Transformers Begin

Back in the dormitory, Sun Cheng felt cold all over, as if he had just come out of an ice cave.

He had three hundred yuan bills in his pocket, which the fourth brother had forced him to take. It was probably because he knew that Sun Cheng was really short of money right now.

This little bit of care made Sun Cheng feel warm, but unfortunately it could not dispel the icy feeling in his heart.

Sun Cheng was now very certain that he had been tricked, and it was very likely that the person who had stabbed him in the back was someone he had always thought of as his brother.

The experience in this parallel world had not only broadened his horizons, but also matured him psychologically.

Otherwise, if this had happened a week ago, Sun Cheng couldn't help but think that he might have foolishly gone straight to Liu Kun and interrogated him.

Closing the door and pouring himself a glass of water, Sun Cheng returned to his computer and sat down quietly.

He needed to calm down now and sort out his thoughts.

Although he was not yet clear on the details, all the indications now were very clear.

Someone had set him up, and Liu Kun was probably just a helper. Sun Cheng had known him for years, and he didn't believe that this guy's acting skills were so superb that he could deceive him from the first meeting until now.

With this speculation, the result was very interesting.

Sun Cheng had some self-awareness. A few years ago, he had indeed stood out from the thousands of exam candidates with his solid foundation and was admitted to the top engineering university in the country, South Industrial University.

But with his qualifications and talents, he was not outstanding in the small world of South Industrial University, where there were countless geniuses. Although the university offered scholarships every year to encourage students to strive for excellence, he had only received it once in his sophomore year and had been out of luck since then.

Before his entrepreneurial project, Sun Cheng could only be considered one of the thousands of unremarkable seniors facing graduation in the school.

So, who had targeted him?

And why?

This was indeed a puzzling question!

If it was because of the entrepreneurial project, it would be understandable that someone had evil intentions. Since the introduction of the "College Entrepreneurship Incubation Plan" at South Industrial University, there were no less than eighty various entrepreneurial projects sponsored by the school every year. There were more than 130 students in his batch alone, with many promising projects such as "Voice Control", "Shared Bicycles", and "In-car Systems".

Compared to them, although their phone system simulator was easier, the temptation was several orders of magnitude lower.

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't grasp the clues. After burning his brain for a while, Sun Cheng had to stop this useless effort and turn on the computer screen.

Before he left, in order to download the latest iOS system, he had turned on the computer and kept the task going.

The result was satisfactory. Although the download speed of the campus network was a bit slow, he managed to download the latest version of the iOS system in such a long time.

In the afternoon, Sun Cheng had already searched for some guides online, so before he left, he had added a virtual machine and several detection software to the download task along with the iOS system.

After installing and loading the software, with the help of the "Frenzy" mechanical body ability he had inherited, he quickly got the hang of it, even though his foundation was poor, and began to tinker with it.

"Well, this part is correct, the vulnerability has not been discovered yet..."

"When running the XX program, there is still a certain chance of causing the A9 processor to overheat..."

"The XX vulnerability is still there. If someone controls it, they can remotely make emergency calls without interruption..."

Continuously comparing the iOS system vulnerabilities in his memory, Sun Cheng identified them one by one. He soon confirmed with joy that the iOS system he had accidentally cracked while using the "Frenzy" mechanical body in this parallel world had all real vulnerabilities, and more than eighty percent of them had not been fixed by Apple in the latest version of the iOS system, and were very likely to have not been discovered yet.

This meant that his plan to raise money was feasible.

He quickly searched for Apple's vulnerability bounty online, but Sun Cheng was soon disappointed.

Apple was undoubtedly stingy. Although the publicly announced vulnerability bounty was aimed at five categories of vulnerabilities, the highest reward for discovering a vulnerability in the firewall that prevents unauthorized programs from starting was only $200,000. Other reward categories include: discovering vulnerabilities that leak confidential information, with a maximum reward of $100,000; accessing the iCloud account on Apple's server, with a maximum reward of $50,000; accessing user data outside the security sandbox, with a maximum reward of $25,000.

Of course, this was just a statement, and even half of the reward was considered high.

Looking at his harvest, Sun Cheng found that only three of the vulnerabilities he had detected could fetch a high price from Apple. The other vulnerabilities could only earn him rewards ranging from $50 to $300 at best, which was pitiful.

