Chapter Twenty: The Pretender

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The atmosphere in the "Dark Bureau" command center was as heavy as a block of waterlogged lead.

On the main screen, a segment of audio intercepted by Lin Feng from Anderson's encrypted communications was playing on loop.

That elegant yet icy voice echoed in everyone's ears like a verdict from hell.

"...From now on, I don't want money."

"...I want their lives. All of them."

At that moment, war escalated completely.

It transformed from a clandestine struggle over money and secrets into a relentless, bloody hunt.

In the corner of the office, a young agent sat pale-faced, his hand trembling uncontrollably as he gripped his water cup.

Fear, like an invisible virus, began to spread through the air.

They were no longer dealing with a financial criminal, but a ruthless war-maniac with terrifying resources.

"I suggest... we request backup from higher-ups." At last, someone broke the silence: the technical team leader, old K. His voice was somewhat dry. "Request... tactical units to intervene. We... we're just intelligence analysts. This level of confrontation is beyond our duty."

He voiced what most in the room felt.

They were elites, geniuses, but not warriors who danced on the blade’s edge.

Yet Xiao Ran slowly shook her head.

She walked to the main screen, gazing at the intelligence on the "International Financial Technology Summit," her eyes as if watching a volcano about to erupt.

"It's too late." Her voice was not loud, but it reached every ear clearly. "Anderson isn't insane. He chose to expose himself now because he knows we don't dare let things escalate."

She turned, her gaze sharp as a searchlight, sweeping over everyone present.

"The 'International Financial Technology Summit' opens in Shanghai in two days. All the world's top financial giants and tech CEOs will be there. If we call in tactical units for a sweeping search now, what international impact would that have? Anderson wouldn't even need to act; just the news of 'China causing tension ahead of an international summit' would be enough to shake our financial markets to their core!"

"He wants us scared, wants us timid, wants us to back down!"

Xiao Ran slammed the table, and for the first time, fury burned in her always-cold eyes!

"But!"

"He's wrong!"

"He wants us afraid? We’ll show him fear isn’t in the National Security dictionary!"

"He wants to change the rules? Then we..."

She paused, glancing at Lin Feng in the holographic projection, who had watched silently, arms crossed.

"...will flip his table!"

Her words were like tossing a spark into a cold vat of oil!

The command center was instantly ignited!

After the initial terror, every agent felt a towering rage at being humiliated and provoked!

They were National Security! The country’s sharpest blade hidden in the shadows!

Since when did a foreign lunatic get to swagger on their soil?

"That's right! Damn him!"

"Leader! Give the order!"

Morale, at this moment, was reforged!

...

"Nice idea." Lin Feng’s holographic projection applauded lazily. "Your slogan is loud and clear. So, here's the question, Chief Xiao—how do you 'flip the table'? Force your way in?"

Xiao Ran moved to the whiteboard, where a detailed plan of the summit venue was already displayed.

"Anderson’s target must be that mysterious 'thing.' For secrets of this level, the most likely locations are the backstage server room or the VIP lounge with the tightest security."

Using her outstanding credentials and connections in international financial regulatory bodies, she quickly drafted a preliminary infiltration plan.

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"I've secured a delegate identity as a 'European Financial Regulatory Policy Researcher.' This lets me enter the main hall openly and gives me a chance to access the VIP area."

She finished and looked at Lin Feng.

The meaning was clear: she could handle the main hall, but the critical backstage required him.

Lin Feng shrugged, all innocence.

"Don’t look at me. I’m no financial expert; I can’t even get an invitation." He cracked a joke. "Surely you’re not asking me to hack MIT’s database and Photoshop myself as a 'Top Ten Global AI Scientist'? With how I look, I’d be thrown out by security on the spot."

"I need you in the backstage server room," Xiao Ran said with undeniable authority.

"I’ll need an identity for that."

The command center fell into a stalemate again.

The backstage server room was the summit’s security core; all staff were vetted to the strictest standards, no loopholes.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Lin Feng’s AI assistant "Mouse" piped up with a cheerful, girlish voice through his projection.

"Boss! Boss! Mouse found something fun!"

The next second, "Mouse" seized control of the main screen.

An internal personnel list from the summit’s logistics department appeared.

Lin Feng's gaze scanned rapidly, finally landing on the most unremarkable name at the bottom.

