I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 137 Digital Ghost

Zhang Wanqing's fingers raced across the keyboard, her eyes fixed on the press release on the computer screen, her brow furrowed. She and Fu Siyuan were investigating a seemingly ordinary data breach, but her intuition told her there was a deeper secret hidden behind it.

"The disappearance of this data is so strange." Fu Siyuan's voice came from behind her, holding a cup of freshly brewed coffee, steaming hot.

Zhang Wanqing turned around, took the coffee, took a deep breath of the aroma, and nodded. "Yes, and they happen to be key evidence in a major financial fraud case."

Li Wei walked in, his face a little tired, but his eyes still sharp. "I just came back from the Cybersecurity Bureau. They don't seem to be paying much attention to this case."

"That's because they were bribed." Fu Siyuan sneered and threw the document in his hand on the table. The document was covered with various marks and notes.

Zhang Wanqing stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the city. "We need to find this data, and quickly. This data concerns the property safety of millions of people."

"Where do we start?" Li Wei asked, his voice calm, but every word revealed determination.

"The place where the data was last accessed." Zhang Wanqing turned around, her eyes determined. "Let's go there and see if we can find any clues."

The three of them arrived at the data center, a high-tech fortress. In the night, the data center seemed particularly mysterious, as if hiding a dark secret. They entered cautiously, their flashlight beams flickering in the darkness.

"There's nothing here." Fu Siyuan's voice echoed in the empty data center.

"No, there are traces here." Li Wei squatted down and pointed at some traces on the ground. "These are traces of data transmission, and they are very new."

Zhang Wanqing's heartbeat quickened. She knew they were getting closer to the truth. "Let's follow these traces and see where they lead us."

They followed the trail out of the data center and came to a hidden server room. The door of the server room was closed, but there were obvious pry marks on the door.

"It seems we are not the only ones who know this place." Fu Siyuan whispered.

Li Wei gently pushed the door open, and they cautiously entered the server room. It was dim and silent inside, with only their footsteps echoing in the empty space.

Suddenly, Zhang Wanqing's intuition told her that they were not alone. She motioned for the others to stop and then slowly walked to a corner.

There, she discovered a hidden server, its lights blinking frantically.

"We found it." Zhang Wanqing whispered.

She approached the server cautiously, her fingers lightly touching the hot chassis. Suddenly, a line of code appeared on the server screen, scrolling rapidly, as if conveying some message to them.

Fu Siyuan quickly opened his laptop and began to trace the source of the code. "This is an encrypted message. We need to crack it."

Li Wei inspected the server's physical connections and discovered a hidden data transmission line. "There's a line directly connected to overseas, and that's where the data is being transferred."

Zhang Wanqing stared at the code on the screen, a glint in her eyes. "I recognize this coding method. It's a common tactic used by hacker groups in previous cases."

As Fu Siyuan's fingers flew across the keyboard, the code was gradually cracked. A map appeared on the screen, marking a remote island.

"This is the final destination of the data," said Zhang Wanqing.

The three of them looked at each other and they all understood that this was not just a simple data leakage case, but a transnational high-tech crime.

"We need to go to that island." Li Wei said.

"But first, we need to prepare," Zhang Wanqing added. "This will be a dangerous journey."

The waves surged, the sky dark and overcast. Zhang Wanqing stood on the deck, letting the cold sea breeze rip at her long hair. Her gaze pierced the waves, gazing at the uncharted waters beyond. The waves pounded against the ship, making a dull sound that seemed to reveal the secrets of the deep.

Fu Siyuan emerged from the cabin, clutching a nautical chart and some navigational instruments. His brow furrowed, clearly concerned about the impending storm. "Wanqing, look at this," he pointed to a mark on the chart. "The storm is expected to arrive within three hours. We must find shelter before then."

Zhang Wanqing took the chart and examined it carefully. A determination flashed in her eyes. "We have no time to waste. We must keep moving forward. That island may be the key to solving the whole case."

Li Wei approached from the bow, his eyes flickering between the sea chart and Zhang Wanqing. "I agree with Wanqing. While this storm is dangerous, it could also be a cover for us to get closer to the truth."

The storm arrived as expected, the waves becoming even more violent, and the sky crackled with thunder and lightning. The ship swayed in the waves, as if it could be swallowed by the huge waves at any moment. Zhang Wanqing clung to the railing, her body heaving with the swaying of the ship, but her eyes remained firm.

"Everyone be careful!" Li Wei shouted, his voice faint in the storm. He pointed to the bow, where a huge wave was heading towards them.

Huge waves hit the ship, causing it to shake violently, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. Fu Siyuan gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to control the ship's direction. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, but his hands remained steady.

Zhang Wanqing was thrown into a corner of the cabin, her arm scraped and the pain made her brow furrow. But she had no time to care about these things, she knew they had to stay awake and find a way out.

Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the sea. Zhang Wanqing's eyes were drawn to a strange light, a reflection from the seabed. With a sudden thought, she rushed to the cabin and grabbed her diving gear.

"I'll go down and take a look." Her voice was firm, without any hesitation.

Fu Siyuan and Li Wei exchanged a glance, knowing Zhang Wanqing's decision was the right one. They quickly helped her prepare her equipment and watched her jump into the turbulent water.

The water was icy cold, and Zhang Wanqing's body almost lost its warmth instantly. She struggled to dive, her vision gradually blurring. But the strange light grew brighter, and she knew there must be something there.

Finally, she approached the source of light. It was a metal box half-buried on the seafloor, its lights flickering in the water. She forced it open, revealing sealed documents and a waterproof laptop.

Her heartbeat quickened, knowing these might be the clues they were looking for. She quickly put the documents and computer into a waterproof bag and swam to the surface.

Back on the boat, Zhang Wanqing couldn't wait to turn on her computer. It booted up, and a string of encrypted data appeared on the screen. Fu Siyuan quickly took the computer and began to decrypt the data.