Ethan Xu stared at the latest issue of the Xijing Daily, the headline on the front page catching his eye. The PR fee paid to the reporter hadn't disappointed him, but what Grace Wang had done was even more perplexing.
"Has Grace lost her mind, refusing the compensation?" Ethan couldn't understand her thinking. Had Leon's investment made her head spin? Otherwise, why would she take eighteen companies to court? Didn't Grace realize this would become a global spectacle?
Ethan clicked his tongue. She was still so naive. Seeing this news made him exceptionally happy. He was considering joining forces with other software companies to blacklist Queen Company when suddenly, his computer issued an urgent alarm. The screen filled with chaotic, disordered files, and before Ethan could see what was happening, the screen went black.
What's going on??
He had installed the latest enterprise version of the firewall in Tianwei Software Company.
Ethan glared and urgently called for his secretary to bring Kevin Xie over, wanting to ask him what was happening.
But the secretary's panicked response was all he got.
"President, the company's network has crashed…"
The next few minutes felt like hell for Ethan. Partner companies under Tianwei Software Company kept calling, questioning the network's collapse and demanding compensation for the virus infection, claiming all their data was destroyed. It was eerily similar to the Red Virus outbreak, leaving Ethan in a daze!
Meanwhile, the next few hours were a nightmare for major companies worldwide.
In just an hour, all internal data of large companies was infected and completely erased by a virus. Their network-connected operations were hit unprecedentedly hard.
As people speculated about the mastermind behind this virus, a post from the Red Guest Alliance caused an uproar among netizens worldwide.
The post speculated, "This virus has latent destructive characteristics and is a premeditated act. Only humans could accomplish this. I suspect it was created by an organization that secretly installed virus programs in major enterprises, which activated at a predetermined time. The purpose is unknown. However, the virus was first detected by a firewall developed by a small company in Red Country, though its destructive power is unparalleled. It's unfortunate that the warning wasn't heeded by major companies…" The post, signed XO, provided a concise guess about the virus.
Had it been anyone else, people might have laughed it off. But if it was XO, the nature of the situation changed completely.
Who was XO?
The true deity of the current internet, a super hacker who defeated Turing. His understanding of computers was second to none, known as the god of hackers and the emperor of the internet—a consensus among netizens.
Some doubted if this was another of XO's works, but after some investigation, it became clear that all companies affected by the virus were influential listed companies, including giants like Microsoft and McAfee, as well as financial powerhouses like the Quantum Fund.
These companies' network security levels were exceptionally high, yet their networks were pillaged while smaller companies remained untouched. This could only be explained by someone deliberately installing virus programs.
Even XO couldn't create a virus that only targeted listed companies.
Moreover, XO's statement that the virus was first detected by the Red Firewall from Red Country drew attention.
The world's top enterprises failed to detect the virus, but a small software company's firewall did—this humiliated the global network security industry.
While the entire world's internet buzzed with discussions about the "Crocodile Virus," two people were likely the most shocked.
One was Ethan Xu. While the world focused on Queen Software Company's Red Firewall, he was in a meeting with all software company CEOs.
Learning this news made Ethan feel like dying. Knowing the Red Virus was his plan, he couldn't understand how it had turned into a testament to Queen's firewall's brilliance.
Moreover, what was with this virus? Ethan cursed the organization that created the virus countless times. Now, he had no choice but to believe XO's explanation, thinking Queen was just incredibly lucky.
The other person was Grace Wang. In her office, she witnessed the "Crocodile Virus" outbreak and the ensuing discussions. She could hear the elation of her employees outside the office, feeling as if they had been given a new lease on life.
Others believed it was a premeditated attack by an organization, but Grace knew better. It was indeed premeditated but to disguise Queen Company's plight.
As the saying goes, to hide a leaf, put it in the forest. Grace never expected XO to take such an extreme approach, igniting a virus across major global companies in such an unbelievable manner. This not only downplayed Queen's incident but also highlighted Queen as the first to detect the virus, hitting two birds with one stone.
Such divine methods, such terrifying wisdom—XO was unimaginable. Grace took a deep breath, thankful he wasn't an enemy. Otherwise, the network security industry would be at his mercy.
