Chapter 44: Vulnerability (4)

44 – Vulnerability (4)

Compression algorithms are indeed quite important.

Computer technology is currently in a stage of explosive development, generating massive amounts of data along the way, not to mention the endless video and audio files on the internet.

The role of compression algorithms is to encode them according to certain rules, transforming them into a form that is easy to transmit and store, and then decode them when needed to restore the original data.

Therefore, an effective, lossless compression algorithm can greatly improve the transmission and storage efficiency of various files, data, and signals. If there were no compression algorithms in the world, the internet would likely collapse under its own bloated weight.

Such an important field of algorithms symbolizes the Golden Core realm in Cultivation, which seems fitting given its inherent significance.

Lin Xun felt he had glimpsed the truth.

About half an hour later, the Python platform finished loading.

Following the experience from his last breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, Lin Xun first spent a long time implementing most of the basic operations for object-oriented languages, pushing the main quest progress to fifty percent. Then, he connected to the hard drive, scavenged the programs Wang Anquan had collected over the years, and, using various ready-made tools, began calling existing compression algorithms one by one.

Using Huffman coding with binary trees was a classic approach, and indeed, the progress jumped by ten percent.

The LZ series was indispensable—five percent.

Shannon was the pioneer, carrying significant meaning—another five percent.

After reviewing history, Lin Xun began calling the mainstream lossy and lossless compression algorithms from recent years. Their names were varied and strange, and their application areas differed.

The progress bar slowly climbed, and the outlook was promising.

But just as Lin Xun thought he would smoothly advance to the Golden Core realm, it abruptly halted.

Ninety percent.

From then on, no matter how cutting-edge the programs he called, the progress bar remained unmoved.

After several attempts, Lin Xun was certain that the remaining ten percent must involve some other key.

He didn’t stubbornly wrestle with the system. Instead, he exited the space, searched for some related papers for a while, and then decided to go to sleep.

But it seemed this day was destined to be busy for him. Just as he closed his eyes with Zhi Zhen in his arms, his phone rang. The caller ID showed Lin Ting.

Lin Ting, his older sister, three years his senior, and his biological sibling.

Lin Xun answered the call: “Sis.”

His sister’s voice came through the receiver: “Little Xun.”

Her voice sounded a bit hoarse, unlike her usual tone.

Lin Xun: “Do you have a cold?”

“A little,” Lin Ting said. “My flight arrives in the capital tomorrow afternoon. Pick me up, okay?”

Lin Xun: “Alright.”

He added: “Send me the flight number.”

“Mm,” Lin Ting replied. “Are you going to sleep now?”

Lin Xun: “Planning to.”

His sister laughed: “So early.”

Lin Xun: “No Cultivation tonight.”

Lin Ting said: “Then I’ll hang up now. Don’t forget to pick me up—I bought you a lot of things.”

Lin Xun, holding his phone, also smiled: “My closet is already full.”

“Closet space is like water in a sponge. Be good, goodnight.”

Lin Xun: “Goodnight… drink more hot water.”

Lin Ting: “Shut up.”

Hanging up the phone, Lin Xun checked the date. He had been so busy lately that he had almost forgotten what day it was—indeed, it was about that time.

Lin Ting was studying art abroad and seemed to be preparing for her own exhibition. Balancing academics and career was no easy task, and she rarely returned during holidays. Yet every year around this time, she would take leave and come back to the country.

—The two of them had grown up under their grandfather’s care, sharing an especially deep bond. Two days later would be the anniversary of their grandfather’s passing, and returning to their hometown to visit him had been an unbreakable tradition over the years.

Grandfather had passed peacefully in his sleep at an advanced age—a “happy funeral,” as they say—so there was no real sorrow, only a touch of nostalgia. Every year at this time, they would speak before his tombstone, sharing what they had done over the past year, as if catching up with an old friend. It brought a sense of grounding for the year ahead.

He tugged on Zhi Zhen’s ear. “Come out with me?”

Zhi Zhen licked his finger.

Lin Xun: “So that’s a yes?”

Zhi Zhen seemed to understand nothing, curling up like an ordinary kitten and falling asleep on his chest.

Lin Xun also drifted off.

The night passed without dreams. The next day, he woke up to work on algorithms, chatted with Dong Jun, and listened to the sounds of the senior disciples from the fourth floor heading out to exorcise demons. The morning flew by. When it was time to pick up Lin Ting, to prevent a repeat of yesterday’s incident where Zhi Zhen had run out to find him, Lin Xun sought Dong Jun’s permission and decided to bring the cat along. He packed Zhi Zhen into a carrier and took him in the car.

At 4:20 p.m., he arrived at the airport, found the flight information for Lin Ting, and began waiting at the arrivals gate.

Of course, Zhi Zhen was with him. Lin Xun had slung the carrier in front of him and unzipped it slightly.

Zhi Zhen poked his head out from the opening. The crowd seemed to unsettle him; he looked around anxiously, his ears slightly flattened like airplane wings, and meowed at Lin Xun.

Lin Xun made a point of checking—today, Zhi Zhen had a frame around him.

He wasn’t lacking in observational skills. Based on his observations over the past few days, he had noticed that when the frame was present, Zhi Zhen behaved like a normal kitten—washing his face, licking his paws, eating cat food. But when the frame was absent, his behavior became more unpredictable, his tail more agile, able to move freely through cracks in the demon realm, and he preferred to lie quietly in Lin Xun’s arms.

