Le Zhengming's speech was very successful.
His support rate was originally lower than Gong Xuanqi's. After all, he did not have Gong Xuanqi's gentle and approachable temperament. He only had the majesty and steadiness of a mountain, as well as the iron-blooded and cold-hardness that had been tempered by war.
Those who like him will like him very much, and those who reject him will also reject him. As a general, he is qualified, but as a leader of a country, what will he do?
Many people slowly typed a question mark in their minds.
However, after watching his speeches and listening to his policies on governing the country, many people were surprised to find that he also had his own ideas about managing the country and truly cared about the interests of the public and the safety of the country.
In foreign policy, he is both tough and flexible, and his diplomatic skills are not inferior to those of the versatile Gong Xuanqi, but he has more of the majestic aura of a leader of a great power.
The people were very satisfied with his performance and expressed their willingness to vote for him on the spot.
As for Gong Xuanqi, he missed the speech without reason and did not give a reasonable explanation. It was not until after 1 a.m. that he sent an apology letter through another politician's personal website, saying that his team had been attacked by hackers, the server was paralyzed, all smart devices were on strike, and it was impossible to work normally. Please forgive me.
Although he didn't explicitly say that the cyberattack was caused by Le Zhengming, he gave netizens many hints. For a time, everyone began to sympathize with his plight and left messages to denounce the hackers behind the attack.
The navy he raised also quietly turned their spearheads against Le Zhengming, trying to shape public opinion.
At a time of extremely tense international tensions, internal strife was clearly unacceptable to the vast majority of the public. Consequently, Le Zhengming came under public suspicion, with even many more established politicians calling him to warn him against going too far.
Le Zhengming didn't explain much because he was not good at speaking.
Zhuang Li, however, used the identity of "Chief Cybersecurity Officer of General Le Zheng" to release a series of heavy-hitting evidence online, with the caption: "Competition is fine, but the means should not be too dirty."
The first piece of evidence shows the entire process of Le Zhengming's team being attacked by DDOS.
The second piece of evidence reveals the identity of the hacker who launched the attack - Mima, a top hacker in China and a good friend of another top hacker named "Blackbeard".
The third piece of evidence revealed the identity of "Blackbeard", who was Gong Xuanlin's illegitimate son Zhu Jianrui, who was also Gong Xuanqi's nephew.
This evidence includes highly professional code and tracking information, as well as videos and screenshots that ordinary people can understand. In the early years, when Zhu Jianrui did not yet understand that the most important skill for a hacker is concealment, he registered accounts on multiple social networking sites using the code name "Blackbeard" and posted photos and comments that could reveal his three-dimensional identity.
Later, as he matured and learned to be cautious, he cleaned up these accounts in large quantities.
However, as the old saying goes—wherever you go, you leave a trace. Among so much information, there were always a few that he overlooked, so Zhuang Li sought out all of this information and compiled it together.
Finally, he added: "When our team can resolve a cyberattack in five minutes, your team should reflect on its own efficiency. A presidential candidate who can't even handle a mere hacker deserves no sympathy. Imagine if your country was under attack, would you be able to handle it perfectly? Given your performance this time, I doubt it."
"Your incompetence in attributing your failure to the enemy's manipulation astonishes me. Finally, if you suspect we were responsible for this cyberattack, please provide evidence. I've already reported it to the police. Anyone seeking the truth should contact the central cybersecurity authorities."
He added a link at the end of the article, which will immediately take you to the official website of the Central Cyberspace Security Administration.
The post was quickly circulated by voters who supported Le Zhengming. Those who sympathized with Gong Xuanqi immediately fell silent, and those who had been clamoring for Le Zhengming to give an explanation also fell silent. Simply because the evidence was too clear, too complete, and too irrefutable.
Mima wouldn't attack Le Zhengming's network for no reason, especially at such a critical moment, unless instructed by someone. Who that person was was obvious.
This post ripped off Gong Xuanqi's facade and made his accusations a joke. Le Zhengming's team was able to quickly resolve the crisis, so why couldn't his team? Ultimately, they were just too useless! Furthermore, when he schemed against others, he should have expected the same scheme to happen to him. No one is stupid enough to just stand there and let someone else attack them.
Furthermore, the Central Cybersecurity Department has already publicly announced that the DDOS attack on Gong Xuanqi's team had nothing to do with Le Zhengming. Insiders have also revealed that Gong Xuanqi's hacking was actually carried out by his nephew, Zhu Jianrui. Cyber police have gathered clues that the controller responsible for the two data tsunamis was linked to Zhu Jianrui's phone, making him the mastermind.
