Chapter 4: Infinite Loop (4)

4 - Infinite Loop (4)

Lin Xun knew quite a few programming languages, though his proficiency in most wasn't top-tier. Later, after his idol developed GLAX, it became his favorite language, and his use of others significantly decreased. However, this didn't mean he knew nothing about C; on the contrary, once you've written enough code, picking up any language isn't difficult.

If "Hello World" could be considered reaching the Qi Refining Stage, then clearly, other operations could also advance his task progress.

He began attempting simple operations.

Assignment: progress at five percent.

Simple conditionals, comparing the magnitude of three numbers.

Progress reached ten percent.

Simple loops, summation, and factorials.

Progress reached fifteen percent.

Arrays: twenty.

Functions: a direct jump to forty.

Pointers: sixty.

Finally, the progress bar stopped at eighty percent and wouldn't budge.

Did basic operations no longer satisfy the requirements?

Lin Xun took a deep breath and quickly coded a simple Minesweeper game.

When he finished, the progress didn't budge.

He abandoned the idea of coding a web crawler—it seemed that to advance from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, what was needed were still fundamental operations.

Lin Xun began to think.

Whenever he encountered an unsolvable problem, he refused to sleep until it was resolved.

He dragged those basic C instructions out from the dusty corners of his memory and tried a few more; the progress finally crawled to eighty-five percent.

Lin Xun frowned and continued to think.

Just then, a mechanical voice echoed from all directions: "Mental exhaustion imminent. System shutting down. Goodbye."

His vision went black. Lin Xun opened his eyes to find himself still lying in bed. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.

When he closed his eyes again, that space was gone.

Drowsiness surged, reminding him that he was someone who had pulled an all-nighter.

His consciousness was becoming a blur.

Did this count as "Mental exhaustion"?

Lin Xun was still trying to think when he fell into a deep sleep the next moment.

At eight in the morning, the alarm rang.

Lin Xun scrambled up. After washing up, the first thing he did was look for a book among the piles in the living room.

Wang Anquan, who was playing games on the sofa, asked, "What are you looking for?"

Lin Xun sat down across from him with a book: "Found it."

"Not bad, Lord Xun," Wang Anquan glanced at the cover. "Returning to your roots?"

Lin Xun was holding a blue-covered book titled C Primer Plus.

A classic C programming textbook, now in its tenth edition.

He was browsing the table of contents when he suddenly heard the sound of a suitcase being dragged.

The door to the opposite room opened, and a haggard young man wearing a black hat with the brim pulled low walked out, dragging his suitcase toward the front door.

"I'm moving out," the man said.

Lin Xun didn't know the man's real name, only that the landlord called him Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen was their roommate, apparently some kind of author.

When Lin Xun, Wang Anquan, and Zhao Jiagou graduated, they started working on "Goddess of the Luo River"—and since they were starting their own company, they needed to rent a place. In this city where land was worth its weight in gold, they eventually settled on the third floor of this old residential building.

Four bedrooms and two living areas—it was a shared rental. Lin Xun had his own bedroom, Anquan and Jia Gou each had their own, and the remaining room was occupied by Xiao Chen.

The three of them were programmers, while Xiao Chen was into highbrow art; it was a match made in hell. Xiao Chen rarely spoke, so after a year and a half of living together, they were barely more than acquaintances. Now that Xiao Chen was leaving, there wasn't much to say.

Still, if nobody spoke, the atmosphere would be awkward.

Wang Anquan asked, "Why are you moving?"

Xiao Chen: "A change of environment."

With that, Lin Xun saw him glance at the several whiteboards standing on the left side of the living room.

These whiteboards were the collective property of the three of them, used for impromptu algorithm demonstrations and drawing program flowcharts. Every day... they were covered in bizarre formulas.

Lin Xun: "...Safe travels."

Xiao Chen gave a brief "Mm," pulled his suitcase, and left.

Wang Anquan nudged Lin Xun with his elbow: "Do you think he felt this environment wasn't suitable for his creativity?"

Lin Xun looked at the formulas and code on the whiteboard: "It might even be strangling his inspiration."

Wang Anquan also looked at the whiteboard, striking a pensive pose: "True. He needs to live with other writers. Then they'd have whiteboards too. What would they write on theirs?"

Lin Xun: "Poetry, probably. 'A line of white egrets ascends the blue sky.'"

Wang Anquan replied, "Can you show some culture? At least make it 'When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end?'"

Zhao Jiagou walked out of his room while stirring his milk, looking at them with confusion in his deep blue eyes: "Why is your Chinese level lower than mine?"

Without waiting for Wang Anquan's defense, he looked at Lin Xun: "Are you feeling better?"

Lin Xun: "Pretty much."

He narrowed his eyes, observing Zhao Jiagou.

After entering that strange space yesterday, the program interfaces had disappeared from everyone, and his world had returned to normal. However, when he focused his attention on someone, the interface would emerge from them again.

