’s popularity, they had also gained the support of many fans and attention, with queues becoming a regular occurrence.
On July 1st, the first franchised store successfully opened, marking the beginning of profitability from the substantial initial investment.
Although there was still some time before the actual profit sharing, the current momentum was enough to show that the investment was the right one.
For Park Ji-yeon, this was also the first step of her journey as a “future female CEO.
After listening to the report, Lin Xiuyuan happily gave Park Ji-yeon a big thumbs up, “Amazing, my Ji-yeon.”
My Ji-yeon~
These words fell lightly, but they made Park Ji-yeon’s eyes light up, and a soft, proud curve formed on her lips. The happiness and satisfaction in her eyes were undeniable.
“By the way, Xiuyuan~”
Just as Lin Xiuyuan and Park Ji-yeon finished discussing work matters, Ham Eun-jung beside them softly asked, “When are you planning to go to Seoul this time?”
Lin Xiuyuan put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth, “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ve been running around these past few days just to confirm the positioning points. Once they’re set, it’ll be much more convenient to come and go in the future.”
The two opposite him exchanged a look. Park Ji-yeon’s eyes lit up, “Oppa~ We’re flying tomorrow too, but on an evening flight.”
“Oh?” Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, “That’s perfect then, we should be able to go together.”
“Great!”
Park Ji-yeon blurted out almost instinctively, her smile bright, “If you dare to sneak back alone, I’ll be really angry.”
Ham Eun-jung also nodded and smiled gently, “Then see you tomorrow, same flight~”
The dinner gradually concluded in a relaxed, though not overly lively, atmosphere among the three.
Diners in the restaurant began to leave one after another. The rain outside had not stopped, and water droplets sliding down the glass windows, pushed by the wind, seemed to be whispering, or perhaps witnessing a destiny quietly taking shape.
Just as the three were about to get up and pay the bill, Park Ji-yeon suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan, her tone a mix of jest and seriousness.
“Oppa, do you think… I need to meet that old woman?”
Her expression was calm, but her eyes held a hint of complexity.
It was as if she were asking for his opinion, or perhaps confirming a certain impulse within herself.
Lin Xiuyuan paused, his gaze fell on her face, and he chuckled softly, “It depends. Based on the current situation, there’s no need.”
Park Ji-yeon stared at him and suddenly smiled, her eyes sparkling, “Oppa, what are you afraid of?”
“I’m afraid you’ll fight,” Lin Xiuyuan replied truthfully.
As soon as I said that, Park Ji-yeon laughed, but her eyes conveyed “You really understand me.”
Because in fact, she did have that idea. The first thing she wanted to do upon meeting was to find a place to spar with the other party. The loser would lie down and watch the winner stand and talk.
After dinner, the three of them left the restaurant together.
The rain outside was still falling lightly. The street was washed clean and clear by the rain, and the neon lights reflected in the puddles, like broken dream images.
Lin Xiuyuan was too lazy to go out again, so he directly booked a room at this hotel and checked in.
The night passed without incident.
……
In the blink of an eye, it was July 6th.
The next morning, he held an umbrella, walked through several quiet alleys, and stopped under an old apartment building near the city center.
It wasn’t new here, but it was full of life.
Then he signed a long-term lease contract with the landlord, bought a computer from the second-hand market, moved into the room, and debugged the necessary network equipment and VPN nodes.
The room was small, with a bed, a desk, a lamp, and a piece of equipment.
Clean and efficient, just as he liked it.
By the time all the equipment was set up, it was just past 2 PM.
Lin Xiuyuan, who had left the house, turned a corner at the entrance of the alley and sat down at an old-fashioned pan-fried bun shop at the street corner. He ordered ten pan-fried buns and a bowl of beef noodle soup, and ate slowly.
Although it was still raining outside, there were more pedestrians on the street.
While eating, Lin Xiuyuan looked at his mobile phone, confirmed his luggage and flight information, then got up to pay the bill and called for a car to take him to Pudong Airport.
By the time they arrived at the airport, Park Ji-yeon, Ham Eun-jung, and the others had already arrived and were waiting in the VIP lounge.
So as soon as she saw Lin Xiuyuan, Park Ji-yeon immediately stood up and waved.
“Oppa, this way!”