[Water & Electricity Maintenance Team – Intern: Zhang San]

He smiled at the name.

"This is... the summit’s water and electricity repairman?" Old K peered over, confused. "Lin Feng, you’re not thinking..."

"Exactly." Lin Feng snapped his fingers, his fiery eyes full of the attitude that "rules are meant to be broken."

"The most conspicuous places are often safest. But the least-noticed identities can go anywhere."

Xiao Ran frowned. "Too risky. You’ve never had professional disguise training. Besides, every ID is tied to a photo, fingerprint, even iris data—no way to impersonate."

"I don’t need training." Lin Feng smiled, exuding a touch of divine arrogance.

"I just need..."

"...ten minutes."

...

The next ten minutes became Lin Feng’s personal show.

All the elite agents stared, dumbfounded, at the screen as it played out a scene bordering on magical.

A textbook-level identity swap began.

Step One: [Data Replacement]

"Mouse, connect me to the summit’s HR system database."

Lin Feng’s fingers became a blur on the virtual keyboard.

The unlucky water/electricity intern “Zhang San’s” profile popped up.

"Photo’s ugly, let’s use a handsome one." Lin Feng casually replaced it with his own.

"Fingerprint? Easy." He pressed his finger to a special sensor; Zhang San’s fingerprint data was instantly replaced.

"As for the iris..." He blinked at his computer’s camera. "Mouse, you know what to do."

"Roger, Boss! 3D iris modeling underway, data replaced! Biologically speaking, you’re Zhang San now!"

Step Two: [Permission Upgrade]

"Now let’s upgrade the 'new Zhang San.'"

Lin Feng’s fingers danced, like playing a lavish sonata.

He slipped unnoticed into the summit’s security backend.

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He found Zhang San’s low-level ID, and without hesitation, checked off "all backstage areas" and "VIP floor" for maximum access.

Step Three: [Detail Perfection]

"A flawless disguise requires attention to detail."

Lin Feng, like an obsessive artist, finished the last touches.

He hacked into the real Zhang San’s phone.

"Food delivery orders for the next three days... all rice bowls, so tasteless." He muttered as he edited, "Let’s change them all to 'Singularity Ramen’s Deluxe Seafood Tonkotsu'! Consider it compensation for psychological damages."

He snapped his fingers in style.

Total time: nine minutes, thirty-seven seconds.

The command center fell silent.

Everyone stared at the smug young man in the holographic projection as if he were a monster.

Now they understood why Director Wang had agreed to let such a "madman" join their team.

Because, in the face of absolute technical prowess, so-called "rules" and "barriers" truly... crumble.

...

The next morning, the International Financial Technology Summit opened grandly.

Outside the venue, luxury cars gathered, celebrities mingled.

Xiao Ran, clad in a perfectly tailored professional suit, wore rimless glasses, her hair meticulously coiled at the back. On her chest hung a badge: "European Financial Regulatory Policy Researcher – Rebecca Shaw."

She was intellectual, elegant, with the air of a scholar elite. With her invitation, she strode calmly through the main entrance amid countless flashes, entering the venue.

Meanwhile—

At the staff entrance,

A young man in dirty blue coveralls, a heavy tool bag slung over his shoulder, was cursing and arguing with a security guard.

"What are you staring at? Never seen a handsome guy? If the VIP restroom leak inside gets worse, can you take the blame?"

It was Lin Feng.

Under the guard’s dubious gaze, he swiped the "Zhang San" ID card with "divine privileges" at the access reader.

"Beep—Access confirmed, welcome, Mr. Zhang San."

The electronic door swung open.

Lin Feng whistled triumphantly at the stunned guard and swaggered into the fortress’s... heart.

Minutes later,

In a deserted backstage storage room,

The two "imposters" completed their first rendezvous inside the tiger’s den.

Xiao Ran looked at Lin Feng’s ridiculous outfit and mud-stained coveralls, struggling not to laugh, her lips curling uncontrollably.

Lin Feng nonchalantly pulled a giant pipe wrench from his tool bag.

Then he took out a device cleverly disguised as a voltage tester, its tip glowing with eerie blue—actually a miniature server probe.

He handed the "tester" to Xiao Ran, then weighed the wrench in his hand.

"Alright, Miss Researcher,"

He grinned, flashing white teeth.

"Now, the party begins."

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