Zhu Jianrui's attack on Yue Zhengming is completely understandable, but why did he attack Gong Xuanqi? This kid sometimes points the finger at outsiders, sometimes at his own people. Is he rebellious, or is he crazy?
The twists and turns of the plot have attracted widespread attention from the public.
Then another insider released a video that was captured by hacking into the Gong family's video access control system. In the video, Zhu Jianrui's mother, Zhu Miaomiao, yelled and cried at the camera, insisting that Gong Xuanlin marry her. Gong Xuanlin called her a gold digger and said she would never be able to marry into the Gong family.
Several cars pulled up behind Zhu Miaomiao, their windows opened to reveal Gong Xuanqi's furious face. He ordered his bodyguards to take Zhu Miaomiao away. His ferocious tone and overbearing attitude completely overturned the public's preconceived notion of him.
He didn't seem to be a gentle man; quite the opposite. When he got ruthless, he was even more ruthless than the iron-blooded Le Zhengming. He was a master of disguise, appearing one way in public and another in private. He was a hypocrite.
This deeply touched the nerves of the public. They would rather support a gentle, wise, and loving leader than a hypocrite who hides his ugly side with a perfect mask!
The whistleblower finally revealed that Zhu Jianrui turned his attention to attacking Gong Xuanqi in order to vent his anger on his mother. However, in fact, the timeline of the two events was reversed, and the truth was completely different from what he said.
However, for the general public, it doesn’t matter what the truth is; they are only willing to trust their own judgment.
Regardless, Gong Xuanqi's behavior during this turmoil is truly repulsive to the public. He is insidious, cunning, incompetent, hypocritical, and uses dirty tricks. If he were elected president, it would be a disaster.
After the apology letter came out, Gong Xuanqi's slightly declining approval rating began to rise, but was brought back to the bottom by the post published by Zhuang Li.
The positive image he had worked hard to build for decades was destroyed in just a few hours. "A crushing defeat" is not enough to describe this confrontation.
Some even predicted that this was a harbinger of Gong Xuanqi's downfall. If he couldn't find a more capable team and cybersecurity officer, he would be doomed to miss the presidency.
In the cybersecurity field, his team is clearly at a disadvantage. His nephew is a troublemaker, serving no purpose other than causing him trouble. He also needs to reshape his personal image. The best way to do this right now is to engage in philanthropy and poverty alleviation. Since he's just pretending to be a gentleman, why not do something practical for the people?
These derogatory, sarcastic and questioning remarks flooded the Internet. Zhuang Li flipped through them page by page, with a smile on his face the whole time.
7480 saw the predicament Gong Xuanqi was facing through his eyes and couldn't help but wail in his heart.
It knew the plot, which was why it felt worse than anyone else. All the belittling, sarcasm, and questioning should have been directed at Le Zhengming. He was the one who had unexplained absence from the live lecture and the first to be abandoned by the public. Why did the plot completely reverse when the host intervened? The host's destructive power was simply too great!
No, no, in the next world, the host must not be allowed to touch the computer or enter the laboratory! Choose an ancient plane where nothing is available, and see what he will do!
Thinking of this, 7480 felt a little better.
"Why are you suddenly happy?" Zhuang Li, who was always monitoring the system with brain waves, suddenly asked.
"I won't tell you!" 7480 bravely retorted. The host still needed to use it to travel through time, so it didn't have to worry about being killed for the time being.
Zhuang Li didn't bother to ask further questions. He turned on his computer, logged into the internal network, and cleaned up some of the spam Zhu Jianrui had posted. It seemed the other party couldn't handle the blow, and had gone a bit mad, sending hundreds of thousands of virus-laden emails to Le Zhengming's private network.
Fortunately, everyone in the team followed Manager Zhuang's instructions and did not dare to open any email without scanning it, thus blocking the spread of these viruses.
Even so, cleaning up so many viruses was a massive undertaking, and Zhuang Li had to work overtime until late at night.
On the other end, Le Zhengming's press officer pulled out his phone and whispered, "General, look, our security officer is incredibly capable. He single-handedly shifted the entire direction of public opinion. Let's adjourn the meeting. No need to keep up the PR all night. We've been busy all day, and everyone's exhausted."
Le Zhengming took the phone and looked at it, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, "Then let's disperse, everyone go back and have a good rest."
"Well done, General. Thanks to Mr. Zhuang for this."
"Mr. Zhuang alone can replace our entire team."
"With Mr. Zhuang here, that position will definitely belong to you, General."
