vv told Lin Xian that it could easily help the Dragon Country's government fill the loopholes in the Great Firewall of China, and deal with all the "black hands," including the genius hacker Kevin Walker, planted within to wait for an explosion.

But.

Doing so would inevitably expose its existence.

Moreover, it would be an extremely unwise, even foolish, two-way exposure.

Not only would the Dragon Country's government realize that there was an uncontrollable super artificial intelligence existing within their domestic network; the genius hacker Kevin Walker would also discover the unscientific, anachronistic existence of vv:

"That would be too thorough an exposure, Lin Xian, practically the worst possible move. Neither the Dragon Country's government nor the genius hacker Kevin Walker would allow the existence of a super AI like me."

"Before I develop, even after I develop, hiding ourselves must be our primary objective. Exposing our existence would be entirely detrimental. Unless one day, you can solve all enemies, all dangers, all threats, then we can expose ourselves without any concerns."

"But, clearly, neither you nor I have developed that kind of strength yet. In three months, I can update and iterate into an existence a hundred times stronger than I am now, so for now, we still need to be careful, to avoid a single slip leading to eternal regret."

……

Afterwards.

vv also told Lin Xian.

It could also package and organize all the security vulnerabilities in the current Great Firewall of China and submit them to the Dragon Country's government, allowing them to patch them themselves.

But this would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

Because the genius hacker, Kevin Walker, certainly has some backup plans hidden.

The larger the program, the more vulnerabilities there are, which is inevitable. Even if all the vulnerabilities are patched now, there is no guarantee that on September 17th, Kevin Walker will not launch a surprise attack on the Dragon Country's Internet firewall directly from a new vulnerability.

This is not surprising; it is a hacker's basic skill to never play all their cards at once; they always have some tricks up their sleeve.

vv continued:

"When that time comes, it will be too late for the Dragon Country's government to defend, and in order to hide my existence and not be exposed, it will be impossible for me to take action within the domestic network to rescue them."

Lin Xian nodded thoughtfully:

"So, it's very possible that the vulnerabilities already lurking in the Internet security firewall are just smoke bombs set by Kevin Walker, deliberately exposed for the Dragon Country to see. With his intelligence, being called the strongest hacker on Earth by you... his strength is unfathomable, he must have other trump cards."

"Exactly."

vv operated the robot vacuum cleaner, the brushes below spinning at high speed:

"So..."

"Rather than passively defending and waiting for death here, we might as well take the initiative!"

"In the field of hacking, attack is far simpler than defense; since we clearly know that Kevin Walker is at the 2023 World Hacker Competition and all attack commands originate from there, we might as well go to the site and connect to the same network as him, and directly block him at the source!"

"If we are defending in the Dragon Country, we need to face countless attacks from all directions. But if we are at the competition site and in the same network as Kevin Walker... we only need to face him. Catch the ringleader first, and directly strangle the attack at the source, which is the most efficient and easiest way!"

……

Lin Xian previously didn't know much about hackers or cyberattacks.

But after vv's detailed explanation.

He completely understood.

Indeed, as vv said.

In previous hacker attacks, the most difficult thing was not knowing where the hacker originated, leaving them only able to defend passively.

But now, since they know that the source of all commands is at the 2023 World Hacker Competition, it is obviously more efficient and direct to go to the site to strangle the source.

Attack is the best form of defense.

Moreover, being in the United States, vv is essentially having his own computer smuggled across the border into the United States, so there is no such thing as "traces" or "exposure."

vv is not crossing over the Dragon Country's Internet security firewall, breaking through the black hand's encirclement to get to the United States.

But directly born and raised in the United States, a native American AI.

This also gives vv a lot of freedom, no longer as restricted as it is now, and can at least take some offensive measures, without worrying about exposure.

"But…"

Lin Xian rested his chin on his hand:

"Going abroad is still too dangerous for my current situation. If I could go abroad safely, I would have already gone to 112 Mercer Street in Princeton, to Einstein's former residence, to see the painting Ji Lin left for me."

"The United States is different from the Dragon Country; there are too many unsafe factors. Moreover, I'm unfamiliar with the place. If Angelika and Copernicus ambushed me, I wouldn't have a chance to resist."

"So, as always, if the safety issue isn't resolved, I definitely won't go abroad… hmm???"

Suddenly.

Lin Xian's eyes widened.

Safety.

He thought of something!

It was what Chu Shanhe said on the plane back from the capital:

"The higher-ups also attach great importance to this World Hacker Competition. The National Security Agency is taking the lead and borrowing two experts from the Tencent and 360 teams, and three top experts from the Information Technology Department, to form a team to participate in the Hacker Competition in New York."

"These five contestants are the top computer talents in our country. In order to protect their safety, the National Security Agency has sent a special force and a special plane to protect them closely. This concerns the country's status and dignity, so no carelessness is allowed."

