Chapter 57 Li Xiao's Discovery
At 11:00 PM, Li Xiao was the only one left in the laboratory.
Chen Xueming and Zhang Zhe had left early for once tonight—after a week of intense work, both were exhausted and had been forced by Lin Mo to go back and rest. Lin Mo himself had left half an hour ago, reminding her before he went, "Don't stay up too late; you still have work tomorrow."
Li Xiao agreed, saying she was "leaving right away," but her hands were still clattering away on the keyboard.
She didn't actually have any urgent work; she was just used to writing code at this time. In the dead of night, with no one to disturb her, her thoughts were exceptionally clear. Recently, she had been helping Chen Xueming build an electrolyte formula database, integrating all experimental data, literature information, and test results to facilitate future searching and comparison.
It was a bit of a large project, but doing it gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
She stretched, picked up her cold coffee, and took a sip, frowning at the bitter taste.
"Forget it, I'll run the logs one more time and then go to sleep," she muttered, casually opening the server's management backend.
This was another habit of hers—checking the server's operating status before bed to see if there were any anomalies. Someone was specifically responsible for the base's network security, but she maintained the laboratory's internal servers herself. The data inside was too important, and she didn't dare be careless.
The log files scrolled page by page: CPU load normal, memory usage normal, network traffic normal...
Wait.
Li Xiao's gaze stopped on one record:
2025-07-23 02:17:34 | Access IP: 45.143.22.xxx | Target Port: 3306 | Status: Denied | Count: 47
At 2:00 AM, someone had tried to connect to the database port and was rejected by the firewall.
Li Xiao frowned and continued scrolling down.
02:18:56 | Same IP | Target Port: 3306 | Status: Denied | Count: 53
02:20:12 | Same IP | Target Port: 3306 | Status: Denied | Count: 61
She scrolled up to the records from a few days ago:
07-22 02:13-02:45 | Same IP | Scan Record | Total Attempts: 312
07-21 02:08-02:52 | Same IP | Scan Record | Total Attempts: 287
07-20 02:11-02:38 | Same IP | Scan Record | Total Attempts: 265
Li Xiao's sleepiness vanished instantly.
She sat up straight, staring at the numbers on the screen, her heart beginning to race.
This wasn't an ordinary scan. Ordinary scans usually cast a wide net, scanning a bunch of ports from one IP and then leaving. But this IP was only targeting the default port of the MySQL database—and it was only active between 2:00 and 3:00 AM. Fixed time, clear target, four consecutive days.
Someone was probing their database.
Li Xiao took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She pulled up the IP's details: 45.143.22.xxx, location showing the Netherlands. But she knew that didn't mean anything; with a VPN jump, an IP could come from anywhere.
She continued scrolling through the logs, trying to find more clues.
Suddenly, she noticed a detail: this IP wasn't trying to connect continuously; instead, it would try a few dozen times, stop for a few minutes, and then try again. This rhythm...
"It looks like a person operating it, not an automated script," Li Xiao murmured to herself.
If it were an automated script, it should be trying continuously until it was blocked or successful. But this rhythmic pausing was more like a person's manual operation, trying a few times and then waiting a bit, perhaps for fear of triggering the firewall's automatic block threshold.
Her back felt a bit chilled.
Someone was manually attempting to intrude into their database. And it had been going on for four days.
Li Xiao immediately opened her contacts and found the number labeled "Director Fang." Fang Lin—Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Security Bureau and one of the heads of security for the base. Lin Mo had given her the contact info originally, saying, "If there are any security issues, contact her directly."
She checked the time: 23:47.
It was so late; would Director Fang pick up?
After hesitating for two seconds, she pressed the dial button.
It rang twice, and the other side picked up.
"Li Xiao?" Fang Lin's voice was very alert, not sounding at all like she had been woken up. "What happened?"
"Director Fang," Li Xiao kept her voice low, but she couldn't suppress her speaking speed, "I just found an anomaly in the server logs. Someone has been scanning our database for four consecutive days in the early morning, trying to connect to port 3306."
There was a second of silence on the other end, and then Fang Lin said, "Are you in the laboratory now?"
"Yes."
"Don't move, and don't make a sound. I'm coming over right away."
After hanging up, Li Xiao stared at the screen, her fingers unconsciously tapping the desk.
The wait felt exceptionally long. She scrolled through those logs over and over, and the more she looked, the more that IP seemed eerie. Netherlands, early morning, port 3306, manual rhythm... Putting it all together, it reminded her of something from two months ago—
The cook's arrest.
