Chapter 61: If We Retreat, We Lose
Chapter 61: If We Retreat, We Lose
Chen Mo stood in the laboratory, observing the purity of the carbon crystal on the table. After a long time, he finally straightened up and let out a breath.
Another failure.
The conditions for carbon crystal synthesis were almost met, but purity had always been a fatal problem. If the purity issue of the carbon crystal could not be resolved, even if a Carbon Crystal-Based Lithium-Ion Battery was ultimately produced, its lifespan would be greatly shortened, and its storage capacity would also decrease.
It seemed the data still needed calibration. Chen Mo stretched and took off his gloves, placing them on the lab bench.
“Brother Mo, the company servers are under a traffic attack. The server’s computing resources are being consumed.” Just as Chen Mo was about to leave the laboratory, the childish voice of Ink Girl suddenly spoke up.
“Hmm?” Chen Mo frowned. “Can you distinguish which are legitimate data?”
“Yes,” Ink Girl replied.
“Separate the legitimate data packets from the malicious traffic. Intercept, filter, and drop this malicious traffic into a traffic black hole.”
“To block the malicious traffic, Ink Girl needs to invade the service provider’s network.”
“Invade,” Chen Mo said.
Ink Girl was like an intelligent network creature. She could easily enter any network gateway at any time. Any data connected to the internet held no secrets in Ink Girl’s eyes.
After a while, Ink Girl’s voice sounded again: “Interception was successful.”
“Did you detect the source of the attack?” Chen Mo asked.
The company had not faced any attacks these past few days, which had made him wonder. He hadn’t expected it to happen now. It seemed the other side came prepared.
“The other party used zombie machines and set a timed attack. The source is in Europe, Germany,” Ink Girl said.
“Do you know the identity of the other party?” Chen Mo asked.
“This person.” As soon as Ink Girl finished speaking, a file and a portrait immediately popped up on the laboratory screen.
Chen Mo looked at the other party’s information on the screen and fell into thought.
This was a professional hacker, someone specifically used to attack companies for profit. Since they came to his door, he didn’t mind making the other party reflect seriously.
“Send his information to the German security department. Send it anonymously; don’t leave any traces.”
“Okay, it’s been sent,” Ink Girl reminded him.
“Set up a cloud defense system,” Chen Mo said.
Where there was a first time, there would be a second. There would definitely be more similar attacks in the future. DDoS attacks were among the hardest network attacks to defend against. Their purpose was to consume the target’s service resources, degrade the experience for legitimate users, and cause trouble for their company.
If it weren’t for Ink Girl, defending against such attacks would be very troublesome.
“Supervisor, the DDoS attack has stopped. The servers are back to normal now.”
The company’s cybersecurity team breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the service return to normal. The sudden malicious attack had caught them somewhat off guard.
“Everyone else, stay alert. The company might face some instability recently,” a technical supervisor in charge of cybersecurity said.
The company had just narrowly escaped a network attack, something few people knew about. On the network battlefield, it was always a war without smoke.
This was just the beginning. A storm targeting Legion Ant Company was brewing online.
Internal News: Legion Ant Company Suffers Large-Scale Cyber Attack!
Army Ant User Data Leaked?
Army Ant Company About to be Acquired?
Butterfly Eye Phone Explodes?
Smart Assistant Steals User Information?
In less than two hours, an overwhelming number of various articles appeared. The scale this time was much larger than the last.
Almost instantly, it covered all news channels—a clear smear campaign targeting Army Ant.
For a while, the online world was in an uproar. Intense discussions erupted around this incident. No company had ever received such high-level “treatment” before.
“Army Ant Company must immediately explain the user information leak.”
“Trash Army Ant, are you that easy to target?”
“The phone quality is terrible. I use a Butterfly Eye, and it’s already not waterproof. Army Ant, give me an explanation.”
“Such an obvious smear campaign. Only fools would believe these news reports.”
…
Sitting in her office, Zhao Min had a dark expression. What was expected had finally come. Army Ant had grown too fat and eventually attracted jealousy. But the intensity this time was so strong and came without warning.
“Sister Zhao, the Tax Bureau sent a notice. They are coming to the company to audit the accounts.” Just as Zhao Min was about to notify Chen Mo, Xiaoyu knocked and entered to report.
“Okay, I know.”
Zhao Min stood by the office window with a dark face, looking at the distant sky, trying hard to stay calm.
The overwhelming smear campaign online again made her very upset. Unable to find any real fault with the company, they resorted to dirty tricks. Such disgusting tactics were extremely annoying.
The sudden notice from the Tax Bureau to audit the accounts was surely also instigated by some interested parties.
After a long while, Zhao Min finally let out a breath. The best way to deal with such tactics was to remain silent; otherwise, it would only make things worse. But she didn’t want to stay silent; that wasn’t her style.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Min dialed Li Lingfeng’s number.
Online, news about Army Ant was flying everywhere, mixing truth and falsehood, attracting many onlookers.
This wave of news reminded many people of the time right after the Army Ant System was launched. There had been a smear campaign back then too. But this time, the force was even more frantic.
Half a day after the smear campaign against Army Ant began, Army Ant Company responded on its official Weibo and official website.
“Go ahead and use whatever underhanded methods you have left. If we retreat even one step, we lose.”
That single short sentence immediately ignited online public opinion.
“So mighty and domineering!”
“Never bow to villains. This is the Army Ant I love.”
“Fight them to the end!”
“The market is like a battlefield. Ever since the Smart Assistant was released, I guessed someone would take advantage. There was no movement the past few days; turns out they were saving their big move for today. Shouldn’t the ‘relevant authorities’ step in and manage this kind of unfair competition?”
“If people try to destroy you right from the start, and if the relevant authorities don’t handle this, who would dare to start a business in the future? Army Ant Company provides such high-end products for ordinary people. This time, I stand with Army Ant.”
…
As soon as the response came out, the internet erupted in cheers. Two product launches had allowed Army Ant to rise, adding another giant in the country. But these two smear campaigns were something no one could stand by and watch.
Sitting in his office, Chen Mo’s face was calm. With such a big issue occurring, he didn’t have much mind for research now.
A couple of days ago, Yu Chengnan had discussed cooperation with them and had warned Zhao Min that they would face a smear campaign. He thought it would happen yesterday, but the other side held off until today to strike, and when they did, it was a chaotic barrage.
Cyber attacks, public opinion attacks, even reporting to the Tax Bureau to have the accounts audited. What would the other side do next? Poach employees from the company like last time?
“Ink Girl.” After some contemplation, Chen Mo sat up straight and looked at the computer screen in front of him.
“Brother Mo, Ink Girl is here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the computer screen changed to a simulated image. A little girl wearing a white ruqun appeared on the screen.
“Help me check which online water army companies are involved in the smear campaign?” Chen Mo said calmly.
“Okay, Brother Mo, please wait a moment… Found them. Neural Network Operation Company, Tianma Network Company…” Ink Girl listed ten company names in a row.
“Help me find out exactly who hired these companies,” Chen Mo’s voice remained very calm.
“Okay.” Ink Girl blinked at Chen Mo and fell silent. After a long time, she spoke again: “Ink Girl found it.”