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However, after some research, Zhou Xing was shocked to discover that he couldn’t make heads or tails of this piece of code!

With no other option, he went to find Zhang Xuan and learned that the code had come from Luo Yue.

Zhou Xing had some impression of Luo Yue.

After all, in a place like the School of Information Science, girls with looks like Luo Yue’s were rare. Plus, her talent in computers wasn’t bad either.

Under Zhou Xing’s questioning, Luo Yue knew she couldn’t hide it any longer, so she gave up Ye Ling.

"So that’s how it is."

Ye Ling gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Clearly, he hadn’t expected that a program he had casually designed would actually alarm a figure of Zhou Xing’s caliber.

"Sigh, I’m getting old, after all."

Zhou Xing couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. Then he looked at Ye Ling and said, "I called you here mainly to discuss this Trojan horse program with you."

"Of course, no problem."

Ye Ling said immediately.

At that moment, he definitely had a good impression of Zhou Xing.

After all, for a person of his stature—a professor at Modu University—to be able to swallow his pride and consult a student like himself was impressive.

Setting aside everything else, that action alone was worthy of respect.

The reputation of academia wasn’t great these days, and those who dedicated themselves to pure research were few and far between.

And Zhou Xing was undoubtedly one of those people who devoted himself to his studies. Otherwise, there would have been no need for him to ask a question like this.

A professor asking his own student for help—if word of that got out, it would be quite embarrassing!

To be honest, Ye Ling had just whipped up this code on the fly and hadn’t researched it much, but explaining the points that puzzled Zhou Xing wasn’t difficult.

About half an hour later, Ye Ling and Zhou Xing’s discussion was more or less over.

"Ye, thank you so much for this."

Zhou Xing stood up and said gratefully.

At this point, he was no longer treating Ye Ling as a student, but communicating with him as an equal.

Although it had only been half an hour, he could sense that Ye Ling’s attainments in computer science were definitely superior to his own!

"But, Ye, are you really not interested in pursuing further research in computer science?"

Zhou Xing suddenly thought of something and paused before speaking.

In his eyes, Ye Ling was undoubtedly an uncut gem.

To have such insight into computers at such a young age—given time, he would surely become a titan of the computer world!

"Uh, I’m not that interested for now. But maybe I’ll look into it in the future if I get the chance."

Hearing this, Ye Ling rubbed his nose and gave another bitter smile.

Saying he wasn’t interested was actually a rather humble way of putting it. In reality, what Ye Ling meant was that there was nothing left for him to study in the field of computer science.

His God-tier computer skills meant Ye Ling had basically reached the pinnacle of the field. While he wouldn’t dare claim to be number one in the world, he could definitely rank in the top ten.

’Otherwise, the reward from this system would be a bit of a letdown, wouldn’t it?’

"Well... all right. But I still want to say a few more words, if you don’t mind."

Zhou Xing sighed. "In recent years, our country’s development has been explosive, and the same is true for the internet sector. But this development is actually quite superficial. Take the powerful internet companies of today, like Penguin or Ah Li Baba. They’ve certainly made a lot of money, but the things they’re creating are all surface-level."

"And whenever a company tries to delve into deeper research, they face joint restrictions from established overseas business groups and are constrained at every turn. The root cause is that we are still lagging behind in technology."

"Therefore, our country urgently needs talent—true high-end talent!"

"And you, in my opinion, are exactly that kind of talent! So, I hope that you can put this strength of yours to good use in the future."

Zhou Xing looked at Ye Ling, his gaze now holding a fervent glow.

The computer talent Ye Ling had displayed completely surpassed Zhou Xing’s expectations.

I mean, Ye Ling was only eighteen years old!

Given time, his achievements would be immeasurable.

"I understand what you mean. In the future, if the country needs me, I will contribute my strength without reservation."

Ye Ling, now slightly moved by the professor’s words, nodded in response.

Although he had obtained the system and had a limitless future, he hadn’t forgotten that he was a citizen of the Xia Country!

Because this was the country that had given him life and raised him.

Perhaps sometimes, like others online, he would complain about the country’s shortcomings, like how the welfare benefits weren’t as good as those abroad, or the pollution was severe.

But the reason for his complaints, in the end, was a hope for the country to become better, because his heart was filled with love and expectation for it!

"Very good."

A faint look of satisfaction appeared in Zhou Xing’s eyes.

The truth is, it’s not that the Xia Country didn’t cultivate talent. But many of these talented individuals, after receiving the nation’s benefits, turned around and went abroad.

Of course, this wasn’t to say these people were all cruel and ungrateful. It was true that in the past, the Xia Country hadn’t paid enough attention to these talents.

Take those celebrities in the entertainment industry, for example. Hordes of trending stars earned tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, while the real talents in scientific research were earning salaries of just a few thousand...

Who would be willing to stay?

Fortunately, the country had now recognized this problem and was gradually starting to increase investment in and cultivation of scientific and technological talent.

Even so, to be honest, it was a little too late.

Otherwise, Xia Country’s corporations wouldn’t be in such a passive position today.

After walking out of Zhou Xing’s office, Ye Ling couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

The Xia Country, a great nation with a history stretching back thousands of years, had seen periods of glory and decline...

...and yet, it still stood tall among the nations of the world.

This was the result of generations of hard work.

What he had just said wasn’t to curry favor with Zhou Xing; he truly meant it from the bottom of his heart.

To contribute his strength to the prosperity of his motherland.

Ye Ling was willing.

He believed that the youth of his generation would all be willing!