Zhang Cai was in a very different digital world than the one that was causing panic in Horizon Tech's network. He was one of Liang Chen's close friends and a smart, observant person whose personal interests often led him to the more obscure parts of the tech world, including its dark side. He wasn't a hacker, but he knew people, had a good ear for new trends, and could find real talent among all the noise. He knew that Liang Chen was dealing with a constant cyber threat, and he had been subconsciously looking for anything unusual that might come up.
And something truly amazing had come up. People were talking about a new player called "Shadow Strike" in the digital underworld. At first, they were just whispering, then they were murmuring, and then they were talking about it in a shocked way. The story was always the same: an expert test that was known to be very hard and was meant to weed out everyone but the best of the best was passed in only a few seconds. People were saying things like "unprecedented," "impossible," and "a ghost in the machine." Zhang Cai, who was skeptical at first, saw the raw, undeniable talent that made these legends great. This wasn't just talk; it was real skill.
He made up his mind to call Liang Chen. "Hey, you sound like you're fighting a losing battle over there," Zhang Cai said, his voice showing some concern. Liang Chen, being the professional that he is, just grunted. Zhang Cai's tone changed to one of real interest as he said, "You might want to hear this." "There's a new name going around the underground: 'Shadow Strike.'No one knows who or what, but they just passed the expert test in three seconds. People are going crazy. People say he has unmatched talent.
Liang Chen, even though he was tired, felt a tingle of what could be called curiosity. He usually ignored such gossip, but Zhang Cai wasn't one to make things up. The speed at which Shadow Strike supposedly did what it did went against what most people would expect, especially since Horizon Tech's own breach was so bad. He acted skeptical on the outside, but on the inside, he was very interested. A "one-of-a-kind talent" who could solve the impossible in seconds? Liang Chen knew that the dire situation might require looking into these strange, almost mythical, solutions. He made a mental note to follow up, which was a distant, hopeful light in the dark times his company was going through.