System Online

And so the very thing his government forced him to create would be their doom.

Li unplugged the drive and continued running down the corridor -he had to make it to the south-west door if he had any chance of leaving the facility, let alone the country, alive. After running for what felt like way too long, Li could finally make out the door at the end of the hallway. It was a solid metal door with a code activated lock and a terminal beside it. Li plugged his hard drive into the terminal and fired up his bypass program. Five percent. His heart racing, he glanced behind him, squinting to see as far down the corridor as he could to make sure none of the guards were aware he had left. Although his plan was perfectly executed, he still had no idea how long his simple deception of looping the security feeds would work. Li turned back to the terminal: twenty percent. The real genius was in his undetectable virus that he planted in the facility's network, and then ultimately every computer. He had turned the entire building into a mining operation that sent all of the rewards to one Virtual Wallet Address; his. Checking the terminal again he saw it was only at fifty percent. Li might have been impressed by the software encryption on the door had it not been the only thing between him and freedom. In the 6 months and 18 days he was kept here, he managed to accumulate 1.2 million Bitcoins by letting his virus work, all of which were stored on the hard drive in his pocket; He wasn't going to leave them a single coin. Seeing the terminal was at eighty percent, Li fired up his second program, Blackout.EXE. He smiled when he pressed the execute button, happy with the name he coined for his death-to-all-computers program. Both programs would finish at the same time, one would open his door to freedom, and one would ensure he was untraceable. Blackout.exe was simply a time bomb that would render every computer in the facility useless after 72 hours; enough time for him to be out of the country. Ninety-eight percent. Li braced himself against the door, his ear up against it, ready to burst it open and make a run for the horizon. His wife and two children were waiting for him in their jeep just passed the horizon under the cover of trees. He had been dreaming of seeing his family for too long, and he was going to make sure that in completing his work, his family would live a peaceful life where they would never be separated again.

Click!

Li backed away from the door and gave it a hard kick. The heavy door only opened enough for him to squeeze out. Li poked his head through first, scouting the area for any guards. It felt too easy and for a second he thought he could be running into a trap, but it was a chance he had to take. Looking up, Li paused and took all 5 seconds he could spare to marvel at how beautiful the moon's light was. The sky looked purple next to it and the desert sand looked almost white under it. The trees were gently waving silhouettes and there was a warm breeze he could feel on his face. Living under only bright white lights for the last half year, he was moved to see natural light -be it the sun or the moon, once more. Li’s eyes glazed over as he realized how close he was now; he really thought he was going to die here, and never see the outside world again. A wave of determination came over him, he was not going to die here, he was going to make it and he and his family were getting the hell out of China. Li gently squeezed through the doorway and after looking left and right made a bee-line for trees. Kicking up sand behind him, he looked back one last time at the building which had kept him prisoner, both to check for any pursuers, and to bid it farewell. He looked back ahead of him just in time to see a fallen tree that he rammed his shins into and then flew over. Wiping out hard, with blood dripping from his knee and elbow, Li could see their yellow Jeep in the distance, with his wife and kids' hands stretched out of the windows waving for him to hurry. Li pulled himself up, and with tears in his eyes, and blood on his clothes, he sprinted for the Jeep. The back door flew open as he neared it and without slowing down Li dove inside. His kids, Jun and Yun, loudly whispered "DADDDYY""" and hugged him. With little time for catch-up, Li sternly whispered "SLOW", locking eyes with his wife, Mai, in the rear view mirror. She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes as they both smiled at each other. Once acquainted with his family again, Li fell asleep, taking a much needed nap with his two girls lying on top of him in the back seat. Mai drove north, knowing they had to get out of the country, but not knowing why Li picked Russia.