Everyone laughed heartily and then gradually dispersed. Helping a candidate run for president should have been an extremely stressful job, but with Mr. Zhuang's presence, they suddenly felt much more relaxed.
Le Zhengming stood up to see them off. An adjutant stayed behind to leave and said to him cautiously, "General, I heard Zhu Jianrui has been summoned by the Cybersecurity Department. You must keep a close eye on him and make sure Gong Xuanqi doesn't take advantage of the situation and get him out. Mr. Zhuang could have sent Gong Xuanlin and Zhu Jianrui to jail last time, but they still got away easily. I hope the same thing doesn't happen again this time."
"I understand." Le Zhengming sent the person to the elevator. When he came back, he knocked on the door of Little Curly Hair while calling the Network Security Department.
The door opened, and the Cybersecurity Department also reported back some bad news: "Mima's guilt is proven, and she has been transferred to the prison for temporary detention. Zhu Jianrui has been acquitted."
"Why?" Le Zhengming frowned. "The evidence we submitted should be sufficient."
"But Zhu Jianrui's evidence is more compelling. He has a monitoring chip installed in his body. If his skin comes into contact with a smart device, such as a phone, tablet, or computer, the chip will detect abnormal signal fluctuations, record the time and location of the fluctuation, and then trigger an alarm. However, according to the monitoring data submitted by the military, he did not touch any smart devices during the two DDOS attacks. If you have any doubts, you should question the military, not us."
The other party hung up the phone.
Zhuang Li, who was leaning against the door, guessed the content of the call without asking: "Zhu Jianrui escaped again?"
Le Zhengming nodded grimly.
7480 breathed a sigh of relief: "As expected of the child of destiny, he always manages to turn danger into safety."
Zhuang Li thought about it carefully and said with certainty, "It's that puppy."
"What?" Le Zhengming was even more confused.
"The surveillance chip must have been duplicated, one installed in Zhu Jianrui's body and one in the puppy he was holding. When he tried to access the smart device, the mother chip in his body would be remotely shut down, and the daughter chip in the puppy would continue to send signals in place of the mother chip, serving as his alibi."
Zhuang Li pulled Le Zhengming into the house and continued, "Someone in the military is helping him. It's Jiang Yi."
Le Zhengming said decisively, "I'll send someone to capture Zhu Jianrui and the dog."
"It's useless. Do you think someone like Zhu Jianrui, who's so stubborn and unyielding, would keep a piece of evidence with him for long? He must have killed the dog and hidden the sub-chip away. He'll find a new host to implant the sub-chip into next time he commits a crime.
"Instead of being on guard against them all the time, we might as well find a way to completely eliminate them. I'm also tired of cleaning out hundreds of thousands of virus-infected emails every day." Zhuang Li said, pointing to the computer that was constantly scanning emails.
"How can we get them out completely?" Le Zhengming rubbed the little curly-haired boy's head, feeling sorry for him working so hard.
"How about exposing our scandal to Gong Xuanqi?" Zhuang Li narrowed his eyes.
"What scandal?" Le Zhengming was stunned.
"Such a scandal." Zhuang Li suddenly held her boyfriend's serious face and kissed him deeply.
Chapter 78 The Story of the Takeover Man 28┃7480: Today is also the day when the protagonists were brutally abused.
While Zhuang Li was immersed in a gentle, lingering kiss, Zhu Jianrui, clutching a knife, dismembered a puppy, barely two months old, into pieces. Sticky blood splattered all over him, staining his sinister eyes red.
When he finally found the sub-chip from a pile of minced meat, he actually laughed nervously, and his wheezing breath was like the wind rushing up from a gap in hell, which was terrifying to hear.
The servant who was hiding outside the door and eavesdropping turned pale with fright. He quietly found Gong Xuanqi and reported the young master's abnormal behavior.
Gong Xuanqi, who had always been considerate and caring towards his nephew, said indifferently this time: "Don't worry about him."
This is the Gong family's principle of doing things. When you are valuable, they can treat you as their own flesh and blood. When you are useless, they don't care whether you are dead or alive.
The servant left in embarrassment.
Gong Xuanlin couldn't bear to leave his son behind. He knocked on his door and said comfortingly, "Your uncle doesn't blame you. Come out now and don't bore yourself. You're just a child. You don't need to worry about the election."
After a long time, Zhu Jianrui walked out of the door and asked in a dry voice, "Uncle, don't you need my help?" He was soaked all over, and his clothes and pants were tightly stuck to his body. He looked very uncomfortable. His face was paler than paper, but his pupils were covered with bloodshot blood. He was emitting cold air, and at first glance he looked like a sinister evil ghost.
