After crushing the chip, Zhuang Li began to scan everyone's computer.
The leaders who had originally been extremely hostile to him were now obedient and well-behaved, doing whatever they were told without a single objection. The major general whose loudspeaker had been detected went to the next room to be interrogated by his colleagues.
Such negligence was fatal for their entire team.
Fortunately, Zhuang Li also brought shielding equipment, so no spy program could pass on any information that happened in this room.
When he scanned one of the laptops, Zhuang Li asked, "Whose is this?"
A general with graying hair on his temples shuddered with fear and raised his hand nervously like an elementary school student: "It's mine! Mr. Zhuang, is there something wrong with it?"
"Its programs are all normal, and there are no signs of hacking, but it's running a bit slowly. I need to take it apart and look at the components inside. Is that okay?"
"No problem, no problem, you can take it down." The general waved his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Le Zhengming personally found the toolbox and handed the screwdriver to Zhuang Li.
A few minutes later, the computer was disassembled. Zhuang Li carefully examined each component and finally disassembled the processor, placing it under a microscope and examining it repeatedly.
Everyone gathered around, waiting nervously, not even daring to breathe.
After examining it for over half an hour, Zhuang Li looked up and said, "This computer has been tampered with. The problem isn't with the program, but with the hardware. This is a new type of hacking method. Even the antivirus software I developed can't detect any abnormalities."
Zhuang Li held up the small processor and explained, "Someone has reconfigured its millions of circuits, embedding malicious circuits within them, giving it the same operating mechanisms as a virus. This means that through these malicious circuits, hackers can bypass the operating system's control and security mechanisms and steal all of the computer's data without exploiting any network vulnerabilities."
"It's your computer," Zhuang Li tapped the case and shook his head. "But the person who actually controls it is the one who modified the circuits. No matter how much antivirus software you install or how advanced your firewall is, you can't stop hackers from downloading secret files from this computer."
The gray-haired general kept rubbing his brows, feeling a splitting headache: "Mr. Zhuang, how long has this circuit board been installed?" He wanted to judge from the time how many secrets he had leaked.
"It already existed when I bought the computer." Zhuang Li shattered his fantasy.
The general's body swayed and he almost fainted.
The lieutenant general, who was very proficient in hacking technology, quickly supported him and shouted in disbelief, "Is it included when I bought it?"
"Yes, it's included when you buy it," Zhuang Li casually tossed the processor on the table with a cold laugh. "The people behind this are quite generous. After you buy the computer, you should carry it with you at all times. If they want to tamper with the processor, they must disassemble the case, implant thousands of malicious circuits one by one, and then reassemble the computer. This is a massive project that would take even the most skilled technicians days and nights to complete. If the computer is away from you for a few days and nights, you can't fail to discover it."
"That is, these processors, riddled with malicious circuits, already existed during the manufacturing phase. The problem lies at the source, not on your side."
Zhuang Li's words did not comfort the general, but instead made him even more anxious. The others were also horrified.
Le Zhengming directly pointed out the most fatal point: "Are you saying that the mastermind behind this has set up a production line specifically to deal with me? Computers like this might be used by people around me, and even by people in the Ministry of National Defense?"
"Yes, that's why I said your enemy is quite powerful." Zhuang Li narrowed his eyes, but there was no smile in his pupils.
Le Zhengming took out his phone and reported the situation to the security officer of the Ministry of National Defense.
Zhuang Li continued disassembling the other people's computers. If he hadn't noticed that this computer was running abnormally fast, and the internet speed regulator he brought with him would never have caused this problem, he might have overlooked it after cautiously disassembling it.
By then, Zhu Jianrui would be able to steal all kinds of secrets from Le Zhengming's team even without using viruses or Trojans. And with his help, Gong Xuanqi would still be able to win the election.
It is rare for a minor to be able to do things so flawlessly!
Lamenting this, Zhuang Li found another problematic processor and said to 7480 in his mind, "You know what? I love Zhu Jianrui more and more."
What happened the last time the host said he liked Zhu Jianrui?
7480 thought about it carefully, and his heart trembled. Yes, before sunset, he had bankrupted Zhu Jianrui!
