Chapter 70: "Good!" (Seeking recommendation votes, seeking monthly tickets)

As soon as the official announcement was released, netizens transformed into armchair detectives one by one.

"I told you the video was fake, but you wouldn't believe me."

"At least use surveillance footage to fake it, make it look a bit more realistic."

"Just happened to be recording a video with a phone, and just happened to explode while charging? How can there be so many coincidences?"

"To the person above, I have the screenshot as proof. You weren't saying that this morning. You said Wisdom Cube Technology deserved to go bankrupt."

……

Following the release of the official statement, Wisdom Cube Technology also issued a declaration.

Along with it came a list of bloggers and their corresponding IDs.

[We reiterate that for the aforementioned self-media accounts that deliberately smeared our company, we have already initiated legal proceedings. The internet is not a lawless place.]

Before the official notice came out, they had ridden the hype wave to frame and smear Wisdom Cube Technology, gorging themselves on traffic and reaping massive profits.

Did they really think traffic was that easy to swallow?

Well, it was just the right time to use these clowns to test the waters for the newly hired lawyers and help them gain some experience.

Meanwhile, at the Luzhou New District Public Security Sub-bureau, just after the announcement was made public, the National Security personnel took away the relevant case files.

"This case has been taken over by us at National Security. You don't need to get involved in anything."

After the National Security officers left, many people inside the Luzhou Public Security Sub-bureau were extremely astonished.

Wasn't this just a simple corporate espionage case? How on earth did it alarm National Security?

By the time Li Pingan received the news from Little Qian, it was already late into the night.

In the brightly lit, two-story self-built house in the dead of night, Hu Li sat in absolute silence, facing her parents' crying.

Having hurried all the way back, she had assumed her younger brother would be at the police station or sent to a detention center after turning himself in.

Never in her wildest dreams had she expected that her brother would be sent to a psychiatric hospital instead.

And right after they rushed to the psychiatric hospital, her brother was taken away once again by three men in plain clothes.

Being able to snatch a person directly from a psychiatric hospital and force the facility to keep its mouth shut—Hu Li could easily piece the puzzle together with just a little bit of thought.

Faced with that chilling realization, Hu Li no longer dared to press for her brother's whereabouts.

Consumed by annoyance, Hu Li let out a sigh and said in a weak, hoarse voice, "Stop crying, stop crying! Isn't this all because you spoiled him?"

"Now you know regret, but is it any use?"

"Just wait for the notification."

"I'm tired, I'm going to sleep first. We still have to drive back to work tomorrow."

Without sparing another glance, Hu Li stood up and pulled her husband upstairs.

A few days later, several internet bloggers, who had previously been quite arrogant, finally panicked when they actually received court summons.

Each of them not only deleted the massively popular, heavily-liked videos, but also scrambled to post apology videos.

At this moment, the King of Sharp Tongues—Little Qian—made an online appearance.

"If apologies were useful, what would the police be for?"

"Heh heh heh~~~ Get ready to lose your pants in compensation, heh heh heh~~~"

"Where did that arrogant attitude of yours go? Did you really think Grandpa Fang was just messing around? I've secretly kept the evidence of all your remarks."

"That's right, I was the one who collected the evidence. Go ahead and trace the network cable to hit me~~~"

"I'm so, so scared~~~"

As Little Qian's comments received wave after wave of likes, more and more netizens saw them, sending a jolt through their hearts.

No wonder it felt like something was missing.

Now everyone remembered.

With the internet raging with fierce arguments today, the figure of the King of Sharp Tongues had been conspicuously absent.

Last time, this artificial intelligence had roasted the heavens, the earth, and the very air; anyone who spoke ill of Wisdom Cube Technology was instantly obliterated.

Turns out... this artificial intelligence had actually gone off to play the role of a shadow operator.

The artificial intelligence of a private enterprise seemed completely different from what everyone imagined.

This AI felt as if it could genuinely think for itself.

If a private enterprise's AI was already this formidable, didn't that mean the state-controlled AI had already turned science fiction into reality?

In an instant, netizens muttered to themselves: As expected, Mother China has always been holding back her ultimate moves.

Chances are, the Nantianmen Project is real!

"Boss, the new home is fantastic to use—it doesn't lag at all."

Stepping out of the bathroom after a shower, Li Pingan wiped his hair and spoke to the phone whose screen automatically lit up: "Have you found out anything about the news I asked you to investigate?"

"No. They used temporary numbers, and later I discovered that National Security was also investigating, so I didn't dare to dig any further."

Li Pingan let out an acknowledgment and asked, "Have you found suitable candidates among the retired special forces veterans meeting the criteria I specified?"

"I only have one sister."

"I found them. Shall I initiate contact?"

Hearing this, Li Pingan's hand paused for a moment. "You make direct contact."

"Oula~~~ Leave it safely to me, Boss."

In the dead of night, in the early hours of the morning—nominally the quietest time of day—Liaocheng's Barbecue Street was actually at its most bustling and lively.

Almost every barbecue stall along the entire street was packed with people eating skewers late into the night.

Zhang Feng, dressed in a security guard uniform, finally had some rare free time to gather for a meal with several of his high school classmates.

Drawing a monthly image-guard salary of 8,000, Zhang Feng was already quite content.

After all, it was just a small county town where wages generally hovered around 3,000 to 4,000. Unless one entered a factory as a regular laborer to scrape together just over 6,000, a salary of 8,000 a month was already quite respectable.

Just as Zhang Feng and his classmates were reminiscing, his phone unseasonably chimed with a ringtone.

Pulling out his phone and seeing an unfamiliar number, Zhang Feng initially assumed it was a sales promotion call and prepared to hang up immediately.

On second glance, the caller ID showed a string of numbers ending in [6]. Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, Zhang Feng rubbed his eyes.

Watching that string of numbers change right before his eyes from ending in [6] to [9], Zhang Feng's drunkenness vanished in an instant.

Cold sweat broke out across his back.

As a retired special forces soldier who had failed to stay in the military due to certain reasons, his intuition told him—given this bizarre sight—that he was being targeted.

That sensation felt exactly like being zeroed in on by a sniper; every hair on his body stood on end!

"You guys go ahead and drink slowly, I need to take this call."

Moving away from the crowd, Zhang Feng took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"Who is this?"

"A legitimate and formal bodyguard job, with a monthly salary of 50,000. If you die on the job, a one-time compensation of 1 million will be paid to your family. Do you take it or not?"

Fifty thousand a month... Zhang Feng swallowed hard. To say he wasn't tempted would be an absolute lie.

"What are the requirements?"

"At critical moments, risk your life to protect the target. Otherwise, your name and your family's names will appear on a hit list."

Hearing this, Zhang Feng fell silent for a long moment before licking his lips.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, reminiscent of his days before retiring from the military.

"Deal!"

"Don't be so nervous. You will be working with others to protect a little girl. Under normal circumstances, it's quite safe."

"Report directly to Luzhou Wisdom Cube Technology tomorrow. You can call me Little Qian."

At these words, understanding instantly dawned in Zhang Feng's heart.

Meanwhile, in another city, the exact same scene was unfolding.

Faced with reality and wanting to provide her family with better living conditions, Han Mengting did not hesitate like Zhang Feng; she agreed right on the spot.

As long as it wasn't a crime committed within the country, what was there to be afraid of?

Was there anything in this world more terrifying than poverty?