Surprise! My online crush turned out to be... - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

This time, the person on the other end didn’t keep Shu Yang waiting too long; they replied shortly after.

[You’ve hacked into my personal communications device. According to Article 367 of the Empire, I have the right to arrest you for spying on military secrets.]

Shu Yang lay sprawled on the bed, a phone in each hand. He was delighted when he saw the new message.

I hadn’t expected this randomly matched person to be such a dramatic actor, but it was better than nothing at all.

His fingers tapped on the screen, typing a bunch of messages and sending them over.

[Sorry, Big Pigeon, your defense wall was breached with just one finger. The Empire is doomed!]

That’s right. He had clicked a button and was forced to bind himself to this Big Pigeon.

Thinking of this, Shu Yang froze. A ♂ appeared next to the other person’s name, so he knew it was a Big Pigeon. But he’d never filled out any information, so why was there a symbol behind his name?

And this symbol couldn’t be changed. So, the question was, how did the platform know he was a cute boy?

Or did the official backend just randomly add it?

But this thought only flashed through Shu Yang’s mind. Given the way this netizen spoke so formally, how could she possibly be a cute little girl?

Shu Yang sighed. There would never be a little girl in his life. There was no way.

The atmosphere here was filled with the sadness of being alone, feeling like everyone was together. And in a distant time and space unknown to Shu Yang, a man gazed at the message on his laptop and fell silent.

—

“Marshal, we’re currently unable to decipher the location information. The other party must have been prepared. What do we do now?” Joyce’s forehead was covered in sweat.

Ever since the Marshal’s laptop was compromised by hackers from nowhere, he’d been working overtime all night without a break, yet he still couldn’t find any loopholes or clues.

This person’s skills were incredibly advanced, at least a whole level higher than his own.

And the marshal’s expression now made him nervous.

Francis, the highest-ranking general in the Empire, was an undefeated legend in the hearts of every citizen. Some might not know the names of the royal family members, but everyone knew the name of Marshal Francis. Therefore, there was no doubt who held the most influence and voice in the Empire.

It was Francis’s presence that deterred the invasion of interstellar pirates and the Free Alliance Army, preserving the peace and unity of the Empire.

And now, this computer, containing the most important military secrets in the Empire, had been hacked.

Joyce’s head ached at the mere thought. No other computer had a higher security level than the marshal’s, and now, as if to prove their skill, the person they were dealing with had chosen the most difficult one to hack, and had accidentally succeeded.

The most troublesome thing was that if this became public knowledge, it would inevitably cause panic. It would also give some people cause to be dissatisfied with the marshal.

This was still the best-case scenario. The other party was, ideally, a peace-loving citizen of the Empire. If they were truly criminals, that would be a real mess.

Jobs glanced cautiously at Francis, only to see the marshal frowning slightly as he stared at his laptop.

“This person’s Chinese sentences are strange.” Francis flipped his laptop screen so Joyce could see them.

The Empire had its own common language, but various languages ​​from the past were also preserved. The most widely studied were Chinese and English.

Francis wasn’t Chinese, but due to his position and various other reasons, he had learned a great deal about Chinese culture and language. So, seeing these messages, he could guess the meaning. However, he had never seen such a large number of typos from this Chinese person.

“Could he be deliberately disguising himself as Chinese to make our search and arrest more difficult?” Joyce’s Chinese was far inferior to Francis’s, making it difficult for him to understand these sentences.

“Probably not. This person is very confident. He doesn’t think we can find him.” Francis turned the screen back. “You go and rest first.”

“Yes, sir.” Joyce saluted and slowly left.

After watching him leave, Francis gazed at the words on the screen, lost in thought.

Chinese is the most complex and difficult ancient script to learn. Therefore, those studying Chinese in the Empire are extremely rigorous and rarely encounter such simple questions.

But Francis didn’t just learn a language; he also briefly studied the long history of China. Within such a long civilization, the evolution of language is astonishing.

The Empire’s most prestigious museums house a collection of ancient artifacts from Chinese history. Among them are completely different linguistic paradigms.

