188: Chapter 188 Thunderous Strike

Chen Mo smiled slightly after listening.

He had long expected that these people wouldn't let things go, but he hadn't expected them to act so quickly and with such despicable methods.

Chen Mo dialed Zhang Kai's number:

"Zhang Kai, come to my office."

Before long, Zhang Kai knocked and walked in.

"President Chen!"

Chen Mo nodded and said to Zhang Kai and Li Yue:

"Immediately activate the highest level of security for the park and deploy the top-tier protection system I developed. Unmanned patrol cars are to conduct all-around inspections 24 hours a day. Add multiple layers of protection to the R&D Building, encrypt and seal the core algorithms, strictly forbid anyone from contacting them, and eliminate all potential infiltration and hacker attacks."

"Tell the Public Relations Department to act immediately: gather evidence of the rumors, issue an Official Authorities statement, clarify the facts, contact major platforms to delete defamatory posts, and hold those responsible legally accountable."

"Make the privacy protection agreement we signed with the Official Authorities public to reassure netizens and crush the rumors."

"Then arrange for the Technology Department to strengthen network defenses, counter hacker attacks, trace the source to find the masterminds behind the scenes, and preserve all evidence."

"Inform the Official Authorities' Security Administration of this matter, seek support from the Official Authorities, and strictly investigate the forces behind this."

"Whoever dares to obstruct a national-level project or engage in malicious sabotage will pay the price they deserve."

"I'd like to see what kind of waves these petty people can stir up."

"Yes, President Chen! We'll implement it immediately!"

The two responded in unison and immediately turned to make arrangements.

Li Yue immediately dialed the head of the Public Relations Department to convey Chen Mo's instructions.

Zhang Kai issued orders to the Security Command Center to activate the highest-level security plan for Tianxing Park.

All unmanned patrol cars in the park were deployed immediately. The original dozen or so patrols instantly increased to dozens, distributed in every corner of the park. Equipped with high-definition cameras, infrared detectors, and acoustic warning devices, they patrolled continuously 24 hours a day. Even if a bird approached the R&D Building, an alarm would sound immediately.

Double access control was immediately added to the entrance of the R&D Building. Except for core technical personnel, no one else was allowed to enter. Entry and exit required triple verification—facial recognition plus fingerprinting. Not even a fly could get in.

The Technology Department's core algorithm servers were even locked in airtight protective chambers, disconnected from the external network, and operated only on the internal network under constant supervision, completely eliminating any possibility of theft.

Security personnel were also fully mobilized and armed, patrolling the park's main roads, the area around the artificial lake, and the apartment canteens. Security was especially tight around the main building and the R&D Building. Several suspicious individuals who had previously snuck into the park were locked onto by unmanned patrol cars before they could even get close to the R&D Building. They were apprehended by security personnel on the spot, without even a chance to resist.

At the same time, the Tianxing Group Public Relations Department also went into action with lightning speed.

Team members worked overtime through the night to gather all defamatory posts, malicious comments, and smear videos online. They organized and archived them one by one, recording the posters' IDs, platforms, and dissemination paths, creating a clear chain of evidence.

In less than an hour, Tianxing Group's official Weibo, website, and short-video accounts simultaneously released a statement.

The statement detailed the purpose of the facial recognition technology and included the original text of the privacy protection agreement signed with the National Security Administration. It clearly stated that the technology was used only for security and crime prevention, would never collect, leak, or abuse citizens' privacy, and would be under Official Authorities' supervision throughout.

The statement concluded with a direct stance: there would be no leniency for forces maliciously spreading rumors, smearing the group, or obstructing the progress of a national-level project. All evidence had been gathered and would be handed over to judicial authorities for prosecution to the full extent of the law.

Furthermore, the Public Relations Department contacted major social platforms, submitting complete evidence and demanding the immediate removal of defamatory content and the banning of malicious accounts.

The major platforms had long since witnessed the influence of Tianxing Group. Especially since Tianxing held the top spot in the internet industry and this was a national-level cooperative project, they didn't dare to be negligent. They immediately took down the violating content and banned a group of accounts that took the lead in spreading rumors. Malicious remarks online instantly decreased by more than half.

The Technology Department was not to be outdone either.