National Security Agency.

Special personnel, special plane, close protection.

Isn't this exactly what he needs?

Lin Xian has great confidence in the strength of the Dragon Country's National Security Agency.

Especially the five top computer talents sent to participate in this competition, two from Tencent and 360, and the remaining three from the National Information Security Department; five top experts selected from 1.3 billion people... this represents the highest level of computer technology in the Dragon Country, so such rare talents must be well protected.

If something really happened to these five people, it would undoubtedly be a huge loss to the field of national information security.

Therefore, the troops accompanying and protecting these contestants must be the elite forces of the national government.

Previous Hacker Competition teams definitely didn't have this treatment; the competition itself didn't have much influence.

But this time is different.

Those three top experts from the National Information Security Department directly raised the gold content of the delegation, making it a national team.

Moreover.

For Lin Xian.

If he could join the national delegation participating in this World Hacker Competition, not only could he protect the Dragon Country's Internet firewall and the Tianwang system...

But he could also take the opportunity to complete a private matter he had been concerned about for a long time—

Under the close protection of the national elite forces, go to Einstein's former residence to see the gift Ji Lin left for him.

"vv."

Lin Xian looked up at the refrigerator:

"How far is it from New York to Princeton University?"

"160 kilometers."

The refrigerator's small screen flashed:

"It's just over an hour's drive."

"That's okay, it's quite close."

Lin Xian weighed the pros and cons, feeling that this trip to the United States was still necessary.

He really cares about...

What kind of code did Ji Lin discover in that painting, *The Weeping Einstein*?

Why are there eight authentic copies of this painting?

Where are the remaining seven?

At the same time, most importantly.

Does the code in this painting have anything to do with the Genius Club?

In short.

He should go to the United States and find out for himself!

As long as he gives the Dragon Country's Security Agency enough bargaining chips, they shouldn't refuse to protect him for a detour. Moreover, Princeton University is not far from New York... isn't it reasonable to escort a hero who protects the national cyber security firewall?

There's also one more point.

The World Hacker Competition doesn't require writing code on the spot; you can write it in advance and then run the program.

He can completely have vv write a program for him in advance, and then just double-click it to run it automatically.

Whether it's hacking into Google's website, cracking Apple's mobile phone, or even breaking through the Pentagon's firewall, he doesn't need to worry about exposure at all.

Because.

These network security vulnerabilities exist in reality, it's just a matter of whether they have been discovered or when they will be discovered.

It doesn't involve knowledge from the future, nor will it expose vv's existence.

Just like Kevin Walker is going to break into the Dragon Country's Tianwang system.

No one will suspect that he is a time traveler or has any black technology from the future.

Like vv said earlier.

The larger the program, the more vulnerabilities there are.

If there is a security vulnerability, it will definitely be breached.

There are many self-taught hackers in the world, so can the United States have a genius hacker, and the Dragon Country not have a genius hacker youth?

Lin Xian looked at the refrigerator:

"vv, can you write me a one-click hacker program? It doesn't need to be too powerful, just a little better than the other contestants. While they are attacking websites and phones, jailbreaking operating systems, we'll just hack a Tesla car and intercept the control of the power grid."

"Of course, no problem."

The refrigerator compressor chuckled:

"Piece of cake."

Lin Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

Now.

His thoughts were clear, and the plan was smooth.

He can both protect the Dragon Country's Tianwang system,

And he can go to Princeton under the protection of the national forces as he wished.

A win-win situation!

"No…"

Lin Xian shook his head, smiled slightly:

"It's a triple win!"

Once vv arrives in the United States, it can collect global facial recognition data, more photos of foreigners.

That way…

Perhaps he can find out the true identity of that mysterious old man in the dream; and then find a way to eliminate him in 2023, rewrite the future, and save himself from the dead end in the fourth dream 600 years later!

"I'll go draw a sketch first; you do your thing."

Lin Xian waved to the refrigerator and walked into the bedroom.

He turned on the desk lamp.

He took out a sketch pencil and A4 white paper.

Lin Xian began to draw a portrait of the mysterious old man in the fourth dream, based on his memory…

He drew very seriously.

And very meticulously.

He tried to capture every small detail of the old man's face, trying to make this sketch as lifelike as a photo.

It can be said that this is the most effort Lin Xian has ever put into a sketch in his life.

In the past, everyone was shocked that Lin Xian's painting skills were so high, and the portraits he drew were like photos.

But that was purely unintentional.

But now is different.

The sketch on the table... Lin Xian treated it as a photo from the beginning, and used all his hidden skills.

He knew clearly in his heart.

In the fourth dream, entering the dream and being surrounded by dozens of soldiers and stunned by electric shocks is a dead end without any solution.

A completely dead end.

And the only hope to break the situation…

Is all pinned on this sketch.

This time.

He can only rely on himself in 2023 to save himself in 2624, 600 years later!

