Chapter 495: The Strange Computer

That day, I held a small meeting with a few of my associates near Hangzhou and briefed them on everything. At four in the afternoon, I lay back on the bed and soon fell asleep again. When I woke up, it was around midnight. I couldn't fall back asleep, so I went out to the balcony of Third Uncle's place and smoked a few cigarettes facing the gray, overcast sky of Hangzhou.

When I started feeling uncomfortable from the cold and was about to go back inside for a coat, I suddenly noticed something unusual in the room.

I had turned off the lights in the room, so it should have been pitch black. But when I went back, I noticed a particularly eerie glow coming from a corner of the room.

It wasn't lamplight or firelight, but a ghastly, cold fluorescent glow.

I was taken aback. Looking closer, I suddenly saw that the computer on Third Uncle's desk had lit up.

I frowned, wondering, when had it been turned on? I had definitely shut it down after using it. How had it suddenly turned on? Could there be a malfunction? So I walked over to the desk and sat down, and saw that the computer screen was blank except for a small notification bubble in the lower right corner.

"You have one new email."

I looked around, even more puzzled, and considered several possibilities: First, that the computer had been turned on in the afternoon by some of my associates, perhaps without my knowledge. What were they up to?

That didn't worry me—Third Uncle's computer was completely blank anyway. No matter why the associate turned it on, he wouldn't find anything.

The second possibility was that the computer had never been turned off but was in a sleep state from which the motherboard could wake it. But the strangest thing was that this computer definitely wasn't connected to the internet—so where did the email come from? Did Third Uncle even know how to use email?

I sat down at the computer, moved the old mouse, and clicked on the bubble. Instantly, the email window popped up.

I looked—it wasn't some automatic notification from a Windows email program, but a real email sent from another address.

The email contained only one sentence:

"You're finally back. How is the plan going?"

I sat in front of the computer, staring at that sentence, completely stunned for a full half hour.

That sentence set my mind racing; I turned over every possibility. First of all: Third Uncle actually had a secret email account.

I knew Third Uncle could use a computer, but I didn't know to what extent; I thought he was probably no better than my dad. And on a system running Windows 2000,

setting up email software was a fairly advanced skill, especially for an old-timer like him. Had someone set it up for him? But the core issue was that this computer was only used for e-ledgers; I had never known it could access the internet.

Apparently, it could connect to the internet.

Apparently, he had hidden that fact.

Second, there was actually someone corresponding with Third Uncle via email. Even if nothing else were happening, I would be curious who this person was. From the simple one-sentence email, this person and Third Uncle were clearly very familiar—there was no salutation, no signature. Just one sentence straight to the point.

Moreover, the question he asked contained the word "plan."

From everything I knew so far, I knew Third Uncle indeed had a plan, one that involved every aspect. It was this plan that allowed the Old Nine Gates to break free from powerful control and caused everything, even that seemingly invincible "It," to fall apart.

For this plan, the Wu family had sacrificed nearly three generations—of course, the third generation, me, was more like suicide—and Third Uncle would never allow the plan to stop at ninety percent completion. He had to see it through one hundred percent, leaving no chance for any reversal.

Could this be related to the plan I had heard about? Did this email come from someone very crucial? I checked the email software; there were no other emails in the mailbox, only this one.

If this computer could go online, that situation wouldn't happen. Third Uncle must have deleted all previous emails, which showed he took the correspondence from this mailbox very seriously.

Suddenly I felt there was hope; these developments were truly unexpected.

I had to reply to this email. The message was too short; I needed more information to make further judgments.

How should I reply? I lit a cigarette, stared at the email for a long time, and typed this reply: "There's been a change in the plan. Some information is unclear. I'll give you details tomorrow. How are things on your end?"

I pressed the reply button. The email was sent instantly. I leaned back in the chair, waiting for his reply, tapping my fingers on the desk. I knew that under normal circumstances, someone who sends a query like that wouldn't leave the computer; a reply should come quickly.

Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, another bubble appeared in the lower right corner of the monitor.