That cook, who had worked in the base canteen for three years, turned out to be a spy. Zhao Gang, who was responsible for delivering meals to Lin Mo, was the first to notice something wrong. Later, by following the clues, they caught that deeply hidden fellow. At that time, Li Xiao had also participated in the data analysis, helping Zhao Gang organize that person's communication records.
The mastermind behind that incident was named George.
An overseas spy leader who specialized in targeting China's high-tech projects.
Could it be the same person?
Just as she was thinking, faint footsteps came from outside the door.
Li Xiao looked nervously at the door and then breathed a sigh of relief—Fang Lin pushed the door open and entered, followed by two people in plain clothes, a man and a woman, with ordinary faces but sharp eyes.
"Are you the only one here?" Fang Lin walked over quickly.
Li Xiao nodded. "They all went back."
Fang Lin went to the computer, and Li Xiao had already pulled up the log page. Fang Lin sat down, quickly browsing the records, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
"Four days?" she asked.
"Yes, starting from July 20th, between 2:00 and 3:00 AM every day." Li Xiao pointed at the screen. "This IP only scans port 3306, and the rhythm seems like manual operation. I suspect someone is probing our defenses."
Fang Lin didn't speak. She took a USB flash drive from her pocket and plugged it into the computer. She opened a small program that Li Xiao had never seen before and began analyzing the logs.
The two people in plain clothes stood to the left and right of the door and window, alertly watching for any movement outside.
The laboratory was so quiet that the hum of the computer fan could be heard.
A few minutes later, Fang Lin looked up, her expression turning solemn.
"It's not an ordinary hacker," she said. "Behind this IP, someone is using professional tools. Look here—"
She pointed to a detail on the screen that Li Xiao hadn't noticed. "Before each connection attempt, there is a very short ping probe to test network latency. This isn't something a script can do; it's manual operation. He is estimating the response time to deduce the server's physical location."
Li Xiao's heart tightened.
"Then... who is it?"
Fang Lin was silent for a few seconds and then said, "Do you remember George?"
Li Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
"I remember," she said. "The cook's case..."
"Yes." Fang Lin stood up and paced slowly in the laboratory. "After the cook was caught, things were quiet on George's end for two months. But we never let down our guard, knowing he was waiting for an opportunity. Now it seems he has found it."
She turned to look at Li Xiao:
"Your Lithium-Sulfur Battery project is progressing too fast. After the 1450 data was made public, things have exploded abroad. People like George are in the business of information trading. He steals for whoever pays the highest price."
Li Xiao's voice trembled slightly. "Then what should we do?"
Fang Lin went back to the computer and began operating. "First, upgrade the defenses. Your database can no longer use the default port; change it tonight. Second, don't alert the enemy. George doesn't know we've discovered him yet; that's our advantage."
She unplugged the USB flash drive and handed it to Li Xiao:
"This is a monitoring program I wrote. Install it quietly. It can record more detailed access information, including the type of tools the other party uses and the fingerprint characteristics of their operating system. Next time he comes, we'll be able to lock onto more clues."
Li Xiao took the USB drive, her hands shaking slightly.
"Will... will I be okay?"
Fang Lin looked at her, a hint of warmth in her eyes.
"You'll be fine. You were a big help in the cook's case last time. It's the same this time."
She paused and lowered her voice:
"Remember, don't tell the rest of the team, except for Lin Mo. I will speak to Lin Mo personally. You all work as usual, doing what you need to do. But from now on, all data uploads and backups will go through an encrypted channel and be directly taken over by my side."
Li Xiao nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to steady herself.
Fang Lin checked the time. "It's 12:20 AM now. Before 1:00 AM, I want you to complete three things: first, change the database port; second, install the monitoring program; and third, pack up all the logs from the past few days and send them to me."
She looked into Li Xiao's eyes:
"Can you do it?"
Li Xiao nodded vigorously. "I can."
Fang Lin patted her shoulder and turned to walk out. At the door, she turned back and added one more thing:
"By the way, for the next few nights, I will arrange for people to patrol near the laboratory. If you work overtime, don't be afraid. But keep an eye out yourself."
Li Xiao nodded and watched her leave.
After the door closed, the laboratory became quiet again.
Li Xiao stood in place, dazed for a few seconds, then suddenly snapped back to her senses, sat at the computer, and began operating.
Change the port, install the monitoring, pack the logs—her hands were fast, but her heart was faster.
Changing the port was simple and took only a few minutes. Installing the monitoring was a bit more complex, but Fang Lin's program was very user-friendly, and she just had to click "next" all the way. Packing the logs took the most time; four days of records added up to several gigabytes, and compressing and uploading them took nearly twenty minutes.
