Tianfang Company, strategically located in the coastal city of Haidong, is considered a sterling presence in the field of software innovation, making them one of the top tier software development firms. Their slew of accolades and awards shine as testimonials of their distinction. Indeed, one might proclaim, they are the gold standard in Haidong city's software industry.

The company is helmed by boss Su Xiuyuan, whose influence and connections are widespread and profound. The name Tianfang itself hints at the company's involvement in pivotal governmental software undertakings. Su Xiuyuan is frequently among the high-profile invitees to significant social gatherings within the city.

This recent order is of monumental significance to Tianfang Company. The success of this project could be the stepping stone for Tianfang, laying a path for expansion beyond Haidong city to dominate other provincial markets. To secure this order, Su Xiuyuan has exhausted every connection, sparing no effort or resource. Finally, through influential allies, he succeeded.

The client placing the order is of particular importance - the third-ranked, nationwide Hengtong Chip Company. Their market capitalization surpasses 400 billion, making them a corporate leviathan. Winning this order signifies a budding alliance with Hengtong. Completing it successfully equates to gaining initial trust.

As is customary, past collaborations pave the way for future joint ventures. Companies are likely to seek out partners they've successfully collaborated with before, making the relationship mutually beneficial. The aspiration was commendable, but inevitably, a snag was hit.

Just when the delivery deadline was nearly upon them, and Su Xiuyuan had prepared everything, an unforeseen issue emerged - a troublesome bug that left them in hopeless disarray. The bug itself could be eradicated, but time was the deadly nemesis.

After two days of relentless attempts, Su Xiuyuan was reluctant to gamble further. With no other choice, he desperately needed external help. Otherwise, the order would be botched, making future collaboration with Hengtong practically impossible. With countless other software companies across the country, none would pick Tianfang, a company with a failed past.

As the turning point opportunity for the company was slipping away, Su Xiuyuan, as the owner, understandably, was in a state of high anxiety.

Early the next day, Lin Long treated Su Mei to breakfast and boarded a cab, hurtling towards Tianfang. Upon reaching Tianfang, they found many renowned software companies from Haidong city. The early arrival spoke volumes about the competition - everyone desired to seize the ten-million reward.

Tardiness, coupled with others outstripping them, would equate to missed opportunities. These days, Tianfang's employees were running on thin threads. The boss's frustration caused them to keep vigil at the office, burning the midnight oil. Lin Long noticed several employees with dark circles under their eyes.

Upon entry, they registered at the front desk. Lin Long penned down only his name, representing himself as an individual. "The meeting room on the fifth floor," the front desk attendant directed them sweetly.

Upon reaching the fifth-floor conference room, Lin Long and Su Mei found it already bustling with attendees. Diverse representatives from over a dozen software companies were there, along with a handful of individuals.

For such bounty, wouldn't everyone want a piece of the pie? After all, solving bugs was reliant on personal ability. Present in the room were numerous programmers from Tianfang Company, their faces a canvas of concern, reflecting their worried boss, Su Xiuyuan. The stage was set, and companies with even a modicum of authority had sent their representatives.

"I won't beat around the bush," announced Su Xiuyuan, cutting straight to the chase, "Whoever can execute this fix will be rewarded ten million instantly." His declaration was bold and authoritative. None of the attendees had any objections.

The conference room had been well-prepared in anticipation of this moment, with a dozen or more computers hooked up to servers. Each arriving company and individual had been allotted a spot in front of a computer. All those present were individuals of caliber. Among them, the youngest ones were Lin Long and Su Mei.

At first, the staff of Tianfang Company didn't pay much attention to them, assuming they were just employees from another company. Even Su Xiuyuan didn't see Lin Long as potential help. Instead, his enthusiasm was focused on the CTO of Haiwei Company.

"Professor Wu, we are in your debt for this," Su Xiuyuan complimented.

Professor Wu was not only the CTO of Haiwei Company but also a professor and director of the Computer Science Department at Haidong University. His accomplishments in this field were unparalleled in Haidong city. Even Su Xiuyuan's hefty head-hunting price had failed to sway him in the past.

Accompanied by his trusted programmers, Professor Wu smiled, "You flatter us, Mr. Su. We're here with the attitude of learning, faced with a bug that even you couldn't tackle." Although modest, his words exuded immense confidence.

Under different circumstances, Su Xiuyuan may have offered more compliments, but at the moment, he was far too preoccupied. Fixing this bug was a matter of gaining every precious second.

"Go ahead, Professor Wu," Su Xiuyuan gestured.

With no further ado, Professor Wu and his team took control of two computers. Aside from this group, Jianan Software Company was another formidable contender. So, the most promising companies to solve the bug were Haiwei and Jianan. Other smaller companies attended, hoping against hope for a big break or, at the very least, a learning experience.

