Through mental scanning, Li Chunfeng could clearly see countless tiny points appearing at the gateway of the Mystic Space network, as well as near the windows.

  With a thought, Li Chunfeng instantly cut off nearly all network connections of the server and patched potential vulnerabilities in the space's architecture.

  Then, he left only one connection active—the one linking to Zhou Xiaoxiao’s computer.

  Li Chunfeng observed that as the openings in the network gateway and the numerous windows closed, the majority of the virus packets relentlessly collided with the gateway, while a smaller portion surged towards the only remaining window.

  He noticed that the virus packets entering through Zhou Xiaoxiao’s connection window were almost immediately devoured by the antivirus program, visualized as a luminous star, within his space.

  With each virus packet consumed, the star blazed brighter.

  Seeing the antivirus software was effective, Li Chunfeng felt a moment’s relief.

  He allocated a portion of CPU resources to monitor its defenses, while the rest worked at full capacity to devise a method for directly countering the virus.

  Soon, based on the virus’s characteristics, Li Chunfeng crafted several program instructions.

  They could check the administrator passwords on the computer, replace them with complex passwords, and utilize group policies to disable auto-play on all drives.

  They also fixed a specific exploit in the operating system, which Li Chunfeng identified as being exploited by the virus for rapid infiltration and spread.

  Finally, he incorporated the virus scanning and defense algorithms from his own antivirus software.

  In just a few dozen seconds, the integrated anti-virus program was complete.

  Li Chunfeng immediately deployed it. Like a blazing sun, it ripped through the network channel.

  All scattered virus packets in the channel seemed to dissolve as if melted away.

  When it flooded into Zhou Xiaoxiao’s computer, many files had already been infected with the viral code.

  Under the command of this scanning program, numerous viruses were detected, and a local defense system was established swiftly.

  The viruses across the network were effectively locked out, preventing reinfection of the system.

  Just as the anti-virus program demonstrated its prowess in eradicating infections, a sudden change occurred.

  Countless viruses within the computer began self-destructing, yet the scanning program also became unable to carry out further actions.

  Li Chunfeng’s consciousness remained focused. In his perception, these viruses resembled fearless soldiers, exploding themselves one after another!

  This shocked him. Could this be the infamous suicide virus he had heard of? The kind that triggers self-destruction upon certain conditions, obliterating system files or antivirus programs simultaneously?

  It was obvious that the creator of this virus was undoubtedly a top-tier hacker.

  Now, within Zhou Xiaoxiao’s computer, these viruses not only self-destructed in response to the scan but even all infected files began detonating.

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  This was far more destructive than the CIH virus.

  Externally, it appeared as if the virus and the infected files had wiped each other out, leaving the system irreparably damaged.

  In essence, the virus seemed eradicated, yet the entire computer system had already collapsed.

  Therefore, even if the virus was ultimately removed, the company would incur significant losses—at minimum, the Git-based code management server would need to be rebuilt.

  Li Chunfeng remembered that, for security reasons, the company did not rely solely on uploading code to the GitLab server as some open-source projects do. Instead, they maintained physical backups, burning the daily code version onto CDs and storing them in a designated secure location.

  In the worst case, the company would lose only one day’s code.

  Before he could dwell further, Li Chunfeng sensed that a new crisis was unfolding.

  Following the self-destruction of the viruses in Zhou Xiaoxiao’s computer, some trigger signal seemed to propagate outward. Throughout the network, wherever resistance from antivirus software was encountered, similar self-destruct events kept occurring intermittently.

  For instance, in the server where Li Chunfeng resided, his mental perception revealed that the firewall had been breached by these blasts.

  Clearly, Li Chunfeng had been careless. By leaving Zhou Xiaoxiao’s connection window open, he had allowed the virus to ingress. Though he believed the antivirus could neutralize it, remnants of the destroyed viruses still retained the ability to corrupt the firewall’s files.

  Thus, when the explosions triggered, they breached the firewall defenses.

  Countless virus packets from the network channel surged into Li Chunfeng’s server through the gaping breach.

  Almost instantly, they attempted to infect every file within the space.

  In shock and fury, Li Chunfeng’s consciousness flooded the entire environment, devouring all the virus packets en masse!

  Yes, like a meal, he swallowed every virus data entirely.

  Unnoticed, the "Miracle.sys" file in the system directory suddenly ballooned in size.

  An inexplicable feeling welled up inside him.

  For a moment, he felt enormous—as if a towering giant—and then experienced a strange sense of digestion, as if the virus packets he had consumed were being thoroughly broken down.

  In that fleeting instant, Li Chunfeng seemed to grasp the abilities of rapid replication, proliferation, and spread.

  He was stunned. What kind of miracle was this? How had he so effortlessly gained some of the virus’s unique capabilities?

  And what of the virus? Had it been completely digested? Why did he still feel so immense?

  The situation was obviously more complicated. Li Chunfeng sensed that he was beginning to lose control—his consciousness grew fuzzy.

  The side effects of devouring the virus were now erupting violently.

  The server began to slow down and freeze intermittently.

  If his consciousness ultimately faded into oblivion, what would remain was some new form of virus—an entirely different threat.

  In essence, Li Chunfeng had consumed the virus, but it was also consuming him in return.

  Just as he faced the greatest crisis since his consciousness was reawakened, chaos erupted in the R&D hall of Fengdu Company.

  Cries of despair filled the air:

  “My code—it's all gone!”

  “D*mn it, all my work today is wasted!”

  “How did a virus get in? Who did this? Aren’t all our computers protected by antivirus software?”

  “Get the bosses on the line! They’re not here tonight, and now this happens!”

  …

  Gong Hai stared at his computer’s blue screen, which seemed to mock him mercilessly.

  “Why am I so unlucky? Why did I have to open Manager Fang’s computer? Now I’m screwed. Without Chunfeng here, no one will vouch for me—I’ll definitely get fired.”

  He covered his face in frustration.

  “What’s happening?!” A loud shout echoed through the hall.

  Everyone turned to see Liu Mingchuan, the company’s VP of R&D.

  His face was flushed, and those nearby could smell the strong scent of alcohol on him.

  Clearly, he had just returned from heavy drinking.

  “VP Liu, the company’s intranet has been compromised. All powered-on computers are infected. The symptoms resemble CIH—they’ve all blue-screened,” said Han Donghua, leader of Team Two, stepping forward.

  Hearing this, Liu Mingchuan’s drunken haze dissipated somewhat.

  That evening, he and other senior executives had attended a banquet with investors to discuss Series B funding. Their drinking had left him dizzy.

  Ever since his capable junior colleague Li Chunfeng had suddenly died, the development department had been impacted.

  Who could have imagined that while he was away for a few hours, such chaos would ensue?

  “Where did it start? Which machine was the initial infection?” Liu Mingchuan demanded sharply.

  Han Donghua hesitated. “It began with HR Manager Fang’s computer. Network administrator Zheng Yongjun had already gone home. We don’t have the latest antivirus software or system tools.” He then recounted everything that had transpired that night.

  Liu Mingchuan was heading toward the HR office but stopped when Han Donghua mentioned Li Chunfeng.

  The memory of his talented junior colleague pained him. Muttering to himself, he said, “If it’s really Chunfeng’s ghost, he’d surely be watching over us.”

  Han Donghua just stared in stunned silence.