This time he loves Zhu Jianrui more, what will happen?
7480 didn't even dare to think about it, and could only sob and curse in his heart: Fuck your grandma's devil! Be a human being!
Le Zhengming photographed the problematic processor and sent it to security officials at the Ministry of National Defense, who were also intensively inspecting similar computers from the same manufacturer. Of course, the work of apprehending and interrogating the manufacturer was also progressing rapidly, but it was still unclear whether the mastermind behind the incident could be uncovered.
The kind of tampering a hacker can do to a computer is quite rare. If Zhuang Li weren't for his comprehensive skills and cautious personality, no one else would have been able to discover the problem. No one would think of disassembling a computer processor and carefully examining its millions of circuits for no apparent reason.
"It's the Gong family." Le Zhengming said firmly.
It is not something that ordinary people can do to implant problematic processors into the production lines of internationally renowned computer brands. It requires enormous financial resources and power to operate behind the scenes.
"It's them." The other bosses nodded, their faces showing both anger and embarrassment.
The young lieutenant general sat beside Zhuang Li, helping him dismantle the computer and inspect the processor. His initial resentment had now turned to fervent admiration and a deep sense of dread. If General Le Zheng hadn't insisted on recruiting Mr. Zhuang, their team would have undoubtedly suffered a series of crushing defeats in the subsequent elections, perhaps even the assassination of their leader!
"There are problems with all of your computers." Zhuang Li came to this conclusion after disassembling only four computers.
When purchasing equipment, government departments have a tendency to buy large quantities of the same brand and model. This means that everyone in the team uses computers made by the same manufacturer and all have malicious circuits installed.
"This is such a tragedy," Zhuang Li sighed, his lips curling up. The dire situation had no effect other than arousing his playful spirit.
"Mr. Zhuang, we are glad to have you join our team." The oldest general took the initiative to bend down and express his sincere welcome to Zhuang Li.
"Mr. Zhuang, welcome to join us."
"Hello, Mr. Zhuang, I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future."
"Mr. Zhuang, it's my honor to be your assistant!"
"Mr. Zhuang, welcome..."
All the big guys stepped forward to shake hands with Zhuang Li, shaking his hands vigorously and with strong force on their fingertips, clearly expressing their acceptance and approval with their body movements.
Le Zhengming was the last one in line to shake hands, and after more than ten seconds, he let go and asked seriously, "What should we do next?"
"Since I'm the Chief Cybersecurity Officer of this team, everyone must obey my instructions and no one must violate any rules. I can guarantee that the network I've built is impeccable, but its only vulnerability lies with you, the users." Zhuang Li tapped the table with his ballpoint pen and issued an imperative order: "Take out your notebooks and carefully write down every one of my rules.
"First, you are not allowed to lend your smart device to anyone. Second, only authenticated devices are allowed to connect to the intranet. Third, all security mechanisms must be enabled when operating smart devices. Fourth, if you know there are things you shouldn't say, please don't write them in emails or text messages. Fifth, please don't open any emails or links from unknown sources in a non-scanning environment..."
Zhuang Li eloquently recited hundreds of rules, and only waved his hand when dawn broke. "Alright, today's security meeting ends here. Once the new equipment is purchased and passes testing, I'll start building our intranet. Everyone, please disperse."
The bosses subconsciously stood up and saluted.
From this small detail, we can see that Zhuang Li has become the core of the team.
Le Zhengming personally escorted the man back to the next room. Before saying goodbye, he said in a hoarse voice, "I'd also like to lay out a few rules for you. Will you follow them?"
When he said this, his expression was serious, his eyes were clear, but his ears slowly turned red.
Zhuang Li leaned against the door, raised his thin eyebrows, curled his thin lips, and smiled with interest.
Le Zhengming's ears turned even redder, but he himself didn't notice. His handsome face became even more serious as he said sternly, "From now on, you are not allowed to get too close to the road; you are not allowed to go out alone, you must bring a bodyguard; you are not allowed to—"
He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again his voice became extremely hoarse, "You are not allowed to run around outside in pajamas, and you are not allowed to run around outside without underwear."