Li woke up to the sound of a sheep passing by his window. The jeep was parked and his two daughters were still asleep on his lap. He gently pushed them to his sides as he sat up. The dirt road they were parked on was very busy, with foot traffic going in both directions on either side of the car. Li couldn't open a door even if he wanted to, and with his wife gone he decided the best course of action would be to calmly wait for her return. Checking to make sure the doors were locked, Li relaxed back into his seat and observed his surroundings. The people wore plenty of colorful scarves and hats, vendors lined the streets on both sides selling fancy silks and linens, making for a rainbow of colors as far as the eye could see. There were so many people in the street that they were bumping the sides of the car as they walked passed it. Although Li was scanning the crowds for Mai, he made sure to keep softly patting Jun and Yun as he didn't want them to wake up and be scared. Then out of the crowd to his right, Mai appeared with two one-liter bottles of water and some sandwiches. Li opened the door and gratefully accepted them. Jun and Yun were roused awake now, and Li handed them each a sandwich telling them to save half for later. Getting into the driver seat, Mai explained that she had to back the car up behind a hut she pointed to where she could get gas. Once behind the hut, with a lot less people around, Li got out of the car with Mai and began unscrewing the lid to the gas tank. A man, wrapped in thick dark linens so that only his face was exposed approached them. Mai went over to talk to him. Li saw her hand the man two-hundred dollars, which was more money than they had ever seen as a family. He kept quiet and continued to fill the gas tank. Mai came over and opened the trunk, pulling out an empty gas-can and told Li to fill it too. Once the man was far enough away Li asked her where she got that kind of money. Answering with tears in her eyes, she told him she got it exactly how he thought she did. Li couldn’t bear to lock eyes with her then, overwhelmed by guilt that his absence had pushed her to these extremes. She went on to say that it was the only way she could keep the children out of the sweat-shops, but before she finished Li cut her off, and with his head still bowed, his eyes shot up from the ground and locked onto hers. Tears streaming down both their faces, Li sternly told her she did not have to justify her actions and that she did exactly what she needed to do. Before Mai broke down, Li pressed his palm on the back of her neck and pulled her toward him, their foreheads now touching. Li smiled his biggest smile, he hadn't seen his wife in so long and this was the closest he had been to her in half a year. It pained him to see her like this, but even still, she was beautiful. He looked into her eyes and said "Whatever happened is the past, I know you did it for us, for the kids, now we have each other again and nothing will tear us apart this time around". At this point Mai sobbed hard and buried her face in Li's chest. He hugged her tightly, his cheeks hurt from smiling so big and he could taste the salt from his tears; he had finally found home -with her in his arms again.

As the Mai drove through the desert once more, Jun and Yun slept in the back, despite the very jerky ride, and Li sat in the passenger seat. Quietly, the two began discussing the trip ahead. “So what’s in Russia” Mai asked. Li turned to face her in his seat, and paused before replying “Revenge…” Mai tried to protest but Li continued, “And a way off of the continent afterwards”. There was a tense silence as Mai simultaneously let the weight of Li’s words course through the air, and gave weight to her next ones. “The girls have been without their father, and I without my husband for long enough; I don’t want to lose you again. Let’s just disappear; somewhere our children will have good lives”. “They put me through hell, Mai, this is something I need to do, I just have to, then yes, I promise, nothing but the best for us” Li replied. Mai was clearly not satisfied with this response, but knew she would be unable to change his mind. She grunted her dismay, and pulled the car to the side of the road, “Your shift”.

With the two kids and now Mai asleep as well, a determined Li drove on. After ten hours of driving, Li finally saw the sign he was looking for. He looked down at his hand to double check he was headed in the right direction, on it; he had inked the name “Taipingzhen”. After confirming the name on his hand and the sign matched, Li estimated he would be there in roughly two hours. Though he had not told Mai, so as not to scare her, there was a Russian escort waiting to meet them there.

As Li was driving slowly through the empty and vast town, he woke up his family and told them to start packing their things as they were switching cars. Mai looked at him dumbfounded and annoyed for a moment, but then quickly turned to the backseat and reaffirmed Li’s command to Jun and Yun. Li turned off the main road and parked the car in an easy to see but long abandoned parking lot, knowing their yellow Jeep would be easy to spot here. They were now twelve hours north-west of the facility, and it was significantly colder here. Li kept the car running with the heat on full while he continued to scan the distance around them looking for anything that screamed “I’m your Russian escort here to bring you to your freedom”. Sure enough, at the end of the main road, an envoy of large black SUV’s, perfectly cliché for a government entourage or a criminal escort made its way towards them. Li ushered Jun and Yun to grab their things and told them and Mai to stay quiet while he did the talking. Li stepped out of the Jeep, trying to look casual as he made his way to the front bumper. He leaned against it, arms crossed, shivering, though trying to look calm, he eyed up the SUV’s as they pulled into the parking lot. All four pulled into the lot and parked in a row, perpendicular to his Jeep. For an entire minute nothing happened, and then out from behind the second SUV, a well built man sporting a generic suit stepped out. As he approached Li, he folded his aviators and put them in his breast pocket, extending a hand out to Li. “Hello friend, I am Alexander, and you are”? Realizing this was a test, a now freezing Li blurted out “Li”! “Yes! So glad we have found you, you and your family must be freezing Come”! Li turned around and motioned to Mai and the kids to follow. “We have movies, snacks, and blankets! Make yourself at home” Alexander said as he gestured for them to hop in the SUV. “Li, if you don’t mind, let’s talk business upfront”. “Of course”, Li agreed. Once ensuring his family was all inside and comfortable, Li gave Mai a kiss and jumped into the front passenger seat beside Alexander. Two of the SUV’s pulled out in front of them, then Alexander drove out, and then one more tailed them. Li exhaled a long sigh of relief as he finally felt safe and freedom was in his reach. All he had to do was get past the border, make things work with the Russians, and he and his family would be on their way.