Overseas hackers who were still trying to breach Tianxing's network defenses met with a powerful counterattack from the Tianxing technical team as soon as they launched a new round of attacks.

Chen Mo didn't even have to step in himself; the network protection system he developed was already extremely formidable. It could not only withstand attacks but also precisely track the source of the attacks, locking onto the hackers' locations step by step through their network IPs.

Before long, the head of the Technology Department brought a report to Chen Mo:

"President Chen! The hackers who launched the attacks come from the technical teams of three established overseas security companies and the network departments of two domestic rival companies. They collaborated to attack our servers to steal the core algorithms. All evidence has been preserved."

Chen Mo sat behind his desk and said after listening to the report:

"Continue tracking. Find out everything about the associated personnel and companies, back up the evidence, and hand it directly to the Official Authorities."

Following Chen Mo's instructions, Zhang Kai immediately contacted the National Security Administration and reported everything—the defamation, the hacker attacks, and the intentional infiltration for sabotage—while submitting some of the evidence.

Upon hearing the news, the National Security Administration was furious on the spot.

Director Li spoke out directly, stating that this was a national-level key project. Anyone who dared to secretly sabotage it was acting against the state and would be severely punished without leniency.

The National Security Administration immediately issued a notice, forming a special task force in conjunction with the Police and the Cyberspace Administration to thoroughly investigate the matter and fully cooperate with Tianxing Group to root out the masterminds.

Once the Official Authorities took action, the results were immediate.

The Police quickly intervened in the investigation and took the apprehended suspicious individuals for questioning. These people couldn't withstand the interrogation and soon confessed everything, admitting they were instructed by several overseas security companies to intentionally infiltrate the park and sabotage it to delay the project's progress.

The Cyberspace Administration also exerted its power simultaneously, strictly investigating online rumors and arresting several Water Army leaders who had taken the lead in spreading rumors and receiving benefits from overseas forces, completely cutting off the source of the smear campaign.

In just half a day, the tide of public opinion online completely turned.

Netizens who were originally incited by the rumors saw Tianxing's official statement and privacy agreement, combined with the official voice of support from the Official Authorities. They instantly understood that someone had intentionally smeared Tianxing Group and used them as pawns.

"So it was all rumors! I knew President Chen was such a responsible person; how could he possibly violate privacy? It was all bad people intentionally causing trouble!"

"These people are so disgusting. They can't stand to see Tianxing doing well or President Chen doing real work, so they used such despicable methods to smear them!"

"Support President Chen! Support Tianxing! Severely punish these masterminds; we can't let good people be wronged!"

"Even the Official Authorities have endorsed this national-level project. Anyone who dares to cause trouble is breaking the law and must be thoroughly investigated!"

Netizens turned their criticism toward the forces that maliciously smeared the company. The previous smear remarks completely disappeared, and the entire internet once again overwhelmingly supported Tianxing Group and Chen Mo.

Meanwhile, life became difficult for those masterminds behind the scenes.

Several domestic security companies involved in directing the sabotage and defamation were shut down by the Official Authorities. Their heads were taken away for investigation, and the companies were ordered to suspend operations for rectification, completely losing their market competitiveness.

Several established overseas security giants were also blacklisted and banned from entering the domestic market. All cooperation was terminated, resulting in heavy losses.

The hacker teams that launched the attacks were placed on global wanted lists and no longer dared to show their faces.

Overnight, all the schemes and tricks against Tianxing Group collapsed, and the masterminds were brought to justice one after another, paying a heavy price.

When the news reached Tianxing headquarters, Zhang Kai and Li Yue hurried into Chen Mo's office to report.

"President Chen! All the masterminds have been identified. Those who should be arrested have been arrested, those who should be fined have been fined, and the online rumors have been cleared. The park's security is all normal; no one can cause trouble anymore!"

Zhang Kai reported.

Li Yue also said with a smile:

"The Official Authorities specifically sent their thanks, praising our timely handling and effective cooperation. They also said that the project's progress won't be affected and they will fully support our work."

"Don't worry about these little interludes."

Chen Mo spoke indifferently:

"Continue to push forward with the National Security Pilot Project. Focus on technical debugging and don't let anything delay our real work."

"Yes, President Chen!"

The two responded in unison.