"Power plays?"
The young university student paused.
"Yes, Chinese power plays. Just like Chinese military strategy, they are profound and incredibly useful," Chen Feng replied with a faint smile.
"Are they really that magical?"
The young university student remained skeptical.
Chen Feng offered no further explanation. The effectiveness of power plays would speak for itself.
Thus, Chen Feng immediately went to a nearby TV drama prop department and rented a set of firefighter uniforms. Hong Kong was small, and with so many film crews, it was common to see people shooting dramas on the streets.
Dressed in the firefighter uniform, Chen Feng wasted no time and went straight to the hotel's lobby manager, requesting to see the hotel's network cable layout. His reason was that a major figure from the Huaxia Dragon Tiger Association was staying at the hotel, and ensuring the hotel's communication security was paramount. The fire department was just one of the responsible units; others would be conducting inspections later.
Chen Feng's acting was impeccable, and his choice of words was indeed characteristic of power plays. Consequently, the lobby manager, without overthinking it, handed Chen Feng the hotel's local area network distribution map.
This entire operation left the young university student stunned.
"Holy cow, this actually works?"
"Brother, what's going on? In my impression, the lobby managers of five-star hotels are very arrogant. They only bow and scrape to wealthy individuals, obeying their every command. How could they so readily listen to a firefighter?" the young university student asked, bewildered.
"Let me put it this way: whether it's in China, Hong Kong, or even overseas, there's a common characteristic – local officials are less influential than those with immediate jurisdiction. As long as a department can exert authority over someone, regardless of whether that department is large or small, they will be very wary. The reason is simple: if they don't comply, the jurisdictional department will force them into continuous rectifications. And whether these rectifications are satisfactory is determined by the jurisdictional department. Therefore, as long as a person isn't foolish, no one dares to act high and mighty towards a governing authority," Chen Feng explained with a smile.
"Brother, I'm completely convinced. I never imagined the world of power plays was so deep," the young university student said with emotion.
"You're still young, it's alright, you'll learn gradually. Next, we'll work together to connect the two networks. Once connected, you can go back, and I will definitely fulfill my promise to take care of your university tuition," Chen Feng said earnestly.
"Thank you, brother. Brother, I've briefly looked at the hotel's LAN cable distribution map and noticed there's a LAN switch processor at the back of the hotel. We can make our move there and connect the internet cafe's network cables to the hotel's LAN cables," the young university student suggested excitedly.
"Mm, that's exactly what I was thinking."
Chen Feng looked at the young university student with admiration. He had to admit that the practical skills of university students in Hong Kong were truly impressive. At a glance, they could identify the breakthrough points in the densely packed hotel LAN cable layout.
Soon, the two arrived at the hotel's back entrance. As expected, an external box was mounted on the wall. Seeing that no one was around, they opened the box without a word, preparing to connect the internet cafe's network cables to the hotel's LAN switch processor. However, upon opening the box, both were instantly dumbfounded. Inside the box was another box, and this inner box was secured with a password lock. If it were an ordinary password lock, it would be one thing. But it was a Red Lock.
A Red Lock was a password based on advanced calculus. Although the digits were simple, there were hundreds of millions of possibilities, making it extremely difficult to crack. If a conventional computer were used for brute-force cracking, it would take at least a week.
"Brother, let's forget it, let's go back. This is a Red Lock, and this thing is very hard to crack, or rather, practically impossible to crack," the young university student sighed.
"I've already cracked it."
Chen Feng said calmly.
"What? You've already solved it? How is that possible? Red Locks are passwords based on advanced calculus, and you solved it in a few minutes?" The young university student looked at Chen Feng with disbelief.
"I happen to have studied advanced calculus, so I could crack the Red Lock with a little mental calculation," Chen Feng replied truthfully. While in Mingshan City before, in order to develop China's chip project, China's cold fusion project, and the new energy project, he had unknowingly reviewed and improved his knowledge of advanced calculus.
"Brother, can you tell me what you do? You're talented in power plays, and now you're also talented in advanced calculus," the young university student said emotionally.
"My identity is not important, what's important is that I am not a bad person. Alright, you can go back now. I can handle the rest by myself," Chen Feng stated directly. The subsequent events involved eavesdropping on the conversations of the Huaxia Dragon Tiger Association leaders, and the fewer people involved, the better.
The young university student didn't linger and left immediately. He had already received five thousand yuan, and this capable brother had promised to cover his future university expenses, so naturally, he would do as this capable brother said. To be fair, it was fortunate that this brother wasn't a bad person. Otherwise, with his extraordinary talents in all aspects, the damage he could inflict on society would be unimaginable.
As soon as the young university student left, Chen Feng didn't hesitate and proceeded to connect the internet cafe's network cables to the hotel's LAN cables. After about half an hour of tinkering, Chen Feng successfully infiltrated the hotel's surveillance system through the hotel's LAN. Chen Feng dared not listen for too long. The bodyguards of these leaders were not only top-notch, but the network talent surrounding them was also world-class. If he remained connected to the hotel's LAN for too long, the network specialists around the Dragon Tiger Association leaders would surely detect it. For this reason, Chen Feng only listened for ten minutes before restoring the hotel's LAN to its normal state.
"Did you finish?" Wang Ziwei asked with concern upon his return to the hotel room.
"It's done," Chen Feng replied with a smile.
"So quickly?"
"A day isn't too long." Chen Feng replied humbly.
"Chen Feng, what exactly is the Huaxia Dragon Tiger Association discussing by coming to Hong Kong this time?" Wang Ziwei asked curiously.
"They're discussing retirement," Chen Feng replied truthfully.
"What? These leaders are discussing retirement? How is that possible? Their businesses are booming, and they're not that old. Why would they suddenly start discussing retirement?" Wang Ziwei asked, bewildered.
"Teacher Wang, although you are now teaching mathematics at Jiangcheng University of Technology, your original major was history. This time, the discussion of retirement by the Dragon Tiger Association leaders can be understood by looking at Chinese history," Chen Feng explained solemnly.
"Continue, I'm becoming more and more interested in the purpose of this gathering of the Dragon Tiger Association."
"It's like this, Teacher Wang. They have received news of the latest movements from the top echelons of China. The Chinese authorities are about to take action against the major bosses within China."
"What? The Chinese authorities are going to take action against the big shots in China? How is that possible?" Wang Ziwei retorted with disbelief.
"Teacher Wang, you're a connoisseur of Chinese history, and you should know that every dynasty in China has worked to curb the influence of powerful families and clans. The Chinese authorities cannot tolerate the unchecked growth of powerful families and clans. Think about it, what scale would the combined business empires of these Dragon Tiger Association leaders reach? What would be the consequences if they were allowed to continue expanding?" Chen Feng explained earnestly.