Chapter 178: The Invitation From Above

Seeing the caller ID, Chen Mo was surprised. He was a bit taken aback that Li Chengzhi was calling at this time. Could it be about the Joker Virus?

It was unlikely.

If they wanted to reach him, they would have done so when the Joker Virus first broke out. There was no reason to contact him only now.

“Brother Chen Mo, how have you been?” As soon as the call connected, Li Chengzhi’s cheerful voice came through.

“Not well. I’m facing quite a few troubles right now. What brings you to call me at this time?” Chen Mo asked.

“There’s something I need to inform you about in advance,” Li Chengzhi said. “The earthquake early warning network has completed its testing. In five days, the national earthquake early warning network will officially launch at the Capital’s earthquake observation station. The Chief will personally attend the launch ceremony. We would like to invite you and your company’s President to attend. Do you have the time?”

Chen Mo immediately understood who Li Chengzhi meant by “the Chief.” Without hesitation, he said, “I definitely have time for that.” He wasn’t bold enough to stand up such a high-ranking official.

“Good, then I’ll report back to the higher-ups,” Li Chengzhi said.

“Okay.”

Chen Mo hung up the phone and got into his car to leave.

At this point, Legion Ant Company was under attack from all sides. That statement from the Joker Organization had caused them significant trouble. Many companies suspected that Legion Ant Company was collaborating with Joker and, fearing potential issues, refused to use the Termite System and computer equipment. This led to a loss of many users.

Although Legion Ant Company was not short on money, its reputation had taken a hit. Attending the earthquake network launch ceremony and making an appearance might bring unexpected benefits.

The next day, as soon as Chen Mo returned to the company, he headed to Zhao Min’s office. At that moment, Zhao Min was troubled by the predicament Legion Ant Company was in. That statement from Joker had backed them into a corner.

“Zhao Min, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Zhao Min asked.

“Li Chengzhi informed me that in five days, there will be a launch ceremony for the earthquake early warning network. The Chief will attend personally, and the higher-ups have invited you and me to the ceremony. Do you have time?”

“Dare I say I don’t?” Zhao Min felt as if the whole world had brightened. “I doubt anything could be more important than this.”

“How have things been these past couple of days?” Chen Mo asked.

“What do you think? We’re still being bombarded with all kinds of rumors, true and false. Joker’s move has put us in check, and we’re a bit passive now. If there were any evidence, Interpol would probably come after us,” Zhao Min said. “I was just thinking of a way to break through this deadlock. This earthquake network launch ceremony is the perfect opportunity.”

“Don’t worry about Joker. If necessary, the Joker Organization can be taken down at any time.”

Zhao Min looked at Chen Mo in surprise, not understanding what he meant.

“You’re not actually connected to the Joker Organization, are you?”

“Nonsense. I tracked down the addresses of Joker Organization members. I can reveal their identities anytime.”

“Really?”

“Really! Should I disclose it now?” Chen Mo asked.

“Don’t! Absolutely do not disclose it,” Zhao Min said, startled. “If we release the list of Joker Organization members, we’ll truly be shouldering the blame for collaborating with them.”

If they released the list, it would confirm the rumors that they had a falling out with Joker, which wouldn’t be a good thing.

Moreover, with the Joker Virus still threatening the world, even though they were suspected of having ties with Joker, the threat of the virus meant that users of the Termite System were still slowly increasing, though not as rapidly as before.

While the two were discussing the company’s situation, Xiaoyu knocked and entered. “Chen Mo, someone named Wei Zhe is here to see you.”

“He’s here already?” Chen Mo was slightly surprised. “Tell him to come up here.”

Xiaoyu acknowledged and left Zhao Min’s office.

“Who is Wei Zhe?” Zhao Min asked curiously.

“The founder of the Joker Organization.”

Chen Mo’s answer made Zhao Min’s hand tremble as she was about to drink water, nearly spilling it on herself. “Are you sure you’re not joking?”

This guy was truly frightening. He had just denied any connection to Joker, and now the founder of the Joker Organization was coming to see him.

“I went to Huaibei yesterday for this very reason.”

Chen Mo briefly explained the situation with the Joker Organization and Wei Zhe to Zhao Min. As the company’s President, she needed to know about the employees.

After hearing the explanation, Zhao Min found it hard to believe.

It was difficult to imagine that a group of Hackers would hold a city’s network hostage and extort a country, all for a sense of achievement.

“With extreme minds, you can never guess what they’re thinking,” Zhao Min said, glancing at Chen Mo.

“Hey? What’s that look for? Why do I feel there’s something odd about what you’re saying?” Chen Mo was amused by Zhao Min’s gaze. She had deliberately looked at him while saying those words.

“Don’t take it personally. I wasn’t referring to you,” Zhao Min said with a light laugh.

Within a few minutes, Xiaoyu brought Wei Zhe into Zhao Min’s office.

“Have a seat,” Chen Mo said, pointing to the sofa nearby.

Wei Zhe didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down on the sofa. “I thought about it yesterday and finally decided to come.”

“Welcome to the team.”

After saying this, Chen Mo looked at Zhao Min. While Wei Zhe had joined, personnel arrangements still needed to be handled by Zhao Min.

“Mr. Wei, you’re proficient in the Chinese Character Programming Language, right?” Zhao Min said.

“I’ve studied it and have achieved some proficiency. I’ve carefully reviewed all the published materials. It’s an excellent computer language,” Wei Zhe replied.

“The Chinese Character Programming Language is currently in its development phase, and some employees in the company are learning it. I plan to gather these employees and establish a Chinese Programming Department, dedicated to research and software development using the Chinese Character Programming Language. You will be the team leader,” Zhao Min said.

Zhao Min had long considered this idea but lacked someone proficient in the Chinese Character Programming Language to lead it. Now was the perfect opportunity. As the founder of the Joker Organization, personally invited by Chen Mo, his skills were certainly not low.

Appointing Wei Zhe as the leader was the best arrangement.

Hearing this position, Wei Zhe showed surprise on his face. He hadn’t expected to be made a department head right away. Given his background as a Hacker, Chen Mo’s unconditional trust moved him in an indescribable way.

“That works,” Wei Zhe nodded.

“I’ll have the contract prepared. For now, your salary will follow the standard for second-level department heads. Come by tomorrow to confirm the contract. Once it’s signed, you can start working directly,” Zhao Min said.

“Okay.” Wei Zhe stood up and looked at Chen Mo. “Thank you for your advice yesterday. She agreed, and she was the one who told me to come work here.”

“Congratulations,” Chen Mo said with a smile.

After Wei Zhe left, Chen Mo noticed the curious looks from both Xiaoyu and Zhao Min.

“What advice did you give him yesterday?” Zhao Min asked.

“I taught him how to chase after a girl,” Chen Mo said.

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed their strange expressions. Xiaoyu said nothing and hurried out of the office.

After discussing company matters with Zhao Min, Chen Mo returned to his Laboratory.

Now, defamatory remarks about Legion Ant were everywhere. They were used to the criticism and carried on as usual.

When the time was right, everything would resolve itself.

Mastering Supercomputer technology was what he needed to focus on most right now.