Chapter 3: The Financial Crook
As Arica's top intelligence agency, the FBI suffers hacker intrusions from ti to ti, but being ridden roughshod over as they were today was a first.
Rage spread through the entire departnt.
Everyone was itching to find the despicable thief.
A Job Offer
In the Queens basent, Luke took out four hundred dollars and placed it on the table.
"Buy so decent clothes. Be at Show tomorrow morning at eight sharp. Don't be late."
Zacks stared blankly at the computer screen. Only when the door closed did he snap out of it, rushing to the computer Luke had used to check the data log.
The thousands of lines of source code ford a frawork he had never seen. The more he looked, the more astonished he beca. When he reached the last few lines, the screen suddenly went dark, and a white scythe pattern popped up.
"The Grim Reaper!"
Zacks was terrified.
The pattern flashed and vanished, all data was cleared, and the computer went into a blue screen error.
"It's over!"
Zacks slumped into the chair, clutching his hair in frustration.
The Grim Reaper was a legend in the hacking world. He burst onto the scene ten years ago, challenging the entire world single-handedly: putting up ducks on the UK governnt website, drawing won on the French site, drawing a backside on the Brazilian site, and leaving feces on the Italian site... The commotion at the ti was huge, mobilizing hackers from various countries who even ford a temporary alliance.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find the person's IP address. The only useful clue was the white scythe.
"Could he be the Grim Reaper?"
"No way. Ten years ago, that kid was six or seven at most. He wouldn't have even touched a computer."
"If he's not the Grim Reaper, why the white scythe?"
"Perhaps I should go and see what Show is all about."
Exiting the basent, Charlie couldn't help but ask,
"Boss, aren't you going to take the computers back?"
"They're a welcoming gift."
"What if he doesn't show up?"
Luke opened the car door and smiled. "He'll co."
Charlie shrugged as he took the driver's seat. He couldn't understand where his boss's confidence ca from, but dozens of tis in practice had proven that the boss was always right.
"Where to next?"
"Gotham!"
In Gotham City
In a dilapidated rented room on the outskirts of Gotham City.
Robert Downs sat dejectedly on the sofa, a liquor bottle dangling by his hand, his face flushed with alcohol—it was impossible to tell how much he'd had.
Looking at his down-and-out state, no one would guess he was the CEO of a publicly traded company.
Reality is always full of surprises.
A few years ago, Robert and his friends founded an investnt firm that provided financial services to the wealthy. Relying on years of accumulated connections and exceptional vision, the company quickly beca a leading figure in the industry.
After going public, money poured in, and Robert transford into a celebrated young entrepreneur.
As the saying goes, great fa draws envy, and in a place with Gotham City’s gentle customs, a rich man without a background is like a pure maiden without clothes.
Due to a financial dispute, he angered Falcone, Gotham City’s mob boss. After that, everything went wrong.
Extortion, blackmail, intimidation... all sorts of tactics erged endlessly. Robert only lasted two weeks before breaking down. The original partners couldn't tolerate the life of fear and left one after another.
The thriving company was suddenly left with no one to run it.
Robert was forced to file for bankruptcy and live like a vagrant.
The mont he pushed the door open, Luke wondered if he had co to the wrong place. The rundown, damp room didn't have a single decent piece of furniture, garbage was strewn everywhere, and the air was filled with a pungent sll of alcohol.
Luke pinched his nose and frowned.
"Are you sure he lives here?"
Charlie nodded. "The address on the email is this place."
"Alright!"
Luke tiptoed into the living room, sizing up the middle-aged man lying on the sofa several tis. He frowned.
"Robert Downs?"
He called a few tis with no response.
"Charlie, get a basin of water from the kitchen."
A basin of cold water splashed him, instantly waking the drunken man.
"Who are you? Who let you in? Get out, or I'll call the police!"
"If the police were any use, you wouldn't have fallen to this state."
Luke found a clean spot to sit down and said flatly, "Long ti no see, Mr. Downs."
Robert wiped the ice water off his face, his gaze hesitant. The young man in front of him was familiar.
"Luke Shaw?"
"You can recognize , so your brain isn't completely shot."
"What do you want with ?"
"I don't like talking to soone who reeks. Go take a shower in the bathroom. We'll talk in ten minutes."
Robert's face froze, slightly embarrassed. He used to be a respectable man and never thought he'd be talking to soone while wearing clothes he'd picked up from a trash can.
"Sorry, wait for ."
Robert quickly rushed into the bathroom.
Charlie surveyed the surroundings. The moldy cheese in the trash can and the piles of liquor bottles in the corner all made him feel uneasy.
"Boss, are you sure you want to hire a vagrant? He might even be a thief."
"That's not important. Skill is the key."
Ten minutes quickly passed, and Robert erged from the bathroom, having changed into a sowhat presentable T-shirt.
Luke didn't want to waste ti in this environnt and got straight to the point.
"Do you know Show?"
"Of course, it's on my key follow-up list."
After cleaning up, Robert seed to recall so of his forr mory, and his tone beca more composed.
"Tell your thoughts on it."
"Is this an interview?"
Luke nodded. "Show needs a Chief Financial Officer. You're a candidate."
When the words fell, Robert beca entirely excited, like a drowning man grasping at a final straw.
"Are you serious... you want to... hire ?"
"I said, a candidate."
"Alright!"
Robert took a breath, suppressing his excitent, and said word for word,
"Over the past few years, with the developnt of information technology, computers have beco commonplace. Many people have them, connecting to the internet to form a huge online platform—an undeveloped world. That's when your Show arrived, filling the void and pioneering a new market. If it develops well and establishes a monopoly, it can beco a new economic giant, like the Wayne family and the Luthor Corporation once were."
Luke inwardly praised him. As expected of a rising star in the financial world, his vision was certainly unique.
"You've ntioned all the advantages. What are the disadvantages?"
"The Capital Chain!"
Robert stared intently at Luke, hoping to see so confusion on that overly young face. Unfortunately, Luke remained calm from beginning to end, as if he had already understood everything.
"I've observed the Show operating model. It's a cutting-edge business operation. Traditional enterprises focus heavily on profit; without it, there's no survival value. Show is different. You use free access to attract users and occupy the market. As the scale grows, costs skyrocket, but profitability remains zero. To change this, you'd have to introduce paid services like subscriptions or ads, but doing so could easily push existing users to other social dia apps."
Luke nodded. "Well said. Continue."
Robert took a sip of water to clear his throat.
"To solve the capital chain problem without harming the company's future, operations and investnt beco the critical links. Good operations can seize market resources and prove the company's value. Then, you use that inherent value to negotiate with those financial groups and venture capital firms, ensuring you secure investnts without losing control of the company."
"I don't know much about the operations of an internet company, but capital operation is my strength. Give a chance, and I will prove my value."
Luke supported his chin, silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Robert swallowed, feeling vaguely nervous. Though the young man had a handso face, his deanor and conduct were nothing like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old kid. He was too composed, like an old fox who had weathered many seasons, whose thoughts were impossible to guess.
After a mont, Luke looked up and asked,
"How much money did you scam Falcone out of?"
Robert's cheek twitched violently. Resentnt and undisguised fear flashed in his eyes.
"To dare to earn the money of the Gotham boss, I must say, you have great nerve."
Luke rose to his feet.
"I like bold helpers. Let's go. Co with to tropolis. In six months, I'll help you resolve your debt issues."
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