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“Was that… Kevin Walker’s voice?” Lin Xian wondered to himself, slowly rising from his chair. The words were the same as those uttered by the mysterious old man in his fourth dream. Could they have been targeting him 600 years ago? And when had they first noticed him? Was it when he had unmasked the man in front of him, or had it been even before he set foot in America?

“Don’t panic, Lin Xian,” a childlike yet somewhat arrogant voice interrupted his thoughts through the earpiece after a brief pause. It was VV, his digital companion, speaking with a hint of disdain, “We haven’t been exposed. I let him in on purpose.”

Lin Xian listened intently as VV explained that the laughter spreading through the stadium’s sound system was indeed triggered by Kevin Walker. The untraceable origin of the data was definitive proof of Kevin’s advanced hacking capabilities, which even VV couldn’t pinpoint.

“But the phrase ‘I see you’ wasn’t broadcasted to everyone—only to your earpiece. I noticed his attempt early on and could have blocked him, but he was specifically targeting you. Letting him through seemed like the best way to hear him out.”

“I’m certain Kevin hasn’t discovered my presence yet. It’s much easier to remain hidden than to seek out others. He knows of you, but not of me.”

Lin Xian shook his head in acknowledgment, “I trust you’re still under the radar. You represent the peak of technology 600 years from now; I don’t think he can detect you. However, I feel like I’ve definitely been exposed. Why else would he communicate directly through my earpiece?”

He continued, “Also, there’s something I haven’t shared before, but Kevin’s phrase is exactly what the mysterious old man said to me 600 years into the future. The way they spoke, the tone, the accent—it’s too similar. How did Kevin manage to send messages across 600 years?”

Lin Xian closed his eyes, pondering the enigma. Transmitting information through time seemed impossible, unless:

1. Someone, like him, was receiving future information in their dreams while existing in the past.

2. Actual time travelers were moving between the future and the present, similar to the character Yellow Finch.

As Lin Xian reflected on Kevin Walker’s voice in his earpiece, various scenarios raced through his mind. Perhaps the future Kevin had captured him and was instructing his younger self to eliminate Lin Xian in this timeline—similar to how Lin Xian had been altering the present based on future insights.

However, upon deeper analysis, Lin Xian questioned if Kevin truly had such capabilities. Why delay action until now? Why wait until he had removed Josen’s mask to reveal himself?

The events of the fourth dream were mere days old for Lin Xian but spanned over 600 years into a future that seemed set in stone.

The old man in that dream clearly knew Lin Xian’s identity and offenses well before they met. Why then, would he wait until the precise moment of 00:42 on August 29, 2624, to confront him?

If Lin Xian was a person of interest, it would have been easy to track him down.

Suddenly, Lin Xian realized that the old man must have recognized him long before their encounter, which likely meant he had been exposed before they met at 00:42 on August 28, 2624.

This led Lin Xian to two comforting conclusions:

1. Kevin Walker in 2023 hadn’t received any direct information from the old man in 2624. His initial fears were baseless.

2. Although he might have been detected over the course of 600 years, he managed to avoid capture until the fateful ambush on August 28, 2624, which ultimately proved pointless as the event was stuck in an infinite loop.

“If my assumptions are correct,” Lin Xian reasoned, “even though Kevin may be targeting me, he cannot harm me immediately. Why else would he not just kill me outright? Why trap me in a dream?”

“There’s another crucial point,” Lin Xian noted, eyes opening. “Tonight, when I enter my dream, I’ll see if the dream world changes. If it does, it means Kevin Walker targeted me today. If it remains unchanged, then today isn’t significant in terms of altering time.”

“In short, if the dream remains as it is, we can assume things are stable for now. We’ll know more by tomorrow.”

“No, to be precise, tomorrow,” Lin Xian corrected himself. The dream’s entry and exit were fixed, not affected by time zones. Considering the 12-hour difference between New York and X Country’s capital, 00:42 there would be 12:42 noon here in New York.

