The technical department manager spoke up, "Chairman, our security system was hacked again today. It must be the same hacker from last time."
Lin Chang was stunned. "Did they succeed?"
"Yes," the manager nodded.
"How is that possible?" Lin Chang widened his eyes. "Didn’t we hire those top-tier computer experts to rebuild our security system?"
Those internationally renowned hackers had even sworn that no one could breach the system they designed.
"Chairman," the manager lowered his head, "that security system couldn’t stop him at all. He accessed our backend as easily as walking into his own home—there was no resistance."
Lin Chang clenched his fists.
Who was it? Who kept targeting Starlight Group like this?
However, the last time this hacker infiltrated their system, they only sabotaged it before leaving without further damage. This time, they might not even have destroyed the security system.
Perhaps it was just a malicious prank.
Thinking this, Lin Chang felt slightly relieved.
"What was his purpose this time?" Lin Chang took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.
The technical manager answered nervously, "Right before the game crashed, some users purchased our in-game skins. He came specifically to refund all that money."
Lin Chang frowned.
Refund the money?
Why would he do that?
"How much was refunded?" Lin Chang asked.
The game department manager replied, "Chairman, the skins were only sold in the last one or two seconds before the crash. The total was just 23,000 yuan."
Lin Chang let out a sigh of relief.
At least it wasn’t much.
"Did he do anything else?" Lin Chang pressed.
The game manager lowered his head, uneasy. "He destroyed our company’s security system again."
Hearing this, Lin Chang nearly spat out blood.
That system had cost him hundreds of millions to build—and now, it was gone just like that.
"And…" the technical manager hesitated.
"And what?" Lin Chang clutched his aching chest.
"And…" The manager closed his eyes before answering, "He left a message saying that the game crash was his doing. He planted a virus in our game and claimed we’d never be able to fix it."
Lin Chang’s face turned deathly pale.
This couldn’t be happening.
If what he said was true, did that mean the game was permanently ruined?
This was over a year of the company’s hard work—eighteen months of relentless development.
The manpower, resources, and financial investment were incalculable.
And worse—after the game’s launch, they had spent billions on marketing.
If this game failed, it would deal a devastating blow to the company. They wouldn’t last long.
No.
This was just the beginning. They weren’t at a dead end yet—there had to be a solution.
Lin Chang paced back and forth in his office.
Then, an idea struck him.
His eyes lit up. "Immediately relaunch a new app. Wan'er, arrange for promotions for this new version."
The technical manager said, "Chairman, we’ve already tried that. It won’t work. The virus is embedded in the game’s core—no matter which app it’s on, the game will crash."
"Then comb through it! Go over every single detail and find out where the problem lies!" Lin Chang roared.
"Yes, sir."
The game and technical managers exchanged hopeless glances.
With a game this massive, locating the virus would be near impossible.
Lin Chang collapsed into his chair, his face ashen, even his lips pale.
A female secretary entered with coffee.
"Chairman, President Lin, President Wang, President Li, please have some tea," she said respectfully.
"Take it away! How can I think about tea right now?" Lin Chang’s chest heaved violently.
His mind was consumed with one thought—the game must not fail.
"Chairman, bad news!" An employee rushed into the office in a panic.
Already agitated, Lin Chang grew even more irritated at the disruption.
"What could possibly be so urgent?" he snapped.
What could be worse than the game crashing?
The employee flinched at his tone.
After gathering himself, he stammered, "Chairman, Starlight Group’s 'King’s Pesticide' just ended its beta testing. They held a press conference announcing the official launch."
"At the same time, platforms like Huoyin, Weibo, A-site, and Mohu are flooded with ads claiming their game is identical to ours. They’re telling our players to switch to their game since ours is broken."
"What?!"
Lin Chang slammed his fist on the desk, furious. "Starlight Group is clearly kicking us while we’re down!"
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
"No," Lin Chang muttered darkly. "This might all be Lin Xuan’s doing!"
Otherwise, he couldn’t think of anyone else behind this.
Fine. Lin Xuan was really something.
Daring to leech off Starlight Group like this.
"Chairman, what should we do now?" the game manager asked.
Lin Chang’s voice was icy. "Hire the best international hackers to locate and eliminate that virus."
"And, Wan'er."
He turned to Lin Qingwan. "Contact every major platform except Huoyin. Buy trending hashtags—accuse Starlight Group of plagiarizing our game."
"Dad, but…" Lin Qingwan hesitated.
They were the ones who had copied Starlight Group’s game. Wasn’t this turning the tables unfairly?
"Do it," Lin Chang said coldly.
Lin Qingwan pressed her lips together.
This game was crucial to Starlight Group’s survival. Her father’s plan was indeed the most strategic move.
"Alright, Dad. I understand."
Heart heavy, Lin Qingwan left the office.
Every step she took now only pushed Lin Xuan further away.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
