4: Come see the immortals!

A massive clean-up storm sweeping across the telecommunications industry was thus unveiled, and countless personnel who had previously been involved or had already retired were implicated and purged...

With such a large-scale, multi-location, and simultaneous outbreak of bizarre incidents, blocking the news was utterly impossible.

Screenshots leaked from within these telecom companies triggered earthquake-like discussions on technician forums.

[Ghost Icon Warning, Pictures and Proof!]

[It is said to have been triggered by the illegal querying of specific user data.]

[What kind of user could trigger this level of automatic defense?]

Soon, the topic spread like a flood to broader public platforms.

The readership of topics concerning the Ghost on major portal platforms climbed exponentially, quickly surging onto the trending search lists.

The comment sections were filled with shock and the fervor of onlookers.

[My God, is this gossip real? More than a dozen companies warned simultaneously?]

[Absolutely real. My friend's wife's company is on the list. The Ghost appeared on every computer in the company at the time. Everyone was scared senseless...]

[So it was because someone privately checked user information? They deserved it, right? Karma strikes.]

[This defense mechanism is terrifying. Which incredible person is responsible for this? I must offer my respects first...]

On short video platforms.

Many tech bloggers quickly produced videos attempting to clarify the sequence of events.

Virtual anchors even used animation to recreate the moment the Ghost icon appeared, garnering millions of views.

Lengthy, in-depth discussion threads appeared on Zhida.

Moments feeds were flooded.

From professional discussions among IT practitioners to the shocked gossip of ordinary people, it became a phenomenal nationwide topic.

In this Ghost Warning storm sweeping the internet, a top-tier tech short video blogger named Brother Zhe became the key figure who pushed the incident toward a climax of nationwide frenzy.

In the early stages of the incident, when fragmented information and rumors were flying everywhere, Brother Zhe's team acutely sensed the massive traffic potential within it.

They utilized all their network resources, contacted internal employees from multiple involved telecom companies, and gathered a large amount of firsthand information.

After a day and a night of intense production, a video titled, "Full Analysis of the Ghost Warning Incident: The Truth Behind More Than a Dozen Giant Companies Being Warned Simultaneously," was simultaneously released on major short video platforms.

At the beginning of the video, Brother Zhe dropped his usual lighthearted humor, standing with an extremely serious expression in front of a dynamic, futuristic background.

"Brothers and sisters, what happened in the past 24 hours might far exceed your imagination."

"This is not a movie, nor is it a drill. This is a digital spectacle, a dimension-crushing strike that occurred in the real world!"

"Today, Brother Zhe will take everyone to thoroughly expose the truth behind what simultaneously paralyzed over a dozen telecom giants for one minute and displayed a four-character warning."

The video had an extremely fast pace and explosive information density.

It quickly cut through various speculations and trending topics circulating online.

It then suddenly froze on a high-definition screenshot of the blue, side-profile Ghost icon.

"This icon is the core of this entire storm."

Brother Zhe used 3D animation to highly restore the operation process of the violating executive.

"Attention, high-energy content coming!"

The video sound effects became tense and exciting, and the screen simulated the moment the operator clicked the mouse, where the entire animated screen was completely dominated by the gigantic Ghost icon.

Brother Zhe emphasized that this was not an isolated incident, but over at least twenty completely identical cases, which were performed simultaneously across the country in an extremely short period.

"This means the Ghost possesses an ability we cannot comprehend—the power to simultaneously intervene in the nation's core networks!"

Brother Zhe continued his analysis.

"It is virtually impossible for any existing hacker technology on Blue Star to achieve such precise synchronization, solely to display an icon and a warning without causing any actual damage."

"This is more like a rule-level suppression."

"It's as absurd as getting automatically banned for cheating in a game, and then having your home computer hacked as well."

"It is truly a dimension-crushing strike."

At the end of the video, Brother Zhe summarized the theme in one sentence.

"This incident tells us two things."

"The boundaries of citizens' personal information protection may be redefined due to the existence of certain special forces."

"Finally, don't be reckless, and don't touch what you shouldn't touch."

Because Brother Zhe's video was so well-produced, it quickly went viral across the entire network.

Within one hour of release, the total views exceeded ten million.

Within three hours, it surged into the top three trending topics.

Within twelve hours, the video's total views across the network surpassed 100 million, the number of likes exceeded ten million, and comments and shares were countless.

The comment section below the video completely devolved into a sea of joy where netizens vented their shock and admiration.

[Holy cow, I got goosebumps just watching that. This must be a master among the common folk!]

[I'm only going to warn you once. Let's see if you dare to touch me again.]

[The level of intimidation is almost breaking the heavens. Anyone can talk tough, but this master actually dared to do it.]

[So, is Bai Qianqian actually the kind of powerful female lead in novels who has a system backing her?]

[This isn't hacking, this is divine punishment!]

[Hahaha, watching the video recreate those executives recklessly clicking, it's both miserable and hilarious.]

[Brother Zhe is awesome! That level of recreation! I'll kneel to the great one first.]

