Cutting-Edge Technology R&D Center

Chapter 21: Encryption Algorithm

After seeing Fang Bing off, Wang Hao spent his time thinking about how to secure the software’s encryption, while Fang Bing took the drone to his parents to discuss investment opportunities. When Fang Bing’s parents saw the drone, they were instantly blown away. Having risen from a farmer to a business owner earning hundreds of thousands a year, Fang Bing’s father—though he hadn’t received much formal education—had keen insight. He recognized the business potential in this drone, especially after researching extensive drone materials, which only fueled his enthusiasm. “Xiaobing, you’re really lucky,” Fang Bing’s father remarked with a sigh. He was aware of Wang Hao’s situation at the time and felt deep sympathy for him. After learning about Wang Hao’s circumstances, he had asked Fang Bing to look out for him—which was a major reason Fang Bing and Wang Hao had become friends. However, Fang Bing’s father couldn’t help but worry that Fang Bing might be influenced by Wang Hao and become withdrawn. A couple of years earlier, Wang Hao had suffered a devastating blow when a flash flood devastated his family. Combined with his intense focus on his studies, he did indeed come across as quite withdrawn. “That’s right. To outsiders, Hao Ge doesn’t seem like much, but once you get to know him, you realize just how incredible he is—and how loyal he is.” Fang Bing’s face beamed with pride as he laughed heartily. “All right, stop bragging. Since you want to do a livestream for promotion, you’d better figure out how to go viral. As for the funding…” When the topic of funding came up, Fang’s father pondered for a long moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “I’ll go along with your crazy plan. I’ll put up the house and everything else as collateral for a loan; we should be able to scrape together a little over two million.” “Old Fang, you’re out of your mind!” Fang’s mother cried out in shock upon hearing her husband’s words. “It’s a surefire deal—why wouldn’t I go for it…? You saw the technology yourself—don’t you see the potential? Wang Hao is sharing the profits with us purely out of respect for Bing. Why aren’t you showing a little more sincerity?” Mr. Fang said, his tone brimming with excitement, though his mind remained perfectly clear. He knew this might be something Wang Hao had entrusted to him specifically because of Fang Bing’s connection; otherwise, with technology like this, all it would take was a little word on the street, and plenty of businesspeople would be tempted. Even as a layperson, he could tell that the technology on display was in a completely different league from the drones currently on the market. Another two days flew by. Wang Hao was immersed in his work on the encryption algorithm, which was giving him quite a headache. Creating a new encryption algorithm wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a short time. However, by modifying the original algorithm, he had significantly increased the difficulty of cracking it. “That’ll do for now,” Wang Hao said with satisfaction as he looked at his masterpiece. He had integrated the encryption directly into the code itself; if anyone really tried to decrypt his cleanup software, they’d likely end up with nothing but a hollow shell, with the countless lines of code inside in complete disarray. “Judging by the time, they should be back soon.” Wang Hao glanced at the clock. Zhang’s father and the other three had simply driven to the nearby Jinggang Peak Revolutionary Site for a visit. It wasn’t a long drive. Mr. Zhang had mentioned he’d come back to check Wang Hao’s college entrance exam results, and since the results would be available tomorrow, Wang Hao figured Mr. Zhang should be back any minute now. “I’ll have to stop by school tomorrow…” Wang Hao thought about his schedule. Tomorrow would be the last class for his senior year class—a chance to catch up with old friends and say goodbye before they went their separate ways, since they’d soon be heading off in different directions. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. He got up and opened it. “You’re finally back! You’re so lucky you didn’t go, bro. The walk wore me out.” As soon as Wang Hao opened the door, he heard Zhang Xin’s tearful complaint. “Take a break,” Wang Hao said with a soft chuckle, after exchanging greetings with Zhang Xin’s parents. “Xiao Hao, don’t go to all that trouble,” Zhang’s mother said, quickly calling him back as she watched him head to make tea. Knock, knock, knock Just as Mrs. Zhang finished speaking, the knocking sounded again. Wang Hao hurried to open the door; as he’d guessed, it must be Fang Bing. “Hello, Uncle.” As soon as Wang Hao opened the door, he froze—not because he’d guessed wrong, but because Fang Bing had come with his father. “Hao Ge, my dad insisted on coming along to thank you…” Fang Bing said, noticing Wang Hao’s expression. “Hello, Xiao Hao,” Fang’s father said with a slight smile. “Uncle, please come in.” Wang Hao gestured with an open hand and stepped aside. “Sorry, it seems we’ve come at a bad time,” Mr. Fang said apologetically, glancing at Mr. Zhang and the others seated inside. “These are my parents, my younger brother, and my younger sister,” Wang Hao quickly said as he introduced them. Although Mr. Fang had met Wang Hao before, he hadn’t met Wang Hao’s adoptive parents. Only after Wang Hao’s introduction did he realize who they were, and he quickly greeted them. Mr. Zhang looked at Fang Bing, then at Mr. Fang, who bore a slight resemblance to him, and immediately guessed that this must be Fang Bing’s father. “Where did you buy this drone?” Only after sitting down did Mr. Zhang notice the somewhat odd-looking drone in Fang Bing’s hands. Some of its parts were speckled with rust, making it look quite worn out, and to him, its appearance seemed somewhat peculiar—as if it were a counterfeit product. But seeing how Fang Bing handled it as if it were a treasure, he couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity. Both Fang Bing and his father froze for a moment, turning to look at Wang Hao in unison, as if asking us what to say. “Is that yours?” Zhang’s father said, realizing what was going on as he watched their reaction. “Uh, I built it just the past couple of days…” Wang Hao suddenly felt an urge to cover his face. Fang Bing and his father usually seemed so sharp—how could they suddenly become so slow on the uptake? Looking at him like that was practically shouting it from the rooftops. “Let me take a look,” Mr. Zhang said, his interest piqued the moment he heard Wang Hao had built it. He took it from Fang Bing’s hands and began examining it with curiosity. The more he looked, the more serious his expression became. As a university physics professor, he couldn’t help but let out a series of exclamations of admiration as he carefully studied the drone’s internal structure. “This design… is perfect.” “This corner design truly takes the principles of mechanics to the extreme.” Hearing Zhang’s father’s repeated exclamations of admiration, the two exchanged glances. They didn’t understand the design principles behind the drone, but after hearing his words, they immediately sensed that the drone was exceptionally sophisticated and high-end, filling them with wild excitement.