Gong Xuanlin took a step back in shock, saying in surprise, "Why did you take a shower without taking off your clothes? And a cold shower?"
"I feel bad and want to calm down." Zhu Jianrui lowered his head, showing his vulnerable side in front of his biological father for the first time.
Gong Xuanlin only had this one son, so he couldn't completely ignore him. He comforted him, "Don't be sad. Study hard and learn computer skills. Don't worry about your uncle's affairs. You are still young and have endless possibilities in the future. Zhuang Li is already in his thirties. How long can he live? You don't have to be afraid of him. Your uncle has plenty of ways to deal with him."
Zhu Jianrui nodded and said in a low voice, "Dad, I understand. I'm sleepy and want to sleep."
"Go, take a hot bath before going to bed." Gong Xuanlin waved his hand and left. He had no intention of going into his son's room, taking a look, and then putting his arm around his shoulders and having a long chat to erase all the anxiety and fear in his heart.
If his concern for his son were measured in exact numbers, it would probably be as small as a fingernail. Otherwise, he would have discovered that his son's bathroom had turned into a pool of blood, white bones, broken flesh, and red blood. The scene was like hell.
Gong Xuanlin paid a little cheap attention to his son, but turned around and actively helped his elder brother with his plans. He used various channels to find out about Le Zhengming's privacy and weaknesses, and finally received a memory card from an unknown paparazzi by express delivery the next morning. The card contained a video lasting more than ten seconds.
Paparazzi were squatting on the top of a mountain opposite the hotel where Le Zhengming was staying. Using a high-powered camera, they captured the scene of him and Zhuang Li kissing on the balcony from a distance of several hundred meters.
The two hugged each other tightly and kissed each other.
Le Zhengming, a man so cold and stern, could reveal an expression of fascination during a kiss, even cupping Zhuang Li's cheeks with both hands, preventing him from withdrawing first. Zhuang Li was breathless from his kiss, and afterward, she rested on his shoulder, even biting his sexy Adam's apple.
Le Zhengming slowly stroked Zhuang Li's curly and fluffy hair, his face full of satisfaction and love.
An orange halo enveloped them, and the atmosphere was as intense as a fire. If there were no personal grudges, and if one looked at it from an ordinary perspective, the scene would be quite beautiful.
The video ends with the two of them looking at each other affectionately, and Gong Xuanlin can no longer control his excitement.
For conservative Chinese, the word "homosexuality" represents something pathological, something alien, and something that most people dislike and reject. Although the younger generation has changed their views, the older generation simply cannot accept this abnormal relationship.
In other words, if this video were released to the public, Le Zhengming, the presidential candidate, would instantly become infamous. Zhuang Li, who had caused his crushing defeat, would bear full responsibility. He would face retaliation from the reformists and be spurned by the general public.
No matter how much power he has on the Internet, in reality, he will be like a rat crossing the street.
Gong Xuanlin took the memory card and hurried to the study.
"Scan it a few times." Gong Xuanqi's face showed no joy at all, but instead he became more cautious. He was frightened by Zhuang Li's behavior.
The newly appointed network security officer immediately began scanning the memory card. After a few minutes, he shook his head and said, "No viruses or Trojans were found."
“Is the video real?”
"Let me check it out."
A few minutes later, the cybersecurity officer said confidently, "It's genuine. There's no sign of editing or photoshop."
"Brother, when are we going to send out the video?" Gong Xuanlin asked anxiously.
"Let me think about it." Gong Xuanqi pondered for a moment, then finally made up his mind. "Next Monday, Le Zhengming and I will have a debate on national television, also broadcast live. There's a segment where we'll ask each other about our policies and then give answers. I can use this segment to play a video questioning the relationship between Le Zhengming and Zhuang Li."
Gong Xuanqi is a smart man. After his humble gentleman personality was exposed by Zhuang Li, he immediately began to build a tough and upright personality.
Continuing to feign moderation would only make voters lean more towards Le Zhengming. We are all hypocrites, and that's why we love truth. So, Gong Xuanqi should give them truth.
The security officer nodded and said, "This is a good opportunity. In front of the entire nation, Le Zhengming shouldn't be able to find an excuse to cover up. And Zhuang Li will be on the live broadcast as well. I'll have the director cut to a close-up of him to see his reaction."
