The two directors led the way, and together with Xiao Luo and Ji Siying, they arrived at the Computing and IT Department a few minutes later. The department was located in a large hall that resembled the shared office space in large IT companies, and rows upon rows of desks were neatly positioned within a grid. As Xiao Luo stepped into the workspace, he could hear the clattering of keyboards as the engineers were busy working on their computers.

There were about a hundred or so personnel in the hall at that time, and they all had their eyes fixed on their screens, busy developing various programs.

“Siying, please inform the engineers I will need a moment of their time,” Gu Zhanguo said.

Ji Siying nodded and walked to the front of the hall. There was a low platform where presentations and briefings were conducted, and it was equipped with a large screen and audio-visual equipment; it was dubbed the “stage.” Ji Siying turned on the microphone and announced, “Everyone, can I have your attention, please. Director Gu has a few words to say, and there’s someone that he’d like to introduce to you. So, kindly stop your work for a moment. Thank you.”

One by one, their heads began to turn toward the stage, and on seeing their directors, Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu, the hundred or so engineers immediately stood up and saluted.

“There’s no need for formalities, please, you may all sit down,” Dongfang Shuoyu said, waving a hand.

With everyone seated, Dongfang Shuoyu smiled and glanced at Gu Zhanguo. “Well, Old Gu, are you going to do it, or shall I?”

“You do it.”

“Then, it’d be impolite of me to decline.”

Dongfang Shuoyu chuckled; it would be an honor to introduce Mie to these IT engineers. He looked at Xiao Luo and said, “Mr. Mie, could you please join me on stage.”

Xiao Luo sighed; the time had come to pay off the debt.

Dongfang Shuoyu cleared his throat before he spoke, “Comrades, you have all been raving about wanting to meet Mie and Bailing, am I correct? Unfortunately, Bailing in unable to be here for security reasons, but I’d like to introduce the person standing in front of you, this is Mie.”

Standing on stage, Dongfang Shuoyu could have passed for a VIP delivering a speech and presenting commendation awards to the students.

The entire hall was abuzz with murmurs as soon as Dongfang Shuoyu introduced Xiao Luo.

“What? He’s Mie?!”

“Oh my, how is this possible? Mie can’t actually be so young.”

“This is the same ‘Mie’ who fended off the cyber-attacks on the national virtual gateways and single-handedly turned the tide in our favor against foreign intruders?”

Everyone’s gaze was on Xiao Luo, and their faces were filled with shock and disbelief. For some time now, they had been speculating about how Mie actually looked like—some thought he’d be an enigmatic man dressed in black, and some others even imagined an older man, pale and sickly-looking, with a full beard. But none had ever guessed that Mie would be so young.

“Everyone, please be silent.”

The reaction of these engineers had been expected, and Dongfang Shuoyu inwardly enjoyed the rude shock they received. “I think the reason why Mie is here should be self-evident. He is here today to share his insights and also discuss his methodologies and techniques. I hope that you can all learn from this and enhance your knowledge and skills in this area.”

Gu Zhanguo nodded in support, for both he and Dongfang Shuoyu hoped to create more “Mie-clones” to improve the defense of the national virtual gateways and networks, making them impregnable to hostile intrusions by foreign forces in the future.

“Director Dongfang, is he really Mie?”

A bespectacled man in a gray shirt and asked, looking quizzically at Xiao Luo.

“Team Leader Zhou, are you doubting our NSA agents’ ability to do their jobs?” Dongfang Shuoyu replied in a stern and forbidding tone.

“I’m not questioning their abilities; I just feel that he’s too young, much younger than most of us. The level of computing and IT skills that we’re talking about cannot be acquired overnight; it takes experience and time to nurture. I really can’t believe that he is Mie.”

Another man stood up to voice his support for team leader Zhou, “I agree with the team leader; he’s too young—he can’t be more than 25 or 26 years old, how can this man be Mie!”

Gu Zhanguo snickered to himself, wondering how shocked these engineers would be if they knew that Bailing was only in her early twenties. Wouldn’t they be so ashamed that they’d be looking for a place to bury their heads?

Of course, he was well aware why these people doubted that Xiao Luo was Mie—it was because to be challenged by one much younger to themselves was a slight to their dignity.

Each of them prided themselves as experts in their specific computing and IT technology fields, the best the country had to offer. And yet, the enigmatic Mie outdid the entire force of elite engineers during the last cyber-attack crisis. How could they accept that a man ten years younger saved the day and reduced them to mere spectators? That would be disgraceful.

So, it seems these engineers want to redeem their dignity, and that is a good thing!

Gu Zhanguo now walked up to the mic to address the assembly and said, “Who else questions Mr. Xiao’s identity as Mie? Stand up, let me see how many there are.”

One after another, the engineers hesitantly stood up, and they were mostly male engineers, aged around forty years old. If Mie was indeed a man much younger to them, it would insult each of them. And it’d a particularly painful one at that, as they were national-level IT experts, selected from all over the country through a rigorous screening process before being accepted by the NSA.

It was an honor to be in such an elite outfit, but now that their reputation was being trampled upon, they would naturally close ranks to defend it.

Gu Zhanguo smiled and said, “Hmm, I didn’t expect there to be quite this number, more than half of you here challenge Mie’s identity.”

“Director Gu, we are defending our honor!”

The team leader, Zhou, lifted his chin and responded, “Please give us a chance to prove ourselves, Director Gu.”

“A chance to prove yourselves?” Gu Zhanguo thought he had misheard the man.

“Yes.”

The team leader glanced at Xiao Luo, who had remained silent since arriving on stage, and he didn’t hide the hostility in his eyes. “And this also gives him a chance to prove that he’s Mie,” the team leader said, pointing at Xiao Luo.

“Zhou Yuhang, what are you saying? Why are you jumping to conclusions when you’ve not even heard the man, where’s your discipline?!” Dongfang Shuoyu roared.

Gu Zhanguo waved his hand and gestured for Dongfang Shuoyu to stand down. He then turned to Zhou Yuhang and said, “Team Leader Zhou, how do you want to prove it?”

“It’s straightforward, five minutes of defense building, once the five minutes is up, we commence to attack each other. If this man is Mie, then he will be able to withstand our attack. Please give us a chance to prove our point, Director Gu,” Zhou Yuhang replied.

“Please give us a chance, Director Gu!”

The others urged their director in one reverberating voice, which echoed across the hall. Although they were civilian personnel serving in the NSA, they had received systematic training and had adopted the strict military discipline of a soldier.

Gu Zhanguo looked at Xiao Luo. “Mie, what do you think?”

“I don’t mind.” Xiao Luo shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay, Team Leader Zhou, I’ll give you all a chance to prove yourselves, but I must tell you that this may not turn out to be the opportunity you seek, but humiliation at your own request,” Gu Zhanguo said.

“Thank you, Director Gu, if it’s proven that he is Mie, we will apologize for questioning him. But, if he is not Mie, I hope that you severely punish the NSA agents who got his identity wrong, as it is a slight to our dignity.”

Although Zhou Yuhang was responding to Gu Zhanguo, his eyes were fixed on Xiao Luo. He refused to accept that Mie could be a person more than ten years younger than him. It was like someone telling him that his high school teacher was a kid from grade school.

How could he accept that?

…