Julian Vance's detection of Li Feng's probe served as an immediate, sharp lesson. His initial assumption of Julian as merely an eccentric programmer was now revised: Julian was capable, and acutely aware. The distributed network was secured, and direct digital reconnaissance was no longer viable without escalating to a level Li Feng wasn't prepared for. He needed a new angle, a way to understand what Julian was trying to connect to without tripping another alarm.
His usual routines became even more critical for mental clarity. The discipline of his physical training grounded him, turning the abstract problem of Julian's network into a tangible goal for his focus. His Forex bot continued its meticulous work, providing a backdrop of predictable efficiency against the unpredictable new challenge.
Li Feng began to analyze the problem from a different perspective. If Julian was attempting external connections, what kind of connection would warrant such secrecy and power consumption? It wouldn't be a simple website. It would be something complex, potentially niche, perhaps even designed to operate outside conventional internet structures.
He decided his next step would be social observation, an area Li Feng considered highly inefficient but, in this specific context, potentially invaluable. He needed to understand Julian's intent, which might only be revealed through behavior. He made subtle changes to his own campus routes, increasing his probability of 'accidental' encounters with Julian.
Days turned into a new kind of hunt. Li Feng would position himself in the library, near Julian's usual study carrel, or in the student union, observing from a distance. Julian was a ghost, often seen darting between buildings, his eyes distant, his posture hunched over his phone or a small, nondescript tablet. Li Feng noticed Julian always wore large, noise-canceling headphones, even when walking alone. A defense mechanism, perhaps, against external distractions.
One afternoon, Li Feng caught a glimpse of Julian at a campus coffee shop, sitting alone. He wasn't on a laptop, but was meticulously drawing diagrams in a small, worn notebook. Li Feng ordered a coffee he didn't intend to drink and found a seat far enough away to avoid detection, but close enough to observe. Julian's hand moved with a frantic energy, sketching what looked like intricate network topologies, but with strange, non-standard nodes and connections. Li Feng noted the unusual symbols, the lack of traditional IP addresses, the implied multi-dimensional structure. It was clearly not a typical network diagram.
Later, as Julian got up to leave, he fumbled, and the notebook slipped from his grasp, pages scattering across the floor. Li Feng's highly trained reflexes allowed him to move before anyone else. He was at Julian's side in an instant, helping him gather the scattered papers.
"Rough day?" Li Feng asked, his voice neutral. He picked up a sheet that contained a series of complex equations and symbols Li Feng didn't immediately recognize, but they had the unmistakable aesthetic of advanced mathematics. He quickly glanced at a diagram that seemed to depict a vast, interconnected web, spanning beyond a physical network, incorporating what looked like conceptual nodes.
Julian snatched the paper from Li Feng's hand, his eyes wide and suddenly alert. "Don't touch that," he hissed, his face hardening. "It's nothing. Just... notes." He gathered the rest of his papers with frantic speed, stuffing them back into the notebook. "Stay out of my stuff."
"Apologies," Li Feng said, his tone unwavering. "I was merely assisting."
Julian didn't respond, instead giving Li Feng a suspicious, almost fearful glare before practically bolting from the coffee shop.
Li Feng walked away, leaving the untouched coffee behind. The interaction was brief, fraught with Julian's paranoia, but it yielded new data. The diagrams weren't just network topologies; they hinted at a theoretical framework, perhaps a new way to structure information or even consciousness. The equations, though fleetingly glimpsed, suggested a computational model beyond anything Li Feng had seen in standard computer science courses. Julian's project was not just a powerful distributed network; it was an attempt to construct or tap into a fundamentally new architecture of information.
The puzzle had just become exponentially more complex. And the stakes, Li Feng instinctively knew, were rising. He considered his conversation with Maya from earlier, the sensation of 'connection' still an anomaly he was analyzing. This new enigma from Julian, however, felt less like a new emotion and more like a warning.