Under the curious gazes of Park Hyo-min and the others, Lin Xiuyuan walked over and sat between Park Ji-yeon and Ham Eun-jung.
The three of them didn’t chat much. When the boarding announcement was made, they boarded the airplane together.
As soon as she sat down, Park Ji-yeon, who was supposed to be sitting in the front row with the other members, soon made an excuse to go to the restroom, quietly circled back, and sat down in the empty seat next to Lin Xiuyuan.
“Hee hee~”
She lowered her voice, like a child who had snuck out, “Oppa, aren’t you bored sitting here by yourself?”
Lin Xiuyuan looked at the little dragon cub’s cute expression and couldn’t help but laugh, “Ji-yeon, if you sneak over like this, won’t Eun-jung and the others get mad at me? Qiu Li and the others must be very curious about my identity.”
“I’ll just say you’re a friend, and that’s that,” Park Ji-yeon said righteously.
Lin Xiuyuan chuckled, amused by her.
As soon as the plane took off, she seemed to have opened a floodgate and excitedly began to talk about the company’s recent developments.
The expansion of overseas activities and future plans were analyzed thoroughly.
“Oppa, I’m serious. If you ever do something in the future, whether it’s starting a company, making a movie, or creating content, I can help.”
As she spoke, Park Ji-yeon’s expression was serious, her eyes shining as she looked at him. “I’m not just good at dancing and singing; I’m also quite smart.”
“I know you’re not stupid,” Lin Xiuyuan replied with a smile.
And he naturally understood why she was saying all this.
It wasn’t just about showing off her abilities; it seemed like she just wanted to win his favor over the big dragon cub, which really made him laugh and feel speechless.
Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan looked up at her and felt that Park Ji-yeon in front of him seemed to have matured a lot compared to two months ago.
“What do you want to do?”
“Show you what I can do,” she blinked.
The cabin lights were soft, and outside the window, the clouds rolled by, as if another world was slowly approaching.
Lin Xiuyuan didn’t reply immediately. He just reached out and pulled the thin blanket in front of him, gently covering Park Ji-yeon’s legs.
“Don’t think too hard for now. You’re on a plane, be good,” he said in a low voice.
Park Ji-yeon snorted and leaned back in her seat, “You’re placating me again.”
“I’m afraid you’ll get too tired.”
“Liar.”
The two bickered in low voices. Ham Eun-jung in the front row occasionally turned to look at them with a smile, but didn’t say anything.
This made her think of Sweet Eun-jung from 25 years ago again, and her gaze towards Lin Xiuyuan became a little deeper.
The plane flew smoothly, and the cabin was as quiet as if time had frozen.
By the time they landed in Seoul, it was already late at night. Incheon Airport was still crowded, with people holding signs gathered at the exit to pick up passengers.
The members of T-ara moved as a unit, quickly packing their luggage under the guidance of their manager, preparing to leave.
Lin Xiuyuan followed behind them, carrying his backpack.
As he walked out of the terminal, he saw a familiar figure sitting in a low-key black sedan. She rolled down the car window and waved happily at him.
It was Sulli.
Lin Xiuyuan’s steps faltered slightly, and his gaze swept over Park Ji-yeon and the other members in front of him.
Park Ji-yeon looked at the car, her lips curving slightly, and then realized it wasn’t appropriate to leave with Lin Xiuyuan right now.
The group’s official schedule was not yet over, especially after just returning from an overseas activity. The media was still tracking them, and she really couldn’t act rashly.
“Oppa, you go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”
So she took out her mobile phone and sent Lin Xiuyuan two messages: “I’ll contact you when I’m done here.”
Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the messages, nodded at Park Ji-yeon, and didn’t say anything more.
Then, with a light smile, he walked past their backs towards the exit and got into Sulli’s car.
Inside the car, Sulli was wearing a loose top, her hair tied up casually. Seeing Lin Xiuyuan get in, she turned and gave him a gentle smile.
“Tired, oppa~?”
“I’m okay.”
Lin Xiuyuan replied, leaning back in the seat, “You’ve been here for a while, right?”
“It’s okay, waiting isn’t tiring,” Sulli said with a smile as she started the car.
“Let’s go, let’s head back first.”
“Okay.”
As Lin Xiuyuan left, Park Hyo-min finally couldn’t hold back. Her gaze swept between Park Ji-yeon and Ham Eun-jung, then looked at the car disappearing in the distance.