Su Xiuyuan, as the host, courteously greeted the bosses and executives of each company. "Mr. Li, we appreciate your efforts," "Mr. Wang, thank you," "Mr. Li, we are grateful." When he finally reached Lin Long and Su Mei, he noticed that Lin Long was quite handsome. Yet, standing next to Su Mei, he seemed to have become the perfect foil to her beauty.

Su Xiuyuan's eyes brightened as he looked at Su Mei. Indeed, she was stunningly beautiful, radiating an aura even more captivating than his. "Hello, hello," he greeted, extending his hand not towards Lin Long, who could easily be lost in the crowd, but to Su Mei. Su Xiuyuan, seemingly, assumed her to be the team leader.

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Su Mei faintly smiled, gently moving aside and pointed at Lin Long, "Mr Su, this is my boss."

"What?" Su Xiuyuan was taken aback. He eyed Lin Long with surprise - how could such a gorgeous and poised woman work for such an ordinary man? His manners, nonetheless, were impeccable. He swiftly turned to Lin Long, "Hello, I'm Su Xiuyuan."

"I'm Lin Long," Lin Long replied in an equally civilized froth, understanding how it was easy for one to misconstrue the situation.

Su Xiuyuan shook Lin Long's hand, expressing a formal "We are grateful for your presence, boss Zhou." Once the handshake was over, Su Xiuyuan hurried towards Professor Wu. After all, in his mind, Professor Wu was the most promising of them all.

Lin Long bore no resentment. The world, in general, would only respect the strong.

"Hey, you're Lin Long?" a voice interrupted. Someone seemed to recognize Lin Long. Lin Long had spotted him earlier – he was a project manager at Lin Long's previous company. Knowing they would be at the venue did not surprise him.

"Manager Huang." Lin Long greeted with a smile. The fact that the manager knew him came as a little surprise given Lin Long was simply an average coder at the company.

Manager Huang was also there as a part of the team. The ten-million reward was more than a small company like theirs might earn in a year, so they had attended on the off chance. A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes glanced at Lin Long, asking, "Manager Huang, a friend?"

This man was Lin Long's boss's boss, the general manager of the entire development department from his previous company. "Manager Zhao, this guy quit our company a few days ago, just an ordinary worker from the development department," Manager Huang explained, a hint of disdain and contempt in his voice.

No doubt, who would care about a normal staff member who'd quit? As speculated, Manager Zhao nodded and, a trace of annoyance in his eyes, instructed, "Alright, let's attempt to fix this bug."

Something seemed to tickle his funny bone as he abruptly chuckled, " It seems like every tom, dick and harry wants to take a shot at it. Is this some elementary arithmetic?"

Before Lin Long could retort, Su Mei chimed in agreeing, "Indeed, it seems like every tom, dick and harry wants to take a shot at it. Such ignorance of the high heavens and the vast earth." It was clear who the comment was aimed at.

Zhao, beguiled by Su Mei's beauty, huffed dismissively and moved towards an empty computer.

Manager Huang glared at Lin Long and Su Mei before following his boss. Lin Long just shrugged his shoulders. Such a small company, yet the leadership lacked vision - how could they ever expect to achieve anything noteworthy? Even though they had worked together at one point, how could they treat a former colleague in this fashion? Lin shook his head in disappointment. He may have overestimated his standing in their eyes.

Looking at all the experts wholly engaged with their tasks, Lin Long spoke to Su Mei, "We should get started fast, too." Against this squad of elites, he was genuinely concerned about someone beating him to the punch.

Su Mei smiled, responding, "Boss, don't worry. They won't be able to fix it." As a top artificial intelligence expert from a world where technology was decades more advanced than that of the Earth, she knew this bug like the back of her hand. Fixing such a logical error was nothing more challenging than an elementary task, even for a recent graduate in her previous world.

Amused by Lin Long's urgency, she sat before a computer, revealing the complex coding structure provided by Tianfang Company.

Looking at the code, everyone else wrinkled their brows.

"Mr. Su, this can't be fixed!" "Yes, you've only given us access to the problematic part, how can we fix it?" "Please forgive my impotence; this demand is simply unreasonable!"

Given only a section of the entire design, they couldn't even discern the logic and direction, let alone identify and fix the problem. Even Professor Wu was visibly confused. The limiting conditions seemed to stump him.

Watching Professor Wu's frustration, the representatives of other, smaller companies wore desolate expressions. They had arrived hoping for a piece of the cake, but the order seemed way out of their league. The prospect of earning ten million now seemed overly ambitious.

An awkward smile rose on Su Xiuyuan's face as he said, "Everyone, this is a matter of confidentiality, hence only this tiny part can be disclosed. Please understand." Admittedly, these constraints were indeed difficult. However, Su Xiuyuan was left with no choice. If he exposed the entire thing, the whole program would be rendered useless.

Many companies wore helpless expressions upon hearing this – they knew they stood little chance with the reward. Some even gave up decisively. Only Professor Wu and representatives from Jianan Company stayed at it, persisting in their attempts.