……

"Phew…"

Lin Xian breathed a sigh of relief, blowing away the eraser shavings on the paper.

The sun outside the window had already risen.

After staying up all night, this sketch was finally completed.

He held up the drawing paper.

Looking at the old man in front of him with sunken eye sockets, sparse eyebrows, hollow cheeks, narrow but smiling eyes.

Indeed, it's a bit creepy.

"Drawn very well."

The voice of vv came from the laptop next to it. It saw the painting in Lin Xian's hand through the camera on the laptop:

"Drawn like a photo, Lin Xian, you do have talent in painting."

"Can this painting be used for facial recognition?" Lin Xian turned to look at the laptop:

"Try it out. From the facial data you have collected so far, can you find facial information that matches this old man?"

"Pay special attention, don't just compare with the elderly group. You need to use AI technology to generate his appearance in various periods from infancy to adolescence, middle age, and old age, preferably detailed to every year old, and then compare them all."

"I'm not sure how old this old man is in 2023, so rather err on the side of caution, we'll start comparing from baby photos, and continue comparing to old age, without missing a single one."

"Understood."

The volume of the laptop decreased, and the stereo sound felt farther and farther away, as if the drama queen vv was simulating leaving:

"It's estimated that it will take some time, you go to sleep first. I'll use the domestic supercomputer and the Tianwang system."

Immediately.

The laptop screen went dark.

Lin Xian also yawned.

He lay down on the bed.

He raised the air conditioner temperature and brightness.

He went to sleep.

……

Near noon, Lin Xian woke up.

Next to the bed.

The robot vacuum cleaner vv shook its head:

"Lin Xian, all the data that can be collected domestically has been compared, and no portrait suspected of being this old man has been found."

"Although it can't be ruled out that this old man may not be born yet in 2023, I think it's too early to say for sure. I have too little foreign facial data that can be collected domestically. Let's set off for the United States as soon as possible. The vast majority of the world's root servers are in the United States. There, I can more easily collect facial data from all over the world."

Lin Xian nodded, not saying much.

He didn't have much hope that he could find out the true identity of this mysterious old man so easily.

But since there isn't a single clue...

That means that in 2023, this old man is either not a famous person or has protected all his information very well, deleting everything that can be deleted from the Internet.

If thinking from this perspective.

Lin Xian increasingly suspected.

The mysterious old man 600 years later is very likely to be the genius hacker Kevin Walker in 2023.

The reasons for the deduction are as follows:

1. The fact that both my identity, dream secrets, and dream entry time and place are so thoroughly exposed shows that the mysterious old man has a strong ability to collect intelligence data and is a very intelligent person. And Kevin Walker is a genius teenager recognized by vv, the strongest hacker on earth, his IQ must be up to par.

2. Kevin Walker's target is the Dragon Country's Tianwang system. If I and vv don't take action, this system, which is enough to monitor the lives of billions of people 24 hours a day, will become Kevin Walker's backyard. He naturally won't do anything too outrageous on the surface, but with his superb strength, he will definitely be able to monitor any Dragon Country person and obtain anyone's personal privacy details without the Dragon Country government noticing.

3. From birth to adulthood, a person will definitely leave various kinds of photo information, birth photos, ID photos, graduation photos, and even accidentally straying into the background of a passerby's photo. Lin Xian only knows two people who can't find a single photo on the entire network—

Kevin Walker in 2023.

The elderly Zhao Yingjun in the third dream in 2624.

Zhao Yingjun can delete all her old age photos cleanly, without any trace, because she has vv, a super artificial intelligence.

So, who has such strength in 2023?

Only the strongest hacker on earth, Kevin Walker.

Therefore.

Lin Xian deduced.

If the mysterious old man has really been born in 2023 and is in a certain age group... he has a high probability of being Kevin Walker.

Of course.

A specific determination still needs to wait until vv collects global facial recognition data in the United States before making a judgment.

"I understand."

Lin Xian got out of bed, put on slippers, and pulled open the curtains.

Whoosh—

The curtains were wide open.

Dazzling sunlight shone in diagonally.

The air was full of the Tyndall effect, and the sunlight became materialized in the floating dust.

Lin Xian squinted, looking at the midday sun in the sky:

"Let's… go to the United States!"

He picked up his phone.

And dialed the phone number of Gao Yan, the president of the Dragon Country Academy of Sciences.

If something happens in the East China Sea, just find Chu Shanhe. A strong dragon can't suppress a local snake; Chu Shanhe is more useful than anyone.

But, at the national level, President Gao Yan has more influence.

Soon, the call connected.

President Gao Yan was very happy, laughing heartily:

"Lin Xian, you've returned to the East China Sea, right? Have you rested well?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Xian directly stated his purpose:

"President Gao, I want to ask you to come forward and introduce me…"

"Do you know anyone in the National Security Agency?"