“Ji-yeon, what’s going on between you two? What have you been hiding from me? And Eun-jung, you were with me before, why are you on Ji-yeon’s side now?”
She raised an eyebrow, half-joking, half-serious, “Are you a clique? Not including me?”
Park Ji-yeon was taken aback and pretended to be clueless, “What are you talking about? We’re not.”
Ham Eun-jung lightly laughed and linked her arm, “Don’t overthink it, Hyo-min. This has nothing to do with the group. It’s just that Ji-yeon is planning to pursue Xiuyuan, but Xiuyuan isn’t interested in her, so I’ve been helping Ji-yeon conquer Xiuyuan recently.”
Hearing this, Park Ji-yeon’s eyes widened, and she thought: My unnie is really talking nonsense!
Park Hyo-min’s eyes widened too. “Wait, Eun-jung, did you say it backward? That guy isn’t interested in our Ji-yeon?”
“Yes, he’s really not interested,” Ham Eun-jung continued without hesitation. “Xiuyuan made it clear that he likes women with curves like yours.”
Ham Eun-jung was really saying anything at this point, but she was also very worried that Park Hyo-min would think she and Park Ji-yeon were isolating her. The shadow of last year’s incident was still there, and she didn’t want this to happen to Park Hyo-min again.
So, she gave Park Hyo-min an outrageous excuse, hoping to make her stop suspecting for the time being.
At this moment, under Ham Eun-jung’s signal, Park Ji-yeon finally guessed her unnie’s intentions. Coupled with her own little thoughts, she also let out a cold snort.
“Yes, unnie, oppa likes your mature style and doesn’t like little kids like me. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you, I was afraid you’d steal oppa away.”
“Wow, amazing. Wait, what idol drama are you two acting in?” Park Hyo-min still didn’t quite believe it, frowning at them.
As a result, Park Ji-yeon directly called Lin Xiuyuan in front of her. “Oppa, are you free tomorrow?”
Lin Xiuyuan, who was in the car, was taken aback. “Tomorrow? I’m not free tomorrow. Let me finish my business first and then I’ll tell you, okay?”
“Okay, then oppa, you do your thing.”
After hanging up the phone, Park Ji-yeon instantly turned into a wronged little dragon cub and looked at Park Hyo-min. “Unnie, look, I’ve been talking to oppa all the way, and he still gives me the same answer.”
Seeing Park Ji-yeon’s wronged expression and looking at Ham Eun-jung nodding beside her, Park Hyo-min, who had been holding back her resentment for half a month, was suddenly a bit confused.
Her scalp itched rapidly, and she realized her high-IQ brain seemed to be insufficient. Was this a plot that could happen in real life?
Seeing Park Hyo-min starting to doubt life, Park Ji-yeon also pursed her lips and smiled, exchanging a glance with Ham Eun-jung. Finally, they had managed to fool her for now.
As for how long they could fool her, they would see.
Late at night.
The car returned to the apartment building.
After returning to the apartment, Lin Xiuyuan first took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
While he was showering, Sulli skillfully fried some rice, accompanied it with a few refreshing cold dishes, and made a pot of steaming seaweed soup.
The dishes were home-style but carried a familiar warmth.
After they finished dinner, they didn’t say much.
Lin Xiuyuan quickly returned to the bedroom, closed the door, drew the curtains, placed the laptop on the desk, and turned it on.
His movements were calm and focused. Every folder, every screenshot, every piece of text on the computer was already sorted.
During this time, he had successfully contacted Liu Yina on this side and persuaded her to provide the information she had previously saved in the drafts of her social media account.
In exchange, he anonymously transferred a sum of money via virtual currency.
Although it cost extra money, it had covered the final loophole, and the money was well spent.
Now he began to import all the evidence into the computer, then archive, categorize, and package it.
All that was missing was a channel to release it.
……
2 AM on July 7th.
Lin Xiuyuan sat in the dim light of the apartment bedroom, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
He executed commands in the command-line window. The VPN nodes switched rapidly along the “Thailand – Singapore – Magic City” three-hop route. Each compromised IP address was like a fork in a maze, interfering with any attempt to trace the clues.
Finally, a line of commands was executed.
He took a deep breath and sent out the compressed file named 【AK-47】.
