Chen Mo stood silently in the lab, examining the purity of the carbon crystal sample on the table. After a long moment, he let out a deep breath and slowly straightened up.
Another failure.
The synthesis conditions were nearly identical to the previous attempts, yet the purity still wasn't up to standard. Without solving this issue, even if they successfully created a carbon crystal–based lithium-ion battery, the product's lifespan would be compromised—and so would its energy storage capacity.
Still needs calibration data... he mused.
Peeling off his gloves, he placed them neatly on the workbench and prepared to leave.
Just then, the calm voice of the Ink Girl chimed in.
"Mer Brother, the company's servers are experiencing a traffic attack. Malicious requests are draining server computing resources."
Chen Mo frowned.
"Can you differentiate between legitimate data and malicious packets?"
"Yes."
"Split the traffic. Filter and block the malicious requests. Funnel them into a black hole."
"To do that effectively, I'll need to breach the service provider's network."
"Do it."
Ink Girl, the AI he built, was more than capable of accessing any connected system. Once data touched the internet, it was within her grasp.
Moments later, her voice returned.
"Attack intercepted successfully."
"Were you able to trace the source?"
"Yes. The attacker used a botnet with a timed trigger. The command-and-control node is located in Germany."
"Can you identify them?"
"This person."
A file and avatar popped up on the lab's central display. Chen Mo scanned the document quickly.
It was a professional hacker. One of those who attacked companies for profit.
Since you knocked on our door... no harm letting you feel the consequences.
"Send the hacker's information to the German security bureau. Anonymously. No trace."
"Done."
"Now, build a cloud-based defense system. This won't be the last time."
DDoS attacks were notoriously difficult to counter. Their goal: flood a system with so much traffic that real users were pushed out. Without Ink Girl, defending against this would be a full-time job.
Over in the company's server room, the tech team finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Supervisor, the DDoS wave disappeared. Servers are back to normal."
The cyber attack had caught them off guard, but it had passed quickly. Most employees weren't even aware anything had happened.
But this was just the beginning. A storm was brewing online.
Suddenly, news headlines exploded across the internet:
"Leaked: Massive Cyber Attack Hits Marching Ant Company!"
"User Data from Marching Ant Assistant Exposed?"
"Marching Ant Company Facing Acquisition?"
"Butterfly Eye Phones Exploding?"
"Smart Assistant Spying on Users?"
Within two hours, an overwhelming flood of fake articles had saturated every major news outlet. The smear campaign was deliberate, coordinated, and massive.
The internet boiled over with speculation.
"Marching Ant needs to explain this data breach immediately!"
"Garbage company, can't even protect their own servers?"
"My Butterfly Eye phone isn't waterproof! Where's my refund?"
"This is obviously a setup. Who believes this crap?"
Back at headquarters, Zhao Min sat in her office, staring out the window, expression cold.
So it begins.
She'd anticipated this. Marching Ant had grown too fast, too strong. It was only a matter of time before the blowback came—but the scale and suddenness of it still irritated her.
Just then, Xiao Yu knocked and entered.
"Zhao Jie, someone from the tax bureau just delivered a notice. They're coming to inspect our accounts."
"Got it."
Zhao Min didn't move from the window. Her eyes remained fixed on the distant sky as she worked to steady her breathing.
Online chaos. Rumors. Manufactured outrage. And now a surprise audit?
Clearly someone was pulling strings.
This isn't a coincidence. Someone's using government departments to apply pressure. Typical disgusting tactics.
She exhaled slowly.
Silence would usually be the best response—it avoids feeding the flames. But Zhao Min wasn't one to back down quietly. After some thought, she picked up her phone and dialed Li Lingfeng.
Meanwhile, social media buzzed. Some people recalled the previous smear campaign when the Marching Ant OS had launched. Back then, the attacks had seemed intense—but this time was worse.
And then, Marching Ant finally responded.
On the official Weibo and website, a single sentence appeared:
"If we take a step back, we lose."
Short. Direct. Provocative.
And it lit the internet on fire.
"This is badass."
"Never bow to bullies—this is why I love Marching Ant."
"They're being targeted, clearly. But they're standing firm."
"This kind of unfair competition needs regulation! If startups get killed like this, who's going to innovate in the future?"
"Smart assistants made for regular people... of course the big players are scared. I stand with Marching Ant."
The support rolled in, fast and loud.
Two product launches had skyrocketed Marching Ant into national stardom. And now, after two waves of coordinated blackmail and sabotage, people had had enough.
Back in his office, Chen Mo remained calm.
He'd expected this. Two days ago, Yu Chengnan had met with him and hinted that attacks might follow. He thought it would come yesterday—but the attackers had chosen today, and they came in swinging.
Cyberattacks. Media smears. A tax audit.
What next? Infiltrators?
"Ink Girl."
"Mer Brother, I'm here!"
The computer screen shifted to a simulated interface. A digital girl in a white dress appeared onscreen.
"Help me trace who's behind the smear campaign."
"Okay! Please wait... Found it. Neural network operators—Tianma Network, and these others..."
She read out ten names.
"Now find out who owns these companies. The people who funded them."
"Got it!"
Ink Girl's avatar blinked and disappeared into the network.
A long pause.
"...Found them."