Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in Haining City.
In a typical bachelor apartment, the curtains were drawn tightly, completely blocking out the afternoon sun.
The only light in the room came from five or six computer screens of varying sizes.
On the screens, countless lines of code and data streams flashed rapidly like a waterfall, full of a sense of technology.
A man with shoulder-length hair and black-rimmed glasses sat in front of the screens, his fingers clattering on the keyboard.
Beside him stood a man in a black trench coat.
This man was Duan Wen.
Duan Wen's expression was very serious, his gaze fixed tightly on the main screen, seemingly waiting for an important result.
Finally, the long-haired man's fingers stopped, and he leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh.
“It’s done.”
He picked up the cold coffee next to him and took a sip, then pointed at the screen and said:
“The person you wanted to find, there’s a result.”
Duan Wen immediately leaned closer.
“How is it?”
The long-haired man pulled up a document on the screen.
“According to preliminary big data screening.”
“Nationwide, there are a total of 1,203 people named ‘Lu Mingyu’.”
“This number is too large; we can’t check them one by one.”
“So, I narrowed the scope down to Haining City based on the conditions you provided.”
“There are three ‘Lu Mingyu’s who are registered residents of Haining City, or have long-term activity records in Haining City within the last five years.”
As the long-haired man spoke, he pulled up the profiles of the three people.
“The first, Lu Mingyu, male, 48 years old.”
“A chemistry teacher at Haining City No. 1 Middle School, with a harmonious family and a clean record.”
“Last week, he was even awarded as an outstanding municipal teacher for his excellent teaching.”
Duan Wen shook his head: “The age doesn’t match; it’s not him.”
The long-haired man nodded and pointed to the second profile.
“The second, Lu Mingyu, male, 21 years old.”
“A junior at Haining University, who enjoys playing basketball and rock music.”
“Last month, he received a public reprimand for using unauthorized electrical appliances in the dormitory.”
“This one is too young; it shouldn’t be him either.” Duan Wen denied again.
A playful expression appeared on the long-haired man’s face.
“The remaining one is the third.”
“This is also the most interesting one.”
He tapped the keyboard, and only a simple information box appeared on the screen.
Name: Lu Mingyu.
Gender: Male.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
No age, no ID number, no household registration information, no records of any social activities.
His file was like a blank sheet of paper, so clean that it sent a chill down one's spine.
Duan Wen’s brows furrowed tightly.
“What does this mean? Can’t find him?”
The long-haired man adjusted his glasses and explained: “It’s not that he can’t be found.”
“It’s that all his information has been encrypted or erased by some higher-level authority.”
“I tried to crack it.”
“But the other party’s firewall level is very high; it’s not civilian-grade technology.”
“With my ability, it would take at least a week to forcibly break through.”
“And there’s a ninety percent chance of being counter-tracked by the other party.”
“To be able to achieve this kind of information shielding.”
“In the entire Huaguo, besides the military and national security, I can’t think of any other departments.”
The long-haired man looked at Duan Wen, his tone becoming somewhat solemn.
“Duan Wen, who exactly are you looking into?”
“This person is probably not simple.”
Duan Wen did not answer his question, but just stared fixedly at the solitary name on the screen.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke, his tone somewhat cold.
“Keep investigating.”
“Just investigate the one that can’t be found.”
The long-haired man hesitated: “But…”
“No buts.” Duan Wen interrupted him.
“Use all resources, no matter how much it costs, I need to know this person’s background.”
Duan Wen’s eyes momentarily lost focus.
He suddenly had a bold guess.
“I even suspect that the name Lu Mingyu might be fake.”
The long-haired man looked at the shifting expression on Duan Wen’s face.
After a moment’s hesitation, he turned his chair back.
He faced his computer screen again, his fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard.
Duan Wen’s guess was bold, but not impossible.
If all of a person’s information has been erased so cleanly.
Then his name is likely just a temporary alias used for convenience in the secular world.
The name “Lu Mingyu” might just be a symbol.
Only the crisp tapping of the keyboard and Duan Wen’s increasingly heavy breathing remained in the room.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Just as Duan Wen thought there would be no more progress today, the long-haired man’s movements suddenly stopped.
One of his fingers hovered over the enter key, not pressing it immediately.
“I think I found something.”
There was some uncertainty in his voice.
Duan Wen immediately turned his gaze to him.
“What is it?”
The long-haired man did not answer, but pressed the enter key.
On the main screen, a blurry surveillance video began to play.
The corner of the screen showed the time and location.
The time was three days ago, and the location was a street in the south of Haining City.
“This is surveillance footage I pulled from the municipal traffic system.”
The long-haired man explained.
“I used facial recognition technology to perform a fuzzy match on all photos of ‘Lu Mingyu’ that appeared.”
“Finally, I locked onto this frame.”
On the screen, a young man in black casual clothes got out of a taxi.
He had a tall and straight figure and a steady gait; even under the blurry pixels, one could feel an extraordinary aura about him.
Duan Wen’s eyes narrowed.
Although he couldn’t see his facial features clearly.
But that outline, that feeling.
His intuition told him that this person was the “Lu Mingyu” Bing Jie asked him to find.
“Where did he go?” Duan Wen pressed.
The long-haired man dragged the progress bar.
“After he got out of the car, he walked straight along this road.”
The man in the footage crossed the street and walked towards a solemn-looking gate.
There were sentries standing at the gate, and a line of words was carved on the sign at the entrance.
People’s Liberation Army of Huaguo, Haining City Military Sub-district.
Seeing these words, Duan Wen and the long-haired man both fell silent.
The long-haired man swallowed, his tone becoming more serious than ever before.
“Duan Wen, it’s basically confirmed now.”
“This person is one hundred percent a military personnel.”
“The Haining City Military Sub-district, that’s not a place ordinary people can just enter casually.”
“The sentries at the gate aren’t just for show.”
“The fact that he can walk in so brazenly means his identity is definitely not ordinary.”
Duan Wen’s heart sank; it was indeed consistent with the worst-case scenario he had imagined.
A military person, things just got tricky.
“Can you find his information within the military?”
Duan Wen asked, not giving up.
The long-haired man immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum.
“No, absolutely not!”
“Duan Wen, I’m just a tech guy, to put it bluntly, a hacker who’s just after money.”
“Intruding into civilian systems is at most a violation; if caught, it’s just a few days in jail and a fine.”
“But if I hack into the military’s internal network, the nature of it changes completely.”
“That’s endangering national security; you’ll lose your head if caught.”
He pointed to the encrypted file on the screen.
“To be able to use such authority to erase a person’s information.”
“His rank and level of secrecy in the military must be terrifyingly high.”
“I wouldn’t even dare to touch the files of such a person.”
The long-haired man’s attitude was firm; this had already exceeded the scope of risk he could bear.
Duan Wen also knew he couldn’t force him.
He stared at the gate of the military sub-district in the footage, silent for a moment.
“Alright, if it can’t be found online, then we’ll find a way offline.”
“Help me find a few reliable people to inquire around the military sub-district.”
“No matter how much it costs, as long as we can get some useful information.”
The long-haired man breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
“If it’s just inquiring about information, no problem, I have channels for that.”
“But I must warn you, Duan Wen.”
“It’s best not to provoke people who are involved with the military.”
Duan Wen ignored his advice and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
He scrolled to a number and dialed it.
After a few rings, the call was connected, and a clear, capable female voice came from the receiver.
“Hello, Duan Wen, how’s the investigation going?”
“Bing Jie.”
Duan Wen’s tone became very respectful.
“There’s a result; that person is indeed a soldier.”