Target address: D Company’s core email network in 2013, including current high-level executives and the emails of several editors who were destined to rise in the future.
Every frame of video, every audio recording, every psychological diagnostic file in the compressed package was a nail he had painstakingly pieced together on the web of time.
They were cold, sharp, undeniable, and created solely to bring a beast to justice.
He looked up, accepted the juice Sulli brought him, took a sip, and his gaze fell on the “Send Successful” confirmation receipt on the screen, his eyes calm and clear.
The storm had begun.
At 4:48 AM on July 7th, an anonymous delivery email in D Company’s internal network finished decompression.
The title was as cold as it was concise:
【AK-47: Kim Soo-hyun Case – Evidence Package of Child Sexual Assault Process】
The D Company system engineer, who thought it was just another boring exposé, casually clicked on the file. The next second, cold sweat broke out on his back, and he felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar.
Three high-definition videos, two call recordings, dozens of key screenshots, and a meticulously structured, jargon-filled “Victim Psychological Analysis Report” that was close to medical standards.
An unprecedented report landed in front of their company with the strongest possible impact.
Early morning, Seoul.
The sky had just begun to lighten, and the fog had not yet dispersed. The entire city seemed to be lingering between sleep and awakening.
D Company Headquarters.
The editorial department’s morning meeting had just begun. A group of editors were yawning, some flipping through their current assignments, others looking at their phones, waiting for the supervisor to speak.
Just then, the system engineer responsible for monitoring internal security emails hurried in, looking nervous and speaking urgently:
“Department Head, there’s an anonymous delivery. You must see it now.”
Minister Kim frowned and took the iPad from the engineer.
The screen displayed an extremely simple interface, with the email title glaring: 【AK-47: Kim Soo-hyun’s Sexual Assault of a Minor – Unreleased Incident Process】
He clicked on the attachment and his fingers stopped as soon as he saw the directory page.
Video materials （3 clips）
Phone recordings （2 clips）
Photos of chat conversations
Timeline positioning and cross-referencing
Scanned victim psychological diagnostic report
PUA induction speech and behavior templates
The entire compressed package was organized in a professional judicial evidence archiving manner, with a rigorous structure, clear logic, and even legal assessment annotations and timestamp traceability.
Not a single drop of water.
Minister Kim’s expression instantly turned grim.
This was a bomb.
And not a small bomb, but a nuclear-level material that could blow up Kim Soo-hyun, who was on his way to becoming a top-tier star.
More fatal was a segment of video that clearly captured Kim Soo-hyun’s face and his discernible interactions with the victim.
Coupled with multiple conversation records, voice calls, and psychological reports.
“This… cannot be fabricated,” the Deputy Editor-in-Chief said hoarsely.
“Check the source,” Minister Kim gritted his teeth. “Did everyone receive the email?”
“It has already flowed into several internal editing groups. Fortunately, our system automatically blocked external synchronization.”
“Too late,” Minister Kim’s gaze was icy. “The content is too complete. Even if we don’t act, someone else will.”
He glanced at the warning attached to the last page of the compressed file:
—Don’t wait for the heat to pass; the opportunity is now.
—From a whistleblower of time.
After a moment of thought, Minister Kim directly turned off the iPad screen and ordered, “Contact the higher-ups immediately. I need to have an emergency meeting.”
Ten minutes later, the D Company editorial department was urgently assembled.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy, and it was almost silent.
“I don’t care who sent it,” the Editor-in-Chief said first, his tone cold. “We have to publish this.”
“The President will suppress it.” the Deputy Editor-in-Chief reminded.
“He can’t suppress it.” the Editor-in-Chief interrupted, slamming a PUA script template onto the table, “This isn’t like those vague shots from the past; this is a complete chain of evidence, even detailing how he manipulated the girl’s psychology step by step.”
“If we don’t publish, we’re burying this industry ourselves.”
“If we publish, people might die.” an editor said in a low voice.
The Editor-in-Chief was silent for a few seconds, then slowly took off his glasses and looked at everyone, “We’ll die like journalists then.”
The room fell dead silent for a full thirty seconds.
Finally, he put his glasses back on, his tone steady and firm.
“Process it with the D-bomb procedure, distribute in three phases, and the first wave will focus on ‘interaction records + video screenshots’.”
