Survival by cutting off the tail
The anonymous threatening letter Li Yuanshan received was like a depth charge, instantly altering the dimension of the battle situation facing Mingyu Technology. The threat was no longer merely aimed at Li Ming or his startup, but directly targeted the core overseas interests of the Li Group, a business magnate in western Shanxi. The power and determination behind this made the air in the office almost freeze.
Li Ziqing's face was pale, her hand holding the phone trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with complex emotions as she looked at Li Ming—concern, worry, and a sense of powerlessness as if she had been caught in a huge vortex. "My dad... although he didn't say it explicitly, his tone was very serious. He told me... to temporarily stop participating in company affairs and lay low for a while."
This is a father's most direct protection for his daughter, and also the clearest warning to Li Ming—stay away from my daughter, or you won't be able to afford the consequences.
Liu Qiang opened his mouth wide, speechless. Wang Hao pushed up his glasses, silently watching Li Ming, awaiting his decision.
The pressure, like tangible seawater, pressed in from all sides, almost suffocating Li Ming. His opponent's tactic of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao," or "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron," was extremely ruthless. It no longer lingered on technology theft or commercial suppression, but directly attacked the most vulnerable and crucial relationships around him.
Li Ming closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Memories of his acquaintance with Li Ziqing flashed through his mind, from their fleeting encounter at the art festival to their intellectual exchange at the library, to their mutual support on the road to entrepreneurship, and their silent companionship late at night... That quietly growing, unspoken affection had now become the sharpest weapon in her hands.
He cannot, and will never, allow Li Ziqing and her family to be put in danger because of him.
He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze regaining its composure, even carrying an almost cruel clarity.
“Ziqing,” his voice was unusually calm, “your father is right. Go home immediately. Don’t come back here for the time being, and don’t participate in any specific work at the company.”
"Li Ming!" Li Ziqing exclaimed urgently, her eyes instantly reddening. "I can't do this now..."
"You must listen to me!" Li Ming interrupted her, his tone resolute and brooking no argument. "This is not the time to be willful! We don't know their bottom line, and we can't drag you and the Li family into this mess! Going back and protecting yourself is the greatest help you can give us!"
Seeing Li Ziqing on the verge of tears, he felt a pang of pain in his heart, but his tone remained firm: "This is an order! Liu Qiang, take Ziqing home immediately!"
Liu Qiang paused for a moment, looked at Li Ming, then at Li Ziqing, and finally responded with a "yes" and stepped forward.
Looking into Li Ming's resolute and distant eyes, Li Ziqing knew he had made up his mind. She bit her lip, fighting back tears, and gave Li Ming a deep look, as if trying to etch his image into her heart. Then she turned abruptly and followed Liu Qiang quickly out of the office.
The moment the door closed, Li Ming seemed to lose all his strength, staggered, and grabbed the edge of the table for support. Wang Hao silently handed him a glass of water.
"What...what do we do now?" Wang Hao's voice was slightly hoarse. Losing Li Ziqing, the most direct link to the Li Group, also meant losing an important resource and potential protector.
Li Ming straightened up, a suppressed fire burning in his eyes. "What do we do? They think they can force us down like this? Dream on!" He walked to the whiteboard and swiftly and ruthlessly erased all the parts related to Li Ziqing that were originally part of the plan.
"The fact that they resorted to such tactics shows that they're desperate! It shows that our previous counterattack hit their sore spot! It shows that the 'bait' we laid made them feel threatened!" Li Ming's voice carried a desperate, do-or-die intensity. "Now, we have no way out! We must catch that ghost underwater as soon as possible!"
He looked at Wang Hao: "Is the 'honeypot' attractive enough? Can we add a little more to make them bite even more frantically?"
Wang Hao pondered for a moment and nodded: "I can release some processed false signals that seem to involve 'core data transmission protocols' to increase the temptation. But the risk will also increase accordingly. If the other party's technical capabilities far exceed ours, they may see through the trap and even use it against us."
"Risks and opportunities coexist!" Li Ming said decisively. "Execute! We must take this gamble! At the same time, activate emergency funds, accelerate the iteration of platform functions, and stabilize the existing user base. As for Zhao Zhen and Zhou Ruilin's suppression, we will first adopt a defensive stance and avoid their sharp edge."
