Chapter 215: Invasion
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“All Li, I’m going to the study to work on something,” Zhou Chao said as he emerged from the shower, his hair still damp. He looked at Jiang Li, who was lying on the bed playing with her phone.
“Mm, go ahead,” Zhou Chao replied, seeing that Jiang Li seemed engrossed in her game. He smiled and headed to the study.
In the study, Zhou Chao turned on his computer. He interlaced his fingers and stretched his arms forward, flexing his fingers in the air before turning his gaze to the already booted-up computer.
Opening a folder, Zhou Chao began typing. If someone were watching, they would notice his typing speed increasing like a blur, and soon there were afterimages on the keyboard.
“Phew, I can start now.” Zhou Chao then proceeded to do what he wanted to do. On the screen, various lines of code appeared rapidly as Zhou Chao typed.
“Finally done!” Zhou Chao stretched lazily and checked the time. It had taken him less than 10 minutes to complete his task.
“Hehe, let’s see the result.” Zhou Chao had created a comprehensive firewall, both for attack and defense. It was specially designed for his own company, and he wanted to test how well his programming worked.
He then opened the software and began to penetrate the firewall of his own Dragonfly Group.
The Dragonfly Group’s firewall had three layers in total. Zhou Chao cracked the first layer in less than 30 seconds, encountering no resistance, which furrowed his brow.
The second layer also fell in less than a minute. Zhou Chao’s brow furrowed even deeper.
Meanwhile, in an office within the Dragonfly Group, there was chaos and frantic discussions.
“President Ling, the other side is too formidable. We haven’t even built our defenses yet, and they’ve already broken through our first two layers of firewall. The third layer is in imminent danger!” The security chief was typing furiously and kept President Ling informed of the current situation.
“I don’t care what methods you use, but you must stop them. If the group’s firewall is breached, your position as security director will be in jeopardy!” Ling Chen’s expression remained ice-cold as he stared at the large screen. Though the situation was dire, he didn’t show a hint of panic.
“Do any of you have friends in the hacking community? Contact them immediately. If anyone can resolve this, there will be a million-dollar reward! Act swiftly, right now!” Many programmers quickly contacted their friends or mentors over the phone, recruiting them to join the effort.
At this moment, the entire hacker community had caught wind of the situation and many people were tuning in to watch the online battle.
In a chat room of the Red Hacker Alliance, several users with scrambled aliases were engaged in conversation.
“Feng, what’s going on? Why did you suddenly call us here? Is there something urgent?”
“1 have a friend whose company was hacked, and he asked for my help. I tried, but I couldn’t stop them. That’s why I’ve come to seek your assistance.”
“What?” Three lines of identical characters appeared on the screen.
“The opposing team is quite powerful, and they’ve given a tough time to many hackers here in our country. However, it seems that they are probably domestic hackers as well.”
“Hehe, domestic hackers? When did such formidable individuals emerge? No need to say more; I’m on my way!” As soon as the chat message was sent, one person disappeared from the chat room. Shortly after, the remaining three users also vanished, as if the chat had never existed.
Meanwhile, Zhou Chao was sitting back in his chair, hands resting behind his head, calmly observing the various data displayed on his computer screen.
“Hmm, quite a few people have arrived. Unfortunately, the most powerful among them barely managed to breach my first layer. There are still many layers to go!” Zhou Chao had slowed down his intrusion into his own company and was now engaged in a cyber battle with a group of hackers online.
However, he soon realized that these hackers were causing minimal harm to his systems. The most skilled among them had also fallen before the second layer of the firewall.
“What’s going on? Is my technology too advanced, or have all top-tier domestic experts gone to bed?” Zhou Chao glanced at his phone; it was already 10:30 PM, and the battle had been going on for nearly an hour.
“Let’s wrap this up and let Ling Chen and the others go home early!” Zhou Chao straightened his posture, his fingers moving gracefully across the keyboard.
“President Ling, our defense wall has been breached! They’ve taken complete control of the entire system!” The security chief slumped in his chair, disheartened and breathless.
Ling Chen clenched his phone tightly upon hearing this. “How am 1 going to explain this to the boss?”
“President Ling, Chief, we have a situation!” A programmer nearby exclaimed.
Ling Chen rushed over, looking at the security chief. He asked, “What’s the situation now?”
The security chief gazed at the various lines of code on the computer screen and the progress bar at the bottom, feeling uncertain. “President Ling, it seems like they’re installing a firewall for us!”
“Installing a firewall? How is that possible?” Ling Chen’s voice carried a note of disbelief.
“Yes, it is true, but the opposing side’s skills are too formidable. 1 can’t be certain.”
As they spoke, the progress bar reached its conclusion. In no time, the entire system rebooted, and a logo representing the Dragonfly Group appeared on the desktop.
Following that, a row of text appeared on the desktop: “Ling Chen, let your team go off work, and each person will receive a reward of one hundred thousand. Although your skills fell short, it was still impressive.”
Several programmers and the security chief stared at the words on the computer desktop, their faces expressing a mixture of emotions. Ling Chen, who seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief, remained silent.
“Ling… Ling Chen, what’s going on? Is this our own doing?” The security chief spoke hesitantly, his disbelief evident. After working diligently for an hour or two, they discovered that the attacker was one of their own.
“Alright, don’t dwell on it. This is from the boss. Check the new firewall and then go get some rest. But 1 hope you all learn from this experience.
If it hadn’t been the boss, it would have meant failure. You should understand the consequences of that. I hope you won’t harbor any illusions. Now, get back to work!”
After he was done talking, Ling Chen turned and walked out, leaving behind the security supervisor and the group of programmers. The security supervisor opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately settled for four simple words: “Get back to work!”
Once back in his office, Ling Chen noticed that his back was damp with sweat. He sat down, took a sip of water, and calmed his emotions before picking up his phone and calling Zhou Chao.
The phone rang once before being answered.
“Hello, Ling Chen!”
“Boss, you nearly gave me a heart attack! 1 was on the verge of collapsing!” Ling Chen’s tone carried a hint of reproach upon hearing Zhou Chao’s voice.
“I just wanted to surprise you with a sudden attack. Now, please arrange for the deployment of the new firewall across all companies under the group, including Hilton and the steel plant.”
“Understood, Boss!”
“Also, find some capable hackers. Our organization has grown so large that vulnerabilities are inevitable. You should take this seriously!”
“Yes, Boss!”
“All right, I won’t disturb you anymore. Get some rest early!” Zhou Chao concluded the call, and Ling Chen sat in his chair for a while, allowing his emotions to settle, before finally leaving his office.
After ending the call, Zhou Chao glanced at the firewall he had written on his desktop and sent a copy to Qin Qingchun in Xiang Province. He wasn’t afraid of it being breached; he had implemented strict security measures.
After shutting down his computer, Zhou Chao left his study and quietly entered the bedroom. He noticed that the lights were still on, but Jiang Li had already fallen asleep. He approached the bed carefully, and as soon as he lay down, Jiang Li woke up.
“Brother Chao, are you done with your work?” Jiang Li’s drowsy voice brought a smile to Zhou Chao’s face.
“Yes, it’s time to sleep. Good night, dear.” Zhou Chao kissed Jiang Li and turned off the lights before drifting off to sleep.
Zhou Chao fell asleep in no time. However, the entire hacker community was in an uproar. Chat rooms across various platforms were abuzz with discussions about this incident.
The appearance of a top-tier hacker in the community had disrupted the previously calm waters, creating ripples once again..