Compared to this, he had specially browsed the vulnerability purchase platform Zerodium in the afternoon, and the rewards for major vulnerabilities offered on it were 2.5 times higher than those offered by Apple.

After some consideration, Sun Cheng quickly made a plan. He decided to sell some of the high-risk vulnerabilities he found in batches to Zerodium, while selling the small vulnerabilities that Zerodium was not interested in to Apple to earn some reputation and hard-earned money.

He quickly put some of the code of the vulnerabilities he discovered into two separate folders. Some of the less severe vulnerabilities had complete verification steps, while the high-risk ones only had names marked without even indicating the location of the vulnerability. He then sent them to Zerodium's official email.

After that, he immediately used his Apple account to send an email to Apple.

All that was left was to wait for the two companies to contact him.

It took him more than an hour to finish all of this. After he was done, Sun Cheng hadn't had a chance to catch his breath when he suddenly heard a knock on the door of his dorm room. Then, a stranger's voice sounded, "Is Sun Cheng here?"

Sun Cheng used to have a good social circle, but after he started his own business and began borrowing money everywhere, his friends became fewer and fewer. The only people who would come to him now were probably just the ones from his old dormitory who were urging him to pay back his debt.

The voice sounded unfamiliar, and he couldn't remember who it was even after thinking about it for a while. He guessed that it was not a friend.

Thinking it might be someone from the surrounding dormitories coming to borrow something, Sun Cheng answered, "Who is it?"

"It's not convenient to talk outside. Let's talk inside!" The slightly shorter young man looked friendly and had a smile on his face, but when he spoke, Sun Cheng's eyebrows furrowed. Not to mention that his eyes looked at him like he was prey, even the way he spoke was commanding and made Sun Cheng feel uncomfortable.

Sun Cheng hadn't answered yet when the taller and stronger of the two pushed his way into the room without a word.

He became even more unhappy and his tone became unfriendly. "Don't rush into the room. We don't know each other well. It's better to ask first. Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Heh heh!" The shorter young man laughed and stopped after they entered the room. The taller man behind him then closed the door. It was then that he said, "I was thinking about Sun Cheng's well-being just now. My name is Xiao Hong. My friends call me 'Young Master Hong.' Sun Cheng may not know me, but you should know 'Study Loan,' right?"

He then gave a look to his taller companion, who immediately poured out several promissory notes and copies of identity cards from his file bag.

Study Loan was the campus loan that Sun Cheng owed a lot of debt to.

So when Sun Cheng heard the young man in front of him mention it, his eyes narrowed involuntarily, "Who do you think I am? It turns out to be Young Master Hong. I'm sorry. I don't know why you came to my doghouse today. Did you come to chat with me?"

He wasn't worried about the debt. Although Sun Cheng was in a hurry to borrow money before, he still had some common sense. He carefully checked each promissory note to make sure there were no unfair clauses before signing them. The quickest due date for repayment was in two months, and by then, he wouldn't be short of money.

As for interest, he had just paid it off recently. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had no money left to eat before the middle of the month had even arrived.

"Heh heh." Xiao Hong looked at him with interest for a while, then said with a smirk, "That's right! It's only natural to pay back debts, but it must be done according to the contract!"

Sun Cheng calmly looked at him and showed no emotional fluctuations. "I owe 'Study Loan' a lot of money, but I still have two months to repay the principal quickly. I also paid the interest according to the contract last week."

"Okay, very good!" Xiao Hong clapped his hands and smiled, but his eyes had a hint of ridicule. "Nowadays, the laws of the Republic of China are in full force, and the contract must be followed! However, we came here according to the contract!"

He took a copy of the contract from his taller companion and handed it to Sun Cheng. Sun Cheng took it and looked at it without turning it over, staring straight at Xiao Hong, "What do you mean? I don't need to repay the principal of the entrepreneurship loan for another ten months. As for the interest, I paid it together last week according to the contract!"

"I heard that your entrepreneurship has ended!" Xiao Hong no longer concealed his sarcasm, and his voice became sharp. "Sun Cheng, it seems that you haven't read the attachment 2.1.1 of the contract carefully. According to the provision, when the borrower cannot ensure the continuous operation of the project, in order to protect our legal rights, we have the right to demand the borrower to repay the principal in advance!"

