Chapter 240: Chen Jianguo Co-Develops Technology – Birth of Anti-Quantum Encryption

Zhao Jianguo stared at the progress bar stuck at 68% on the Tablet, his finger unmoving. He was just about to open the system log when the Screen flickered, and blue light spread from the corner.

A silhouette slowly appeared in the center of the Laboratory, wearing a white lab coat, hair meticulously combed, and still holding a pen between the fingers.

"You finally found me," Chen Jianguo said.

Zhao Jianguo looked up, "I know you shouldn't be here now, but this can't wait."

"The anti-quantum encryption issue?" Chen Jianguo walked to the Main Control Console, glanced at the running module, "You've already reached the threshold, but you're missing a key."

"What we're missing is the whole lock," Zhao Jianguo called Jia Dongxu in, "Old Jia, stop standing there, meet an old acquaintance."

Jia Dongxu took off his glasses, wiped them, and when he put them back, saw the Projection hunched over a data panel. "Is this... real or recorded?"

"It has more functions than a real person," Chen Jianguo smiled, "It can stay up all night without needing a Meal Ticket."

The three sat down. Zhao Jianguo opened the contingency document; the page displayed "Core algorithm not loaded," and the red alert kept flashing.

"Current encryption can't last more than ten minutes against a quantum computer," Chen Jianguo pulled up a schematic, "We need to change the foundation. It's not a patch job; we must redefine the key generation logic."

"How do we do it?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Use physical noise as the seed," Chen Jianguo pointed at Jia Dongxu, "The lithography Crystals you previously made each have nanometer-scale tiny deviations; those aren't waste, they're treasures."

Jia Dongxu was startled, "You mean using manufacturing errors as a random source?"

"Correct," Chen Jianguo nodded, "The more precise the machine, the less predictable the error. Extract those data, process them with a triple chaotic function, and you can generate truly irregular keys."

"Sounds like a dream," Zhao Jianguo leaned against the Chair back, "But we have to live that dream right now."

"Then let's start," Chen Jianguo drew an interface in the air, "Zhao Jianguo, you handle system integration and resource scheduling; Jia Dongxu, compile the lithography parameters from the past three months, I need the raw Data Stream; I'll build the framework."

The first night passed, and none of the three slept. Zhao Jianguo brewed three cups of strong tea and placed them on the table; the cups were still hot.

At noon the next day, the algorithm model took shape. The test program ran once, and an error alert popped up: key periodic repetition.

"There's a problem," Jia Dongxu frowned, "Although the randomness is high, a similar sequence appears every 12,000 iterations."

"If someone targeted by a side-channel attack spots it, it's over," Zhao Jianguo hammered the keyboard, deleting part of the code, "Start over."

Chen Jianguo said nothing, pulled up another set of formulas. He changed the original double-layer mapping to triple-layer and introduced a dynamic perturbation factor.

"This time we'll sample using tunneling effect," he said, "The probability of an electron tunneling through a potential barrier is inherently quantum, it can't be reproduced."

At 2 a. m. on the third day, the new version was ready. They encrypted a piece of ordinary text and then attempted to decode it.

It succeeded.

The error rate was zero, taking seventeen seconds. The simulated quantum cracking program ran for six hours and still couldn't recover the original content.

"Done?" Jia Dongxu rubbed his eyes.

"Almost," Chen Jianguo said, looking at the Screen, "It can be optimized, but it's sufficient for now."

As soon as the words finished, his figure flickered, like a TV picture with an unstable signal.

"Time's up?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Almost," Chen Jianguo looked down at his hand, "Each cross-temporal link has a limit. I don't have much time left."

"Could you stay a bit longer?" Jia Dongxu pressed, "There are many details to confirm."

"No need," Chen Jianguo shook his head, "You already know the way. I'll leave a path map stored in the system's deepest layer, auto-unlocking every five years until twenty years have passed."

He raised his hand and tapped three times in the air. An encrypted channel opened, and the file slowly injected into the core database.

"Additionally, I grant you three Emergency Wake Permission uses," he told Zhao Jianguo, "If a major threat arises, you can use my residual signal to restart the link. Don't waste it."

"Understood," Zhao Jianguo nodded.

"One final sentence," Chen Jianguo's figure grew increasingly faint, "This technology can safeguard information security for twenty years."

The light points began to dissipate, fading upward from his feet.

"What about after twenty years?" Jia Dongxu blurted.

"At that time..." the voice grew softer, "It will have to rely on the children you bear yourselves."

The last strand of blue light extinguished.

The Laboratory fell silent.

A few seconds later, the system popped up a notice: 【Cross-Temporal Collaboration Complete, granting the title "Temporal Friendly Unit"】

Zhao Jianguo ignored the message, turned to check the encrypted channel status. Green ripples pulsed steadily, like rhythmic breathing.

"Really done?" Jia Dongxu leaned on the Chair, the pen in his hand falling onto the table.

"Done," Zhao Jianguo picked up the water cup and took a sip; the tea had long gone cold.

The two exchanged a glance and smiled.

At that moment, the main Screen suddenly displayed a new notice: 【External scan request detected, anti-quantum protection protocol automatically activated】

The IP address was frozen instantly, the source marked as an overseas relay node.

"Someone tested the waters that quickly?" Zhao Jianguo opened the log, "The action was quite urgent."

"In the past, this kind of attack could slip through the firewall and loop three times," Jia Dongxu leaned over to look, "Now it can't even touch the gate."

"Then let it collide a few more times," Zhao Jianguo set up an automatic countermeasure rule, "Each probe records a fingerprint; collect enough and it's a nice gift."

As they spoke, the system chimed again.

【Anti-Quantum Encryption firmware package generation complete, deploy to all network terminals?】

Zhao Jianguo clicked Confirm.

The progress bar climbed from zero, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu... each city node lit up in turn.

"What about the APP side?" Jia Dongxu asked.

"Push the upgrade notice out, just say 'Added a bodyguard'," Zhao Jianguo typed back to He Yushui, "Tell her to write the announcement without being too technical, just say that anyone who wants to hack us must first win the next ten years of technology."

Jia Dongxu laughed out loud, "She'll definitely add an emoji."

"Let her," Zhao Jianguo stretched lazily, his shoulder cracking.

The two were silent for a moment.

"You say Chen Jianguo really came from the future?" Dong Xu suddenly asked.

"I don't know." Zhao Jianguo looked at the empty Projection area, "but what he said and did seemed real."

"Then why is he helping us?"

"Maybe..." Zhao Jianguo paused, "he also lived in a Siheyuan."

Jia Dongxu didn't ask again.

Outside the window the sky grew faintly light, sunlight fell on half the desk.

Zhao Jianguo got up, stretched his neck, and found Jia Dongxu already slumped over the desk asleep, mouth slightly open, hand still clutching a sheet of scratch paper covered in formulas.

He walked over, gently pulled the paper out, and covered his back with it.

The main screen was still running, green characters scrolling continuously, the number of newly connected Terminals kept increasing.

Zhao Jianguo sat down, opened his personal log, and typed a line: Today, we built a wall.

Not yet saved, the system reminded again: 【Detected high-intensity quantum simulation attack attempt, protective protocol responding】

He placed his hand on the Enter key.

His finger fell down.