Chapter 171: Welcome Us

“The Past and Present of ‘Joker Virus’!” — Global Times.

“Legion Ant Company: The Virus Was Written in Chinese Character Programming Language.” — People’s Daily.

“Legion Ant Company Releases Information.” — Phoenix News.

…

There was no latest news about the Joker Virus at the moment. London had responded that it would not compromise with any hacker organization. Many people were looking forward to what the hackers would do next, or which city would be attacked next.

The release of information by Legion Ant Company at this time brought new news and successfully attracted the attention of many media outlets.

The public was initially skeptical about the news that the virus was written in Chinese Character Programming Language. The report by Global Times confirmed this news.

The Jiangnan City virus incident had occurred for a very short time and ended quickly. Many people only remembered that there was a virus and the girl who wrote it.

No one expected that the Joker Virus, which had taken down London, originally came from code written by an unremarkable girl.

Once it was confirmed that the Joker Organization had previously attacked the Jiangnan City Police Department, the credibility of this news skyrocketed.

This news quickly appeared in major media outlets, and more shocking details were dug up by the media. The Jiangnan City virus incident ended due to the intervention of Legion Ant Company, and the girl who wrote the program had returned to school.

This information naturally caught the attention of Western media.

“Legion Ant Company Claims the Virus Was Created Using Chinese Character Programming Language.”

“A Solution to Crack the Joker Virus?”

“A New Type of Virus from a New Computer Language.”

“Legion Ant Company May Have a Way to Kill the Virus.”

…

Chinese Character Programming Language successfully made its way onto the pages of major Western media. When this new computer language first appeared, it was reported by some media outlets but gradually disappeared from the public eye.

This time, it reappeared in a terrifying form. It made many people feel both disgust and awe toward Chinese Character Programming Language. The comments on the entire news story were all discussing how difficult it was to learn Chinese.

No matter what impression people had of Chinese Character Programming Language, this unique language was indeed remembered by the world. It also successfully entered the view of major hacker organizations.

At Qihu headquarters, Zhou Hongwei sat in his office with a profound gaze. This network crisis forced him to reconsider the company’s development.

“Cybersecurity no longer exists”—this sentence left a deep impression on him. Chen Mo had said this as early as the Huaxia Internet Conference.

At that time, Chen Mo only gave an ambiguous answer. From his words, Zhou Hongwei sensed that the next network crisis would bring about a change. But when he asked Chen Mo about it, Chen Mo gave him an uncertain answer about the future, which felt quite meaningful.

Now Chen Mo’s words had come true. The shattered cybersecurity was a huge crisis and also an opportunity to redistribute the market. The change had occurred, but he had to carefully consider the direction of this change.

Chen Mo’s accurate prediction was like that of a prophet. He also knew that Chen Mo was the one who truly resolved the Eternal Heart virus crisis.

He now had to think from Legion Ant Company’s perspective. Perhaps Chen Mo already knew the direction of this change.

Suddenly, Zhou Hongwei had an insight.

From the current news, this incident, from beginning to end, was related to Chinese Character Programming Language. The Jiangnan virus incident and the current London takeover incident were both linked to Chinese Character Programming Language.

Perhaps the change Chen Mo mentioned was related to this language. After thinking for a moment, Zhou Hongwei picked up the phone on his desk: “Secretary Wu, post a job listing to recruit programmers proficient in Chinese Character Programming Language.”

Not only Qihu but also major internet giants like Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu began recruiting programmers who knew Chinese Character Programming Language.

For a time, the niche Chinese Character Programming Language became a hot commodity.

Unlike the calm in China, London was still in a state of chaos.

The banking system was paralyzed. Gas stations, airport traffic systems, and government office systems were all hacked. As the financial center of the United Kingdom and one of the world’s financial centers, the losses from this attack were immeasurable.

The impact of the Joker Virus was beyond imagination. The whole world was searching for the hackers behind the incident, but no trace of them had been found.

Major cybersecurity companies were focused on the Joker Virus, but none of them had any way to detect or remove this new type of virus. There wasn’t even much chance to defend against it.

Outside the London City Hall building.

Tong Yu held a microphone, standing quietly in the cold wind.

She was a reporter for Phoenix News. Her task was to follow the latest developments of the “Joker Virus” incident and document the living conditions of citizens after the city’s network paralysis.

The airport’s air traffic control system was hacked, causing problems at the airport and delays for many flights. Computers at the stock exchange were hacked, making trading impossible once the market opened. Every time they connected to the internet, the Joker screen appeared. Major companies were suffering greatly.

The impact on corporate operations was significant. As soon as computers connected to the internet, they would be infected with the virus. The only solution was to format the hard disk and reinstall the system. However, once reconnected to the internet, they would be infected again. The virus spread through computer networks, proving more troublesome than expected. It was pervasive, and computer antivirus software was useless.

With computers unable to connect to the internet, people could only use their phones to stay informed. For local news in London, aside from newspapers, people either conducted street interviews or refreshed their phones for the latest updates. Even passing messages could only be done through mobile phones.

Through her colleagues, she learned that the Mayor of London would soon make a statement. So, she and her cameraman arrived early to wait.

This was the first public response from the Mayor of London since the outbreak of the “Joker Virus.” The mayor’s attitude would give them a clear idea of what would happen next.

“Tong Yu, who do you think this Joker really is?” the cameraman asked, shivering. The freezing cold made waiting in such a place particularly uncomfortable.

“You’re asking me? Who should I ask?” Tong Yu laughed.

As the two chatted, the crowd began to stir. Tong Yu quickly grabbed her cameraman and rushed over.

A middle-aged man walked out of the City Hall building and appeared in the lenses of the cameras. He looked about 45 years old, but his white hair was particularly striking. He was the Mayor of London, Sadiq.

Sadiq scanned the crowd and spoke into the cameras.

“London is facing the largest network virus crisis in its history. The Joker Organization is threatening us, demanding a ransom of 100 million pounds.

We will not compromise with any hacker organization, nor will we pay any ransom to hackers. Instead, we are offering a reward of 2 million pounds for information related to the hackers involved in this incident.”

As soon as Sadiq finished speaking, the reporters on the scene became restless. This news was broadcast live and spread across the world in no time.

Shortly after his announcement, the “Joker Organization” posted another message on Twitter: “London’s ransom will double to 200 million pounds. We will release control over London’s network systems only when the transaction is completed. The next target has been decided. We like the Statue of Liberty. Welcome us, New York.”