“In two hours, I want to see the first draft on the table.”
Time slipped into the afternoon of July 7th.
The door to the D Agency high-level executive office was locked, the curtains were all drawn, and the atmosphere was akin to plotting a coup.
Videos played on the screen in rotation, the only sounds in the room being the clicking of mice and the nicotine-induced anxiety in the coughs of those constantly smoking.
“Have we confirmed the victim’s identity?”
“Only one is in the evidence, and she’s been confirmed. Her mother has left a voice message consenting to the publication, requesting that her face be blurred.”
“This one, plus the psychological diagnostic report, the entire evidence chain… it’s more detailed than the prosecutor’s standards.”
“We later contacted two more, but they don’t have such solid evidence chains, and they are still at Kim Soo-hyun’s company.”
The printer continuously churned out documents, executives flipping through, annotating, and comparing, like a jury meeting before a trial, or like waiting for the epicenter of a social earthquake to erupt.
It’s important to know that within D Agency, the leadership was not monolithic.
So after reviewing all the information, some suggested testing the waters first, only releasing some screenshots.
Others wanted to directly contact Kim Soo-hyun’s team to see if they could “use the exposé as leverage” for a bigger exclusive.
And during these considerations, tugs-of-war, and compromises.
Two days quietly passed.
……
On the evening of July 9th.
Lin Xiuyuan sat in his dimly lit study, gazing at several anonymous email inboxes on the screen, which remained devoid of any activity.
He had refreshed for the third time.
Still no movement.
No pre-release warning from D Agency, not even a vague leak on any forum.
It was so calm, as if nothing had happened.
“They are waiting,” Lin Xiuyuan murmured to himself, his brows furrowed even deeper, “Or… they chickened out.”
……
But the real turning point occurred the next day.
On the morning of July 10th.
The sky was tinged with pale blue dawn, and the Gangnam streets were as busy with traffic as ever.
And just as the morning rush hour was beginning, D Agency’s official website suddenly updated with a special feature.
【Exclusive exposé 】Top-tier male star suspected of sexual crimes against a minor, core evidence first release
The homepage cover featured a specially processed chat screenshot:
“You can’t tell anyone, okay? You and I are secret lovers.”
The little girl replied: “But I’m still a student…”
In the bottom right corner was the suffocating timestamp: July 19, 2013, Evening, 10:47 PM
Scrolling down further, was the main article for the first phase of the bombshell:
Apartment corridor surveillance time comparison analysis
Excerpts from the “Romance script template.”
PUA psychological manipulation records.
Victim’s handwritten statement screenshot.
No names were mentioned, no direct accusations, but every piece of information was sharp enough to pierce through the silence.
Lin Xiuyuan, who had stayed up all night, sat at his computer, his phone buzzing incessantly, but he didn’t check it.
He simply clicked on the D Agency official website, read the entire article, then slowly leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
“It’s started.”
The two-day silence had finally met its first thunderclap.
D Agency didn’t make it past 72 hours.
And the storm was just beginning.
As night fell, the D Agency editorial office was brightly lit, the air thick with the smell of coffee and frayed nerves.
At precisely 7 PM that evening, the official website updated with the second phase of the bombshell.
The title was prominent: 【Exclusive footage 】 “Top idol seen bringing minor into apartment late at night in full exposure （ Corridor surveillance + partial audio included ）”
Once released, the news went viral by the minute, the social platform instantly turning into an inferno of public opinion.
The first to trend was the surveillance screenshot:
At 3:30 AM, Kim Soo-hyun, wearing a gray windbreaker, returned to his apartment. Behind him was a slender young girl wearing a baseball cap.
The timestamp and location were blurred, but the footage was exceptionally clear.
For the audio portion, D Agency released a 45-second selected clip:
Kim Soo-hyun said in a low voice, “I just want to hug you, I like your scent so much.”
The girl’s voice was tiny, “But I really don’t want to… my stomach hurts today…”
These mere 45 seconds completely shattered the so-called “misunderstanding space.”
The entire data package was named: 《Gray Shadow Night 》
A note was appended at the end: “Two more original files have not been released due to the victim’s privacy. Whether they will be published will be decided based on subsequent responses.”
End of Ten Thousand Daily. Thank you, Godfathers, for your support and votes.
Ten Thousand Daily progress report: 63/69.
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