"Dear directors, I'm Louis, Greenlight Technology's Chief Security Officer." He turned on the projector, and a complex series of codes and data streams immediately appeared on the screen. "This is the attack log analysis that our technical team compiled overnight."
Louis clicked the remote control, and the screen switched to a global map marked with dozens of flashing red dots.
"These red dots represent the attack source IP addresses, distributed across seventeen countries. They appear dispersed, but they're actually centrally controlled by a single core server." He zoomed in on one of the nodes. "Interestingly, this core server happens to be located within Mr. Howard's industrial park."
There was a commotion in the meeting room, and several directors exchanged surprised glances.
Howard immediately retorted: "Anyone can use a VPN to forge an IP address. This is not evidence!"
"That's true." Louis nodded slightly, "But the traces left by the attacker don't lie."
He pulled up another set of data. "Every hacker team has unique programming habits and attack patterns, just like a fingerprint. The characteristics of these attack codes are exactly the same as those of the hacker group that attacked Swiss LiteTech two years ago."
Mr. Li from Huayun Group stood up, wearing a well-ironed suit and exuding a powerful aura.
"Everyone, I'm Li Ming from Huayun Group. As Asia's leading cybersecurity services provider, Huayun can confirm the authority of Mr. Louis's report." He produced a document stamped with a red official seal. "We have submitted the relevant evidence to international cybersecurity regulators, and they will conduct a formal investigation next week."
The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly changed. The directors who originally supported Howard looked at each other, and some even quietly moved their seats to keep a distance from Howard.
"This is ridiculous!" Howard unbuttoned his suit, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. "You don't have any substantial evidence to prove that these attacks are related to me!"
"What about this?" Jiang Tingchen pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase and pushed them to the center of the conference table. "Mr. Howard's offshore account transaction records at Swiss Bank detail how you profited $200 million by shorting Fu's stock."
"This is impossible!" Howard stood up suddenly, his face drained of all color. "Swiss bank records are strictly confidential. How could you possibly—"
"Mr. Howard seems to have forgotten that in the digital age, no secret can remain secret forever." Jiang Tingchen's tone was calm but powerful.
An elderly director took off his glasses and said in a low but clear voice, "This constitutes serious market manipulation."
Another director added: “If confirmed, they will not only face regulatory penalties but also class action lawsuits from investors.”
Howard's forehead veins bulged, and his eyes swept back and forth in the conference room, finally stopping on Jiang Tingchen's face.
"Who the hell are you?" he gritted his teeth. "No ordinary technical consultant can get access to the internal records of a Swiss bank!"
Jiang Tingchen put his hands in his pockets, looking calm: "Just an ordinary person who knows a little bit of technology."
Fu Chen watched everything silently in the corner with a complicated expression. He had never thought that Ning Nanxue could reverse the situation so thoroughly.
"I demand that this meeting be adjourned immediately!" Howard loosened his tie. "This so-called evidence requires professional evaluation!"
"Of course." Ning Nanxue stood up, her aura still as strong as ever. "But before the results of the appraisal come out, I suggest Mr. Howard consider his position. Continue this farce, or withdraw gracefully?"
"Nanxue, you're too aggressive." Fu Chen suddenly spoke, a hint of indignation in his tone, "Mr. Howard is an important member of the board of directors after all. He should be given a chance to defend himself."
"Defense?" Ning Nanxue sneered, "Just like the chance you gave Sui Sui back then?"
Fu Chen was speechless, his face gloomy.
Howard grasped at straws: "Mr. Fu is right, I have the right to demand a fair investigation!"
"Well then," Ning Nanxue looked around the conference room. "Could you please tell me, directors, whether we should continue to allow Mr. Howard to participate in the company's decision-making, or temporarily freeze his voting rights pending the results of the investigation?"
The directors murmured for a moment, then raised their hands. The result was almost unanimous: Howard's voting rights were temporarily frozen.
Howard's face was ashen, and he clenched his fists. He turned to Jiang Tingchen and said in a low, threatening voice, "Young man, you're in trouble. I'm going to get to the bottom of you."
Jiang Tingchen smiled calmly: "You are welcome anytime."
A cold light flashed in Howard's eyes. He turned to Ning Nanxue and lowered his voice deliberately, but it was loud enough for all the directors to hear clearly.
"Mr. Ning, please be cautious. Mr. Jiang, the man next to you, can easily dig up top-secret Swiss bank records. His methods are probably even more ruthless and sinister than mine. Are his motives for approaching you pure?"
Ning Nanxue raised her chin, her gaze piercing Howard's heart. "My love, I trust you. Mr. Howard, please worry about yourself first." She tapped her fingertips on the table. "The accusations of malicious short selling and industrial espionage will be enough for you to deal with for a long time."
"Security, please ask Mr. Howard to leave."
Three black-clad security guards walked out from the corner of the conference room and stood beside Howard. Howard threw his chair away, his chest heaving violently under his suit.
"This isn't over yet, Ning Nanxue."
Jiang Tingchen casually adjusted his cuffs. "Excuse me, Mr. Howard, but your time has passed."
Howard was escorted out of the conference room in full view of the crowd, his back hunched as if his spine had been removed. But the last look he gave back was as cold and malicious as a venomous snake.
The meeting room door closed again, and the atmosphere suddenly became heavy. The board of directors turned their attention to Fu Chen in the corner.
"Fu Chen, how could you do this?" Director Wang, the most senior, pounded the table, his white hair almost standing on end. "You let a wolf into the house! You almost destroyed the hard work of several generations of the Fu family!"
"Just because of a personal grudge?" another female director criticized. "If Mr. Fu knew about this, he would be so disappointed!"
"I do all this for the company—" Fu Chen's voice was as dry as sandpaper when he defended himself.
"For the company?" Director Li sneered. "Attracting foreign investment is fine, but bringing in sharks to devour your own business—is that what you call doing it for the company?"
A series of accusations rained down on Fu Chen. Jiang Tingchen stood beside Ning Nanxue, quietly observing Fu Chen's reaction.
Fu Chen's face was pale, his hands were clenched into fists, and he silently swallowed every word of condemnation. He was completely different from the sharp and aggressive person he had been some time ago.
"Alright, everyone, please calm down." Ning Nanxue suddenly interrupted them. "We're lucky no damage has been done. From now on, please be vigilant and don't trust others easily."
Everyone looked at each other, fell silent, and looked at Fu Chen.
Now his image in everyone's mind is that he is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything.
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