Chapter 112: The Action Begins (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Something's happened!

Sun Cheng immediately realized that something must have happened on the other side!

After shouting continuously for more than ten times without getting a response from the other side, Kiel Boye also quickly realized the problem.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Hammond. I must go and see what's happening..." he said to the equally worried-looking Hammond with a serious expression on his face. "This could be the worst case scenario..."

Kiel Boye glanced at his watch and then looked outside the research center at the dark sky approaching due to the heavy rain, waiting for Hammond's approval.

The sudden loss of contact and the brief gunshot heard from the other end of the radio communicator made the elderly Hammond aware of the seriousness of the situation.

Since he had also lost contact with his grandson and granddaughter, the elderly businessman was visibly worried, his trembling lips giving him instructions or rather pleading, "Kiel, I'm begging you. Please ensure everyone's safety!"

Kiel Boye nodded heavily and then ignored him, picking up the radio communicator and twisting it to a certain frequency. He said, "This is Kiel Boye, coming to Firth. Get your people ready with weapons. Hatch has lost contact..."

"Understood, sir!"

He quickly put away the radio communicator, nodded slightly to Hammond, and then walked out of the research center without looking back, disappearing into the wind and rain.

Another incident occurred, and although Master Hammond tried to conceal it, the atmosphere at the banquet was noticeably less cheerful. Even the guests who approached him to discuss business matters were met with resistance.

After several attempts, most people present sensed that something was amiss. The banquet quickly ended, and Hammond summoned several security personnel to drive everyone back to the villa.

Upon returning to his lodging, Sun Cheng declined the invitation from the other two venture capitalists to stay in the same villa and went straight to his room, locking the door.

He closed the curtains, leaving only a small gap in the window. Sun Cheng walked to the window and looked outside through the crack, observing the howling strong winds and heavy rain. After a while, he finally reacted!

"How did it go?"

Suppressing his excitement, he asked nervously.

As Sun Cheng's voice sounded, the screen of the ultrathin notebook that had been quietly sitting on the bedside table suddenly lit up, accompanied by a cold electronic sound. "Utilizing the discovered vulnerabilities, a total of 67,492 bitcoins were obtained and sold on 114 trading platforms, taking 69 hours, 47 minutes, and 52 seconds, with an average transaction price of $1,892.74. The funds obtained are currently being laundered through international bank transfers into designated stock markets of four countries..."

The second transaction with the vulnerability acquisition platform Zerodium had already been completed on the night before his birthday.

These two transactions brought Sun Cheng a profit of $470,000, which was not a small return. However, compared to his upcoming major move in the real world, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Although the package of diamonds and jewelry worth millions of dollars unexpectedly brought back from the other world was impressive, it was not easy for Sun Cheng to sell them in reality. While he could use some online channels to create fake receipts and purchase certificates, it would undoubtedly consume a lot of time and still carry significant risks. If someone were to investigate, his true identity could easily be exposed.

After considering it for a long time, he finally made the decision to take them abroad for sale.

However, the jewelry brought back from the other world could not be sold, and Sun Cheng was also troubled by the fact that he wanted to achieve similar results in the real world. With the assistance of Safeguard and Revenge, he indeed had many means to make money in reality, but they were all illegal methods that couldn't see the light of day.

After careful consideration, Sun Cheng devised a new plan to raise money from the internet using Safeguard's hacking abilities, with his target squarely set on Bitcoin, the king of virtual currencies.

The reason for targeting virtual currencies instead of directly exploiting loopholes in banks was that even a loss of a few hundred dollars could potentially cause a major news story. After all, it concerned a country's financial security, and it would undoubtedly be investigated. Moreover, Safeguard and Revenge were vastly different from his Frenzy mechanical body in the other world, and Sun Cheng was afraid of leaving any traces.

In comparison, virtual currencies were much safer. Even if a big fuss was made, it would be considered a hacker issue in the eyes of the media, attracting significantly less social and public attention than a bank incident.

Moreover, Bitcoin's scale was quite substantial. As the world's most robust virtual currency, the global Bitcoin market had a size of nearly $20 billion.

Sun Cheng was not unfamiliar with Bitcoin. As one of China's top engineering universities, there were many students at South University of Technology who dabbled in Bitcoin. Some made a small fortune, but most ended up with nothing, which also introduced him to Bitcoin.

As a virtual currency written in code, Bitcoin was nothing more than a concept driven by speculation. It had never been a synonym for security, and in recent years, there had been a plethora of news about Bitcoin vulnerabilities and gray market transactions.

So, after Sun Cheng decided to make money by any means necessary, he immediately set his sights on Bitcoin.

After roughly estimating the earnings, a smile couldn't help but appear on Sun Cheng's face. "Well done," he said, not sparing his own praise.

In the end, he was still influenced by the real world and didn't dare to be as reckless as he was in the other world.

Even though Safeguard had discovered some vulnerabilities in Bitcoin, Sun Cheng merely had it control thousands of registered accounts, with each account receiving dozens of bitcoins. Even if the major platforms discovered it later, it would only expose those vulnerabilities. Further investigation would likely be hindered, just like usual.

With over $100 million in funds deposited, there was no doubt that once he finished dealing with the matters on Nubra Island and returned home, he could immediately expand his business in the real world.

However, this moment of joy disappeared from Sun Cheng's face as soon as he remembered the events that occurred on the island today.

"The situation on the island can't be delayed either. Safeguard, prepare to take action..."

"Yes!"

As he gave the calm command, Safeguard transformed from a wriggling mass into a fierce Decepticon in the form of an insect.

"Hammond should be staying at the research center. Go and bring me the amber from Hammond's cane and copy all the possible data stored in the research center. Try not to expose yourself!"

"Yes, master!"

After Safeguard responded with its cold electronic voice, Sun Cheng opened the window, revealing a gap large enough for it to enter and exit.

The moment the window opened, a howling wind mixed with water vapor poured into the room, quickly wetting his clothes.

Safeguard, with a body resembling a fly, had a pair of thin metal wings. Although it was a reconnaissance Decepticon, it also possessed the ability to fly. However, in the strong winds brought by the downpour, it was no better than human aircraft.

After spreading its wings and flying out of the room, Sun Cheng clearly saw its mechanical body skimming the ground and quickly disappearing into the night.

"Master..."

A few minutes after Safeguard disappeared, Revenge, who had maintained the form of a camera, suddenly transformed back into its insect form and flew to Sun Cheng's side. "The pinhole camera I placed in the villa just captured this scene..."

It projected a set of images in front of Sun Cheng, clearly recording an agile figure. After scanning the surroundings for a moment, the figure quietly left the villa and disappeared into the night.

Sun Cheng narrowed his eyes as he looked closely. "It's her!"

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 113: Rainstorm Night