35: Chapter 35 Apple Admits Defeat

When the three-day deadline expired, the entire internet was watching Apple's move. However, Apple phone users scoured the App Store, and Tianxing's apps were all sitting there peacefully. Fetion and Tianxing Takeout could still be used normally, showing no sign of being delisted.

"What's going on? Didn't Apple say they were going to delist the Tianxing apps?"

"Could it be that Tianxing Technology really buckled and paid the Apple tax?"

"It must be! Otherwise, why would Apple be so quiet?"

The Apple Fans instantly exploded, each one jumping out to gloat:

"They were bragging loudly before, saying they would never yield, but in the end, they still obediently bowed their heads?"

"Tianxing Technology only dares to challenge Ali and Penguin. When faced with a world-class giant like Apple, don't they still have to kneel?"

"Companies from Long Country are only fierce domestically. Faced with a real tough opponent, they amount to nothing!"

"Apple's market value is hundreds of billions of US dollars; what can Tianxing compare?"

But as soon as these words fell, some netizens who had just purchased an iPhone 5 immediately erupted, flooding the forums with posts:

"Whoever buys a new Apple is unlucky! My newly activated device, Fetion and Tianxing Live, both won't work; they crash immediately upon opening!"

Once this was said, many new Apple users chimed in, and for a time, the complaints drowned out the Apple Fans' clamor.

Netizens instantly realized:

"Holy cow! Tianxing blocked newly activated Apple phones, didn't they?"

"How did they do that? Apple's system isn't a pushover!"

"They check the activation time, right? But how could Tianxing find out Apple's activation information?"

"Could it be that Tianxing cracked Apple's system? That's too amazing!"

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense about that. Tianxing even has its own self-developed system; cracking Apple's system must be a piece of cake!"

A new question immediately arose:

Tianxing didn't back down; instead, they retaliated by blocking new Apple phones. So why didn't Apple delist the Tianxing apps?

They were even being publicly humiliated, yet they hadn't made a single move?

"No way, no way, did Apple get scared?"

"What about the promised Fortune Global 500 status? Are they being completely suppressed by Tianxing?"

"Laughing myself to death. Apple threatened Tianxing with its thirty million Long Country users, but didn't they look at Fetion already having 700 million users?"

Netizens who love to stir up trouble not only rushed to Apple's official website to leave messages questioning them but also dug up the real-world test videos of the tianxing generation and posted them on foreign websites. Although they were quickly deleted, they still gave many foreign netizens a shock:

"OMG! Does Long Country actually have a phone better than the iPhone 5?"

"This fingerprint plus facial recognition is way more advanced than Apple's, right?"

"Tianxing Technology? Isn't that the company that developed the 20nm chip? No wonder they dare to challenge Apple!"

Meanwhile, Apple's headquarters had long descended into chaos.

The technical department worked for over ten hours, checking the servers eight times over, but they couldn't find a single vulnerability. The command to delist the Tianxing apps simply wouldn't go through, as if someone had their neck choked.

"It must be Tianxing Technology! They hacked our servers!"

An executive roared, slamming the table, his face bright red.

The technical director hung his head:

"Mr. Cook, we haven't found any signs of intrusion. We even suspect there was a backdoor left in the servers long ago."

"Then protest to the Long Country government! Make them control Tianxing Technology!"

Another executive said in exasperation.

An older executive nearby rolled his eyes, his tone full of mockery:

"Protest? Do you think Long Country will care about you? Do you really think Long Country is still as easy to manipulate as before?"

Cook pinched the bridge of his nose, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. This was the biggest stumble he had faced since taking over as Apple CEO.

He remained silent for a long moment before saying in a deep voice, "First, issue a mild protest to the Long Country government, and then sue Tianxing Technology in America!"

He knew clearly that protesting would be useless; Long Country would definitely side with Tianxing. However, the American courts would certainly favor Apple.

As long as the lawsuit succeeded, Tianxing's products wouldn't be able to enter America, and for those countries afraid of America, Tianxing's overseas market would be instantly strangled!

As for the Long Country market, there would be plenty of opportunities to win it back later. He didn't believe Tianxing could stay ahead forever.

"Also, immediately conduct a thorough check of the servers, find all backdoors, and investigate internal spies!"

Cook added. He absolutely did not believe any hacker could silently compromise Apple's servers; there must have been an internal issue.

While Apple's top management was in dire straits, the mocking voices of Long Country netizens had already turned the heavens upside down.

One day passed, and the new Apple phones still couldn't use the Tianxing apps, while the old devices were fine. The Tianxing apps remained unshakable in the store, and the Apple Fans' mentality completely collapsed:

"I didn't buy the tianxing generation and spent a fortune on the iPhone 5, clinging to my so-called faith, only for Apple to back down first?"

"We subjects were ready to fight to the death, Your Majesty, why did you surrender first! Apple, how could you treat us Apple Fans?"

"Refund! I want to return my iPhone 5 and buy the tianxing generation!"

The Apple Fans swarmed Apple's official website demanding an explanation, but Apple turned a blind eye.

