Chapter 24

Returning to the dormitory again, Sun Cheng felt icy all over, as if he had just emerged from an ice cave.

There were three hundred-yuan bills extra in his pocket; the fourth brother had shoved them into his hand, likely knowing he truly had no money left on him now.

This small bit of care made Sun Cheng feel a warmth in his heart, yet unfortunately, it still could not resolve the bone-chilling cold that permeated his soul.

Sun Cheng was now absolutely certain that he had been set up, and in all likelihood, it was a knife in the back from someone he had always considered a brother.

His experiences in the other world had not only broadened his horizons but had also matured his mindset significantly.

Otherwise, had this happened a week ago, Sun Cheng couldn't help but think he might have foolishly blocked the door to confront Liu Kun directly.

Closing the door, he poured himself a glass of water, carried it back to the computer, and sat down quietly.

He needed to calm down now and, while he was at it, organize his thoughts.

Although he was still not quite clear on the details, everything now pointed in a very clear direction.

Someone had set a trap for him, and Liu Kun was likely just a helper; Sun Cheng had known him for several years, after all, and he did not believe this guy's acting skills could be so superb as to deceive him from their first meeting until now.

With this deduction, the result became quite interesting.

Sun Cheng still had some self-awareness; in previous years, he had indeed relied on a solid foundation to stand out from millions of examinees and get admitted into Nandu University of Technology, one of the top science and engineering institutions in the country.

But with his aptitude and talent, placed inside Nandu University of Technology where little monsters gathered and geniuses ran rampant, he did not appear all that outstanding.

At the very least, Nandu University of Technology set aside millions in scholarships every year to encourage students to excel, but since entering the school, apart from a stroke of luck in his sophomore year, he had been fated to have nothing to do with scholarships ever since.

It could be said that before his startup project, Sun Cheng could only be considered an inconspicuous one among the thousands of seniors facing graduation at this school.

Then, who exactly had set their sights on him?

And for what reason did they target him?

This was indeed a baffling question!

If one were to say someone had devious designs on his startup project, ever since Nandu University of Technology introduced the University Entrepreneurship Incubation Plan, there were at least eighty, if not a hundred, various startups sponsored by the school every year; their batch alone had over one hundred and thirty, among which there was no shortage of projects like Voice Control Voice, Shared Bicycles, and In-vehicle System, which looked promising just by their names.

By comparison, although their mobile system simulator was less difficult, its appeal was also several orders of magnitude lower.

The more he thought, the less he could grasp the thread; after burning some brain cells for a while, Sun Cheng had to stop this futile effort and turned on the computer screen.

Before going out, in order to finish downloading the iOS system, he had left the computer on and kept the Task running.

The result was quite satisfactory; although the download speed of the campus network was a bit trashy, the long duration had allowed him to download the latest version of the iOS system.

In the afternoon, Sun Cheng had already gone online to look up some guides, so before he went out, along with the iOS system, virtual machines and several detection software programs had been added to the download Task.

Thus, after installing and loading the software, he learned while watching, as his foundation was too poor; thanks to the ability inherited from Frenzy, he didn't spend much effort before he quickly got the hang of it and started tinkering.

"Hmm, this can't be wrong, the vulnerability hasn't been discovered yet..."

"When running the XX program, there is still a certain probability of causing the a9 Processor to overheat..."

"The XX vulnerability still exists; if controlled by someone, it can remotely make continuous emergency calls..."

Constantly comparing these iOS system vulnerabilities in his memory, Sun Cheng identified them line by line, and soon he determined with a joyful face that all the vulnerabilities he had inadvertently cracked while using the Frenzy body in the other world were true, and more than eighty percent of them had not yet been fixed by Apple in the latest version of the iOS system, and it was very likely they had not yet been discovered.

This meant that the money-raising plan he was pinning his hopes on was feasible.

He hurriedly went online to check Apple's vulnerability bounty, but Sun Cheng was quickly disappointed.

Apple was undoubtedly stingy; although the announced vulnerability bounty targeted 5 categories of vulnerabilities, discovering a vulnerability in the firewall that prevents unauthorized programs from starting would be rewarded with a maximum of 200,000 USD. Other reward categories included: discovering vulnerabilities that leak confidential information from SecureEnclave, with a maximum reward of 100,000 USD; vulnerabilities accessing Apple Server iCloud accounts, with a maximum reward of 50,000 USD; and vulnerabilities accessing user data outside the security sandbox, with a maximum reward of 25,000 USD.

Of course, this was just a statement; getting half of that in the end would be considered high.

Glancing at his harvest, among the vulnerabilities Sun Cheng had detected, only three could fetch a high price; the other vulnerabilities could at most be exchanged for a reward of 50-300 USD from Apple, which was pitifully low.

By comparison, he had specifically browsed the vulnerability acquisition platform Zerodium in the afternoon, and the major vulnerability bounties offered there were 2.5 times higher than Apple's.