After losing Li Ziqing, a crucial "mast," the small boat of "Mingyu Technology" did not slow down. Instead, under Li Ming's strong command, it charged towards the most turbulent waters in an even more extreme and focused manner. All non-core businesses were suspended, and all resources were tilted towards platform development and the "fishing" plan.
However, just as Li Ming was dealing with the crisis with all his might and working almost non-stop for three days, an even more alarming piece of news arrived.
The message was a text message secretly sent by Li Ziqing, containing only a few short words:
"My dad... seems to be in contact with the Zhou family."
As Li Ming looked at the text message, his heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand!
Is Li Yuanshan... in contact with the Zhou family?
At this sensitive moment? Is it about exerting pressure to force the Zhou family to back down? Or... in the face of some greater interest or threat, has the option been... compromise? Or even cooperation?
He dared not think any further. If even a business tycoon of Li Yuanshan's stature had to bow to that mysterious force, or be drawn into even more complex transactions, how desperate would Li Ming and "Mingyu Technology's" situation become?
An unprecedented sense of isolation, like a cold tide, instantly overwhelmed him.
Just then, the long-awaited news finally came from Wang Hao's side!
"Li Ming! The fish has taken the bait!" Wang Hao's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement as he pointed to the frantically jumping data stream on the screen. "The other side is using unprecedented computing power and is forcibly cracking the fake 'key' database we set up! The tracking program has been started and is reverse-engineering their real path!"
Li Ming's spirits lifted, and he immediately rushed to the computer. On the screen, the points of light representing the clash of data were as dazzling and dangerous as an interstellar war.
"Can you pinpoint the ultimate source?" Li Ming asked anxiously.
"The other party is cunning, the path is constantly changing... Wait!" Wang Hao suddenly widened his eyes, his fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard, "There is a jump node... It's fixed! It's located... in the western suburbs of the capital, inside an institution labeled 'Seventh Information Technology Research Institute'!"
The Seventh Information Technology Research Institute? Li Ming quickly searched his memory for the name. This wasn't an ordinary commercial organization or university laboratory; he vaguely remembered it being related to some special, officially backed research projects!
The source of the hacking actually points to this place?!
Could it be that the long-standing adversary is not Zhang Lei or Lei Yao Capital, but some... more unfathomable entity?
Just as Li Ming and Wang Hao were shocked by the discovery and trying to analyze it further, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and Liu Qiang rushed in, panting, his face full of panic!
"Brother Ming! Something bad has happened! Just now... a few people in uniforms came to the rented apartment where Uncle and Aunt live. They said it was a joint investigation of the floating population by the neighborhood committee and the police station. They were very aggressive and insisted on going in to check. They even... repeatedly questioned Uncle and Aunt about their workplaces, family relationships, and even brought up your company! I feel... they don't have good intentions!"
Li Ming's heart sank to the bottom!
The other party's sinister hand has once again reached out to his parents! And, in a more "compliant" and harder-to-confront way!
Hacking attacks, commercial attacks, threats against the Li family, investigations into the parents... the other side's methods are endless and layered, like a large net that is constantly tightening.
At this moment, the only clue he had that might break the deadlock pointed to an even more mysterious and awe-inspiring organization.
He stood in the center of the office, with the shrouded "Seventh Research Institute" in front of him, the threat of his parents closing in again behind him, and the precarious company and the scattered team around him.
He felt like a wild beast trapped in a snare, surrounded by the footsteps of hunters and the glint of their scopes.
A desperate situation.
A true dead end.
Li Ming slowly raised his head and looked out at the pitch-black night sky. His eyes were bloodshot, yet they burned with an almost insane determination.
He took out his phone and found the number he never thought he would contact first—Zhang Lei.
Pressing the dial button and listening to the waiting tone coming from the receiver, Li Ming's voice was hoarse and cold:
“Mr. Zhang, I might need… some information about the 'Seventh Information Technology Research Institute'.”
"In addition, I think we can perhaps talk about... the conditions for 'protection'."
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