Step Counting Leaks Secrets

Hugo liked counting steps, not for health, but to complete his weekly "activity" goals. He was a French naval soldier stationed on a "Triomphant" class nuclear submarine. The interior of the submarine was cramped. Except for his shifts, he spent most of his time lying in bed. The only times he moved was to the cafeteria or the bathroom. Therefore, his daily steps usually hovered around 100.

Of course, this number was too embarrassing. Hugo felt that even underwater, he needed to maintain a good "active" image. He downloaded a step-counting app specifically designed for "cheating." This app could simulate realistic movement data based on preset routes and step frequencies. As a result, his phone would display thousands of steps of "glorious achievements" every day.

"Looks like you've been very active lately, Hugo," his comrade Jean-Pierre joked, while lying on Hugo's lower bunk, playing a game. "Yeah, I'm exercising at all times for the motherland," Hugo replied with a mysterious smile. Jean-Pierre rolled his eyes.

Life on the submarine was monotonous. Except for the occasional exercises, most of the time was spent waiting. The only thing Hugo found interesting was adjusting his "exercise data" every day. He would imagine himself as an explorer, navigating an underwater labyrinth. He photographed the submarine's structure and inputted it into the app, adjusting the speed to make it look like he was patrolling between different compartments.

One day, Hugo opened the app as usual and entered new data. He even added some "diver's external work" data, imagining himself wearing an oxygen mask, walking on the seabed. He found life so amusing.

A few days later, Hugo was called into the captain's office. "Hugo," the captain frowned, "have you been 'walking around' the submarine a lot recently?" Hugo was puzzled and quickly shook his head in denial.

"Look," the captain pointed to the screen on the desk, "this is your movement trajectory map. You've been moving between different compartments every day, and sometimes you're even moving outside the hull?" Hugo stared at the screen. The "movement trajectory" from his app had actually appeared in the military's monitoring system. He immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

"This…this…" Hugo stammered, unable to speak.

"Someone said you uploaded the submarine's structure diagram to your app?" the captain continued to question.

"I... I just wanted to complete the goals," Hugo finally found a reason, he thought this reason was perfectly reasonable.

Things spiraled out of control. Hugo's step-counting app exposed the internal structure of the submarine, patrol routes, and even the specific locations of some critical equipment. It spread all over the world via the internet.

"We've caught a spy!" a country's newspaper front page headline declared. But soon, the news was overshadowed by new entertainment gossip, and people, after a brief surprise, began to pay attention to celebrity scandals again.

Hugo was sent to a military court. He tried his best to explain, but no one believed he had leaked the secrets because he was "boosting step counts." Everyone saw only a "spy" who had leaked state secrets. His explanation sounded like a foolish joke.

In prison, Hugo still maintained his daily "exercise" habit. He started counting steps in his small cell, imagining himself as an explorer, exploring the prison corridors. His phone had been confiscated, but he still felt active, even though his "activity" range was only a few square meters.

What he didn't know was that his step-counting data was still being recorded, but no longer by the app, but by the prison management system. A guard would watch his movement trajectory every day, and even record the number of times he turned over while sleeping on paper.

Eventually, Hugo's case was defined as "a leak caused by personal behavior" and he was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Before leaving, Hugo made a request to the warden: "Can I download that step-counting app again? I want to continue completing my daily 'exercise' goals."

The warden found the request absurd and ridiculous, and agreed.

Hugo received a brand new phone, logged into the app, and saw a message: "For your health, please be sure to bind the latest model of 'health bracelet' in order to get more accurate data."

Hugo suddenly understood. He looked up at the surveillance camera and smiled brightly.

He held out his wrist, which was empty.