Striving for Science C34 pt1

Wu Wei's colleagues stared blankly as Shen Chang'an's fingers flew across the keyboard. Then, they watched as he confidently told them that there were no ghosts in the company. The frequent malfunctions on the production line and the computers suddenly turning on and off were due to system errors or vulnerabilities.

"Our branch office just opened recently, how could anyone maliciously attack our work system?" The accountant, who had been scared to tears by the horror videos that had been suddenly popping up on her computer, asked in confusion, "What's the benefit of spending so much effort?"

"Headquarter office sent technical personnel to repair and maintain the system and production line just a week ago, and they didn't find anything wrong." The general manager said, "If it weren't for this, the company wouldn't have so many rumors about ghosts."

Shen Chang'an poked Ding Yang's arm: "Get the work log."

"Huh?" Ding Yang was enjoying the bewildered expressions of the company employees, and when he heard Shen Chang'an say this, he was momentarily stunned.

"With clear and complete records of the work process, we can give a satisfactory explanation to the rumors circulating outside." Shen Chang'an's gaze swept across the crowd, and he noticed that the young man who had been working at his desk was also standing at the back of the crowd, looking at him with gratitude in his eyes.

Young people are more energetic. Shen Chang'an reached out and pulled Wu Wei over, "You're all young people, look at his work enthusiasm."

Wu Wei looked at Shen Chang'an in confusion. He was already the youngest employee in the office area, and there was no one younger than him.

"Alright." Seeing Wu Wei's bewildered expression, Shen Chang'an didn't want to argue with him anymore, "For your sake, I won't charge you for this vulnerability patching work. Just have your general manager sign his name on my work log later."

"Wait." Wu Wei finally reacted and pulled Shen Chang'an to the balcony outside, "Chang'an, how come you're working in this kind of small place?"

"It's pretty good here, the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the people are simple and honest." Shen Chang'an leaned against the balcony and smiled, "Besides, aren't you working here too?"

"Can I compare to you?" Before Shen Chang'an suddenly left, Wu Wei had always thought that Chang'an would stay in school for graduate studies. At that time, several old professors who supervised graduate students in the school liked Shen Chang'an very much and said they wanted to take him as a student. In the period after Shen Chang'an left, many classmates spread rumors that Shen Chang'an had gone to work for a secret department. Unexpectedly, he was working in such a small city, doing such an inconspicuous job.

Shen Chang'an turned to look at the greenery outside the office building, without saying anything.

"Chang'an, with your abilities, you shouldn't be staying in this small place." In school, Chang'an was very serious in class, never skipped class, and participated in the research of several projects. In everyone's eyes, he was a well-deserved model student.

"Was it that bastard Cao Jin?" Wu Wei thought more and more, "His family has power and influence, and he's always looked down on you. He must have done something to you."

"Don't think too much, although Cao Jin wanted to screw me over, but..." Shen Chang'an looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky, "Coming here to work was my own choice, it has nothing to do with others."

"You don't need to explain, I know you must have suffered a lot of grievances." Wu Wei was both angry and sympathetic, and he slammed his hand on the balcony railing, "It's not like having power and influence at home is great!"

"Well... it's still somewhat great." Shen Chang'an answered honestly.

Wu Wei: "..."

We're speaking harshly, you don't have to be so honest.

Cao Jin's family was well-off, and his family was also considered well-off, so he was considered a prominent figure in the school. However, there was still Shen Chang'an, who surpassed him in everything except family background. Therefore, even though they were in the same major, the same class, and even the girl Cao Jin liked had confessed to Chang'an, although Chang'an politely rejected the girl, Cao Jin still regarded Chang'an as an enemy.

Classmates knew that Chang'an's parents had passed away, so he often took on small programming jobs outside of school. Cao Jin often mocked Shen Chang'an for being poor, and once he went too far, calling Chang'an's parents "short-lived ghosts." Chang'an then pressed him down in the public lecture hall and beat him until he cried for his father and mother.

The incident caused a big stir. Cao Jin's parents came to the school to put pressure on them, but fortunately, the school was fair and just, withstanding the pressure from the Cao family and protecting Shen Chang'an. However, they lowered his scholarship level by one grade.

After this incident, Cao Jin avoided Shen Chang'an whenever he saw him, only daring to mutter behind his back. So he suspected that the reason why Shen Chang'an's post-graduation job was so bad was because the Cao family had interfered.

"What are your plans for the future? Will you stay in this small city forever, or will you go to a big city to try your luck?" Seeing that Shen Chang'an didn't want to talk about the past in school, Wu Wei had to stop the topic, "With your abilities, you won't have any trouble finding a way to make a living anywhere."

Shen Chang'an shook his head: "Let's not talk about me, let's talk about yourself. In school, you weren't considered a top student, but your learning ability was still good. How come you were transferred here?"

This kind of job transfer is no different from being exiled to the frontier.

"I don't know either. Ever since you left, or rather, ever since that little ghost switched your thesis with mine, my luck has been getting worse and worse." Wu Wei's face was full of weariness, and his voice was filled with sorrow as he spoke of the past. 

"At first, I was accepted by a Fortune 500 company, and I was about to sign the contract when I had acute appendicitis and had to go to the hospital for surgery. That great opportunity slipped away. Later, I received interview invitations from several large companies, but there were always unexpected problems. A few months ago, I was finally hired by this bio-tech company, but I was inexplicably targeted by my superiors. Just as they were setting up a branch office here, I was sent to this place."

"Sometimes I even wonder if the incident of switching the thesis papers has brought me retribution." Wu Wei chuckled bitterly. "It's not peaceful here either. One moment the production line is having problems, the next there are ghosts. This morning, the head office called and scolded me, saying that I'm not doing my job properly."