Was this the effect of that "Qi Induction"?

Zhao Jiagou sat next to Wang Anquan and pushed him: "Anquan, you've gained weight again. That's what happens when you don't use Java."

Wang Anquan: "Am I bald yet?"

Zhao Jiagou looked at him for a moment: "No."

Wang Anquan leaned back comfortably against the sofa: "Then it's fine. Life is short, I use Python."

Now that everyone was here, it was time for business.

After the banter, Wang Anquan looked at Lin Xun: "So, you want to accept Dong Jun's two hundred thousand for five percent equity."

Lin Xun: "He said he believes we can bring unpredictable returns. You should know, if those words are coming from Dong Jun..."

Wang Anquan: "The tragedy of a fanboy!"

Lin Xun smiled, then crossed his arms seriously: "The reality is we really need the money. Once we have that two hundred thousand, we can immediately hire another programmer to write code and flesh out the framework. The Technology Expo is in a month. As long as we can fully realize Goddess of the Luo River and show it well at the expo, it's possible to get more financing and get on the right track."

"You have a point..." Wang Anquan looked troubled. "But look, the fruit of our three years of hard work, and Dong Jun only offers two hundred thousand? Given your style, don't you feel indignant?"

"Our work is indeed worth far more than two hundred thousand," Lin Xun said. "Once we have results, Dong Jun will realize that those two hundred thousand brought him a massive return. He'll know what a right decision he made."

Wang Anquan looked at Zhao Jiagou: "You take this. I can't communicate with a fanboy."

Zhao Jiagou: "I like Dong Jun too. Anquan, think about it. Other companies' shareholders are all sorts of random people; at most, they have a name like 'Galaxy Group.' But our shareholder would be Dong Jun—Dong Jun personally, Lord Dong! That's a lot of prestige. Plus, we really are short on cash."

Wang Anquan threw up his hands in surrender.

The minority yielded to the majority; the motion passed. Lin Xun picked up his phone. Dong Jun had left him a number, saying he could be reached anytime.

Just as he was about to dial, a knock came at the door.

The three of them looked at each other. Aside from the landlord, they rarely had visitors.

Wang Anquan: "He's here for the rent!"

Zhao Jiagou straightened his clothes and walked to the door, his smile bright and sunny as he tried to convey sincerity in clear Chinese: "Grandpa Huo..."

The voice stopped.

The visitor wasn't the landlord, Old Man Huo, but a man in a sharp suit with polished leather shoes. Judging by his meticulous grooming, he looked like he was about to attend a high-end conference.

"Hello." Seeing the state of the living room, the man seemed to hesitate for a moment but maintained his polite demeanor: "Is this... Lo Company?"

Zhao Jiagou: "Yes."

Lin Xun: "And you are...?"

The suited man wore a polite smile and was sprayed with salon perfume, looking completely out of place in this living room filled with formulas and flowcharts—he looked like a door-to-door salesman.

He said, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Li, planning manager for Eagle Asia-Pacific."

With that, his smile deepened as his gaze swept over the three of them, seemingly waiting for their reaction.

He was clearly proud of his status at Eagle.

Eagle. In the global market, Eagle and Galaxy stood as two dominant titans that no one could shake. These two controlled the most cutting-edge technology and the most abundant capital. On the surface, they were peaceful, but in reality, they were locked in constant struggle, having clashed for countless rounds.

However, he was met with a brief silence.

After the silence, only Lin Xun spoke: "Hello, Manager Li."

Manager Li said, "I apologize for the unannounced visit. I tried calling the contact number for 'Goddess of the Luo River' earlier, but no one answered."

Lin Xun thought for a moment: "Sorry, I must have been asleep then."

"It's no problem," Manager Li smiled.

Lin Xun invited Manager Li to sit.

Manager Li politely introduced his purpose.

The core idea was that Eagle planned to acquire Goddess of the Luo River for ten million. From then on, the technology would still be developed by the three of them, while management and promotion would be handled entirely by Eagle.

Ten million.

Lin Xun narrowed his eyes.

"I've already seen the registration information for 'Goddess of the Luo River' for the Asia-Pacific Technology Expo in a month. By then, Eagle will do everything in its power to provide Goddess of the Luo River with comprehensive help and support. What do you think, Mr. Lin?" Manager Li concluded with this question.

After speaking, he waited with a smile for an answer.

Lin Xun glanced at Wang Anquan; Wang Anquan's eyes darted away.

Then, Lin Xun looked at Zhao Jiagou; Zhao Jiagou was expressionless.

Finally, Lin Xun turned back to Manager Li and cleared his throat awkwardly: "I'm sorry, we have our own direction and goals for development. We have no such intentions for the time being."

Manager Li's expression froze for a moment: "Are you sure, Mr. Lin?"

Lin Xun nodded: "I'm sure. Sorry for the trouble of your trip here."