Today, Zhi Zhen had the frame, so he wasn’t the little trickster—just a beautiful kitten.

Lin Xun patted Zhi Zhen’s head. “Don’t be afraid.”

Nearby, a group of girls whispered among themselves, and Lin Xun faintly caught words like “handsome guy.” After three girls asked for his WeChat and four requested photos with him and the cat, Lin Ting’s flight finally arrived.

Another ten minutes passed, and he spotted Lin Ting.

Lin Ting was a stunning beauty—tall with long legs and voluminous wavy hair. Having spent so much time alone in a foreign country, her presence had grown even more commanding.

She was dragging an enormous suitcase, wearing a bizarrely colorful thin trench coat that hung loosely, its hem reaching her knees. Yet underneath, she wore shorts, revealing her entire calves and half of her thighs. Lin Xun confirmed that this was a fashion style he simply couldn’t comprehend.

He zipped up the cat carrier, slung it over his back, and waved to Lin Ting.

Lin Ting hurried toward him.

A wave of fragrance enveloped him as she wrapped him in a firm hug.

Lin Xun: “…”

He hadn’t received such an enthusiastic greeting in years.

Lin Ting’s arms and body trembled slightly as she held him.

“Sis?” Lin Xun patted her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

It took quite a while before Lin Ting finally released him.

He held her shoulders and looked at her, noticing her eyes were red.

Lin Xun: “Did you get dumped?”

“No.” Lin Ting wiped her eyes, her voice slightly hoarse. “I missed you.”

Lin Xun: “Come on, it’s not that bad.”

“—I really missed you.”

Lin Xun: “Then come back after graduation. Don’t stay abroad.”

“Alright,” his sister seemed to have returned to normal, perking up with a smile as she began to joke with him. “Is Lin Corporation hiring?”

Lin Xun: “No thanks, can’t afford you.”

Lin Ting: “I figured as much. Be good, when I become a rich lady, I’ll invest in you.”

The next moment, she noticed the cat carrier on Lin Xun’s back.

The airport echoed with Miss Lin’s delighted cry as the helpless Zhi Zhen fell into her arms.

The two caught up all the way, and by evening, they returned to Chaoyang Community.

—Lin Ting had booked a hotel nearby, but today she planned to stuff Lin Xun’s closet, and also visit Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou, so they first went to Chaoyang Community, had dinner with everyone, and only then would she return to the hotel.

As soon as the door opened, Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou each called out “Sis!” with utmost enthusiasm—they had interacted quite a bit. Back when the three of them rented a place to work on Goddess of the Luo River, their lives were a complete mess, and it was all thanks to Lin Ting returning to take care of them.

Lin Ting happily responded and chatted with them for a long time—she had even bought games for each of them.

This time, Lin Xun didn’t feel jealous. He knew what awaited him.

Sure enough, after taking care of Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou, Lin Ting dragged her suitcase into his room and opened it—

“Sis,” Lin Xun said sincerely, “I really don’t want to change clothes.”

Lin Ting: “You must try on each one and praise my taste.”

After more than an hour of fussing, when Lin Xun’s closet was packed to the brim, Ms. Lin finally stopped.

Lin Xun sat on the bed, wearing a white hoodie that was supposedly a luxury brand’s new autumn collection but, to his taste, held no special appeal. He slumped over, drowsily holding Zhi Zhen.

“Oh, right,” Lin Ting took out a white bottle from the suitcase’s inner compartment and said in an enamored tone, “My favorite perfume this year, but it’s a men’s fragrance. Aquatic notes, a blend of warm and cool—feels perfect for my brother.”

Lin Xun replied perfunctorily, “Smells nice.”

Lin Ting: “?”

Lin Ting: “I haven’t even opened the cap, and you say it smells nice?”

She sprayed it three times at Lin Xun.

Lin Xun initially tried to dodge, but a second later, he froze completely.

This perfume…

The next moment, Zhi Zhen’s paws swiped through the air: “Meow?”

It opened its eyes wide, looking around the room as if searching for someone.

This perfume.

When the scent first spread, it was hard to distinguish, but as it diffused through the room and grew fainter…

It was like the first snow of winter, or the cold sunlight on a snowy mountain.

—Wasn’t this the same one Dong Jun used?

Lin Ting watched his reaction with interest. “How is it?”

Lin Xun had already memorized the scent of this perfume and equated it with Dong Jun’s presence, almost forming a conditioned reflex. As a result, he was now nearly unconscious, even hallucinating that Dong Jun was nearby.

He felt his fingertips go slightly weak, nearly dropping the cat, and replied to Lin Ting, “It’s… it’s quite nice.”

“Then I’ll give it to you,” Lin Ting walked over to his bedside. “I like to spray it on the pillow, like this…”

As she spoke, she aimed at Lin Xun’s pillow and precisely gave it three more sprays.

“Don’t,” Lin Xun tried to stop her, but it was too late—his sister’s hand was too quick.

Lin Ting seemed quite satisfied. “This fragrance lasts quite a while, and it’ll create a nice atmosphere all night.”

It’s over.

Lin Xun thought to himself that she probably didn’t want him to sleep.