Calculating in his heart for a while, Sun Cheng soon had a plan; he prepared to sell some of the high-risk vulnerabilities he had found to Zerodium in batches, while throwing the small vulnerabilities that Zerodium didn't care much about to Apple to earn some reputation and hard-earned money.

Thinking it, he did it; he soon packed a portion of the vulnerability code he had discovered into two folders, leaving complete verification steps for a few of the less serious vulnerabilities, while for the high-risk ones, he only marked the names, not only leaving out the most critical verification steps but not even marking where the vulnerabilities were, and then submitted them to Zerodium's official email address.

After finishing these, he immediately used his own Apple account to send an email to Apple's official address as well.

The rest was waiting for these two companies to take the initiative to contact him.

It took a full hour to finish all this; Sun Cheng hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief after getting it done when he suddenly heard a knock on the dormitory door, and immediately a strange, resonant male voice rang out, "Is student Sun Cheng in?"

Sun Cheng used to be quite popular, but after he started borrowing money everywhere for his startup, his friends began to dwindle, and those who dared to come looking for him actively now, apart from those urging him to repay his debts, were likely just those few people from his original dormitory.

This voice was somewhat unfamiliar; he recalled carefully for a while but couldn't remember who it was, so he figured it definitely wasn't an acquaintance.

Assuming it was someone from a nearby dormitory coming to borrow something, Sun Cheng responded, closed the browser, and walked over to open the door.

At the doorway stood two young men, one tall and one thin, who didn't look much older than him.

Sun Cheng found them unfamiliar, and after looking them over carefully for a few moments, he asked, "Who are you?"

"It's not convenient to talk outside; let's go in and talk!"

The slightly shorter young man looked quite kind, with a beaming smile on his face, but as soon as he spoke, Sun Cheng's brows furrowed; not to mention that when his eyes looked at him, it was as if he were looking at prey, just his tone of being used to ordering others around and his attitude of a master made him feel very uncomfortable.

Before Sun Cheng could answer, the taller and sturdier one of the two squeezed into the room without a word.

He felt even more dissatisfied, and his tone changed accordingly, "Don't be in such a hurry to enter the room, you two. We are strangers, so it's better to ask clearly first. Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Heh!"

The short young man chuckled, and only after entering the room did he stand still; the tall and sturdy man behind him then closed the door, and only then did he hear him say, "I was thinking of student Sun Cheng just now. My name is Xiao Hong; friends who give me face call me 'Young Master Hong'. Student Sun Cheng might not know me, but you should know 'Student Loan', right?"

After speaking, he gave the tall and sturdy man next to him a look, and that guy immediately poured out several IOUs and photocopies of ID cards from the document bag in his hand.

Student Loan was precisely the Campus Loan from which Sun Cheng had incurred quite a bit of debt.

So, upon hearing the man who called himself Young Master Hong mention it, his eyes couldn't help but narrow, "I wondered who it was; so it's Young Master Hong. Excuse my rudeness, but I don't know what made you think of coming to my doghouse today. Could it be that you came over to chat with me?"

As for the debts, he really wasn't very worried.

Although Sun Cheng had been in a hurry to borrow money before, he did have some brains after all; he had carefully checked every IOU to ensure there were no predatory clauses before signing, and the principal that needed to be repaid the fastest was two months away, and by then, he obviously wouldn't be short of that little bit of money.

As for the interest, he had just paid it not long ago, otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to have no money for food even before the middle of the month.

"Heh..." Xiao Hong looked him up and down with interest for a while and said with a fake smile, "Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint student Sun Cheng; in fact, we are here to collect debts!"

"Repaying debts is of course a matter of course, but it must be done according to the contract!"

Sun Cheng looked at him with a calm expression, and no emotional fluctuation could be seen on his face, "The principal repayment for my 'Student Loan' with you is still two months away, and the interest was also transferred last week according to the contract."

"Good, well said!"

Xiao Hong smiled and clapped his hands, yet the look in his eyes held even more mockery. "Nowadays, the legal system of our Republic of China is flourishing; contracts signed must naturally be honored! However, we are acting precisely in accordance with the contract!"

He took a photocopied contract from his tall, sturdy companion and handed it over. Sun Cheng took it and saw it was the contract he had signed when he took out a startup loan under the name of a startup project with "Student Loan."

His brow furrowed slightly. After taking it, he didn't even flip through it, but stared straight at Xiao Hong: "What do you mean by this? I still have ten months before I need to repay the principal on my startup loan, and as for the interest, I already transferred this month's interest to you all together last week!"

"I heard your startup has ended!"

Xiao Hong no longer bothered to hide the sarcasm in his eyes, and his voice even sharpened. "It seems Student Sun Cheng hasn't read the contract carefully. According to Article 2.1.1 of the contract's appendix, when the borrower cannot guarantee the continued operation of the project, for the sake of our legitimate rights and interests, we have the right to demand that the borrower repay the principal in advance!"

"Therefore, we at 'Student Loan' have decided to terminate this loan agreement with Student Sun Cheng early. Now, please return the 50,000 yuan principal!"