After several confirmations, Manager Li didn't press further and bid them farewell—though his smile was much faker than when he arrived, and his expression wasn't great.

After the door closed, Lin Xun looked at the two on the sofa: "Why didn't you guys want to agree?"

"I'm Norwegian, but I'm one-eighth Jewish," Zhao Jiagou said. "Actually, they've wanted to hire me for a long time, but I'll never work for those Germans."

Lin Xun looked at Wang Anquan.

Wang Anquan held his mug of goji berries with a sage-like air: "You know as well as I do. In my junior year, I hacked their database. I'm afraid they'll recognize me."

Lin Xun: "Fair enough."

Wang Anquan asked, "What about you? Why did you refuse?"

"First, Eagle and Galaxy are bitter rivals; I can't betray Dong Jun." Lin Xun returned to his original spot and reopened his C Primer Plus. "Second, I'm a bitter lemon. Since Lions sold for thirty million, Goddess of the Luo River cannot sell for ten million."

Wang Anquan shrugged: "I don't think the Eagle really cares about our tech anyway. They probably heard that Dong Jun met with you and came to poach. Spending ten million to buy the three of us? Eagle wouldn't want that; they probably have no idea what we're even doing. But spending ten million to cause trouble for Dong Jun? That they'd be very happy to do."

"You're right." Lin Xun found the logic sound and continued, "Then it's settled. We accept Dong Jun's investment, then put everything into preparing for the Technology Expo preliminaries. Both Galaxy and Eagle will be there. We need to..."

Zhao Jiagou: "Kill them all!"

Lin Xun snapped his fingers: "Especially Lions."

Wang Anquan leaned back and patted his... stomach, saying, "You really are a bitter lemon—I agree now. Go ahead and give Dong Jun your answer."

Lin Xun prepared to call Dong Jun again.

At that moment, the doorbell rang once more.

Zhao Jiagou put on a fake smile and pulled the door open: "Manager Li, you're back..."

It wasn't Manager Li.

Zhao Jiagou's smile instantly became genuine and fawning: "Hello, Grandpa Huo!"

"Little Zhao." Their landlord, Old Man Huo, paced into the living room with his hands behind his back, his calm gaze sweeping over them: "All here, I see. Xiao Chen moved out, so I came to check on the place."

Old Man Huo was short in stature, his hair was snowy white, and his back was slightly hunched. But because he owned fifty apartments in this city, his "hand" was strong, giving him an exceptionally steady aura. He was like a lion patrolling his territory, or a patriarch of a feudal family. His stern gaze swept over the room's furnishings and then landed on the whiteboards covered in formulas: "Still drawing these ghost charms every day!"

The old man was eighty-nine this year and couldn't understand what the three of them actually did. When he first saw them move in each carrying two laptops and eventually setting up desktops, tapping away on keyboards all day, he almost thought they were selling computers.

Then, the old man's oppressive gaze landed on them: "The rent for you three is due, isn't it?"

Lin Xun said, "I'll transfer it to you today."

Old Man Huo nodded in satisfaction and looked toward Xiao Chen's room: "One room empty now..."

He waved a hand: "I won't bother renting it out again, too much trouble. You three can have it to play in, stack some computer parts there."

Alright, so he still thought they were selling computers.

However, the usually penny-pinching Old Man Huo suddenly having a change of heart and giving them a room for free was a strange occurrence.

Lin Xun was wondering if the landlord had taken the wrong medicine when the familiar mechanical voice suddenly rang in his head: "Sect Territory expansion complete. Current Territory Level: 1. Maximum Level: 9."

Lin Xun: "..."

Old Huo gave them a room, and the Sect Territory expanded.

Room = Sect Territory.

So, Sect = Lo Company?

Then Sect Funds meant the company's assets?

He stared at the C language textbook on the table, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Old Man Huo was accepting the fawning thanks of the handsome foreign lad Zhao Jiagou. A kind and gentle look appeared on his face as he was supported by Jia Gou to turn toward Xiao Chen's room to inspect it.

Just as he was about to turn, his movements suddenly jerked to a halt.

Lin Xun caught this out of the corner of his eye and looked in that direction.

An eighty-nine-year-old man's physical condition must be monitored at all times.

He saw Old Man Huo staring intently at him.

Feeling confused, he looked back.

At that moment, the special ability he had gained yesterday kicked in. As he focused his attention, a program interface slowly emerged from Old Man Huo.

Unlike the blank interfaces of Wang Anquan, Zhao Jiagou, and so many others, Old Man Huo's interface was actually filled with dense lines of code!

Lin Xun looked closer and discovered it was actually a C language crawler!

A crawler is a common type of program used to automatically scrape specific information or data from certain websites or the entire internet.

Lin Xun was slightly astonished.

At the same time, Old Man Huo's gaze met his.

Old Man Huo took a trembling step toward him, his voice quivering: "Exceptional talent, Qi within the body—a genius, a true genius!"