“VV, we can’t be too sure. The enemy might be stronger than we think,” Lin Xian whispered, his voice tinged with caution. “The loophole I used was through Kevin’s tactics, not something from the future. Removing Josen’s mask made sense given his provocations. The vulnerability in X Country’s internet security was patched by their technicians. My interference with Josen’s attack on the Skynet system, causing a network node outage, was flawless. Kevin had no reason to suspect my secrets.”

“But we can’t be certain if Kevin Walker in 2023 is the same as the old man from 600 years later. Until we get a clear picture of Kevin’s true face, his identity remains a mystery.”

“In my next dream, I’ll mention Kevin Walker’s name in front of the old man and gauge his reaction. If he is indeed the same person, his surprise at hearing his name should confirm it. I need to figure this out.”

“For now, we must stay alert. I might be exposed in the future, even if not today, and Kevin Walker could be involved. We have to treat him as an adversary and uncover his true identity.”

“Hmm,” VV responded through the earpiece. “Don’t worry, Lin Xian. I know what concerns you, but with me here, they can’t easily harm you.”

“I might not be as strong as you think, but I’m not weak either,” VV continued. “Sometimes, you think I’m lacking because I must remain hidden and leave no traces. So, I must be cautious and avoid deep investigations or getting too close to the enemy.”

“However, that doesn’t mean I lack the capability. I just can’t act openly without leaving traces. But rest assured, if your life is ever at risk, my primary directive allows me to act without restraint to protect you.”

“Kevin Walker, in this era, wouldn’t stand a chance against my full capabilities. If necessary, I could bring down the entire system.”

Lin Xian wasn’t surprised by VV’s assertion. This AI, a pinnacle of future human technology, had shown its strength before. Whenever Lin Xian had voiced doubts, VV had humorously manipulated household appliances to prove its point.

Like a hacker who had breached X Country’s cyber defenses, VV could easily neutralize threats if it didn’t need to conceal its actions. Even in its infancy, VV was far superior to Kevin Walker.

But Lin Xian was the vulnerable one. VV existed as a stream of data—fearless and relentless—while Lin Xian was flesh and blood, susceptible to harm. VV was just code, unable to predict every contingency.

Therefore, in the third dream, Lin Xian and VV had programmed two crucial directives into its code for safety:

1. Lin Xian’s safety was paramount, at any cost.

2. VV’s existence must be concealed at all costs.

The first directive was always the priority, unless Lin Xian’s safety was compromised. In such cases, the second directive would be overridden, allowing VV to act without limitations.

As VV had stated, to protect Lin Xian, it would even sacrifice the world. Lin Xian had no doubts about VV’s capabilities.

With VV constantly monitoring and safeguarding him, most threats would be detected early, and preemptive measures would be taken to ensure his safety.

VV was still maturing, becoming more potent by the day. Within a few months, it could eliminate a hacker without leaving a trace. As it evolved, VV would become unstoppable—a complete entity, unbounded and formidable.

The boundaries of Lin Xian’s safety were defined by VV’s capabilities, which in turn were a reflection of what human ingenuity could achieve. With VV’s vigilant oversight, assassinating Lin Xian wouldn’t be simple.

Yet, caution remained essential. Just as Kevin underestimated VV, there was a risk VV might underestimate Kevin.

Lin Xian was convinced Kevin Walker harbored deeper motives and additional traps awaited him.

For now, his immediate task was to conclude his business in America, retrieve a significant painting from Einstein’s residence in Princeton, and then return to X Country. VV assured him it was safer back home, and as it continued to grow, it would fortify X Country’s cyber defenses, adding an extra layer of protection.

If Kevin Walker ever breached their defenses, Lin Xian would be the first to know.

“Let’s head to Princeton, search for any vital clues, and then head back to X Country to reassess our strategy,” Lin Xian resolved.

As the laughter in the stadium finally ceased, the 2023 World Hacker Championship drew to a close. The event, rife with excitement and unexpected developments, concluded with young Josen, under the host’s probing, revealing that Kevin Walker had orchestrated his participation in the competition.