After listening to Wu Wei's sad story, Shen Chang'an felt a little sympathy for him. He reached out and patted him on the shoulder: "Things will turn around for you. You've been unlucky for so long, you won't be unlucky anymore."

"I hope you're right." Wu Wei's smile still held a hint of bitterness, and he didn't take Shen Chang'an's words of comfort to heart. He took a deep breath. "Actually, you're right. Although it's not as bustling as the big cities, the colleagues here are easy to get along with, and there's not much backstabbing. It's good to be able to settle down here."

But with Chang'an's abilities, staying here would be a waste.

Wu Wei didn't say this out loud. He knew that Shen Chang'an was a very determined person, and once he made up his mind, no one could change it.

The most important thing between friends is to support each other's decisions.

"We can go out for skewers and sing together when you have time." Wu Wei put his arm around Shen Chang'an's shoulder. "Not to mention, the food here in Wuming City is delicious."

"Chang'an." Ding Yang stood a few steps away from them, tapped the wall, and got their attention. "The site inspection procedures are ready, we can go find the general manager to sign them."

"Okay." Shen Chang'an smiled at Wu Wei. "I know a cold pot fish place that's really good. I'll take you there this weekend."

"Sounds good." Wu Wei nodded to Ding Yang. "I'll take you to find the general manager to sign."

As the three of them walked out, they saw the security guard at the front door bringing in a young man in a Taoist robe. "Manager Wang, the expert has arrived."

General Manager Wang looked at the young Taoist priest who had just arrived, then at the two Civil Service Department staff who had come out with Wu Wei, his expression a little awkward.

The sudden encounter between science and the supernatural was always so unexpected. The other employees in the office also realized what was happening, and everyone felt a little awkward. The Civil Service Department staff, who had just discovered a problem with their company's operating system, had just arrived to inspect the scene, and now a young master claiming to be a descendant of the Longhu Sect had arrived. Wasn't this discussing theology in front of science?

A few days ago, they had invited a so-called descendant of the Longhu Sect, Master Zhang, who turned out to be a fake. This time, General Manager Wang had spent a lot of effort and connections to invite a real master with a prestigious lineage. Who would have thought that the Civil Service Department staff would suddenly show up to inspect the scene today?

The silence in the office at this moment was the epitome of boundless awkwardness.

"Huh?" Zhang Gu saw Shen Chang'an and remembered his frustration at being unable to erase Shen Chang'an's memories, so he awkwardly took the initiative to greet him, "You work for this company too?"

Shen Chang'an took out his work badge and handed it to Zhang Gu, smiling with innocent eyes, "Hello, I'm a staff member of the Civil Service Department."

Zhang Gu: "..."

Isn't that the department that likes to hand out flyers on the street, with slogans like "Believe in science, science is a treasure" and "If your body isn't well, go to the hospital"?

"Have you... figured out the reason?" Zhang Gu's talent for Daoist cultivation was quite ordinary. He couldn't see qi with his naked eyes, nor could he discern fortune, longevity, and number of years. However, a faint intuition told him that it wouldn't hurt to be polite and courteous to Shen Chang'an.

Cultivators place great importance on their intuition, so facing Shen Chang'an, he unconsciously lowered himself by half. Someone who doesn't understand cultivation yet is completely unaffected by his memory-erasing technique, they definitely can't be ordinary.

"There's a problem with the program password, it needs to be maintained by a professional program security personnel. It's impossible to completely fix the vulnerability within an hour or two." Shen Chang'an had a vivid memory of this young Daoist who had shattered his worldview.

"So that's how it is." Zhang Gu immediately turned to the general manager and said, "It's very wise to seek help from professionals when you need it. Since it's a computer system problem, then I'm not needed. In this new era, we believe in dealing with scientific matters scientifically. We must absolutely avoid superstition, superstition is harmful, you know?"

The company's employees silently watched Zhang Gu, who was being so serious. You're a Daoist, why are you talking about superstition being harmful?

"Our Daoist teachings emphasize the natural order of heaven and earth, it's about faith, it has nothing to do with superstition..." Zhang Gu's gaze fell on the corner, he paused, then took out his compass and looked at it a few times, his expression a little complicated. He pulled Shen Chang'an aside and said to everyone, "Everyone, please take a break, I need to talk to the Civil Service Department staff about system security issues."

Everyone: "..."

Nowadays, Daoists are interested in system security issues?

Ding Yang: "..."

He's also a member of the Civil Service Department, why wasn't he invited to join the discussion?

Zhang Gu pulled Shen Chang'an to the corner and whispered to him, "Brother, it's not that I'm deliberately spreading ghost stories in front of you, but this office... there really is a ghost, I swear."

"Good Daoists don't swear." Shen Chang'an raised an eyebrow.

Zhang Gu: "..."

The point isn't the swearing, it's that there's a ghost, okay?

"The ghost you're talking about, wouldn't it be that young man hiding in the corner, working diligently?" Shen Chang'an thought carefully. Among the group of lazy employees, only that young man was out of place, his diligence a stark contrast to the office's general atmosphere.

"You can see him?" Zhang Gu was also surprised.

"He's so big, it's hard to pretend you don't see him." Shen Chang'an pulled open the safety passage door and saw the young man hiding in the corner, eavesdropping. When he suddenly opened the door, the young man was so startled that he trembled in the corner. It was as if Shen Chang'an was a bully and the young man was a helpless maiden.

"Come here." Shen Chang'an beckoned him with a flick of his finger.