Chapter 1 — The Truth Will Always Be Proven One Day

While the whole social network was celebrating me winning the most prestigious National Science and Technology Innovation Award, my best friend, who had been sponsored by me to enter the corporation as a low-level computational employee, ran to my laboratory building and cut off her wrist. She raised her arm wrapped in blood-stained bandages, sobbing and pointing straight towards the livestream lens. In front of millions of followers, she accused me of stealing her life's research, appropriating the core algorithm of a large language model that belonged to her.

"She can't even write basic Python syntax fluently, but just because she has her uncle who is the CTO of the corporation backing her, she secretly swapped my top-secret source code and changed the author's name to her! Are bottom-level programmers like us born to be trampled on by leaders and powerful people?"

That accusation immediately caused public opinion to explode. After just one night, my uncle was suspended from his position by the board of directors to facilitate the investigation. Even my family's private parking space was splashed with red paint by extremist hackers and aggressive netizens, along with insults and curses. And she stood under the media spotlight, receiving countless sympathy, her number of followers skyrocketed overnight, becoming a "victim" defended by the entire network. Looking at that drama, I just laughed contemptuously. I am a genuine hardware architecture engineer, from start to finish I only research chip design. How am I supposed to steal her software source code?

"Le Nac, you've come to this and you're still smiling?"

Drone cameras from media channels and countless phones were almost aimed directly at my face. I stood in front of the gate of the housing area for families of corporate employees. Under the feet are streaks of red paint that have not yet dried. On the sensor gate, someone spray-painted four bright red words:

"The Algorithm Thief."

My mother turned pale and squeezed my arm tightly. My father tried to use his jacket to cover the constantly flashing lenses, but was brutally pushed away by bloggers who made a living off of clickbait.

"Don't touch my high-definition camera!"

"Don't you guys have a CTO backing you? Are you still afraid of being broadcast by the whole network?"

"Tell her to speak up! Let that little thief explain herself!"

I raised my head to look at the large screen phone being held high at the front of the crowd. On the screen, To Dao is sitting on the metal steps under the building. The left wrist was wrapped in gauze, the edge of the bandage was constantly leaking red streaks of blood, making people feel creepy. Her face was pale, her hair disheveled like a wanderer. In her hand was a hard drive still stained with blood. As she held it up to the camera, she cried until she could barely breathe.

"I don't need compensation from the corporation, nor do I need stock options from the executives."

"What I want is just some justice for the tech world."

"Why is the core patent of AI 'Spirit of Speech', which should have been in my name, ended up in Le Nac's name?"

The comment box of the livestream was rolling. 【Crying already... The girl who works as an outsourcer at the bottom is so pitiful.】 【Le Nac got out and apologized by killing himself go!】 【Isn't the leader's niece really terrible? Stealing someone else's intelligence and turning it into your own medal!】 【Investigate her uncle! Call the economic investigation agency and the board of directors immediately!】 A reporter brought the microphone closer again.

"Director Le Nac, To Dao said that when she first joined the group, she only scored thirty-nine points in the C++ internal exam. How do you explain?"

I looked at him coldly.

"What does the fact that I got thirty-nine points on the C++ exam have to do with me receiving the Science and Technology Innovation Award?"

The reporter was stunned. Immediately, the female blogger wearing a cap next to her screamed loudly.

"Did you hear that? She admitted it!"

"She really doesn't know how to program!"

"Where does a C++ guy with only thirty-nine points get the ability to write a large, revolutionary language model?"

I laughed.

"Before opening a livestream to get views, don't you guys bother to find out the information?"

"'Spirit of Language' is a national S-level security project. The platform data and all patent content are still being encrypted in top secret."

"On what basis do you confirm that it is a software algorithm?"

The female blogger snorted coldly.

"What is the need to investigate?"

"How about finding out how your uncle used his highest authority to help you hide everything?"

"To Dao even dared to cut her wrists. A girl risked her life to denounce you, but you still intend to deny it?"

Finally, my mother couldn't bear it anymore.

"If he cuts his wrist, what does it have to do with my daughter?"

"Do you people in the media speak so irresponsibly?"

The female blogger immediately turned the lens to my mother.

"Your daughter savored the results of someone else's lifelong research, yet you still defend her?"

"No wonder he dares to be so arrogant in the corporation. Turns out your family's teachers are like that."

My mother was so angry that she was shaking. I pulled her behind me.

"First, I didn't steal."

"Second, my uncle proactively submitted the entire authorization key to coordinate the investigation."

"Third, tell To Dao to stop crying. If it's really hers, then prove it with the system's bottom-level operation log."

The crowd immediately exploded.

"She still dares to ask for proof?"

"Isn't that bloody hard drive evidence?"

"Isn't the wound on someone's wrist evidence?"

"Truly the hunting dogs of the capitalists, cold to the bone!"

I looked at each face holding the camera towards me. Everyone was excited to the point of distortion, as if they had stood in my lab and seen with their own eyes me pressing the key combination Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V to copy the source code.

"Injuring herself only proves that she's cruel enough to herself."

"But it doesn't prove that I edited her source code."

As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar sob rang out from the edge of the crowd.

"Le Nac... Is your heart made of iron? How can you be so emotionless?"