At 1:05 AM, all tasks were completed.
Li Xiao looked at the "Transfer Complete" prompt on the screen and let out a long breath.
She leaned back in her chair, only to realize that her back was soaked with sweat.
Outside, the night at the base was deep. The silhouette of the Kunlun Mountains in the distance loomed in the moonlight like a silent barrier.
She looked at the mountain's shadow, but Fang Lin's words echoed repeatedly in her mind:
"People like George are in the business of information trading. He steals for whoever pays the highest price."
So, they really were being watched.
So, beneath those peaceful days, such deep undercurrents were hidden.
Li Xiao took a deep breath, sat up straight, and reopened the monitoring program. A simple interface appeared on the screen, showing the server's connection status in real-time.
Everything was normal.
But she knew that at 2:00 AM, that IP would likely come again.
She stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, her heartbeat sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet laboratory.
At 2:03 AM, the monitoring program suddenly popped up a prompt:
Suspicious connection detected: IP 45.143.22.xxx is trying to access port 3306 (Modified, connection denied).
Li Xiao's heart suddenly leaped into her throat.
She stared at the screen, watching that IP try again and again, and be rejected again and again. The rhythm was exactly the same as in the logs—trying dozens of times, stopping for a while, and then trying again.
It really was a person.
Her hands were shaking a bit, but she still followed what Fang Lin had taught her and opened the monitoring program's detailed recording function.
Soon, more information began to appear on the screen:
Operating System Fingerprint: Windows 10 Pro (build 19042)
Connection Tool Type: Navicat Premium 15
Keyboard Layout Characteristic: US English
Time Zone Offset: UTC-4 (Inferred Location: Eastern United States)
Pieces of information jumped out, like puzzle pieces, gradually outlining the silhouette of the person on the other side.
Someone using Navicat to connect to a database meant they had some experience in database management. Windows 10 Pro, US English keyboard, Eastern US time zone—these pieces of information were nothing on their own, but put together, they pointed to a clear profile:
Someone in the Eastern United States who understood databases was trying to intrude into a Chinese laboratory's server in the early morning (which might be afternoon for them).
Li Xiao took screenshots of all this information and saved them, then sent them to Fang Lin through the encrypted channel.
The moment she finished sending, she realized her palms were covered in sweat.
Two minutes later, Fang Lin replied with four words:
"Received. Good job."
Li Xiao stared at those words, her eyes suddenly feeling a bit hot.
It wasn't because of fear, but because—for the first time, she realized she was no longer just an assistant who wrote code. She was the eyes of this team, a sentry guarding this data.
She took a deep breath and continued to stare at the screen.
That IP tried for a few more minutes and then disappeared.
Maybe they gave up, or maybe they would try another way. But regardless, Li Xiao knew this was just the beginning.
She leaned back in her chair, watching the moon gradually sink in the west, thinking silently to herself:
Teacher Lin, Teacher Zhang, Dr. Chen, Uncle Zhao—
Please continue your research with peace of mind.
I will guard the data.
The next morning, as soon as Lin Mo arrived at the laboratory, he was pulled aside by Li Xiao.
She told him everything that happened last night in detail and showed him the message from Fang Lin. After Lin Mo finished reading, he was silent for a few seconds and then nodded.
"I understand."
Li Xiao was taken aback. "Teacher Lin, you're not surprised?"
Lin Mo shook his head. "From the first day the project started, I knew this day would come. After the 1450 data was made public, it was impossible for someone like George not to make a move. Director Fang's side has been watching all along; I just didn't expect them to find our database so quickly."
He looked at Li Xiao and said seriously:
"You did very well last night. Keep watching, and report any situation immediately. But don't let it affect your normal work; just do what you need to do."
Li Xiao nodded vigorously. "Understood!"
Lin Mo patted her shoulder and turned to walk into the laboratory.
Chen Xueming and Zhang Zhe had already arrived and were discussing a new round of optimization plans for E-Li-1. Seeing Lin Mo come in, Chen Xueming looked up. "Teacher Lin, I thought of an improvement idea last night and wanted to talk to you about it."
Lin Mo nodded. "Go ahead."
The two of them began to discuss, everything as usual.
Li Xiao sat back at her workstation and opened her computer. The monitoring program was running quietly, and everything on the screen was normal.
She glanced out the window; the sunlight was just right, making the whole laboratory feel warm.
Then she withdrew her gaze and continued building the electrolyte formula database.
As if nothing had happened.
Only in her computer, there was an extra guardian program running silently.
And in her own heart, there was an extra heavy sense of responsibility.