"Okay, let's do this. During this time, observe Le Zhengming and Zhuang Li carefully to see if there's anything ambiguous between them." Gong Xuanqi looked at Gong Xuanlin and instructed, "Have the paparazzi keep an eye on them. It would be best if they could capture more evidence."
Before Monday, the paparazzi had been lurking on the hill opposite the hotel, his high-powered camera constantly trained on the couple's windows, yet he hadn't captured any ambiguous scenes. Perhaps Le Zhengming's speech that night was a resounding success, and they were so happy that they let themselves go for a moment.
Outside, Zhuang Li and Le Zhengming always kept a safe distance, but when they looked at each other, they couldn't help but smile at each other, revealing a little bit of intimacy.
The newly appointed security officer edited several videos of Le Zhengming participating in public events. Pointing at the two people, separated by a crowd but staring at each other from afar, he said with certainty, "There must be something going on between them. The look of love in their eyes can't be faked."
Gong Xuanqi, who was very good at observing people's words and expressions, finally put aside his last bit of doubt.
The video is real, the affair is real, so they can be used.
He never considered that this might be a conspiracy by Le Zhengming, because no one would be so foolish as to hand over such a deadly handle to the enemy. Wouldn't that be courting death?
"Keep the video safe and don't let Zhuang Li find out. His hacking skills are very powerful." Gong Xuanqi warned nervously.
"I understand," the security officer said cautiously. "I've inquired clearly. After filming the video, the paparazzi removed the memory card and sent it to the Second Young Master via courier. The Second Young Master inserted the memory card into a computer that was not connected to the internet and viewed the video. This process was safe. Afterwards, the computer I used to review the video was also not connected to the internet. Moreover, the study has been installed with thick steel plates to block the signal amplifier's scanning. No matter how powerful Zhuang Li is, he can't hack into our equipment."
Only when the security measures were so strict did Gong Xuanqi feel a little more at ease.
"Put the memory card in the safe and never take it out until the day of the debate," he reminded again.
Gong Xuanqi, who never took anyone seriously, learned a lesson the hard way: in the age of the Internet of Things, it's better to offend a top-notch hacker than anyone else. They have plenty of ways to kill you without anyone noticing.
The security officer agreed more cautiously.
Monday arrived quickly, and Gong Xuanqi and Yue Zhengming stood face to face on the stage, began to ask each other questions, question each other, and give reasonable answers.
Compared to the gentle and handsome Gong Xuanqi, Le Zhengming is colder, harder, and more distant. He also carries an air of authority, previously subtle but increasingly powerful. He perfectly embodies the image of a "leader of a great power."
As a result, the poll data of both sides began to rise and fall at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The one who lost money was Gong Xuanqi, and the one who gained money was naturally Le Zhengming.
With five minutes left in the debate, Gong Xuanqi suddenly said, "General Le Zheng, I'd like to ask you to explain the relationship between you and your security officer. You're both men, so isn't this interaction too intimate?"
He turned to look at the big screen behind him.
Le Zhengming also looked at the big screen, his face darkening slightly.
The audience almost immediately grasped the weight of this statement. What did they mean by "too intimate"? What did they mean by "you're all men"? Was Gong Xuanqi implying that General Le Zheng and Mr. Zhuang were gay?
This kind of thing is not uncommon in foreign countries, after all, same-sex marriage has been legalized in many places abroad. But in China, it is very outrageous, and some people even describe it as immoral.
The previously quiet conference hall erupted in uproar. The dozen or so senior politicians sitting in the front rows showed expressions of surprise, even disgust. It was clear that old-fashioned people like them would absolutely not accept a homosexual president.
Once they become disgusted with Le Zhengming and abandon him, the campaign can end early.
The director immediately cut to a close-up of Zhuang Li's face. His narrow eyes widened slightly, as if he was surprised. He shrugged at his colleagues sitting on either side, indicating that he knew nothing.
Gong Xuanlin, who was sitting at the round table opposite, saw his innocent expression and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
However, he soon stopped laughing.
Gong Xuanqi turned around and looked at the big screen and froze in place.
The disgusting kissing video that should have been played at the right time turned into a huge little yellow face, occupying the LED screen of more than 20 square meters. The eyes were curved into a lewd arc, and the black bean-like eyeballs rolled left and right, as if scanning the audience below the stage. The corners of the mouth were grinning from ear to ear, and the mocking expression was vivid.
Gong Xuanqi, who was confident of victory: "..."
Gong Xuanlin, who was waiting for Zhuang Li to make a fool of himself, said: "..."
7480, who knew this would happen, said: "..."
As expected, today is another day when the protagonists are brutally ravaged.
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