"So our 'student loan' program has decided to terminate the loan agreement with Sun Cheng in advance. Now, please return the principal of 50,000 yuan!" After speaking, without any signal from Xiao Hong, the tall and strong man next to him coldly sneered, cracking his knuckles and approaching Sun Cheng as if to give him a beating if he didn't repay the money.

Sun Cheng's eyes narrowed as he remembered the clause in the contract he signed. However, he was more angry than frightened, and his face showed no signs of panic.

He crossed his arms and mockingly said, "Oh, you are well-informed, aren't you? I just announced it in the morning, and you are already here in the evening. Your methods are really something. The Trojan horse in my computer, it was installed by you guys, right?"

He intentionally mentioned the Trojan horse, and indeed, he saw Xiao Hong's eyes flicker. However, this guy was also cunning, and his face didn't show any signs of unease. Instead, he looked at Sun Cheng with a bewildered expression and said, "What is Sun Cheng talking about? Are you trying to avoid paying back the debt?"

"Isn't Liu Kun your man? I even suspect that when Huo Miao suddenly switched jobs, it was also your doing. Well, you went to great lengths to set up a trap to deceive me. I am just very curious, what makes an ordinary college student like me worth your elaborate plans?" Sun Cheng said, determined that it was them who did it. He continued to press them with his aggressive attitude, taking control of the situation.

Xiao Hong was taken aback, but he quickly realized what was happening and became angry. He coldly said, "It's only natural to repay the debt. No matter how much you argue, you must repay the debt you owe. I'll tell you this now. Either repay the money according to the contract, or borrow more money to repay it. Otherwise, your family will have to pay the debt for you!"

After speaking, he angrily took out a new loan agreement, which Sun Cheng grabbed and looked at with a cold expression. It was a loan agreement drafted by them, in which Sun Cheng borrowed 120,000 yuan from another company to repay the 50,000 yuan of the student loan, with an interest rate of 3,000 yuan per month and repayment within six months.

This was even worse than a loan shark. Sun Cheng finally realized what kind of trap he had fallen into. This was not a student loan program, but a group of legal monsters who preyed on people. Once you fell into the monster's mouth, you would be trapped in an endless cycle of "forced debt, unable to repay, borrowing more, and owing more." Even if your family sold their car, house, or even their kidney, they might not be able to repay the debt.

Feeling both scared and angry, Sun Cheng tore the agreement into pieces and threw it in the trash bin in front of them. "Today, I casually mentioned fishing, and you couldn't resist jumping out. Do you think I'm stupid? If I know I'm in a trap, would I keep following you? If you want me to repay the debt, I can do it. Either wait for ten months according to the contract, or I'll bring my legal advisor tomorrow to discuss it. I'll finish my business plan tonight and tomorrow, I'll arrange a meeting with the school leaders. Let's talk it over properly!"

Xiao Hong snorted, but when he looked at Sun Cheng, his eyes showed less mockery and more seriousness. His words were like a hint, and the tall and strong man next to him immediately stepped forward and lifted Sun Cheng by the collar.

"I'll say it upfront..." Although it was uncomfortable to be lifted like that, Sun Cheng still looked calmly at Xiao Hong and pointed to the ground, "This is South Industrial University, the top university in the country. It's not some street corner where you gangsters hang out. If you have the ability, try to beat me up. I promise to call the police, and I won't hold anything back. Believe me, there are surveillance cameras in the campus that can capture your actions. I'm looking forward to how you, high-interest loan sharks disguised as a 'student loan' program, will be exposed by public opinion..."

He smiled at Xiao Hong, his words carrying a hint. "Daring to lend money in South Industrial University, I'm sure Mr. Hong has some connections. It's really something to look forward to."

"Damn it!"

Xiao Hong had a gloomy face as he looked at Sun Cheng's murderous aura. For a moment, he was really intimidated by Sun Cheng's ferocity.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally snorted and gave a signal to the tall and strong man beside him to release Sun Cheng. He then said fiercely, "Well, I didn't realize it before, but you, Sun Cheng, are quite a character. But don't be too happy too soon. You can't escape what I want. I'll let you go today, but starting tomorrow, you'll suffer! Let's go!"

After saying that, there was a loud bang from the door. After giving him a deep look, the two of them left without looking back.