After he finished speaking, he strode away, leaving Zhuang Li leaning against the door frame, laughing until tears came out of his eyes.
"Why didn't I find him so cute in my previous life?" Zhuang Li shook his head and murmured. After falling asleep, he had a vague but sweet dream. For the first time in his life, he laughed in his dream.
---
At the same time, Zhu Jianrui was falling into an even more difficult situation.
In just one night, most of MIK's popular artists were ruined. Those who weren't exposed are now clamoring to terminate their contracts. When the news spread, netizens, far from dismissing them as "adding insult to injury," applauded and expressed their support. This was because hackers also leaked dozens of MIK contracts, whose harsh terms rivaled those of ancient indentures, creating a truly breathtaking scene.
Fans were heartbroken when they saw these contracts, calling MIK a rubbish company that should have gone bankrupt long ago. Passersby were also furious and lashed out in the comment section.
Other entertainment companies immediately photoshopped their own contracts and extended olive branches to some promising artists, but these artists also made it clear that they would not continue to work for their old companies.
MIK's stock price plummeted to its lowest point shortly after opening. Within a day, its dazzling brilliance faded, leaving behind only devastation.
The saying "when a wall falls, everyone pushes it" is nothing more than this.
Zhu Jianrui was not worried about the fact that he could always find new people after they left. What really broke him was the movies and TV series that had been posted online by hackers for anyone to download.
Most of the films and TV series have already been sold and profit-sharing agreements have been signed with theater chains and broadcast platforms. Now that the source material has been leaked in advance, the theater chains and broadcast platforms, which have suffered huge losses, are preparing to demand huge compensation from MIK.
Those movies and TV series that didn't sell also consumed a lot of production costs. One of the blockbusters had an initial investment of 500 million yuan, and the subsequent special effects cost another 180 million yuan.
The total losses amounted to over 3 billion, and the initial capital Zhu Jianrui received from Gong Xuanqi was only 50 million. How could he pay for it?
Is the Gong family willing to pay up to 3 billion in compensation for such a small and discredited company?
No, it won’t! Zhu Jianrui clearly foresaw the reaction of the Gong family. Things without value would only be discarded by them.
Apart from filing for bankruptcy protection, he had no other way to escape this predicament.
Why? He grabbed his hair, his eyes red as he thought to himself: Why have I fallen to this point?
At that moment, Zhu Miaomiao ran into the office in a panic, shaking his shoulders and repeatedly asking, "Is everything they say online true? Are you bankrupt? Are you really bankrupt?"
"It's true." Zhu Jianrui lowered his head tightly, not daring to look into his mother's eyes.
"Zhuang Li is harming you!" Zhu Miaomiao hurriedly took out her mobile phone and said incoherently: "He is cursing you! Let's find a more powerful Taoist priest to deal with him! Look, look, he knows that you will go bankrupt!" She knew nothing about technology and could only attribute this inevitable connection to the work of ghosts and gods.
Zhu Jianrui looked at the phone screen, and his red eyes instantly burst into fierce anger.
"Your son's brilliant life will end before sunset, so please be patient." These are Zhuang Li's original words.
In reality, Zhu Jianrui's company was hacked before sunset and went bankrupt, just as Zhuang Li had predicted. However, the defense system Zhu Jianrui had built was not that fragile, capable of withstanding attacks from hackers below his level.
It was Zhuang Li, it had to be Zhuang Li! Only he could find a zero-day vulnerability so quickly and launch a zero-day attack!
His hacking skills are the strongest, only he can defeat me so easily!
Zhu Jianrui, who gradually came to his senses, snatched his mother's phone, quickly dialed 110, and yelled, "I'm going to call the police! I want Zhuang Li to go to jail for life!"
As a hacker lurking in the abyss of crime who can use all technical means to deal a fatal blow to a person or even a large company, when he suffers a cyber attack, he can only pin his hopes on the police to punish the murderer. This is a great irony and insult to Zhu Jianrui, who claims to be a technical god.
But he had no way to resist Zhuang Li. After yesterday's battle, he already knew that he was no match for Zhuang Li.
As the saying goes, those who kill will be killed, and black people will one day be crushed to the ground by more powerful hackers.
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