Chapter 46 The Prank of the Internet Expert
“Elbert, this fried rice tastes different from before.” Mary and Susan looked up from their plates, curiosity evident in their expressions.
Lori also took a bite. The fried rice was masterfully cooked, rich, and flavorful, but there was a hint of bitterness hidden in the rice.
“Of course, I changed one of the seasonings, so the taste is definitely different.” Elbert extended his palm, revealing a small, white fruit resting in his hand. “This is a ginkgo seed. Though it has a slightly bitter taste, it has a cooling effect.”
Elbert picked up the ginkgo seed and smiled slightly. “For ladies like you, who often worry and fret, it’s natural to feel anxious. Today, I made this fried rice to help calm your nerves.”
Lori frowned. “Elbert, what are you implying?”
Elbert smiled, gently peeling the seed and removing a pale yellow sprout from the center. “This inner sprout is the most bitter part of the ginkgo seed and must be removed before consumption, or else it’s inedible. It’s like a person who is constantly misunderstood; they naturally feel resentful. Someone who wants to help but keeps getting insulted will feel bitter and walk away.”
Lori finally understood and glared angrily. "Elbert, were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"
"I was busy cooking and overheard it. But it wasn’t eavesdropping. I just don’t mind anyone's opinion." Elbert shrugged.
Lori’s frown deepened. "Elbert, what are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying you all should stop misunderstanding me.”
Lori was stunned, unsure how to respond. “Elbert, you..."
“But I always see things through to the end. Once I settle this matter, I won’t stay a moment longer in the Brown Family.” With that, Elbert walked away gracefully.
Lori stared blankly at Elbert’s back, speechless. In that instant, she felt that this young man in white was full of arrogance, looking down on everything and ignoring everyone. Not to mention the entire Brown Family. It seemed like nothing mattered to him.
Lori said, “Could it be that I really misunderstood him?”
“Of course. But take it easy; as a man, I have a broad mind and a big heart.” Elbert’s voice echoed from afar.
Lori’s expression turned from red to purple.
Back in his room, Elbert couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed it was time to do his own thing. “Robert, we can start our plan.”
‘Top-level marketing strategies integrating...’ ‘100,000 business models organizing...’
In an instant, the business plan in Elbert’s mind became clearer. Step by step, the strategies were tightly connected, leaving no gaps to him. Elbert smiled faintly. He glanced at his phone, and Paul’s popularity had finally subsided a bit. Other hot topics were gradually appearing in the trending searches.
“It’s time.”
“Robert, make the post.”
“Got it.”
The next moment, the entire Brown Family estate’s network suddenly stalled. An enormous flow of information was distributed. And the source of all this was Elbert’s artificial eye, glowing with a purple light.
Ten seconds later, a post titled ‘Riddle with Rewards’ instantly swept across the entire internet. Countless forums, message boards, web pages, and various self-media platforms simultaneously displayed this post.
‘Riddle with Rewards’
‘Riddle: 3 and 4, 5 and 23, Otto Red.’
‘The first 100 users to guess the answer correctly will each receive a $50,000 reward.’
‘Signed: Paul Three.’
Initially, this post didn’t attract much attention. However, as time passed, it became hard for netizens to ignore. This post kept appearing, and all the web pages were refreshed continuously. Almost everywhere you could see information, this post appeared—hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions, a billion posts. In just ten minutes, the post was everywhere.
In some smaller forums, this post almost filled the entire page, leaving no room for other information. Many internet companies and network monitoring departments also noticed this post simultaneously. A group of network technicians was dumbfounded.
“What is this? A single post?”
“What a powerful post.”
“Published over a billion times in ten minutes?”
“Occupying almost all public resources.”
“What kind of team could pull off such an operation?”
“It would probably take a thousand-person team with computers capable of quadrillion floating-point operations to achieve this, right?”
“Do we have such companies in Veridiania?”
“Absolutely not.”
“What’s this signature, Paul Three? Never heard of it.”
Simultaneously, all the network experts began tracing the post. The result was disappointing to them.
This post did not violate any rules, nor did it use any infectious viruses. Moreover, no matter how high-level the network specialists were, they couldn’t trace the poster's IP. The origin of Paul Three was a mystery.
Meanwhile, netizens also started discussing the post.
“What is this? Why is it everywhere?”
“What’s this riddle?”
“Are you kidding? Guessing this thing can get you $50,000? ”
“100 people, each $50,000, a total of $5 million, who’s giving that, it’s hilarious.”
“I don’t believe it.” “Probably some internet guru’s prank.”
A thousand miles away, in an old neighborhood in Shen City, a student girl wearing thick glasses, while taking a break from her homework, inadvertently saw this post.
“3 and 4, 5 and 23. Otto Red.”
The little girl thought for a while and suddenly clapped her hands. "Otto Red is the name of the foreign mathematician who invented the multiplication sign. Could it mean multiplication? 3x4, 5x23..."
The little girl, holding back her excitement, replied under one of the posts: “Is the answer 12 and 115?”
Soon, many follow-up replies appeared.
“Little girl, you’re too naive, aren’t you?”
“Is this thing that simple?”
“Besides, even if you got it right, do you really expect someone to give you $50,000?”
“Don’t get your hopes up. Just treat it as an entertainment post.”
But the little girl did not reply. She was staring blankly at her phone message.
‘Congratulations, you are the first to answer correctly.’ ‘Your bank account has been credited with $50,000—from your friend Paul Three.’
The little girl rubbed her eyes, confirming that this wasn’t a dream. She jumped up from her chair and excitedly shouted towards the door, "Mom, my college tuition is covered."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
