82: Courtly Echo

He hadn't slept all night.

Early the next morning, outside the massive porthole of Chen Feng's office, the gray sky of Ashen Earth Star began to show a hint of pale dawn.

Chen Feng once again brought up the Bloody Ledger.

This time, his gaze did not linger on the shocking lists of annihilated families or the bloody business operations. He scrutinized the structure of the ledger itself, like the most discerning connoisseur.

The rows and columns of data were not merely simple listings. There was a marvelous, non-utilitarian internal correlation between them. The arrangement of the data blocks, the nesting of the encryption algorithms, and even the indecipherable, signature-like garbled code at the end of the file, all exuded precision, complexity, and even... a touch of artistic beauty.

"Lao Mo." Chen Feng connected the internal communication line.

"Boss, I'm here." Lao Mo's voice carried the fatigue of an all-nighter.

"Come to my office."

A few minutes later, Lao Mo entered the office, and Chen Feng handed him the Encrypted Chip.

"Forget the contents," Chen Feng said straightforwardly. "Just analyze this 'lock.' What kind of person do you think could create a lock like this?"

Lao Mo was somewhat confused, but he inserted the chip into the Portable Analyzer as instructed.

He ignored the data that had already been decrypted and went straight to the underlying algorithmic structure.

"Boss, this isn't ordinary encryption." In just a few minutes, an expression of astonishment appeared on Lao Mo's face. "I felt something was off when I cracked it yesterday."

"What do you mean?"

"Military-grade encryption focuses on absolute obfuscation and irreversibility, like a tangled mess, designed so that no one can unlock it." Lao Mo pointed to the flowing light code on the screen, his speaking speed increasing. "Commercial encryption focuses on efficiency and compatibility, like a standardized lock."

"And this one..." Lao Mo's voice was filled with the unique fascination and admiration of a technician. "It pursues a kind of... mathematical elegance and symmetry. Look here, it uses a variant of Fermat's Last Theorem as the basis for key generation; and here, the arrangement of this data block perfectly matches an ancient artistic theory in my database called the 'Golden Ratio Harmonic Law.'"

"This isn't just a password." Lao Mo looked up, a strange light flickering in his eyes. "It's more a symbol of identity and profound knowledge."

"In certain high-level civilizations of the Old Era, this type of encryption, which mixes advanced mathematics, artistic theory, and even musical harmony, was called 'Courtly Encryption.'"

"The people who use this sort of thing are definitely not merchants of humble origins like us, nor are they typical technicians." Lao Mo stated his conclusion deliberately. "They are great families with long legacies, who received the most elite education from childhood. This is their 'family crest,' a pride etched into their very bones."

"Courtly Encryption..."

The phrase struck Chen Feng like a bolt of lightning, instantly piercing through all the confusion in his mind.

Su Li.

The sole heir of a massive logistics family.

She possessed direct evidence of a family annihilation carried out by the Alliance.

She possessed a profound elite educational background that ordinary people could never attain.

In the desperate situation of her family's destruction and her own precarious existence, she did not choose the simplest or crudest way to record her hatred, but instead used this near-artistic method to compose the final epitaph for her family.

This ledger was not only evidence for revenge, but also the best proof of her personal capability and background!

Such a person was truly the "Chief Designer" who could build the framework for Hanhai Trade!

"Gather all core members! Meeting immediately at the Command Center!" The despondency of the previous day was completely gone from Chen Feng's voice, replaced by a sharp decisiveness, like a hawk locking onto its prey.

Five minutes later, at the Command Center.

Reno, Lao Mo, Irene, and all the founding veterans of Hanhai Trade were present.

Chen Feng wasted no time, projecting the entire content of the Bloody Ledger, word for word, onto the massive holographic screen.

As everyone gasped at the bloody process of suppression, Chen Feng spoke with unprecedented resolve.

"We have been making mistakes. I have been making mistakes."

He looked at the crowd and said frankly, "I tried to buy a brain with money, to buy a manager who could put Hanhai Trade on the right track. As it turns out, I almost bought a knife aimed straight at our heart."

He paused, then shared Lao Mo's conclusion about "Courtly Encryption" with everyone.

"The answer we truly need has actually been in our hands all along."

Amidst the shocked and enlightened gazes of the crowd, Chen Feng extended his finger and forcefully tapped the missing name on the screen.

"Stop wasting time and money on the Exchange."

"She is the answer we need."

"From now on, Hanhai Trade has only one top priority mission—"

"Find her, no matter the cost!"