Now, it was time to seize this opportunity!
Grace steadied herself, pulling her thoughts away from XO's dramatic play. According to the plan, the company would immediately launch a data recovery and new firewall software. Given the virus's severity, she expected to receive contracts from listed companies worldwide. This was why Leon had said Queen Company promised to unconditionally develop new firewalls and continue providing them to the previous eighteen companies!
The business world was indeed cold and ruthless. Grace smiled wryly, thinking it over and then made a call.
"Leon, this virus is too cool! Those capitalists are bleeding heavily this time."
"Haha, tomorrow's stock market will probably shake."
A group of people shouted online, cheering the misfortune of those high-up companies. No one sympathized; they were just watching the spectacle.
This kind of mass viewership quickly overshadowed Queen Company's blemishes.
Leon smiled.
"Leon, why are you so calm?" Michael Fang exaggeratedly asked. "Even though you're usually composed, this virus is super cool, like Robin Hood."
"Compared to XO defeating Turing, this is nothing," Leon said dismissively.
"You're still so naive, Leon," Michael Fang laughed.
Leon smiled, thinking, How am I naive?
Daniel Zhang clicked his tongue and explained, "It's not the same. XO is invincible online, but this virus is premeditated and targeted. As XO said, only large organizations could attack so many top companies. Such tactics are more terrifying than XO's."
"Right, it's like a novel! Haha, such a powerful mysterious organization. Could it be a base operation?"
"But why would they do this?" Leon asked, feigning ignorance.
"If it's a mysterious organization, of course, it's mysterious!"
The phone rang. Leon left the noisy classroom and walked to a quiet spot on campus.
"Leon, you should know by now," Grace's voice came through.
Leon deliberately asked, "Could it really be a coincidence?"
"I don't know!" Grace's voice was filled with regret. "But I never expected it to turn out this way."
"I'm not going to the company anymore. Can you handle it, Grace?" Leon asked.
"No problem."
Leon laughed, "Seems my twenty million investment was a bit excessive. When should I return the company to you?"
"Leon, do you think I'm someone who burns bridges?" Grace laughed lightly, her tone a bit disdainful. "Company shares remain unchanged. You were right, just wait for the return!"
"Alright, we'll talk later."
Hanging up, Leon sighed in relief. He trusted Grace to handle the rest.
Leon then chatted with Lily Lin for a bit, but she quickly hung up due to student council matters. Since the ball, Emma Su and Lily Lin had become quite close, which reassured Leon. Having the student council secretary take care of her was much better than he could. Though he still felt a bit regretful.
At this moment, William Jiang walked out of the principal's office, greeted by mocking students. Even his so-called circle of friends looked at him with schadenfreude.
Seeing Leon, William's eyes were filled with hatred.
Leon, expressionless, looked at this idiot, marveling at the student council's power.
That night, William's foolish insults to Grace had predictable consequences. Huazhong University's unique nature gave the student council near-absolute power. Generally, student affairs were managed by the student council, with the school merely acting as a formality.
This governor's son, who hadn't been at Huazhong for two months, was being transferred, making him a laughingstock.
William's second brother, Jason He, took him to the gate. William said something, his face dark, and Jason patted his shoulder, shaking his head regretfully. William walked away, seething. When Jason returned, he smiled kindly at Leon but, passing by, patted Leon's shoulder like a brother and spoke earnestly.
"Leon, a word of advice: never set foot in Zhejiang Province in your life! For your sake and for those close to you."
"If you really care about your bro, have him fulfill his bet and avoid me. Otherwise, he'll regret it," Leon replied coldly.
Jason was slightly surprised by the response, stared at Leon for a moment, then laughed and left.
Leon's gaze was cold.
Lost in thought, someone patted his shoulder.
"Hey, Leon, what are you thinking?" Scarlett Ning appeared in front of him, her smile unexpectedly shy, making Leon wonder if he was seeing things.
She waved her hands in front of Leon's eyes, trying to catch his attention. Remembering the "indecent" actions of those hands, Leon blushed awkwardly and coughed. "Scarlett, what's up?"
"Leon, be my boyfriend!" Scarlett giggled.