They would escort them west, for the last half hour of their trip to the border. This time was mostly spent on small talk between the two men, during which Li got used to calling Alexander Alex, and learned that they were going to a small Russian town about two hours inland. After passing the border with extreme ease, presumably because Alex had paid the guards off. Li’s tentatively relaxed state was interrupted when Alex turned to him and asked him the big question: “So Li, tell me, how exactly are you going to make me rich, eh”? For the next hour, the two discussed, in great detail, the exact terms of their agreement. “You’ll get two-hundred-thousand Bitcoins, plus the first release of software required to mine them”. Li said matter-of -factly. “All I ask for in return is two things: one, the freedom, relocation, and disappearance of my family in a country of our choosing”. “Done”, Alex interrupted. “And two”, Li continued, “the promise that you will one day use these funds to topple, or assist in toppling, the Chinese government”. The terms had already been discussed in advance, and so Li expected no debate here, but was still unsure if Alex would hold up his end of the bargain. “I will stop at nothing my good friend”, Alex bellowed, “in good time I promise you I will ensure that government falls, and that its people are free from its tyrannical rule”. Li, once again let out a sigh of relief and Alex’s free hand came down on his shoulder, startling and almost knocking the wind out of Li. “Comrades!” Alex cheered. The rest of the drive was all good-hearted small talk, and Li was beginning to feel more and more comfortable with his new-found ally. Finally Li could see their destination in the distance, and the decaying road sign they just drove by, stating: “Welcome to Kurumkan” confirmed it.

Alex drove into what look like an abandoned building complex, but Li suspected it was very similar to the facility that he had just escaped from in China –run down on the outside, but very technologically advanced and well kept on the inside. Once inside, they were greeted by the sounds of computers, staff members, and machinery. In front of them was a computer screen so large it took up the entire wall. Li marveled at it as he and his family filed in. Before Li could even ask, Alex already told Mai, Jun, and Yun where the showers were, and that there were already 2 bedrooms prepared for the family. Li bowed and thanked Alex with his eyes, a big smile crossing both their faces. Alex clapped his hand in the center of Li’s back, “anything for my newfound partner!” he exclaimed as he lightly pushed Li to walk alongside him. Li was delighted by what he saw in front of him, this is exactly the kind of setup and computing power he would need to make his project go live. After the tour, Alex told Li to get some rest, and spend some time with his family, because come Monday, Li would be a busy man. Li nodded, but just before he left the room, he laughed as he realized he had had no sense of time for a while now, knowing only how many days he had been gone, but not knowing what day of the week it was. He turned around but before he could get a word out, Alex said “Friday”, with a big smile across his face, “Now go enjoy yourself, friend”!

Over the next three weeks, Li delegated tasks to his miniature army of IT workers, taking great care to ensure that all the work done by them was up to his satisfaction. Though Alex was by no means any kind of computer hack, he did his best to try and be a part of the process, taking great interest in Li’s work. Over time, the two would actually come to be great friends, having many laughs over Li’s newly discovered favorite drink: vodka and coke. Alex was even good with Li’s girls, and treated Mai with great respect as well. Mai and Li had made nice again as well, with Mai even thanking Li for making the decision to come here, and apologizing for not agreeing with him earlier on. Ultimately, the three weeks with Alex were the most pleasant he and his family had had in a long time, even counting any time before he was taken to the facility in China. But alas, they were finally on the cusp of leaving the whole ordeal behind, and Li and his family couldn’t wait. Today was the day they would go live.

As the staff filed in to the main room, along with Alex, Li, Mai, Jun, and Yun, Li turned to look at Alex, who nodded the go-ahead. With that, Li typed in a single command, and the count-down from sixty began. He then walked over to stand with his family as they and the rest of the facility watched the screen. Standing between his wife and kids, he smiled as he looked around the room, catching Alex’s eye, and some of the other key people who helped make this happen before his gaze came back down on Jun and Yun, and then Mai. The automated voice began: “thirty seconds until live”. Li leaned over to Mai and asked “so, Alex will make sure we disappear anywhere in the world… got anywhere in mind”? “Twenty seconds remaining until live” the automated voice chimed. Mai smiled as she rested her head on Li’s shoulder. Li continued “We could escape to the country side of the UK, or the mountains of Norway, or the bustling cities of the US… or maybe even the frozen tundra of Canada”! “Ten seconds remaining until live” the voice interrupted. Mai looked up and kissed Li very softly. “Five…four”, the countdown continued. Breaking the kiss, Mai looked up at him and said, “I already told you, my home is in your arms, I’m happy wherever, as long as I’m wherever with you. Li smiled and tightly wrapped his arms around his three girls, pulling them all into a tight hug as he looked back up at the screen. The voice continued “two… one…

System Online”.