[So, does this mean the rich can't do whatever they want anymore? There is a master called Ghost, specializing in curing all forms of arrogance.]

[@CyberPoliceUncle, come quickly and see a deity! (Dog emoji for protection)]

[Is it still possible to submit a resume to Bais Technology now?]

[Can some master turn the Ghost icon into a T-shirt? I want to buy one and wear it so no one dares to steal my account.]

Below this comment, countless merchants posted pictures of finished Ghost T-shirts, attracting attention from innumerable onlookers... This video and the crazy discussions it sparked completely mythologized the Ghost Warning incident.

Among them, a portion of people felt deep fear, realizing they had once tried to pry into the affairs of a master possessing such capabilities.

Judging from the current situation, it would be effortless for this master among the common folk, who possesses heaven-defying abilities, to retaliate against them.

If the monk runs away, can the temple run too? Did they want their companies and industries or not?

Meanwhile, the female protagonist of the Ghost incident currently appeared somewhat frazzled.

Several of her work and private phones were almost overwhelmed by calls and messages.

The entrance to Bais Technology was swarming with reporters, meaning she had not been home for nearly two days, eating and sleeping at the company.

Earlier that morning, she was ambushed by a reporter disguised as a delivery driver, who shoved a makeshift microphone right into her nostril.

"The Ghost..."

After this incident, Bai Qianqian had certainly redefined the power of the Ghost.

"President Bai, several investigators wish to see you immediately."

What was bound to happen had finally arrived.

Bai Qianqian took a deep breath.

"Please show them in, and be polite."

Three stern-looking investigators walked in, led by a middle-aged man in his forties with sharp eyes.

The middle-aged man first showed his identification, then casually sat down on the sofa.

"Ms. Bai, hello. My name is Chen Tao."

"Regarding the series of network anomalies involving you recently, we require your cooperation in our investigation."

"I understand. I will cooperate fully."

Bai Qianqian remained unusually calm. She knew that concealing anything in front of the state apparatus would be the most foolish choice.

She immediately took out her private phone, pulled up the call log, and turned the screen toward the investigators.

At the same time, she operated her computer, logged into her online bank account, and quickly retrieved the transfer records.

"The cause was the Ghost proactively contacting me and selling me intelligence, which allowed Bais Technology to win the bid for the New City project."

"As compensation, I transferred one million to this account."

Bai Qianqian did not mention the part where she proactively sought intelligence from the Ghost, and the investigators were naturally not foolish enough to ask.

Two investigators with technical backgrounds immediately leaned forward, and when they clearly saw the contents on the screen, they were stunned, expressions of disbelief surfacing on their faces.

Only one entry remained in the phone's call log after deletion, but the other party's mobile number was just a single digit: 0.

In the online bank transfer records, the recipient's account was also the extremely bizarre digit 0.

"How is this possible?"

A young technician exclaimed softly.

Chen Tao frowned deeply, sinking into contemplation.

His past experience told him that this matter was far from simple.

"This doesn't look like the concealment method a top-tier protected user would employ."

Chen Tao agreed.

"That's right. After all, users like this wouldn't proactively contact others just for one million."

There were some things Chen Tao didn't say.

Protected users typically only set access thresholds.

For example, preventing further access through methods like insufficient permissions or encrypted data.

Both the mobile number and bank account being 0 looked as if the system's underlying logic had been invaded, forcibly overwritten, and made impossible to trace.

Judging by the intensity and scope of the counterattack, it looked more like a devastating punishment for the act of prying.

After connecting the specialized analysis equipment they brought and performing a quick scan, the technician turned the notebook screen toward Chen Tao.

The screen was divided into two halves.

At the bottom of both interfaces, there was a constantly flashing red button labeled [Activate High-Level Encrypted Penetration Access Protocol].

"Chief, the basic scan cannot penetrate. The underlying logic is completely locked down."

"Do we authorize the activation of the encrypted penetration protocol? It might tear open a breach."

"No!"

Bai Qianqian stood up from the sofa, her expression tense.

"You may attempt it, but not within the confines of my company..."

Chen Tao stared at the two bizarre 0s on the screen, then glanced at the intensely reacting Bai Qianqian.

His fingers unconsciously tapped on his knee.

Trying might yield unprecedented discoveries.

But the cost might be triggering an unmanageable digital catastrophe, and that responsibility would undoubtedly fall on him as the person in charge on site.

Not trying was conservative, but absolutely safe.

After nearly a minute of silence, Chen Tao took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Disconnect, and cease all proactive probing behavior."

The technician paused for a moment but quickly carried out the order.

Chen Tao stood up, his expression returning to its usual seriousness.

"Ms. Bai, thank you for your cooperation."

"We have understood the situation. Please ensure your devices remain powered on 24 hours a day; we may contact you at any time."

After speaking, Chen Tao placed a specialized communicator on Bai Qianqian's desk.

Bai Qianqian only needed one glance to understand Chen Tao's intention: he wanted to use her to establish contact with the Ghost.