I immediately clicked on it:

"I'm fine." The three characters flickered on the screen, nothing more.

I put the cigarette in my mouth, thinking about what to send next, but suddenly pulled my hand back.

I had given two pieces of information: first, that I would email him again tomorrow; second, I asked about his situation.

He only replied to one point, and very briefly.

Given Third Uncle's cautious habits, were they used to this kind of extremely concise communication? If I sent another email, would it feel out of place and make him suspect something was off?

I stared at those three words for a long time. I definitely couldn't reply again. To be safe, it was better to send him another email tomorrow. After all, there were only a few hours until tomorrow; I might as well use that time to think about how to fish for information, since I couldn't sleep anyway.

I stood up and paced back and forth in the room. All the calm thoughts from before vanished, and I was instantly back to my original state of anxiety.

I stood up, pacing back and forth in the room. All the calm thoughts I had before completely disappeared, and I suddenly returned to that initial state of anxiety.

I almost scorned myself. After pondering for a long time, I realized that the email I sent back had been written incorrectly.

There have been changes in the plan; some information is unclear. I'll give you the detailed news tomorrow. How are things on your end?

That means my email tomorrow must involve the content of the plan, but I have no idea what the plan is—actually I do know it, but my level of understanding is completely different from Third Uncle's. It's impossible for me to know what Third Uncle knows. So even if I can mention some content from the plan, the other side will likely find it off.

For example, the real plan might be that the US is fully prepared to attack Iraq, but the email I sent to the US might still be saying that I think our plan to attack Iraq is feasible.

I went to the balcony and continued smoking. Several plans came to mind. First, before the other party notices, I'd better find out where they are. According to my friend, this should be possible by checking the email address. However, even if I call my friend over, he won't get here until tomorrow evening.

Therefore, I absolutely must not send tomorrow's email too early, otherwise once the other party detects a problem, they'll leave immediately, and I'll make the same mistake I often made before.

The degree of caution of the people in this game is beyond my imagination. The ghost shadow at Banai back then could do so many astonishing things just by observing a few of our actions—that proves it. To prevent their plan from being exposed, they absolutely would not take any risks, and there is no such thing as mere suspicion. Once they sense anything off, they immediately take the most decisive countermeasures.

But after careful thought, I don't think replying immediately was a mistake, nor do I think my reply was wrong, because his email at that time also couldn't be answered without involving the plan's content. So by replying this way, I actually bought myself more time.

So, what if I can't find the other party?

Actually, I know the most basic trick. Having matched wits and courage with these people so many times, I know that the simplest method is to tell this person that something serious has happened here, to make it sound extremely urgent, and maybe that will force him out.

But if the other party is an extremely cautious person, they might simply disappear. So I can't use this move until the very end. What's more, if Third Uncle and the other party have some kind of understanding, and the other party thinks Third Uncle's situation has collapsed and wants to have him killed, wouldn't I be the one inviting disaster?

I smoked all the cigarettes I had on me, but still couldn't come up with any solution, so I had to go back.

When I went back, I suddenly saw that the computer screen was lit again. I couldn't help but jump—it had been dark just a moment ago.

I immediately walked over and found another email.

Get some rest early. We still have a long road ahead. Don't keep exposing yourself to the wind.

I glanced at the balcony and suddenly felt a jolt.

Holy crap, he can see me!

My first reaction was actually to quickly pull the curtains, but then I thought that was wrong and immediately suppressed myself. I sat on the stool for almost three minutes before calming down that stunned reaction.

It seems this person's relationship with Third Uncle is more complicated than I thought. And judging by this person's tone, I guess this person is either writing to Third Uncle with a lover's mindset, or with that of an elder or older brother.

I replied: Got it. Let's encourage each other.

After sending it, I immediately went back to my room, closed the door, took out my own phone, and quickly sent a text message to my friend.

I had a premonition; I could even guess who this person might be.

If it's what I suspect, then what happens next will completely exceed my expectations, and everyone's fate will take a turn.