Lin Long looked worriedly at Su Mei – and rightfully so. The limiting condition had indeed increased the difficulty several notches. But having scanned it for a while, Su Mei revealed a playful smile as her fingers began to dance on the keyboard. The tapping produced an engaging rhythm, astonishingly fast.

The code was alive, one line after another jumping onto the screen. This display immediately attracted the attention of others. Professor Wu snorted, "Seeking attention?" They hadn't even deciphered the core logic yet, yet she was already starting? And being such a young woman, seemingly a recent graduate, she made her audacity quite clear.

Antipathy was more evident on the face of Manager Zhao and Huang. An ordinary employee that resigned a few days ago, suddenly playing boss? And the staff that such a boss could employ, could they be so capable? They crossed their arms, a mocking smile playing across their faces, waiting to see how Lin Long and Su Mei would embarrass themselves.

While Su Xiuyuan was equally skeptical inside, he did not let his dismissive attitude show for he had still solicited their aid in fixing the bug. Lin Long felt a tinge of embarrassment while Su Mei seemed not to have heard anything at all. Her fingers defied their mortal speed, hammering the keyboard relentlessly.

At first, faces of those present bore marks of amusement. However, as the code that Su Mei tapped out continued to dance across the screen, their expressions gradually changed. Being the elite in their fields, these people quickly realized that this code wasn't nonsensical. They noticed that not a single error could be found at their first glance.

"How could this be?""So fast, and there's not a single mistake.""Is her brain even able to keep up with her hands?"

Those who understood the code could not stop exclaiming. Even on Professor Wu's face, an expression of solemnity began to show. Su Xiuyuan edged closer. As an experienced programmer and the leader of the development team, he had a more thorough understanding of the program; he knew what each line of code represented.

"This..."

Faced with what he was seeing, Su Xiuyuan had to force himself to keep his jaw from dropping. The room fell silent, everybody holding their breaths in anticipation. Su Mei's speed was indeed awe-inspiring, hundreds of lines of code were finished in just over two minutes.

Once Su Mei finished, she straightened up, gently declaring, "It's done. Mr. Su, can I test it now?" At her words, everyone in the room was dumbfounded.

"Had it been fixed so quickly?"

"That is impossible!" blurted out Mr. Zhao.

"What?" Su Xiuyuan felt like a fish out of water looking at the result. But he was quick to recover.

"Quick, needs testing!" Attached programmers picked up the finished code and conducted tests right away. Irrespective of the result, the speed alone was enough to earn a newfound respect from Su Xiuyuan towards Lin Long and Su Mei.

"Also wondering if it will work."

"Absolutely no reconsideration or review was needed. It's risky!"

"A young person, how much could they achieve?"

However, the skepticism remained, and the room was filled with the murmurs of disbelief.

Many people showed signs of contempt. "Lin Long just resigned from our company a few days ago," Manager Huang was quick to point out, "He was just an ordinary employee, merely qualified to fill in the codes. His recruit could not possibly solve this loophole."

His words met with unanimous agreement from the crowd. Earlier, they were curious about Lin Long's identity, assuming he was from some influential company. But now they understood. He was nothing but a former average employee.

Being the boss, Su Xiuyuan approached Su Mei, "Regardless of the result, I want to thank you."

Su Mei pointed at Lin Long, "If you want to express thanks, thank my boss. I have no interest in such rewards otherwise."

Su Xiuyuan looked astounded. Su Mei seemed to prioritize Lin Long's status above all. Not just Su Xiuyuan, but also everyone present had overlooked Lin Long. Primarily because he appeared painfully average in their eyes. His attire blatantly declared 'cheap,' and he didn't seem like someone with power. Usually, given Su Mei's strong abilities, she would have been the dominant one. But surprisingly, Su Mei continually highlighted Lin Long's position.

Su Xiuyuan gripped Lin Long's hand gratefully, "Mr. Zhou, we appreciate your effort."

Just ten days ago, Lin Long was an everyday individual. However, his experiences in the apocalypse had transformed him fundamentally. Facing a billionaire boss, Lin Long remained nonchalant, only telling him with a smile, "Mr. Su, you can thank us once the result is out."

Testifying his equanimity against honor and disgrace impressed everyone. The testing was a relatively straightforward process – they simply had to import the code into the program. The result would reveal itself instantly upon running the program.

Within five short minutes, a programmer from Tianfang Company, excitement etched on his face, burst into the conference room.

"Mr. Su, it's solved." "Besides, it's running perfectly now, even slightly improving the logic of our program." "Most importantly, the concise effectiveness of this code has opened up new horizons for us." "We have never encountered such a coding logic."

The crowd that harbored doubts moments ago were amazed. All eyes turned towards Su Mei as stupefied expressions filled their faces. Not only had these people solved the loophole, but they also earned the approval of Tianfang's programmers. Such was the impressiveness of their code.