Once a phone was sold, on what grounds could they demand a refund? But unable to swallow the humiliation, Apple's Long Country official website finally posted an announcement that evening, accusing Tianxing Technology of using hacker methods to invade Apple's servers and lodging a "serious protest" with the Long Country government.

When this announcement came out, Long Country netizens burst out laughing:

"Is Apple so desperate they've gone crazy? They say Tianxing hacked their servers—where's the evidence?"

"The world's top tech company was hacked by a rising company from Long Country? Who would believe that!"

"They don't dare to delist the Tianxing apps, so they resort to such a lame excuse? That's so classless!"

"If you have the guts, sue directly! What good is just protesting?"

"Aren't Apple's legal teams very capable? Bring out the evidence to crush Tianxing!"

The netizens' mockery hadn't even stopped when the foreign websites exploded again.

Apple had genuinely sued Tianxing Technology in the Supreme Court of America, and the court had accepted the case!

When the news reached Long Country, netizens were instantly furious:

"Apple is playing dirty! They couldn't handle it in Long Country, so they went to America to file a complaint?"

"Can American courts govern a company from Long Country? That's ridiculous!"

"Tianxing hasn't even entered the overseas market; what's the use of Apple's move besides being disgusting?"

But no one expected that this lawsuit would instead make Tianxing Technology and the tianxing generation completely famous worldwide.

Foreign netizens followed the news and dug up the videos and specifications of the tianxing generation, and every single one was stunned:

"This phone is too cool! A 4.7-inch screen, and dual unlocking!"

"Compared to the iPhone 5, this is practically a geriatric phone!"

"Where can I buy one? Long Country is too lucky!"

"Why can't our country build such an amazing phone?"

Far away in Long Country, Chen Mo, upon seeing the news of Apple's lawsuit, was sitting in his office reviewing the sales report for the tianxing generation, a faint smile playing on his lips, completely unconcerned.

He had long expected America to make a move. In his previous life, Huawei was sanctioned because its chip supply chain was constrained. But his Tianxing Technology was different; the chips, systems, and components were all self-developed and self-produced, 100% localized. American sanctions, to him, were merely scratching an itch.

Let alone a lawsuit, even if America allied with other countries to impose a blockade, he wouldn't be afraid.

The Long Country market alone was enough for Tianxing Technology to feast until it was stuffed.

Furthermore, with his Grandmaster-level programming skills, let alone hacking Apple's servers, making all of America's internet companies collapse would just be a matter of moving his fingers.

He held back this time only because he didn't want to escalate things too much. If the table were truly flipped, it would benefit no one.

The efficiency of the US Supreme Court hearings was ridiculously fast; the first hearing took place three days later.

Reporters from all over the world crowded outside the courthouse, and major media outlets broadcast the proceedings live. Long Country netizens also bypassed the firewall to watch, eager to see what tricks Apple could pull.

Chen Mo naturally did not attend, nor did he send a representative. The Long Country government, moreover, completely ignored it.

Without Long Country's endorsement, the American judgment was nothing more than a piece of waste paper.

At the start of the hearing, Apple's legal team presented hundreds of pages of 'evidence,' vehemently arguing to the judge that Tianxing Technology had invaded Apple's servers and cultivated internal spies to leave backdoors.

But the more they listened, the more the reporters in the audience and the netizens watching the live stream felt something was off:

"This evidence is all Apple's internal records; it proves nothing about the internal spy being connected to Tianxing!"

"They haven't even met anyone from Tianxing Technology, yet they claim long-term intrusion? Are they kidding?"

"If they caught the internal spy, why can't they deal with Tianxing's apps? Is Apple's tech department incompetent?"

Foreign netizens shook their heads, and those who understood technology directly complained in the comments section. Apple's legal team sounded increasingly nervous, and the scene became quite awkward.

Just then, the lead defense lawyer suddenly changed tack and threw out a 'bombshell piece of evidence':

"Your Honor, we have investigated and found that the information of Tianxing Technology's boss cannot be found anywhere on the entire network! We tried uploading relevant documents, and they are deleted in the blink of an eye—this is the case across the global network! This is sufficient proof that Tianxing Technology possesses terrifying hacking capabilities, capable of controlling the entire global network!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtroom fell silent, and netizens watching the live stream across various countries were stunned.

That's right. Everyone suddenly remembered that although Tianxing Technology had risen for a long time, and they knew it was a company from Long Country that made phones, chips, and ran takeout and live streaming, the mysterious boss behind it—not even a single photo or name could be found!

"No wonder Apple says they were hacked; this method is too scary!"

"If they can control the entire global network, who exactly is the boss of Tianxing?"

"If this is true, Tianxing Technology is too terrifying!"

Netizens instantly exploded, each one frantically searching online for information about the boss of Tianxing Technology, trying to verify the Apple lawyer's claim.

Long Country netizens also joined the fray, inwardly certain they wouldn't find anything, as they had tried countless times before.

But this time, when they clicked open the search page, the information that popped up on the screen stunned everyone!