And no matter what language, it becomes flexible and vivid in real-life use. So…

Francis’s eyes darkened as he looked at the sentence on the screen. This person had deliberately misspelled these words to achieve a humorous, slangy effect. Translating it into the homophonic Chinese language, one could fully grasp his meaning.

The words “The Empire will end sooner or later” caught Francis’s eye, causing him to narrow his eyes.

[State your purpose.]

A full night had passed since the communications equipment was seized, and Francis was now vaguely certain that the other party was not an enemy.

In those ten or so hours, the military had completed all necessary adjustments and deployments, and the optimal opportunity had already been missed. If a war broke out, it might not be an easy one, but neither side would gain any advantage. This was Francis’s confidence.

So, after a peaceful night, Francis no longer felt the same anxiety as before, and he could even let Joyce go back to sleep.

But even so, he couldn’t leave this person alone. He had to be captured. If such a person couldn’t be used by the Empire, he would always be a security risk.

Francis pursed his lips, the skin at his jaw tensing, a distinct, cold arc.

The instant he sent the message, he received a reply. This time, the message was simple, clear, and easy to understand: a single word.

[You]

The light from the blue screen shone into Francis’s eyes. His deep pupils seemed to swallow the word, revealing a deep purpose.

[Me? What do you want?]

Quickly, without delay, the reply arrived.

[I want you… to join me in filing a complaint against this rubbish website. Thank you.]

This time, even Francis couldn’t understand what the person meant.

[What are you talking about?]

Just as he successfully sent the message, he saw Joyce’s call request come in. As soon as he answered, he heard the office door open and a woman’s voice rang out.

“Okay, Joyce, I know what you’re going to say.” Francis placed the makeshift laptop on the table and dimmed his own screen to hide its contents from the visitor.

“What are you thinking about, son?” a woman in an evening gown hurried in. “Why didn’t you answer my call? I’m so worried.”

Joyce followed her, slowly closing her mouth as she tried to explain to the marshal. “Your son is one of the most physically fit 3S warriors in the Empire. In these peaceful times, what are you worried about?”

Then the woman spoke her worries.

“Do you remember I told you about the banquet tonight? You must come with me right now, or you’ll be late! Do you really want to spend your whole life with these brats in the Legion?” The woman looked distressed. “You always say you don’t have anyone you like. How can you know if you like someone if you don’t even try? Stop standing there, come with me.”

Joyce stood behind the door, silently minimizing her presence.

Marshal Francis’ mother was one of the most beautiful women in the imperial capital at the time, and she and his father were deeply in love.

So whenever she saw her son alone, she felt deeply sad.

But… Joyce rolled his eyes inwardly. Their marshals were handsome, but what partner could tolerate such a stern attitude? It would be better to be with them. Of course, he certainly didn’t dare say this out loud.

Francis stood up from his seat, immediately showing off his height advantage, towering over everyone present. His uniform was held straight, wrinkle-free, and he walked out with long, slender legs.

“There’s still an hour until the next military meeting, Mother.”

The lady stepped forward, straddling his arm. “Call me Mommy. From now on, I’ll have the next hour of your life. Hurry. When I can see you living your own life like other mothers, I’ll be so happy.”

“I’m so happy if you live your own life well,” Francis smiled.

As they were talking, a message popped up.

[…Don’t be a fool, sir. Is your “personal device” still working? Are you just giving up without complaining?!]

But Francis didn’t notice.

—

After waiting for a long time for a reply, Shu Yang lay in bed and soon fell back asleep.

He had stayed up too late celebrating his birthday last night, and after being woken up early this morning by Chen Yi, he was still exhausted.

The few times he pulled all-nighters had left Shu Yang feeling this way, so much so that he began to worry that his physical fitness wasn’t really declining due to age.

After all, there’s always that internet rumor that “men go downhill after 25.” He couldn’t possibly be declining before he’d even experienced his peak, could he?

Shu Yang stared blankly, half asleep and half awake, as if he saw a pair of deep blue eyes, like the depths of the ocean, seemingly able to embrace everything.