After speaking, without needing a signal from Xiao Hong, the tall, sturdy man beside him sneered, clenched his fists, and cracked his knuckles with a series of pops as he pressed forward, clearly intending to treat Sun Cheng to a beating if he didn't pay up.

Sun Cheng's eyes narrowed; he finally remembered that there was indeed such a clause in the contract he had signed back then.

However, though his heart was filled with annoyance, not a trace of panic appeared on Sun Cheng's face.

He crossed his arms over his chest, sneered, and mocked without reservation: "Oh, your information is quite up-to-date, isn't it? I only made the announcement this morning, and you've already come knocking tonight. Your methods are truly something. The surveillance Trojan on my computer was installed by you, right?"

By deliberately mentioning the Trojan, Sun Cheng indeed saw a flicker in Xiao Hong's eyes.

Unfortunately, this guy was also cunning; no trace of unnaturalness could be seen on his face. Instead, he looked at him with an expression of bewilderment. "What is Student Sun Cheng talking about? Could it be that you want to welsh on the debt?"

"Liu Kun is one of your people, right? I even suspect now that Huo Miao's sudden resignation was also your doing. Not bad, going to such lengths to set a trap to screw me over. I'm just very curious: as a normal university student, what part of me is worth you designing so much?"

Since Sun Cheng had confirmed it was him, he was not about to be fooled by a few words. He remained completely unmoved and continued to press aggressively, having completely seized the initiative in terms of momentum.

His attitude was so tough, and he had actually already figured out so much, which truly made Xiao Hong feel overwhelmed.

However, Xiao Hong, who quickly regained his composure, suddenly became angry from embarrassment and said coldly: "Repaying debts is a matter of course. No matter how much nonsense you spout, the debt you owe must be repaid. I'll lay it out here today: either fulfill the contract and pay the money immediately, or borrow money to pay it off! Otherwise, I'll have your family come and pay the debt for you!"

After speaking, he, angry from embarrassment, pulled out a brand-new IOU and threw it over. Sun Cheng, quick-witted and fast-handed, grabbed it, and his face grew even colder after taking a look.

It turned out to be an IOU the other party had already drafted. To repay the 50,000 yuan principal of "Student Loan," he would have to borrow an additional 120,000 yuan from another company he had never even heard of, with a monthly interest of 3,000, to be paid off in half a year.

This was even more usurious than loan sharking. Sun Cheng finally understood what kind of trap he had fallen into.

This was no campus loan; it was simply a group of man-eating monsters wearing the cloak of legality. Once caught in the monster's mouth, what awaited him would be an endless cycle of "debt collection, inability to pay, borrowing more, owing more," until in the end, even if his whole family went out to sell their cars, houses, kidneys, and bodies, they might not be able to pay off the debt.

While his heart trembled at the sight, Sun Cheng felt his anger burning even hotter. Right in front of Xiao Hong, he tore it into several pieces and tossed them into the trash can.

"... I casually went fishing this morning, and you couldn't help but jump out tonight. Do you really take me for an idiot? Now that I know I've been set up, do you think I'll keep letting you lead me by the nose?"

He sneered and mocked Xiao Hong, "I'll lay it out here today: if you want me to pay, either wait ten months according to the contract, or bring a legal advisor to talk to me tomorrow. I will prepare the progress and plan for my startup project tonight, and tomorrow I will invite the school leadership to join us so we can have a proper chat!"

"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Xiao Hong let out a cold snort, but when he looked at Sun Cheng again, the mockery in his eyes had diminished, replaced by a touch of gravity.

His words seemed to be a signal; the tall, sturdy man beside him immediately strode up to Sun Cheng and lifted him up by the collar.

"I'll say the ugly things first..."

Although it was very uncomfortable to be held by the collar, Sun Cheng still looked at the person in charge, Xiao Hong, with a calm face and pointed his right finger at the floor. "This is 【Nandu University of Technology】, the nation's premier institution of higher learning, not some street corner for you thugs and scum. If you have the ability, try hitting me. I guarantee I will call the police, and I will tell them everything I know without reservation. Please believe that there is definitely surveillance on campus that can capture you. I am very much looking forward to seeing what happens when your loan sharking, disguised as a 'Campus Loan,' is exposed to public opinion..."

He smiled at Xiao Hong, his words implying something. "Daring to lend money in Nandu, I suppose you, Young Master Hong, have some connections in your family. It really is something to look forward to..."

"Damn it!"

Xiao Hong's face was gloomy, and the murderous intent in his eyes as he looked at him was fully exposed. For a moment, he was truly bluffed by the stubborn, "tough nut" that was Sun Cheng.

After hesitating for a moment, he let out a cold snort and gave the tall, sturdy man a look, signaling him to put Sun Cheng down, before saying fiercely: "Fine, I didn't realize it before, but you, Sun Cheng, are quite a character. But don't be happy too soon. Whoever I want to catch won't be able to run. I'll let you off the hook today, but starting tomorrow, you'll have plenty to suffer! Dajun, let's go!"

After speaking, a loud bang was heard as the door slammed shut. After both of them gave him a deep, fierce look, they left without looking back.